#ada thorne x reader

[dearshelby]

Ada Shelby x f!reader

4. "Promise this will stay between us."

After losing her husband, brother, fiance and auntie, Ada Shelby found love and happiness in the arms of a woman, but don't want anyone to know that they know each other, in fear of what it would bring to the woman's life.

-🤍🫂

That's an OOF, isn't it? I love how dating ANY Shelby has consequences hehe

Shelby affairs (and why to keep it a secret) | A.S

“Why does a secretary need a secretary?” Ada's secretary petulantly asked.

Mrs. Thorne lifted her eyes from her papers, licking her lips and holding back a smile, “Perhaps because the said secretary is actually the head of the company in America,” 

“We're not in America, are we?” in a bold move, she sat on Ada's lap.

“No, doesn't change the fact I'm not a secretary,” the Shelby sister argued, “did you lock the door?”

“No,” 

“Well then,” she gently pushed the secretary out of her lap.

“Ada, don't start with it, please?” the employee begged, “If you're so important and influential, why don't you convince your family not to cross us?”

“Because their crossing is not intentional,” Ada explained, “everyone thinks our relationship is strictly professional, and I'd rather keep it like that,”

“For how long?” 

“Until… well,” she gulped.

“See? You don't know, you say you love me and make the company drivers take me to your house in the middle of the night, but when it's time to take me seriously you back off,” the secretary accused, “you're hiding me from them,”

“I am not, I'm hiding them from you,” the Shelby quickly explained, “I don't want any of their actions to have consequences in your- in our life!”

“I-” she sighed, “should go back to my desk,”

“Love,” Ada called before the employee walked out of the office, “promise this'll stay between us, at least for now,”

Looking down at her own feet, she mumbled, “You're the boss, I can't object.”

[evita-shelby]

Hi !

Can you do one where you are married to tommy but he still hung up on grace and treats you badly and pushes you away , but overall your still smiley and your tge only thing to make the arrow house warm and kind .

Tommy starts to yearn for you and try to take you to his bed and hold , but what distroys him is when he finds you sleepibg with a man ( or woman your choice ) but still he prefers to live in denial than you leaving him.

Why do i always request angst ? ITS A DESEASE

Okay so I cranked it up to a ten and holy shit , I think imma need a break from writing angst.

Grab your kleenex, your handkerchief or your sleeve cuz this one is going to crush your soul.

I know because it crushed mine as i wrote it.

Tw: miscarriages,mentions of blood, child loss due to illness, cheating and unending suffering.

Gif by @littlegirlinvisible

The Curse

You knew why he had married you.

You had no problem with that, well you used to but you outgrew that naivety when you found a ledger with all the whores he paid for whenever he was away.

With all that fucking you think he’d make a fortune as a gigolo.

With all that incessant pining over a woman who died a decade ago you’d think he’d never touch a woman after her.

But he had your precious Ruby was proof of that.

She was your everything, she was his everything. Especially when the MacMillans came and took their grandson away.

Turns out Saint Grace of wherever the fuck she was from had been a fucking idiot who had lied and said Charles was Clive Macmillian’s son to save face in a society that laughed at her in her stupid face.

Charlie had never been legally Tommy’s it seemed and the loss of that two-year-old when he met you at Churchill’s office was the reason you ended up replacing Grace.

You’d come to know that Thomas had fucked over Section D who then realized he had not adopted his boy. A boy he had gone through hell for, a boy that was his in blood but would never be his again.

He’d found comfort in her, friendship and sex. Three things that resulted in Ruby, Pearl and Amber.

You loved him and you thought he felt the same.

How wrong had you been.

So, when you had asked to remove Grace’s things and her portraits out of the foyer and into a sitting room no one used, he had grown angry.

Angry that you’d remove all traces of his love for Grace.

Angry enough to shout terrible things at you that made Pearl come too soon.

The doctors had warned you, Esme Shelby had too. The doctors said no stressing, no strong emotions, your pregnancy was high risk already without your husband making things worse for you.

Esme had told you that Grace’s ghost needed to be exorcised out of the house or she’d hurt you and Pearl.

But Tommy Shelby loves Grace and her malignant presence more than he loved his own baby daughter.

You swore you saw Grace Helen Burgess smirk when the blood began dripping down your thighs as he shouted things at you.

Grace Shelby hadn’t died because of a curse; Grace Shelby was a curse.

You came to hate her after that.

You hated her for the hold she had on your husband.

You hated her for killing your Pearl.

Ada hated her too.

Freddie’s lungs had been hurt when he was beaten within an inch of his life in prison because of Grace.

Freddie’s torture at the hands of Chester Campbell had left him unable to give Ada more children.

It was in your mutual hatred for Grace that you found solace in each other.

Ruby was born in 1928, three years after Pearl bled out of you because her daddy loved a dead woman more than her.

You had given up on your husband, you tried to make him love you, but he was impossible.

You threw away his drugs and booze when you found out you were pregnant. You went away and gave birth in your father’s estate because Grace can’t get Ruby there.

Ada had stayed with you the entire time. Held your hand when you gave birth and baptized Ruby even if she is Jewish now.

You loved Ada and she loved you.

You kissed her and she kissed you back, what you felt for her was real and she felt it to.

What you wouldn’t give to take Ruby, Karl and Elizabeth, and runaway together.

But then Tommy, like the dark cloud he is, showed up and you were forced to be Mrs. Shelby again.

You used to love him, but his fucking indifference turned the paradise you made for Ruby a hell for you.

But the two of you poured your love into Ruby and you had Grace’s portraits removed the second he left.

Its November 1934 when he finds out you’ve been doing that.

After Polly died, he became stone.

Stone who could only fuck, lie and make money. Even poor Ruby suffered his indifference now.

But the two of you had Ada, Karl, and Elizabeth.

And if Tommy had let you go to your childhood home, you would’ve had Amber.

Instead, Grace took her by pushing you down the stairs when Tommy came home from some work trip abroad.

He had seen it too, but still he let her do what she wanted. Feast on your suffering and his and the souls of your dead babies.

Amber was to be your last, your miscarriage had been so violent and so awful you were left unable to have any more children.

But he loved that parasite more than he loved his children.

More than Pearl.

More than Amber.

Stupid of you to think something would be different after a decade of hell with him.

But you had Ruby still, no one was more precious to you than Ruby Elizabeth Shelby.

Ruby is six when the doctor tells you she’s had cancer all her life.

Ruby is six when Zilpha Lee and Bethany Boswell do their best to save her, but in the end Grace wins.

Grace always wins.

Grace always takes what she wants.

And you die with your girl in that vardo.

And you are dead in spirit when he forces you to live on as his wife.

You hate him.

You hate him for all he’s let Grace do to you.

So, you take a knife to Grace’s portrait in the foyer.

So, you take everything he refused to let you put away and you make a bonfire with it.

Its 1935 when you finally rid your house of its curse.

Only Ada is with you that night, your fucking husband is seeking solace in the arms of a Nazi whore, so you fuck his sister in the bed you used to share with him.

“He’s dying, you know, only has months to live.” She tells you after the guilt of loving you returns vigorously that morning.

Let him die, let him join Grace in hell, you want to say, but you say nothing.

He comes home later that morning.

He isn’t angry, not yet anyways.

But you don’t care.

“Y/N!” he shouts for you when he doesn’t find you.

Its different this time. There is emotion and that tone that lets you know your fucking husband has finally taken his head out of his ass.

But you don’t care.

You want to destroy him for what he did to you.

You want to leave him in your past and never look back.

He wants you like you had been begging him to want you for the past fucking decade.

But you don’t want him anymore.

In fact, you want him to run here and see you love his sister, a woman who is so like him and so unlike him at the same time.

And he does.

And you feed on his hurt like Grace fed on yours because he loved her more than Pearl, Ruby and Amber.

“It’s too late, Thomas, you chose her so many times and now you will know how it feels.” You say with all the loathing he’s made you feel for him.

An outline that i had planned for part two but won't write

[ideas-and-shit]

ok wait here's another idea lol: so how about being the peaky blinders character's fave author?

imagine being ada, finn, and tommy's fave author

you being one of the first authors finn has ever read from, he heavily related to a lot of your main characters, he's shipped a lot of characters too (whatever shipping was called back then) and also tried to make fan work/writing (aka fanfiction) but stopped cus he thought his writing was crap.

he started reading your stories when he was like 13 and coincidentally, those were the first few works you published, and you only started writing short stories that centered around your fictional universe. he was obsessed, he just couldn't get enough of your characters😭 everytime you would have something published he would go to the store and ask for money to buy them immediately. he really admired you; and you were basically polly's hero (in terms of gratefulness). she noticed how finn suddenly took an interest in books, language, grammar, all that (lol he was trying to get good at writing so he could make fan work and finally do your stories some justice, im talking about his teenage years btw, like 13-16) and she was curious in what sparked this sudden interest, maybe he was trying to impress a girl or something? she talked to him, and Finn talked about these stories he was reading and how he had been wanting to create stories of his own recently. polly was in a good mood for the rest of the week. she thanked whoever was up there for leading finn to this author he was talking about. when people would notice, she would just shrug and give a smile. finally, finn had someone else to admire other than his big brothers. finally, finn had somehing else he wanted to do with his life other than join the peaky blinders.

currently he's not as into the idea as he was when he was younger but he was still into your works.

idk about this au, cus it isnt exactly a romantic finn x reader? but it is a finn x reader in terms of like, pairing yk? mentor x student found family type stories. i also dont know how finn would turn out in this au, whether he'd turn out to be an author just like y/n or lose interest in writing or something cus i just thought of a plotline for this au

--- what if finn loses interest in writing over the years and also stops keeping up with y/n's stories. the same thing happens to y/n, and although at one point, their stories were popular, only a few ppl only read their stories. y/n uses writing as their fulltime job and so writing wasnt enough to support them anymore. they had to get another job and stop publishing.

one day, finn sees a book by his once favorite author being read by a kid (13 years old, like the age he was when he started reading) and he asks the kid where they bought the book. he thought it would be good to check out the author again, just for nostalgia's sake yk? but the kid says it was the last one sold in bookstores, cus the author retired --- thats all i have for it😭

anyway this is kinda getting long ill just link ada and tommy's ver. here

edit: ALSO ALSO LOOK WHAT I FOUND ON TWT LMAOO

imagine finn stealing money, only to use it to buy y/n's new published books💀💀

[notyour-valentine]

In your celebration you said you wrote for all characters but I am not sure if you are comfortable with this (if not I am sorry and please ignore) but could you do being the female lover of Lizzie or Ada?

Being Ada's lesbian lover ~ Headcanon

[Celebration] [Celebration Masterlist] [Masterlist]

Notes: Thank you for requesting this - I will be posting Lizzie in two days! Enjoy

Warning: Sexual content (18/21+). I do not consent to my work being translated, copied or posted elsewhere on this platform or any other.

Okay, so I think Ada is bi (remember how she was around Jessie Eden?)

You meet her when she is living in London (mid S2 I suppose) through your friend James. You’ve been each others lavender relationship for big family events for years now and are quite good friends so you see her in passing a few times, but you’re not too sure what to make of her. 

James mentioned a dead husband, and her politics, and the fact that she has a son, but that’s all you know. 

Once you’re supposed to meet him but he leaves you hanging and you find yourself bored senseless in her freshly painted sitting room, staring at the bookshelves when she walked in

After some initial questioning, she did remember you and offered you a drink. You chat about this and that before long and you get the feeling that Mrs Ada Thorne might be a bit lonely. That is, before she steers the direction into politics. 

Granted, you weren’t that much interested in them, after all, why bother? But instead of dismissing your perhaps unformed opinions and lecturing, she takes the time to explain things, concepts and ideals even if her own excitement shines through. 

Her eyes light up when you ask follow-up questions, proving that you aren’t just pretending to listen and letting her ramble on. But in truth you are captivated by her knowledge and enchanted by her excitement and passion. Most people in your circle took a page out of the Oscar Wilde book of acting above everything. So the conversation moves on from Marx, Engels and Weber to ideals and concepts like freedom and women’s rights and after a few more drinks you both are painting your ideal world into space, while laying on her expensive carpets

Later on, you can’t remember if you kissed her or if she kissed you. Anyway, it happened and you quickly pull back not knowing if you may have overstepped and feeling a little embarrassed. But Ada only giggled and pulled you back in

That’s the way it is that first time, with a lot of laughter and giggles - but oh is it fun

From that point on you come back frequently, for James of course, maybe even if you know for a fact that James is out of town. 

And for a long time it was just fun, fun being around her, fun talking, fun kissing, fun sleeping together. It was fun to eat and pudding at midnight, to drink champagne in bathtubs and to sit on the roof and watch the stars

Needless to say, you are there quite often so before long you run into Ada’s brother. To say it was awkward, was an understatement as you thought he was there for James and when he demanded why, you stated maybe a little too confidently that “Well you’re not here for Ada that’s for sure - besides, you’re exactly James type. Bit older, bit more serious.”

He looked as if he was stuck between exploding and imploding. 

“I am here for Ada!”, he snarled

When you found out he was her brother, you wished the ground would open up and swallow you whole. 

You didn’t decide to become serious, at least not intentionally.You stay over more and more, help out, take care of Karl and then you’re just there permanently, with no intention of leaving, nor Ada wanting to see you leave

It’s not that uncommon - companions they call it. And you don’t mind that label because you are companions, but also lovers. Her aunt knows, and her brother (you know, the one you thought was with James) but the other members of the family seem oblivious, even if you quickly become a part of their lives too, attending her brother’s wedding, moving in with him to take care of Karl and Charlie while Ada took care of her widowed brother and later moving to Boston with her. 

America is a bit more freedom (and a lot more money) and you liked it there, but when the time came, you moved back together. 

Being in a relationship with a Shelby meaned any luxury money could buy, clothes, expensive Champagne, holidays, which you don’t only spend at the cote d'azur but also visiting sights all over the world. Before long you were just as cultured and as educated as Ada. 

In the late 1920s you decide you want to adopt a little girl from one of the many orphanages the Shelby Family supports but in the end you find a three year old and her five year old brother and add them to your family.

You and Ada are both switches. For her, sex is not just a way to have fun and share affection but also a way to relax, unwind and an emotional outlet (runs in the family, apparently). 

She is very giving, but at times also quite demanding and not that easily satisfied. But you figure it out her sweet spots before long. 

She loves neck kisses and likes to run her hands through your hair - also red lipstick and red nail polish! More often than not, your kisses taste of Champagne, and Ada’s of whisky. The icecubes that come with the champagne are also a lot of fun if one knows how to use them. And feathers. And candles. 

She loves you to wear red lipstick and anything to make that lipstick stand out, think a lot of black and white from top to bottom. She also really likes red heels, for the both of you. Ada is a masterplanner and so you will always coordinate your outfits when out and about, and matching jewellery, including a personalised diamond ring you both have. 

Thank you for requesting and participating in my celebration - I hope you liked what I wrote.

Thank you everyone for reading and as always, I hope you enjoyed and would love to hear your thoughts!

Taglist

Overall

@lilyrachelcassidy @jyessaminereads @chlorrox @watercolorskyy @books-livre @quarterpastmidnight  @lilyevanswhore  @polishcrazyone  @zablife  @just-a-harmless-patato  @stevie75 @flyingjosephine-blog @runnning-outof-time @babayaga67 @butterfly-skinnylegend

[imaginesbymk]

IMAGINE — BEING BEST FRIENDS WITH ADA

REQUESTED BY ANONYMOUS

BIRMINGHAM wouldn’t be the same without Ada. You wouldn’t want to be doing anything in town unless she was involved, or she wouldn’t leave anyone to look after her little boy unless it was you. You loved that smile of hers, and you intended on keeping that smile on her face for as long as stays in town, despite the trauma her family has put her through. 

In such a dull place to live in while on high alert on crime, you felt like Small Heath could use some sunshine. 

You swung the front door open after hearing three light knocks, to be greeted with a basket of fruit and that bright smile. 

“Arthur doesn’t eat fruits,” Ada jokes. You laugh with her, allowing her in your home.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Angel of Birmingham ~ Alfie Solomons x Reader

Summary: Before he meets Tommy Shelby, Alfie gets the pleasant surprise of encountering the lovely Angel of Britain, and from then on, he swears to always protect her from all the dangers of the world.

If she were to ask herself who was the first to call her that - That undeserving nickname - She’d have to guess it might have been Arthur. He always had a way with words without realizing, and it all happened when they were children... More or less, considering she is closer to John’s age than his, and she would patch him up after fights and whatever marks of ‘good behaviour’ he got from playing around.

Seeing how great she was at taking care of him and his brothers, Aunt Polly suggested she tries to become a nurse or something. She saw potential in the little girl. Intelligent, charming, beautiful and pretty damn innocent. She shouldn’t stay too close to their dark side, it may taint her, and neither of the Shelbies wanted to see her upset. She was too much of a ray of sunshine and they desperately clinged to her and her kindness.

In the bleak midwinter.

But the girl was also highly ambitious and she didn’t want to settle with being a simple nurse - No, she wanted more. More and more and more. She was smart, she was greedy and she was a conqueror.

Veni. Vidi. Vici.

Until they received a beating sister with death and they suddenly opened their eyes towards the Godly truth in front of them.

She was going to become the only surgeon in Birmingham and she will succeed without a doubt, despite her young age.

The Shelbies already had connections with some important people so it was easier to deal with uncooperative people who dismissed her for being a woman and didn’t even look at her amazing knowledge and skills.

For a while, she had to be away and work in the London’s hospital as she studied medicine, despite her very young age. She hated being alone from her family and her second family, as she always called the Shelbies, but despite her timid personality, she still made some pretty good friends, albeit with the nurses, as most of the girls didn’t have the right connections and the money to bribe their way so high-up the medical field.

For now, that is. Y/N wanted to change the world. She aimed high and jumped higher. With the right money and influence, things will change. She was sure about that.

It was all going splendid for her, until the First World War began and her three Shelby brothers were enrolled - She was desperate to keep them home, but she knew she couldn’t.

So the next best thing was to go with them.

She was a doctor and they needed war doctors to take care of the wounded, so of course, she was accepted without a second thought.

She had to go to Verdun and to Somme, and she had to see so many people being brutally taken away from life - Bombs, gunshots, wails of anguish and despair, fear, cries, agony and shivers.

