A/N: would you still be surprised if i said this was mostly smut. smut smut smutty smut smut, with just a hint of plot (just a hint since im a smut slut through and through). And i aint even the slightest bit ashamed. This lil piece (lel) features the great dommy tommy and if you got a dommy daddy fantasy then THIS ONE IS FOR YOUUU.
If you like (which i hope you doooo since i know i did) please lemme know, if you didnt….let me know that too but BE NICE THIS IS A RESPECTFUL FUCKING NEIGHBOURHOOD AND IM STILL SENSITIVE YA KNO?
Word Count: 6003!!!! 6003 words of mostly smut AND YES I KNOW ITS PROBABLY HELLA EXTRA @ nonnie SO DONT READ IF IT YOU DONT LIKE LONG AF SMUT PIECES (also who have noticed that my pieces get sunstantially longer and longer everydamn time i post?)
A/N: Warnings: NSFW. plot? what plot? this is pure smut, smutty smut smut smut smut
Pairing: sub!Tommy x reader
Word count: 4075 words of SMUT
this is my first sub!tommy piece so PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. i live off of feedback (especially of the positive variety✨) so if you liked this please lemme know! Also if you have some ideas of what I should write next YA GIRLS DONE UNI so ill have so much time to write (job? what is a job?) so please send some stuff my way.
You would never tire of it. The sight of him beneath you. The feel of his shuddering body trapped between your thighs.
Thomas Shelby—the king of Birmingham, the man who one day could be emperor of the world—vulnerable beyond all recognition because of you, because of your touch. Here he was, laid underneath you, naked, defenseless, utterly exposed— giving you all that he had, all that he was, and begging for you to take even more.
Tommy would never tire of it either. The way he felt being at your mercy. The relief that came from his submission. The warm and comfortable feeling of being safe despite relinquishing his control. But most of all, you. He would never tire of the way that you felt, the way that you made him feel. It was mystifying. Beautiful and terrifying. Addicting and all-consuming.
With your smooth legs straddling his waist, you made sure the ties around his wrist and the bedpost were strong enough to withstand him. Tommy always resisted the bondages at first. Never wanting to actually admit to you (or himself) just how much he needed you to dominate him, to take control, to silence his mind— even though his body always ended betraying his reluctance in the end.
Crawling your way back down his body, you paused briefly to kiss him hard on the mouth, your tongues quickly falling in rhythm with each other. Humming against his wanton lips, you forced yourself to pull away, grinding your hips against his as you continued moving your mouth down the path to his chest. Tommy used to hate it when you would spend time exploring all the scars and markings on his body, having some irrational fear that you would be repulsed with the evidence of his failures— the scars symbols that he wasn’t quick enough, smart enough, or in enough control to beat his enemies. He at first didn’t believe you when yo would tell him how much you loved his chest, his markings, his scars—but you loved everything about him, he was your Tommy. You kissed your way along the constellations that formed in his freckles, taking your time on his scars to show your respect for his resilience and strength. Tommy loved it when you peppered his skin dark and purple with your teeth, no longer able to deny the utter pride he felt when he saw the markings days later reminding him that he was yours, and you were his. When your mouth reached his nipples, you simply couldn’t deny yourself. Tommy always became weak when you would start rolling one between your mouth and the other between you hand, using your teeth and nails in a way which always got him whimpering.
The feel of your warmth even through the fabric of your panties had Tommy writhing wildly beneath you. The otherwise quiet room was disturbed by the sound of heavy breathing and the creaking of the headboard as Tommy pulled against his restraints. Each breath that escaped his lips was followed by your name. The way his desire thickened his accent to form each syllable of your moniker seemed like a prayer that he could only ever whisper to you in moments like this.
“Y/N… Please.” Tommy pleaded, his voice quiet but overflowing with his lustrous need.
“Tell me what you want Tommy.” You answer, stretching upright to admire the map your mouth left on his skin. Littering his skin like directions to his secret treasure. It made you smile thinking what would happen to his credibility and authority if anyone else saw him as you did now. His thick black hair so gloriously dishevelled, his skin glistening with sweat. His chest covered with the evidence of your devotion and power over him. Nobody would believe that the Tommy Shelby, the feared gangster and powerful businessman was tied up, naked and vulnerable in your bed, willing to do whatever it took to give you pleasure, even at the expense of his own.
“Please-please Y/N. Let me touch you. Please. Please.” God how you loved it when he begged. Tommy’s voice was distraught, his breath weak and shallow. He needed this, needed you, and his voice told you just how much.
“You will Tommy. Just not yet. Be a patient soldier and be good for me okay?” You whispered as you brought your mouth back onto his, figuring you would let him kiss you to compensate for your answer. “Just a little bit longer I promise you. Do you trust me?”
“Yes! Yes, I trust you.” He breathed out anxiously, trying with all his might to move his hips beneath you for some much-needed friction down below.
“Good.”
Continuing your trek down his flushed chest, you silently moved one of your hands to your already heated and slick center, coating your fingers with your liquid desire. Your eyes were fixed on his, a devilishly coquettish laugh escaping your mouth as you watched his reaction with unparalleled satisfaction. Tommy’s eyes were lit up bright blue, shifting quickly back and forth from your face to the hand that was hidden inside of you, waiting like a dog who had been told to sit as his owner got him a treat. His mouth was drooling and his breathing erratic. It was a sight. When you shoved your fingers in his open mouth, he was more than ready. Tommy was sucking back your juices with a crazed hunger, moving his tongue in earnest to make sure he swallowed every-last-drop of you.
“You like that Tommy? Like knowing what you can do to me without even having touched me?” His response was a scandalous groan of agreement from around your fingers. “How should I reward you for getting me so wet hmm? What does my good boy think he deserves? Should I suck my soldiers cock? Tell me what you want Thomas.”
“God Y/N yes. Ple-please…please–your mouth–tong–.” His voice came out through sputters. Every nerve ending in his body so fired up with adrenaline and anticipation for your touch that his mind was in a haze. When Tommy was in such a state, he couldn’t even really tell where he was actually being touched, the sensations so strong they spread all over his body.
“Very well, since you begged so nicely. On one condition soldier— you are not allowed to make a peep. Is that understood.” You voice clear that it wasn’t meant as a question. Staring him dead in the eyes as you waited for his non-verbal agreement. Tommy wasted no time in nodding his assent, throwing his head back hard against the pillow as you moved your body off his lap and onto his calves, trailing your tongue along him as you moved down the rest of his torso and up until you reached his aching shaft. Tommy had to exert all of his control and power to stop himself from whimpering as you flicked your tongue against his beading slit, which already had been leaking out the opalescent pearls of his wanton desire. His hips bucked automatically, but quickly calming in their frenzy as you forced them back down with your hands as a warning.
“Mmmm. Tasty little thing, aren’t you?” You moaned against his veined skin, teasing him with your tongue just before taking him in whole.
“Fuck. Ah!”
Uh oh.
Tommy stilled completely, mentally cursing himself for disobeying the one thing that you had demanded of him. He was used to disappointing people, especially those in his family—but he could not stand the shame that came with disappointing you. He waited anxiously to see how you would react, terribly afraid that you would reprimand him by removing your touch from him altogether—which admittedly he thought he deserved for his insubordination.
But you didn’t.
Instead when you pulled Tommy out of your mouth with a wet pop, your wrapped your palm tightly around his saturated cock and began stroking him at a torturously slow speed. You moved so you were no longer straddling him but close beside his leg, and you used your free hand to peel your saturated knickers down your legs. As you let the cool air contrast against your heated center, you roughly shoved the fabric into Tommy’s mouth, gagging him.
“Tsk tsk tsk. I said I didn’t want to hear a sound from you didn’t I Tommy? Was there something about what I said that you didn’t understand?” You asked sweetly, despite the concealed cruelty behind the words. You shoved your panties further in closer to his throat, and held his jaw to force him to clamp the fabric tighter with his teeth. “If I hear another sound come out of that pretty little mouth of yours, I will stop. I will make you watch me as I get myself off. I won’t let you touch and I will not let you be touched. And you won’t be able to come for a week. I was being nice earlier—rewarding you for being so good. Are you going to be a good soldier for me now Tommy, or are you simply going to continue wasting my time?”
Tommy wanted nothing more than to speak, to beg you to forgive his insolence, to explain how badly he needed you, how badly he wanted you. He wanted to scream out that he could you be good for you, that he would be for you. But instead all he did was nod his head, because what else could he really do? You had him at your mercy and you both knew it.
Gingerly you moved the hair that had fallen down by his eyes with your hand—an act so intimate and sweet in its nature Tommy almost forgot how you literally just threatened him a moment ago. As your other hand continued to lazily stroke his cock, you purposely let your nails scratch along the throbbing veins. Tommy knew this was a test and that you were goading him. Almost as if you wanted him to make another noise, to fail. But that was what he needed from you wasn’t it? Not the reassurance that he wouldn’t fail, but that his failure could be forgiven and learned from without the threat of rejection. That he could relinquish control, free fall in the uncertainty of the chaos and you would be waiting at the bottom to catch him and help build him back up again.
Shifting your body around you moved so you were now facing his feet, your calves surrounding his head, breasts hovering above his naval. Your sopping and exposed cunt dripping decadently above his face, just barely out of his reach. Before Tommy even had the chance to react to the dangerous proximity of your soused heat, you once again took him whole in your mouth, pressing the leaking tip of his cock against the back of your throat making him cry out softly against his gag. Humming your lips around him, swishing your tongue across his girth as you bopped your head up and down, Tommy was a mess.
He began alternating between whimpering and growling around the fabric of your panties that were still tightly held with his clenched jaw. He could taste you, smell you, fuck he was staring directly into you as your cunt trembled and dripped above him, but it was nowhere near enough. He wanted you in his mouth, wanted so badly to be inside of you, to touch you, to be engulfed by you. He was crying from how much he needed you. A privilege he was desperate to earn.
Normally you would make him wait just a little bit more before giving in, but tonight you found it hard to rationalize putting off your own pleasure just to teach him a lesson. Without taking your mouth off him, you reached back behind you and found his taunt jaw with your fingers. Moving your hands blindly across his face you found his mouth and pulled the sodden fabric out, disposing of it somewhere on the floor, freeing the tongue that you so desperately needed. Tommy was belligerent in his gratitude as you removed his gag and required no instruction for what to do next, the removal of the oral obstruction was as much direction and permission as he needed.
His mouth was already wet when he made contact, he had been salivating like a dog ever since you tightened the restraints around his wrist earlier in the evening. If there was a word to describe the manner in which Tommy devoured you, it would be maniacal. He was a crazed animal, greedy from deprivation, teeth bared and tongue savagely running along your folds. His lips sucked around your engorged clit, growling so ferociously that the vibrations sent charges all over your body. No longer strong enough in your legs to hold yourself above him, you pressed your cunt right down against his face. Your hips grinding on him so hard, he could scarcely breathe.
But he didn’t need to.
Tommy needed you and nothing else. When it came to moments like these, you could take his life, take his money, take his power, he didn’t care.He would lay everything at your feet so long as he could have this. The joy of giving it all to you, the pride of making you scream his name, the peace that came from you taking control.
The freedom he found through his submission.
Sensing how close you were you dropped Tommy out of your mouth— far too preoccupied in your pleasure to care about how lewd you must’ve looked as the mixture of saliva and cum drooled slowly from your open mouth. You tried to continue lazily stroking Tommy with one of your hands but found it much too hard to pay any proper attention, your brain overwhelmed with your own sensory overload. Rommy was a man was as sure of what he could do with his tongue as he was with a gun. You would probably argue that his tongue was a weapon in itself and capable of mass-destruction. Well-versed in the various ways to please you, Tommy knew exactly how to move his tongue to give you your climax— rolling just the tip of your clit gingerly between his teeth and lips.
Your orgasm came all at once— erupting from your core with a strangled and primal cry, which did nothing but spur Tommy on to continue, going for seconds. Your juices poured like milk over his face, your cum and his spit dripping licentiously down his jaw and neck to pool on the pillow beneath his head. Tommy did his best to lap out your mess with his tongue, trying to balance his job to pleasure you over catching his own breath which was shaky from the ferocity of your own undoing—but he would choose you over life any day. You rested your head atop his thigh while you let him finish, incapable of denying your lover the simple pleasures of his favourite sticky treat that you made special just for him. His tongue was exploring the inside of your once more. The precision and rhythm with which he moved on your overly sensed cunt was strong enough to induce delirium. It wasn’t long before the familiar sensation that had began building steadily in you core had erupted yet again cascading down his face in warm streams, quickly being swallowed again by your eager lover.
Groaning through tender satisfaction, you reluctantly pulled your body off from Tommy’s, moving almost comically slow from the overexertion brought on by your orgasms. You turned your body back around to face him properly once again, laughing in contentment as you looked upon his face that was slick and glistening from the mess of your cunt.
“My god Tommy you’re brilliant.” You say smiling wildly into his eyes, bringing your mouth on his to taste your own sweet concoction that was mixed with the whiskey and smoke from Tommy’s tongue.
“…Was I uh—good for you…?” Tommy asked in a breathless whisper. Despite making your come twice in the span of minutes, he worried you would still be disappointed in him for his insolence earlier and not reward him.
“Oh yes. Yes-you-were-Tommy. So good luv—I’m still trembling” You say laughing into his delicious mouth “… And to think you did all that with just your mouth. Gosh so amazing Tommy, and since you were such a good little soldier, I’m going to let you touch me. Would you like that my darling?” You flirtatious asked, smiling as you touched the lips you so adored with your trembling fingers.
“Oh God yes. Yes-please, please… let me touch you…” Tommy’s breath was shaky, his eyes desperately pleading his case. He was moaning how much he loved you, needed you, desired to worship you as your arms reached up to his which were fastened to the headboard. When he was begging like that—in complete dissociation from everything apart from your touch—there was no way you could deny him.
Immediately after being released from his restraints, Tommy pulled you closer to him, breathing in the scent of your hair, murmuring his gratitude into your skin. His strong arms helped move you so you could straddle him once more before he sat up grabbing onto your face to attach your mouth to his with an open mouthed kiss. You let Tommy take his time exploring your skin with his calloused hands. He did earn it after all. Still kissing him, you were breathing words of praise straight into his mouth, telling him all about how good he made you feel, and how proud you were that he was yours. If Tommy wasn’t so distracted with the feel of his hands over you and the ache from his neglected cock, he probably would have burst into tears.
Pulling back ever to slightly so you can look into Tommy’s eyes— which had darkened considerably from his heightened lust— you asked him a question he wasn’t used to hearing on days like this.
“Is this how you want me soldier? You were so good to me today I’ll let you pick which way I use you. Go on Tom, tell me how you want it.”
He paused for a minute of disbelief before answering with a shaky voice.
“Just like this. I want tt-to see you. I want to touch you. Please. Can we–like this?” His eyes were glazed over as he spoke, and you swore you could see tears in his eyes from how happy and at peace he was in this moment.
Kissing him hard along the jaw you lifted up your hips, one hand positioned on his chest and the one grabbing hold of his sweltering and blood-engorged cock. You teased him for just a moment along your center, coating yourself with the precome that was still beading out his tip. Tommy went absolutely rabid as you took him in inch by inch– he even bit down hard enough on your shoulder to leave a heavy indent…not that you minded of course. It was always amazing to see how Tommy was when he let go of his control and bravado, how beautiful it was when you saw him for who he was underneath all that pretense.
The once silent room was now filled with noise. The words of praise you yelled into Tommy’s ear as he thrusted up his hips to meet yours. The fanatical moans and curses spewing out from Tommys lips—most of which not English. The sound of your sodden bodies clashing together with the force of your passion and love for each other. You could sense that neither of you would be able to hold on for that much longer and as you looked down into Tommy’s eyes it was clear he felt the same. He was gone. Lost in the abandon of his submission. Though his eyes were staring into your face, he could not process anything except for the sensation of you and your glorious and greedy cunt that was swallowing his girth and overpowering his mind. Tommy knew better than to dare come without your permission and you could see the conflict in his eyes, knowing full well that he was in such a trance that he wouldn’t be able to speak coherently enough to ask.
You continued your assault on Tommy’s hips, bucking yours so harshly up and down on his that you both would be left bruised by tomorrow. Disentangling your fingers which had found a home in Tommy’s soft hair, you trailed them down to his neck, scratching the skin to warn him what was to come– not that he would really notice anyways. Pushing him back down on his back, you stretched your hands and brought your thumbs around to the front, massaging the muscles as you did. With your thumbs pressing against the carotid arteries just below his jaw, you steadily began to increase the pressure, keeping your eyes trained on his to help anchor him to the moment.
Tommys eyes were wide, his mouth open in disbelief and desperation. This was it. He could never last long when you finally took control over everything. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he waited for you to grant him his release.
“Come.” That was all you said. All that you needed to say.
As soon as Tommy heard that sacred word fall gracefully from your moistened lips, he fell apart. You could feel his warmth pulsate into you, his cock twitching as he came with fierce desperation. You collapsed onto his chest as you continued to gently ride him to your own undoing, making sure he knew that you were still with him as he floated through his trance. As you came once again, you felt euphoric in every description, your core quivering around Tommy while he was still seeping within you. You could hear him crying now, finally finding the delivery from all his burdens and stresses—which were many. Your hands tried their best to soothe Tommy, rubbing up and down his back to bring him back down to earth. You stayed on top of him like that for a while, keeping him warm until his cries subsided and he started becoming cognizant again. When his blue eyes met yours the faintest hint of a smile came over his lips.
“You feel good Tommy? You back with me yet?” You asked gently, smoothing his hair on the top of his head and kissing him. Tommy moved closer to you, placing his mouth on yours with a quiet blissed-out hum on his lips.
“So good,” was all he replied, not just yet able to come up with anything more to say. You pulled him out of your slowly, and winced as you heard him whimper at the loss of contact. Reaching over to the bedside table, you grabbed his cigarettes and lighter, placing one in his mouth to help him in the come down. The higher Tommy got just before his release, the more anxious he became afterward. As Tommy smoked the cigarette without ever removing it from his lips, you moved to clean off his body. Giving him a reassuring squeeze on his arm before jumping off the bed, you run as quick as you can to the bathroom to run some cold water over a cloth. Trailing the cold cloth across Tommy’s face and neck upon your return. Cooing at him with the most relaxing voice you can muster you praise him for this evening, telling him how much you loved him giving over to you, and how much you loved him. You were sure to wipe off the sweat that collected all along his chest, kissing it once cleaned before using the damp cloth on yourself.
Seeing he was finished with it, you stubbed out the spent cigarette and took Tommy’s lips carefully in your own. Murmuring into his mouth more words of praise.
