#I need protective cousin/older brother Heath

[starlightshadowsworld]

Heath fussing over Jackson, pulling out a hoodie from his rucksack and handing it to him while scolding him for missing breakfast.

Pulling out some breakfast bars as he does so and handing them to his sheepish cousin.

While everyone stares in shock.

[deepdonutkid]

Kismet

Requested: No

Paring: Shelby!Sister Reader x Isaiah

Words: 5624

Summary: For a year now, you had a secret relationship with Isaiah and even when he is still in the same room with you, you can’t stop feeling lonely. It’s not that you don’t love him anymore, it more about the weight of the secret you have to carry. But with Tommy as you big brother you can’t risk, telling the truth or your man might get shot.

Note:

I was in the mood for a Shelby!Sister reader x Isaiah and it turned out to be way longer than I expected it... and I even cut out dialog... So here it is!

It’s also flavored with Junior Peaky Boys fun at the beginning. And I was inspired by my homegirl’s one shot called star and my story is an addition to hers, it’s the same night, but Bonnie has some other adventures than the reader and Isaiah.

Somehow I feel like everybody is a little ooc, but I couldn’t correct it.

Requests and tag list are still open, feel free to dm me or send me an ask.

tagging: @bonniesgoldengirl​ @justalonelyslytherin​ @theshelbyclan​ 

Warning: swear words, drinking, binge drinking, gambling, a hinted smut and a sweet ending

It was one of those nights, nothing special, just the usual fellows around the same table in the Garrison.  You had fun nevertheless. All your friends were right there, you had enough to drink and you had a luck hand today. The cards seemed to work in your fortune.

Deviously smiling you revealed your hand. You just had won this round and it gave you unholy amounts of satisfactions. “Ha”, you cheered: “Suck it up.”

Your friend shrugged and shoved his coins in your direction. All he said was a very grumpy “There you go”, but it pleased you.

You took the money and peaked around the corner. Where was Michael with the drinks? He was like a brother to you, but he was just your cousin. Maybe it was because you were born just two months before his older sister, Anna. Even though, she was gone Michael came back to his real family and now you were closer than ever. You cared for him, more than your siblings did.

But that didn’t mean you wouldn’t hit him, if he just left the bar to fuck with some random girl. It was not about him having sex, more about leaving without telling anybody. Especially when he was supposed to get drinks for the table. You moaned and said: “Where is Michael?”

“Probably doing somebody”, Isaiah joked and lit a cigarette. Then he offered you one and you took it gladly. Actually, you bit your lip and gave him the side-eye, but you had to hide your smile in front of the others. Bonnie and Finny weren’t the smartest boys in Small Heath, but you wouldn’t risk it.

You had so much fun with Isaiah that you didn’t even know when it started. Months passed by, while you were completely caught up in your little game with him. Nobody knew it. That was mainly Isaiah’s fault. At first it amused you to keep your relationship with him secret, but now you were ready to tell your family about it. Your boyfriend didn’t like the idea.

Somehow you thought Michael started to notice. He gave you the glace, which said: “I know, dear”, but maybe you were just getting crazy. You just had to be more careful around others now and everything was fine.

The night was still young and you were keen to make Bonnie lose all his money today. He had won the boxing match earlier and the bruises were still visible, but unfortunately for him, he couldn’t win against you. It was just a card game, but it filled you with gleeful joy. This and the fact that Isaiah was sitting next to you. Sometimes he would brush your thigh with his fingers, which made you giggle even more.

“There he is”, yelled Finny while being so fucking drunk, like you never had seen him before. Michael arrived with messy hair and his tie was undone, but he had your drink and that was all that you care for. “Finally”, you fluted and ripped the glass of his hand: “Thank you, babe.”

And the whiskey was still cold, which meant he fucked the girl first and ordered the drinks afterwards. “How was she? Good?” you asked before you took a sip from your whiskey. You weren’t a lightweight when it came to drinking, maybe not as well as Arthur and John, but you could tolerate much more than Ada and Finny. Your little brother was so drunk, he looked like his head was all empty and yet filled with bullshit.

Michael sat down next to you and answered: “Mhh, she was okay, but she talked too much.” Then you felt the weight of a hand on your thigh again. A shiver rushed down your spine, but it was the wrong side. Your cousin had put his hand on your knee. “Everything alright, Y/N?”

You nodded. “Yeah, everything is perfect”, you blabbered hoping he wouldn’t keep asking questions, but he did. “Don’t be so worried, every time I’m with a girl. I know you’re still a virgin, but you can get some too. Tommy wouldn’t be against it.”

How wonderfully wrong he was. Neither were you a virgin nor would Tommy be okay with this. After all, you were his little sister and he wouldn’t accept the guy, you were sleeping with. Of course, Isaiah was a friend of the family, but after the whole thing with Ada and Freddie you had something to worry about.

The best snarky comeback was right on the tip of your tongue, but you couldn’t say it without letting something slip. ‘What gives you the idea I’m still a virgin?’ And yet you were silent as the guy who fucked you, sat right next to you. You felt trapped and decided to go straight forward. “Yes, he would. You know it and everybody in Small Heath knows it.”

“Oh whatever”, Michael mumbled: “Just drink enough and you eventually forget about it.”

You grinned and emptied your drink. “Fuck it, let’s play some cards. I’m not done with Mr. Gold over here.”  Then you took the cards and dealt them to start the next round.

Much later that night when you brought Finn back home and went straight back to the pub, in front of the entrance, you stumbled into Bonnie. “Is there a reason why you’re smirking?” you asked him. He was gleaming red and smiling like an idiot.

Then you remembered. “The singer, right?” Bonnie nodded and his grin got even wider. “You talked to her?” Again he gave you a silent answer. You grabbed his arm and pulled him back inside. He was a lot heavier than you thought, but then again, you were just a girl and he was a boxer.

Sometime it was weird to only have male friends, it just happened. Maybe it was because of your brothers. Maybe that’s why you never acted like a proper girl. Of course you felt like a woman and you liked your body, but in your eyes it was so much easier to talk to guys.

“Eyy, where did you found him?” Michael slurred and helped you to put your friend on a chair again. With your hands finally free you had the chance to explain. “Found him outside. I don’t know what he did there, but he talked to the singer.”

Both, Isiah and Michael nodded. It was only logical for Bonnie to freak out after it talking to her. He was there every Friday night looking for the singer and now his brain seemed to melt, just because she said something to him. But neither of you knew, what she said exactly. Maybe this was a problem for another night. It didn’t look like Bonnie was able to answer.

So you ordered some more drinks and sat back down again. In this separate room, which was reserved for your family, it was almost too tempting to get close to your boyfriend again. Isiah looked so good that night and it hurt to be unable to touch him… or to kiss him. But you would be satisfied with just holding his hand now.

It was a curse; you knew it soon after you realized that you loved him. He was handsome, charming and a loyal friend. There was no better man for you, even though you wished you could be together in public. And again you bit your lip and moved your chair away from him.

But you couldn’t think about this anymore, it was too frustrating and luckily somebody else caught your attention. It was Bonnie who mumbled very quietly: “I think she kissed me, but it could be a dream as well. It felt so surreal.”  You padded his shoulder and nodded to underline your compassion.

It was just the same with Isaiah. Whenever you two were alone, it was amazing and beautiful. He was so soft and romantic and he just made you happy. But every time you woke up and he was gone, the sweet scenery shattered. And out in public it was getting annoying to find excuses to be with him or getting away, so you could spend some time alone with him and you had to lie to your whole family about your whereabouts. Slowly it became exhausting.

There was nothing you could do about it, so you just drank your whiskey and talked with the boys about Bonnie’s singer and the girl Michael had. It was so easy for them to display their relationship in the public, but of course you didn’t have this privilege as a girl. Apparently, you needed to be protected. Or so it has been explained to you. You wasn’t concerned for your safety but for your freedom. Tommy said it was his job as your big brother to care for you, even if it felt like he was controlling you. You have always been the wild one among your siblings and everything was fine, until your mum died and your dad left. Then Tommy was in charge and sometimes his opinions would vary from yours, which led to fights. And yet you feared what he might do, if he found out about your secret.

All the sudden Bonnie fell from his chair and you groaned. Now somebody had to bring him home as well. First Finn and now him… but why they couldn’t take the whiskey today? You weren’t nearly as drunk as them, but still.

Isaiah stood up and picked his friend up. “I’m taking him home. I’ll be right back”, he said, before leaving.

Now Michael and you were alone. It wasn’t what you wanted. The only thing you could think of was smooching the sweet lips of your boyfriend. You were caught up in your little fantasy, when your cousin woke you up again. “Isaiah is acting weird lately.”

“Oh… really? I didn’t notice”, you replied: “He seemed normal to me.” Your hand grabbed the fringe of your dress. Talking about him made you nervous.

Michael moaned and fumbled for his cigarettes. He put them out, you took one and he turned his between his fingers, when he added: “I don’t know, maybe I’m getting paranoid, but I think he is hiding something from us.” Then he lit his cigarette and took a drag from it.

You inhaled sharply and stared into the void for a second, before answering: “Don’t be silly, he is just as loyal as ever.” Then you laughed and Michael joined in. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I just needed to get this off my chest.”

The rest of the conversation went just like usual. You chatted, you bickered and you had fun. While the bell already announced the new day, Isaiah came back.

In this tiny glimpse of a moment you couldn’t hide your smile and he reciprocated. Actually, you were just waiting for Michael to leave now. It was your plan all along, but patience has never been your strong suit.

It took three more rounds for Michael to say goodnight. “Take care of her, will you?” Isaiah nodded. When Michael finally grabbed his jacket and headed to the door, you felt unbelievably excited. Your fingertips slapped a melody on the table, while you watched him leaving. The door shut and now you had what you longed for all night.

You turned around and looked at him. Gosh, waiting felt like an eternity. Now you were the one smiling like an idiot. Slowly Isaiah came closer and his hand pulled you to him for a kiss. “Finally”, you whispered against his lips, before giving him what he wanted.

After you two parted you rested your head on his shoulder. Now you were getting tired as well, but you didn’t want to go to your bed. “I was waiting the whole evening for this”, he moaned and stroked your hair.

The smell of his perfume made you realized how much you missed him too, even though he was with you since you went to Garrison tonight. You moved closer to him and wrapped your arms around him to give him a tight squeeze. Then you signed: “I wish we didn’t have to hide” and buried your face in his shirt.

“Babe”, he replied: “We already had this conversation. It wouldn’t end well. Let’s just enjoy what we have as long as we can.” It hurt, but Isaiah was right. There was no chance Tommy was getting you off the hook, once he knew about it. And no matter how you explained it to him, he would still be against it. You were too young for stuff like that, as if he didn’t fucked Greta, when he was the same age.

You leaned back to see his beautiful face again. There was something in his eyes, a twinkle or something like that, but it always made you feel comfortable. A lick of your lip was enough to purpose the idea of doing something nasty. He knew you since you were children and it was like he could read your thoughts, especially the dirty ones.

Isaiah started giggling and asked: “Hey, babe, I still can cheer you up, right?”

Maybe it was time for some fun, different to the fun you had before with your friends. The word pleasure would describe it well and with his knowing look he gave you so many ideas. You laughed and nodded. “I think it might help when you do the thing with your tongue.”

“Oh”, he responded amused: “Like this?” And then grabbed you for a kiss and god, what a kiss it was. His tongue brushed your upper lip just to enter your mouth and explore it as if it was your first kiss. He even bit your lip playfully and kept going until you couldn’t breathe no more. Your knees started shaking and it was needless to say, he was the best kisser you ever had.

It took you a while to catch a breath again, but then you answered: “Yeah, just like this… But maybe we could go to your place and do a little more?”

He didn’t seem to be so sure about this suggestion. His thumb stroked your shoulder as he held you in his arm. Because he was so quiet for a second, you knew, he thought about this backwards and forwards. “But right when the sun comes up, you have to go back home”, he argued.

Again, Isaiah was right. You should take too many risks. Otherwise you might get caught and neither of you wanted that. All you could do was to shrug and agree: “Just don’t shoo me after we fucked.” There was bitterness in your voice. What wouldn’t you give to wake up next to him every morning?

The pub was almost empty, when you left. You couldn’t hold his hand on the way out. Everybody in Small Heath was Tommy’s spy. Back on the streets a cold wind blew. Now you had an excuse to go near him and he shared his coat with you. Isaiah was always so sweet and caring. You knew you wanted to spend your future with him. There was no other man and you wouldn’t get over him, not now and not in five years.

You even took off your shoes before entering the Jesus household and followed him on your tiptoes to his room. It was completely dark in the house and the silence was haunting, but good for you, you knew the way by now. The excitement made your fingers tremble.

Finally you arrived where you wanted to be the whole day, in his room. Isaiah closed the door as quietly as possible and started smiling. You walked up to him and started to unbutton his shirt. Now you didn’t want to waste any time.

And neither did Isaiah. He was ripping down your dress, which only worked because the straps were so thin. His hands were all over your body and you couldn’t stop kissing every inch of his skin. It felt like magic whenever he touched you. You moaned, when he played with your bare breasts. To silence you he put his thumb on your lips, which you took as an invitation to suck it. Maybe it was mean to tease him like that, but you were desperate for his affection.

An hour later you laid next to him, your head on his chest as he stroked your hair. “You should leave, before we both fall asleep, babe”, he whispered, which caused you to sign. Leaving now was draining, even exhausting. After this wonderful sex, you were too tired to move anywhere, not to the bathroom and certainly not back to your cold bed.

You pouted your lips and tilted your head, so you could give him your puppy eyes and a pretty please with cream and a cherry on top. “Just ten more minutes. Your bed is way comfier than mine.”

He laughed and kissed your forehead. “That’s just because I’m in this bed and you like to use me as your personal giant pillow.” Your fingers hovered about his belly. Even though his muscles weren’t tense now, you could still feel the strength lying beneath his skin.

While your index finger drew circles around his bellybutton, you whined: “Maybe… just maybe that is true, but I still want to lay here for a bit. Otherwise I start to feel like a whore, who only comes for sex and leaves silently afterwards.”  It wasn’t a knock against Lizzie or her job, but you didn’t like the feeling, when you got home and had to find sleep in your own bed. Even though you had a relationship with him, you still felt lonely. Especially when the sun was rising and nobody was by your side.

“You’re not a whore and you know that”, he argued looking a little concerned.

Then you turned on your back and stared at the ceiling. “No, I’m a Shelby and that is probably worse”, you scoffed.

Now Isaiah was silent and had no witty comeback for that. Maybe, because it was true. If you weren’t part of the family, you could be with anyone, whoever you wanted. Carrying the name Shelby was the only reason, why you had to hide your relationship with Isaiah.

After a while he mumbled: “Okay, stay for a while, but you should be back before they open the shop.” By that time you were already half asleep and yet his words made you smile. He wrapped his arms around you, the little spoon and purred like a cat. Just in this position the both of you fell asleep.

Loud steps were coming near the door, but they wouldn’t wake you up. The screaming of Isaiah’s name did. It was a familiar voice and it took you a couple of minutes to notice, it was your brother Finn who shouted and ran down the hall. Suddenly you were wide awake. You startled up and looked around the room. The sun was already up and shining through the window. Then you saw Isaiah, who was just as frightened as you were.

If Finn came rushing through that door, your secret relationship was no longer secret. “I locked the door last night”, he whispered, which was relieving to you, but still no perfect solution for this problem.

Now Finn arrived at the other side of the door and was knocking on it like crazy. “Isaiah, wake up! Y/N is gone. Nobody can find her and Michael said you were the last one with her in the bar”, your brother yelled. You could hear the panic in his voice, but you couldn’t get caught. Not now.

You stumbled out of the bed and collected your clothes, when you heard Isaiah ask: “What are you going to do? You can’t go out there. He will find out.” And you knew your boyfriend wasn’t concerned about Finn, more about Tommy.

The tension in the room was immense. You had to come up with a plan or your brothers would shoot your lover in front of your eyes.

Suddenly you knew what to do. You pushed the pile of clothing to your chest and squeeze it thigh, when you explained in a lower tone: “I’m gonna hide in the wardrobe and then you open the door and go with Finn away. Afterwards I can come out and then I go to the betting shop and tell the others I have fallen asleep on a bench or something.” It was not the best plan, but yet your only option.

Isaiah nodded and you climbed into the cabinet where he stored his shirt and jackets. The second you entered the small wooden space, you knew it was all going down. Call it intuition, call it divination, call it whatever power Polly owned, but you felt it rushing through your body. He closed the door behind you and then you could hear him stumble into his pants.

Only half clothed he unlocked the door to let Finn in. Isaiah was still sleepy. He wasn’t the morning type of person and before he hadn’t had his breakfast he wasn’t really available. Finn strode up and down. You heard is nervous steps. “Everybody is freaking out right now. Polly thinks somebody kidnapped her or worse. I mean, she has always been unratable in her doings, but this time my sister is really going of the edge. It’s already past lunch and nobody has seen her”, Finn explained: “This morning her bed was empty and I thought I shouldn’t worry, but now I’m afraid I should have said something sooner.”

The cabinet was very uncomfortable and yet you tried not to move or to make a noise, which would cause Finn’s attention. However, being in Isaiah’s position didn’t seem to be pleasant as well. He had to lie to his best friend about the whereabouts of his missing sister, knowing she was sitting right here. Isaiah patted his friends shoulder and said nothing.

Finn didn’t calm down and seemed to be upset, Isaiah wasn’t panicking like him. “C’mon, get dressed. We have to look for her. She might be lying somewhere in the dirt. We shouldn’t waste even more time, standing around.” Then he walked to the closet and opened just the door where you had been hiding.

Butt-naked you fell down to the floor and looked up to your younger brother, who had the same face expression as the one time you told him where the babies were coming from. Some when later you would look back at this moment and would have a good laugh about this, but right now it felt like your world was collapsing.

He should have seen you like this and it took you a whole minute to gather the mental energy to get back up at your feet and greet him like it was the normal thing to do in a situation like this. “Hey, Finny, there I am.”

Your brother froze mid movement and stared at you as if you were the first pink elephant the world has seen or a bear riding a bike. Then he broke the silence. “What?”, he winced. There was no anger in his voice, just total confusion.

Finn looked to Isaiah and then back to you. “You screwed my sister?!”

There was no answer to this question.

“How long?” Finn asked: “How long did you hide that from me?”

You glared over to you boyfriend as if you were asking him for permission to say something. Isaiah signed and nodded. There was no point in denying this anymore. It was over.

Now you had to tell the truth. “A couple of months, maybe a year or so”, you croaked and your voice sounded strange. Like it was not your own and even though you dreamt about finally opening up, it shouldn’t have been like this.

Your brother yelled: “A year?! A whole fucking year? Damn, I should be proud because apparently you two are excellent liars with no moral issues… you two deserve each other.” You heard the disgust and disappointment, when he spoke and it broke your heart. Back then, when the whole thing started you though he might be the only one of your brothers to understand you. How wonderfully wrong you were.

“No”, you said under your breath: “Don’t fucking do this to me. I would have told you, if you wouldn’t have run straight to Tommy after you knew. Everybody knows you can’t keep a secret. So don’t act like it was my fault or my mistake, because it’s not. I would have gladly told everybody, I’m like him very much, but you and Tommy and Arthur and John made it impossible for me to even talk with a guy who is not part of the gang. You can’t turn this around and act like you are the victim in all this.”

It was time for you to stand up for yourself and your decisions… and time for you to get dressed. You didn’t seem as responsible as you were when you were still naked and in front of the closed you have been hiding in. Now you knew how wrong it was to lie and hide your relationship, because it wasn’t their concern. It was your life, your body and your choice. Nobody could take that from you and certainly not your brothers. You weren’t afraid of them. All your life you saw how your brothers treated women and you said nothing about it, but this should change right now.

So you stood there, furious and filled with rage, put on your dress and your shoes and said one last thing, before leaving: “This madness has to end.”

You stormed out of the room- not caring for Isaiah or Finn- and heading for the King of Small Heath to throw him out of his high throne. Your hair was a nest and you smelled like a bar after a dirty old night, when you entered the betting shop. Nobody was there, just the regular family members.

Everybody seemed to be relieved to see you again and then came close to hug you. Ada was right next to the door and the first to greet you. “Oh my god, you’re back, sweetie”, she muttered.

Next was Polly who examined your appearance for cuts and other injuries. Of course you had none, besides the hickeys Isaiah gave you. She tried to take a closer look of your neck, but you pulled away, which caused her to ask: “What happened? Where were you all night?”

Now Tommy was coming up to you. His steps were slow, but fierce and the glare in his eyes was pinching. “Just from the smell I would guess, she was with a guy this night”, he scoffed: “She probably had a lot of fun, but now she should say, who that guy was, so we can take actions.” You knew he was addressing you, even though he didn’t phrase it like that.

“I don’t think, this is your business”, you replied with a grin on your face. You wouldn’t back down. Not this time. “But yes, I was with a guy tonight. So you don’t need to worry. I’m completely fine.”

Your older brother led out a little laugh, pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “Well, well, well, I don’t care what you think. I’m your brother and it’s my job to make sure you’re safe”, he explained: “And now you tell me who he was.” Ah, past tense, a hint of what was going to happen.

You crossed your arms and tiled your head to give him a dismissive look. “Who said it was your job?” was your comeback, but your brother wasn’t remotely impressed. Neither of you would let the other win. You were too stubborn for this gesture of insight.

Others, including Arthur and John, were somehow intimidated by Tommy’s behavior, but not you. Actually, you learned too much from him to take his shit.  He taught you to help your head up high and how to outsmart your enemies.  Now you could use the same strategies against him.

“Ever since our father left and mom died, you act like you are in charge, but you’re not. We are your siblings, not your pawn, waiting for your command”, you hissed: “I have my own life and I make my own decisions and who I meet shouldn’t concern you.” Slowly your anger grew. It was a boiling feeling in your gut, like you were fueled with fire.

Tommy was getting gleaming red. You had hit the right spot and you knew you would hurt him with your words, but otherwise he wouldn’t understand. The words were stuck in his throat as he killed you with his looks.

Patiently, you waited for his answer. He wouldn’t give you the satisfaction, but silencing your brother was the best thing ever, since he was the reason why you felt miserable lately. “No comeback? No arguments, dear?” You loved to poke his wounds and you did it with a huge smile on your face.

“As if you would listen to me… You even said it yourself. You wouldn’t take my advice”, he responded and bid his lip. “But I don’t need to talk to you to teach you a lesson. You’re too young to fuck around town and I’m going to find the bastard who did this and kill him.”

The door was opened behind you and soon Finn entered the room. You gave your little brother the death glare you were known for. He shouldn’t get the idea he was allowed to talk about what he found out.

You should be raging right now, but all you could do was laugh. His empty threats weren’t as daunting as he thought. With nothing but spite you whistled: “I would love to see you try. I kept this a secret for over a year now and you noticed nothing. And now I can wait another year for you to find him… or I could run away… whatever you prefer.”

Now you’re pushing your luck. Finn could ruin everything, if he just said one wrong word. The palms of your hands were sweaty. It was a dangerous game you played there, but it was not like you could back out of it now. This was road of no return.

Tommy seemed to be more surprised than fuming, when he asked: “You slept with some geezers for a year now?” He respected your talent to keep it under the radar. Everybody who could shirk his rules deserved acknowledgement for putting up with this risk. Maybe he was finally realizing how much you had grown. You weren’t his little kitten anymore.

“No, not geezers, just one guy”, you corrected him: “But yes, that is true.”

You watched Tommy as he walked around the table, heading for the whiskey, while he nodded understandingly. “Mh, so you would say it’s love?”

A sign came from your lips. You already knew the answer, but you weren’t so sure, if you should say this out loud. After all, you didn’t even have a proper talk about this with Isaiah. Silence was filling the room, while you calculated your risks. If you said, you loved him and Isaiah wasn’t as serious about the relationship, you would look like an idiot. Good for you, he didn’t come to the betting shop to witness the fight between you and your brother. Finally you decided to tell everybody: “Yes, I do.”

“Good”, Tommy mumbled while he poured his whiskey: “Then you should have my blessing. Just give us the name now.” He took a sip and seemed to be amused by your embarrassment.

Talking about Isaiah, while he wasn’t present, was weird, but you knew why he stayed in the comfort of his own room. You weren’t mad at him for not running after you. This was your fight and not his. And after all your brothers were a little scary, when it comes to stuff like this.

But you had Tommy’s word now and nothing should happen to your man. You shrugged and rolled with your eyes. The fuss they made about this was still annoying.

Ada patted your shoulder and encouraged you to speak. “Do we know him?” The answer was yes, but it was also the reason, why you struggled to say it out loud.

Even John chimed in and kept pushing: “Yeah, what’s up with this fella?” He was smiling to let you know the mood had changed. Nobody was against you anymore.

“It’s…”, you started and fumbled for the seam of your dress: “It’s Isaiah.”

At first it was dead silence, while the others processed the information, then Arthur and John burst out in laughter. Finn seemed to be relieved, because he would have hated it to keep a secret like this. Your older sister was hugging you a little too tight and even Polly was smiling.

Tommy had a smug on his face when he muttered: “If that’s the case, then you should have your happiness.”

“Isaiah is a fine fella. You will be alright”, hummed Arthur. Apparently everybody was happy with your choice. You just had to stand up for yourself.

It felt like a huge weight was lifted off your shoulders and then you could laugh about it too. But suddenly you remember that Isaiah was still waiting for his death in his room. “I should go and let him of the hook”, you fluted and already went to the door when you heard Tommy said: “Don’t get pregnant or he has to marry you.”

[writingwithacupoftea]

A family reunited - part 2!

Summary: The time has come for Y/N Shelby to explain her five-year disappearance to her family. Tommy, her beloved elder brother, proves to be less than understanding...

Word Count: 3220

A/N: 300 followers?? I still can’t believe it. I know this part 2 has been a long time coming, so I hope it serves as enough of a thank you 😘 I’ve never written a sequel to a fic before, so I don’t know how this will go down, but I hope you like it!! 💜💜

Part 1

Y/N Shelby had loved seeing her family again, she really did: it had been what she'd dreamed of for so long, just for them to know that she was alive had brought her happiness.

What she didn't love was Tommy's booming wake-up call of "FAMILY MEETING AT THE SHOP IN AN HOUR - DON'T BE LATE," at half past 8 in the morning.

Ah, but she sort of did at the same time.

Thinking back to the night before, Y/N found a warm, fuzzy feeling spreading throughout her body and a smile spread across her face as she snuggled back into her pillow. Her eyes began to close again, tempting a few more minutes sleep – surely she would still make the meeting in time?  

At the thought of the meeting, however, Y/N suddenly found herself wide awake as she realised what the meeting would be for: she was going to have to explain herself. Y/N was going to have to tell everyone why she disappeared for so many years and what happened in that time. Her stomach began to churn and her mind started to race, trying to hurriedly plan out what she would say, but unsure where to even begin.  

Y/N was proud of her work as a spy during the war, but that didn't mean that she was looking forward to reliving some of the details of her story.

Knowing that there was no point in delaying the inevitable for longer than necessary, she dragged herself out of bed and sent up a little prayer for the strength that she so desperately needed.

***

As Y/N walked into the meeting an hour later, she noticed the change in Tommy immediately. Gone was the loving brother that had spent the entire evening practically glued to her hip, and in his place was the cold leader of the Peaky Blinders that Polly had told her about upon her return to Birmingham.  

Whilst in hiding, Y/N had seen the impact that the war had had on the men who fought in France, but that didn't stop her heart from breaking slightly as she properly looked at Tommy in the light of day. He had always been quiet and controlled, but never to this extent.

She sat down at the table, and soon enough the whole family were gathered. Y/N couldn't bear to look at them, even though she hadn't said a thing yet. She feared their judgement, and was petrified that they would kick her out when she'd only just got back.  

But Y/N knew that in order for this to go the way that she wanted it to, she couldn't afford to let thoughts like that show. Instead, she needed to make it clear to her brothers that she still stood by her decision to leave. She had been made stronger by her mistakes and experiences during her time away, and refused to let them believe otherwise.  

So, as Tommy cleared his throat to begin speaking, Y/N took a deep breath and looked up.

"Right, well, we're all here - "

"That we are!" Arthur's hand came down and rested on her shoulder roughly, causing Y/N to smile in amusement.

"Yes, thank you, Arthur." Tommy's gruff voice cut through the joy. "So, Y/N, would you care to tell us where the fuck you've been for five years?"

Out of instinct, the woman in question met her older brother's blue eyes, hoping to find the comfort and support that they had always shown to her in the days before the war. But there was nothing; not even the slightest bit of love, or encouragement, or anger or anything.

In that moment, Y/N realised that no one could help her – only she could tell the story.

And so, she began...

***

A couple of hours later, it was finally over.

Y/N had told them all about how she had been recruited as a British spy, recounted most of her tales (but not all – some of them were still highly confidential and as much as she loved Arthur and John, Y/N wouldn't trust them with a barge pole when it came to keeping secrets), and eventually about her time in hiding and return to Birmingham.

Miraculously, she hadn't shed a single tear. Not even when she'd recounted the worst trappings and beatings. Before coming down to the meeting, Y/N had debated whether or not to tell her family about those times, but in the end she knew that the full truth would come out in time and that it would be better to get all of the pain out of the way at once. Whether that pain was for Y/N or everyone else, she wasn't sure.

But Y/N also hadn't been able to suppress her laughs and smiles at the happier memories: the friends that she'd made, the clubs that she'd danced at undercover, the boys that she'd seduced whether as part of her mission or just for a bit of fun (Tommy may appear to be an expert at controlling his emotions now, but you bet that Y/N didn't miss his jaw clench in protective anger several times).

Now, silence filled the room. A silence that seemed to last for eternity for Y/N. Unable to cope with it for any longer, she spoke again, this time unable to control the waiver of emotion in her voice: "Please say something, anything. You lot have always got something to say," Y/N finished with a slight laugh. Unknowingly, she had directed her words at Tommy, who was staring at her, his eyes as cold as ice. Y/N hated the fact that she sounded like a little girl again, seeking his approval; Tommy's opinion had always been important to her, no matter how many times she had vehemently denied the fact when she was younger.

Surprisingly to her, it was John who spoke first, looking at her directly as he did so. "We're proud of you, Y/N/N."

"Yeah," Arthur continued, gruffly. "Just a fucking lot to take in, is all."

Silence infiltrated the room once more, only cushioned by Polly reaching over to grasp her niece's hand tightly.

Realising that Tommy wasn't going to speak any time soon, Y/N stood up as if to leave, her chair screeching horribly across the floor. "Well if that's it, I'll go and -"

"Why?" Her second eldest brother cut her off. Even though her back was now turned, Y/N felt his gaze burning into her.

"Why?" She repeated, confused, as she turned around.

"You heard me. Why did you go?"

"Christmas had long gone, Tommy. I needed to do something other than sit around in Small fucking Heath waiting for you lot to come back. I tried to help with the business, you know I have ideas. But I got nowhere because I'm a woman, alright? So, when an opportunity arose to go and do something useful, of course I was going to jump at it."

Tommy scoffed. "Do you realise how fucking selfish you sound?"

Y/N's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Excuse me?"

"Even after you knew that the war wouldn't be ending any time soon, you still went gallivanting off, throwing yourself headfirst into danger. Did you not stop to think that this family could have lost another member? You clearly didn't, because apparently all that matters to you is getting a rush of adrenaline and trying to be the hero."

Crack. The sound of Y/N's open palm meeting Tommy's cheek echoed through the room.

"How dare you, Thomas Shelby." Y/N's voice was deadly quiet, her rage and feelings of betrayal bubbling ferociously inside of her. "How fucking dare you. After everything that I've just told you, you have the nerve to stand there and call me selfish? I knew that when I signed up there was a chance that I might not come back, but I did it anyway, you're right. I did it in the hopes that my work may help to end the bloody war sooner, so that it was more likely that you boys would come home alive. Because if none of you came back, have you thought, Thomas, how wrecked this family would be? Not just emotionally, but financially as well. There would be three women, Finn, and John's kids left and that would be it. We would hardly be able to bring enough money in to keep everyone safe and together forever, at least not until the children had grown up. As much as you might not like it, Tommy, that I knowingly put myself in a situation where I could've been killed, I did it to try and protect this family."

If Y/N had looked around at her family at that moment, she would have witnessed the shock and pain etched onto the face of each person around the table. None of them had realised that she had put so much thought into her decision to leave. Instead her eyes were locked with those of her brother, unwilling to back down.

Breaking the silence, Y/N added bitterly, "Still think I'm selfish, Thomas?"

She didn't know what she'd expected.  

Y/N knew that Tommy wouldn't take it all well, and whilst his instinct to protect her and make sure that she was safe typically overrode everything else, she had hoped that he would have at least understood her reasons behind her actions. He had always said that family came before anything else. So, when Tommy barged past her, storming out of the shop and slamming the door behind him, Y/N couldn't help the sob that escaped her.

***

Dusk had settled over the city. Y/N was sat by the Cut, mulling over the events of the last 48 hours.

After Tommy had left, she had broken down completely, letting out all of the emotion that she had kept pent-up for so long. Her siblings, aunt and cousin had told her that Tommy would come around, and that they would do anything that they could for her.  

But, as much as she adored her entire family, she needed Tommy; she needed the brother who had stood by her through thick and thin, who had always trusted her judgement and always loved her no matter what. She hadn't realised how much she had needed him until he had turned his back on her completely.

When most of her tears had dried, Y/N left the shop herself, murmuring a quick "I'll be back later" before she did. The family had let her go, knowing that she needed the time and space to process everything and calm down.

A few hours later, she did feel calmer as she took in the familiar surroundings (a hidden spot next to the Cut that her and Tommy had found when they were younger and hiding from their father). That was until she heard footsteps quickly approaching her from behind...

***

Tommy's mind was racing at a mile a minute.

Once again, he'd gone and ruined things with his family. He'd probably destroyed his relationship with Y/N for good, something that he couldn't bear the thought of losing. His little sister meant the world to him; it just hurt him to know that she had been through so much by herself, and that he hadn't been able to stop it. At least in the trenches he'd had his brothers by his side. Y/N had no one.

But he could help her now. He had realised that after hiding himself away in the Garrison with his thoughts. He'd realised that his place was now back by his sister's side once more.

Tommy had made his way back to the shop to try and make amends, and marched straight over to Polly. "Where is she?" His voice may not have shown it to his aunt, but she could see the emotion in his eyes. Polly was glad that her nephew seemed to have got some of his sense back, but she sure as hell wasn't going to make things easy for him. Tommy's behaviour had been despicable, after all.

"She left." Polly said, simply, returning to her work.

"Left?"

"You heard me, Thomas." God, how many times was he going to be full-named today?

"Left where?"

"She didn't say."

Tommy felt a niggle of anxiety stirring in him. "Well, did she say when she'd be back?"

"No." Polly's lips were pursed in irritation.

"You let her wander off alone, I take it, without asking where she was going or what she was doing, eh? Do you know how fucking stupid that is? We've only just got her back, and you're risking losing her again?"

"Perhaps you should listen to your own words. At least I wasn't the one who caused her to have a panic attack." It was harsh, but partly true: the combination of the memories and Tommy's reaction had caused Y/N to spiral.

Tommy froze, worry and guilt consuming him. How could he have let this happen? He had spent half of the night in Y/N's bedroom last night, making sure that she was real and safe, and now she was gone again.

Walking back out of the shop, Tommy found himself hiding in an alleyway, trying to collect his thoughts as his hands shook. Where could Y/N be? Where would she go when she was scared and upset?

Suddenly, he knew.

***

The hurried footsteps drew nearer, and instinct took over Y/N's entire being. She spun around, gun cocked and pointed straight at the source of the noise, her breathing speeding up again as the last ebbs of her panic attack began escalating quickly again.

Any relief that Tommy had felt at finding his sister faded at seeing her distressed state. He raised his hands slowly and spoke softly to her: "It's okay, Y/N/N. It’s just me, it's Tommy. You're home, you're safe." As he continued to offer his reassurances that she wasn't under threat and edged closer to her, he noticed recognition begin to sweep over Y/N.

Her gun clattered to the ground as she broke down into tears again, relaxing into her brother's embrace as he sat down next to her and pulled the young woman into his arms. In that moment, Tommy realised how broken his sister was, how much the war had affected her, just like him.

Eventually, Y/N's breathing became normal again, the sound of Tommy's heartbeat and the gentle hand stroking her hair grounding her.

After a few moments, Tommy mustered up the courage to say the words that had been on repeat in his head for so long. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." Y/N looked up at him with those big eyes that had him wrapped around her little finger. "I was...overwhelmed and I lashed out, even though you didn't deserve it. Hell, you probably even saved our lives at some point and all I do is call you selfish. I went too far, and I'm sorry."

Y/N smirked slightly at Tommy's obvious discomfort at his confession, but it melted into a gentle smile when she looked up and was met with his loving yet troubled gaze.

"Thank you, Tommy." His entire demeanour relaxed at these words. "Do you understand though? Do you understand why I did it all in the first place? Do you understand why your reaction broke me? All I needed was for my brother to be there, and you just walked out on me. You promised me that you never would. You promised."

Tommy took her hand tightly in his larger one and nodded slightly, a lump forming in his throat. His other hand settled in his coat pocket as he asked: "Are you really back to stay?" The vulnerability that had been uncovered again last night had now returned.

"Yeah, I am." Y/N squeezed his hand. "Doesn't mean you're completely forgiven yet though; speak to me like that again and I'll cut you a smile on that grumpy face."

Tommy breathed out a slight laugh, despite the threat (which he knew was an honest one). "Oh, I missed you, darling." He wrapped his arm around Y/N and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Missed you too, Tom."

***

The siblings sat there, peacefully, for a little while longer. Whilst part of Y/N was still angry at her brother, she couldn’t deny that she felt at home back by his side, in their special childhood hiding place. So, for now, she decided to put her anger behind her.

Soon enough, the chill of the night air began to settle around them. Tommy offered Y/N a hand up and wrapped his long black coat tightly around her, before the pair slowly started walking back towards the streets of Birmingham.

“I promise I’ll try and be better, for you.” Tommy’s voice cut through the silence. I can’t bear the thought of you leaving again because I pushed you out, he added in his head.

Y/N smiled sadly. “Don't make promises you might not be able to keep, Tom. We’re different people compared to who we used to be. All we can do is try, eh?”

Tommy stopped off at the office to call Polly and let her know that Y/N was staying with him for the night. Y/N found herself looking around the big building, in awe of what her family had managed to achieve.

She plunged her hands in the big pockets of Tommy's coat as a shiver wracked her body, frowning when her fingers touched something familiar. Checking that her brother was still on the phone, she pulled the object out and her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at it. It was a small stuffed toy, shaped to resemble a horse (sort of, it was definitely handmade).  

Y/N had loved it when she was younger, and barely used to be seen without it. When she grew into a teenager, she had hidden the toy in her old childhood treasure box and retrieved it when she felt low, even as she had entered adulthood. She had been devastated when she couldn't find it to comfort her the day that her brothers had left for France.

The horse was more frayed and tattered than she remembered, and dirtier too. Y/N had always been meticulous for looking after her possessions, not having much of her own.  

Then the explanation for its state and whereabouts dawned on Y/N: Tommy had taken it to France and kept it with him ever since, a constant reminder of her.

Placing the toy carefully back where she found it, Y/N looked through the glass to Tommy’s office with tears in her eyes as he hung up the phone. A small smile flickered across his face as he caught sight of his sister and made his way straight to her, not a single piece of work in his hands.

"Come on," Tommy said, softly. "Let's go home."

As her brother subtly offered her his arm, Y/N felt optimistic about the future for the first time in years. As Tommy rested his hand on top of hers, which now sat in the crook of his arm, one thought crossed Y/N's mind:

Maybe Tommy would try. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

But the Shelby family knew that there was hope, because Tommy's guiding light always came in the form of Y/N Shelby...and she wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

[fuckingthefictional]

Runaway Lovers

Pairing: Finn Shelby x reader

Warnings: Swearing, suggestions regarding to sex, crap writing?

Requested: yes, part two requested by @hamdehlesmis

A/N: for the part where Finn writes a letter, I’ve made it so the writing is more phonics based. Because I find it unrealistic to have a character who is illiterate to suddenly start reading and writing with the knowledge of perfect grammar and spelling.

Alfie Solomons was a name that struck cold fear into some on the toughest of men.

His cool and calculating gaze was enough to send uneasy chills up anyone’s spine.

He was a man who had red on his ledger and the mighty hand of God on his side.

To most he was a cold and calculating gang leader- with the proclivity of making violent, rash decisions that mainly benefited himself and anyone lucky enough to be considered a friend.

And most were not lucky enough to have that benefit.

Y/N Y/L/N was lucky to be considered a friend- more accurately she was a close relative of the Jewish gang leader.

Alfie’s Mother, was the sister of Y/N’s mother. The two women were close, but drifted apart after they were married to their respective husbands. Only to reunite during the Great War.

That was the first time Y/N had been in proper contact with her mothers side of the family- and thank God she continued to stay in contact with them.

Otherwise her and Finn would’ve been rendered homeless and well and truly fucked.

Y/N forced herself to drag her thoughts away from what would have been, and instead focused on the passing green pasteurs that sped past the train cars window.

The lack of pollution was obvious and made a huge difference. She was able to see the colours of the night sky, along with the scattered stars- such things that felt as if they didn’t exist in Small Heath.

Y/N felt a soft kiss on a stray patch of bare skin below her ear and at the top of her jawline. Finn.

“Stop stressing love, we’ll be okay.”

It was like he had read her mind, “‘m not stressing.” She mumbled into her palm.

“If you aren’t stressing then how come your leg is bouncing?” Finn chuckled as he pressed another kiss to her temple.

Y/N rolled her eyes. Of course he would pick up on the finer details, it was just another reason why she loved him.

It wasn’t long before the train pulled into Camden Town Station. The whole station seemed to be rather empty- apart from one man who seemed to be waiting for the trains arrival.

He was an older gentleman, who had a scraggly beard and clutched a cane. His face was partially covered from the hat that topped his head. But on his chest, he proudly bore a necklace that held the Star of David.

It was Alfie.

He had changed a lot, the pictures that Y/N had been shown of him depicted him to be younger, lacking a beard. But the face was the same.

“Y/N Y/L/N?” The older man addressed her, a slight smirk on his face, “My god ‘ow you’ve grown- I remember when you were a bloody babe.”

She turned to Finn, a soft smile gracing her features, “Love this is Alfie, my cousin.”

Both men shook hands, each of them sizing the other up.

“Thank you for letting us stay with you.” Finn nodded at the older man, “we really appreciate it.”

“‘S nothin’ alright?” Alfie boomed loudly, “any person whose a friend of our Y/N/N is a friend of mine- now let’s get your stuff back to my ‘Ouse ‘ey?”

The two teenagers followed the older man, out of the station, their hands interlocked- ready for this next chapter of their lives.

It was difficult not knowing what their future held. And what they would face in this grey part of their lives, but Finn and Y/N knew they were lucky.

Lucky to have a place to stay, lucky to be in London. And most of all: lucky to be with each other.

-

Two months later Y/N and Finn were still as strong as ever, and the pair of them had both gotten jobs in Camden Town.

Finn working down at the docks, where he loaded Alfie’s spirits into the boats that would travel across the Atlantic.

Finn had been clear with his girlfriend’s cousin that he wanted no part in the extremely illegal parts of the business. In other words he didn’t want to be a front runner, Finn was quite happy working behind the scenes or on the sidelines. Doing the smaller less risky jobs that helped boost business.

Thankfully Alfie has agreed with him, saying, “If I got you in trouble yeah, or you got fuckin’ hurt- then my cousin would have my balls hanging up above the fuckin’ fireplace.”

Y/N however had a different job role. As she helped run the books, Y/N had her mothers brains, math was her forte and not to mention her and Alfie were close, and her older cousin kept her well protected and safe.

Their jobs weren't particularly high paid and they’d told Alfie that they didn’t want special treatment when it came to their pay- either way they made enough to pay their part on rent at Alfie’s house (which usually meant paying for the food and occasionally the hot water bill).

But neither Finn or Y/N were disappointed, they were employed and bringing in an income. That was more than they’d done in small Heath.

“Y’know, I finally feel like I’m apart of something,” Finn mumbled as he kissed down Y/N’s bare back, “I finally feel wanted by others, that aren’t You, Ada or Pol.”

“Finn,” The girl sighed as she turned over to face him, “You have no idea how much purpose you bring to other people.” Y/N stroked his hair softly, feeling the bouncy curls slip between her finger tips, “Finn because of you, Alfie is finally reconnecting with his blood relatives- he said that if this hadn’t happened, then he was willing to give up on family. And by coming away from the life you had in Small Heath you’re making Ada feel better about her role as a big sister.”

Finn was in a semi state of shock, he had no idea he had made that much of an impact, “And you?” He asked.

“God Finn,” Y/N pressed her forehead to his, “ever since you pulled me back from that drunk driver, I knew that my life was going to be flipped upside down- that I was going to fall in love.” She licked her lips, “I can’t imagine my life without you- you’re my constant, my everything, the love of my life.”

The auburn haired boy pulled his girl close to his chest, peppering sweet kisses to her hairline, “I love you pretty girl.”

“And I you, Freckles.”

“D’you think we should come clean to Alfie- about my family I mean.” Finn chewed on his lips nervously.

Y/N sighed, “I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow, but for now my love we should get some sleep.”

-

Knock, knock, knock

It was one of those rare days that Alfie was working from home, Y/N had overheard his doctor telling Alfie that he needed to take it easy and rest more.

So of course Y/N forced him to stay at home. It was odd really, the pair had only reconnected a few months ago. But already it felt as if Alfie was coming into the older brother role in Y/N’s life, whereas she was the persuasive younger sister that Alfie never had growing up.

Their dynamic was one that many had never seen, there was constant teasing and banter between the two. And Y/N had been the only one to make demands from the big scary gang leader and live to tell the tale.

“Come in.” Alfie’s muffled voice came from behind the other side of the door.

As Y/N entered the office while balancing a tea tray on her arm, when she looked up she noticed her cousin sat at his desk with his specs on, Cyril layed down at his feet.

“Morning, Alf.” Y/N smiled warmly, “I’ve brought you some tea and biscuits.” She sat down opposite him, as he started across the desk accusingly.

“What do yer want aye?” Alfie squinted his eyes, “you only ever bring me stuff when yer tryna butter me up.”

“Well Is it working?” Y/N looked at her cousin as he poured himself a cup and necked down a biscuit.

“Depends that dunnit.” Alfie responded, raising his brow.

“Well I have some news,” Y/N started fidgeting with her hands, “Some news you might not take too well.”

“Fuckin’ hell- you’re not up the bloody duff are yer?”

The teenager promptly felt herself choke on her own spit, “What?” She shouted, her eyes as round as saucers, “No!” Y/N attempted to recompose herself, “Look What I was trying to get at is that Finn belongs to a family that weren’t good to him, he ran away from his old life after his brother tried to force us apart. And we talked last night about finally coming clean to you Alf, because we appreciate all you’ve done for us and we don’t feel like we’re being truthful and-“

“Y/N!” Alfie cut off her ranted speech, “I know that Finn is a Shelby.” He stated simply, “Do you really think I don’t do background checks on my workers Y/N/N?”

“And you’re okay with him?” Y/N was still in a state of shock,

“Well,” Alfie leant forwards, “ma always taught us to not judge a book by the pissin’ cover aye? Sometimes that shit also includes certain family names.” He paused, pondering what to say next, “Look I kept an eye out for the lad in the first few weeks yous stayed ‘ere, in case there was some spyin’ goin’ on. But there wasn’t, it was just a lovestruck boy who’s willin’ to do anythin’ to make ‘is girl happy. So as far as I’m concerned Y/N/N, he’s a new branch in the Solomons family.”

Y/N could feel happy tears brimming in her eyes, she finally saw what Finn meant. She felt like she mattered, like she had purpose for the first time in a very long time.

-

Two months. It had been two months since Finn had just up and left. Tommy didn't think that his youngest sibling what actually hold to his word- he didn't think that Finn of all people would actually quit the family buisness and leave small heath. 

And with all of that considered, Tommy didn't know where the fuck Finn had gone. And that was a first in Tommy’s experience- he didn't know something. 

It was incredibly frustrating and not to mention Polly was in bits since Finn had just gone missing in action. It wasn't hard to see that there was a soft spot in his aunts heart for the youngest Shelby.

He’d had men search every major city in Britain, knowing Finn couldn’t have strayed too far off the beaten path.

The youngest Shelby never was one for spontaneity, he was too much like his mother for that- he liked to have a plan set out in front of him.

But what made the situation all the more complicated was the war Tommy had made on Sabini, if Finn was in London then there was a large chance that he was in danger.

Tommy didn’t want more blood on his hands, he didn’t know if he could handle more blood on his hands.

-

Dear Pol,

This leter wil onlie be short, but its a leter non the less. All you need to no is that I am safe and happie, and hav started a new life for myself. If you want to meet, then go to Ada’s on Saterday and i will meet you there.

Lots of luv and take care,

Finn

P.S- Y/N is teeching me to reed and rite, it is a work in progres- but I am lerning!

Polly grinned at the letter in front of her, it was most definitely her nephew. Despite it being in letter form, his mannerisms and language hasn’t changed.

The older woman could feel her heart swell with pride for her youngest nephew, deep down Polly knew that the Blinder lifestyle wasn’t for him.

Finn was like Ada in that way- he followed his heart. And his heart has chosen a different path than his brothers.

Polly set the letter down on her desk as she pondered what her next course of action would be, obviously she was going to Ada’s to meet her nephew on the Saturday.

However she was met with the dilemma of how she could get it past Tommy.

One one hand, Tommy was the patriarch of the family- Polly knew that she was practically obligated to tell her older nephew her plans and whereabouts.

But on the other hand, Finn was safe. He was free from a dangerous life, he was happy and he had started a new path.

And that was more than anything Tommy could offer the lad. Polly knew that Finn valued his freedom and happiness over all the money in the world.

Pulling out a cigarette, Polly fiddled with the small stick of tobacco. After igniting it, she took a deep inhale, allowing the smoke to fill her lungs.

Every piece of her heart and soul was telling her to keep Finn safe. Maybe that was just the mother hen in Polly- but she was certain on one thing.

Thomas Shelby was going to learn to live with his actions and consequences of his words, because Polly had no intention of saying a word about Finn’s whereabouts.

Peaky blinders taglist:

@simonsbluee

[ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes]

Roguish Women Part 18

Summary: Kate Rosseau is an American who fled to Paris to escape her past life. Now she's dancing and playing the part of a courtesan at the Moulin Rouge. There she meets Tommy Shelby who thinks she can be useful in expanding his empire. But has he been blinded?

Part 18: John cuts Angel Changretta and Kate realizes the danger they’re all in. 

        It was strange returning to Small Heath knowing things would be different. Grace and Tommy were married. Tommy knew how Kate truly felt about him. Churchill was dishing out orders. But Kate continued to work, waking up every morning at the same time and getting to the office at the same time without fail. It was as if she was watching herself go about her routine. Sitting on the sidelines, just watching herself work like a machine. She needed no thanks or acceptance. She just needed reassurance. That reassurance was waking up every morning in a safe place.

           But there was trouble bubbling below the surface. In a strange way, Kate was grateful for it. It was reminiscent of her past. Always keeping on her toes because something bad was always just around the corner. It gave her something else to think of instead of being hung up on Tommy. If she accepted the chaos, there was nothing else to fret about.

           For such a long time, the chaos was a game to her. The dangers were very real, but she tried her best to remove herself emotionally. She couldn’t be scared if she laughed at the danger. But when she played with fire, she got burned.

~~~~~~

           “Kate, you ought to just get a pair of boots to muck up if you’re gonna come down here so often,” Charlie commented from his seat in the yard. He was reading the newspaper, his feet propped up as if he were in a parlor.

           “Lucky for me Tommy pays me to get my shoes dirty.” Kate smiled and picked her way through the muck. It was almost becoming second nature. “I have things that need to be sent to London. Sensitive things, can’t go through the mail.” She explained.

           “To Alfie?”

           “The very same.” She handed Charlie the documents. “I don’t have the time or the patience to go right now.”

           “You have been busy.” He noted. Although Charlie wasn’t one to frequent the office where Kate did most of her work, he had seen her flitting about Birmingham like a bee.

           “Takes my mind off of things.” She explained. That’s when she heard talking around the corner. “You have company?”

           “John ‘n Arthur are meeting with some Italians.” He shrugged.

           Kate immediately froze. The trouble started to seep through the surface. And she didn’t have enough time to run before on older gentleman rounded the corner with two associates. He looked frustrated but that expression faded to recognition when he saw her standing there.

           “Kathleen?”

           She swallowed and felt every muscle in her body lock up. “Um…Charlie, could I have a moment alone?”

           Tommy’s uncle frowned but got up with a grunt. “Fine, s’not like it’s me own fucking yard.” He grumbled under his breath as he made himself scarce.

           “Alone, Vincente.” She reiterated; her eyes flicked to the two burly men flanking him.

           The man nodded and waved the two off. “Go to the car.” He spoke to them in Italian.

           Once they were completely alone, Kate allowed herself to note any escape routes she could take. “Why are you here? I didn’t know you did business with the Shelbys.”

           “Why am I here?” He chuckled. “Cara, I think you have a bit more explaining to do.”

           Defensive, Kate fiddled with the lapel of her coat, knowing her pistol was holstered at her side. “I don’t owe you an explanation.”

           “You’ve been gone for years. We all thought you were dead.” Vincente continued.

           “That doesn’t surprise me, seeing as your son sold me out to Santo.” She retorted.

           After an aggravating meeting with two of the Shelby brothers, Vincente wasn’t looking for more strife. He had never seen the young woman as a threat. “Luca’s busy with things in America. He doesn’t wish you ill.”

           “Good, then he’ll leave me alone. You should all leave me the fuck alone.”

           He tutted and shook his head. “You’ve been running for so long. Perhaps you stop running now.”

           “I have stopped running.” She insisted.

           “Santo is in London.” He informed her.

           The walls were closing in on Kate. She wanted to urgently run. Run somewhere else. Somewhere much farther than she’d been before. Suddenly, Tommy’s protection seemed flimsy. “He should leave London. I have allies there who are much stronger than he is.”

           “Kathleen, you should sit down and talk to him. You never run from your debts.”

           If Tommy’s protection wasn’t enough. If Alfie’s wasn’t enough either, then she only had herself. And although she wanted to disappear again, she was tired. She didn’t want to keep running the rest of her life. So, she stood her ground. “If that man comes near me, the only thing he should expect is a bullet in his head. I don’t care if I start a war. I don’t care if I have to fight off everyone. I will. No one will ever force me into something, not him, not you, no one. I would die before I marry that man.”

           Vincente didn’t seem too uneasy about her threats. “If you won’t listen to me about Santo, then listen to me about these fucking gypsies. They’ll get you killed. Or you’ll get them killed. You won’t have Santo to blame for that, you’ll have yourself to blame for that. That’s why you don’t create ties, cara, you risk their lives.” He nodded, adjusted the collar of his coat and walked past her.

           Kate felt like her heart was in her throat. She wanted to scream, wanted to tear her hair out, she wanted Santo Leoni dead.

~~~~~~~~~

           The news about Santo swirled around Kate’s head but she couldn’t get a hold of Tommy. He seemed all over the place and Polly wasn’t much help getting her in contact with him. She was oblivious to all the other trouble kicking off around the Shelby empire. It was hard to keep track when she had her own issues. She just wasn’t sure how her issues overlapped with the brothers.

           Not until Tommy came into the office, walking like he was storming into war. He stopped by Kate’s desk first.

           “What do you know about jewelry?”

           “That’s the first thing you say to me after I haven’t seen you in days?” She didn’t look up from her paperwork. She had cultivated a rather unhealthy routine of overworking herself in order to become exhausted. That way she didn’t stay up all night, jumping at every little noise thinking it was an intruder.

           “You were never one for pleasantries.” He remarked, pacing back and forth between the small space of her doorway.

           “But I did ask that you speak to me respectfully.” She reminded him of their conversation outside of the wedding reception.

           Tommy stifled a noise of frustration. “Good to see you, Kate, how’ve you been?” He asked sarcastically.

           She looked up. “Absolutely terrible, how about you?”

           “Likewise.”

           “Sit.” She allowed him further into the office. “I need to tell you something.”

           “I’m on a tight schedule.” Even still, he sat down and pulled out a cigarette.

           She took a deep breath and weighed her options. She could further burden Tommy or she could wait for his mess to settle. If it ever did. “Okay, fine.”  

           “What do you know about jewelry?” He asked the question he had entered with again.

           “Some bits, not as much as Alfie. He noticed that one of my necklaces only had two real diamonds from across the room.” She recalled.

           “Alfie…” Tommy stared at the clock on the wall for a moment, suddenly realizing something. “That’s a good idea, Kate.”

           “What is? Why do you need to know about jewelry?” She asked.

           “Tommy!” Michael called from the other end of the hallway.

           He stood up and nodded for Kate to follow. “Walk with me, I’ll tell you more.”

           They headed down the hall to Michael’s office.

           “Polly called.” Tommy’s cousin informed them. “Something happened.”

~~~~~~~~

           Despite not knowing what happened, Tommy brought Kate along to the betting shop. There, Polly and Arthur were already sat at the table by the fire. Tommy made a beeline for the bar, pouring himself a drink. He figured he would need one, no matter what the issue at hand was.

           “What happened?” Kate sat down.

           “John didn’t listen to us,” Arthur said, loud enough so Tommy would hear him on the other side of the shop. “Didn’t apologize or compromise. He went and cut Angel Changretta this morning.”  

           “What?” Kate’s eyes widened.

           A moment later, John entered the betting shop with Finn. Kate didn’t waste time in tearing into him.

           “Are you insane?” She shouted.  

           None of the Shelbys knew what to do. The anger was expected from anyone but Kate who they assumed didn’t have a horse in the race.

           John blinked a few times and looked to his brothers and aunt for any help. But none of them had any.

           Tommy cleared his throat and looked to Kate. “You know the Changrettas?” He asked.

           She chewed on the inside of her cheek, weighing her options. She could confess to a whole lot, or just skirt her way around the full truth. “Vincente’s son, Luca, runs a big organization in America. New York, specifically but he still made it a point to…be a pain in my ass. And now John’s gone and poked a sleeping bear. Are you fucking crazy?”

           “He deserved what was coming to ‘im.” John retorted. “I ain’t gonna compromise or apologize to any wops.”

           Kate was fuming but it was all sourced from fear. “You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself and the rest of your family into. These men are dangerous, they have armies. If you mess with one of them, you mess with all of them and they won’t stop until you and everyone in your life pays.” She insisted in a harsh tone. “So, you better go to Vincente and get down on your knees for forgiveness. Trust me, groveling a little will be less painful than being killed.

           Polly looked alarmed at the knee-jerk reaction Kate had to just the name of the family. “I agree with Kate. There’s no need to make this into anything bigger. This is the last thing we need.”

           “Kate isn’t in charge. I think you did well, John, you did the right thing.” Tommy said with a cool demeanor.

           “Well?” Kate’s jaw nearly dropped. “Tommy, this is serious!”

           “Then we go on the offensive. We’ll take more of their pubs, we'll take two tonight.” He didn’t fully address her concerns and turned to walk away.

           “You’re going to get your whole fucking family killed!” Kate yelled after him. “How dare you gamble with their lives!”

           Tommy snapped. “Aye? How dare I? How fucking dare I?” He whipped around and stormed towards her. “Because I fucking can and I fucking will. If you’re so scared, then you jog on but you don’t yell at me brother about what he’s done.”

           She didn’t cower away from him. She stood her ground and glared back at him. “You’re so blind. Blind to everything around you. Blind to danger. Blind to threats. Blind to your liar of a wife!” She shouted right in his face before leaving the shop with a huff.

           Polly, John, and Arthur couldn’t do anything but watch in utter shock. The dynamic between Kate and Tommy had changed drastically, and since they weren’t privy to the reason why, it was absolutely dumbfounding. They’d gone from bantering back and forth to acting like they’d torn each other’s hearts out.

           When the door slammed, Tommy flipped over the nearest chair. “Fuck!” He shouted and against his better judgment, he stalked after Kate. The door slammed again and Polly looked over at her nephew’s. She stood up and went to retrieve her book from the other room. As she walked past John, she gave him a well-earned smack upside the head.

~~~~~~~~

           “Kate!”

           She heard Tommy calling after her but continued on down the street, going back home to take get a smoke.

           “Kate!” He shouted after her but when she didn’t turn around, he jogged a few steps to catch up to her.

           She reacted violently when he grabbed her arm to stop her. “Stop touching me!” She snarled and whacked his hand off of her.  

           “If you have something to say about Grace, you better fucking say it. I’ve had enough of your attitude.” He spoke in a low voice as if she were a child he was scolding.

           It made her even more upset. “She’s lied to you before and she’ll lie to you again. That’s not my issue but if you think I’m going to just sit there and let you walk further into trouble then you’re wrong. You’re walking into something dangerous with the Changrettas and you’re in a relationship that’s based on lies.”

           “I make my own decisions. I make decisions for the company. That’s how this works. My relationship is my business.” He tried to keep a steady voice but he was too angry to be cordial.

           “Then stop making it everyone else’s business.” She retorted. “If I say anything, don’t immediately correlate it to how I feel about your wife. Don’t push your insecurities on me.”

           Tommy let out a sarcastic laugh. “Insecurities. Fucking insecurities.” He rolled his eyes.

           Their argument was starting to attract attention. But when people saw it was Tommy Shelby, they were quick to avoid eye contact and keep walking along. “I know what this is about.” He pointed at her. “You’re scared that your protection is going to be compromised. That’s all you’re worried about.”

           Kate’s eyes narrowed and she was so close to slapping him for speaking to her in such a manner. “I’ve been here for years. I was at John and Esme’s wedding. I was there when Karl was born. I was there on Black Star Day. I was there on Derby Day. I’ve been there for you, for everyone! Now you’re acting like I’m just using you?” She spat and made sure she didn’t budge an inch to show him she wasn’t backing down. “I’ve tried leaving so many times because I was afraid of what I would bring to your family. But you never let me leave. You always had me stay. Don’t kid yourself, Tommy. I’m not just some woman who works for you.” She turned to walk away again.      

           He decided not to follow but shouted after her. “You’ll be at Grace’s dinner.”

           “Fuck her dinner!” Kate yelled over her shoulder. "I'm not playing nice with her anymore!"

           “Kate, you better fucking be there!”

           “Well, you better be ready for disappointment because I’m not going!” And with that, she disappeared around the corner.

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Masterpost

Masterlist

[crinkled-emotions]

“You’re Fucking Queer, Finn.”

"Like this?" "Yeah, yeah that's it, just- Mm.... uh- uh, yeah perfect." "Does that feel good Finn? Is it right?" "It's so wrong but I don't care anymore," Finn replied with a grin. His eyes fell closed as the guy on top rocked back into him, pressing kisses to his face. "We could do this all night, but you gotta promise to keep it down," the older one whispered, and Finn nodded as he struggled to let a whine escape his lips. The guy kissed him again, taking Finn in his hand and he began to gently jerk as he picked up the pace. In their sex-ing, neither heard footsteps coming up the stairs, or the sound of a Peaky Blinder cocking their gun. "Finn! Oh my god, Finn!" The top yelled, and in retaliation Finn clasped his hand over his mouth. "Not a word, remember?" The other man nodded, leaning down to bury his head in Finn's neck to muffle any noises that may escape. He didn't get there, though, because Arthur fucking Shelby burst through the door with his gun's safety off. When he realised what he'd walked in on, he fell silent. Finn's lover had reached for the blankets, covering the pair as he gently pulled out. Finn turned, cheeks bright red as he reached for his cap. Without aiming he threw it and it hit Arthur in the stomach, the older Shelby staring.

"What the bloody-" "-get out Arthur! Get the fuck out!" Finn yelled. Arthur didn't have to be told twice, and he dashed downstairs. He'd had the decency to close the door after him, for once, and Finn groaned as he fell back against his pillows. The man in his bed- his lover- snorted, flopping down beside the youngest Shelby. "That your first time getting caught?" He asked, and Finn numbly shook his head. Tommy and even Ada had caught him a couple of times in the act, but each and every time had been with a woman in his bed, with him on top. This... this was different, and with Arthur of all the people... "I'm going to go. Call me when you're ready, love." The man pressed a kiss to Finn's cheek, suspecting he was scared out of his mind, and he climbed out of bed. As he redressed, Finn sat up. "You won't... you won't tell anyone, will you?" The older guy; a tall, muscular guy with sandy blonde hair and deep green eyes, just shook his head with a smile. "Of course not." He approached Finn, and Finn didn't hesitate to accept his offer of a kiss. When they parted, he touched Finn's cheek. "When you're ready." Then he was downstairs and out the back door, as he usually was. The back door was before you hit the hallway, therefore none of his family would have had the chance to interrogate him. Lying on his back Finn swore, reaching over for a cigarette as he too rose from bed. Getting redressed, he could hear Ada, Tommy and Michael talking downstairs. Tommy was talking more than usual, louder than usual, and Finn immediately took it as a bad sign. Finishing up on lacing his boots, he reluctantly went downstairs. Time to face the music. Arthur sat quietly in the back of the room, watching his brother, sister and cousin quietly squabble over what he'd just told them. He had the bottle of single malt whiskey in his hand, no glass to be seen. He was taking it badly, apparently. Finn was in love with a man. "Michael, if he felt like it was something important then he would have-" "-it's pretty fucking important, Ada! Do you know what this does to the business?" "Stop thinking about the business for two fucking seconds, Tom, and think about your brother! He's probably scared out of his mind right now, and the last thing he needs is-" "-I need to tell you guys something." Everyone shut their mouths the second Finn spoke, and Arthur looked up. Tommy, forever the ringleader type, stepped forward. "Come sit down, Finn. We should talk about this." "I can't sit- not yet. I have to say it, and I know you'll be mad, but-" "-you're fucking queer, Finn." Arthur's tone was cold, disconnected and harsh. Finn winced, shaking his head. "I like girls too, Arthur, it's just-" "-you like fingers up your arse as well? I'm pretty sure that makes you queer." "I'm not queer!" Finn denied angrily, betrayal and hurt in his tone. Tommy took him by the shoulder, directing him to the table. "Everyone sit down. Michael, follow the lad and make sure he gets home safe." Michael quietly slipped out of the room and out the back door. Apparently Finn wasn't as sneaky as he thought he was. "Now; let's talk like adults, because that's what we are. We're adults now, and we can discuss this." Ada's voice cut through the tense silence and Finn winced. Arthur and Tommy both held poker faces, Tommy's strong while Arthur's true opinion peeked through. Tommy lit a cigarette, tossing Arthur a familiar blue bottle. "Here, Arthur. Make a start." Arthur grunted. Ada, closest to Finn, touched his elbow. "Finn. Can you tell us what you mean when you say you're not queer?" Ada, the one person who would listen, met Finn's eyes and he shifted. "I- this hasn't been going on long enough. I fucked tons of women, but this man, he- he walked by me at the Garrison one day, and I guess I just stopped looking for whores." "You have access to all the fucking whores in Small Heath; hell, all of fucking London, and you decide you like it up the arse with another man?" "Arthur!" Tommy and Ada both exclaimed. Arthur rolled his eyes, reaching for something to snort the cocaine with. "It's just this man, Arthur. This one makes me feel safe, and like I matter. He wants to hear about my day and he worries about what I do. I don't know if he loves me and I don't know if I love him but I don't really care; he's not one of those whores, he cares. Unlike you lot. So I take him up the ass; sometimes it's the other way around. He's a warm body, who likes me for me and not because I have a last name attached to this fucking family." "Finn, we do care. We don't want you to be hurt." "You're hurting me when you're like this, Ada! Oh protect Finn, he's a baby; oh poor Finn, he should be shunned away from this life. Oh Finn, he shouldn't be drinking or smoking it's bad for you. You forget that I'm 21; I'm a legal adult and you’re all fucking hypocrites!" Finn pulled away from Ada, reaching for his coat. As he stood, he turned to face Arthur with dark eyes. "So maybe I'm fucking queer but I'd rather be queer over an old fashioned stubborn bastard any day." Just like that Finn was gone out the door. Arthur swore, shoving things off the side table. Tommy and Ada exchanged looks across the dining table and got up, collecting their coats. "Michael! Where is this man living?" "What?" "The man Finn was with; did you follow him home?" "Well, yes, but-" "-then lead the way. I need to talk to him." "Tom. Stop for a moment." Michael took Tommy by the arm, Ada stopping too. The cousin shook his head, gesturing toward a lane on the left side. "He feels like he pushed Finn to tell us. Feels like Finn thought it was all set up." "Thank you, Michael." Tommy pulled off from his cousin, Ada following her older brother. As they rushed down the lane, Ada pulled at his coat. "Tommy, wait. Finn should- Finn should probably... he should do it." "I need to talk to him. If he has bad intentions with Finn I'll fucking shoot his head off." "I don't think he does! Tom, I think Finn really likes him. Can't you just be happy for him?" "I will be in a bloody second, Ada, just as soon as I've met him-" Tommy stopped suddenly in front of a door, and Ada bumped into him. Straightening, she tugged at her brother's coat again, whispering in his ear. "Be nice to him; I feel he knows who we are. We probably offer protection to his family." Tommy softened for a split second before his poker face recovered. "Let's find out shall we?" The man behind the door was tall; taller than Ada and at least half a head taller than Tommy; closer to Arthur. His blonde hair and green eyes were a stark contrast to the Shelby family's dark hair blue eyes, and Tommy lifted his chin just enough to display an act of dominance. The two men made eye contact for a solid half a minute before Ada swore and pushed Tommy aside. "Hello, my name is Ada Thorne and I'm looking for Finn. Any chance he may be here?" The man raised an eyebrow. "You're Ada Thorne?" He settled on Tommy then, looking him up and down. "You must be Tommy Shelby. One moment." The door closed and Tommy reached for his gun, perhaps to blow it off its hinges, but then he heard talking beyond the entrance. "Finn! Your brother and sister are here to see you; would you like me to let them in?" Finn's reply was unable to be heard through the door and Ada took Tommy's gun, hiding it in her dress. "That's staying with me until we see Finn and talk to him," she murmured. Tommy didn't seem to care, and as the door opened the man appeared again. He extended his hand to Tommy. "My name is Rohan Sean. It's nice to meet you, Mr Shelby." Tommy waved him off, pushing inside, so Rohan turned to Ada. "Mrs Thorne, it's my pleasure." To cover her brother's rudeness, she accepted his handshake before he stepped back to allow her inside. "He's in the living room; probably smoking if I know him at all." Ada smiled, giving his hand a squeeze before she hurried down the hallway toward her brothers. Hopefully, they weren't trying to kill each other; she'd leave that to Arthur in all honesty. "Finn." "Did mother ever teach Arthur to fucking knock?" Finn was spread out on the couch in the centre of the room. A cigarette between his lips, a glass of something strong in his hand, Tommy just saw John. It hurt for a moment. He approached Finn carefully, sitting on the armchair to the left of the couch. The pair stayed quiet. Finn took a drink, followed by a drag of his cigarette. "Let me guess," he began. He sat up against the couch, hands resting against his knees. When he spoke, he was imitating Tommy. "I'm going to buy you a house in the country, Finn, where you can be yourself if need be. You need to leave; being queer is illegal and I won't pay off a copper for finding you in bed with another man-" "-Finn-" "-I also revoke the little control you worked your ass off to gain in the business, but you'll receive a decent salary that will keep you comfortable-" "-Finn. Stop." Tommy reached for the glass, removing it from Finn's hand to place on the nearby table. He held his little brother by the shoulders, their eyes meeting. When Finn looked at his brother, he realised Tommy was about to say something really important. Tommy sighed and hugged Finn to his stomach. "You're still a Shelby, queer or not. You're still a Peaky Blinder." Muffled by his brother's waistcoat, Finn groaned. "But Tom, what about... what about Arthur?" "You let me deal with Arthur." The men jumped, turning to see Ada and Rohan at the entrance to the room. Ada sighed, coming over. Finn accepted her offer of a hug and didn't complain when she dropped a kiss on his head. "You're a fucking idiot for not telling us, Finn, but I understand why. I'm sorry you felt you couldn't tell someone." "I wasn't sure I could," he murmured. Then his eyebrows furrowed and he looked up at Tommy sheepishly. "Actually, I told one person. A while ago; I was barely 18." "Finn," Ada groaned, while Tommy's poker face remained solid. Damn him. "Ada; give me my gun." With a quick grab beneath her skirt, Ada produced Tommy's gun, handing it to him. "I'm going to have to scare them into silence; can't let this get out. You bloody idiot, Finn," Tommy spoke. Finn sighed, and Ada rolled her eyes again. This was becoming a pattern with her and Tommy. "There's no need to go after them; they swore to take it to the grave." Tommy and Ada paused their squabbling to look at Finn when he spoke, Finn sighing. "He bloody took it to the grave all right." "Who was it, Finn? Did they leave a note?" "It was fucking John, Tommy. Our John. Our brother, John Shelby-" "-you told... John. And it didn't get back to us?" Ada appeared surprised while Tommy flopped on to the couch, reaching for the glass he'd taken from Finn earlier. He gulped down the rest of its contents, patting Finn on the shoulder. "We'll leave you two here then. I'll call when it's safe." "Small Heath 469," Rohan replied from the entrance. Finn smiled at him, and Rohan walked over to sit with him. Tommy grimaced, getting up. "Me and Ada will be going now. Come, Ada." Ada didn't bother complaining as she followed her older brother out the flat door, closing it softly behind them. As they walked the streets back to Watery Lane, Ada sighed. "What are we going to do about Arthur? Tommy he's not going to let this go." He didn't reply; instead, he lit a cigarette and slipped it between his lips. Back at the betting shop, Poll and Michael were talking with Arthur. Michael had a cigarette in his mouth and a glass of something in his hand, while Poll had a tight grip on Arthur's wrist. It briefly reminded Ada of when they were children, and Arthur would be scolded by Polly for things such as stealing, or playing somewhere he wasn't supposed to. Arthur was born to be a part of a gang. I wish I was joking. "Thomas, is it true?" Poll, noticing Tommy and Ada's entrance, strode over to Tommy who shook his head. "Very true, Poll. Finn is indeed in love with a man." Michael, in the back, smirked around his cigarette. Arthur swore, shoving things off nearby tables. "Is he fucking thick? He can take meds for that, right Ada? There's medicine for being queer." Ada bristled but was cut off by Michael. "Sure there is, but there's no amount of medicine that will make you a decent human." Arthur spun on his heel, meeting his younger cousin's eyes. "Did you want to repeat that?" "Oh good god; you're dumb as well as an asshole." "Arthur-" "-Michael..." "So you like it up the arse as well do ya? You and Finn, talk about it late at night while the rest of us bed our wives?" The worst part was that Arthur was stone-cold sober; a first. "I guess you caught me, then." Ada and Polly looked at each other, while Tommy took a drag of his cigarette. "If you two are done acting like children, let's sit down, get a drink, and talk about this." "There is nothing to go over, Tom." Arthur's expression hardened, and he refused to meet anyone's eyes as he stared toward the door. Ada grasped at Polly's hand, and Arthur snorted. "Should have known Finn was the fuckin' pansy brother. He always was weak, always worryin' about what others thought about him. This man he's found will last a month, tops, before he's either dead or running. Finn won't be able to keep him-" "-you're such a fucking prick, Arthur!" The entire room fell silent as Finn surged over, standing chest to chest with his eldest brother. Behind him, Rohan joined Tommy and Michael. Tommy lit him a cigarette, while Michael sighed and looked at his feet. He'd been trying to avoid a Shelby Family Fight. "You are such a fucking prick. You have no consideration for others. I'm embarrassed to call you my brother, Arthur-" Crack. Michael and Rohan leapt forward as Arthur landed a punch on Finn's jaw; one that sent him falling to the floor. Rohan caught him, while Michael grabbed Arthur by his shirt and shoved him up against the wall. "That's your fucking little brother, Arthur! The one you would do anything to protect. You care for him, would give your life for him, but now you find out he's homosexual and you want nothing to do with him!" "He's a faggot, Michael!" Rohan stood, eyeing Arthur off. "He is not a faggot. He is Finn Shelby-" "-and I'm gonna friggin' bash your face in!" Finn pushed Tommy's hand off his shoulder, leaping up. Shoving Michael out of the way, he grabbed Arthur. Arthur struggled against him, but Finn's grip was strong. For the youngest Shelby his hand was built, and he glared Arthur down. "I looked up to you. Looked up to you all my life. Wanted to be like you. Now... now I don't think I want to know you. Fuck you, Arthur." Finn let go of Arthur, stumbling back. Rohan caught him, and Polly stepped up. "Right. Everyone but Arthur upstairs. Now. You too, Rohan." Ada reached for Finn, brushing a hand down his back. She and Rohan lead him toward the stairs, while Tommy glared at Arthur. "Good one, brother." Michael headed for the door to the rest of the world and let it slam behind him. Polly met Arthur's gaze. "I raised you better than this." Then she left too. "Look away now Finn-Boy, let Rohan distract you." With his steady(ish) hands, Tommy dug out the piece of glass that had dug into Finn's arm when he'd landed on the floor from Arthur's punch. Finn hissed and Ada knelt down beside Tommy, handing him a bottle of whiskey. "This was the best I could find, Tom, I'm sorry," she said. Tom nodded, as he dampened a cloth with the strong alcohol. "Deep breath Finn." When the alcohol hit the wound Finn screamed, throwing his head back as his entire body tensed up. Rohan held his head, letting Finn rest it on his shoulder. "Breathe, love. Slow." When Tommy determined the wound was clean and he's gotten all the glass out he stepped back, surveying his work. "Looks okay." Ada reached for the bandage to begin wrapping the wound. Tommy sighed, flopping into his chair. Popping the cork on the whiskey, he raised it in the air. "To Finn finally finding someone who isn't going to run at first sight of us." The rest of the room seemed unamused until Rohan stood. "Mr Shelby, I would like to ask permission to date Finn." "Why bother asking now? We're not in those days anymore, lad. If you want to be with my brother then I'm not going to stop you." Tommy waved him off, and Finn seemed amused. "Did you just ask my brother if you and I could be together?" "What can I say? My parents raised me well." "Mine too." Finn's eyes shifted from Ada to Tommy, then to Polly. A knock at the door disturbed Finn and Rohan's conversation. Finn looked up and bristled, nodding at Rohan. "You- uh... You should go next door." "Finn-" "Now, love. This is my fight." Rohan stood, pausing to kiss Finn before he left the room. As he left he glared at Arthur, before heading next door to join the rest of the family. Arthur had that sad look on his face the look that reminded Finn of a puppy that had been kicked and he sighed, sitting back against the chair. "Finn-boy, I'm so sorry, brother-" "Leave it, Arthur." "Finn I really mean it this time! I know we've had our differences in the past and all, and I wasn't exactly accepting when I first found out but it was the shock y'know? I had no idea you felt that way toward other men." "Arthur, I still like women. It's wrong of me to choose because I like them both equally as much. If you can't accept that then I think it's best if I part with the family." That did it. A sobbing mess, Arthur dropped to his knees. The heaving cries wracking his body made Finn wonder just how sorry he truly was; he hadn't seen Arthur cry like this since John's death. Possibly even before. "Arthur-" "Please, Finn, I'm begging ya. I'm sorry for what I said and how I punched ya." Finn remembered his aching jaw; that would need something cold on it later. "Finn I don't care who you love, or who you bed. I'm old fashioned and stubborn and a fucking blinder but I- I want you to be happy." "This makes me happy Arthur," Finn murmured. Arthur nodded, reaching for Finn's hands. "I can see that now and I realise how badly I fucked up. It was wrong of me to call you a faggot." "Did Ada and Michael put you up to this?" Finn asked suspiciously. Arthur shook his head and Finn stood. It felt nice to be towering over his brother for once. "Okay, Arthur. I forgive you." Arthur sobbed again but he stood on weak legs, giving Finn a sad smile. "Thank you, brother." Next door, Michael and Tommy clinked their glasses together and lit a cigarette each. Hearing crying coming from upstairs Tommy smiled a rare smile. "Sounds like they've figured themselves out."

Also available on my AO3

[spookyrejects]

i have in fact wilded. notice how they go from barely descriptive to way too descriptive why am i like this .

harlem “harley” maddox. brenton thwaites. + PAIN KILLER, RUEL. twenty-six.

alright we are gonna try this with a soft boy who just wants good things to happen. going to be very timid and anxious maybe with a little stutter that flares up when he’s nervous. all the nervous ticks o my god he’s gonna be such a soft boy.

luciano . douglas booth. + NOVOCANE, THE UNLIKELY CANDIDATES. twenty five.

my SAD BOY who acts like he’s put together but he is genuinely not. he’s lived in texas his whole life and moved to boulder because his uncle passed and he took over the business. when he was 12 he nearly drowned which lead him to be terrified of water and had hallucinations of literal hell so he’s convinced he’s going to hell when he dies.

lesley york. abigail cowen. + PRETENDER, STEVE AOKI, AJR, LIL YACHTY. nineteen.

younger sister to noah york. was always the popular / pretty girl in school, with her brother’s sob story she was able to be seen as a saint always trying to tend to him. she became instagram famous her senior year of high school and everyone seemed to love her. that’s because she’s never been true to herself. rather molding to whatever or whoever anyone needed or wanted her to be. on the outside, she’s confident, a leader, an icon. but on the in she has no idea what she’s doing at any given moment. she moved out of her childhood home with her brother and shares a flat with him.

zade francis. bob morley. + I think i’m OKAY, MGK, TRAVIS BAKER, YUNGBLUD. thirty-two.

older brother of shane & boston francis. has been a hip hop artist since he was nineteen, not really making it big until about ten years ago. he has always been mixed in with the wrong people. big drug addict, has been shot and broken almost every bone in his body. no matter what he does, he always seems to pick the wrong choice. his life has constantly been an uphill battle from issues with his family in the public eye to rehab trip after rehab trip to try and get his image clean.  ( vc: mgk. )

vance shepard. robert sheehan. + 100 BAD DAYS, AJR. thirty.

i am just stealing finnick bc i loved finnick

finnick’s mother and father are both well established actors and for a majority of his life he was in the tabloids. then, he went missing when his parents sent him to live with his aunt. it was rumored for a long time that he died during the accident on set. while living with his aunt he endured emotional and physical abuse from her. this resulted in him being very twitchy at times and fear the woman. when he was sixteen he began to use narcotics to numb the pain. at eighteen he planned to leave his aunts house, having finished school and doing everything his parents asked he thought he would be able to join them in the states. only to find out they couldn’t take him, and he had to stay in ireland, claiming it ‘wasn’t the right time’ for a comeback. when he turned twenty-three he came out of the shadows on his own with a short flim he wrote and directed on his own life. it won an oscar. this was his peak, because after that he could not write or produce shit. he was under far too much pressure to make his parents proud. his drug addiction then got worse. when he turned twenty-six he nearly overdosed, only to be found by his parents. this is when he was sent back to live with his aunt. and despite how much older he was now he still fell into the old habits of being terrified of the woman. he continued to live with her desperately trying to get sober but hopelessly failing. every time he would relapse, she would kick him out of the house. now, three years later he has relapsed again but this time, he stole everything his aunt had and left town. using all of the money to pay his way into the manor. he does not plan on staying long. personality:despite being a very depressed person, he is extensively extroverted. he is very charismatic and can be protective and kind. with his drug addiction he can be very excitable and it’s when he doesn’t have drugs he falls back into his depression and it’s not a pretty sight.

heath williams. joe dempsey. + STUPID DEEP, JON BELLION. thirty-one.

cousin to james & noah williams. went into the army when he was eighteen because he comes from a line of soldiers. was raised in a slightly similar environment to james but his father was more cold in the sense he didn’t speak to him unless he was training. definitely raised to be the perfect soldier, but while in the war he lost his leg within the first year after stepping on a landmine and was sent home. his father, extremely disappointed in him, disowned him and his mother tried to take care of him for as long as she could. he soon moved into an apartment in the darker sides of town, kept to himself, works as a janitor in a hospital. 

noah york. sean berdy. + SAD FOREVER, LAUV. twenty one.

older brother to lesley york. lost his hearing when he was thirteen. his father took him to a gun range and he took out his ear plugs thinking to hear him only to have the gun go off and his hearing to be permanently affected. this lead him to fall into a bit of a depression in which he just let things happen to him. he didn’t go out of his way to get things for himself, rather waited for them to fall in his lap out of fear of failure. a year ago, though, he moved out of his childhood home into an apartment down town with his dramatically famous sister. meanwhile, he works in a floral shop.

maize perez. ana de armas. + BARBIE GIRL, AQUA. twenty nine.

celebrity rival to shane & boston francis. the original queen bee of hollywood, having been the most famous model and actress as of 2018. she started off as a young teen actor in a disney movie that really set her apart from the competition. another big reason she was so easy to make famous was because she became anyone her parents, and then manager, asked her to be. when she was twenty-one, though, she began to slip up and had a melt down in public, resulting in shaving her hair off and getting a tattoo of the logo of her first television show on her chest above her heart. this did not go over well, in fact, she was sent to a hospital where her managers and mother put her under a coma and spread rumors of disease. she remained in the coma for two weeks before she finally woke up and her lesson was learned. this was not her life. this wasn’t who she wants to be. but she has no control.

[tinydooms]

Now Go We In Content

“Is there anybody here?”

The voice was low, and plaintive, and belonged to Prince Adam. Cogsworth lowered his newspaper and stood, leaning out of his private chamber into the corridor of the servants' wing. The young prince stood at the top of the corridor, one hand holding his side. He looked rumpled, an unusual look for him, his dark green riding jacket smeared with dirt.

“How can I be of assistance, your highness?” Cogsworth asked, stepping into the hall. He was in his shirtsleeves, but if Prince Adam required assistance, there was no time to grab his jacket.

“Where is everyone?” the prince asked.

“Villeneuve, I expect,” Cogsworth replied. “It's Mrs. Potts's day off. Chapeau's, too. Lumiere is upstairs somewhere. How may I assist you?”

Adam limped forward and removed his hand from his side. Cogsworth saw that he has unbuttoned his waistcoat, and that blood dotted his shirt. “My horse threw me; I've managed to hurt myself. I need hot water and a poultice. Chapeau isn't here to help.”

Cogsworth was surprised; Adam rarely came below stairs anymore. But he didn't say anything. “Yes, of course. Come into the sitting room and I'll fetch something.”

“Monsieur le Prince mustn't know,” Adam said, following Cogsworth into the servants' sitting room and allowing himself to be helped out of his jacket and waistcoat. “He thinks Achille is wild; this would only convince him.”

The skin on the prince's left side was rapidly bruising, and a long gash slanted upwards. Cogsworth winced.

“It must have been quite a fall,” he remarked.

Adam grimaced. “I managed not to impale myself on a thorn bush, that's all. Only a few sticks got me.”

“Well, it's easily fixed. Wait here, your grace.”

Cogsworth fetched hot water, a poultice, and a few cloths from Cuisinier in the kitchen, and went back to his prince. Adam sat stiffly, looking around the little sitting room. His face was impassive, though Cogsworth could see some emotion in his blue eyes. Poor Prince Adam, he thought, locked up behind his cold walls. Cogsworth knew that Adam did it to protect himself from the Prince de Courcy's barbs, but it was still hard to see. Adam had been colder than ever since Dr. Vane was dismissed.

“Hold your arm up, mon prince; that's it.”

Cogsworth cleaned the scratches and patted the poultice across them. He pressed a clean cloth against the gash and wound a length of linen bandage around Adam's waist, to keep it in place. Young men could get into such trouble. Cogsworth remembered one such young man, long ago in London, with snapping dark eyes and a love of life so great that his death had come as a horrible shock. Cogsworth sighed.

“Is it so bad?” Adam asked.

“Not at all. I was just...thinking of the past.”

“Of England?” Adam said.

“Well, yes.”

“Are you going to go back, then?”

Cogsworth blinked. “Why on earth would I go back to England?”

Adam shrugged. “It's your home, isn't it?”

Home. Such a strange concept. England had not been home since the laughing young man with the snapping dark eyes had died, killed in a duel on Hampstead Heath, since his cousin Maria-Eleanor had rescued him from his grief with the offer of a job in her new French home.  

“This castle has been my home for more than twenty years,” Cogsworth replied. “Ever since I came here with your mother. Where on earth would I go, if I left here?”

Something flashed behind Adam's blue eyes. “And you would stay here in spite of everything?”

Cogsworth was puzzled by the question, but he supposed he knew what the prince meant. Life here grew more and more fraught as the older Prince de Courcy descended into tyranny and paranoia. It was deeply unpleasant working for the man; Monsieur le Prince bullied and threatened everyone, tolerated mistakes less and less every day, and seemed convinced that someone-though who, exactly, remained unclear-was out to hurt him. Several members of staff, including three footmen and a pastry chef, had left the Prince's service of their own volition.

“It is not so bad as all that,” he replied, tying the bandage off. “Monsieur le Prince needs the castle to run just so; it would do you all a disservice for me to leave. Besides, I like it here.”

“Do you?”

“Indeed. My family is all here.”

Adam's eyebrows rose. “Your family? Is there a wife and children I do not know of?”

Cogsworth chuckled at that. “No, not family like that. Not all family need be blood relatives, Prince Adam.”

“Then who-?”

“Well, Plumette has sat atop my heart since the day she arrived here.” Cogsworth remembered the tiny, worn child, a refugee of the last great Parisian plague, with her big dark eyes and desperate need of care. Looking after her had begun to ease the pain in Cogsworth's heart, grief that had endured since the fight on Hampstead Heath. “That fool Lumiere, of course, and Beatrice and her Jean. Chapeau, Cuisinier. Those of us who have been here since the beginning, since your dear mother came here.”

Adam stood, tucking his shirt back in, and let Cogsworth help him back into his waistcoat. “I thought your disliked Lumiere.”

“A man can consider another a melodramatic fool and still like him greatly,” Cogsworth replied, doing up Adam's buttons. “Just because one doesn't share mannerisms with another does not mean that they cannot be brothers in arms. That is not how affection works. Family, neither.”

Adam's lips twitched. “So I am to understand that my father will not run you off?

“Indeed,” Cogsworth said, finishing the last button. “There, you'll do. Give me your jacket and I'll see that it's washed.”

Adam handed over the soiled jacket. He hesitated. “I am glad,” he said at last. “This castle would fall apart without you, Cogsworth.”

Cogsworth smiled. “It certainly would. Get on with you, now, Prince Adam, and don't worry. None of us are going anywhere.”

Adam did not smile-he didn't, anymore-but his eyes were light. “Very good. Send some tea up to my study, if you'd be so kind.”

Cogsworth nodded, and went off to deposit the jacket in the laundry and call for Plumette. He hoped that Adam had understood what he meant, when he called the castle his home, its denizens his family. Words were not Cogsworth's forte.

But Adam, sitting alone in his study, drinking tea and rubbing his aching side, understood that they would not leave him, and was comforted.

(Part of More Than Kin on AO3)

[collecting-stories]

Not a Kid | Tommy Shelby

Request: Could you write about Tommy Shelby falling in love with a younger reader? (in their early 20’s)?

Not A Kid Anymore | Tommy Shelby

You were sat in the kitchen of Polly’s house laughing as Isaiah recounted a story about he and Finn trying to pick up a couple of girls down at the pub two nights ago. You, Michael, and Finn were sitting around the table while Isaiah stood up, making hand motions and acting out the entire scene. You were all somewhat tipsy from a bottle of whiskey that Finn had brought with him. 

Growing up you'd always been closest to Ada. You were only four years her junior and your mother had been close with Polly. When Ada moved to London you continued to spend time with the Shelby family. Eventually you became friends with Michael and Isaiah though they were a few years younger than you. You got on well with John and Esme but Arthur and Tommy always treated you like a child. Arthur didn't bother you so much as Tommy did.  

When you were 13 Ada got a boyfriend. They would hold hands and she’d drag you along to go out with them so Polly didn't catch on. The boy she dated had a friend that would come along to keep you company. He didn't understand that you weren't interested until Ada told Tommy and he straightened the boy out with a broken arm. That, if you thought about it, was the moment you knew you loved Tommy Shelby.  

You watched him go off to war and come home. You heard all about Grace when she first came to Small Heath. You were there at the wedding and the funeral. You still loved Tommy, you were sure you probably always would, and he would probably always see you as a kid.  

“You're still not as bad as Michael and what's-her-name.” You said, rejoining the conversation. 

Michael laughed, “fuck off!”  

John came in with Tommy and grabbed the empty bottle off the counter, “you lot save any for the rest of us?” 

You looked over at Tommy who was lighting a cigarette. He didn't seem interested in what you and the boys were getting up to. Whenever he came around he acted like you were immature. Michael saw you watching his cousin and jabbed your side with his elbow, catching your attention. You looked at him and smiled. You and Michael got along the best. He spent more with the brothers than you did lately and he’d seen the way Tommy looked at you. Even before Grace died. Michael just kept his mouth shut, knowing it wasn't a topic Tommy was interested in discussing.  

Michael got up from the table, “are we still going for round for drinks?”  

“Sure.” You nodded. Michael had promised that he’d go with you to your friend’s club premiere.  

“Where’re you going?” Finn asked, wise to Michael’s plan of pissing off Tommy.  

“To celebrate, without you lot around.” 

Tommy looked over at you but you avoided his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something but John beat him to it. “What're you celebrating?”  

“It's a secret.” Michael replied.  

"A secret?" Arthur laughed. "What kinda secret you getting up to?" 

"Leave the kids alone Arthur." Tommy stated, sounding bored with the conversation.  

You laughed when Michael put his arm around you and led you out of the kitchen. You knew he was being a smart ass to his cousins you just weren't sure why. Finn and Isaiah both knew that it was just a party at your friend's club but they acted like they had no clue where Michael was taking you.  

“What exactly are we doing?” You asked as Michael climbed in the driver's side of the car. He’d helped you into the car for the first time ever and you were confused. He was acting like the two of you were going together.  

“Making Tommy jealous.” Michael grinned.  

“Of what?”  

Michael laughed. “You honestly don't see the way he looks at you? Listen, you could fucking murder someone and Tommy would still look at you like you were the most innocent, wonderful thing on earth.”  

“He doesn't look at me like that.”  

“Alright well," Michael shook his head at your unwillingness to believe him, "I need Polly off my back for a few days anyway so let's just pretend we’re going together, until this whole mess with Charlotte is through.”  

You agreed. A majority of your time was spent with Michael as it was, it wouldn't be so bad to pretend you were in love with him. So the two of you began a fake relationship. Polly suspected that it wasn’t real when she saw you two in the kitchen one afternoon. You were leaning against the counter and Michael was facing you, standing close and whispering something about Charlotte. She thought perhaps the two of you were up to something but said nothing. The one who noticed the change the most was Tommy.  

Michael would wait for Tommy to be around and purposely do things to pester him. If Tommy walked into the room Michael would jokingly pull you into his lap. When you were at the Garrison or just around the house Michael would stand close to you and whisper so only you could hear him. It was always pointless things that he'd say, telling you to laugh at him or kiss his cheek. Everyone else seemed to notice the way Tommy watched you and Michael, except you. 

Michael would tell you Tommy was watching but every time you looked his way he was preoccupied with something else. You wondered if Michael was just teasing you and stringing you along this whole time for a laugh.  

Your answer came a couple of weeks later. It was family dinner at Tommy's house and Michael brought you as a guest. Ada had questioned you about the nature of your relationship with her cousin when she'd seen the two of you arriving together. You confessed to her that Michael had this outlandish idea that Tommy liked you. Ada thought it was hilarious and you assumed she knew that Michael was delusional.  

Half way through dinner you snuck out to have a cigarette in the back garden. Michael was being unusually handsy tonight. If he kissed your cheek one more time on grabbed you around the waist you were going to shrink up with embarrassment. Ada hid mischievous smiles, as did Finn and Polly, all three knowing that you and Michael weren't anything at all.  

"Not in there sitting on Michael's lap?" Tommy asked, his voice condescending.   You didn’t turn to look at him, afraid he would see the blush on your face. You felt the same humiliation that you had when you were fourteen and Tommy had caught you sharing your first kiss down by the docks. Then he'd yelled at the boy and told him to stay away from Shelby girls. