#this + she shakes her head when the auctioneer talks about the romantic history of a vase

[qinghe-s]

not nearly enough gifs of XIAO HUA (6/∞)

(id in alt text)

[floatinginwords]

Saved by the Devil (9/?) - Tommy Shelby

Summary: Reader goes to visit tommy at his office (sorry im bad at summaries lol)

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x fem!reader (Its getting romantic i promise. slowly but surely)

A/n:  sorry this took so long to post and make. Semester is already kicking my ass and making me stress. Hope you enjoy and have a fantastic night. 

It had been a week since you’ve seen Thomas. Since you told him that you wanted to help him. At first, he was very confused. He had expected you to be angry with him or maybe even cry. But you had asked to help assassinate a general with him.

 “Im not getting you involved”

 You ignored him already piecing together what the plan might be, “You wrote down, 23-24 seconds? Your gonna kill this guy in that a mount of time with a guard outside and possible more inside. Plus the guy fought so he’ll know self defense…” You had begun rambling and he was just baffled.

 “Stop.” He told you, you were making some good points but he didn’t want to bring you in this mess. It was his alone that he must face.

 Before the two of you can argue any further, Ada called for him. A phone call she had said. He left you room and never came back. And that was a week ago. You annoyingly asked her everyday and night when he was to return. Now that you knew of the plans and what he was involved in, you couldn’t just let it go. It was dangerous, you knew that. It wasn’t your run of the mill assassination. You don’t know how Thomas was going it on his own or how he even planned on doing it. You had heard the Inspectors words. You know that that held animosity toward the peaky blinder. You can hear in his voice, you felt it in his punches. There was no way that he would give him everything he promised. Thomas needed to be one step ahead of the game. Which you were already conducting for him. You weren’t sleeping as much at night anymore anyway so writing down every scenario and idea you had. And then when that week was done you had it.

 “Ada, Ada, ada.” You ran through the halls calling for her.

 “What is it?” She asks coming out of her sons bedroom, probably fishing tucking him in for the night.

 “Your home in Birmingham, I need the address. Or the pub your brother owns.” You say to her with paper and pencil in hand ready to write down what she tells you.

 “Why?” Ada raises an eyebrow before passing you to go to her own room. You follow her.

 “Ada please.”

 “Why are your trying to see my brother? Didn’t you tell me you weren’t gonna work for him?”

 “I never said that.”

 “What do you like him or something?” Ada fake gags at her own words. Your cheeks warm a little bit but you keep a serious face as you tap the pencil to the paper.

 “Its not like that.”

 She stares at you long and hard. “I called him for help when you never came home. The man rushed over here like you wouldn’t believe.”

 “Ada, an address.”

 “ (y/n) your my friend and hes also my brother I just-“

 “Its just business.” You scoff at her.

 She sighs, “He had someone about a year ago. She was the barmaid at the pub.”

 “I’m not interested in your brothers history.” You can feel your temper rising at this topic jumping she was doing to you. It wasn’t about what she was implying at all. You wanted to help him that was all. You didn’t care about who he was with years ago or even now.

 “You are in his whereabouts.”

 You bite the inside of your cheek. Ada tilts her head and smiles, thinking she’s got you. You turn around ready to leave to your room when she finally spills the address for you.

 ***************************************************************

You stood outside the building where Ada told you was Thomas’s office. You hoped he was there to hear you out. You were going to try to convince him but you had no certainty that you would succeed. You walked inside to find a bunch of woman inside talking.  One was short and very pregnant, the other tall and slender and the last one a bit older but looked the scariest out of all of them. They stopped talking as soon as you entered.

 “Umm excuse me…” You stuttered under their judging glares “Im looking for Thomas Shelby.”

 At first none of them say anything. They continue to stare at you. You meet the older ones eyes. You regret it instantly as you feel a fearful shudder go down your spine. That was a woman you did not want to mess with.

 “What do you need with mr. Shelby?” the tall one asks

 “Look at her Liz, what do you think she’s here for to take your place,” the pregnant one snickers.

“Shut up Esme.” The older one says.

 “I just wanted to talk…if he’s not here….” You trail off.

 A door in the back opens and out walks the devil himself. He glances up expecting only the three woman from himself maybe Michael or Finn and instead finding one more woman amongst the group; you.

 “(Y/n).” he simply states putting his hands in his pockets.

 You don’t say anything observing how awkward and tense you feel with these women.

 The older one speaks up, “Is this how your getting my son out of jail, Tommy. By fucking some whore?” She spats at him venom filling her voice.

 You’re about to speak up for yourself when Thomas opens his mouth first.

 “She’s not a whore, Polly. And Michael will be out soon. (Y/n) step inside..” He gestures for you to go in to his office. You feel very heavy under all their stares as you walk. You remember the name Michael. He was the young boy at the horse auction you had met.

 Thomas closes the door after you. You sit down crossing your legs and lacing your fingers together. Thomas sat next to you on the chair rather than across.

 “You’re looking better.” He says noticing the bruises on your face were fading.

 “Thank you,” You say, “They seemed on edge, is everything all right?”

 “That’s just the way they are.” He says.  

 You don’t say anything and just stare him. You knew he was lying. He chokes under your gaze.

 “Arthur and Michael are in jail. I’m working on it though.” He says swallowing hard. You didn’t press further, you could tell he was having a rough time.

 “I hope it works out.” You say, you clear your throat and adjust your self on the chair, “You shouldn’t kill the general at his house.” You spit out.

 “Jesus Christ Woman.” He says shaking his head.

 “Hear me out.” You plead.

 “Why do you want to do this?”

 You ignore him. Instead you tell him your whole plan. How he could kill two birds with one stone.

 “If your still going to Epsom, you can get Sabini. Maybe not kill him but screw him over. Are you still seeing May?”

 He nods.

 “Good you probably already know she’s got influence on the board. You use that to your advantage when you take Sabini men licenses. You go through her to get your men to what they need. Then the races are yours.”

 “How will we burn their licenses when theres fukin police everywhere.

 “They wont be around when they hear gunshots.”

 He takes a moment letting your words and plan sink in. He rubs his lip.

“We could burn the license’s gonna have to threaten them to take it,” He says muttering to himself, “The general why would he even go there?”

 The two of you talk for hours inside that little office of his. Drinking and talking of the plan. He tried to shut it down multiple times, trying to get you think twice about getting involved. But your mind was already made up. He seemed to like you idea, adding on to yours and even sharing details of the private mission of to you. It was like a weight lifted off his shoulders as he told you the how he had even gotten involved in this political mess.  Soon the drinks clouded both your minds and it was no longer business that you were just talking about.

 “So what you want out of this?”

 “You said the government involved right with this…the prime minister knows what your doing?”

 “Aye…”

 “Then maybe he could get me a new name or-“

 “Why do you need that?” He asks you

 “You can never live just one life…” You smile trying to joke.

 He stares at you intently, “Why did your father lock you up in that place?”

 Your smiles drops, he notices it his eyes softening just a bit. “Sorry, it just came up in my head.”

 “Do  I sound crazy to you or something?”

 “Its just a question ive had in my head for awhile. Its none of my business.” He stares at you deeply.

 “No its not,” You say softly, “I don’t know why he put me there either. Maybe cause he could. I mean I never asked him.”

 “So when you get your new name what are you gonna do? Ride out in the hills, find a husband, push a few kids.”

 You laugh at him, he smiles when the sound hits his ears. “You should smile more, Mr.Shelby.”

 “Tommy. Why do you call me by my last name.”

 “Its too make sure you don’t get comfortable. This,” you gesture to the two of you, “is strictly business.”

 “Why of course. Another drink?” He asks getting up for more whiskey. You nod. Your cheeks were flushed and head dizzy. You were beginning to forget what self control was. You mouth moving before you can even comprehend your next thought.

 “Ada told me how you had someone last year.”

 He stops pouring the drinks to look at you. His back stiff and free hand curled into a fist.

 You continue talking, not looking at him. You weren’t looking at nothing in particular really. “I never had anyone.” His figure relaxes when he looks you more closely. Your body a bit limp, eyes glossy, your speech a bit slurred. You didn’t hold your liquor too good.

 “What else did Ada say?”

 You giggle remembering. Ada thinking you had a thing for her brother. How ludicrous! You glance toward the man, a little smirk resting on his pink lips and head tilting toward you. His blue eyes shining at you with an emotion you couldn’t quite detect. A strange feeling flutters in your stomach. You stop giggling and clear your throat.

“I think I should go. It was good talking to you.” You stand up way too fast. You begin to see black spots all over and the loss of balance.

 ‘Fuck’ you think to yourself, thinking about how your gonna embarrass

yourself falling to the floor.

 But then you feel a pair of hands grab at your arms and spin you around. You fall into Mr.Shelbys chest and for a moment he holds you there. And for that moment you smelled the cologne and whisky on his clothes. You felt the calluses on his rough hands against your soft skin. You felt the slight beating of his heart in his chest. You think if you look up you’ll get to see if the blues in his eyes are as clear as you think em to be.

 But the moment is gone an you both step away from each other, awkwardly. You swaying on your feet trying to regain balance and him hitting the drawer behind him.

 “You shouldn’t go home at this time (Y/N)” he finally says deciding to ignore what just happened. Which was fine with you. You felt very nervous all of a sudden and very, very confused.

 “Come with me.” He says taking you by the crook of your elbow and leading you out of the building. You didn’t want to admit that you liked the way it felt when he had grabbed you and the two of you walked out together, you couldn’t help but think of when and if he would do it again.

Read Pt.10

Tags

@captivatedbycillianmurphy @enamouravecleslivresetlechocolat @evelyn-4034

@ms-dont-care

[comeonrafe]

History [Rafe Adler] [1]

Pairings: Rafe x Reader

Request: none

About: Working with the reunited trio of Nate, Sam and Sully, the reader finds themselves wound up with someone they share a lot of history with. 

Warnings: none

Inspiration: x

Part 2

“Rafe,” you said carefully, feeling your stomach twist and turn into an abundance of knots.

“(Y/N),” he acknowledged, nodding his head. The silence between the two of you was suddenly awkward; it’d been many years since the two of you had seen each other, and you hadn’t exactly left on the best of terms. “You look well.”

You felt heat crawl up your neck as you took in the sight of Rafe in his white tux, and your mind drifted to your once probable wedding. Would he have worn something like this? “As do you, Alder,”

“I was wondering if I’d ever see your face around these sorts of things again,” Rafe admitted, a small smile on his face as he suddenly looked towards the ground, adjusting his grip on his scotch glass. “It’s been a long time.”

“Yeah, it has,” you sighed, folding your arms over.

“Would you like a drink?” He offered, looking slightly sentimental and genuine, and for a brief moment, you felt something set alight inside of you and you smiled.

“Yes; thank you,” you agreed, smiling at him sweetly as he walked away. The moment he was out of sight, you let out a huff of air, feeling your skin turn hot. “Did you hear that?” You questioned quietly, adjusting your earpiece quietly.

“Yeah,” Nate responded first, “Rafe’s here.”

You chewed on your lip, suddenly feeling very torn. The trio had no real awareness of your history with Rafe, though knew you had been somewhat romantic but thought you had lost touch altogether after Sam’s presumed death. 

“Sounds like he’s getting you a drink,” Sam added, “he’s into you.”

“I should hope so,” you thought, twiddling your ring finger. A warm, gentle hand lay on your shoulder and you turned, being greeted with that smug assholes grin again, his hand holding out a flute of champagne for you. 

“Thank you,” you smiled, taking the drink and immediately having a sip. “You know, I was thinking,”

“Yes? About what?” Rafe questioned, turning his body toward you. His gaze was not subtle as he looked you up and down again, and you shifted your arms a little to express your discomfort. 

“I haven’t seen you in forever and we didn’t leave on the greatest of terms, really,” you decided, biting on your nude-painted lip. “And I suppose I should explain everything to you before it get’s messy.”

“Messy?” Rafe laughed. “Why would it get mess-” 

Noticing how his voice trailed off and his eyes darted aside, you turned your head to realise that he’d spotted Sully, who was caught up in a conversation with a woman you didn’t recognise. You felt your heart sink in your chest.

“Rafe-”

He moved past you swiftly, heading casually towards your companion. 

“Oh. Like, “dead”, out?” The woman asked, her eyes a little wider with curiosity than when you had first stolen a glance from her. 

“Oh, no. More like “retired”,” Sully said with a smile. “Last I heard, he settled down, got married.”

“Hm,” Nadine responded, taking a sip from her drink.

“Well, then he might as well be dead, right?” Rafe laughed, shaking Sullivan’s hand. 

Ouch. 

“Excuse me,” you said quietly, stepping aside and taking yourself to the bathroom, fiddling with your hand again before uneasily clutching the marble counter of the sinks.

“Everything alright?” You heard Nate ask. “Sounded ‘messy’.”

“Hmm,” you responded, “I’m sorry, Nate.”

He was quiet for a while. He hadn’t known about you and Rafe, nor had the other two. It’d probably hurt their feelings, after everything. You couldn’t help the way you felt about him, and you desperately hoped that Nate understood that.

“It’s okay,” he said, finally. “He’s not worth your time.”

“I don’t know, Nate,” you breathed out, clutching the marble edges of the sink. “We were engaged.”

“Aw, Jesus, (Y/N),” Nate cussed. “How on Earth did you and him-”

“The auctions starting,” Sully warned quietly. 

“What’re you going to do, (Y/N)?” Sam asked. 

Suddenly you felt extremely dramatic. Here you were, a probable asset to the trio who desperately needed as much help as they could. You clenched your fists and readjusted your posture. 

“Don’t worry about me,” you said, “just get on with the plan. He’s not worth my time, anyway. Prick.”

“Well get on out here, the assholes started bidding,” Sully ushered you. You quickly glanced over at yourself in the mirror before frowning and turning out and heading back towards the auction, snatching up a spare paddle that was dotted around the room. 

“Do we have any other bids?” The lady asked.

Sully raised his paddle.

“We have one hundred thousand euros in the room,” she announced, to which the crowd stared at Sully, and then back to Rafe who lifted his paddle, a lace of annoyance to his face. 

The bidding continued to rise, until Sully began to hesitate. Stealing a glance from Rafe, who noticed you in the room, you lifted your paddle.

“Two hundred thousand euros,” the lady noticed, nodding towards you as a spotlight shone towards you.

“Five hundred thousand euros; let’s get this show on the road,” Rafe said, and you smiled to yourself. It was a small victory and you were going to take it, and-

The lights suddenly shut off, and in your rushed panic of emotions towards Rafe, your feet stood frozen solid, unable to move. As the lights came back on, his eyes turned towards the crucifix which everybody realised with a gasp that it’d vanished. 

In the panicked flurry of the crowd, Rafe immediately made his way towards you and snatched your wrist, dragging you out of sight before throwing his paddle to the ground with a loud clatter.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He spat, his grip still hard on your wrist until you yanked it away. You suddenly felt very immature for the little stunt you had just pulled before quickly remembering why you did it. It was for Sam’s freedom, right?

“You don’t get to talk to me like that, Rafe,” you said firmly, stepping backwards. “We’re done here.”

“We are not done here,” he said, “you don’t get to make the decisions anymore.”

“Rafe, I-”

“We’re leaving,” he grabbed your arm again, pulling you with him. “And there is no way on hell I am letting you go back to that triage of fools with all that you know.”

“What on Earth do you mean?” You asked. 

“Everything I told you,” Rafe’s grip tightened, “everything about Henry damn Avery and his goddamn ship.”

“I know that you might be a little obsessed with his treasure, Rafe,” you shook your head, “but that doesn’t interest me. I’m sorry, but we are done here.”

“You are not leaving without me-”

“Get your hands off of me,” you warned, pushing him. You cursed yourself for having tried to give him a chance not that long ago. What the hell was going on in your head?

“Shit, (Y/N), what’s going on?” Nate asked, his voice staticy and distant. “We need to get out of here!”

“You are not leaving me again,” Rafe said, less angrily, his hair slightly mussed from where he had pulled at it from stress. His eyebrows furrowed together and your breath hitched, the closeness alarming and frightening you. In that brief moment, you made a decision.

“Go without me,” you said hurriedly, reaching for your earpiece. You could handle Rafe, you knew him better than anyone. As long as the trio got out in one piece, you’d be happy. 

“What? (Y/N)?” Sam called.

You ripped the earpiece out. 

“If I come with you,” you took in a sharp breath, “you leave them be.”

Rafe hesitated. “I make no promises.”

You narrowed your eyes, “Rafe.” You warned.

“Look- fine. I won’t kill them,” he said, “good enough?”

Sighing, you realised that’s all you were going to get out of him for now. Nodding your head, you went with him.