“That was incredible Tommy. You’re incredible. I can’t even believe how lucky I’ve gotten by having you.” Yours hands find his hair once again as you curl his body around yours, “I’m not going anywhere Tommy, I’ll stay here like this for as long as it takes for you to come back to me. I love you Tommy Shelby. I am so happy that you’re mine.”
Requested: yes Published: December 30th, 2021 Pairing: Established Tommy Shelby x Reader Prompt(s):none Warning(s): none Word count: 1.5k Author’s note: I am sorry for this late update. I didn’t think it has actually been that long since I posted this. I was listening to “Let’s Hurt Tonight” by OneRepublic as I was writing this, and perhaps it’s why this took such a dark turn (the song itself matches this fic very well). I tried to keep it as “light” as I could, but given how I wrote the first part, such demands were impossible to fulfill. This talks of post-trauma, because there is no way in hell that Reader is okay after what I put her through in the first chapter. The ending is open for interpretation, for trauma doesn’t go after two days have passed. I’m really proud of my writing in this one, and I hope you will like it.
Sometimes, fate was so cruel it made one cry. You had, honest to God, never believed in fate until the moment the liberty of a choice was taken away from you. There was darkness around your heart and mind, urging you to believe that maybe, just maybe, this torture was fate deemed your eligible punishment.
Barely any fight left in you to disagree with the universe.
There is suffering in silence. Menace in the waters. Fear in every fiber of your body.
And for what?
Your skin was slick with sweat that had formed over days work. There was little air in the derelict stockroom, only the cold that seeped through whatever cracks had been made over the years of neglect. Rarely did you visit such places, where one didn’t have working water.
Your lips turned dry, tongue like sandpaper. Thirst.
You were thirsty.
Yet all it took to send you vomiting was one look at the water. One thought at the liquid.
They hadn’t been gone long; you took note. The sun blinked in between clouds as it did when they were there, and so you still saw it through the gap in the wall. It was little after the first few hours of dawn; one might guess if they had the courage.
A hum of a song left your lips, the only sound in the warehouse. It had once been accompanied by the rustling of cloth against the chair or the scraping of a boot against the floor. By the time your wrists began bleeding and your feet froze solid, you had given up entirely. But you had to drone the melody if only to let yourself know you were still alive.
It was fate’s game to play now.
And you were no longer a player.
Eyelids became too heavy to hold yet again, the itchiness in your eyes a malice on its own. They began closing at a snail’s pace, but you held them in place knowing what kind of irritation the water gathered in the corners of your eyes would give. That dance was so overdone. It was more challenging to dance it the more it happened.
And so, you let them flap shut, your neck a loose rope that could no longer stay upright. Your chin met your chest, and you could hear the shallowness of your breathing accompany the song. The fire turned ember in your lungs but still it hurt to inhale freely more than it hurt to just gather enough air to live.
The waters would be a mercy.
Indeed they would. They would leave no room to fight them, perhaps not in the beginning. But it was a swifter death than the one that was draining you. Slowly, you would close your eyes and fall asleep, and mercy would be as sharp as a knife in ending you in your sleep.
And then just as you were about to succumb to the darkness, fate played wrong.
And Tommy Shelby made the right move.
The game was over.
But you didn’t know.
Bella.
Changretta’s voice was a force in your mind. The warehouse was once again filled with sound. They were so, so loud.
Bella.Bella. Bella.
Your body began shaking on its own accord, and you pulled at the restrains, fearing what’s to come.
Not the water again.
Please not the water.
Your creased riding boots kicked against the ground that you mistook for bottomless water only a second before. But it was solid. The floor was as solid as it could be beneath you.
Grounded. You were on the ground.
But then hands – rough, calloused hands – were grasping your shoulders and you were afraid of being pulled under as you were hours ago. Your face downright denied to look at the shadow casted over your lap even when its hand took your chin in a firm yet gentle grip and pulled your face to its own. The water burned behind your closed eyelids, and you refused to begin the dance despite knowing the relief that awaited once it was done.
Bella.
“Y/N.”
Name. Your name.
“Y/N look at me.”
You pried your eyes slowly, and then waited for relief to wash over you upon seeing his face. “You’re okay,” Tommy said to you, his words a declaration. Final.
You gathered your strength and wept.
***
“Here love,” it was Polly who gave you the tea. The saucer rattled as your shaky hands grasped it, pulling it to your mantle covered lap. Your eyes took in the crammed living room - one you had known for years – with blank disinterest. You hadn’t even casted a glance at the liquid tea, and your food lay cold and forgotten beside you.
Polly scooted closer to you on the chaise. You let her. You let her lean over and kiss your hair, now clean and flowery scented after it took Tommy hours to clean it. No water, you remember screaming at him in the tub. Begging. You remember clawing at his shirt like a relentless animal that had escaped years of imprisonment. He took every blow, every curse with steel in his eyes. There was raging ice in them, wrath that waited to be unleashed. Not upon you. But upon the Italian’s that took you from him.
He left just over a quarter-hour ago, taking the anger with him, leaving his warmth with you. “Take care of her,” you remember him telling Polly, who still shook in the aftermath of seeing you so…
Tortured.
Polly disappeared to give you space. Space and time to adjust.
Warmth washed over the room from where the lit hearth was placed, the crackling and popping of burning wood a sound that complemented it. You hadn’t needed to hum, for there was already music drifting through the house from a radio. The scene was all but serene for yourself.
You touched your neck softly, with just the tips of your fingers, remembering what agony took place inside it. Your wrists, once soft and scarless were now marred with burns from the rope you had pulled on tightly one too many times. The clothes. The clothes you had picked out only a day before were discarded, and you sat dressed in the finest silk pajamas with wide pants and buttoned top. The color of the porcelain teacup, appliquéd with not flowers but circles of all shapes and sizes. It was what you had chosen for yourself, deeming it adorable and comfortable enough to wear as sleepwear. Now you felt bare, despite its cap sleeves and ankle long length.
Like the skin wasn’t yours.
All it took to crumble was one look at the tea in hand, one look at the reflection.
You threw the teacup at the wall and screamed.
***
“Is he dead?”
The mattress dipped, a new weight on it. You didn’t move, didn’t nest into the warmth like you loved to do. Only laid with your hands beneath your cheek, looking out of the ceiling high window where the moonlit sky was embracing the world. You dared not to breathe, dared not to make a sound that would disturb the calm night.
For hours, you had tossed and turned. On and on until you decided sleep was a nothing more than a wistful wish you couldn’t have. “Tommy?”
He stayed silent, as if he too knew the delicacy of the night. The sheets rustled but did not pull away from you. You stayed covered, not a speck of your body introduced to the cold.
Then he spoke, “Can I hold you?”
You bit your lip to keep the tears at bay, realizing you had kept him at arm’s length since he came for you.
Late. He had been late.
But he still came.
“He-he said,” you began slowly, speaking into the night itself, trying to not sound as disconnected as you felt. “He said I deserved to die.”
Tommy stilled.
“And he told me to give you a message,” you continued. “He said he will take everything from you. Then put a bullet through your head. So I’m asking you Tommy…is he dead?”
A moment of silence, then like death herself whispered, “Yes.”
Dead. He was dead.
Gone.
You had failed to realize you were crying until your muted cries turned into sobs. Sneaking along your body, shaking you until a body wrapped itself against you. A calm force to keep you grounded.
Tommy kissed the back of your head, “Forgive me. Please.”
He took your hand from beneath your head in his own, pressing it against your chest. Just between your breasts, a place where your frantic heart beat the hardest. You covered your joint hands with your other one, sealing them together. Sealing him to you.
“I’m sorry.”
You grinded your teeth to keep the tears at bay. Tommy kissed your shoulder, your neck. Silent, butterfly light kisses that kept you together.
“Okay,” you croaked, barely audible. Pulling his hand to your mouth, you kissed his callousness with tear-soaked mouth and placed it back against your chest. “Okay.”
Legs tangled, you molded yourself to his body as if he were the only thing standing between you and the demons that loomed over your back.
That night, you dreamt of soundless water. Of floating against it and being pulled under. Of being helpless underneath the surface.
You awoke each time, and Tommy lulled you to sleep with kisses and whispers of reassurance. It was a dance newly started, but you weren’t alone to dance it.
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Warning(s): sexy times in the beginning (nothing major, but do tell me if I did alright), angsty attempt at breaking up and that’s pretty much it, though I do feel the need to give you a heads-up that Karl aka Ada’s little shit makes an appearance lmaoo
Word count: 1.8k
Author’s note: I’m so freaking nervous about this. I mean at first I wasn’t like going to do sexy times, but then I couldn’t picture a better surrounding for Tommy notto say ILY BACK LMFAOO I’M SO SORRY IF ITS BAD I TRIED MY BEST IDK HOW WRITERS CAN WRITE THAT
You wake up from a dreamless slumber disoriented and confused. The big bed is empty save for your body, lying naked under the covers. The sunlight seeps through the windows, greeting you without shame. Fighting the urge to groan, you sit up, holding the silky sheets close to your body as goosebumps seem to cover your skin once the cold air hits it.
Words didn’t even begin to explain his love for you. They couldn’t.
I found this whole piece truly beautiful. It wasn’t the lack of love that he denied her the three beautiful words she so desperately wanted to hear, for it was the lack of weight to the words to truly, honestly, and completely convey his feelings for her.
Truly, a job well done.
OHMYGOD !! It’s reviews like yours that make me want to continue writing! I thank you so so much for your kind words. I’m still very much insecure in my ability to portray deeper emotions through my writing so this feels like a dream. Thank you thank you so much!
Requested:yes(x) Published:November 23rd, 2021 Pairing:Tommy Shelby x Daughter!Reader Prompt(s):none[my prompt list] Warning(s):none Word count:900ish Author’s note: Trying out a different approach (one I really like). Writing Tommy x Anything will be in 3rd POV from now on. Only romantic stories will be written with the reader as YOU!
A word of response hadn’t needed to come to give the maid a move, only a shadow of a dark clothed man breezing past the tall corridors of the mansion. She hurried out of the way with a nod, returning to her ever the same duties at hand. Tending to the kitchen, laundry, taking the snow-white dog out for a loo all awaited her. First comes the canine, she decided, because Mr. Shelby’s daughter loved it more than herself, and it felt humanely right to dot over a living thing before laundry.
Just as she would round the corridor did her masters voice reason, “Where is Y/N?”
His darling daughter. The maid fought the ghost of a smile that threatened to appear as she turned head and with a polite nod said, “In her room, sir.”
Tommy’s head bobbed once to show he heard, and then he was fully out of view. First his shoulders disappeared and then the ends of his charcoal coat.
Somehow, a man as dark as himself on a mission to see his little girl did not alarm her. Did not make her feel as though she should be around to act as a shield to the child.
Only burnt toast and talking to the coppers could get her fired.
Along with thinking that he could ever lay a hand on the joy of his world.
His daughter.
The dog barked once. Twice.
Then she too was wholly out of view, her skirts a billowing force behind her.
***
“Y/N?”
The light was a dim feature in the room, barely enough to help one get around, but enough to help read the room.
Tommy’s heart quickened in a way it didn’t all day. A way not possible unless linked to his little girl. He swallowed, then asked the air again, hoping for a childish answer. “Y/N?”
For one, the room was in utter chaos. Sheets all over the floor, stuffed toys out of the box and near the unlit hearth. The mental catalog ran true in his brain as he searched for the one living thing, he cared about but came out empty.
He clamped one hand roughly against the sheets on the bed and pulled, revealing only silky emptiness. He grabbed a stuffed teddy bear almost the size of his three-year-old and threw is across the room. He walked over to the toy box lit by the moonlight and roughly opened it, hoping to see his sleeping angel inside but came out empty-handed. Tommy slammed the box closed and when wood met wood a sound so loud and heavy reasoned through the room until it was only his shallow breaths that were left.
Alongside a soft gasp of a child.
Tommy spun around, clear, blue eyes as wild as the wind howling outside, and felt a weight of a chest so heavy it pulled him down lift above him until there was only clarity of the moment.
There she was.
Underneath the fortress of stuffed teddies and tangled sheets, small eyed and tired. She rubbed at her eyes groggily, but when her eyes met with those of her father’s, she beamed and stretched out her arms like wings. “Papa.” She said, and Tommy’s heart melted in the purest way.
It took him two steps to have her in his arms, “Come here, love.”
But she shook her head and pushed at his chest, refusing to nestle into his warmth. She pointed one small finger toward her mass of forts in the shelves and on the floor. “Here, here.”
Tommy heaved a chuckle, but settled her nevertheless. “Yeah?”
His daughter grabbed his finger in her hand and pulled, “With me.”
“I don’t think there’s enough room.”
In answer, she grabbed her stuffed bunny by the ears and threw it as far as she could with her small arms and so little true strength. There was even less space than it was before she did so, but Tommy could only smile as he settled down with her, removing his coat and shoes before gracing the floor and grabbing a big pillow off her bed. He settled it behind her back until she lied comfortably atop it. Then watched her drift to sleep peacefully, at peace because he knew he was there beside her and no one could take her from him.
Then the door creaked open, and he switched his weight until he could see who loomed through the crack. The corridor was heavy with cold, but it was soon that a small ball of fur as white as snow barreled through the gap and settled beside Tommy’s side.
The maid that brought the pup peaked inside, her face warm and impassive. If she was surprised to see him, then she didn’t show it. “Anything I can do for you, Mr. Shelby?”
Tommy grabbed the puppy with one rough hand and settled him beside his daughter, watching as it snuggled beside her and went dead to sleep, too. Then he turned to the maid and shook his head as a no, but under the influence of so much warmth and love, his words accompanied his gesture for once. “No, thank you. You go get some sleep, Millie.”
Millie nodded solemnly, and closed the door behind her, grateful to be acknowledged by her boss, even if it were for the shortest of seconds. Even if it were because the darkness in him subdued because the light his daughter provided was too strong to be fought against.
She was his castle of safe harbor.
An anchor that kept his wounded soul together.
Note: If you enjoyed reading this fic do check out my other work by clicking on one of my masterlist links. If it’s not a bother leave a like, comment and/or reblog. It gives me motivation and lets me know that you liked what I wrote. <3
If you would perhaps want to read some of my work earlier, you can check out my AO3profile, I’ll always make sure to tell you guys when a fic is posted on there in advance!
Lastly, if you wish to be tagged under any of my future fics go to my tag list ! I no longer take requests through ask, dm, comments anymore. Once on my tag list post you’ll find a link to a Google Form that you have to fill out in order for your request to be valid! x
Requested:no Published:November 5th, 2021 Pairing:Tommy Shelby x Female!Reader Prompt(s):none[my prompt list] Warning(s):none Word count:2.4k Author’s note:Someone commented on Ao3 that there “could have got a flash back to that night of them being together and her leaving “ and I competely agree, so there is one thing you must know before reading: I was waaay more into writing about horses and racing and training and all that fun jazz and making y/n a professional and sophisticated baddie (it’s what prompted me to write this in the first place lol) than her and Tommy WHOOPS! That idea would’ve been so spicy though! Maybe next time!<3
“Isn’t he absolutely wonderful?” You beamed, the question not even needing an answer as your words drowned in the myriad of applauding voices. The presenter’s voice could be vaguely made out, but one thing was clear to all:
It was your horse that brought it home.
“Fat Joe came through alright?”
You laughed a jolly laugh but gave your close friend a push in the shoulder, looking at him for a fraction of a second before turning to the muddy racetrack. “He is not fat Philip. He is perfect. Bravo Joe! Bra-vo!”
Your friend chuckled, matching the quick pace of your claps to his. Another victory this is for Joe, another mark in his journey. A medal of honor, and flowers to match.
It wasn’t about the money for you. Horses were your whole life. For some they passed as the most leisure of activities, but you made a name for yourself in it. Quite a quick start you had, as a duke’s daughter. Money flowed, allowing things one can’t even imagine. All in favor of the horses you had in your possession. A winning streak at only three and twenty of age.
You smoothed out your skirt and smiled at the cameras that flashed beneath.
Philip Clark was your racing manager and a close friend, and it was with him that you took your horse back to the estate where the magic had first happened. Clapping awaited Joe, people who gave as much as you did to make sure he is in his best form stood at the front gate after he came back from his win.
“How old is he now? Four?” Asked Philip even though he knew the answer.
You smiled as your hands patted his silky, black coat. He was calm, Joe, now that he was in the safety of his stall. Able to breathe in his winnings. “He’s not there yet, but yes he’s very close to four.”
“You ought to retire him now Y/N.”
“Retire him?” You furrowed your brows, “But he’s in his prime.”
“That’s exactly why I think you should do it,” Philip encouraged, walking around the stallion to meet you. His gloved hand matched the rhythm of your own and he began to gently stroke the gallant warrior. “Life as a stud would do him good with the track record he has. And you too. Think of all the money.”
You scoffed, “Believe me, money doesn’t tempt me.”
“It should,” stated Philip. “Joe’s the best middle-distance horse in Europe. Owned and trained by you. He has a column in the newspaper every week. He’ll bring in thousands of pounds as a stud.”
“That is quite true,” you rocked on your heels and eventually gave in. “But we need good candidates. Calm, gentle mares. Joe’s skittish sometimes.”
“Or maybe he needs a strong-wielded mare,” your friend said instead, his voice laced in unspoken truths. He peeled himself away from both you and Joe, making a dash for the exit. “Like any man in his right mind.”
Your laughter followed him out, “He’s a horse Philip, not a man!”
“Men are horses too sometimes! It’s hardly a different thing.”
And that was that.
***
“He has a reputation, my lady.”
“I find that I have no problem with that,” you replied to the employee, and turned to Philip for advice. “Is Mr. Shelby’s mare any good? Her color is wonderful. I see great temperament in her too.”
“Yes, yes she is.”
You nodded and turned to observe the mare again, but your eyes followed her owners. Across the dirty path stood a group of men, clothed as darkly as Joe’s midnight coat, looking all but excited to be here. At the front of the group a man rested with his gloved hands clasped at his front. The hat on his head shielded most of what looked to be a strong jaw and hidden blue gems for eyes. Quite handsome if one looked better under his hat. But demeanor wholly different from the filly that was prancing around, enjoying the attention. She had the strangest pallet of colors, but they all complemented each other well. A fine mare, and you wondered if she would be a match for your winner.
You would not let the aloof behavior put you off. These men should be grateful for your agreement.
“And her trainer?”
“May Carleton.”
You wolf whistled, sold on the arrangement. “Wonderful,” you said with a nod. “I’m sure she’ll make a fine candidate. But I should like to speak to her owner first. Make sure we are on the same grounds. I heard there was a fiasco at the Derby last year. It makes me wonder how the mare fares.”
“Yes,” agreed Philip. “She did make a solid placement.”
“What is her name?” It felt foolish to ask it now when the horse had already gone. When one meets the other, names are the first thing exchanged.
“Grace’s Secret.”
You casted your eyes on the front man, wondering if there is a meaning behind her name.
As if he knew, he lifted his chin from the ground and glanced at you. Indeed, his eyes were a shade of blue you have yet to see but so beautiful all the same. His eyes went over your styled hair and the shawl that covered it from the wind then over the fitted dark green vest, down to the tips of your knee-high, polished to perfection riding boots.
Yes. There is definitely a secret there.
And the mystery made you place one foot in front of the other and ask him to take a walk with you.
***
“Townsend Joe?”
“Yes,” you replied as a matter of fact, willing your bones to calm. “It is what I get after letting my nephew name him. But I think I quite like it. Makes for a fine brand.”
The two of you were two willowy dots by the fence looking over the field that became somewhat of a playground for horses. Townsend Joe relaxed idly and nipped at the grass here and there. The sugar cubes wrapped in a handkerchief waited in your front pocket. You dug your hands into the pockets of your trousers and dared not to look at the man beside you.
His warmth seeped through your clothes, travelling and warming you up. Thomas paid no mind to the way it made you feel, man’s proximity, and if he did then he was great at not showing it.
“I don’t doubt it.” Was all he said, drawing out a cigarette. His gloved hand offered you one, and you shook your head.
“My father’s a smoker,” you said. “Wouldn’t dream of catching his cough.”
Tommy chuckled beside you but drew a breath nevertheless. It’s his own demise. Smoking.
Your chipper voice mixed with wind as you continued to talk names, “And you? What secret lies behind Grace’s?”
“One not worth telling.”
Men and their simple answers. It came as no surprise that you enjoyed Philip’s company so much. He spoke his mind and littered words all over the person he spoke with. Yet your heart raced with men of few words. It always did. And it always will.
He has a reputation.
That was supposed to be a warning.
It did quite the opposite.
“You will find it Mr. Shelby,” you began after taking in a deep breath of the damp air, “that we tell our stories in the names of our horses.” You turned to look at him, catching those ocean eyes in your own. They were curious. Tempted to know more. “Alas, not in the case of Joe but perhaps in other. He is, after all, not my only horse.”
“You train them all, Mrs. Y/LN?”
“Miss,” you corrected him with a polite smile, and turned to the field so he wouldn’t see your rose-stained cheeks. “I don’t make a habit out of training. I own quite a number of them. Joe was a gift from my father-”
“The duke.”
You chuckled, albeit warily. He said the title with a bitter undertone. “Yes, the duke. I highly doubt that frightens you.”
Then you looked him over, your eyes like lasers into his, pinning him in place to prove a point. “I don’t think there are many things that scare a man like yourself.”
His gaze made you breathless and had you feeling like you were the only woman in the world. Above you, the sky turned into a gray hue, though not gray enough to showcase rain, but enough to enhance the black in his clothes and paleness of his features. “Your father gave you the horse?”
You swallowed and spoke with the weight of his eyes still on you. “Gifted yes, and I raised him so it felt right to train him too. Philip helped me of course, but it’s hardly an effort to deal with numbers don’t you think?”
“You trust him?”
The question took you aback, “Of course I do. He’s my closest friend.”
“Is he?”
“Mr. Shelby such cryptic words will get you nowhere,” you told him and tug your tongue in your cheek, shaking your head. “Especially not in this business.”
“I’ve been faring quite well.” He said and took a casual drag.
“As arrogant as your horse,” you noted. “I wonder how fun it must be for May to work beside you. She is after all your horse’s trainer. I, on the other hand, am here to allow your dam a quick roll in the hay with my sire. You plan to race the yearling?”
“Don’t know yet.”
“Well, I hope you do,” you said, suddenly irritated by the man. “Joe’s had a fine career. So has your Grace.”
Your words had meaning. Your Grace. That was a plan wrapped in silk to get out a reaction. How well you executed it told you his knowing eyes and the smirk that tugged at his lips. “You think something will come out of it?”
Your calm air broke at that, “Why are you here Mr. Shelby?”
“Tommy.” Was all he said in return.
You shook your head like he was crazy, “I will not call you that.”
“Thomas then.” He seemed to settle on that.
“Mr. Shelby-” You wholly turned to face him, the lapels of your west almost brushing against his. It took you by surprise, the proximity, because he was not so close before. You swallowed, dared not to look at the lips he drew sinful smoke with, “Thomas…whyareyou here? I’d trust a man who came all this way to breed his filly would know what to do with the horse that will come out. Is there perhaps a secret agenda you’re following? Whyever-”
“Do you remember me?”
You took a step back. Remember?
Do you remember me?
Why would-
“You.”
Suddenly anger flared in your veins, overcoming your senses like a fog. You turned on your heel, ready to leave him be. Facts came rushing back, accompanied by foul memories and wicked flashbacks. That one night in the great city of London.
You repeated yourself.
He knew about Joe. Knew about him being a gift.
He knew and stayed silent.
Why? To see how you act out of sheets? To see how you look adorned in work clothes?
You didn’t get far before feeling pressure on your swinging writs. One hard pull and you were against a chest you scratched with your nails senseless.
“Look at me.”
Your eyes were closed, and you didn’t even realize.
He repeated himself again after you shook your head. Then you felt his voice against your ear, his warm breath tickling your neck. The way his hand curled around your waist while the other one stayed shackled around your wrist. Your breathing turned shallow, goosebumps erupting on your silky skin. “Do you think of me as a fool?”
“No,” Tommy said.
You yanked your arm; he didn’t let go. “Then why are you doing this? Humiliating me? You think this is a joke? Is this your twisted trick at getting me into your bed again?”
“I don’t need tricks to get you in my bed Y/N,” he replied, voice laced with truth. “Why?”
You heard the unspoken extension of his question.
Why did you leave?
Why did you leave him alone in the bed and sneaked out like a shadow with only your clothes in hand? After a night spent in the sheets, where he took you over and over again, why did you leave? Why not stay?
“I don’t do meaningless sex Tommy.” It felt weird to say it out loud. “That night…I wasn’t myself. I needed…”
Silence.
“I needed to let it go.”
“Did you?”
“No,” you admitted. “Far from it. I had a taste of something I cannot have. Besides, I didn’t even tell you, my name. How did you find me?”
“When I want something, I find it.”
“And why do you want me?”
You move backward until your back is pressing hard against the fence. Tommy stops only when his face is just a few inches away from yours. This up close, he looks even more handsome. His pale skin. Sharp jaw and slight, almost invisible stubble. Dark eyelashes framing blue eyes, the color of ice.
The air sizzles between you. There is no mistaking the look of pure possession in his eyes. Only the sounds of your breathing and distant galloping of Joe’s legs are heard in the air. He’s like a shadow, eating you up until there is nothing but him. “Because you want me too.”
Then his lips took yours. Rough and commanding, knocking out air from your lungs. You’re taken back to that dark London night, the club and the blinging chandeliers. To the dark hotel room where you came with ecstasy over the course of an entire night.
You forgot how alive his hands made you feel. How blinded with lust his lips made you feel.
When you pulled apart, you buried your hands into his coat and asked, keeping your voice light and even, “You are still planning to go through with the arrangement? Joe’s quite taken with her.”
Tommy’s chuckle followed a question, “Philip?”
You looked at him, “What about Philip?”
“He’s loves you.” He said the information as if he was talking about the weather.
“But I’m not in love with him.”
It seemed to settle the storm in him. You kissed him once more, loving the way his lips felt against your own and grabbed the ends of his coat, urging him to follow. “Come. I promise you that I won’t run this time.”
Note: If you enjoyed reading this fic do check out my other work by clicking on one of my masterlist links. If it’s not a bother leave a like, comment and/or reblog. It gives me motivation and lets me know that you liked what I wrote. <3
If you would perhaps want to read some of my work earlier, you can check out myAO3profile, I’ll always make sure to tell you guys when a fic is posted on there in advance!
Lastly, if you wish to be tagged under any of my future fics go to my tag list ! I no longer take requests through ask, dm, comments anymore. Once on my tag list post you’ll find a link to a Google Form that you have to fill out in order for your request to be valid! x
I know this is random (believe me it is) but I’ve written a Tommy one shot completely out of the blue today. I really enjoyed it idk I hope you will too! SUMMARY: Working with horses is what you deemed yourself good enough at to be able to make a living out of. But your all-star champion needs to retire while he’s at his best because it’s a smart move on the business side of things. He’ll do you good in other departments, and with a small twist of fate bring back someone who you’ve long since forgotten about.
I have posted this already on Ao3 (this is only a snippet from Word) and you can go check it out N-O-W. ☛ click here
Requested: yes Published: December 30th, 2021 Pairing: Established Tommy Shelby x Reader Prompt(s):none Warning(s): none Word count: 1.5k Author’s note: I am sorry for this late update. I didn’t think it has actually been that long since I posted this. I was listening to “Let’s Hurt Tonight” by OneRepublic as I was writing this, and perhaps it’s why this took such a dark turn (the song itself matches this fic very well). I tried to keep it as “light” as I could, but given how I wrote the first part, such demands were impossible to fulfill. This talks of post-trauma, because there is no way in hell that Reader is okay after what I put her through in the first chapter. The ending is open for interpretation, for trauma doesn’t go after two days have passed. I’m really proud of my writing in this one, and I hope you will like it.
Sometimes, fate was so cruel it made one cry. You had, honest to God, never believed in fate until the moment the liberty of a choice was taken away from you. There was darkness around your heart and mind, urging you to believe that maybe, just maybe, this torture was fate deemed your eligible punishment.
Heels clicked against the concrete as smoke rose and dark stone muffled roaring laughter. Winter was in her eyes, not fearing the dangers of the night, nor the drunken men wandering down the rolling hill. The night was clear, and in the far, beyond the dense layer of rising mist, faint light gleamed.
Curls framed her delicate features. A deep tone, red as crimson, adorned her lips. Silver didn’t shine in the pale light of the moon, was covered by the material of the long coat in deep tones, a few sizes too big for her, but it did not hide her feminine curves, did not seem from far away like a man strolling through the streets of the town.
Her gloved hand slipped into the pocket of her coat and the golden pocket watch surfaced, and she knew at once she had plenty of time left. Y/N knew the man who had called in the early hours of the morning and wanted to arrange a meeting with the head of the company, but Y/N didn’t know if she should be delighted that she was getting a new business partner or if she was about to face her death in a lonely alley after midnight. Her features weren’t troubled as Y/N remembered the stories her men told her, respected her, and didn’t want to find her dead body in the newspapers. The men following her loyally wanted to accompany the young woman to the meeting with the Shelby, but Y/N denied their help, knew she didn’t need someone by her side to protect her from the dangers of the night, let alone a respected man she had heard a lot about.
The cold of the night mingled with the warmth of the bar and the gust carried the doubts away and caressed her left cheek. Y/N gave a smile to the man in the greyish suit who held the door open for her and showed with his outstretched right hand she should enter the pub in Small Heath.
“Thank you very much, sir.” Y/N greeted the man in a friendly tone.
The man nodded and stepped aside to allow Y/N to enter the crowded pub filled with roaring laughter resembling a raging waterfall and delicate tones.
“Good evening, a table for two, please. I assume my business partner is not here yet.” Y/N spoke in the waitress’s direction, who looked at her questioningly.
The blonde-haired woman in the dark dress turned to Y/N as her gaze travelled from man to man, searching for Thomas Shelby, but she couldn’t find him among the many guests seated with whiskey and rum at the tables.
“Of course, the table here in the corner is not occupied or reserved. May I offer you a drink?”, “A whiskey, please. I’m sorry, I sadly don’t know what he prefers, so if I could ask you to come back to the table, you’d be very kind.” Y/N answered politely.
“Of course, what brand may I offer?” the woman asked.
“The Macallan, please,” Y/N answered without a second thought.
The features of the woman with the ageless features paled. Her coal eyes widened; was sure she had misunderstood.
"My lady, this is one of our expensive whiskeys, the most expensive we offer this very day. I can offer you one in a lower price range.“, "I know, it has a sweet note, an aroma reminiscent of honey. It´s very lovely, my father introduced me to this brand a few years ago.” Y/N said.
“With a nutty note.” the woman continued.
“That’s exactly what I mean. A glass, please. I’ll wait here so you don’t have to go to the far corner. I used to work as a waitress myself and I can understand too well how much the feet hurt in the evening after a long shift.” joked Y/N.
The woman was speechless for a moment and then turned her back on Y/N, making her way to fulfil the woman’s wish.
“Here, if you have another wish, please let me know,” “Should I pay now or later when I leave the bar?”, “Later, I wish you a wonderful evening and please let me know if the gentlemen bother you, we women have to stay close together.“ she laughed.
"Thank you but I can defend myself and before anyone would dare to raise their hand against me, they would already be on the floor and begging for mercy,” Y/N assured with a smile, knowing she could defend herself, that no man would overpower her.
Taking the wide glass gratefully, Y/N clasped it but did not bring it to her mouth and made her way to the table the server had shown her. With a friendly expression, Y/N greeted the guests seated at the various round tables. The men looked up from the cards and the women greeted Y/N as she nearly danced through the rows of tables, but her keen eyes did not notice the pair of blue eyes settling on her.
The taste of rum coated his lips and filled his mouth, but his senses were not dulled, saw sharply. Questioningly the brothers stared at each other. Laughing low Thomas looked from Arthur to John, sitting directly opposite him with a glass of rum. Uncertainly, the brothers looked at each other, not sure if it was the person Thomas had arranged to meet in the pub in the town. Confused, Arthur stared at Thomas and immediately noticed that he was just as confused as he was, no longer understanding anything, and was certain they would encounter a man in his late forties in a suit and a hunched stomach.
“Do you think it’s the business partner you have a meeting with today?” John asked.
“I spoke to his secretary. She agreed to schedule a meeting at ten o'clock. What time is it?”, “Exactly ten. You shouldn’t keep her waiting.” John joked in a low tone.
“I think we can leave John; I believe Thomas won’t need our support,” Arthur added amused. “It could also be an accident. Maybe it’s the secretary and her boss wants her to talk to you first and then you’ll meet him. You should be on your way, though. It’s not good to keep a lady waiting.” cackled Arthur sarcastically.
Thomas shook his head and constantly looked out of the corner of his eye in the direction of the woman who had settled down in the corner of the bar. Wordlessly Thomas rose from the chair, pushed it back and it almost collided with the solid wall. His deft fingers clutched the dark tie, straightened it, and walked forward after closing the buttons of his suit jacket in dark tones. Passing the tables, the tall man went straight to the table where the young woman sat.
Y/N had taken off her long coat and her eyes were fixed on the newspaper someone had left behind, flicking through the pages without really paying attention to the written lines and the black and white coloured pictures.
Footsteps echoed and broke through the tumult of dozens of voices. The gazes met and Thomas at once knew she must be the person he had talked to in the early hours of the day. A smile forced him to do the same. The young woman rose from her place on the long leather upholstered bench and straightened the flowing material of her dress.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance Mister Shelby, I presume.” Y/N breathed and Thomas took the hand Y/N held out to him.
She wanted to exchange a firm handshake; a habit she had developed after countless of meetings. Her heart collided with her chest. Her lips no longer touched as her eyes widened, threatening to lose her composure as she felt his lips leave a kiss on the back of her hand.
“Thomas Shelby, but you may call me Thomas. And with whom do I have the pleasure?” he inquired.
“Y/N Williams, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Y/N said.
“I suppose your boss sent you, I’ve witnessed a lot in my life but certainly not a secretary sent on an important meeting.” Thomas continued.
An objection wanted to escape, wanting to correct the tall man, but then she agreed and nodded.
“May I?”, “Of course, please sit down,” Y/N said politely.
Thomas sat down directly opposite Y/N. The puzzled expression draining from her face escaped him as the mischievous grin spreading widely across her lips.
“I have also seen many things in my life. Hardly anything can upset me after all these years. You may be right, it is very unusual, but my boss is awfully busy.”, “A struggle I can very much understand. A delicate woman like you? I can’t imagine you witnessed something horrible.” Thomas inquired.
Puzzled, he observed Y/N as she moistened her lips with the golden liquid, sure it must be whiskey. Her eyes flickered in amusement and witnessed the expression filling his gaze.
“I’ve worked in this business for a long time, and I’m sure you’ve seen a lot. It can be a war. You have to be on your guard all the time. I can understand why your brothers are accompanying you, but it’s really rude to stare and face us so they can try to read my lips. But I don’t blame you, Mister Shelby.” Y/N whispered.
A mischievous grin spread across his mouth and Thomas turned and shook his head as he spotted his brothers repositioning themselves, just as the woman had said to observe them more closely. Thomas felt his brothers’ stares resting on them and thought he could hear the questions escaping their lips. He was puzzled by the woman. There was a smile on his face as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. His eyes gleamed in delight. Carefully he studied her profile, traced the contours of her face and stopped at her eyes, convinced he’d seen the colour, the expression, once in his life.
“Have we met before?”, “I doubt it. I’m not from this town. I am from the southern part of the land. Have you served Thomas?” Y/N.
She placed the nearly empty glass on the table and the man nodded in response.
“I suppose in France,” Y/N continued her questioning, forgetting why she was in the pub.
Again, the man in the dark suit nodded. She exhaled audibly, her hand almost colliding with her forehead, and laughed aloud, wondering why she hadn’t remembered the man’s unmistakable features earlier.
“Somme, France, and you were not alone, but with your older brother Arthur. I remember you. If I remember correctly, you had a wound in your upper left arm. A bullet very nasty wound, but we met on the ship and we were on the same train. And you insisted that I have to take care of your wounds and not my sisters. It was 1916, or 1917, but you had a uniform then and your hair was a bit longer,” Y/N laughed, amused, remembering the day they met on a relatively peaceful day in France.
The long-forgotten memories came back. His gaze spoke volumes, had forgotten these things completely, only remembered the worst days. The two seated at the table forgot about the world around them and thought they were alone in the crowded bar, without paying a moment’s attention to the people who were laughing and enjoying the evening and dancing to the lovely tunes played by the gramophone.
“Who could resist you, my darling? I know many men who would have parted with their legs only to wake up in your tent. You can’t blame me, but now we work in the same business.” Thomas joked, amused.
“War makes a lot of things out of people.” Y/N laughed.
“You are right. At the end of the day, we are all branded the same.” he continued.
“I visited France this summer, I was in Paris and suddenly I found myself on war ground, deep craters mark the hearts of the people and the vast stretches of land. But the meadows were blossoming, and the birds were singing their songs. But that’s surely not why you called Mister Shelby, to talk about old memories and war.” Y/N said.
Thomas quickly regained his composure, remembered why he had called her, and for a brief moment he had the feeling he was reuniting with an old friend after many years and talking about old times.
“Of course, I heard that the company produces and sells certain substances,” Thomas said.
“Yes, you heard right, Mr Shelby.”, “Please, we know each other for years, you can call me Thomas.” he corrected her.
“And how can I help you, Thomas? You could have asked me these questions over the phone.”, “I would like to cooperate with the company,” said Thomas.
Y/N grinned. Her hands rested on the table before the emptied glass.
“And I suppose it’s a deal I can’t refuse. I will personally deliver the first goods to you in the early hours of the morning, say around seven o'clock, and if everything is to your satisfaction, then we can talk about the future cooperation.”, “That sounds good, I am already looking forward to your visit. I hope to meet your chef soon. I have heard about him.” Thomas said, hoping to get more information about the mysterious man nobody knew anything about.
"Of course. I will inform him. It was an honour to meet you, but I must be on my way now. Please greet your brothers on my behalf.” she breathed.
Y/N put the emptied glass on the side and rose, but before her hands could clasp the coat, Y/N looked up, puzzled. A faint smile graced her lips painted in a reddish hue, but she did not lower her gaze, looking straight up into the vastness of the sky, unafraid of the stories she heard about the man who resembled a destructive thunderstorm and showed no mercy.
“May I?” Thomas inquired, though it was unnecessary.
Y/N nodded. The warm breeze blew through the bar, carrying her scent, of a warm spring morning, caressing his face and nearly knocking him out, not allowing him to form a thought. His hands disappeared from her body and Y/N thanked the tall man, loud enough to be sure Thomas had heard each of them escaping her throat.
“May I escort you outside? The streets are not safe at nightfall.” Thomas interjected.
A slight smile Thomas couldn’t see spread on her features, looking down and fixing the belt around her waist. Many words and even more comments rested on the tip of her tongue but none of them dared to escape, to cross the borders.
“Goodbye Mister Shelby, I will talk in the nicest tones about you and just so you know, my boss has been here for a long time and was listening to our conversation,” Y/N said.
His brows almost touched, not understanding anything the woman was saying. His gaze slid around the room and wandered from man to man but he could see no one among the many guests who would fit the description of a man in his line of work.
“You don’t understand Mister Shelby?”, “My boss will bring you the documents and the goods tomorrow as I promised.” she joked, and could no longer suppress a smile.
Slowly Y/N turned around, not fearing his gaze
“I don’t understand Y/N?”, “How can you be so sure a man has to be the boss of the company? I am pleased to have made your acquaintance, Thomas, and I hope our collaboration will bear fruits. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and I’ll bring some pastries for breakfast.” Y/N said.
A sickly pallor spread across his features, taking over every corner of his skin, unable to believe the words the young woman had spoken, looking like the personified innocence, a delicate flower.
“Then I suppose I won’t have to accompany you home,”, “Thank you very much, Thomas, for your offer, but that won’t be necessary. I was a nurse at war. I learned a lot and the gun I was given I still carry at my side.” she breathed so softly that only Thomas could hear the words.
The gazes met.
“And I apologise. I didn’t mean to sell you a dog, but I enjoyed letting you believe that I’m just the secretary. And to be accurate, I am the secretary, but I am also the owner of the company. I hope you’ll not take it badly.” Y/N whispered.
Thomas held her hand. No hatred prevailed in his expression, letting her know no bitterness inhabited his heart. The young people with ageless features could not take their eyes off of each other and lost themselves in the deepest abysses as the delicate tones of guitars and trumpets played lovely tones.
Eyes full of ecstasy and fire met. Curses mingled with soft words, begging for more. His hands roamed her body, travelled down her spine and settled on her hips, on her skin hidden behind a thin layer of the dress in lush tones.
His lips muffled her voice. The door felt shut, but no complaints escaped nor doors opened; the house was empty and deserted. The wood sang out loud. Y/N tilted her head to one side, allowed her husband to spread kisses on her soft flesh. She longed for his touches. A soft moan escaped her throat, longing for more. His roughened fingers wandered under the material of the long dress, had unbuttoned the top three buttons. Soft prayers escaped Y/N. Slowly, she turned to liquid gold under his tender touch. His right hand cupped her butt, kneaded her ass, felt the flesh between his fingers. Y/N’s fingers curled into his back, spread darkening marks. Her hands moved up, travelled up his spine, felt as the blood rushed through his body and curled into his hair as dark as the night, destroying his once neatly laid-back hair. A mischievous grin spread across his lips, hearing how much she liked it, how much she enjoyed his rough touches.
Bodies collided like the raging waves on the seven seas. Y/N fell onto the bed and Thomas towered over her. A smile spread across her lips. The lipstick was smudged. Her fingers clawed into the tie swinging almost above her face and pulled at it, wordlessly demanding of her husband to kiss her after his long absence. Y/N begged for more and wordlessly, Thomas did as Y/N asked. His head moved closer to hers and placed his lips on hers. A moan, growing in volume and muffled by his, was about to come over her as his teeth rammed into her gentle flesh. His hands were framing her head, making it impossible for her not to look at him, to dare her head to turn to one side. Thomas cursed, but Y/N did not understand any of them as he spoke in hushed tones. Y/N could not take her eyes off of Thomas, saw the lust ruling in them, the desire for more, for touches and words of forgiveness.
Her hands clawed harder into the button-down in light tones covering his chest. The first pieces of clothing slid to the floor. His suit jacket lay on the floor right next to the shared bed. Y/N loosened the tie around his neck, destroyed the knot and threw it to the floor. The grin on his lips broadened but Thomas allowed it, looking at his girlfriend’s trembling fingers tampering with the buttons on his shirt, undoing them one by one. The rays of the moon entering the room through the windows kissed his skin.
Thomas didn’t have to ask questions; he saw the answers in her eyes seeming to grow darker with lust. Elegantly, his fingers slid down the frame of her body. Deftly, his fingers played with the light material of the sundress. No words escaped. He untied the bow hugging her waist, and the last pieces of clothing covering her body slid to the floor like a curtain. She tilted her head to the left. Her hair shifted, no longer covering her neck. Plum lips applied wet kisses on her skin, sucked on her delicate flesh and elicited a low moan as his teeth sank into her bare neck.
Lips parted. Her stomach flipped at the words Thomas whispered seductively in her ear, letting her know how much he needs her, how much he is longing for her heart and soul, for her touches. Thomas kissed his wife delicately as his fingers travelled down her body, accidentally touching her exposed nipple. The light was dim, yet Thomas could see his wife clear as the stars, her eyes full of love. He felt the skin of a goose under his touch. Y/N´s chest moved unevenly. A muffled scream escaped her throat as he cupped her left breast and then played with it the nipple between his fingers. His lips no longer touched her neck and wandered down. Thomas smiled, watching her turn to liquid gold under his touch.
His eyes were locked on her face, looking up and down, knowing she would like it. His warm breath collided with her skin. The nipple disappeared between his plump lips. His tongue flicked over it, circled it and grinned. Her eyes widened, but then she squeezed them shut. After a few affectionate caresses, his lips released her nipple. No underwear hid her body. Teasingly, his hands wandered down, applied two kisses on her stomach and wandered further down in narrow paths. The lips no longer touched her skin and Y/N knew that her body would be burnt by the signs of love.
His fingers spread her open, saw what his caress had done to her. Sweet nectar was coating his two fingers. He did not wipe it on the white bedclothes and guided his fingers to his lips and tasted her. A dark laugh escaped the man, and he felt the desire growing in his body. Hunger was in his eyes, but food could not satisfy the hunger growing in his chest. Her breath collided with the centre of her body.
Y/N’s eyes fluttered open, she wanted to touch him, wanted him to feel the same, but Thomas just waved it off, wanted this night to be hers alone. Her heartbeat quickened, seeing what he was about to do, but before she could stop Thomas, his tongue wiped through her swollen lips. He kept licking, exploring her body as he had never done before. One finger vanished in her depths and quickly another one followed. His muscles flexed and suddenly she felt a great emptiness rising between her legs and Thomas felt it, felt her muscles clenching his fingers. He pumped in and out.
An unwelcoming emptiness spread. Y/N glanced up, wanting to start a sentence, wanting to persuade her husband to continue with what he had begun, but before the first complaint could come over her, their eyes met. Thomas towered over her body, he wanted to look at her. One hand vanished in the depths of her hair, forced her to look up, forbid her to dare to look away. Slowly, nearly gently, his erected manhood vanished between her wet folds. Her eyes rolled back. His eyes bored into her flesh while his fingers made it impossible for Y/N to move. Groaning, he thrust in and out.
The room filled with delicate sounds, of skin colliding with skin, of soft begging. Thomas grunted animalistically between sloppy kisses on her bare flesh. Suddenly, he thrust harder. His fingers moved down and began to rub delicate and harsher circles on her swollen clit. Thomas hit the right places and let her scream in delight, begging for more.
Her fingers vanished into the depths of her hair. The screams turned louder as his thrusts grew sloppier. His lips muffled the praying. Her womanhood clenched around his manhood, making it almost difficult to keep moving. A shiver danced down her spine. The orgasm washed over the married couple. Sweat wandered down the body and the cries grew silent. Suddenly silence reigned. Eyes met again, lust remained in his gaze and Y/n realised at once the night was not over yet.
The stiff wind entered the mansion. Curtains swayed back and forth. Delicately, the fire crackled and was nearly extinguished by the uninvited guest. The heavy burden fell from his shoulders as the dark coat in the tones of the deepest of the nights fell onto the edge of the sofa.
No toys rested scattered on the wooden floor and the lonely colouring pencil in a light shade of red on the table reminded of Charlie, who had drawn on paper’s houses and forests. Thomas stretched. His muscles ached painfully. Keen eyes, in bright shades, roamed the living room, travelled from east to west and from north and south. His fingers loosened the dark tie around his neck and stepped deeper into the living room. Confused, Thomas looked around, hoping to find his wife seated at the dinner table or Charlie. His eyes were glued to the watch attached to the golden chain to the waistcoat in the same shade as the rest of the suit. The sternness vanished from his features and the hatred no longer claimed his heart.
The marks of the long day spread across his face. He no longer hid them behind a mask of coldness and false emotions. Faint footsteps echoed across the mansion. Thomas smiled. In the early morning hours, he didn’t want to leave the bed, desired to stay with his wife, knew how much he had already missed, wasn’t there as Charlie took his first steps, when the first words crossed his lips let alone there when he celebrated his first birthday. Thomas didn’t want to miss a single special moment, yet he departed every morning in the early hours when the red rim of the sun was rising.
Spreading his arms, he took three long strides and nearly jumped. The woman wrapped in the long nightgown snuggled against his firm body, feeling his hands resting on her back. His muscles were no longer tense. Thomas smelled of a frosty night, sadness and the smell of gunpowder. To begin with, Y/N didn’t appreciate the pungent smell of gunpowder, even cigarette smoke hadn’t appealed to her, but the moment she fell in love with the man with the eyes of raging oceans she no longer associated the smell with the dangers of the night but with the tall man she had given her heart to.
His heart collided with his chest and for a brief moment, Y/N had the feeling it was about to jump through his skin and be in her palms. Y/N´s hands disappeared under the suit jacket and applied gentle touches, soothing and filled with love on his back. He relaxed and exhaled in relief. Humming words came over his lips all at once. Y/N tried to understand them but she couldn’t make out any of those he uttered. Y/N lifted her head, no longer looking down at the ruffles stretching across the dress in the light tones in a definite pattern.
“How was your day?” Thomas wanted to know.
Silently, he repeated the words he had spoken unintelligibly before. Thomas closed his eyes, having longed to find himself in his wife’s arms the moment he had closed the door of the mansion behind him.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. I drove Charlie to kindergarten and Rosie drank more than usual today, but I’m sure you don’t care much, it is not a very interesting nor amusing topic.” she breathed, knowing the little interest men had in the subjects of diapers and milk.
Y/N knew exactly how much her husband loved the children, and knew perfectly well he would die for them, yet she was equally aware of how much these topics, which more women than men were interested in, were of little interest to him either. Thomas opened his eyes and gazed down at the woman wrapped in his arms, sucking in her scent and smelling the unmistakable smell of the cream she applied to the baby’s dry skin.
“Tell me more.” Thomas breathed exhaustedly.
A smile spread on her lips. Y/N knew he was telling the truth, that he didn’t say those words to show he cared, cared from the deepest depths of his heart for the children.
“Charlie was looking forward to see you, but he’s already asleep. I checked on him a few minutes ago and wanted to make sure he was alright. Where are the others, anyway? I was sure Arthur would come with you.”, “He’s still in the bar, got held up.” Thomas began, letting his head rest on hers.
Breathing deeply, Thomas sucked in her scent, feeling his tense muscles relax, knowing he was home, knowing nothing more could happen, that no more eyes could lie on him wishing death and destruction.
“Rosie was crying a lot today and I assume her first teeth is growing. She fussed like Charlie did when he was her age. Charlie helped me out, even cooked me a tea and reheated my dinner. It was very lovely.” Y/N breathed.
A slight smile spread across her lips, recalling her son’s caring eyes as they lay on her bringing her a cup of tea after he heard silent complaints that Rosie made it difficult for her to take a sip of water.
“I think you should lie down Thommy. It’s getting late. I’m going to check on the kids and you can prepare for the night.” Y/N whispered after a moment of silence.
The young mother pronounced the words as quietly as possible, knowing if Charlie heard the voices, he would immediately jump out of bed to talk to his father after a long time apart from the short conversations in the early hours of the day.
“I’ll come with you.”, “Thomas, you should lie down. You can have a shower tomorrow, but you should go to bed. It’s almost past midnight and you need sleep. I can see how exhausted you are, dearest. Maybe you can fool everybody else but not me. I am your girlfriend since I am fifteen and when I turned twenty you asked for my hand in marriage.” whispered Y/N.
“And now you are my wife and the mother of our lovely children. And I am not tired.”, “Thomas, I am your wife. I can read you like an open book and I can see you are tired and exhausted. You should rest and maybe even if you don’t want to hear it, take a day off, a weekend or maybe even an entire week. It would do you good.” breathed Y/N.
There was silence. Gazes met. Thomas knew what she wanted to say.
“It would do us good. I miss you and I don’t need to talk about how Charlie needs you and spends every evening looking out the window, hoping he’ll see you standing outside the house or see your car. He talks about you from morning to evening. Rosie is still young, but I know she misses you too,” Y/N added after a few moments.
Y/N didn’t want to make her husband to feel bad, but she needed to let him know the children needed him as much as she needed him. Thomas tensed, looked into nothingness, and then took a step back. Her fingers slipped away, no longer touching his body, no longer hidden under the suit jacket. Lifeless, her arms hung at her side, seeing the anger and hatred in her husband’s gaze but knowing the hatred was not directed at her or anyone else.
“Come on let’s go. I will think about it,” he said.
“Arthur will surely help you if you want to decide to stay here for one day, take a day off but you don’t have to if you don’t want, but please try to come home earlier, at least once. Charlie would be delighted.” Y/N whispered loud enough to know he had heard her clearly.
A cold shiver danced down her spine. Y/N nodded, gave him a barely noticeable smile and followed him up the stairs. He was faster than she was, leading the way, not wanting to hear the words filled with truth, but she couldn’t hate him. Y/N exhaled, trying to understand her husband, understanding him, but still arguing he could leave more work to his brothers to allow him to spend more time with his children.
“I’m going to Charlie’s,” Thomas announced and went ahead, leaving his wife behind and disappearing into his son’s room.
Y/N pressed her lips together, but she did not regret the words she had chosen, knowing they would hurt him, but they were the truth, the truth Thomas needed to hear. Y/N saw the light in his eyes fading away, saw his skin take on an unhealthy tone and recognised the dark circles seeming to grow darker and larger with each sleepless night.
A soft voice broke the silence. Y/N exhaled noisily and she didn’t have to check her watch to know that it must have been an hour since Rosie had drunk, was certainly hungry. Quickly Y/N turned down the long corridor. The light wandered. Y/N walked closer to the cot. Soft words came over her, trying to calm the crying girl. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Y/N lifted the crying girl to her chest but nothing helped. Her heart broke into a thousand pieces, hating to see her child like it.
She did not hear the footsteps. Light flooded into the room. Her brows almost touched. Thomas stepped into the room and Y/N tried to remember the last time her husband had entered the room coated in light painting and pictures with horses.
“Has something happened? You should go to sleep, Thommy. I will take care of Rosie,” asked Y/N, looking down almost helplessly at Rosie in her arms, not understanding why she was crying.
“Take Rosie to the bedroom,” Thomas instructed in a monotone tone.
A question wanted to cross her lips but then Y/N nodded, not wanting to start a discussion with him.
“I’ll be right there,” Thomas added, not looking down at his wife who was trying to calm the crying Rosie down.
The eyes, veiled by tears, widened. They no longer fell and the shrill sounds no longer echoed, recognising her father standing in the doorway dressed in a dark suit and making his way out of the little girl’s lovingly furnished room.
“I always knew she loved you more than me.” laughed Y/N. “You will probably take my place, and I will work with your brothers.” joked Y/N, eliciting a soundless laugh from Thomas.
Wordlessly, Thomas disappeared from the tranquil room, turned, and left them alone. Y/N watched him for a moment, but then she turned towards the door and wanted to look out of the window through which one could see the garden, but the only thing Y/N saw were the curtains. Footsteps echoed through the house, but Y/N paid no attention to the sounds, trying to get the girl in her arms to close her eyes again, but she did not appear to fall asleep in the next few minutes. The footsteps stopped, and the floorboards creaked. Y/N didn’t have to turn around, sensing his presence, hearing him approaching them in the middle of the richly furnished room.
“Come, my love, we should go to sleep.” Thomas breathed into her ear.
Y/N looked up questioningly.
“Come. Take Rosie with you. You need to sleep too.” Thomas added.
He rested his hands on her shoulders. Smiling, he looked over her right shoulder. A toothless grin spread across the full lips. The girl looked up, stretched her arms in the air and reached for her father, who greeted her with loving words. Slowly he forced his wife to turn around with the infant in her arms, led her out of the room he had built, turned and led Y/N into the bedroom.
The light illuminating the corridor made it clear that Thomas had already been in the bedroom. Y/N exhaled and realised Rosie was falling asleep. Abruptly, Y/N came to a halt. Charlie sat in the middle of the enormous bed, noticing that his parents and younger sister had also entered the room. The grin on his lips widened. His pair of shoes rested at the end of the bed.
“Charlie, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be asleep? Do you need anything? Do your legs hurt again?” pecked Y/N.
Brows almost touched and took a step towards the bed, wanting to know if everything was alright if the young boy needed something if he had a terrible nightmare or if he was thirsty.
“Dad said I could come to you. He said we’d all be together today. That we will sleep together in one bed.” Charlie mumbled.
Y/N said nothing. Confused, she tried to understand what had happened and knew Charlie would never lie to her.
“Come to me. I am not tired. Daddy told me to come. I’ve been waiting for you. We’re having a sleepover party. Dad said he’s going to read us a story I’ve never heard before.” Charlie said happily.
With his hands, the boy in the middle of the bed indicated they should finally come, tapping the empty seats at his side, impatient, wanting to finally close his eyes and listen to his father voice telling the story he had promised. Wordlessly, Thomas nodded, turned, and let the door fall into the lock, trying to be as quiet as possible, watching his daughter’s eyes fall shut and her mouth open.
“May I?” breathed Thomas.
Carefully, he took his daughter, let the words come over him and once again his eyes fell shut. Next to his wife, Thomas came to a halt and stretched out his arms, pressing his daughter against his chest, feeling the little hands clawing into his vest and not wanting to let go of him. A soft laugh came from his lips and Thomas realised he had everything he ever wanted.
The fields and meadows shone in rich green hues and the thriving flowers danced in the warm yet fresh spring breeze. The rays of the setting sun poured golden into the house and kissed her delicate features, pained in pain, adorned with tears and wrinkles of anger seeming to deepen with each tick of the wooden clock.
She wished to fill a glass with whiskey, the strongest the house offered, and Y/N knew exactly where to find the flask. Unsure whether to scream or to cry in agony, Y/N took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Her fingers clenched into fists, nearly collided with the table. The hatred rooting in her heart was unbearable. She wished to unleash the hatred, the pain and sorrow and destroy the dams she had had laboriously built. Doubts clouded her mind. Lost in thoughts, dark and dooming, she gazed out of the window, yet Y/N was aware of her surroundings, heard the chirping birds, saw the branches of the trees in the garden swaying back and forth in the howling wind announcing a storm. Voices echoed. Sailors talked on raging oceans. But Y/N stayed in silence, unable to protect her husband and glad Charlie had gone to bed and couldn’t see the sadness in her eyes.
The unopened letter that had arrived in the late hours of the day rested on the dining table and Y/N, who usually opened her husband’s letters, was fearing to open a letter for the first time in her life after finite years of marriage. The handwriting, the curved script, the letters forming into the name of her husband were too neat to belong to a man.
“Y/N, darling, you needn’t worry. I’m sure he’ll be here shortly. It must be a misunderstanding,” a voice whispered.
Y/N snapped out of her stupor but she could no longer watch the people arguing vociferously together.
“Polly’s right, I know Thomas. He loves you.” added the tall man approaching Polly.
Her mouth gaped open. Exhaling loudly, Y/N turned. Her eyes wandered from Polly to Arthur dressed in a dark suit, had heard every word loud and clearly. Low Y/N laughed and her eyes went on a journey again, and stopped at the stairs. Painfully, her heart ached. The basket was filled with wooden toys and the blue car Charlie had been playing with all afternoon was lying lonely and abandoned on the ground beside it. The desire rose to take off the ring she wore with pride, to pack the suitcase and leave, not interested in the weak excuses and hide so well Thomas would never find them again.
“What kind of misunderstanding, Arthur? What do you think Thomas is going to say? Thomas went to London to see Grace. I know exactly what he’s going to tell me. He will tell me he had an important meeting and the last time he had seen Grace is ages ago.” Y/N said sternly.
Her voice oozed with sadness, broken and destroyed.
“I have to leave; I can’t stay here. I have a friend, she lives out in Scotland, in a small house. Thomas doesn’t know about her so he won’t look for us there,” Y/N breathed.
Confused glances met. Tears streamed in narrow rivers down her cheeks but Y/N didn’t wipe them away, let them run and moved away from the window with slow steps, hoping she would see her husband’s car driving up the road, to intercept him immediately and confront him.
“I know exactly what Thomas is going to say. Grace is his old flame, she was out of his life, she left him when he needed love the most, and Thomas fucking Shelby is running after her like a puppy. He cried. Thomas cried a lot and I stayed by his side. I didn’t want to be his lover; I was his friend and I saw my friend was in need of a friend, of love and understanding.” her voice quivered.
The buttons of his suit jacket were undone. Arthur had been holding back all this time, would be the first to confront his brother, couldn’t understand how Thomas could have dared to take the phone call and answer the letters.
“What are you saying Y/N?”, “That I have to go, Arthur, I can’t take it anymore,” Y/N whispered.
She faced the tall man.
“Please don’t. Don’t say anything. I know they are not just seeing each other. I believed him, I agreed when he told me he would spend some weekends in London because he found new clients, new business partners. He betrayed me, our family.” Y/N added.
Tears streamed down her face.
“He was at her house. My husband, the man I love. The man I would die for. He has a family. He has a wife, he has me, and more importantly, we have children.”, “Why does he think Grace contacted him? Because she wants to talk about the good old golden times? Grace left him and now she smells bloody gold. She left him, she was gone and now they are enjoying their life together. And here I am, stupid cow, doing the housework, looking after our son and waiting for my husband to come home after a long weekend and he’s having fun with his old flame, maybe now his new lover.” Y/N uttered a barely audible whisper, but everyone heard her clearly.
More tears obscured her vision. Angered, Y/N wiped the sweat from her palms, wiped them on the no longer flowing material of her dress and saw the envelope resting on the dining table.
“What else did you see Polly? How did you know something like this is happening in London?” Y/N huffed.
“I think it would be best if you talk to Thomas about it. He’ll be here in a minute.”, “Who said I’d be here? How long Polly?” replied Y/N angrily, unable to understand why Polly was trying to protect her brother.
“It’s probably been two months. He was hugging her and inviting her to a bar. They were drinking and went to a restaurant. This is everything I know.”, “And that’s all I need to hear. Arthur, drive my vehicle to the door, please, I have to leave as soon as possible.” Y/N breathed.
Her voice was breaking, with quickening steps Y/N walked past Arthur and Polly, dodging the hands reaching out for her, seeing the quick movements out of the corner of her eye, deaf to the words trying to force her to stop. Y/N took two steps at a time, tried to take three at a but failed. Unaware of Arthur’s reply, Y/N went up, turned and pushed open the door leading into the bedroom, skilfully ignoring the voices calling her by name and stopping her from making the mistake she was about to make.
The door handle dug deep into the wall, leaving a deep hole telling generations to come of the blinding rage once reigning in the mansion almost always filled with laughter and joyful voices. Y/N yanked open the doors of the wardrobe. Crying she threw the leather suitcase onto the floor. She could not ignore the smell of smoke and burning wood. Her heart ached. Daggers dug deep into her skin, pierced through flesh and destroyed her heart. Pieces of clothing flew through the air, bringing colour to the dreary room.
Reassuringly and lovingly, a hand came to rest on her shoulder and, transfixed, Y/N came to a halt in mid-motion, dropping the blouse with a high collar to the floor, but not hitting the open suitcase. Slowly, Y/N turned around. The young broken woman looked into the distance, saw the sun setting, and wished to be one of the birds spreading wings and flying away but she was a human with legs, could not leave the land behind, had to linger and could not flee from the torment.
“If you have come to stop me then you may as well go, Arthur. I will not stay. I want him to arrive and feel what it’s like to be expected by no one. Maybe he will understand.”, “You’re going to take Charlie with you? You shouldn’t do that!” escaped Arthur.
His right hand rested on her shoulder. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. In soothing gestures, his thumb circled her skin, trying to let Y/N know she should stay, that she was just overreacting but Y/N didn’t care about them.
“I’m his mother.”, “And Thomas is his father,” he interjected.
Y/N laughed. The tears were gone and mist no longer clouded her gaze.
“Thomas should have thought about his family a long time ago. He has to find out what is important to him and what is not. No, he should have done it a long time ago. It can happen that his family leaves and I am convinced if the factory is in flames, gold and money are gone and the only thing left of importance is his heart, Thomas will realise that Grace was all the time chasing the money.” Y/N said, her voice was brimming with hate.
Y/N shook her head and laughed bitterly.
“As you heard yourself, Thomas Shelby prefers to spend his evenings with Grace in a restaurant than with me, his wife and son. The last time we spent a date night together is maybe a year ago. He works from morning to late night. When I go to sleep, I am alone and when I wake up the only thing reminding me of my husband is his pillow and the smell of cigars. I’m not going to sit here and look out of the window and pray that he will arrive soon with a believable explanation.” she continued.
"Do you love him?” Arthur asked.
Panting, Y/N observed the flying dust dancing in the rays of the sun. Tears threatened to obscure her vision. Smiling faintly Y/N placed her hands on her stomach in a protective gesture, unable to continue to fight with words of truth and stayed in silence, feared Charlie would hear the words. Her heart ached, not wanting to tear Charlie away from his familiar surroundings but unable to imagine meeting her husband who had sworn fidelity to her. A faint smile graced her face, realising the words he had once spoken with pride and honour were no longer true.
"I believe this is a question I do not have to answer, Arthur. I’m the one who’s here, the one who looks after Charlie, who takes him to the playground, who looks after the estate and tries to be a support. You cannot imagine how often Thomas sits on this bloody bed, looking into the void and is questioning everything. There may be no wounds on his skin, no blood under his nails, but his heart and poor soul need love. A love I probably cannot give him.” she breathed.
Y/N stepped back.
“When Thomas arrived after months of war and Grace left him, he was a shadow of a man. I don’t want to say that I’m better or special, but I took care of him. He would have never cried in front of you, but he cried a lot. I stayed awake and helped him through the long nights. It wasn’t her and we can both safely say the reason Grace wormed her way back into his life.” Y/N said.
"How can you be sure he’s cheating on you?” he probed.
Arthur took a step forward, wanting to put his hands on her shoulders, but he left it at that.
“Thomas could have told me, informed me, and I would have shown understanding in return. If he would have told me that this woman wants to meet him, I would told him to go. This is what should be done in a relationship. I tell him everything, every detail of the day. I talk about the early mornings with Charlie, how he likes kindergarten, how he enjoys playing with toys. Everything. Arthur, and now please leave me alone. Maybe I’ll come back at the end of the month. I will tell Charlie that we will go on an adventure. I am sure he will be pleased.” Y/N informed her brother-in-law.
The rays of the sun kissed her face. Her nails had turned brittle and her skin was sickly, shallow and lifeless. Y/N threw the last piece of clothing into the suitcase lying two steps away from her on the ground. Passing Arthur, she halted. Love disappeared from her gaze. She covered her lips with her hand, wanting to make what she had seen unseen. The golden ring lay lonely and abandoned on the bedside table. The world turned dark, arms reached out for her and the shadows laughed, rose from the depths of the sea and devoured her.
The morning in Arrow house was nice and quiet for once in a long time. The children, Charles, Athena and Vincent were out spending some time in nature with their beloved aunt Polly. Frances, your maid, was also told to take a day off on the orders of Tommy.
Your bedroom faced towards the back of the house, making it perfect for the sunlight to seep in through the windows and cast its morning rays onto both you and Tommy. You moved your body towards him and just observe. Thomas Shelby was one beautiful man, that anyone could vouch for. In the mornings though, that was a scene only you got to admire.
His mouth was slightly agape, hair messy and his body cocooned in the blanket like a small child. His eyelashes sat delicately on his cheekbones. God you were so jealous of his lashes, he had the most perfect lashes you’d ever seen. Meeting him was by chance. You stumbled on each other in London where Thomas was for business and you for work.
You found it funny how on summer nights when the room becomes too stuffy for sweaty bodies to be pressed against one another, Tommy tells you to stay at a distance because it’s too hot. Yet when you wake up, Tommy is curled up next to you, leg thrown over your hip and his head buried in your neck sleeping soundly like a little boy. Like how a young boy would cling to his mother.
He shifted a bit and you snapped back into reality, he shifted to move towards you. Even in his sleep, he sought out the warmth that you emitted. You smiled and basked in the silence of the morning, the only sounds to be heard was the nature outside.
It’s mornings like these that make you miss the hustle and bustle of Small Heath, but it’s also the type to make you so grateful for everything that you have. Your husband put everything on the line to get to where you are now.
He shifted once again, this time letting out a small groan at being woken up by the fresh sunlight that was streaming through a crack in the curtains. Thomas turned up and looked at you, and proceeded to bury himself back into the blankets. You snorted at that and then choked on the cigarette that you were smoking.
Thomas looked at you again and spoke “ Are you okay? ” his voice raspy from not being used for a while, you just smiled back at him. He rolled his eyes at your behaviour and tried going back to sleep, it was one of his off days and the kids weren’t home. he was going to take this opportunity to be less stressed.
The two of you stayed in bed for a while, quite a long time really. Frances was surprised that the head of the house wasn’t out and about before the sun even rose. Arrow house had quite a serene morning that day.
Good For Business (Jealous Tommy X Female Reader) One-shot
Summary: You have worked at the Garrison for months now. What’s suddenly got Tommy so jealous?
Word count: 1690
Warnings: Swearing. Jealousy. Fic gets a bit heated right at the end, but it’s nothing explicit.
A/N: Please feel free to send me a message/comment/ask, I would love to know what you think.
If you like this, please feel free to visit my blog and take a look around! You can find my masterlist in my bio.
Tommy hated it. Really hated it. Clenched jaw, hands coiled into fists, hated it. Every time he sat in that damn cosy at the Garrison, he felt every nerve ending flare, watching through the opening as you moved about serving ale and whisky to the men of Small Heath. His steely eyes silently scrutinising every second bloody man vying for your attention. Not that he could blame them. You were effortlessly warm and inviting; impossible to ignore.
They hired you for that very reason; you were good for business. But Tommy had no idea how easily and how quickly you would carve out a spot in his heart, nor how powerless he would be to stop it. And for a while, it was easy enough to ignore, to deny that little portion of his heart even existed. After all, it was obvious to him, that all the smiles and laughter you exchanged with the patrons was never anything more than harmless flirtation. But as the months past, that little portion began beating faster and louder every time someone spoke your name, quietly and unassumingly sneaking its way through every surface of his heart, embedding itself like the beautiful deep roots of an oak tree.
And so, here he sat once again, in the cosy of the Garrison, half listening to the banter of his brothers, while his main focus was you. That hazardous smile that disarmed man after man, your infectious laugh that brought warmth to the stoniest of faces and the kind effortless way you diffused their advances, before they even had the chance to feel rejected. But fuck, he didn’t realise just how firmly those roots were embedded in his heart until today.
You were busy with your back turned to the counter when an unfamiliar and rather ordinary looking man walked in, stopping behind a group of men waiting to buy their next round. He stood there, clearly impatient for you to turn around and see him, his expression full of expectation, but you were completely oblivious to his presence as you continued serving the men before you. Tommy shifted in his seat when the unexceptional man smiled with anticipation, there was fondness there; on his lips, it was unmistakable. This man knew you… and knew you well. Clearing his throat, he shifted in his seat again, his unsmoked cigarette lying forgotten as it burnt slowly and steadily towards his fingertips, and his glare trained to the face that waited so patiently for you to see him.
Tommy hated that it took every ounce of strength to keep his backside in his seat, when what he really wanted was to march up behind you, take you by the hand and lead you to the office, before you could lay eyes on this stranger. So sure he was, that he would not like your reaction. And in the next moment, he wished he had. When your eyes caught sight of him, you nearly dropped a bottle of whiskey on the floor, stopping short of jumping over the counter to reach him. Regaining some form of composure, your impatient feet took you around to the front of the bar, throwing yourself into his waiting arms, but it was the expression on your face that broke Tommy. Pure joy. It lit up your features in a way he had never seen before, the sight sparking instant and unwarranted hatred for a nameless man he was yet to meet. He was jealous. Plain and simple. There was no other word for it.
It must have been only five minutes, five long jealous minutes, struggling to keep his expression neutral and unreadable, ignoring the strange looks he was getting from his brothers as he watched the interaction unfold. After returning behind the bar, you got straight back to work serving the other patrons, while the man claimed a stool right in front of you. And even though you kept pouring drinks and interacting with the regulars, he was the one that held your attention. There was such affection in the way you spoke to him, even without hearing your words, Tommy could see it. He wanted to be on the receiving end of it. Wanted to be the unexceptional man you showered your affection upon. And the sight of it got too much.
Looking to his hands, he noticed the trail of ash his cigarette had dropped across the table, and the tense way his fingers gripped the empty tumbler. With a measured breath, he scrapped the glass back and forth across the surface, before looking back up. It could not have been worse timing. There was your hand, reaching across to rest upon the man’s forearm, your heads almost touching in the middle of the counter as he spoke secret words to you. Reacting impulsively, Tommy threw his burning cigarette to the floor and stood to his feet, the chair scrapping loudly across the floor in the process and without another thought, he pushed his way through the door of the cosy.
Tommy’s legs took him quickly through the growing crowd of patrons, his expression warning them to give him space. Making his way across the front of the bar, he caught your attention with a wave of his arm, pointing in the direction of the office, his voice hard, “Y/N! Can I’ve a word with you in the office?”
Nodding your head, you took off your apron and threw it to the counter, whispering to the man before you followed, but Tommy caught every word, not hearing a single thread of concern amongst them, “Well, it looks like I’m in trouble.”
Entering the office, Tommy gripped the door knob tightly as he waited for you to join him, closing it rather forcibly behind you. And when you met his intense gaze, you were surprisingly calm, yet genuinely confused, asking, “Tommy. What’s wrong… has something happened?”
Usually, Tommy never acted so impulsively, he knew it was ridiculous and completely out of line, but he couldn’t help himself. Taking a short breath, he kept his voice as even as possible, “Y/N. We don’t pay you to spend your time conversing with all our customers.”
Putting your hands on your hips, you were not intimidated in the slightest, and it would’ve been a lie if Tommy said it didn’t turn him on a little. Fuck, that defiance brought to life every feature of your face. With a stubborn raise of your brow, you replied, “Ah… No Tommy, that’s precisely what you pay me to do.”
Taking a step closer, your expression softened just enough to draw his attention to the knowing look hidden quietly within your eyes, asking him the question you seemingly already knew the answer to. “Me, conversing with our customers has never bothered you before… what makes tonight any different?”
As the last word left your mouth, you took yet another step closer, close enough for him to feel the gentle warmth radiating from your body; it was still not close enough. Glancing to the floor Tommy cleared his throat, realising he was beyond the point of returning to his days surveying you from the cosy. Propping himself against the desk, he crossed his feet at the ankles, his hands resting on the edge at his sides. “That was before,” Tommy waved his hand in the direction of the bar, “that man came in here and… who is he Y/N?”
You almost laughed, and Tommy tried to keep his expression neutral, “You’ve got to be kidding me, Tommy.” Biting your bottom lip, you shook your head in amusement, “Everyday you’re here, you see men smile and flirt with me and it doesn’t bother you in the slightest.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Y/N.” Standing up, he stepped towards you, picking up a lock of your hair, gently placing it behind your shoulder, noticing how your breath hitched at his touch. “It’s always bothered me… but I have never seen you so happy to see someone before… and I know I have no right to be jealous, but I am.”
This time, a little chuckle did escape your lips, and Tommy suddenly felt a little sheepish, but God, was your expression doing something to him right now. “Jealous. Of Peter? Oh Tommy. Of all people to be jealous of… He’s my cousin, and I haven’t seen him in years.” Running your fingers along the edge of his jacket lapel, you shook your head, the flirtatious manner in which you did so, far surpassing any other he had witnessed you bestow upon any other man. And it thrilled him. “If I had known a visit from him was all it would take for you to notice me, I would’ve asked him to visit months ago.”
If Tommy was the type to get embarrassed, he would have turned scarlet, but he wasn’t that kind of man. Instead, he reached forward and slid his fingers around the side of your neck, his palm firmly cupping the nook under your ear. Pulling you closer, your body brushed against his, the sensation making it difficult to think of little else. But a deep breath cleared his head for long enough, to say, “He’s your cousin?”
It was more of a statement than a question, but you answered anyway, “Yes, Tommy… He’s my cousin.” Reaching up, you wrapped your fingers around his wrist that still cradled your neck, and moved his hand to your cheek, before brushing your lips across the roughness of his palm, your warm breath teasing his skin as you spoke. “But one day it may not be.”
Tommy didn’t say another word; he couldn’t, his lips were too occupied by yours. Fumbling his way to the door, he took you with him in a mess of limbs, both your bodies crashing against its frame, clumsily searching for the blind. Pulling on the cord, the outside world disappeared, it was just you and him. Fuck, why hadn’t he done this sooner? And as you wrapped your legs around his waist, he murmured through broken kisses along your neck, “Yes. One day it may not be.”
Requested by anonymous: ‘Hi, I’ve been reading your works and really love your writing and would like to ask for one too Could you write Tommy Shelby x Reader who he’s known since childhood, basically his first love, an angel for him, they have a feeling for each other growing up but never said it out. Then there’s Grace and the story gets more complicated because she(reader) thought that Tommy is in love with Grace when actually he is in love with her, so he confessed his feeling.’
Characters:Thomas Shelby x Reader, mentions of other Shelby family
Meanings: (Y/N)=Your name
Warnings:Swearing, sexual themes, arguing, jealousy
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Here’s the papers you wanted, Tommy.”
Ah, there she was. Tommy waited to hear that voice every morning. He went to work desperate to just catch a glimpse of her before he had to get back to business. Looking up from his writings, he held back a smile as (Y/N) approached him, a stack of paper in her hands.
“Morning (Y/N), how come I didn’t get my usual welcome this morning?” he asked with a smirk.
(Y/N) had always made sure to have a hot cup of tea waiting on his desk, with her sat outside his office at her own secretary desk. They would greet each other before going over the agenda for the day and what needed to be done. However, (Y/N) couldn’t be found that morning.
“Oh, well, you would not believe the morning I’ve had.” her professionalism dropped as she perched on the edge of his desk, still angled towards him.
Tommy didn’t hesitate to look at her arse, and how accentuated it was with how she sat. His eyes quickly flicked back to her face as she started speaking again.
“So I came in early as I do, was going to help Pol set up like usual. Poor Sophie is also here, Pol said something about training her up to open so it’s not always us and she’s trustworthy. Anyway, I come in to find Sophie crying next to the safe because she forgot the code Polly gave her, and Pol was shouting orders left, right and centre. Basically, she couldn’t handle Polly’s wrath so I had to help, which took longer than expected.”
“You have had a busy morning.”
“Haven’t I just?”
“What would we do without you, eh?”
“Not much. Especially you.”
“Is that right?”
“You couldn’t even get these papers off my desk yourself. It’s only situated outside the door, Tommy.”
“Keep talking like that and you might just face the consequences.”
“Oh? You going to fire me?”
“No.”
“Then what are you going to do to me?”
Tommy leaned back in his seat, lighting up a cigarette.“You’d have to wait and see.”
(Y/N) couldn’t deny that this was getting her hot and bothered. She and Tommy always bantered and flirted like this, though over the past few years, their words had become more and more bold. They knew each other since they were children, growing up on the same street and playing together. Their friendship stayed strong as they grew up, everyone always teased the pair that they would get married one day, making the teenagers blush. It was as if they both knew about their feelings for one another, but neither wanted to act upon it, in fear that their assumptions were wrong and they would ruin the long friendship they had.
Tommy and (Y/N) would make a very attractive pair. Of course Tommy had the sharp Shelby look, a mysterious man that enticed women, he was confident, smart; he knew what he wanted and how to take charge. And (Y/N) was no doubt one of the most beautiful women in Small Heath. She stood out from the other workers, she had an aura about her, something that said I know my worth and you can’t tell me otherwise. It wasn’t arrogant, it was strong, yet she was also one of the sweetest people you could meet in a shit hole like this. It was a wonder why a man hadn’t married her yet…actually it wasn’t, it was because Thomas Shelby always scared them away.
“Still going for drinks at the Garrison tonight?” (Y/N) said as she got off the desk.
“If I must.”
She laughed, making her way to the door.“Oh come on Tommy, you love going really.”
“Only when you’re there.”
(Y/N) smiled at him one last time before leaving the room, her confident facade disappearing instantly. Tommy really made her nervous, in a good way. Although it frustrated her too; some mornings she would try to hype herself up, finally tell Tommy how she felt about him, hoping he felt the same. It had been going on for so long between them, it was agonising.
The work day went by as it always did, filled with flirty remarks between the two, lingering touches when passing things to one another, longing looks. Finally, it was time to head to the pub. (Y/N) was on Tommy’s arm as they walked, a normal sight. As they entered the pub, (Y/N) noticed Tommy’s attention fall on someone else, a blonde barmaid. She hadn’t seen this one before.
“Tommy? You coming?” (Y/N) tried to sound light, tugging on his arm towards the private room.
“I’ll meet you there.”
He didn’t even look at her as he spoke. Sadly she pulled away from him, following the rest of the Shelby’s. (Y/N) put on a smiling face, despite worrying about what Tommy was doing with that barmaid. She had no right to, they weren’t together. When the window to the bar opened, (Y/N) grabbed the drinks, wanting to peak through. As she slowly slid them towards herself, she saw them in deep conversation, Tommy casually leaning again the bar, the barmaid seemingly cool and collected as she spoke to Tommy; women were always flustered around him, which he didn’t care for, and this worried (Y/N), because what if he took an interest in her?
“Take your time love!” Arthur laughed.
Trying to distract herself by playing cards with the boys, (Y/N) found herself glancing up to the door every time a shadow passed it. She found herself losing every round, not being an amazing player anyway, though it was as if she had never played before. When Tommy did decide to join them, (Y/N) suddenly didn’t want to speak to him.
“What took you so long?” Arthur asked as his brother sat down next to (Y/N).
“Didn’t you see the new bird at the bar? Tommy wasn’t wasting any time.” John chuckled.
(Y/N) kept her eyes down on her cards. Tommy glanced at (Y/N)’s cards, leaning over to whisper in her ear.
“You’re doing terrible tonight.”
“Thanks.” It was blunt, it was rude.
“I can help you win.”
“I don’t need your help.”
Now Tommy could see the first reply wasn’t an accident, she had meant to snap at him.
“What’s up with you?”
“Oh, you’re actually paying attention now?”
“What?”
(Y/N) didn’t answer, continuing the game. Tommy remained silent, perplexed at the woman’s behaviour. What had he missed? He wondered if his brothers had said anything, but she wouldn’t be playing with them still if they had.
Luckily, the family didn’t stay for very long that night. They still had work the next day, and although that didn’t usually stop them, it was going to be a busy day, a big race was on, meaning lots of betters would swarm the shop. Although (Y/N) was still pissed at Tommy, she expected him to walk her home like he always did. Gathering her things and saying goodbye to everyone, she turned to see if Tommy was also ready to leave, frowning at the sight. There he was, leaning against the bar, talking to that barmaid again. (Y/N) made herself known as she walked over, letting her heels click loudly on the floor.
“Tommy, you coming?” she asked, using his nickname.
“I need to stay. Business.” he lazily replied.
“But, you always walk me home.”
“Not tonight. One of my brothers will.”
(Y/N) glared at the woman across the bar. Maybe it wasn’t her fault that Tommy was staying, but it didn’t annoy her any less. Whipping around, she quickly made her exit, slamming the door behind her before catching up to the other Shelby’s. John and Arthur walked (Y/N) back to her home, not taking any notice of her temper. She was quiet for the most part, only speaking when spoken to. Were all men so oblivious?
Once again, Tommy didn’t see (Y/N) at her desk, assuming she was already busy with work. She would pop in soon enough. Settling down in his seat, he noticed there was already two stacks of papers in front of him, before he had even asked to see them. Perhaps (Y/N) had to help the floor today, and made sure he was set up first. But as he sifted through them, he noticed they weren’t in categorical order, the dates were all mixed up, some things had been signed and others weren’t. Confused at her lack of organisation, Tommy headed towards the door, poking his head out of it.
“Where’s (Y/N)?” he asked an employee rushing by.
“Oh, she’s out on the floor, Mr Shelby. She offered to help seeing as it’s the big race today.”
Tommy just nodded, dismissing the man. Stepping out of his office, Tommy scanned the room for her, it was hard to see through the hoards of people in such a small space. As soon as he spotted her on the other side of the room, he made his way through, not caring if he had to push a few people away.
“Why aren’t you at your desk?”
(Y/N) was bending low over a table, scribbling down names and numbers.“Good morning, Mr Shelby.”
“Are you trying to play a game here?”
“I’m simply working, sir.”
That would have sounded a lot more pleasing to him if she wasn’t being so snappy with him.
“I appreciate that you’re helping but those papers you put on my desk are not up to standard.”
She still hadn’t looked at him.“I didn’t have time this morning. There were floods of people as soon as we opened. I assumed you could organise them yourself, you’re a clever man.”
“If you weren’t like a member of the family (Y/N), you could be fired for speaking to me like that.”
“That’s alright, I’ll get a job at the Garrison, like that pretty, little barmaid. Then you might actually notice me.”
“What?”
She sighed, standing up straight.“Would you like me to put those papers in order for you, Mr Shelby?”
“Why are you angry with me?”
“I’m not.”
“I don’t have time to argue about this. Return to your desk and get on with your usual work.”
They stared at each other, not wanting to be the first to fold. (Y/N) pouted, making a show of herself walking away from Tommy. He followed her a few steps behind, watching as she dropped into her seat, immediately getting on with work, and not looking at him once again.
“My usual tea would be nice.” he spat before disappearing back into his office.
The day went on like that. (Y/N) brought him a cup of tea but it wasn’t how he liked it, the second time she made it, she purposefully used like warm water so it was cold by the time she brought it to him. She gave him pens that were low on ink or just broken, stale biscuits to nibble on; it was all very petty but she didn’t care. It was the only way she could get back at him.
After a very long and busy day, the workers were excited to head home and put their feet up. (Y/N) always walked home with Tommy, or at least said bye to him if he could leave. But not tonight. She was making a run for it. Apparently she wasn’t running fast enough.
“(Y/N), a word.” Tommy ordered before she could even walk past his door.
Huffing, she slumped into his office, loudly closing the door. He held eye contact with her as she approached the desk, not offering her a seat.
“Yes, Mr Shelby?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you today?”
“The fact that I have to tell you annoys me even more.”
“So I’ve done something?”
“Yes.”
“And what did I do to upset you so much?”
“You…you didn’t walk me home last night.” she felt childish saying it out loud, even though that wasn’t the actual reason she was upset.
He scoffed.“That’s why you’ve been a bad secretary today, eh? And what the fuck is all this formality about?”
“It’s professional, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, fucking professional to bring me the wrong paperwork.”
“It’s not like you need me to figure out how to put papers in date order.”
“It’s your job, (Y/N). You make my job easier, that’s what you do. This isn’t just because I didn’t walk you home last night, what’s happened?”
She had no defence, she didn’t know what else to say. She couldn’t tell him the real reason, it would seem so foolish.
“It’s nothing.” she mumbled.
Tommy noticed the change in her demeanor.“(Y/N), has something happened that I don’t know about?”
Technically yes.
“I’m fine. Can I go home please?”
“No. You can’t go home.” he stood up, coming to stand in front of her.“I’m not letting you leave until you tell me what’s wrong.”
(Y/N) was silent.
“You said something about noticing you, earlier today. Why?”
“I think you’re looking too deep into-”
“Why?”
(Y/N) had to bite the bullet. She couldn’t come up with another bullshit story fast enough. Even it she did, it wouldn’t be believable.
“I was jealous.”
“Jealous about what?”
“You and the barmaid. As soon as we walked into the Garrison I was invisible. You wouldn’t even look at me. The way you looked at her, I wanted you to have that much attention for me. I want…I want something more Tommy.”
“I have never looked at another woman the way I look at you, let alone that barmaid.”
“Don’t lie. It was like you were infatuated with her.”
“I was interested because she’s not the regular type of person to work in that kind of place. She’s suspicious, I don’t trust her. I was trying to get information about her. And I couldn’t let thatvmoment go to waste, I stayed behind because she was more open with no one around.”
“So, you weren’t trying to sleep with her?”
“No.”
“But you-”
“(Y/N). I’m not interested in her, at all. Let’s be blunt, we both know we’ve been wasting time.”
“What?”
“Did you hear what I said? I can’t look at any other women and not compare them to you. You are above everyone and everything else in my life. I’ve never said any of this to you because of what I do. You were already in danger because of how close you were to the family. But I’ve realised I can’t keep using that as an excuse. I need you (Y/N), I want you.”
“You really mean it? You’re not just saying all these things? Because you have to mean it, Tommy. I…I’ve loved you for so long and waited, and waited, and waited for something to miraculously happen. I don’t want to ruin it.”
“You won’t.” he stepped closer to her.“I love you (Y/N), I fucking love you. I have to have you as mine.”
Both of their breaths were getting shallower, they were so close to one another. They had waited for this moment their entire lives. Although it was a sweet moment, the angst that had been building up all day turned into heavy lust. Tommy pulled her towards him by the collar of her coat, roughly smashing their lips together. She instantly gripped onto his waist coat, steadying herself from the sudden action. He turned her around in his grasp so she was against the desk, leaning her back on it. He leant over her as she laid down, kissing her neck.
“Tommy.” she half moaned as he sucked on her neck, her fingers gripping on the back of his head and neck.“We’re…we’re doing this here?”
“Yes.” he breathed out, hovering over her as he hand gripped her thigh. It slowly moved up under her skirt as he continued speaking.“I’ve imagined this scenario too many times. I’m going to fuck you on this desk like I’ve always dreamed of doing, and you’re going to take it.”
Summary:You were Alfie Solomons little sister and Tommy Shelby’s ex girlfriend.
It had been three years since you last saw your ex. Until your brother sent you on a mission to kill Father Hughes and you came face to face with Thomas Shelby, causing old feelings to resurface again.
There was no denying the beautiful view from the top floor of your house that overlooked the ocean. It was absolutely stunning.
The house that Alfie bought was way to big for just the two of you, but you weren’t complaining. The housekeeper from London was happy to move to Margate, so she was living in the house too.
It didn’t have much of a backyard, so your brothers dog, Cyril, had now turned into an indoor dog, but he didn’t seem to mind, finding comfort on the couch at night with his head in your lap.
He wasn’t a lap dog, far from it, but it didn’t seem to matter to him. Alfie would grumble at you whenever the dog was on the couch, but never made him get down.
Your brother was secretly a soft teddy bear on the inside. He always had been.
You took Cyril for walks every morning, knowing it wasn’t healthy for him to be stuck indoors all day. He liked the beach, sometimes a little too much and didn’t want to leave.
Alfie would join you on the morning walks, but never went in the water. To his defence it was freezing cold this time of year, but you didn’t care. If you were living on the beach, you were going to take advantage of the water, despite how freezing it was.
“It’s not that cold, come for a swim!” You shouted splashing Cyril as he jumped into the water after you, barking happily.
That was a lie though, it was fucking cold. But, you were not going to tell your brother that.
“It’s fucking cold just standing here, sis. Ain’t no way I’m getting in there.” Alfie shouted back from where he was standing on the sand, watching you and his dog play in the water.
You rolled your eyes, glancing over at your pile of clothes by the water where you had dumped them. There was rarely anyone else on the beach when it was this cold, but you kept an eye on your stuff out of habit.
You were just wearing your bikini top and shorts, but had your towel and jacket ready for when you got out the water because that cool wind hitting your wet body would be very cold when you decided to get out.
“Fetch.” You said, throwing a tennis ball further down the beach.
Cyril immediately chased after the ball, jumping in and out of the water as he ran after it before finally grabbing it and running back to you through the water.
“Good boy.” You praised, patting his head from where you were sitting in the shallows before you grabbed the ball from his mouth and threw it again.
You glanced back over at your brother about to try and convince him to come into the water when you spotted someone else walking down the beach towards him.
Even from the distance, you knew who it was. There was no mistaking that black jacket and peaky cap.
It was Tommy Shelby.
You watched in confusion as Tommy walked towards your brother, stopping several meters away from him.
What the fuck was Tommy doing here?
“I do hope you’re gonna leave my sister out of this. She had nothing to with it, even tried to stop me.” You heard your brother say, his eyes glued to the ocean as he spoke, not even looking at Tommy.
“You were easy to find."
Tommy glanced over at you in the water, his eyes lingering on you for a moment before he looked back at your brother when he started to talk.
"Yeah, well, there’s a good reason for that, Tommy. Because I wanted it to be here.”
“I once told you, Alfie. For business reasons or in bad blood, I would kill you. I have no business reasons. It seems you have retired.”
Your eyes widened in sudden realisation. He was here to kill your brother.
Oh, hell no.
You quickly rushed out the water, not even caring about the cold air hitting your wet skin. You reached your pile of clothes on the sand, ignoring your shirt and instead grabbing your handgun that was stashed underneath.
“So, this is all purely for bad blood, is it, Tommy?” Your brother questioned, glancing over at you and shaking his head.
You knew he was trying to tell you to stand down, but that was not going to happen.
“I told you. I wanted it to be here."
"You’re not armed?”
Your brother shook his head, “no. Don’t be dull.”
“I’m armed.” You suddenly said, reaching Alfie’s side, your gun in your hand beside you. “I’m not letting you do this, Tommy. Just walk away and no one gets hurt.”
“I can’t do that, Y/N."
His eyes locked with yours before he glanced down at your body, his eyes lingering on the scar on your stomach from the gunshot wound that Father Hughes men had put there.
You could see the conflict in Tommy’s eyes like he was having a mental debate with himself before he shook his head and raised his gun at your brother.
"Drop it.” You ordered, stepping in front of Alfie, blocking him as you raised your own gun at Tommy. “Drop the fucking gun!”
“Y/N, get out the way.” Tommy instructed, but you shook your head.
He was going to have to shoot you if he wanted to get to your brother.
“The only thing I got on me is fucking cancer, mate.” Your brother suddenly said from behind you. “Riddled with it. Doctor told me I might have picked it up in France from the gas or something. He even showed me a photograph before I met you at the fight-”
“Alfie, stop talking.” Tommy said, cutting him off.
“So I said, ‘Margate’ right, and here I am-”
“Alfie, look at me.”
“Drop the fucking gun!” You shouted, your own handgun still aimed at him as you eyed the barrel of his cautiously.
“Come on, Tommy. There’s an honourable reason now to pull that trigger-”
“Y/N, move!” Tommy yelled, his gun starting to waver as he stared at you. “Alfie, look at me!”
“Fucking get on with it. Stop acting like a little girl.”
“Alfie-” Tommy started to say before your brother suddenly grabbed your shoulders and shoved you off to the side.
You stumbled a few feet, unable to keep your footing as you landed on your knees in the sand and quickly turned, looking back at your brother who pulled a gun from the inside of his jacket and turned it towards, Tommy.
“Wait!” You screamed, but it was too late.
There was nothing you could do as you watched in horror as Alfie pulled the trigger, the bullet scraping the side of Tommy’s arm, but it was enough to get him to pull the trigger too.
“NO!” You screamed, the bullet hitting your brothers face and they both fell to the ground.
You rushed to your brother and skidding to your knees beside his motionless body. The bloodied bullet wound stretching across his left cheek, blood pouring from it and seeping into the sand.
“No. No. No. Alfie? Alfie?” You whimpered, hot tears falling down your cheeks as you reached towards his face with your free hand, unsure of how to even attempt to slow the bleeding with this injury.
“Shit.” You heard Tommy swear from behind you.
In an instant, you raised your gun, turning your body from where you were sitting and aimed it at Tommy who was staggering to his feet.
“Whoa. Y/N wait.” He quickly said, holding up his free hand, his other pressed to his side, blood dripping down his sleeve. “I didn’t mean to kill him. He fired his-”
“You came here to kill him!” You snapped, glaring at him through the tears. “You came here to fucking kill him though, didn’t you?!”
“Yes, but I changed my mind.” He insisted, slowly walking towards you. “Y/N, I swear, I changed my mind. I wasn’t going to shoot him. I swear to fucking God.”
Your gun was trembling in your hands, your entire body shaking as tears streamed down your cheeks.
“Y/N…” Tommy said, trailing off, kneeling down beside you as he gently grabbed the barrel of your gun.
You didn’t have the energy to stop him as he carefully took the gun from you, tossing it off to the side, out of your reach.
“I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m so sorry.” He whispered, reaching for your shoulder before you suddenly stood up and shoved him away.
Tommy grunted as he fell backwards into the sand before quickly getting to his feet.
“Y/N-”
“Get out of here!” You screamed, shoving him back again as he raised his hands, trying to show that he wasn’t a threat. “Get the fuck out of here!”
He tried take another step towards you before threw a punch, your fist connecting with his jaw. The force of the hit sent his head slamming back as he staggered back a step, grabbing his cheek.
“Get the fuck out of here before I fucking kill you!” You shouted, your voice breaking at the end as a weak sob escaped your lips.
Tommy’s expression cracked as he stared you helplessly, his bright blue eyes filled with so much guilt and sadness, but you didn’t even notice. All you could see was red as you stared at him, your entire body trembling as you screamed at him to leave.
“Okay. Okay. I’m going, I’m going, Y/N.” He quickly said, his hands still raised as he glanced down at your brother before meeting your eyes again. “I’m sorry.”
That was all he said before he turned around and walked off. You watched him through blurry eyes as he disappeared up over the sand dune before you turned back to your brothers lifeless body and dropped to your knees beside him.
You didn’t even notice that Cyril had come over and was now sitting beside your brothers body. A wrecked sob escaped your lips as you stared down at, Alfie.
“I-I’m so sorry.” You whimpered, fresh tears streaming down your face.
You lowered your head on your brothers chest and cried, but your tears came to a very sudden halt when you felt his chest rise and fall ever so faintly.
In an instant, you lifted your head, looking down at Alfie with wide eyes before you hovered your hand over his mouth and felt a small shuddering breath of air come out.
He was still alive.
Holy fuck, he was still alive.
“Oh, my God.” You gasped, quickly getting to your feet as you glanced over your shoulder at your house that you knew was just over the sand dunes. “Stay here, I’m going to get help. You’re going to be okay, Alfie. I’m getting help.”
With that, you took off in the direction of the house, Cyril racing after you as you sprinted over the sand dune before reaching the back door of your house.
“Anna!” You shouted, calling for the housekeeper. “Call for an ambulance!”
A second later, the old lady was hurriedly walking down the stairs, looking at you in confusion.
“It’s Alfie. He’s been shot. He’s on the beach. Call an ambulance, get them to go the beach out the front, now!”
Anna nodded, already reaching for the phone before you ordered Cyril to stay, relieved that the dog listened. You grabbed a handful of clean towels from the cupboard before rushing back out the door towards the beach.
Your brother was still laying in the same spot as before, unmoving as you dropped to your knees beside him.
“Help is on the way, okay? You just gotta hang on a little longer, bro. You’re going to be fine.” You insisted, although you knew you were trying to convince yourself more than him.
You pressed the towels to the side of his face, trying to slow the bleeding as you sat beside him, anxiously waiting for the ambulance.
-
The next 24-hours was the most stressful 24-hours of your entire life. It rivalled with time you were last in hospital with Tommy all those years ago.
This was exactly like that. Except it wasn’t Tommy, it was your big brother.
You sat beside his hospital bed, hating how familiar it felt as you stared at Alfie.
The doctors had done the best they could. Said that by some miracle the bullet didn’t hit the brain or anything vital except for his left eye which he won’t be able to see out of anymore. He just had a long gash across his left cheek that was stitched together and looked awfully painful, but other than that, the doctors said that he should be fine.
If a giant scar and one blind eye was the worst of his injuries, you’d be happy. But, you weren’t going to believe anything until your brother woke up and you could see it for yourself.
“Ma'am, you should go home and get some rest. We have your number and can contact you when he wakes up.” One of the nurses suddenly said.
You glanced over your shoulder to find the nurse standing in the doorway of your brothers hospital room, looking at you sympathetically.
You shook your head, “I’m not going anywhere until I know my brother is okay.”
The nurse looked like she wanted to argue, but she didn’t get the chance to.
“I-I’m okay, sis.” Alfie grunted from beside you.
Your head snapped back in his direction to find his eyes now open and staring up at you. His left eye was a cloudy white colour, but other than that, he seemed to be okay.
He was okay. Your brother was okay.
“Mr Solomons.” The nurse said, snapping into action and rushing to his beside before you could even say anything.
You watched anxiously as the nurse did a few tests and went over your brothers vitals. He was a little out of it, which the nurse expected with the amount of pain medication he was on, but to your relief she deemed him stable and okay before leaving the two of you alone.
“Stop worrying, right, I’m okay.” Alfie mumbled, from his hospital bed.
You looked back over at him from where you were sitting hugging your knees to your chest, your chin resting on top as you stared at him.
Your brother had been injured many times before and every single one of those times, you had worried. When you were kids and he broke his arm after jumping from the roof, you had worried so much the doctors thought it was you that needed help when you got to the hospital.
Then, Alfie, had enlisted for the army and was shipped off to France… that had been the worst. Not knowing if he was alive or dead. Waiting for weeks on end for his letters, fearing that if they stopped, then he’d be dead.
You were proud of him. He had worked his way up the ranks and became a Captain during the war. You were so proud of him, but at the same time, you had hated him for enlisting.
You were so angry at him, more angry than you had ever been, but this… right now… it was a close second.
“None of this is okay!” You snapped, unable to hold in your anger.
Your brother just stared at you, trying to figure out the reason behind your outburst before you shook your head, saving him the time.
“Why’d you do it?”
Alfie didn’t respond as he stared at you in confusion.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” You questioned, trying and failing to control your anger.
“Okay, I’m on a lotta fucking pain meds right now. I’m gonna need ya to be a little more specific.”
“What were you thinking back on the beach? You were egging him on to pull the trigger, did you want him to fucking shoot you?”
The second the words left your mouth, Alfie, looked away from you, staring at the wall across the room with an unreadable expression.
For the longest time, he didn’t say anything.
The two of you sat in silence as you stared at your brother, his posture ridge as he laid there, refusing to look at you.
“Yeah, I did.” He finally muttered.
He wanted Tommy to shoot him. Your brother wanted Tommy to kill him… he wanted it.
“I always intended for Tommy to discover my betrayal, alright? That’s why I told him we’re moving to Margate. I wanted him to track me down and kill me…"
"Why?” You asked in utter disbelief.
Why would your brother want to be killed?
“Because I’d rather die at the hands of an honourable man, like Tommy, and die on my fucking own terms than from this fucking cancer.”
He finally turned his head back towards you, his one good eye looking at you sadly.
“Alfie…”
“I knew.” He said, cutting you off. “I knew, Tommy wasn’t gonna do it. He had a change of fucking heart, I saw it in his eyes. Ain’t no way he was gonna do it.”
“That’s why you shot at him first? To make him pull the trigger?”
Alfie nodded, “I knew it was the only way. Made sure to just graze his arm, just enough to get him to react.”
“You… you had all this planned. You had all this set in motion and you didn’t even tell me. You-you weren’t even going to say goodbye.” You whispered, unable to stop the tears from rising in your eyes as you hugged your knees tighter to your chest.
“I couldn’t, sis. I couldn’t fucking tell you-”
“Why?”
“Because you were the only person on this god damn planet that could’ve talked me outta it!” He shouted, wincing a little at the pain it caused before he sighed. “And I wasn’t gonna be talked outta it, alright? Ain’t no way.”
“And what about me?”
Alfie paused for a moment, looking over at you. “Huh?”
“What about me? Did you even think about what your death would’ve done to me?” You asked, silent tears falling down your cheeks.
“You’re tough, kid. Strongest woman I fucking know. You woulda been fine without me, you will be fine without me.”
“That’s bullshit and we both fucking know it.”
“Y/N-”
“No. Look, I get it. You got cancer, you’re dying. You just wanted it over, I get it. You’ll be fine when it’s over, but what about me?” You questioned, fresh tears rising in your eyes. “I can’t lose you too.”
Alfie’s expression softened as he stared at you and if you weren’t mistaken you could see tears now glistening in his eyes as well.
“Well, it don’t fucking matter now, does it? I’m still here because that fucking gypsy can’t shoot straight, can he?” He said, trying to lighten the mood. “After all the bloody time you spent with him, you couldn’t have taught him how to fucking aim?”
That caused you to smile softly as you looked at him.
“I’m glad I didn’t.”
Alfie nodded, “yeah, well me too.”
That caused you to lift your head off the top of your knees as you looked over at him in confusion.
“Seems like fate doesn’t want me dead yet.” He said with a shrug. “I’m curious to find out why.”
“You think God has something planned for you?”
“Seems like it, doesn’t it?”
You nodded, but had no idea what that 'something’ could he.
“I’m practically a God now myself, aren’t I? Everyone thinks I’m fucking dead, I can do whatever I want.”
You rolled your eyes, “the only thing you’re doing for the next couple of days is resting in this hospital bed.”
Summary: You were Alfie Solomons little sister and Tommy Shelby’s ex girlfriend.
It had been three years since you last saw your ex. Until your brother sent you on a mission to kill Father Hughes and you came face to face with Thomas Shelby, causing old feelings to resurface again.
“Good morning, Miss Solomons.” Anna greeted as you walked downstairs.
You looked up to find the housekeeper currently dusting one of the many bookshelves in the house, giving you a friendly smile.
“Good morning, Anna. And please, we’ve been over this. Call me, Y/N.”
Anna just smiled like she always did and you knew she was still going to refer to you as Miss Solomons. She had been doing it for the few last few years, you doubted you could change it any time soon.
“Has the morning paper come in?” You asked, making your way to the kitchen.
She didn’t reply straight away as you opened the fridge and grabbed the milk.
“No.” She finally answered.
Her voice seemed a little off, almost uncertain causing you to look back over at her as she followed you into the kitchen.
“Are you okay?”
Anna simply nodded, but refused to look at you which was setting off alarm bells in your head.
She walked over to the kitchen table, grabbing a tea towel and subtly moving it to cover something on the table. Frowning in confusion, you put the milk down on the bench and walked across the room towards her, reaching for the tea towel.
“Wait, Miss Solomons.” Anna quickly said, grabbing your hand to stop you.
“Anna, what are you hiding?”
She didn’t say anything for a moment as she stared at you before looking down at the towel on the table and sighed, letting go of your hand.
“It’s this mornings newspaper.”
“I thought you said that it hadn’t come yet.” You responded sceptically.
“I lied.”
Why would she lie about the newspaper? If she wanted to read it first, that wasn’t an issue. It was just the newspaper, you didn’t give a shit.
“Why did you lie?” You asked, looking at her, but she was just staring at the tea towel, not wanting to meet your eyes. “Anna?”
“Because of the front page.” She answered.
“What’s on the front page?”
“Not what. Who.”
Okay, now you were even more confused. Why did it matter who was on the front page?
You didn’t bother asking, you just grabbed the tea towel, shifting it off the paper, but stopped when you saw who was on it.
Tommy Shelby.
You stared at the photo for a moment, hating that it was actually a nice photo. Of course it was a nice photo, it was Tommy. He always looked good.
He was standing behind a podium, obviously giving some kind of speech with the headline 'Birmingham’s newest Labor MP’ written below it.
“I know you and Mr Shelby have a complicated history. I just didn’t want you to see it and get upset.” Anna said gently from beside you.
She was trying to look out for you. She didn’t want to lie, she was just trying to protect you.
“Thank you. That’s very kind of you, but I’m okay.” You reassured, walking back over to the milk to make your morning coffee.
Anna didn’t say anything else after that, disappearing out the kitchen to continue her dusting.
You poured yourself a cup of coffee and grabbed the newspaper off the table before you made your way back up stairs to the main living room. Cyril was fast asleep on the couch, snoring softly as you walked past, opening the doors to the small balcony before taking a seat outside.
You stared out at the ocean, the sun slowly getting higher in the sky as the smell of salt water filled the air. It smelt like home.
Grabbing your coffee you took a sip before looking back at the newspaper, ignoring the front page as you started to flick through. Most of it was boring stuff that you skimmed over, leaving the crossword for your brother which he would end up just asking you to help him with anyway.
By the time you got halfway through the paper, you had forgotten all about the front cover until you turned to the next page and came face to face with Tommy once again.
‘Bookmaker from Birmingham turned MP overnight’
Underneath the headline was a close up shot of, Tommy. Even in black and white he was stunning.
However, it was the next photo further down that caught your attention.
It was of the whole Shelby clan. The photo taken as the group were walking down the stairs of Parliament House.
They all had bright big smiles plastered on their faces. Charlie was in Polly’s arms, smiling happily despite not knowing what was happening, but it was the baby girl in Tommy’s arms that made you stop.
Lizzie Stark had her baby.
Tommy had a daughter now… he had a baby girl.
You couldn’t stop yourself from thinking that it could have been you standing beside him. It could’ve been you with a baby, but it wasn’t.
It wasn’t you because once again, Tommy, chose the other girl. And it wasn’t you because you couldn’t keep your own baby alive.
The one thing your body was designed for and you couldn’t do it. You couldn’t fucking do it. Lizzie got her baby and she got, Tommy. You lost your baby and you lost, Tommy.
How was that even remotely fair?
You didn’t even realise that you were crying until your tears dripped onto the paper in your lap, staining the photo.
“Shit.” You whispered to yourself, wiping the tears from your eyes.
You sat there, looking down at the paper in your lap. Your coffee now long forgotten as you stared at the baby in Tommy’s arms. The tears you had just wiped away were instantly replaced with fresh ones.
Suddenly, a hand reached over your shoulder, taking the newspaper away without a word.
You didn’t need to turn around to know that the hand belonged to Alfie. His rings and hairy arm were enough of a give away, but you didn’t turn to face him, not wanting him to see the tears in your eyes.
“Anna told me to check on ya. She was worried about you.” He said after a few seconds of silence. “Seems like she was right to worry, eh?”
“Anna should mind her own business.” You mumbled, staring out at the ocean. “I’m fine.”
“Now we both know that ain’t true.”
You wanted to argue with him, but you knew that it was pointless. Your brother knew you well enough to know that you weren’t okay, but you should be.
It had been over a year since you last saw, Tommy. A year since he had tried to kill your fucking brother, a whole year. But, it was even longer since the miscarriage. You should be fine, but it was clear now that you weren’t fine.
“How did I ever give someone the power to fuck me up this badly?” You asked, hating how fragile your voice sounded.
Alfie sighed and walked over to the edge of the balcony, leaning against the railing and staring out at the ocean.
“You still love him, right?” He asked, but it sounded like he already knew the answer.
You wanted to say no.
It should be a no.
After everything that had happened between the two of you and after nearly killing your brother, you should fucking hate him… but you couldn’t.
You still loved him and you hated yourself for it.
“You’re human, kid. Ain’t no shame in loving someone.” Your brother added.
“I should hate him. Not love him.”
“Yeah, maybe. But, those damn blue eyes are hard to resist, ain’t they?” Alfie responded, glancing over his shoulder at you as you tried to stop the tears from falling down your face. “Stop.”
“Stop what?” You asked, forcing your voice to come out casual.
“That.” He said motioning towards your face. “I know you’re strong, but you don’t gotta pretend to be okay. Not in front of me, kid. Not me.”
You didn’t say anything to that as you looked down at your hands in your lap. Fiddling with one of your rings before your brother pushed himself away from the railing and walked over to you.
“It’s okay to not be okay, Y/N.” He said softly, grabbing your shoulder and squeezing it gently.
-
1929-
It had now been over three years since you and Alfie had moved to Margate.
Your brother for the most part, seemed to be enjoying retirement, but you knew he was getting restless and missed being back in London working.
You missed the life too, but at the same time, living on the beach with nobody trying to kill you was a nice change.
“Cyril, c'mon.” You called out, whistling as you walked along the beach.
The whistled seemed to catch the dogs attention, his head shooting up and looking over at you before he ran out the water in your direction.
You held your shoes in your hand, towel wrapped around your body while walking bare foot through the sand, Cyril now walking beside you as you made your way back the house.
By the time you got back home, your body was practically dry from the water, although the dog was still soaking wet. You let Cyril through the front door wincing at the pawprints he left behind on the carpet before making your way to your bedroom, changing out of your bikinis and into your usual neat suit.
You finished brushing the knots out your hair and looked at yourself in the mirror. The scar over your left eye always more prominent after being in the salt water.
For a while, you hated the scar.
Your brother always teased that you were just trying to be like him with a scar on your face, but over time, you began to get used to it. It was a part of you now and although it was a reminder of that day in Birmingham, back when Luca’s men were trying to kill Arthur, it was also a reminder of how far you’ve come.
From being that scared little girl in the orphanage to being who you were today. You had come a long way, even if sometimes you couldn’t see it.
Suddenly, your bedroom door opened and you spun around, expecting it to be Alfie, although he always knocked so it seemed weird that he just barged straight in. What if you were still changing?
“Miss Solomons.” Anna’s voice quickly said as you turned to find her in the doorway.
You opened your mouth to greet the housekeeper, but quickly closed it when you saw the panicked expression on her face.
Shit. What had happened? You were only gone for an hour, what could have possibly happened in that time?
“We, uh, we have a guest.”
Okay, you were not expecting that.
A guest? You guys rarely had any guests, who the hell could it be? And why did Anna seem worried about said guest?
“Who is-” You began to say before she cut you off.
“Thomas Shelby.”
Suddenly, your entire world came to a screaming halt and you had to grab hold of the wall beside as the name hit you like a train.
Tommy was here.
Why the fuck was he here? He tried to kill your brother last time you saw him… shit, Alfie.
“Where are they?” You questioned, hating how strained your voice now sounded as you pulled your handgun from your shoulder holster inside your suit.
“Upstairs, main room.”
You didn’t wait for her to say anything else before you rushed out the bedroom and ran up the stairs, taking two at a time, your fingers tightening around the gun.
Summary: You were Alfie Solomons little sister and Tommy Shelby’s ex girlfriend.
It had been three years since you last saw your ex. Until your brother sent you on a mission to kill Father Hughes and you came face to face with Thomas Shelby, causing old feelings to resurface again.
Tommy was sitting in a chair at the far end of the room opposite your brother. They both turned in your direction when they heard your gun cock and you raised it in Tommy’s direction.
His piercing blue eyes locked with yours before glancing down at the barrel of the gun cautiously and lowering the cigarette from his lips.
After all these years, you thought you had gotten over Tommy Shelby, but now as you stood in the doorway staring at him, you realised that wasn’t true.
He was still as handsome as ever. The sides of his hair were cut shorter than you had ever seen it, but it somehow suited him. He still wore the same clothes, smoked the same cigarettes and you hated the way your heart was screaming at you, telling you how much you had missed him.
You did. You missed him. But, at the same time, you fucking hated him for everything that he had done.
For nearly killing your brother. For choosing Grace over you. For choosing Lizzie over you. For everything. But you still missed him and you hated yourself for it.
“Easy there, sister. Don’t go shooting holes in my fucking house, yeah?” Alfie suddenly said, snapping you out of your thoughts.
“He shot you last time we saw him. He tried to fucking kill you and now he’s working with people like Oswald Mosley and getting into fucking fascism.” You glanced over at Tommy who was looking at you with an impressed expression. “I read the papers, so don’t even try to lie to me-”
“Tommy and I have already been through all this. He ain’t working with that fucking fascist.” Alfie said, cutting you off.
You looked back at your brother, shocked that he was defending him. After everything that had happened, you thought your brother would hate him. Why was he trying to defend the man that had tried to kill him?
“I’m gonna shoot Oswald Mosely.” Tommy informed, lifting his cigarette to his lips and taking a drag, his eyes never leaving yours.
You scoffed, “really?”
“I hope you do a better job on him than the one you done on me, yeah?” Your brother said as he looked over at him. “I mean, what were you thinking? Was your mind somewhere else, Tommy?”
Tommy looked back over at you, “yes, it was, actually.”
You stared right back at him, but knew you could never pull the trigger and sighed, lowering your handgun.
“I need to organise a riot.” Tommy continued to say a few seconds later, looking over at your brother. “And I hear you still have some… standing in the Jewish community.”
“Let me be clear, alright?” Alfie began to say as he leant forward. “Since my resurrection, I am considered to be a god, alright? In the Holy Land, someone has made an image of me out of rock embedded in the sand, so I am told, and I am planning to make a pilgrimage to stand in my own shadow. Are you gonna shoot him because this man is evil?”
“I need men who can fight. Mosley uses men from Glasgow. So, if the men causing the trouble are Jewish, it will be… explicable.” Tommy explained, not answering your brothers question.
“Since when do you need explanations, Tommy?” Alfie asked.
“Since I entered politics.”
You were shocked when you first heard that he had entered politics. You honestly didn’t see that coming, but he seemed to be good at it none of the less.
“So, you think if you kill him, you will kill the message, yeah?” Your brother responded.
“I will kill the man, then I will kill the message.” He nodded before turning back towards you. “I need your help too.”
Oh, that was fucking rich coming from him.
“After everything you put me through, you come here and ask for my fucking help? How dare you.”
Tommy’s expression dropped and he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Y/N, I never meant to hurt you or-”
“You keep saying that, yet you keep hurting me anyway.”
“Y/N-”
“You keep coming and going from my life whenever you please and it fucking hurts when you leave! Don’t you get that? It happened with Grace, and it hurt. It happened after Father Hughes and I had a fucking miscarriage and you weren’t there! Then it happened with Lizzie, and it hurt. And it keeps hurting and now you’re back again! If you come back into my life it’s only a matter of time before you leave again and it will hurt again!” You shouted, tears now burning in the back of your eyes.
Tommy quickly stood from his chair, his eyes full of guilt and sadness. He took a step towards you, opening his mouth, but no words came out as he stared at you helplessly.
“You’ve done this to me again, and again, Tommy. I can’t live like this. I-I can’t.”
“Y/N…”
Silent tears began to trickle down your face as you shook your head at him.
“Alright, I think it’s time for you go.” Alfie suddenly said, standing up and putting himself between you and Tommy protectively. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Wait, just let me talk to her.” Tommy argued, trying to step around your brother, who grabbed his arm, stopping him from getting any close to you.
“Nah, mate. You’ve already done enough.”
You turned away, unable to look at him as your brother started to usher Tommy out the room.
“Y/N, please, I need you.” Tommy said, ignoring your brother completely. “You deserve better, you deserve so much better than a man like me, I know you do. But, I need you.”
“Yeah? Well, there was a time when I needed you too.” You said, turning back towards him, wiping the tears from your eyes. “But, not anymore.”
“You fucking heard her. Time to go.”
Alfie grabbed his arm again, but Tommy shook his head, yanking his arm free from your brothers grasp.
“Y/N, I still love you. I never stopped loving you.”
“Don’t.” You warned, shaking your head.
You had heard this before. And it still ended the same way because no matter how much Tommy claimed to love you, it was never enough. You were never enough.
“It’s the truth. And not a single fucking day has gone by where I don’t think about you. I miss you, Y/N.” Tommy said, stepping forward and cupping the side of your face with his hand. “I missed you so much.”
You closed your eyes and leant into his touch with a deep sigh.
“What about, Lizzie? You’re married to her now, right?” You asked, after a few seconds.
Tommy nodded, “I am. But, fuck Lizzie. Fuck everyone else, okay? Because I want you. It’s always been you, Y/N.”
What the hell were you meant to do now?
You stilled loved him. You knew you did and you could never say no to those begging blue eyes, but after everything that’s happened, could you trust him again?
“Say the word, kid, and I’ll throw his gypsy ass out the fucking door.” Alfie said sternly, standing behind Tommy with his arms crossed over his chest.
You glanced over at your brother who was glaring a hole through the back of Tommy’s head, just waiting for you to tell him to do it, but you shook your head.
“No, it’s okay.” You replied, catching Tommy by surprise as his eyes widened a little, a glimmer of hope flashing across his face. “You’re not just saying all that because you need my help?”
“No, no. God, no.” He quickly said, shaking his head, lowering his hand. “Everything I just said was the truth. I fucked up so many times with you, but I never once lied to you, Y/N.”
You stood there for a moment, contemplating everything before you eventually nodded.
“I’m so going to regret this, but, what do you need my help with?”
Your brother looked between the two of you for a moment before deciding that he didn’t need to kick Tommy’s ass and instead wandered back over to his chair and sat down with a grunt.
“You used to be one of the best shooters I know. How’s your aim with a sniper rifle these days?” Tommy asked, catching you by surprise.
“It’s good.” You answered slowly, trying to figure out why he needed to know that before it suddenly hit you. “You want me to assassinate Oswald Mosely, don’t you?”
“Not exactly.”
You raised your eyebrows, “care to elaborate?”
“I already have a man with exceptional sniper skills to take the shot. But, he’s, uh, well, I don’t exactly trust him to get the job done. So I need you there with him to take the shot if he doesn’t.”
“And who is your exceptional sniper?” You asked curiously.
“A man I fought with back in France.”
“Why don’t you trust him to take the shot?” Alfie asked sceptically from his seat.
“Because I recently broke him out of a mental asylum. He’s a good man, but the war fucked him up and he’s not all there anymore.”
Alfie shook his head, “and you want my sister to be near some fucking nut job with a sniper, who you don’t even trust?”
Tommy sighed, “yeah.”
“I can take care of myself.” You said, making a point to stare at your brother who looked ready to argue, but thought better of it. “If he doesn’t take the shot, I’ll make sure it gets done.”
“This weekend, there’s a big event. Mosely will be making a speech. That’s when it needs to happen. Alfie’s riot group will cause a scene and that’s when the shot will be taken and-”
“How much you paying?” Alfie questioned, cutting him off.
Tommy turned around, looking over at your brother. “Thought you might do it for the cause, Alfie.”
“Go on, fuck off.” Your brother muttered, causing Tommy to smile, expecting that answer.
“Each man will get 20 pound. You’ll both get 5,000.”
“You know, as a god, Tommy, right, I am now able to just rise above those kinds of insults, mate.”
You chuckled softly, shaking your head as the corners of Tommy’s mouth twitched up in a small smile.
“Ten?”
Your brother stared at him for a moment before nodding. “Where do you want the men?”
“Birmingham.”
“No. No. That 20 will not be enough for my lads to step inside that fucking shithole. It’ll have to be 25, at least.”
“Alfie-” You warned, looking over at him before Tommy raised his hand.
“No. It’s okay. 25 it is.”
“So, you’re still at it, eh, Tommy? Hmm. Ain’t got no Margate to go to.” Alfie said, looking over at him and you knew your brother had missed this.
He missed negotiating deals. He missed being part of the action. He missed it all.
“No. I have no interest in shooting seagulls.” Tommy answered, motioning to the one seagull sitting on the balcony railing outside.
“Oh, but you have in shooting cabinet minsters.”
That caused Tommy to smile again. God, you had missed seeing that smile. It looked good on him.
Neither of you said anything for a moment as you stared at each other and for a second you thought he was going to kiss you before your brother started to talk again.
“I was on a lot of drugs at first, right, due to the pain, you know, on account of it… well, you know, being shot in the face by some cunt.”
You rolled your eyes as Tommy shook his head before Alfie continued.
“I won’t bore you with the details. It’d chill ya. Nonetheless, I had a recurring dream.” He started to say causing you to look over at him in confusion. “I saw you in a field, right, with a big black horse, and you said, ‘goodbye’, and then, bang.”
Your blood turned to ice when you realised what he was trying to say.
Alfie had dreamt that Tommy died.
Oh, god.
Your brother never got those kind of dreams wrong. He always said it was those damn glasses that helped him see into the future, you had no idea whether to believe him about that or not. But, the one thing you did know was that, Alfie, was never wrong. Not with that kind of stuff.
Tommy didn’t seemed fazed by it in the slightest as he just raised his eyebrow at your brother who stared at him for a moment before continuing.
“Alright, then, well… what now?”
“I will continued… 'till I find a man that I can’t defeat.” He answered, staring at Alfie for a moment before he turned back towards you. “I need to get back to Birmingham. There’s some stuff I need to take care of before it goes down. The event is this weekend, any chance you can come to Birmingham on Friday?”
You nodded, “I’ll see you then.”
-
“You be careful, yeah? Call me the second it’s over and tell me that you’re safe. Okay?” Alfie said, wrapping his arms around you.
“I will.” You promised, hugging him back before you climbed into the car, waving goodbye as you started the long drive to Birmingham.
You used to think that the drive from London to Birmingham was bad enough, but Margate to Birmingham was even longer.
Eventually though, you pulled up on the side of the main street in front of the Shelby’s old house that you had spent many nights at. You weren’t entirely sure if they still owned the place, you figured they did because it was where they did most their business, fixing races and collecting money.
You climbed out the car and knocked on the front door.
For the longest time, you thought that nobody was home, but just as you were about to go back to your car, the door suddenly opened and you came face to face with a grown up, Finn.
Holy shit.
“Y/N?!” He exclaimed, his eyes widening in utter shock.
“Hey, kid.” You said, unable to stop yourself from smiling. “Well, you aren’t exactly a kid anymore, are you?”
“Just turned 21.” He responded proudly before he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around you.
You chuckled softly and hugged him back, trying to think of the last time that you had actually seen him.
He used to be this small little boy who’d follow his brothers around like a lost sheep and now, he was all grown up.
“What are you doing here?” He asked, letting go of you.
“Here to help for the weekend. Is Tommy here?”
“He and Arthur just left. I think they went to Uncle Charlie’s yard.”
You nodded, “thanks, Finn. I’ll see you around.”
“Don’t be a stranger. My brother really misses you.” He called out as you walked back to the car before stopping and turning back to him. “We all really miss you.”
“I missed you guys too.”
With that, you climbed back into your car and began driving to Charlie Strong’s yard.
It had been a long time since you were last at his yard, but it wasn’t difficult to find as you pulled up to the front gates, spotting Curly brushing one of the horses inside.
“Good afternoon, Curly.” You greeted, climbing out he car and walking towards him.
You watched as the man froze, hearing your voice before his head snapped in your direction, a grin spreading across his face.
“Miss Solomons! Tommy said you’d be dropping by, didn’t believe him at first.” He said causing you to chuckle softly. “I’m glad I was wrong.”
“Me too. Do you know where Tommy is hiding?”
“He’s out the back with the others, doing some target shooting.” The man answered and you nodded your thanks before you wandered around to the back of the yard.
It wasn’t hard to find them, not when you could hear the gunshots leading you straight to them. You walked around the back of one of the warehouses to find Tommy, Arthur and Johnny Dogs standing beside a man with a rifle.
That must be Tommy’s exception sniper.
“Friendly.” You called out, walking around the corner, not wanting to startle the sniper into accidently shooting you as you raised your hands.
The men all looked in your direction and Tommy’s face broke out into a smile when he saw you walking towards them.
“Is that Y/N Solomons?” You heard Johnny Dogs question in shock.
“It sure is.” Tommy said, taking a step towards you before he pulled you into a tight hug. “God I missed hugging you.”
You smiled, burying your face into the crook of his neck as you hugged him back before he kissed the top of your head and pulled away, his arm still wrapped around your shoulders, not wanting to let you go.
“Well, as I fucking live and breathe.” Arthur suddenly said, walking over to you. “Never thought I’d see you again.”
“It’s good to see you too, Arthur.” You replied with a smile. “I’m sorry about what happened last time I saw you.”
He just shook his head, “nah, that’s all water under the bridge, right, Tom? I should, uh, thank you for saving my life though. Woulda been dead if it wasn’t for you.”
“Yeah, well, you wouldn’t have been put in that situation if it wasn’t for my brother, so call it even.”
The eldest brother smiled, but nodded in agreement before you looked over at the other man who was kneeling behind a wooden crate that he was using as a mount for his bolt-action sniper.
“Barney, this is Y/N. Y/N, this is my friend, Barney Thompson, he’s an old comrade from France.” Tommy introduced, motioning towards the man sitting down.
“Nice to meet you.” You said, giving him a small smile.
Barney smiled shyly back, seeming a little overwhelmed with meeting a stranger, his eyes flicking between you and Tommy cautiously.
“Y/N is a good woman. I trust her with my life, and she’s going to be with you when you take the shot.” Tommy explained, trying to ease his old friends nerves.
“A fresh target is set up. Let’s see what you got.” Johnny Dogs suddenly said, walking back over after he finished nailing a new paper target to the barrel across the yard.
You stood back and watched as Barney grabbed the rifle, leaning on top of the crate to steady his aim before he squeezed the trigger.
From the distance, you had no idea where on the target he had hit, so Johnny Dogs jogged back over to the barrel and cheered, yelling that he had hit the bullseye.
“You didn’t need all them tablets. You just needed another fucking war, eh?” Tommy said, patting Barneys back happily as the man grinned, pleased with himself.
“What about you, Solomons? Think you can hit the target from this distance?” Arthur challenged, glancing over at you in amusement.
“That’s not even a question.” You responded, looking over at Barney who held the rifle up towards you.
You took the gun with a nod, but didn’t take Barneys place by the crate. Instead you just actioned the bolt, ejecting the empty casing before loading a bullet into the chamber.
Once Johnny Dogs had gotten out the line of fire, you raised the rifle, pressing the butt of the gun into your shoulder firmly before resting your cheek against the stock as you lined up the sights.
You heard Arthur mutter something along the lines of 'she’d never hit it free hand’ before you took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger.
“You lads are never going to believe this!” Johnny Dogs shouted as he rushed over to the target, ripping the paper off the barrel and jogging back over to you, holding up the target so you all could see.
“She missed.” Arthur observed.
“Look again.” Barney said, staring at the target with wide eyes.
You couldn’t help but grin as Arthur and Tommy took a step towards the target, frowning in confusion, but you could pinpoint the exact moment they saw it as their heads snapped back towards you.
“Holy shit. She shot straight through Barneys bullet hole.” Arthur exclaimed, turning towards his brother, grabbing Tommy’s shoulder. “Don’t you let this girl go. She is fucking rare, Tom. Rare, I tell you.”
You chuckled softly at Arthurs reaction as Tommy looked over at you with soft eyes.
“I don’t plan on letting her go, Arthur. I made that mistake before, I won’t do it again.”
I’m sorry I vanished for a couple of months, but real life has been really kicking my ass lately and work has been stressing me out and I’m trying to apply for a new job which is also stressing me out and, yeah, just a lot of shit is going down atm but I’m trying to get back into the swing of things, so please be patient. I’m really trying.
SUMMARY:When Charlie wants to have a sibling, Tommy starts to pay more attention to the young nanny working for him. Soon he makes an unusual proposition.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Okay, so this is clearly creepy au because I don’t think it’s something Tommy would do and even if, he wouldn’t be so creepy about it. It’s not dark enough to make it a proper dark au, though, I think. When it comes to the Reader – I think you can interpret her behaviour the way you want to. I left some hints that she might be in fact the creepy one here but you can also see her as innocent (?). OMG why do I keep having such weird ideas…
TRIGGER WARNING: Tommy’s a bit creepy and too possessive, Reader can be interpreted as manipulative