If Y/N could describe war with a single word, it would be simply ‘Hell’. 

There was no better word to describe it, without a doubt, and an angel in hell always gets her wings burnt horrifically painfully.

She prayed day and night for her three brothers to be alive and well by the end of all this, at least physically, since mentally, she knows neither of them will be the same, that’s for sure.

And this hell went on for four agonizing years that went by, day after day, at an alarmingly lethargic pace, as if time and space were enclosed into a continuous loop of no return, a dark void from which they will never return.

But they did.

And when they did, they were welcomed with hugs and kisses and lots of love from their families...

Yet they reciprocated with a dead look in their eyes.

They died in War, and this was just a second attempt at living, like a dead man roaming the world again.

The worst that happened was Tommy getting shot during his tunneling, but Y/N made sure he would be treated properly, and yet, there was one thing she couldn’t do, no matter how perfect her healing skills were, and that is to erase their mental and emotional pain and all the nightmares and PTSD they had to suffer from.

She tried to stay strong for them, to smile and be radiant as before, to try to take away some of their unseen pain, to talk to them, to sooth them... God knows they needed it. 

She would crawl in Tommy’s bed at forsaken hours and hold him tightly whenever he’d wake up screaming in fear, afraid that the shovels will breach through the walls and he’d get shot again, and she’d talk to him, reassure him and tell him he’s not there anymore and nothing will get to him again, she will protect him from any danger, and her wings were there to shield him.

She would leap out and hug Arthur from behind, dragging him away from murdering or fatally beating more men who looked at him the wrong way, so he wouldn’t lose control of his mind and body again, and she will shoo everyone away while she holds him and lets him cry out his fear and stress and pain.

And John... Poor John... Ever after being home, he was still in a state of shock, and he was so confused, and would look down at his hands, trying to wash them so much that he got burns and irritation, only to get rid of the ocean of blood that he created by killing hundreds of men, and witnessing a thousand more.

And yet...

There was nobody there for her.

Nobody to hold her down whenever she wanted to lash out into hysterics and tear everyone apart limb from limb. There was nobody there to reassure her that she didn’t fail anyone for not managing to save the man split in ten pieces after falling prey to a bomb. That there was nothing wrong with taking lives as long as you protect your own. There was nobody to reassure her during a nightmare or embrace her protectively whenever she’d flinch, jump or panic from the louder noises or frequent gunshots all over Birmingham.

She needed a change. She was going further down and down, spiraling into the horrible abyss that the bottomless pits of anguish and torment she was succumbing to, and she knew that, no matter how much she’d smile and say ‘I’m alright’, she’d only drown deeper into her darkest despair.

And that’s how she chose to cope with all her pain. Work herself into exhaustion, study, practice, work, learn - Do anything but sleep or stay idle - As long as her mind was preoccupied with different things, there was no way she’d recognize her downwards descend into hell.

Thus, with continuous work, gunshot threatenings and more influence and bribes, she managed to become the Head of the Birmingham hospital, as the only capable surgeon in the city.

But now that she achieved this, she needed something new. She couldn’t fall into platitude, or she’d go insane. She constantly needed stimulation, because if she relaxes, even by a little, she will remember she is a human being with human emotions and that’s when shit will hit the fan hard, and she was afraid that was the point of no return.

So she extended her influence in London, went to conferences, met new people and ironically, the big hospital was close to The Angel and Camden Town and she became sort of an administrator - section chief around, so she could organize every patient and treatment the way she wanted. Everyone reported to her.

She was Britain’s Angel.

Things were going very well for her, she got a lot of money, people loved her, she was neutral with all the gangsters, mafia, police and every normal peasant or royalty - Healing did not discriminate against any social criteria made by the higher ups - And she had a very lovely, small house and a beautiful flower garden, a lovely maid who helped her keep things tidy, a decent car ( although she preferred walking ) and a few dogs to keep her company.

Another day, another struggle to keep on going. Y/N got up, drank her morning tea in peace while listening to the gramophone. She combed her long hair, letting it cascade down her back, completely disregarding the fashion of the Roaring ‘20s, and went to look at her wardrobe. She chose a black turtleneck thin blouse with high-waisted black pants, a pair of leather boots, some accessories and an elegant trench coat which she wore over her shoulders. It was Spring, so it wasn’t truly cold enough to dress warmly, but not hot enough to wear a sundress either.

The most peculiar thing happened while walking to the hospital - She heard a groan of pain from a dark alley and going to investigate, she saw a fair haired man whose white shirt was stained with red.

“Is it yours?” the woman asked him as she carefully stepped in front of him, completely disregarding the two dead bodies from the ground.

“Some o’ it. Most o’ it is theirs, poor fellas.” he tilted his head to the side left and right, almost comically.

“Fairs. Let’s get you to the hospital, I’ll treat your wound. Free of charge, of course. Let the state pay for something for once.” she chuckled lightly, extending her hand for him to take - To accept her proposal.

“Who are you, Miss? I don’t recall ever seein’ you ‘round. A new nurse from the hospital?” he asked as he almost skeptically stepped by her side, following her.

“Oh, yes, of course, I’m sorry, I forgot my manners. I am Y/N... I’m sort of the head of the hospital nearby. And, uh... I’m a surgeon.” she grinned at him serenely, almost as if to defy and shock him by his previous assumptions.

“A woman doctor, aye? Now that... That’s top. How’d ya do that? I thought they didn’t accept women at University ‘n such.” despite his words, he seemed genuinely interested and wasn’t mocking her.

“Well... Yes, not wrong. And I want to change that. Hmm, how do I explain this without scaring you away... I’m a pretty smart cookie I guess!” her laugh was crystalline and lovely, and if weren’t for the pain from the bullet he took, he would have laughed as well rather mirthfully.

“That you are, lass, I’m sure.” he grunted as he nodded, a bit robotically.

“Ah, we’ve arrived. Before we go in, are you from a mafia gang or something? Some social... Political... Something? It’s not that I care, but I have to put people in different wings for their own good, you know?” she chuckled awkwardly, fidgeting with her fingers a bit.

“I’m not sure I understand, lass.” he raised his eyebrow, analyzing the soft-spoken woman, trying to understand her intentions, whether they were good or bad.

“Well... My hospital accept everyone, you know? But at the same time I don’t think most people want to be rooming with coppers. Or... I know there are some gang wars around... Italians and Jews I think, or something like that. To put some Sabinis and some from Solomons’ gang in the same room, I not only fear for their lives, but also for the good of the rest of the patients and my hospital, you get me? That’s why I at least have to ask. Who knows, maybe I have some of your peers around for you and you can chat and feel better together.” she shrugged at him, feeling a bit uncomfortable being stared like that by him.

“Alright, alright, I get it, lass. Let’s go to the Jews, right? Y’got some o’ those, don’t ya?” he asked, following her as he watched her smile and greet sweetly every person she was walking past.

“Oh yes, of course. Yesterday came a boy called Oliver... Oh, I mean Ollie. He gets upset when I call him by his full name. And there’s this one called David. They said they work for Alfie Solomons, so I put their occupations as bakers. Would you like me to do the same for you as well?” she asked as she hurried inside the room and asked where he would like to stay, and thus preparing the bed.

“Ye even got flowers ‘round ‘ere. This looks more like a home than a hospital if y’ask me.” he chuckled softly as he let himself fall down on the bed, taking off his shoes.

“Oh, yes! Studies show that if patients feel welcomed and are well taken care of, they have higher chances of recovering at a much faster pace. I wanted to test this theory, so I made a contract with the flower shop down town to always bring me flowers. Isn’t that lovely?” she smiled sweetly at him, which rendered the man speechless and in awe.

“Boss, what happened?!” suddenly, Ollie’s worried voice resounded through the room as he leapt from his bed, by the mysterious man’s side.

“Just some dead fish, don’t you worry, lad.” he downplayed his injury as the woman watched the wholesome exchange between those two.

“Oliver - Uh... Ollie, I mean, forgive me. I have to extract the bullet from Mr. Solomons’ body. I will have to ask you to please not worry, I promise to save him, okay?” why was this woman so sweet with everyone? Was that how a doctor should be? Or was she just some exemplary woman?

“...Alright, miss...” the boy muttered, dejected as he watched the woman leave the room, no doubt to get the right equipment for the extraction.

“Honestly, lad, you worry like some maiden. Let the girl do ‘er job.” the Jewish boss chuckled reassuringly at the tall brunet boy.

“She’s no girl, Mr. Solomons. She’s Britain’s Angel. Haven’t you heard o’ her?” Ollie went to sit on the boss’s bed, leaning down to whisper in his ear.

“That’s ‘er? Really?” Alfie’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quite understood now why she earned the reputation.

“Aye! She grew up with the Peaky Blinders and their influence and bribes got her into University, but she’s like super smart! I ‘eard they call her Angel or somethin’, especially after her services in the War. Can you believe that?! A woman voluntarily enrolling into war?! That’s insane, who’d want a free ticket to hell?!” Ollie’s voice became a bit higher as he gossiped with his boss.

“Someone who wants to protect her family.” a feminine chuckle broke the conversation as the two Jews snapped their heads towards the entrance, seeing her casually leaning back on the wall, looking at them with an amused expression, mock-reprimanding. “Don’t you know it’s not nice to gossip?”

“Sorry, lass. This one has quite the chatter mouth to him! ‘e just can’t seem to ever shut it!” his over the top gesticulation, among with Ollie’s shocked expression made the girl hide her mouth to laugh as she shook her head and pushed the tray with the needed instruments to Alfie’s bed.

“True. If he didn’t call you Boss, I wouldn’t have known who you were, Mr. Solomons. Now, I would have to ask you to let me unbutton your shirt so I can begin the procedure. It won’t last long, and with the local anaesthesia, you won’t even feel a thing... For the most part, at least.” she chuckled awkwardly as she sat down on his bed, smiling calmly at him.

“Nah, lass, no fancy ana-thingy, I want none o' that. Ain’t gonna get some drugs to put me down. I’ve been through this before in war, right, and ya didn’t have anaesthesia in war either, so that’s that.” as he said those things, he immediately noticed the smile disappearing from her face as a dark look flashed before her eyes that used to sparkle with fake happiness.

“It’s local anaesthesia, it won’t make you sleep. Besides, I used cocaine in war. It still works. Don’t be like that, Alfie. Please.” she seemed to almost desperately want to use that numbing solution for some reason.

“Why do you insist on going against your patient’s wishes, miss doctor?” he challenged her, narrowing her eyes, as if he was trying to peer into her mind.

“I can’t stand people’s raw cries. You heard Ollie. I’ve been to war, but a part of me never returned home. If I can do something to absolve the pain from someone, I’m gonna do it, whether they like it or not.” her dark voice seemed to make a complete 180 from the sweet one from earlier.

“Do you do the same with coppers too, lass?” his light question, as he unbuttoned his shirt, came as a begrudged agreement to her proposition.

“Nah. I just hit them over the head with a bottle of alcohol. Works every time.” her devious, vague smirk made him wonder whether what she was saying was true or not.

“Now that -- I really wanna see that, right. Would’ya call me next time you gotta do that?” Alfie chuckled as he attentively watched her gently wipe the blood from his skin.

“It’s usually a spontaneous decision, really. I get impulsive too, sometimes, you know? I’m not perfect. But, should the time come, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have an audience that would be pleasantly surprised by my act of aggression.” she smiled softly as she carefully administrated the novocain around the area where he got the bullet.

“So where’d ya serve?” he asked, as the girl encouraged him to talk and get his mind away from the procedure.

“Somme and Verdun. I asked to be deployed as close as possible to the Shelbies... I’m sure you got that by what Ollie just told you. Y’know, the tunnels Tommy dug and all that? Wasn’t fun. And you, Alfie? ... Ah, actually, forgive me, I shouldn’t address you so casually without asking for your permission, I got ahead of myself. You can call me by my first name too. I prefer it that way, kinda. It’s more casual and light-hearted.” she chuckled awkwardly - Alfie realized she wasn’t the best at social interactions. He wondered if this was just how she was, or it was a post-war effect.

“No, s’all right, ya can call me Alfie, no problem. I was a Captain in war, right, I was a Captain and I led tons of lads to their death, yeah, but we killed more than we got killed, so that’s that, I guess. Meddled with gas’n’bombs’n shit like that.” Despite trying to keep things light hearted, he noticed the upset look on her face.

“As long as you’re alive, anything is justified.” She muttered, more to herself than to him as she started poking the area under anaesthesia to see if it got numbed down properly.

“Oi, lass, how about I tell you a story, aye? ‘S pretty funny, I reckon.” He suggested, seeing as she smiled softly and nodded at him, putting on her gloves, ready to extract the bullet old-school.

“Sure, Alfie, I’d love that.” She gave him a quick look as he fingers dug inside his wound, making him flinch.

“So, this happened during war, right. My regiment had some nasty Italians around, and they pissed me off so fucking much, yeah. Well, I tell ya, I once carried my own personal form of stigmata on an Italian.” He used one of his hands to gesticulate wildly, as if to keep her engaged in the story whilst he grunted from the discomfort and pain he felt as she rummaged inside his wound.

“Ohh, the Italians. This is going to be a very good story, I’m sure. What did you do?” her smile widened slightly as she felt the bullet shards and started extracting them one by one, putting them on a napkin until they all formed a complete bullet.

“Listen, Y/N. Listen, right. I pulled his face up against the train and shoved a 6 inch nail up his fucking nose and I hammered it on with a duct board, aye.” As he told his story, Y/N had to turn around and slouch a bit, unable to contain her laughter.

“Oh my God, Alfie, that was horrible!” but despite the words used, she just laughter harder.

“It was fucking biblical, lass, I tell ya!” his voice went a bit higher, as he started chuckling as well.

“Okay, okay, say that again, but this time slower. I-I want to imagine – To, to get a better image of this in my head. “ no matter how much she tried to hide her laugh, she couldn’t, which only fueled his wish to amuse her.

“So, this fucking margherita bastard came to me and started throwing around those cross fingered hands back and forth like he wanted th’ gouge my eyes out o’ somethin’. Just! Like! this!” Alfie started aggressively mimicking the Italian hand gestures as the girl had to put down the needle and thread from shaking so much.

“G-Go on!” she encouraged him quickly.

“Yeah, so, listen, I grabbed him by the fucking head, yeah, and I saw this bigass nail, like this big, and shoved it up his nose, y’know, like the fuckin’ Egyptians hooked the brain out through the nose, right, with the mummies and shit.” He had no idea why, but he really enjoyed making her laugh like this.

“I think I’m getting a nose bleed just by imagining this!” she covered her face entirely as she swung left and right from laughing so hard.

“He’s leaning back on the train now, yeah, and he’s hazy like he’s fuckin’ high on pepperoni or some shit, and I see this board just layin’ there on th’ ground, innocently, begging to be used somehow. So I pick it up nicely, yeah, I pick it up and SLAM it into his face. Once. Twice. Thrice. More. Dunno how many times, until I can’t see the nail anymore… But I guess, by then, he didn’t really have much of a face anymore, kinda just became a jam pancake or somethin’.” The girl needed a few minutes of laughter to calm down and wipe her eyes from laughing so hard.

“Oh, Alfie, I haven’t laughed so hard in my entire life. That was wonderful. I-I have no words. I can’t… I can’t… Okay, I’m good now, I’m good. But don’t say more stories, I won’t be able to sew up your wound if I laugh like that again.” She grinned at him, grabbing the needle and thread.

“Fine, lass, fine, I won’t say more stories today. How about you say one, then?” the Jew leader smirked at her with amusement.

“O-Oh, uhm… I-I’m not exactly the funniest person in the world, you know. Actually, I’m not even sure I know what to say. I’m a horrible conversation maker.” She chuckled nervously, as she continued to make knots and stitch the wound.

“Doesn’t matter, anything works, really! I just wanna hear an angel speak.” Mr. Solomons was truly an amiable one.

“Well, alright then, let me think. So, I think you’ve heard already of the Peaky Blinders and how there are quite a few Shelby siblings, yes? Well, they used to have a baby cousin, before he was taken away by some nasty coppers and put in foster care. I was also pretty young back then, but I remember Arthur used to throw baby Michael out of the window repeatedly for either John or me to catch. Mind you, it wasn’t the ground floor.” She chuckled lightly, remembering the stupid kid things they used to do before the war, when life was so simple.

“Really, now?! Poor lad, must’ve grown up with some serious height fear!” Alfie barked a laugh.

“That’s one thing. John put him in a shoe box and kicked him down Watery Lane. Sometimes when cars were passing by too. It was insane, really, growing up with them. But it was fun. If you ignore the copious amount of times we got in trouble and almost died.”  She mused, finishing the procedure and applying some marigold ointment before bandaging the wound properly.

“Thanks, lass, that was quite the experience. Well, I’ll be off then, I won’t bother you anymore, yeah.” He said, trying to get up, only to quickly get pushed down on the bed.

“No! You need to rest and get better, as well as that, you can’t do effort or brusk movements or you risk breaking the stitches.” She explained as he saw worry in her eyes.

“Let’s compromise, alright lass? I’m these guys’ leader, yeah, I’m the leader, so I can’t stay here, I ‘ave to go home’n all that. But I promise you I’ll take it easy and only do office work, yeah, that good? And to thank ya, I’ll even call you by the bakery, how’s that? Nice and warm fresh cookies? How’s that sound?” he asked, as he saw the girl clasp her hands together to her chest.

“Well… Alright then, I can’t really refuse you. But please do be careful. At least let me walk you home or something, I don’t think anyone will attack you if I’m around.”  She muttered, still worried.

“Oi, lass, I am the gentleman here, right, I am, so I should offer to walk you home, not the other way around, aye. Let me walk ya home and tomorrow I’ll come by with cookies.” as he got up, he was ready to button up his messy shirt, but the girl stopped him.

“Alright, Alfie, you win. Let me find you a new shirt, I’m sure we have some around. Before I leave, I have to check up on one of Sabini’s men. It will be pretty short, but I still have to make sure he’s alive and kicking.” The girl offered him a smile as she rushed out to find him a new blouse.

Much to his surprise, she returned rather quickly, even dressed in her normal attire, as when she first came by, and they were ready to leave that wing. However, as soon as they exited the room, the girl was pinned to the wall by none other than Mr. Sabini himself. Alfie was ready to react and throw him off her, but a stopping signal from her did the trick, albeit, he was still confused.

“Mr. Sabini. How many times must I remind you not to greet me in this inappropriate way? I lost count after twenty.” she smiled sarcastically at him as she roughly pushed him off.

“I simply cannot help myself around una fiore cosi bello! You have to understand me, mio angelo, it is your fault for being so beautiful. And how many times have I told you to call me my by name, bella?” The sleazy Italian smirked perverted at her.

“It is inappropriate to display such behaviour with your patients, as well as that, I do not feel comfortable addressing you in any way but the formal one. I will also have to ask you, again, not to use compliments with me, I will not, under any circumstance, accept your courting proposal. Not to mention, you and your men have your own ward at a completely different floor, so I will have to politely ask you to please stop bothering my other patients who have the same rights of being treated as you do.” Her voice was so cold and venomous, as a sword’s edge cutting deep into flesh. Alfie was shocked to see the angelic woman capable of such a demeanour, considering how sweet and shy she was previously when she was laughing so much that she started tearing up.

“But Y/N, amore mio, mio Tesoro, I can give your lovely hospital monthly charity cheques, to fund it, bring you only the latest technology in pharmaceutical and medical stuff! I can buy you anything you want, only say so, and I will bring it to you! I will –“ he continued boasting about his money until he got quickly cut off by the girl.

“Enough. I don’t need your money, Mr. Sabini, I have my own. Not only that, I will also really want to ask you to stop bothering me already. I have to remind you, you have been harassing me for quite a long time now, and I have all the right in the world to choose the patients I’m admitting, considering this is now MY hospital, and if you don’t stop your desperate cry for attention, I will completely eliminate the Sabini ward and divulge all your secrets to the other mafia gangs. And don’t you dare pull out your stupid gun and threaten me, I’m not afraid of you or of death. I already died in war, now I’m just living a second chance. Good bye, Mr. Sabini.” And with that, Y/N turned on her heels, motioning for Alfie and Ollie to follow her as the click of her shoes echoing through the corridors emanated the angry aura around her.

“So you’ve got the same kind o’ personal vendetta against those stupid Italians too, aye?” Alfie chuckled, hoping to lighten up the mood for her.

“Yep. That story from before – I’d do it with Sabini without thinking twice. Or I’ll have you do it, I don’t think I even have the physical strength to pick up a duct board. I have noodle arms.” She let out an amused breath as the Jew looked at her with a smile.

“Ya bet I’ll help ya.” And thus, they arrived in front of her house, being greeted, as usual, by her barking dogs who jumped on her from happiness.

“So… Tomorrow, yes? When should I be expecting you?” she asked, trying to pacify her excited puppies.

“Maybe ‘round noon?” and thus, the agreement stood and the girl waved at him sweetly as she went inside the house, followed by her furry babies. “Y’know what, Ollie? This one is a woman that comes once every thousand years. I dunno how Thomas Shelby could let go of her, but he can’t be as smart as he thinks he is.” Alfie chuckled, nodding to his right hand man to begin walking.

The next day, as expected, Y/N woke up early to make sure nothing is out of place everywhere in the house. Maybe it was her weirdly acting up over-perfectionism, but she couldn’t stand still if something wasn’t where it should have been.

After all, she hasn’t had visitors in… Well, never. It was always her who would visit the Shelby family, but other than that, she would meet up with friends in pubs and clubs, not at home.

Before she knew it, noon arrived and the sound of barking announced Alfie’s arrival. As she opened the house’s door, she noticed he was on the ground, getting loved by all the dogs.

Shocker.

“They say dogs can always tell a good person from a bad one. You passed their test, well done.” She gave him an amused side-smile, leaning on the door frame.

“Anyone who has so many dogs is trustworthy in my books.” He cackled as he got up, walking towards the girl, holding the basket up so the four-legged beasts won’t steal it away.

“I taught them horribly bad. They eat at the table with me, I cook for them more than I cook for myself. And now, look at them, those rascals, they will do anything for food as if they’re famished! Spoiled brats, I’m telling you!” she smiled as she removed the flower vase from the table and poured some tea, aromatic and very nicely smelling.

He admired the tea pot and the matching cups – They were a soft, light blue with painted pink flowers. – Very cute, he thought, and very fitting to her own sweetness. He’s seen so many women affected by the bitterness and anger of having to be unheard, submissive and mistreated, in this ugly, monochrome, wet Britain, so meeting Y/N was like a breath of fresh air, completely different, not afraid of being as sweet and kind as she wants, without implicating herself in any trouble or business and just doing her own stuff.

“Tea, lass? I haven’t had tea in ages, yeah.” He chuckled as he carefully put the plate of still steaming cookies along with some challah bread.

“…Oh. I forgot most people prefer alcohol. Oh My God, I’m so sorry, I don’t have any kind of alcohol in the house-“ she freaked out a bit, only to be stopped by Alfie’s chuckle.

“I’m a tea guy too, lass, don’t worry so much over silly things like that, right? Tea’s fine too. What’s it got?” he asked, easing her worries quickly.

“Vanilla, cinnamon, cherries and a bit too much honey. I like sweet things.” She smiled at him as she raised the tea cup and clinked it to his. “Cheers.”

“Sweet things like you, little lady, love things just as sweet, yeah? Cheers! It’s quite nice, aye, not bad, not bad at all, I think I’ll want more.” He blinked in surprise as he saw the girl immediately get up and pour more tea into his cup.

“Woaw, Alfie, you’ve made these? I’ve never eaten chocolate chip cookies before! They’re amazing! And this bread… It’s so soft and it tastes like honey! If you ever wanted to stop your underground business, you could definitely make a fortune opening up your own bakery! Imagine this… Alfie Solomons, the sweetest man in all Britain, loved by every citizen, earns a Royal Warrant from the Queen for baking the best cookies in the world!” Y/N praised the man as she ate what seemed to be the 4th or 5th cookie by now.

“Bah! Who cares ‘bout that old hag with a crown on her head? If the right person likes it, it’s all that matter, right, nothing else matters to me, and you already like my baking, so that’s that, yeah, that’s just that!” Alfie laughed, making the girl in front of him make a cute kitty smile and look down, her cheeks becoming just a tiny bit rosy.

“Alfie, now you’re just being too nice with me. You don’t have to do that just because I treated you.” She chuckled softly, surprising the man.

“You think I’m being nice to you because o’ that? That’s silly of you, lass, yeah, very silly, that’s not the case in the least, that’s just who I am!” he protested vehemently, his golden chain bracelet clinking softly with each movement.

“So you just like me? Just like that?” her eyes widened in shock.

“Why’re you looking so surprised, lass?” his voice became gradually much calmer and sweeter, seeing the genuine emotions from her.

“Oh, I just… I haven’t heard that in quite a while, I guess that’s why. Apart from the doctor work I do, and all the people thanking me for saving them, I don’t have much social interaction, so someone saying they like me for  my personality, as Y/N, not Britain’s Angel who saved them, is… You know… Unexpected.” She admitted, smiling shyly at him.

“How would you like to hear another story?” it’s true that he wanted to see her so bashful in front of him, but he also loved hearing her laugh, so why not give it a try with one more of his famous stories.

“Oh, I’d love that! You have the best stories, Alfie!” she immediately cheered up, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands oh so cutely.

“Now, now, don’t flatter me, lass, it’ll go to my head, yeah, I’ll get used to you cute words.”  He leaned back on the chair, getting a better look at her.

“That just means I’ll have to say them more often.” Oh, how cheeky, Alfie thought as he grinned at her.

“Right, perfect plan! So, there you go! Tommy Shelby came by recently – Just a few days ago, right – And he, he started being a cheeky bastard with me, so I wanted to teach him a lesson. Got the gun out, cocked it in his face. I said – Look, let’s say I just shot you already, right, in the fucking face, and the bullet goes bone, mush, bone, cabinet over there.” Alfie made a finger gun with one of his hands, pointing it at the smiling girl, and then pointed behind her, where a pretty landscape painting was hanging.

“Oh, Tommy in London? I’m surprised he didn’t tell me anything about coming here, or at least visiting me. What a shame. I’m not surprised by his behaviour though, he’s become a bit of a jerk after the war.” She nodded in acknowledgement, smiling at him to continue.

“Right, it’s a shame, it really is, because that cabinet is fucked. I gotta get rid of it. So, what I do is this, I said. It’s fucking simple, mate.” And thus, he intertwined his fingers together on the table, playfully putting on the intimidating look of his.

“You burn it to splinters?” she tilted her head serenely like a cute puppy.

“Nah, even better. I cut that cabinet in half, don’t I? I do, I’ll just cut the cabinet, I cut… I cut the cabinet literally in half, mate, I said, and threw him a rag to wipe that bleeding nose of his. He was looking at me like a fucking dead body, lass, beaten up and bruised, by Sabini’s men, but still got the cheek to play coy with me on my turf!” Alfie told her the truth, knowing she’d want to know about her old friend.

“Tommy got beaten up by Sabini? What in the world did he do…? That boy never knows when to stop, does he. Anyway, so you cut the cabinet in half. Now what do you do? Throw it in the ocean?” she asked, quickly forgetting about the Shelby boy.

“No! I take half of that cabinet and I put it into a barrel, and take the other half of the cabinet, and all its pieces, and I put that into another barrel.” His hands shifted between left and right to show off imaginary barrels.

“And you fill them up with gun powder and make them explode in your enemy’s factory?” she grinned excitedly at him.

“Gosh, lass, no! But now I hate that you have more imagination than me! But listen – This barrel – I send this barrel off to… Mandalay.” He flapped his left hand around dismissively, making the girl bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. “And the other barrel off to somewhere like… I don’t know…” and he looked deep into Y/N’s eyes, unblinking and trying to come up with a funny city name, as she smiled with expectation for the punchline. “Timbuktu! You ever been?” the line was successfully delivered as the girl had to hang her head down and hide her face in her hands as she burst into laughter.

“Mandalay? Timbuktu? Where the hell are those?” she asked, unable to control herself.

“Fuck if I know, lass, but that’s the best of it! And y’know what? Know what, lass? I saw Tommy Shelby, right? Yeah, I saw him. All gloomy and dark and stuff. But I always thought he’d have a great, big, fucking gold ring in his nose!” Alfie joked around, and the girl was almost afraid she’d faint from laughing so hard.

“Oh, Alfie, you are the funniest man alive. So what did he say, how did he react to that?!” she urged him to continue.

“Nothin’! Nothin’ at all! He was silent as a fucking lake, lass! That Shelby boy has got no funny bone in his fucking body! Can’t even make a joke with him! Shoulda learnt from you, your company is a delight.” He saw Y/N quickly nod in agreement.

“Yeah, that’s right, Tommy has no sense of humour at all! He hasn’t smiled or laughed since the war. He’s changed completely. I know he’s been through a lot, you know? Everyone has. He still has that kind heart, and all he does, he does for his family… But it wouldn’t hurt him to be more genuine with them, or accept the fact that he’s not the only hurt one who can’t get over the war. I mean – I mean John, he’s my age! Got married, has like 4 kids already, married again and he’s still a brat as always! And you, Alfie! You said you were a captain, but you are the greatest person I ever met! He has no excuse for being a jerk. If he had a nose ring, like the bulls have, you could’ve just gotten a hook and tied him to a car and had him paraded around the streets of Camden Town!” she giggled in amusement, roasting her old friend shamelessly.

“Y’know lass, I think you’re as much of a fairy as I am, aye. You look all angelic and pure, but you have a wicked sense of humour!” the girl couldn’t help but let out a mock gasp of hurt and offense.

“Me? Wicked? Never! My, Alfie, you hurt me - How ever in this world could you possibly call me the Devil, when I’m known as Birmingham’s Angel? Recently, Britain’s Angel?” she laughed, almost as though she was making fun of her own nicknames.

“I think I’d much rather hear you being Alfie’s Angel.” Y/N’s smile froze, and her cheeks warmed up instantly, her gaze looking down at the tiny crumbles left behind from the tasty cookies. “Wha’chu say, lass?”

“I... Think I would like that very much, Alfie.” she could barely contain her timid smile.

“Wonderful news, lass!” Alfie merrily got to his feet. “Well then, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, pretty Angel. Don’t forget to serve your little companions their dinner at the table, a’ight?” he bent down slightly to plant a small kiss on her cheek, a little ticklish from his bear, before nodding his head at her, a cheeky smile on his face, and he left, not without all the dogs desperately seeking affection from him.

“Alfie’s Angel, huh? Doesn’t sound half-bad.” Y/N giggles softly to herself, only to hear her maid coming out of nowhere and cheering for her for landing such a good man, though not without warning her not to get into trouble with the very many gangs and their wars. She was a sweet girl, Y/N thought - Perhaps Ollie would like to date a lovely lady like herself.

Many days and weeks, and even months passed, and Alfie visited Miss Y/N daily, never skipping a single day, or missing to bring her the prettiest flowers, and the freshest cookies and bread. He was going to spoil her rotten, that one, and he loved every bit of it, especially the shy look she always had on her face, and the hesitation of accepting so many gifts - He just loved pampering her, what could he do? It was in his nature after all.

And Y/N absolutely loved whenever he’d come over, and each day, with a new story to tell, and new jokes and rumours and gossips - He was an absolute delight, and her dogs loved him perhaps a little bit more than they loved her, at this point. It was no wonder, after all - Alfie started baking food for them! And Y/N thought she spoiled them! 

For once, Y/N stopped feeling the terrifyingly heavy pressure of anguish and torment weighting down on her very soul and being. She didn’t feel the need to work her mind into exhaustion, not tire out her body to the point of fainting asleep. She didn’t need to do any of those anymore, to feel alive and human. She only needed to look at those beautiful eyes of his, and those kissable lips, always forming a mirthful smile; to feel vitality returning into her body, and any sense of fear and anxiety escaping her very being. She remembered what it was like to have a sense of care and possessiveness over her own life, and finally, after so long, she wanted to be free - As free as it could get, unbound by any rule and regulation - To just have fun and thrive in the bliss of romance and happiness.

Once Alfie heard that, he kissed her sweet lips for the first time, admitting to wanting to retreat from the mafia life, and retreat to a calmer area where no one would be searching for him. Margate. A small cottage, cozy and warm, by the sea, where nobody would care to scold them for shooting those noisy seagulls, and Cyril and her dogs could run around aimlessly and run day in and day out, while they spend their time reading and baking and all the cutesy things that couples in love are supposed to do.

Before that, however, a few more things had to happen - Retirement wasn’t an easy process, after all, not in this business, and shrouding yourself into the veil of the unknown was even more difficult a task. People wanted their vengeance, after all, and they’d stop at nothing to achieve it. Nothing, including threatening the beautiful, benevolent Angel who was supposed to have neutral immunity from all kinds of parties. That is what she thought. That is what everyone thought. It was the catalyst of Alfie’s decision to speed up his retirement process and get this done and dealt with already. He never felt as angry as he was now.

It came during a time when Tommy rang Y/N asking for a favour, though rather uncomfortable. Alfie didn’t agree with this at all, he warned Y/N it would be dangerous - Deals with Italians were unpredictable, those bastards, and Sabini was a lecherous fuck who wanted to steal her away - But how could Y/N deny doing a favour to the man who helped her reach such heights though his influence? The man she went to war to protect? The man she took a bullet for? Her brother from another mother?

“Y/N, lass, you’re going to get fried to death if you approach that pasta fucker. I can’t just let you go.” Alfie grumbled worriedly. “And it ain’t just Sabini I’m worried about, love, it’s Changretta too. ‘course, all the fucking pizza fuckers came ‘round to screw things over, but Sabini keeps saying he ain’t working with that other fucker.” he paced nervously around the room, to and fro, fro and to. “Y/N, listen - Listen, a’ight? LIsten. It’s not Sabini I’m worried about, y’know? We’ve been at each other’s throats since school, it ain’t flash news, right -- I can deal with ‘im somehow -- But the other one? I know shit about ‘im. Came over from fucking America, and now he thinks he owns the whole fucking world, that one. And y’know what, hun? ‘e can fuckin’ have it, for all I care. Let Tommy Shelby fight with him. But you --- I’ll be fucking damned before I let him take you away from me.”

“Alfie, sweety, look at me.” Y/N got up from the bed, and approached the frantic man. She cupped his face and brought him into a tender kiss. “There’s no force on earth that can keep me apart from you. Besides! The hospital, remember? Even if Changretta comes over, I will just tell him of the deals, and the treatment and... He won’t hurt me.” without even realising, Alfie’s arms were wrapped around her smaller form, holding her close to his chest, pouting like a clingy child. “Alfie~! Come on, don’t tickle me with your beard! I promise I’ll give you attention all the after this is over, okay? But family is family, and I promised to help out. It won’t take long. And... It’s supposed to be some private party, right? A party with lots of people. He can’t just threaten me in front of everyone, right?”

“I don’t like risky things like this, Y/N. Can’t blame a man in love for worryin’.” He muttered against the skin of her neck. “But better tell Tommy I’m not gonna let him send you do his errands for him anymore, a’ight?”

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell him.” she couldn’t help her sweet, uncontrollable giggling, all because of him playfully running that trickly yet well kept beard of his over her soft skin.

Just as promised, Y/N dressed in a very pretty dress, making her look like an innocent, sweet flower blooming in Spring, overshadowing all around her with her beauty, thought there was no Tommy Shelby there waiting to escort her at the party. She didn’t think much about it though - She hadn’t a watch at her, so she couldn’t tell whether she was fashionably late or not, and he just went on ahead to do some of his work dealings with his gang friends. It was none of Y/N’s business, she was just supposed to be there as a peacemaker, a mediator, considering she was neutral with all, thanks to her position as the head of the hospital.

She grabbed herself a glass of champagne from a waiter and waited by the sidelines, watching the party unfold, with gorgeous dancers and the orchestra playing songs of all kinds. When a slowed song began, she awkwardly played the wallflower, not wanting to gain any attention to her, but of course, her not so favourite Italian came by, gallantly asking for a dance. Of course, she couldn’t refuse, more or less because she was a diplomat, and despite all the harassment from the past, all of them taking care in the hospital, at a party, it was all fine. Still, she hoped Alfie could have been there - It would have been more bearable.

“A gorgeous lady like yourself shouldn’t be all alone at a party.” Sabini said, making Y/N give a polite smile.

“Well, I was sure Tommy would be busy talking business with you, Mr. Sabini. I’m surprised you’re here, with me.” the man rose a quizzical eyebrow, hearing that.

“My dear, Thomas Shelby never once spoke to me today. In fact, I was not aware he was here at all.” Y/N’s body froze, and their dance stopped.

“What do you mean?” she asked in a whispery voice. “Tommy said he needed me here, as a mediator between the Peaky Blinders and the other gangs of London. If he’s not here -- Why would he ask me to be here?”

“Ah, bella, bella, bella, so your naivite and innocence only makes you more endearing.” he gave a smug smirk. “Luca Changretta asked your dear Tommy, to have a... Pleasant conversation. Negating deals. Business talks... Men talks. Signorina Y/N, he sent you over to receive a message, as he feared for his life, but counted on our long lasting friendship.” his chuckle sent shivers down her spine. Suddenly, she felt terrified for her life.

“I... Don’t want to get involved in your business matters. I don’t do business. I just heal people, that’s all. I wanted to do Tommy a favour, as he is my brother, but I want to have a peaceful life, away from all the gang wars. Please, let me go home, Mr. Sabini. If you want me to send Tommy a message, I will, but I won’t get involved any further than this.” the Italian nodded his head, an almost nasty smirk on his face. 

“By all means, no one wants to hurt you, Signorina. It would be terribly rude of us to kill the messenger... Though Signor Changretta’s father was ruthlessly killed, in front of his wife, for no reason, by your brothers. But us, bella - We, Italians, care for our family above all, and Signor Changretta admires your devotion to your own. He is going to love meeting you.” Y/N slowly removed her hands from the man’s shoulders and offered a small smile, trying to keep her composure. But she was terrified to the core, almost as much as she had been during the war. Not only did Tommy betray her, but he threw her in a pit of vipers... Like a weaponless gladiator, forced to fight a hundred starving lions in the Colosseum. She was a healer, not a fighter! Damn it, Tommy!

“It was a lovely evening, Mr. Sabini. I will be taking my leave now.” with a certain elegant swiftness, Y/N was able to slip past Sabini and hide her presence in the sea of people, trying to make her way to the exit of the grand mansion, only to bump into another man, much taller than Sabini was, and he was towering over her, a passive smile on his face. It was much clear now, the whole place was filled only with Italians. She was trapped.

“Signora, what kind of man was vile enough to make a woman cry? Tell me, please, I will not have such disrespect in my family.” his accent was heavy, and his aura was dangerous, with a mysterious darkness. The stranger rose a hand to cup her cheek and rose her face to wipe the wet, gleaming under eye of the woman.

“Uh... Forgive me, Mr... I didn’t mean to bump into you and disturb you. I... I am not a very sociable person, I don’t do well with crowds. I... Was hoping to return home.” she offered an uncomfortable smile. This man was trouble.

“Don’t worry, bella, I will make sure to discipline my men better.” he nodded, chewing on what looked like a toothpick... Or a match? Was that a match? “You will have to forgive them. Anyway, may I escort you outside and call for a car for you?” something made her feel as though she hadn’t any choice in the matter.

“Y-Yes, please.” she nodded meekly, her voice barely audible from all the noise of the party.

With his arm around her waist, the stranger gentlemanly escorted the lady outside of the mansion, and outside, into the darkness barely illuminated by the lights from inside the house. Were it not for the loud music and all the chattering from the mansion, the graveyard silence would have been entirely ominous, save for the soft cricket and toad melody.

They were all alone.

“Do you wish to kill me, Mr. Changretta?” Y/N asked, frightened out of her mind.

“Kill you? Oh, Signora, no, no, why in the world would I wish to harm an beautiful lady like yourself?” he let out a sardonic chuckle. “Sabini tells me they call you the Angel of Britain. May I call you... Angelica?” Y/N didn’t answer. “Have I frightened you so, bella? Mi dispiace, it wasn’t my intention.” though, based on the sarcastic slur of his words, he was having his fun tormenting her.

“Mr. Sabini said you wished me to deliver Tommy a message. What is it?” the woman asked, holding her hands together tightly.

“Ah, yes, of course. Very brave of Mr. Shelby, sending his dear sister to do his dirty work. How shameful. You see, bella, we never put our ladies in danger. Sabini especially says he’s taken a liking to you for quite some good years. I can see perfectly well why. I’ve never seen a woman beautiful and intelligent such as yourself.” Luca’s hand found itself caressing her face, his long fingers reaching up to her hair, strong her long velvety hair. “I love how you defy this decade’s fashion, though you manage to look more elegant than most.” he kept complimenting her.

“Mr. Changretta, please... I am already dating a man, and we are soon going to move in together. I would appreciate it dearly if you would not continue your courting, though I am very flattered that one like yourself would find me attractive.” the man looked up at the sky, a dry smile on his face, watching how the lady tried to step backwards every time he inched forwards, only to end up with her back flush against a tree.

“Somehow, I don’t quite believe that. You are far too terrified from the simplest gesture. Admit it, Signora, you’ve never been with a man before, have you?” his smirk only widened watching her face burning with a sweet blush. “You needn’t say any word, your body betrays you.” he chuckled, getting uncomfortably close to her. “I hate making ladies cry. My mamma taught me better than this. She taught me to respect and cherish women, for they are a treasure - And I agree. I will not hard you, Signora Y/N. But perhaps you need to be reminded of the importance you play in this gang war... And maybe even remind your dear brother, as he seems to have forgotten about you and how much you worth. Would he react at all, if I were to laugh in his face and tell him I’ve claimed you? Will he even get angry, if I tell him I killed you? Thomas Shelby finds himself to be rather the undefeatable businessman and politician, but from our latest interaction, I say, he’s a man as much as any other, and he has easily exploitable weaknesses. It is really too bad you had to get caught in the middle of all this. I bear you no ill will, Angelica.” he leaned his face closer and closer to her own, to the point of feeling his warm breath on her skin - She tried to move away, though he fixed her head, cupping her cheeks forcefully. He truly just wanted to steal a little kiss, nothing more! He wanted to get a taste of her pink, plump lips that looked like the softest rose petals, bathing in shiny morning dew.

Instead, the loud, resounding sound of a gunshot made the man close his eyes in anger, whilst Y/N squeaked in fear, trying to fall to the ground and defend herself; an awful habit she couldn’t break even after the war was over. Luca used the woman as a shield, one hand buried in her hair, the other, holding a pistol to her temple.

From the paved street the soft sound of a cane was heard, as Alfie Solomons appeared, looking all dressed for a party. He looked alone. Was it him who shot, or was it another? Surely, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to come by all alone, even if it was to rescue Y/N - And if he did, it only meant her worth was a hundred times more than he expected. Was he the man she mentioned just previously?

“Ah, Mr. Solomons, what an unexpected surprise. I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure. I’m Luca Changretta.” the Italian smirked, chewing on that match, approaching his face to touch his cheek to Y/N’s. 

“Oh, yeah, I know who you are. You are a bit of a failure, aren’t you? You come all the way over here, to this country, yeah, in order to kill Tommy Shelby - But, I mean, well - He’s not dead, is he?” Alfie smiled fakely at the Italian, forcing himself not to look at the whimpering look of his beloved.

“He would have been, were he not saved by Angelica over here. But he cowarded out, didn’t he? Can’t even have a conversation with someone who hides behind his sister’s skirts.” Changretta sneered mockingly.

“That’s it. I’ll tell you what, right? I didn’t want to come ‘ere, in your home, without a gift, yeah? It woulda been rude - And Jews are known for their hospitality, of course. Here - It’s free. A souvenir.” Alfie rose a single bottle of his rum, showing he was unarmed. “Now, why don’t you let go of that lady over there, and we say our goodbyes?”

Changretta smirked darkly at him. “Signora, why don’t you take the bottle and have a sip? Rum is sweet, for women. Men prefer dry, strong gin.” with trembling hands, Y/N extended her arms to get the bottle from Alfie. It was almost excruciatingly painful, being so close to his protective arms, yet so very far away... “Go on, Angelica, take a sip.” Alfie frowned, watching Y/N’s face contort slightly - She didn’t drink alcohol, she hated it. Even if rum was sweeter than most alcohols, it still wasn’t anywhere close to her sweet teas with too much honey in them.

“This clown wants me to run his shit rum into New York.” Changretta let out a dry laugh, insulting the Jew in Italian.

“Damn fucking straight, mate, otherwise you wouldn’t still be thieving my oxygen and patience, would you? Because I have 200 barrels a month, yeah, cleared by your people, distributed through your teamsters.” Alfie continued with the straight business deal.

“Didn’t you just hear me? People want gin these days.” Luca repeated.

“I heard you wanted to come over with a proposition for me. I hate waiting, yeah - So, that’s why I came over, to quicken things up a bit, before they get stale, right. I already know what you want. I just want to hear you say it out loud so I can check how ridiculous it is.” Alfie inched closer to the two, not once breaking his overly dramatic mannerism.

“Ah, bella, what will I do, I am losing my patience with him.” Luca shook his head in disdain, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Based on the twitch of his enemy’s eye, he had hurried over with a half-baked plan. No doubt, Thomas Shelby must have gone over to him to search for an ally in him. To come in the enemy’s den for a woman - Alfie Solomons was a suicidal maniac. “There is gonna be a little fight, a boxing match, between your boy and Tommy Shelby’s boy, and the whole Shelby family is gonna be there.” Alfie hummed, already knowing all this. “And you, Mr. Solomons, you too will be there.” Luca started stroking a lock of Y/N’s hair, intentionally taunting the Jew. “You know, they say you’re a smart guy. You already know what we want before we say it. That’s funny because I believe I know what you want even before you say it. Yeah. You want the girl back, that’s why you’re here. Maybe for the barrels too. But the girl... Yes, I get why you’d want her back. Can’t miss out on claiming a treasure like her.” he pressed a kiss to her temple, his lips lingering and going down, towards her ear, whispering a small threat and softly slipping the sleeve of her dress a little down her shoulder with the barrel of his gun, revealing flawless skin, before leaning down her neck, and to her bare shoulder. Y/N tried to struggle away from him, whimpering from the uncomfortable fear she was feeling, and how violated she felt by the Italian, but the tight grip on her hair only brought out a whimper of pain and disgust from her.

If someone could look deep into Alfie’s eyes, they could see a wrathful fire raging inside his soul. He wanted to make pasta sauce from that fucker for daring touch his sweet lady and making tormenting her so. He had to play his cards well, feign ignorance and uncare, otherwise, he was afraid that wop will be taking Y/N as a bargaining chip and blackmail him, to the point that not even Tommy Shelby playing God would be able to save the sweet lady. “I want some cash too. Don’t worry, ‘cause I’ve broken it down here.” from the pocket of his coat, he took out a neatly folded paper. “A list of costs pertaining to the assassination of a dear friend, all right?” from his other pocket, he took out his glasses, putting them on as he read the terms and conditions to their deal. “Now, a normal dispatch, well, it’s, you know, 500 pounds cost, but you’re going to have to have to add another 100 to that because Tommy Shelby, like me, is from an oppressed people... And... I need you to put another tonne on top of that because his brother is a fucking animal and he will come after me.” Alfie kept reading, frowning every so often at the inconveniences he was listing. “And then you will need to put another 100 on top of that, because, well, you’re a fucking wop, mate, hmmm?” Changretta remained speechless, looking at the mess of a Jew who found himself hilarious, messing with him. “And then... We have to deal with the ugly business of which I’ve been incredibly clear of, before I’ll need another 500 pounds, because, like I stated, Tommy Shelby is a very, very good friend of mine.” though he wished to wring his neck for throwing Y/N in danger like that. “And... Another 500 pounds for threatening my wife. And 500 more pounds for making her cry.” Alfie folded back the paper, handing it to his enemy. “Total is down there, in black and white. All right? Crack on.”

“Mr. Solomons, I’m gonna be very fucking clear with you. I don’t need you to kill anybody. I have people that I trust, okay? So you are gonna take my boys and you are gonna bring them to the ring as seconds.” Alfie frowned at the Italian.

“Well, in order to qualify as my seconds, right, they would first have to qualify as being Jewish, yeah? And in order to do that, they would have to replace their natural Italian fucking arrogance with a Jewish air of absolute certainty. You see, my good friend, Tommy Shelby, he will know the difference.” he warned the unbothered Italian don.

“You see, these days, back in the old country, a lot of the, uh.... You know, the Jewish people, they, uh... They are having to pass themselves off as Italian.” Changretta chuckled menacingly. 

“All right, well, you’ll have to add another ton onto your bill - For being a cunt, mate.” Alfie refuted with a chilling calm. “All right?”

Luca looked away briefly. “You will bring my men to Birmingham?”

Alfie nodded his head, hoping his crazy humour was acting as reassurance for his lady. “You will circumcise them?” Luca was mute. “Yeah, you will have to circumcise them. Because the Peakys will check, yeah?”

“If they’re going to have their pretty doctor check, surely, she wouldn’t quite know the difference, would she?” the Italian jabbed at the Jew, who was imagining different ways of torturing this fucker.

“Don’t bother your little wop brain over what my wife does. She won’t be there.”  Luca smirked, knowing very well his uppercut landed perfectly.

“Okay. Any other requests?” he asked, laxing his grip on her hair. “Two hundred fucking barrels, we have a deal.” Alfie frowned, looking at him with disinterest. “What’s the matter? I said we have a deal.”

“Eh, you just made a deal without a negotiation, didn’t you?” Alfie stared him down. Luca affirmed that statement. “Yeah, Tommy Shelby was right about you, wasn’t he?” then, for the first time, Y/N heard the man speak in his own, native language. “You plan to kill us all.” though she didn’t quite understand what he said, the look in his eyes was enough to give her a good guess. Still, with the deal in place, Luca Changretta smirked in triumph, and with one last gesture of condescence, he forced Y/N into a deep kiss, before pushing her towards the Jew. “Sogni d’oro, mia bella Angelica.”

Alfie instinctively lunged forward, catching and gathering his lady into a tight embrace and watching carefully as Changretta stepped inside the mansion. He could feel Y/N’s soft trembles of her small body as she cried in soft whimpers - She was trying desperately to stay composed, but after everything she’d gone through, he couldn’t blame her. That margherita fucker must have creeped her to hell and back. “It’s okay, darling, cry as much as you need. I’m here, love, I’m here, okay? Alfie’s here, and I’m not gonna let go of you again.” she felt so warm, so safe in his large arms. “Let’s go home, yeah? No more of this gang shit. I’ve done over my plans, and we’re leaving faster. I’m not gonna let any of this fuckers even look at you ever again.” he massaged and stroked the back of her head, where that jerk hurt her, and he kissed her forehead and her cheeks and even her nose, before guiding her to the car, with Ollie driving them to the comfort of her own home, with her many dogs, and a shit ton of guards all around.

Y/N couldn’t say anything, and when they got home, Alfie had her maid draw her a warm bath so she could relax. He made sure to put a nice vinyl on the gramophone, and had Ollie return to their house to bring the emergency cookies for comfort, whilst he continued to internally curse Thomas.

He wasn’t sure how long she calmed down in the bath, with her maid comforting and chatting with her to get her mind off of the anguish she was put through, but when she returned, she was wearing one of her beautiful silk nightgown that barely went down to her knees, and she let herself plop on the bed, cuddling into his arms like a kitten seeking warmth. “How did you know?” her soft voice asked as he pulled them to lay down, stroking her hair and her face dearly, occasionally planting kisses and calling her sweet things. When Ollie finally came back with the cookies, her maid had brewed the sweetest tea in existence for them.

“Well, I always did pride myself with having good intuition, you know, but when Tommy came by my bakery, I realised - Shit, my sweet lady’s in trouble.” Alfie spoke, watching her cringe softly at the mention of the Shelby. “Asked him what the hell he was doin’ over at my place, instead of being there with you, and he said - Who would hurt you? Sabini wouldn’t, surely. There’s no person with more immunity than you, right?” he mimicked the man. “Thought I was gonna lose my mind, hun, hearing that. I was this close to beating him to death, yeah, nobody dares touch my sweet girl after all. He said some things about those fucking greasy wops, and it got me thinking - I already knew things were going to shit, and very fast, right, and I knew I had to make our exit as swift as possible - But when I heard you were all alone, with a bunch of sleazy fucks, my mind went crazy.” he gesticulated dramatically, before pinching her cheek playfully. “I promised Tommy Shelby a beating at some point, and I managed to land one good punch on him before coming to my darling’s rescue. Glad I got there just in time, but fuck, I’m so pissed - So fucking pissed you had to go through all that. I should’ve never let you go. Should’ve trusted my gut.” he grumbled, clearly angry at himself.

“Alfie.” she had an upset, pouting look on her face. “I’m sorry I let him kiss me. I wasn’t strong enough to fight him off.” she hung her head in shame. “If you hadn’t come when you did... I fear what he’d have done.”

“Y/N, lass, what the hell are you apologising for?!” he exclaimed, his hands immediately going to raise her face gently to look at him. “As if a weaponless woman could fight a grown ass man with a gun. If anything, I should be the one to apologise for not being fucking able to protect you as a man should. I thought playing the wife card, and the extra billing, would get that cheapskate fucker let go of you already. Fucking cunt. He’ll pay, I’ll make sure of that.”

But Y/N frantically shook her head. “I don’t care about that, Alfie. I don’t want revenge, and I don’t care what happens to any gangs, okay? I’m sorry, Alfie, I’m sorry I- I’m selfish, okay? I don’t want to do this anymore. I just - I can’t. I really can’t, you know? Always in the middle of danger, always in the middle of war -- I just want to go live out a happy, peaceful life, with you, and our dogs, and a shit load of seagulls to shoot whenever they wake us up with that annoying screech of theirs. And then -- Then, I wanna go have a good travel, maybe. Let’s -- Let’s go to the mountains, I heard it’s fun hiking. The forests are very pretty too. We can hide away from everyone, we’ve got enough money, don’t we - And if you wanted to, I told you, you can open up your own real bakery, and live perfectly comfortable with those earnings. Anything - Anything, just to get the hell out of this God-forsaken, war-riddled, decrepit, barren city, and away from this awful, exploiting people who care for nothing but their damn fucking business.” the way her eyes were gleaming with both hope and desperation shattered Alfie’s heart. “Can we do that, Alfie? Please, can we do that? Just the two of us -- Maybe Ollie and Annie too, if they wanna - And our dogs too - Just us, a nice, big family.”

Alfie’s very soul felt honeyed from her words of love, and her wish of staying together with him - And it was tempting too, taking Ollie and her maid with them, he had to admit. They would finally be living the god damn peaceful fucking life that they deserved. He had been dreaming during the day, and during the night, of a life spent together with her, all away from this shit city, away from the shit gang wars and what nots. He was exhausted, he wanted to let his guard down for once, and he knew he could do that with Y/N. He wanted to provide her a beautiful, comfortable life, a peaceful once - She’s never been to the beach, and he really wanted to show Margate to her. Just them, and the sound of the ocean waves breaking against the shore, walking barefoot into the wet sand and playing in the water.

Perhaps it was a little close for comfort to both France and London too - Maybe some day, they could go further north, further away from the capital. Perhaps they can even change their names, take on new identities, retire completely. Sure, he’ll still be taking care of his Jewish community, but he would stop the mafia dealings - Let the younger generations get themselves in trouble a hundred thousand times per minute, he was completely done for.

“Yeah, my little cookie, we can do that, and we’ll fucking do it, and very soon, yeah? Very soon, I promise you that. I’ll keep you safe, and comfortable, and happy. First, in Margate, and if we get bored, wherever the hell we want, a’ight? With Ollie and Annie if they wanna join, and with our spoiled dogs, ‘course.” he leaned in, capturing her lips into a sweet kiss.

“Alfie?” she called his name, her cheeks flustering lightly, unable to meet his eyes, despite the beautiful smile on her face.

“Yeah, meyn ketsele?” Y/N always blushed so hard whenever he’d call her his little kitten.

“Is the... Erhm... Wifey spot still open? I’d like to apply.” Alfie couldn’t help but start laughing mirthfully at her bashfulness, only to pull her into a loving embrace, peppering her face with kisses all over.

“Ikh hob dikh shtark lib - I’d love nothing more than to be your husband.” Y/N felt faint from all the suffocating love and affection she was receiving all at once, but she couldn’t help but melt to the sound of Alfie speaking in his native language, saying that he loves her so much, that she was the love of his life and what more. It was almost funny, how quickly he became smitten beyond repair for her, but he simply couldn’t help it. Women like her only came about once every thousands of years, and he was just so happy, just by seeing that shy smile of hers, or waking up to her in his arms. How could he ever let her go? 

Y/N wasn’t Birmingham’s Angel anymore, and like hell was she Britain’s Angel. She wasn’t an angel, she was a little wicked fairy, the sweetest lady there was, and any other overdosing sugary sweet and entirely embarrassing term of love that Alfie could ultimately generate from the top of his head, just to see her adorable blush, but by hell, he was feeling trapped and addicted to her magic, and he was never going to let go of his darling honey bunch lady.

And Alfie was going to make her the happiest woman alive, and their wedding was gonna be fucking biblical.

[heavencanbeaprisontoo]

The Other Shelby Girl

Platonic!Shelby Siblings x reader

Headcanon/Imagine for a second Shelby Sister. Explores dynamics with each sibling based on of the reader were their older or younger sibling.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, mentions of war, violence, period-typical sexism, over-protective sibling drama.

Arthur

Older Sister:

You are the third most respected woman in Arthur’s life, which is greater than it sounds. First was Mum, then Polly. To be succeeded only by Polly in Arthur Shelby’s eyes is precious. He’s always looked up to you, but didn’t always show it. After the war, Arthur would come to rely on you heavily for emotional support. There were nights he would come to your home and no be able to speak. Where he would seem to turn back into a little boy, crying into your shoulder as he begs you not to speak of this to the others. When Arthur met Linda, you were one of the few to be supportive. You are Arthur’s greatest advocate, but his pride and Tommy’s influence make it hard to help him. When you have a family of your own, it’ll only make things harder. You often feel like you have to take sides. Still, you do what you think is best.

Younger Sister:

Depending on just how young you are, Arthur might try to put on like he’s your Dad. Arthur doesn’t always know how to talk to you. You’re just a young woman, he doesn’t feel like he can talk to you the way he does with John or Tommy. He wants to tease you and pick on you as he would with Finn, but he can’t. The moment you hit out your bottom lip and look like your feelings got hurt, Arthur is a flustered mess of a guilty brother. You might resist his attempts at being fatherly, or welcome them. Regardless, you can see that Arthur just wants you to know he’s a safe space for you. Maybe if you ask him nice enough, he’ll teach you how to draw horses like he used to. No matter how old you get, Arthur is the brother that still sees you as a little girl.

Thomas

Older Sister:

Before the war, Tommy only saw you as someone who nagged at him. The meddling older sister warning him away from throwing curses at people and fighting with the cops. After the war, you became something far more delicate than that. You became something like his conscience. That pleading voice that begged for peace and forgiveness that grows fainter every year. As adults, you swear sometimes he hates you. The way he disregards you and keeps you at arm’s length. In actuality, he’s only trying to avoid the shame your hopeful gaze gives him. It was you who tried to get the brothers to hide from the draft. It was you who told him getting involved in London affairs would be dangerous. You who told him not to accept anything from the Russians. You were always right. Always good. He also feels he must protect you because you know him when he was soft and weak. Aside from Polly, you’re the last person who ever heard him laugh.

Younger Sister:

He lumps you in with Ada without really meaning to. You and Ada are both younger, and are both girls. As such, you both have similar problems that have his head aching and his trigger finger itching. Two pretty girls tend to attract a lot of scummy men. You’re both so stubborn about not needing anything from him, which is bloody absurd. Of course you need his help. Whatever money you’re making doing legitimate work isn’t going to be enough to keep you safe. You have never gone on a single date without someone Peaky Blinder watching you. Arthur tries to give advice like he’s your dad, and Tommy drops rules on you like he’s your dad. He has absolutely said the phrase, “And where are you going dressed like that?” Tommy will kill your ex-boyfriends if asked, he already knows why you want them dead and he agrees. The only thing he likes more than you accepting his help is hearing you admit he was right.

John

Older Sister:

He is the little brother who reads your diary and eats your food after being told not to. As a kid, John was Hell on legs. As an adult, John is still Hell on legs but with children. Growing up, you spent a lot of time picking John up from police stations and headmaster offices. John stresses you out like he’s being bloody paid for it. But, he loves you dearly and you forgive him more often than you should. John has called you “Mum,” as a joke many times but it’s not quite a lie. As an adult, he is far more respectful towards you. He is one to bow his head when you lecture him about fatherhood and how his drinking is going to harm his children. John respects you enough to take his cap off when he enters your home. However, he’ll still gobble down any treats you’ve left out in the kitchen and have the audacity to say, “What?!” When you shout at him for it.

Younger Sister:

John will not only read your diary and eat your snacks, but he will loudly announce your crush the moment he finds out. Any reluctance Arthur has about picking on you is nonexistent in John. He is a fully grown man who is unafraid to tease you with schoolyard chants in public spaces. Has walked into your room while you were reading just to slap something off of your desk and run. John has spent so long as the younger brother, he has to get his kicks where he can. That said, nobody better say anything rude to you. Ever. One time, a mate of his simply repeated a mean name he had called you and John slugged him for it. Nobody is allowed to annoy you but him. John is obnoxious in an almost biblical sense, but he is the one to see you cry and ask: “Who did that to you.”

Ada

Older Sister:

Yet another sibling to boss her around. Excellent! Ada is one who would resist you trying to take care of her. She doesn’t want to hear your advice! She doesn’t need it! Until her first heartbreak and then she’s sobbing on your bed waiting for you to come home. Ada hates to feel dependent on others, but she does trust you. There’s something special about having a sister. You understand each other in a way your brothers never will. The fear that builds as a man walks a few yards behind you out in the streets at night. How every romance has that bitter taste as you think about all that you’ll lose if you were to get married. Ada gets her best advice from you, but you’re also her security. You were probably the one to start taking her to the movie theater. It’s likely that Ada imitates you subconsciously. When you got your hair bobbed, so did Ada. When you started wearing heels, so did Ada. She denies it, but it’s obvious that she follows your lead.

Younger Sister:

Might be a sad thing to say, but Ada didn’t think much of you until she had Karl. You were just this clinging little sister that everyone thought she was supposed to take care of. All you did was follow her about town and put your nose where it didn’t belong. Tommy probably found out about her and Freddie through you. You don’t mean to be annoying, you’re just lonely. Ada couldn’t see that until she had a child and a home away from Small Heath. The dynamic flips hard when Ada comes back to Small Heath. Ada is all about leading you in “the right direction,” and is very serious about your education. She essentially begs Tommy to set aside money for you to go to university when you express interest. You want to be in with the Peaky Blinders, though. Oh, God. You’re in your rebellious phase and Ada wants to shake you till you forget all about jazz and pretty boys with guns. You both adore each other, but you butt heads over where your life is going and who should have a say in what direction it goes.

Finn

Older Sister:

Between you, Polly and Ada, he’s almost got a mother. As a young boy, Finn has actually called for you as his mother by accident. It makes sense. You were often left in charge of him. To Finn, you are all that he knows. It’s often left to you to make sure he goes to school and stays out of trouble. You’ve spent many afternoons arguing with his teachers to give him a second chance. Finn needs that, someone to stick up for him. That doesn’t mean he always likes it though. Finn wants to be a gangster, like his older brothers. You want him to do literally anything but that. When Tommy, Arthur, and John, pick on him too much you are the one to back Finn up. He used to like it… until he was roughly twelve. What used to be you coming to his rescue has become you inadvertently humiliating him. You try to back off, but Finn makes poor choices for himself which require you to come save him. Therefore, the cycle continues.

Younger Sister:

You are the only one beneath him in the Shelby Family Pecking Order, and he lives for it. When Finn has a bad day, he takes it out on you. Why not? It isn’t like he had anyone else he can push around and be the boss of. So, he’ll cut your dolls’ hair, call you names, and make fun of the things you like. But only if there’s other boys who can see him do it. When he goes too far and you cry, he has to answer to all of your siblings and Polly. Finn picks on you to soothe his own ego. When it’s just you and Finn, he’s very quiet. You two can spend hours not talking but be perfectly happy. Finn likes to turn on the radio and just sit, listening to music or the results of a boxing match. Sometimes, he vents to you about how Tommy wouldn’t let him do this or do that. You always listen to him. Finn usually takes these quiet times to apologize for past pranks or insults. You always forgive him. It’s odd to you how your accepting of his apology seldom puts him in a better mood. Truth is, he’s very jealous of you.

[red-write-hand]

random headcanons from my mind…

tommy gives good hugs

arthur knows random songs and hums them while he works

ada knows how to bake like one thing and if you like that thing, be prepared for that to be made at every opportunity around you

john is actually a huge romantic and he loves to just hold you sometimes

finn will sometimes just bring you random objects and start ranting (very happily) about where he got it and why it reminded him of you

grace learns your favorite songs and “accidentally” starts singing them when you’re in the Garrison

luca loves to run his fingers through your hair and draw little designs into your skin

lizzie loves to give you gifts randomly, just to show you how much she loves you

freddie secretly loves when you scratch his stubble

[kkurades]

˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ ATTRACTIVE WOMAN ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

━━ your little brother’s best friend had always been infatuated by you but only now do you give him a chance.

word count: 1618

pairing: isaiah jesus x fem!shelby!reader

warnings: violence, blood

It was no secret that Isaiah Jesus lived for Y/n Shelby.

Everyone knew of his infatuation for you. You were also aware of his little fixation on you, but anytime one of your brothers mentioned it, you blamed it on his hormones and said that it would pass.

Because that’s what you truly believed, that he wanted you because you were the the typical hot older sister of his best friend who could get any man that she desired.

So, whenever Isaiah would flirt with you, you would harmlessly flirt back, not knowing that you were making him desperate.

But anytime that he wanted to take a step further you refused, telling him that you were too old for him, to which he would respond that it was nonsense and that he would do anything you asked.

You recall Arthur mentioning to you that four years wasn’t such a significant age difference and that you should simply grant him a chance, but once again you refused.

Recently, though, Isaiah had seemingly given up, which made you relieved for the fact that he ultimately moved on. Although somewhere deep inside you, you felt some slight disappointment, but you shoved the sentiments away and proceeded with your life as you usually would.

“Y/n,” you looked up at Tommy who was seated behind his desk, as expected, before nodding in response, prompting him to continue.

“Are you sure you’re alright with doing this?” You rolled your eyes at your brother’s concerns as you lit a cigarette.

“I’ve done this like a thousand times, I’m sure I’ll be able to handle this,”

As a Peaky Blinder, you had no issues with doing illegal activities, which included seducing men before stealing from them.

Tommy benefited from the fact that you were an extremely attractive woman which showed because anytime someone wronged them he would send you to allure them before doing whatever was required of you.

Which was now the case.

Tommy needed you to flirt with an Italian businessman who had a vague association with the Italians. You had to attempt to get him to take you to his house, so you could find the documents that your brother required.

“If you’re sure about it,” Tommy’s retort was short, but you were used to it and took that as your cue to leave and get ready for tonight.

As you walked down the streets to your house, you saw your younger brother with his friends standing suspiciously around a car.

“Finn, you’re not getting into trouble, are you? Tommy didn’t exactly appreciate it the last time,” you spoke, resulting in your brother and his friends turning to you.

You noticed Isaiah straightened up before offering you a charming smile, while Finn looked at you with wide eyes, attempting to find an excuse.

When he couldn’t get anything out of his mouth, you let out a chuckle before patting his back and proceeding with your trek back to your house.

“You won’t tell him, right? Y/n!” You disregarded your brother’s pleas as you took your cigarette out of your mouth to let out a gust of air before you heard audible footsteps approaching you from behind.

“Y/n,” Isaiah, grinned sheepishly at you as he composed him next to you while he walked you home.

“You don’t mind, do you, love?” He questioned with a flirty smile hanging from his lips.

“Of course not,” you caught him staring at your lips as you took a drag of your cigarette before he reached over to take your cigarette and put it into his mouth while maintaining intense eye contact with you.

“But I will mind if you keep stealing my cigarettes,” you told him quietly with a lazy grin dangling from your lips as you rotated the corner where you could catch a glimpse of your house.

“I’ll buy you a new pack,” Isaiah replied as he took your arm to turn you around before you could turn away from him to enter your home.

“No,” you insisted while gazing up at him with a hazy look in your eyes.

You two stood there for a few moments in thorough silence as you gazed at each other with intensity. Isaiah leaned in to kiss your cheek, but you moved away, inducing a pained expression to take over his face, provoking you to frown scarcely.

“Goodbye Isaiah,” his name rolled off your tongue as you carefully removed his hand from your arm before entering your house while looking back only to see him staring at the spot where you once stood.

A sigh left your body as you strained to change your thoughts before you would do something that you would regret later and proceeded to your way to your wardrobe to find an appropriate getup for tonight.

Later on, you found yourself seated in the Garrison while swallowing a glass of whiskey.

When you found your target, you made your way over to where he sat before sitting down, compelling him to look up at you.

“Are you new here? I haven’t seen you around,” You surveyed while leaning forward to showcase your cleavage to him.

The man, whose name was Antonio, glanced down at your breast before responding.

“Yes, I’m here for work,” you raised your brows before tracing his fingers in a painfully slow way.

“Mm, do you happen to want a distraction from your work?” Antonio licked his lips slowly before motioning for you to come and sit next to him before wrapping his arm around your waist.

His hand made its way under your shirt as he began kissing your neck roughly, forcing you to falsify a faint moan to make it seem like you enjoyed it.

While he hummed at the sweet taste of your skin, you could sense eyes on you, provoking you to turn your gaze to the owner of those wandering eyes who occurred to be Isaiah who stood in a corner of the pub with clenched fists at his sides.

When your eyes met, he could feel himself becoming infuriated by the fact that a man twice your age was touching and kissing you.

When he couldn’t contain his anger anymore he stormed over to your table before hauling you from Antonio as he commenced a fight with him.

Tommy and John who had also been there to make sure everything would go as planned leaped into action by trying to get Isaiah off the Italian businessman who was shouting at Isaiah.

“I’ll kill you! I promise I will!” Isaiah called after him as you helped John get him out of the pub and into an alleyway.

“Isaiah! What the fuck?” You whisper yelled at him as he started to calm down again.

“Yeah, what the fuck was that for?” John questioned as he fixed his jacket before making his way back inside, leaving the two of you alone.

You examined Isaiah as he let out deep puffs of air through his mouth, as you noticed his busted lip and some blood along his cheek that presumably wasn’t his.

“Isaiah?” You asked with concern lacing your voice, causing him to fully turn to you.

“I just got mad,” he answered as his eyes flickered over your face to make sure that you were alright.

“You got mad? Isaiah, we’ve been waiting for a chance like this for months. So, you got to come up with something better than ‘I just got mad’,” a frown etched onto your face as Isaiah’s hands reached out to hold your face softly.

This time, you didn’t pull away as you waited for an explanation while he caressed your cheek gently with his thumb.

“It disgusted me. His hands were all over you. And I-,” he paused to let out a deep breath through his nose before continuing, “I got protective. I’m sorry for blowing this up,” he mumbled sincerely while gazing into your eyes.

While you knew you should have pulled away when he leaned in, you couldn’t. You were exhausted from trying to dismiss the feelings that he made come to life.

“Just give me one chance,” Isaiah muttered as he noticed your slight hesitance and when you gave the tiniest nod he fully tipped forward.

You could feel yourself becoming putty in his hands as he kissed you so passionately. This was what you always imagined as the fairy tale kiss as you wrapped your arms around his neck to bring him even closer to you, if that was even possible.

A smile crept onto Isaiah’s face as he kissed you with all he had. With all the bottled emotions that he had since he was twelve. You felt like heaven, and it was even better than what he imagined and dreamt of all those years.

When you were forced to pull away to fill your lungs with air, you slowly opened your eyes but did not completely let go just yet.

You stood there pressed against him with him leaning slightly down. His breath fanned over you as you could still feel the presence of his lips that were just enough removed to get some air.

You tore your eyes from his lips and onto his sparkling eyes that reflected pure joy in them as a small smile was present on his face, causing you to reflect the same small smile.

“Twelve-year-old me would have been so proud of myself,” Isaiah joked softly as you remained pressed against one another.

“Yeah?” You let out a soft giggle, which made Isaiah’s heart flutter as he nodded his head slightly.

“Yeah, definitely.”

©cupidsheqrt , 2022.

[theshelbyclan]

Snitch

Summary: You’ve accidentally snitched on your brothers and now that Polly is furious, you have to deal with the consequences

(gif by @mistress-gif​)

A/N: For my 4k celebration I finally got round to this request. My previous fic Family Secrets was such fun to write, all fluff, and now a sweet anon requested: Hi, if I could request a fic, could you do one similar tickle Shelby sister one like family secrets? Maybe the sister could snitch or do something to John/Tommy and she gets tickled? If not it’s fine xx I could never turn down something this wholesome and I hope you like it!! This is nothing but fluff and childish brothers, entirely based on my own annoying siblings  Words: 4301

*****

On one bright sunny morning down in Small Heath, you were watching your brothers work in the betting shop. Being their sister of sixteen now, you were no longer the family baby, though they often still treated you this way. So many times you’d longed to grow up quicker, just so they would allow you a bit more freedom, but now you often missed those old days. The days of sleeping outside together or piled together on a narrowboat. You often dreamed of how the boys were before the war, back when they still played and laughed. But those days were long gone now. 

Tommy beckoned you over and handed you some papers to look over. He asked, “Have you heard of this one?”

“The foal?” It wasn’t unusual for him to ask your advice on horses. You spend more time over at Charlie’s yard than any of the siblings and you’d grown up riding. So, you frowned and asked, “What do we need a foal for?” “I want to train her,” Tommy said pensively, “But I need to know if you know the stallion?” “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of him. Fucking hell, Tommy, what does this foal cost?” He pointed at a figure on the paper. “Fuck,” you breathed, and then, “Did you discuss this with Aunt Polly, because she’ll never let you spend this much money on the mere possibility of a racing horse.” “I’m not telling Polly just yet.” You eyed him but decided to move on, “Wait a second, isn’t this the horse that made all the headlines? This heiress of some kind who was left the stallion in some will, but it was attested or something?” “Yes.” You fixed him with a gaze once again, waiting for him to explain. “I know the heiress,” he finally said, with a wave of his hand. “You know the heiress…” “I know the heiress, yes.” “Oh,” and you rolled your eyes, “So, she’s selling you the horse.” “Not quite, I’ll need to steal it first.” “What, the horse or the woman?” you joked, but he didn’t seem to share in the fun. So, you said, “Fine, but this is bound to end in tears.” “Just let me do the thinking, eh Y/N? Me and John have got it all worked out.”   You sighed again, “Whatever happened to family meetings, Thomas?” He shrugged and gathered up the papers, “You sound just like your aunt.” “Thank you. I’ll tell her.” “Wait,” Tommy stopped you as you turned to leave, “Don’t tell her about this. Not yet.” “Fine,” you sulked, already bored with this day.

*** Polly Gray’s voice boomed through the house the very next day. You’d been asleep, but you sat bolt-right up in bed at the sound. Only then you realised she wasn’t calling for you; she was calling for your brothers.

You listened intently as they dragged their feet towards the kitchen. The truth was, you always enjoyed it when they got scolded, it was a sibling thing, so you silently crept down the stairs and watched through the banister. “What the hell is this I’ve heard?” your aunt sounded incredibly angry, “Why the fuck did the two of you think you could pull a stunt like this without informing me!” John whimpered and becameshorter on the spot, but protested with, “It’s not like we took the foal yet. We’ve only just made contact.” This earned him a smack around the head and Aunt Polly bit, “No, you only let your brother fuck for the cause.” “Well, he’s good at that…” John whispered, rubbing his sore head. “Polly,” Tommy held up a hand in an attempt to soothe things, “It’s a good plan. We just need you to agree to…” Tommy was on the receiving end of the next slap, and you smirked in the dark. “There’s no point in me agreeing now, is there!” she snapped, “It’s done. If we back out now, we’ll have half of the lords and ladies of fucking England on our backs! And unless you plan to fuck them all, Thomas, we’ve no choice.” And out of pure irritation, she smacked him again. You, meanwhile, held a hand to your mouth to stop the giggles from pouring out. It really was good fun to be just the spectator for once. “Pol, we didn’t plan on hiding it from you…” “No?” she had her hands on her hips now, which was never a good sign. Polly was like a mother to you: she’d raised you, praised you and scolded you all your life. And if you weren’t at least a little afraid of her when she was angry, you had no sense at all. She continued, “So why did I have to hear about the foal from Y/N?” You froze. And then you realised, you’d completely forgotten. Memories flooded back from breakfast when you sat at the table, chatting away with Ada about the races, and you may indeed have mentioned this foal in passing. You suddenly remembered Ada asking about the heiress and you calling Tommy a ‘man-whore’. Apparently, Polly had listened in, but not only that, she’d added two and two together.

As the scolding went on and a few more smacks were administered, you slowly made your way up the stairs again, deciding that would be in your best interest. You were almost at the top, when you heard Aunt Polly stomp away. For a few moments, you only listened. “How did she know?” you heard John ask. “I told fucking Y/N,” Tommy replied, darkly. You’d meant to sprint the last few steps back up to your room, but unfortunately, you tripped and slammed down into the stairs. Within seconds, your brothers were at the bottom of the stairs, looking menacingly up at you. “Hello,” you said, praying for some manner of escape. Much to your good fortune, Polly crashed back into the kitchen, glaring daggers at the boys as she walked on by. In those short moments, you fled, but behind you, Tommy called out, “Oh, you better run, Y/N!” *** The next few days, you tried your best not to be alone with either John or Tommy. Not quite sure just how mad they really were, you decided not to risk it. Still, you couldn’t help but think back to the both of them at the bottom of the stairs, where you’d been certain you’d seen a smile playing about Tommy’s lips. John was a lot easier in that sense; his mischievous nature was never far behind, but if Tommy really was angry, there’d be no chance. Either way, better not to be at their mercy. One afternoon, you were sitting in the front room with your Aunt Polly. When John and Tommy entered, you quickly looked away. Polly noticed at once however and immediately asked, “What’s going on?” “Nothing,” Tommy put on his best angelic face “Just need to have a word with Y/N, that’s all.” Aunt Polly got up to leave, but you tried to run after her, calling out, “No! I’ll come with you, Aunt Pol!” Again, she eyes the room suspiciously, “If there’s anything going on behind my back again, I’ll have all three of you. Don’t think just because you’re grown now, I won’t.” None of you even dared to think so, so all three Shelby siblings nodded obediently. And before there was anything you could do, you were left alone with John and Tommy in the front room.

Frantically, you let your eyes flit back and forth between both brothers. This was not a good situation to be in.

“I think we should punish the snitch,” Tommy growled, unusually playful. For a moment, you felt relief wash over you, recognizing the old Tommy again, but then you weren’t so sure if this really was in your favour.  

“What?’ you asked, with big eyes, “Why?” “You told Aunt Polly about the horse, didn’t you,” John continued, “You got us in trouble.” “What are you?” you joked, “Five?”

John stood leaning against the door, making sure you had nowhere to go if you planned on escaping, “Remember when we were kids,” he mused, “When she used to hide our caps and we used to chase her around the camp?” “Oh, I remember, she used to be a little devil.” “Yeah, but that was before,” you tried, “before you all got caught up in business and became boring.” “Boring, eh?” Tommy said sarcastically, “We became fucking boring, do you hear that, John? We became boring. Well, I’m guessing that’s the worst charge, eh?” “It is,” you said, decidedly. “Remember when we caught her and threw her into the canal, Tommy?” John grinned, “Polly beat us both.” “Yeah, but she always tried to run off,” he took one menacing step towards you, “Just like now,” because Tommy had most certainly noticed you eyeing all the exits. “If this is about the horse…” you started, but you didn’t get to finish your sentence.

You fell to the ground as John launched himself at you. Luckily, the rug provided for a soft drop. But the air was knocked from your lungs, having John and his full weight on top of you. As you clawed at your brother to no avail, John was giggling like a small child and you threw your head back in defeat, catching a glimpse of Tommy who had apparently decided not to do a thing about the situation. “Now what?” you asked him, as you fell still, because quite obviously, resistance was futile.

Tommy lifted one eyebrow and said, “Well, you’re the clever one, aren’t you? Little miss know-it-all? Get yourself out of this one.” Straining every muscle you had in you, you managed to wiggle your legs out from under John’s torso and tried to buck him off. For a second, your brother was lifted up into the air, but he was too heavy and immediately dropped back down again, managing to make you wheeze for a second time. So, you tried to pinch John, hard, and that worked. He called out and tried to move away, which gave you the opportunity to extract your arms and grab a chair. Using the chair, you then tried to pull yourself out from under him. Tommy, however, calmly picked up the chair and moved it out of the way. So, you stuck out your tongue at him and ground out, “Spoil sport.” “Am I?” he nodded, “Oh right, I’m the boring one.” “You could,” you groaned under the weight of one very childish brother, “you know, help?” “Help? Alright, I’ll help.” For a moment you saw the flicker of mischief in his eyes and then he jumped on top of you as well. You shouted out theatrically at the weight of a second, “Get ooooooooff!” “You said we were boring.” “You’re not boring, you’re behaving like fucking children!” you scolded. Full of satisfaction, John said from somewhere in the pile, “So maybe it’s you, Y/N, who’s the boring one? You’ve forgotten how we used to do this all the time.” You hadn’t forgotten. And you certainly hadn’t forgotten what would follow next, which made it all the more frustrating you couldn’t move an inch. “John, are you ready?” Tommy informed casually. “Ready!” “Nooooooo,” you protested in advance. John shouted out another battle cry by way of an answer. Seconds later, they both started tickling you and you actually screeched. It felt like a hundred hands were attacking you, instead of only four, and this indeed brought back all kinds of memories. You’d forgotten just how annoying they could be when they were in a playful mood, and on the one hand you enjoyed this immensely, on the other hand you regretted this immensely.

“Still think we’re boring, eh?” But you couldn’t answer, only giggle like an absolute maniac. At some point, you were quite sure you wouldn’t survive. John’s face was close to yours and a massive grin was plastered all over his face. He demanded, “Apologize for getting us in trouble!” Now that really took you back to all of you as kids. It had happened so many times that one, or all, of you had done something they weren’t allowed to do and, as good siblings do, tried to drag down the others with them. This would always have consequences, however. But there was no way you were apologizing. It was a matter of honour now. You managed to pull out a hand from the pile and grabbed the first tuft of hair you could find. The groaning that followed told you, you’d gotten hold of Tommy’s rogue locks. “Get her fucking hand, John,” he ordered his little brother, and at once John started tickling you more under your arms. You dissolved into another pit of laughter. The squirming pile of siblings managed to knock over quite a bit of furniture in the front room, but no one seemed to care. Suddenly, all three of you froze, when you heard Polly call out from the kitchen, “John!” John’s head shot up like a deer in headlights and he looked at Tommy, legs sticking up into the air, for advice.

Tommy called back, “John’s busy, Pol!” But his aunt wasn’t done yet, “Have you seen Y/N?” she called out. This time John replied, “She went out, Aunt Polly!” None of you dared to move and looked at each other one by one. Like a live painting, limbs all over the place, you’d been frozen in time and waited for what your aunt would do next. Then you heard footsteps and she was evidently approaching the front room. Tommy hissed at John, “Why the fuck did you tell her Y/N was out?” You all now knew you were going to have to explain this to an already aggravated matriarch. Unless, “Quick, hide her!” came John’s solution. Before you knew what was happening, two brothers lifted you up and stuffed you into the fancy cabinet against the wall. Sitting there, with the expensive plates and cutlery all around you, you watched through a crack as Aunt Polly marched into the room. John had quickly grabbed a book, holding it upside down, but pretended earnestly to read it. Tommy leaned up against the mantlepiece, smoking solemnly. The only thing that gave him away was a slight dishevelled look and bits of hair sticking in every direction imaginable. Tasting the atmosphere, she demanded, “What in the hell is going on here?” Tommy lifted one eyebrow and shrugged, “Working, Pol.” She didn’t believe him for a second, that much was obvious, and she looked around the room where none of the furniture was in their proper place anymore. Finally, she said, “Well, if you do see Y/N, tell her to come to me.” “Why?” John asked, always the one to ask question. “Because I told you so.”

After Aunt Polly had left again, Tommy told the cabinet, “You’re in trouble too now, Y/N.” “Why?” you sounded a little muffled coming from inside. You’d recognized her tone as well and it was quite clear you were in for a scolding, but you had honestly no idea what you’d done to deserve it this time. It had been so much more fun watching your brothers being on the receiving end of her temper. But that was concern for later, because judging by the silence on the other side of the door, your brothers weren’t done with you either. “Can’t stay in there forever,” Tommy commented dryly.

Can’t I? You thought about it for a second and looked around for some food in there, but there was nothing to be found. John seemed to sense your thoughts, “Ada’s eaten everything in there, Y/N, nothing but rats for you.” “Great, rats on both sides of the door,” you snapped. You surmised you had no other option but to run. So, you crouched down in the dark, suddenly slammed the door op and bolted. You managed to slip through John’s hands and sprinted towards the kitchen, hoping to God Polly wouldn’t be in there. Tommy called out behind you, “Go left, John-boy!” and you understood at once they planned to cut you off from both sides. There was only one thing left to do really, which was to gain the upper hand somehow. You scanned the kitchen for a weapon of some kind. There wasn’t much to work with, but you did find the infamous wooden spoon. Throwing it at Tommy, who dodged it calmly, you were now once again without any protection. For you second attempt, you held up an egg as a warning. “Put the egg down,” your brother held up a hand, “I’m warning you, Y/N, do not throw the fucking egg.” John didn’t even try to be scary anymore, he had too much fun playing, but he did say, “Polly will actually kill you if you throw the egg, you know that, right?” And then he made another dive at you, which made you throw the egg, which then hit him perfectly on the forehead. With a shout of glee, you tried to make another run for it. While John was wiping the egg of his face, Tommy was quicker this time and he grabbed you around your waist and threw you over his shoulder. The younger brother then proceeded pummelling you with all the eggs that were left. You tried to wiggle your way off the older brother’s shoulder, made a grab for some flower and covered Tommy with it. He spluttered a little, but his grip remained firm. The kitchen was in an absolute state within seconds.

Somehow, you’d worked yourself up and were now sort of balancing up top of Tommy. Then you caught a glimpse of his face, covered in flower, but you noticed the sheer joy that you saw in his eyes. And you stopped, and felt a warm sensation inside you hadn’t felt in years: happiness. This was it, you thought, we can still be like we were before the war. It’s rare and it’ll only last a few moments, but those amazing precious moments could still exist. Maybe they did too, but you had needed this so much the last couple of years. John interrupted your happy thoughts when he tried to lift you off of Tommy’s shoulder, but somehow underestimated how easy that would be, so the both of you landed on top of the kitchen table. It broke. Tommy sighed, “Polly’s not going to be happy when she hears you broke her table, Y/N.” “Oh, you wouldn’t dare,” you breathed, “there’s no way she’d believe it was just me, by the way, why would I break an actual table?” “Why should we?” you brother returned the question, “You’re the only child around here.”

“If you tell Polly I broke the table, I’ll tell John.” “Tell me what?” John’s head shot up, as he kicked away some pieces of wood from what was once your kitchen table. “Remember that wagon that burned down at the Lee camp?” you asked, sweetly. Tommy glared daggers at you, but John said, “Yeah, me and Arthur got the blame.” “Tommy burned it down,” and you quickly added, “And don’t think Polly’s forgotten about that either!” John turned to Tommy, “That was you? I thought it was bloody Arthur.” “Because I told her it was bloody Arthur,” Tommy replied. Then he turned to you, pointing finger and all, “Now, quite obviously you haven’t learned your lesson yet about being a snitch. Whatever happened to family loyalties, eh?” You shrugged, “Maybe I’m just loyal to Arthur.” Tommy Shelby, man feared by all, tried his most intimidating look on you. When it didn’t seem to do much, he called out, “Right! Into the canal, it is. John, take her legs.” You screamed again as you were being hoisted up into the air, though it was practically drowned out by John’s laughter. Chaos ensued once again and, in the end, Tommy had one of your legs, while John sort of carried your torso about. Your free leg you pulled back and you kicked Tommy hard in the chest. At once, he flew back and landed right on his arse. Both you and John burst out laughing. “Tommy, we’re never getting her to the canal like this,” your brother commented, while wiping the tears from his eyes. Tommy got up and he looked genuinely angry now. Any other person would be shitting themselves out of fear for what he might do. Any other person would start praying out loud. Any other person would quickly apologize and try to make a run for it. You were not any other person, you were his little sister, so you just continued laughing at him. It really was a funny sight, to see Tommy so dishevelled, but still trying to salvage some of his dignity. Within seconds, he was on top of you. He sat on your waist and took both of your hands in his, so much quicker than you had expected, and placing you in a hold you had no chance to get out of. You’d forgotten he could do that. Wide eyes, he ground out, “Respect, little sister. You need to learn some fucking respect.” “I’m sorry,” you said, cocky now, “Respect for what exactly? The brother covered in egg or the brother covered in flower?” Tommy sighed deeply, took both of your hands in one of his much bigger hands and dug his free hand into your stomach. For the second time, you were quickly screaming with laughter. He lowered down his face and whispered, “Apologize.” “For what?” you managed to get out in between giggles, “For being the only Shelby with a brain?” This didn’t help you much, as it only seemed to spur Tommy on. He started scribbling all over your ribs and soon, you weren’t able to say anything anymore, sassy or not. Then he paused for a second, mirth still visible in his eyes, and asked, “Want to try this again?” You sighed, exhausted already, and said, “I am sorry… I am sorry that you both are absolutely terrified of Aunt PolLY AND HER NOOOO!” He continued and left you with very little air. “John,” Tommy was now grinning broadly, “Take her arms,” and Tommy shot his evil fingers under your arms, which made your laughter go almost silent and you kicked your legs about, but to no avail. Tommy’s teeth blinked as he laughed with you, “Oh, little sister, you think you can be cocky with us, eh? With fucking us?”

Finally, feeling slightly desperate by your own ticklishness, you gave in, “Okay! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!!” But still, they wouldn’t let you go. He demanded, “Sorry for what?” “I’m sorry I told Aunt Polly about the horse,” you panted, “I didn’t mean to but it sort of slipped out? Either way, I’m sorry.” “And,” Tommy cracked his fingers as if to say: I can do this all day. You believed him too. You rolled your eyes, “I’m sorry I kicked you and made you fall on your arse. And I’m sorry I laughed at you because you looked hilarious, while falling on your arse. My bad.” “Still think I’m boring?” John asked, which made you wonder if you’d genuinely offended him by saying that. “No,” you spat, “but I do think you’re a mad bastard.” “I can live with that.” “What about me, eh?” the other one asked, still straddling your waist. John had let go of your arms and you smiled up at Tommy, deciding to be completely honest, “Nah, but I wish you could be like this more often.” “Maybe I should be,” he thought out loud. When you saw his deep thoughts were taking him back to whatever dark place he inhabited now, you decided you didn’t quite want this lightness to disappear yet. So, you started poking Tommy’s ribs, which was never a good idea, especially in the position you were in. Tommy flinched and even squirmed a little, trying to protect himself from your hands, which gave you the chance to crawl out from under him. “Don’t fucking tickle me,” he huffed, “Tickle John!” For the second umpteenth time that day, the kitchen had turned into a battlefield of wrestling and tickling siblings. From a distance, it looked far too rough and like you were really hurting each other, but that was just the Shelby way. This was all just good fun, or so you thought. Polly watched the three of you and smiled, because to her, a Shelby, this was nothing but pure Shelby sibling love. After a while, she decided to put a stop to it, by banging a pot down onto the stove. The effect was immediate, as all three siblings practically jumped up to salute. For a moment, Polly just glared darkly at all three of you, as you bowed their heads in shame. Then she said, calmly but sternly, “You have two hours and then I want this entire kitchen spotless. And that includes a new table. I want you in clean clothes and faces scrubbed before dinner and I don’t want to find a single speck of flower on anything. Do you hear me?” “Yes, Aunt Polly,” you mumbled, trying desperately not to make eyes-contact with your brothers for fear of bursting out in laughter. “I’ll keep this to myself, if you can swear you’ll get it done,” she emphasized and waited for all three of you to agree.

When she walked away, head held high and sure of her parental duties well done, she heard the fight continuing. But she smiled and decided not to hear. Let them have their fun, she thought, let them have their fun while they still can. *** Masterlist

[omgkatherine01]

Fallen Angel: Chapter 2 - The Shelby

Series Masterlist

Chapter 1, Chapter 3

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x female reader

Warning: Men been creepy, Mention of Self harm

Please comment, like and share

Should I go that way or that way? Viktoria thought to herself with a sigh while taking a cover from the rain under a roof of a store. She cleaned her cut with paper towel in the store moments ago, ignoring the looks she received from the three people inside it because of her clothes.

The door of the store opened and Viktoria stepped a side, ignoring the man who came out. The man however, couldn't ignore her, and smirked, "Hello, love."

Viktoria glanced toward him with a frown and then away, "Hey," she muttered, hoping the rain would stop already so she could leave the area.

"Where you heading off to?" the man asked, lighting up his cigarette. Viktoria made a face on that and stepped away as he smoke, not answering his question.

The man continued speaking to her when she didn't answer, "If you want, I could take you to my place for the night--"

"Yeah, thanks, but no," Viktoria said and looked at the next store not far. She took a step to go there and hope the man wouldn't follow.

But he took a grip of her arm, making her turn to him with a glare, "Hey! Let go."

"I'm speaking to you," the man said, giving her a glare back.

"Yeah, and I answered, now fuck off," Viktoria snapped and shoved him away as she pulled her arm from his grip. "Creep."

The man took a step toward her before pausing when a car pulled up in front of them. Viktoria looked at the car with a frown, and blinked in surprise when Ada stepped out from the passenger seat.

"Viktoria, are you alright?" she asked as she moved closer, and glanced from her to the man, before back at her as she took her arm gently.

Viktoria nodded and frowned at a young man stepping out from the driver seat, and slamming the door shut as he walked closer. He smoked a cigarette as he stared down at the man who grabbed Viktoria.

"Mr. Shelby, sir," the man stuttered and glanced at Viktoria in horror before at the young man. "I--I--I didn't know she was yours, sorry, sir."

The young man didn't say anything and continued to smoke as he stared down at the older man, who seemed like he was ready to take off running, which he did after a moment.

Viktoria frowned as she watched him running away. The young man turned to his sister and her, well, friend. "Did he hurt you?" Ada asked her.

"No, I'm--I'm fine," Viktoria answered, glancing from her to the young man.

"All right, come on," Ada said, tagging her gently to the car.

"Where we going?" Viktoria asked.

"To our house," the young man answered, throwing the cigarette to the floor. "Let's go."

"I don't know you," Viktoria told him and she looked at Ada, "And to be honest, I don't know you, either. You don't know me, so, why are you helping me?"

Ada shrugged lightly and gave her a small smile, "If it would have happened to me, I would have wanted someone to step in and help. So, come with me and my brother, and will get you something to eat, and some warmer clothes."

Viktoria looked at her for a moment and nodded slowly, letting her pull her to the car by the hand. She glanced to the young man as they walked pass him.

At his intense look, she looked away from him. Ada opened the backseat door, and Viktoria got in.

She watched Ada and her brother getting in the front seats and she saw the brother glancing at her through the front mirror before he drove them away.

--

Viktoria was feeling a little awkward standing in front of Ada's family. "This is Viktoria, the one I spoke of," Ada said, "Those are my brothers, Arthur, Finn, John, and you've already met Tommy. And this is our aunt, Polly."

Viktoria nodded, "Hey," she muttered and Finn, the youngest one, smiled up at her.

John glanced from one member of his family to the other, "So, what do we do with her?"

Polly's eyes moved down to Viktoria's arm, and down to her wrist where she could see a clean cut on it. "Get out," she said.

Viktoria frowned a little while Ada frowned deeply, "Aunt Polly," she said.

"Not her," Polly said and glanced at the boys, "You boys, out of the room." She looked down at Finn, brushing her fingers through his hair, "That means you as well, Finn."

"Come on," Arthur muttered as he led his brothers out.

Polly's eyes darted from Viktoria's wrist to her face and stepped closer. She looked at her wrist again and took it. Viktoria tried to move her arm out but the older woman had a strong grip on it while looking at the cut.

"Ada, bring a cleaned towel," she said and moved with Viktoria to the sink. When Ada quickly left the room, Polly glanced to Viktoria as she washed her cut. "Did you try to harm yourself?"

Viktoria glanced toward the woman before back to her wrist. "Wasn't deep enough," she said softly as she stared numbly.

Polly glanced at her and after a moment, looked back at the cut, finishing cleaning it completely as Ada walked in. Ada gently wrapped the towel around her arm and Viktoria held onto it. "Thank you," she muttered.

"Where you from?" Polly asked as Ada and Viktoria sat down.

"Um, Bulgaria," Viktoria answered. "But moved to London when I was a kid, after my mother passed away."

Polly's body tensed as Ada spoke softly, "My mother died as well when I was younger. Finn was only a baby when that happened."

"I'm sorry," Viktoria said softly.

Ada nodded slowly and shrugged, "My father must be alive, who knows and care, right?"

Viktoria nodded with understanding, "Bad relationship, huh?"

"Yes."

Polly looked at Viktoria, narrowing her eyes slightly, "Ada said you most likely not from here."

Ada glanced from her aunt to Viktoria as she nodded slowly. "Yeah," she muttered as she took a moment to actually look at the kitchen, "It's a messed up story."

Polly noticed, "Who sent you?"

"Aunt Polly," Ada groaned as Viktoria looked at her.

"I'm sorry?" Viktoria asked, confused as she looked between them.

Polly opened her mouth to speak again, but then the doors opened and Tommy walked in. "Times up," he said, walking in with his brothers.

Polly glanced at them and looked back at Viktoria, "I asked who sent you?"

Viktoria looked confused and she frowned, "Sent me for what?"

"To spy, get intel's. Who?"

"Aunt Polly, I hardly think she's a spy," Ada said, giving her a look.

Viktoria looked between the family and her eyes landed on the aunt, "I wasn't send here to spy," she said, "Look, I can go if--"

"No, it's alright," Ada said, giving her family a look of annoyance. "You can stay the night here. You will be staying in my room." She gave Arthur a look when he gave her back.

Tommy lighted up a cigarette, "Finn. Take her to Ada's room." He bend down and spoke something to the young boy's ear, and he nodded up to him.

Finn walked around the table and took Viktoria's hand, "Come."

Viktoria hesitated before standing up. She looked at Ada, who nodded and she walked out of the room with the youngest brother.

"I don't buy it," Tommy said when she and Finn left.

"Of course you won't," Ada muttered.

"Where did that girl appeared from?" Tommy asked.

"I found her, and we started to talk," Ada started as she crossed her arms over her chest. She cleared her throat, "And... when I said that I don't think she's from here... I meant I don't think she is from here. As in..."

"As in, what?" Tommy asked.

Ada hesitated, "She asked me a weird question, as in what year is it, and she had a strange device that she said calls 'phone', and most of all, her clothes are very much different to our time."

John scoffed, "You not suggesting what I think you suggesting, right?"

"Look, I know this sounds nuts, but from the look I saw her give when I told her it was 1919... I think--"

"She's nuts," Tommy said, "She broke out from an asylum." He looked at Polly, "Check to see if there's a Viktoria Wilson in the closes asylum here."

"Tommy," Ada snapped.

"I'm not buying that this girl is from the future," Tommy said.

"And if she is?" Ada challenged, "What then?"

Tommy stepped closer to his sister, "We'll see, but only if there will be no records of this girl in any asylum, then I won't think she's so crazy after all."

Ada narrowed her eyes and rolled them when her brother turned and walked out.

Taglist:

@esquivelbianca, @inalovesrabbits-blog, @memariana91, @l1-l4, @thoughtfuldonutdragonherring, @smellyzcat, @sysymei

[unknowntoyou2205]

make it to Christmas 2/3

Info: Christmas for the Shelby clan were never special, but this year seems to be the worst as y/n the youngest has been diagnosed with the illness that takes many away, but y/n is adamant on giving the Shelby's something to remember her by.

Masterlist

Y/n lay in her bed, feeling tired yet energetic for the first time in weeks since her diagnoses. Many days she spent laying around, no energy for anything, barely able to eat anything substantial without throwing it back up. Her family were beyond worried for her and feared she wouldn't make it to the end of the year. They knew at this stage that their angel of light wouldn't recover from the deathly disease that took many, and they could only hope that she would see her favourite day of the year one last time.

Y/n herself knew that her days left were limited. At eleven years old she was a smart girl and knowing the results of her sickness being lethal, she wanted to make sure that her family would remember her, even when she was gone. She made it her mission to spend what little energy she had to find something for each family member, something that would cause them to remember the good times they had together. She wasn't aloud to leave her room unless she needed the bathroom, so all she had was what was in her room.

"How are you feeling today y/n?" Polly asked asked her niece as she walked into the isolated child's room with some soup. "Fine." The girl shrugged before looking up from her drawing to see the bowl in her aunts hand, "Soup again?" She groaned causing her aunt Pol to chuckle lightly. "Well nice to see your energy is back." The woman stated, even though she knew it was temporarily. "Can't I have something else for once?" The younger girl whined, moving her picture out of the way. "You know anytime you eat anything solid you get sick, this is only thing you can keep down." Her aunt replied before placing down the bowl on the bedside table and sitting beside the young girls feet as the girl slowly began to feed herself, hand shaking occasionally.

Polly watched her niece as she slowly fed herself, seeing the struggle she faced with each spoonful. The older woman sighed quietly, knowing the young girl didn't have much time left. Her little angel would be lucky to make it to Christmas, but she doubted it would be the new year. Pollys thoughts were disrupted when she heard coughing and looked up to see y/n slouched over, coughing up some soup. The young girls aunt tuts in comfort, taking the spoon out of her hand and replacing it with a tissue, which y/n placed to her mouth. Polly gasped as the tissue was brought back from the mouth to see blood on it. Y/n looked up horrified at the sight, wide eyes looking up at her aunt.

"It's okay." Polly comforted the girl, rubbing her arm gently before taking the half empty bowl and heading for the door, turning back to watch as the young girl rolled onto her side, falling asleep instantly. "Lord, watch over y/n as I pray she makes it till Christmas to enjoy her favourite holiday amen." Polly looked up before leaving the room.

--------------------------------

Tommy and Arthur sat at the kitchen table, smoking a cigarette each in silence. John stood against the kitchen stove, a glass of whisky in his hand. No one spoke, just sitting in silence until they heard sounds of footsteps walking down the stairs. The two smoking stubbed their cigarette when they seen their aunt come into view, eyeing her as she remained silent while she walked over to the sink with a bowl, cleaning it.

"How is she?" John asked, wanting to know how her youngest sister was. "Pol?" Tommy called out to his aunt when she didn't reply. "She coughed up blood today." Was all Pol stated, not looking up at her nephews as she finished drying and putting away. "Fuck." Arthur cursed, each Shelby brother knowing what that meant. "Is she asleep?" Tommy asked. "Yes, she tired herself after her coughing episode, barely ate even half of the soup I gave her, her appetite and energy is getting worse Tommy, I don't think she has long left." Polly stated, causing the Shelby boys to look down. "Don't say that Pol, y/n's a fighter." John stated in a broken voice. "John she's up there in that room day in day out, her energy is zero to none most days. You really think that's a good thing. She's withering away to nothing, which isn't a god thing." Pol spoke harshly, causing John to flinch, "Time to face it, we're not going to get our y/n back, we just need to make sure she's comfortable till her last." Pol stated softly, and all shelbys present nodded in agreement.

------------------------------

That night Tommy made his way to y/n's room before heading to bed. Ever since she was little she always snuck in her older brothers room, and since she was sick and unable to, Tommy began to do it. He wanted to make sure that she knew he was there for her, even though majority of the time the young girl was asleep by the time he checked in on her. The second oldest moved closer to the youngest bed, despite the fact he knew that aunt Pol hated any of them being close to her incase they got the spanish flu, her reasoning being it was bad enough one of them had it without everyone else in the house getting it. He moved her hair back, feeling the heat she obtained from her fever. Looking away from her, Tommy seen a picture she drew and smiled slightly before looking back at his youngest sibling.

"You need to fight this y/n, we need you to last for your favourite holiday, it'll be the best one yet you'll see." Tommy spoke softly, kissing the girls head before moving towards the door

His movement was halted by the sound of abrupt coughing coming from behind him- his eyes widened as he heard chocking and turned around to see y/n sitting up, struggling to breath.

"Aunt Pol." He shouted loudly as he opened the bedroom door, before rushing back to help his sister.

Y/n continued to struggle to breath as Tommy reached her, and he moved behind her and helped her it up right, thumping her back gently to dislodge what was most likely phlegm stuck in her throat. He didn't look up as Polly came rushing into the room, her house coat thrown on in her rush to get to her nephews shouts. She gasps as she sees Tommy trying to help his sister with the phlegm, her eyes widening when the young girl finally does, thick green and bloody mucous flying out of her mouth followed by constant heaving. Tommy rubbed the young girls back as she got sick.

"This isn't good Tommy." Polly stated with sadness as she watched her niece lie in her brothers arms tiredly after her episode. "Call the family, tell them to drop everything and come home." Tommy stated as he rocked his sister gently as she fell back asleep. "She's not going to make it, is she Tommy." Polly asked in defeat. "We'd be lucky if she makes it to tomorrow." Tommy stated with a sigh, realizing how bad his sister was.

----------------------------------

The following day the family gathered as Polly requested, and were currently in y/n's room, all sitting around her bed, Tommy had stayed with y/n after her episode while Pol called the family and told them to come to the house. They all knew by the call that y/n wasn't going to make it as they hoped

Polly sat at the head of the bed, watching y/n's face as sweat formed in beads, rolling down the young girls face, Arthur and John leaned against the wall, heads down in defeat as they realized that their sister was going to die from the one thing they couldn't protect her from. Ada sat with Finn on her knee, hugging the young boy close, not believing all that was happening while Finn sniffled into her chest, crying of the soon to be loss of his twin sister. Tommy was still lying with y/n, having not moved from his place after helping her earlier in the night. The Shelby family sat in silence just watching over the youngest as she struggled to breath properly, the silence only being disrupted by coughing before y/n's eyes opened

"Hey , it's okay." Tommy soothed the young girl, rubbing her arm in comfort. "Tommy." The girl stated weakly, voice barely audible. "Yeah, it's me, how you feeling." Tommy asked, watching as y/n's eyes fluttered consistently. "Tired." Was all she got out before closing her eyes again. "Hey y/n, keep your eyes opened." John stated, wanting her sister to stay awake in fear of her not opening her eyes again. "Can't, so tired." Y/n stated, not able to fight the heaviness in her eyes. "Y/n sweetie, it's okay, you can rest now." Pol spoke, tears in her eyes as she spoke. "Under, bed." Y/n stated, "Love you." She stated before closing her eyes.

The Shelby family watched as the youngest eyes closed for the last time before listening to her breathing slow before it's non existent. Tommy brought a finger to y/ns neck to feel a pulse before shaking head in sorrow, putting it down when he couldn't find one. Finn started shouting for y/n causing Ada to pull him close to try and ease his hurt, tears in her own eyes as she allowed them to fall, Arthur punched the wall in anger before John had to force him out of the room, tears in both their eyes. Polly stared at her niece with glossy eyes, not believing she was truly gone. The Shelby family had lost their angel, and Christmas wasn't Christmas without her.

[strayrockette]

Squeak Squeak Shelby fam x reader

Summary: reader loses her pet and receives comfort through the Shelby's.

Trigger warning: none

Requested: Yes by @mysticalpandora

A/N: I am alive. Took me a while to complete this one. I seem to be getting stuck one fic at a time he..he....😕

She wandered the halls of her home, peering around corners with groggy eyes and restless bones. Irritably calling his name into the shadows to warm her bed on this cold night.  It wasn’t until her eyes landed on his collar sitting on the kitchen table, did she realize just how empty and quiet her home felt.  

Her ears twitched, listening for the pit-pat of his paws’ prancing against the wood and his awful imitation of a meow. Her heart sank deep into her stomach, for the umpteenth time she only had the sounds of shadows echoing back at her. Mirroring her disappointment.  Y/N snatched his collar from the table and trudged back to bed, passing the washroom, door ajar, and a small bucket fit for a cat lay recklessly. Y/n eyes avoided the open bathroom, grief creeping in as a memory pulled through.  

Her fingers dipped into the warm water, sinking the rag in once and then pulling it out to squeeze out the remaining water, “You’re not very good at meowing, are you?”  

His orange fur glistened with soap and water, the tiny kitten lay on its side, peacefully basking in the care she provided. Most kittens refused to remain still for a cleaning, but this one rather liked it. He squeaked as she gently rubbed the rag over his paws, the built-up dirt slowly washing away. 

Y/n couldn’t help but laugh before she squeaked back.  The next few days followed the same, he would squeak and she’d respond in kind. Until one day his name became the very thing, she teased him for.  

The memory pained Y/n, she swallowed it down and crawled into bed. Her eyes felt heavy and all she wanted was to sleep peacefully.  

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Sleep never came and Y/n had convinced herself that maybe it wasn’t a bad thing. At least being awake she could try and control the memories that floated around. That wouldn’t be easy if she had been sleeping. The only positive thing about the restless nights she’s had for the past week.  

Her mornings were just as restless and aimless. Most were spent curled on the couch and staring blankly at the fireplace. But today was different.  

Y/n sat across Polly and Ada, both busying themselves in her kitchen. Y/n wrapped a thin blanket around her shoulders and cleared her throat, “Why exactly are you guys in my kitchen?”  

Ada was the one to answer, “It’s your turn.”  

Y/n mind blanked, her turn for what?  

Polly turned, knife in hand-waving it in the air around them, “Dinner night, love. It's your turn to host.”  

Ada brushed her hair behind her ears, “The boys are out searching for the best steak money can buy, Polly’s goin’ handle the drinks for most of the day, and we’re-she waved between her and Polly-are goin’ to make a feast.”  

Y/n raised a brow, “And what about me?”  

Ada shrugged her shoulders, “All you have to do, is enjoy our company and drink.”  

Dinner nights were important for the Shelby’s. Despite the rocky relationships and less than honorable work they did, dinner nights were the only nights they set aside everything and tried to be a functional family. It only occurred every few weeks and was hosted by each Shelby. In this case, it was y/n’s turn. Y/n had known the Shelby’s since childhood. She’d been there for them through thick and thin and as such, was considered family by choice.   

She distinctly remembered John telling her to be ready to hide Squeak from Arthur when her turn to host came ‘round. That was the beginning of last week. She parted her mouth, ready to ask them to leave, to post pone dinner night, to leave her to her silence. But Polly’s laughter reverberated through the home. Filling it with warmth and loudness she had missed.  

Perhaps hosting tonight's dinner wouldn’t be too bad. Y/n watched as Ada squealed, batting Polly’s greasy fingers away from her. Amazed by how childish and silly they turned when they weren’t thinking about what big bad event would follow them next. Y/n fingers gripped the thin sheet around her shoulders, taking a step back she tilted her head towards her bedroom and told them she’d be back after a quick wash and a change of clothes.  

The rest of the morning and early evening passed with light conversations and teasing. Polly had given her a few too many drinks but y/n felt great. John and Arthur came after the 5th drink was passed around. The best steak in their possession and excited grins on their faces.  

“Already startin’ without us, eh?” Arthur jabbed at John’s shoulder, “I told you; they never wait for us to start the fun.”  

John chuckled lightly, “What did you expect, Polly brought the whole damn bar wit’ her, she’s worse than us.”  

Polly scoffed, “I’ve been ‘round lot longer than you twats, of course I’m worse than you.” 

Polly took charge of the kitchen, ordering the boys to leave her alone and for Ada to pick up the slack. Y/n was promptly ordered to have a drink and to sit at the table.  

Arthur’s voice rang loudly piercing through her thoughts, “I miss that bugger, even if he hated me.”  

Somehow the topic of conversation moved towards the absence of Squeak. John belted a laugh, “What’d you do to the lil guy?”  

Y/n turned in her seat and tilted her head to look into the living room, “He did NOT hate you”  

Arthur’s following look of disbelief led her to continue, “he just.... wasn’t very fond of you”  

Her lips quirked teasingly. She thought affectionately of Squeak’s mischievous behavior where Arthur was concerned. He’d hide patiently in the shadows to attack Arthur's ankles as he passed by. Based on the scars on his ankles, Arthur had a different way of viewing his encounters with Squeak.  

“You can laugh all you want, but that bastard hated me guts,” Arthur exclaimed, he pushed his hair back and leaned into the well-worn couch. He stretched his legs and tugged his trousers up, displaying the tiny claw marks left behind by Squeak, “I remember how I got each one, worst war I ever fought in, eh.” 

Y/n rolled her eyes and laughed. She remembered each one as well as he did. She’d watch Squeak saunter away with his head held high and tail swinging, followed by a hopping Arthur with a pained expression so often, it was almost expected when he came to visit. It wasn’t supposed to be funny, but the things Arthur would say after the forementioned attack always made her laugh.  

“I APOLOGIZED YOU SNOOTY BASTARD! LEAVE ME ANKLES ALONE.” Arthur hopped on one leg, one hand rubbing his ankle and the other pointing erratically at his attacker who sauntered away, tail wagging in the air teasingly. 

She laughed aloud at the memory before addressing Artur once more, “You stepped on him and didn’t apologize right away. I say, he has a right to enact revenge.”  

Ada set plates onto the table, nodding in agreement, “It’s true, I stepped on him once and apologized, he never attacked me.”  

“I think there’s a consensus that you’re the true bastard here,” Tommy stepped through her living room door, a sealed box in his arm. 

John took the box from him and turned to set it on an empty side table. Y/n eyed the sealed box with curiosity, “What’s that for?”  

Since entering her home, they had made sure to be as loud as possible yet fell silent at her question. Tommy’s eyes slowly analyzed y/n, “A gift.”   

“For me?” she was standing now walking towards the box, her shoulders brushing against Tommy’s as she passed. Her fingers ran over the top of the box, its surface smooth and cool.  

“It’s from all of us.” Polly spoke, “Was a riot to get the details right.”  

Polly’s statement piqued her interest. With swift hands she opened the box and peered inside. Her heart swelled as she stared at a sculpture of her pet. It was strange to see him immortalized in this way. Whoever put this together tried their best to get the details right. From the cocky tilt of his head to the teasing sway of his tail, it was perfect. He wasn’t real and therefore wouldn’t do any of the things she wanted but nonetheless she loved him. Because now she had something to refer to when she missed him.  

She laughed, tears slipping from her eyes, “thank you, I love it.” 

She wanted to grab it, pull it from its box and hold it everywhere she went but she was afraid she’d break it with her shaky hands. At her admission a wave of relief washed over the room, “how about some dinner? I’m sure we’re all starved,” Tommy uttered after a moment. 

Y/n was all too happy for the distraction and extra company. Maybe isolating herself wasn’t the best idea, but she was glad she had people like the Shelby’s backing her up for something as mundane as losing a pet in all the chaos they experience daily.  

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

[notyour-valentine]

Valentine's Writings ~ Ada Shelby Masterlist

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All my writing is produced by an adult and created with an adult audience in mind (18/21+). You are responsible for your own media consumption. I do not consent to my work being translated, copied or posted elsewhere on this platform or any other.

I hope you enjoy and would be grateful for any form of feedback.

Headcanons

Being Ada's lesbian lover

Skiing

Moonboards

Turn to page... (Professor Thorne x Reader)

[peaky1wh0re]

Finn Shelby × reader fanfic on Wattpad coming soon!!

Hey, I'm gonna be writing a Finn Shelby × reader fanfic on Wattpad since he's very underrated and I wanted to write something hahaha

My user is Hermione1500 (cringe I know haha)

[toms-cherry-trees]

No One Left || Victoria Shelby

Summary: Even when the world is black and the ground threatens to crack underneath his feet, Tommy always has someone to count with, has he?

Word count: 2446

Warnings: police brutality typical of the era

Author’s note: This is what I call a writer’s clot. An idea I wasn’t sure about but it wouldn’t let the creativity flow until I got it out of my system. I don’t expect much attention since I’ve had Victoria abandoned for a whole year but hopefully she’ll become more of a regular. For timeline purposes, Vicky is 13 in this.

Let me know if you wanna be in my taglist

Whenever Victoria closed her eyes, the flashbacks began. 

As per usual, they hadn’t allowed her into the meeting, not even permitting her to be in the premises of Tommy’s office while the entire family sat there discussing business. But as every sneaky child, she had her ways, and had figured shortly after moving into Arrow House that a vent in Tommy’s office connected with one inside the cupboard by the staircase, and with a little effort she could make out most of the words they spoke.

She didn’t expect to encounter a tragedy.

The banging against the double doors of Arrow House, the thumping of heavy boots against the polished wooden floors. Her family screaming at Tommy with such raw emotion, she could imagine the spit flying from the open mouths, veins popping and faces flustering from sheer, unfiltered rage, while he remained impassive to the storm in the unnerving way only he managed to do.

When the police bustled in, Tommy did not move a muscle. He chose to stay frozen in place, staring at the smooth surface of his desk while his family fought for their freedom. Victoria rushed towards the entrance, only to find bedlam in there.  She saw her sisters in law, one heavily pregnant and one with a newborn being manhandled towards the door, their screaming and slapping being useless against the coppers hauling them out. 

John tried to bite an officer’s hand out of useless spite, and in retaliation he was slammed so hard against the wall he went cross eyed for a moment. Arthur headbutted the one holding his arms back; the fearful cracking of the wooden baton against his rib cage resonated in the lounge; he would surely have a few broken bones to account for.

Polly could barely hold herself upright, being held against the wall by the neck of her shirt and forced to stand on the tips of her high heeled boots. Michael didn’t struggle, taking what was coming his way with the resignation and demure fear expected of her well educated cousin. Ada screamed bloody murder at the man holding her back, who threatened to arrest her as well if she didn’t calm down.

Finn and Isaiah had gone feral, kicking and biting in the same way they did when they were young children caught in mischief. Isaiah stomped on someone’s foot; the next moment his own head was pressed under a baton against a side table. Finn was handcuffed on the floor after making Moss believe he had a gun in his pocket and would shoot him.

Uncle Charlie and Curly went on peacefully, far too shocked to even protest, and reassured by the security that they had nothing against them to hold and they didn’t even know enough to be witness to anything. Victoria still tried to protect them, spitting at a copper as the only act of defence she could muster in her state of shock. The fist that collided with her gut knocked all the air out of her lungs and forced her to bend down. 

At the end they had all been hauled in the back of a police van, the black doors closing behind them feeling like a slam on their faces; as if they had hit the end of their road. Victoria tried to chase them through the driveway, but she hadn’t even made it to the iron gates when her legs gave out and she collapsed on the road, sharp pebbles digging into her skin.

In less than five minutes, her world had collapsed. 

~

Tic toc. Tic toc. The clock seemed to mock him. The bloody needles definitely moved faster when he wasn’t looking. For it was impossible that three days had already passed. Each day marked on the calendar meant one day closer to set them free. Or one day closer to see them hang. They all had yet to go to trial but it wouldn’t be long, and it wouldn’t be fair. There was not much to argue against anyway. They had all done it, after all. None of the accusations were false. But they were innocent, in a way. None of those crimes were committed for their own benefit. They did it to help Tommy and his boy.

It was all for him. 

It felt like five minutes, but 2 hours had gone by while Tommy stared blankly at the papers in his desk, crossing names on lists, dialling phone numbers and making sums on how many bribes he’d have to pay. He had the biggest card of the game tucked under his sleeve, but no players to play it with. Any official he could pay, any friend he could call, any favour he could trade was simply not high enough to reach the stars he needed to pull down for this feat.

Another five minutes passed by in his mind, but in reality another hour had disappeared in the blink of an eye. The clock definitely was taunting him, the wretched machine laughing in his face as it said you cannot beat me, nor can you stop me. Just like you couldn’t beat them.

In a moment of frustration, Tommy shot the antique clock until nothing remained but shattered glass and splintered wood. 

Once the smoke had dissipated, both from the barrel and from his brain, it felt like suddenly all energy had left his body. He leaned against his leather chair, rubbing his eyes until sparks of light danced on the edge of his vision. He felt a headache forming behind his left eye, the familiar throbbing matching in perfect sync with the beating of his heart. 

Tommy remained in that position, wallowing in his own misery until he heard a car pull up in his driveway. His whole body tensed, ears perking up, waiting with a held breath for any more unusual sounds. But nothing else happened, which was just as worrying. Tommy grabbed the gun from its holster and marched towards the foyer, ready to fill the intruder with lead first and ask questions later. His index was already hooked in the trigger when a sound startled him from the stair landing, almost making him shoot on accident. Victoria came down the stairs, dragging a battered suitcase with her, and Mary following on her heels, begging her to reconsider what she was doing.

She walked in such a haste she didn’t stop to even spare a glance at Tommy until he physically blocked her from the entrance with his broad frame. 

“Now where the hell do you think you’re going”

“I’m leaving”

“I can see that for myself. Where are you planning to move, eh?”

“I’m moving in with Esme”

“And whom did you ask for permission”

“No one. I don’t need permission. I am an orphan and the adults in charge of me are in jail”

Those words hurt more than Tommy cared to admit. It was true that after their father’s death the subject of the kids was left hanging in the air, but the brothers didn't worry because after all, their youngs were not so young anymore. Finn had turned 16 not long ago, and Victoria would soon be 14 and a proper young lady. They never had a father to begin with so nothing in their lives would be disrupted. But Tommy had never heard her refer to herself as an orphan, not even once, not even when she believed both her parents to be dead when she was a child. When asked about her parents, she just shrugged it off and said she had her aunt and brothers. But now she had lost them all. Or almost. 

“Mary, leave us alone please” The maid simply nodded and disappeared behind the service door

“Oh sorry almighty Lord, I didn’t meant to hurt your pride in front of the service”

“What the fuck is your problem now, eh? You used to be so well behaved and now…”

“And now what?” Victoria had dropped her suitcase and took a step forward, being face to face with her brother. Or as much face to face as she could, being considerably shorter than him still “And now I’ve decided to not be anymore the perfect little sister? You still have the nerve to ask what’s my problem? I have about a hundred of those now, and they all relate to you”. Her chest heaved dramatically with each phrase, and her hands trembled slightly at her sides. It took her a lot of courage to pronounce those words, which had been fluttering inside her head for a long time. But they held nothing but truth. Her life had peaked when the business soared, and then had steadily declined when the money abounded and so did the avarice. But none of them did it on their own free will. They all tethered on the edge of disaster led by one man. The one who swore to protect them all and claimed to want nothing but great things for the family. Easy is to seek greatness when you are the King and not the pawn. 

“Now now sweetie, I don’t think you mean that at all” He tried to pet her head, just like he did when she was just a little girl who asked too many questions. Great was his surprise when she smacked his hand away. She had never once hit him, not even throwing tantrums. 

“Stop being so condescending. I am not a toddler anymore, nor am I a fool. Don’t you think I know what’s going on? Even if you keep me away from everything, I know what happens in this family. I know I lost my family, maybe forever. They could go through the noose anyday. And I know it is all your fault, your and your ego’s. You finally found yourself a bigger dog, but it wasn’t you who got bitten. Consequences never reach you”

The only fault Tommy found in himself at the moment was not realising that even if Vicky was a darling, she was still a Shelby, and being cunning came with the genes. No secrets were safe from her. For the first time he came to notice his baby sister had grown, and she could no longer be treated like a child. But she couldn't be treated like an adult either, especially in the adult world her family lived in. She was not made for that type of life and could not handle that type of harshness. 

Yet he still decided to not be the bigger person and argue with her

“This is not all on me. They did everything on their own free will. I didn’t hold a gun to anyone’s head as far as I can recall” Now if he could believe those words himself, it would surely help him to sleep better at night. But he couldn’t afford the luxury of showing weakness. If he crumbled, the world would collapse. 

“Do you actually believe they would have turned their backs on you when Charlie’s life was on the line? They did this to protect your son because you couldn’t do so. Because your greed knows no limit and you got involved with people you couldn’t control” Victoria’s lip had begun to tremble, but she forced herself to be strong and swallow back the knot in her throat. The one lesson they had ingrained in her brain was to never show emotion. Emotion is weakness and weakness is defeat “Do you even realise the full impact of this debacle? Esme is alone with seven children including a newborn. Linda could give birth any day now. You left eight children potentially fatherless in a world where single mothers struggle to get by. Polly had found herself a man who loved her, and turned her back to him because of your paranoia. Michael has his whole life ahead of him”.  Tommy opened his mouth to defend himself, but his sister cut him off with a smack on the chest “Finn was basically left to fend for himself, because you never spared him more than a glance every once in a while unless he was useful to you. I bet you don’t even know where he lives now”

Tears had begun to trickle down her cheeks, getting lost in the curve of her neck, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away. Tommy wanted to do so, but feared touching her would only make things worse. This woman in front of him held no resemblance to his sister. His sister had never stared at him with hatred in his eyes nor had she ever recoiled from his touch. This girl was not his sister. Or maybe he was no longer her brother. 

“Why do you always do this? Always getting into trouble over and over again. You didn’t learn your lesson with Sabini, nor with Campbell,  because some wicked twist of fate always saved your neck at the last second. It's like the universe sends you endless opportunities to humble yourself, and you only use them to inflate your ego. Is time to wake up Tommy, you are not God. Just a fake idol with wax wings who continuously flies too close to the sun. Beware of your fall, I just pray nobody crashes with you”

Victoria looked like she had something more to say; as if not all of her burden had been unloaded. But the honking of the car outside broke their moment. She picked her suitcase and marched past him, not even sparing her once favourite brother a second glaze as she climbed on the cab and left Arrow House, perhaps to never return.

Tommy stood for a long time in the foyer, right where Victoria had left him, hands in his pockets and heart in his throat. For the first time in a long time, tears welled up in his eyes, but was quick to brush them away. During the worst times of his life, when he couldn’t even face his own reflection on the mirror, he had counted with Vicky on his side. She had always stood by him, and would be the cheerful girl who would tell him to keep positive and that everything would be solved and things would get better someday. She was the ray of sunshine of this family. But now her spark had become muddied and dull until her light faded into darkness, merging with the shadows of the dark world her family lived in. And this time, Tommy had only himself to blame. He had broken her rose tinted lens and stepped on the shards.

And now, he had no one left.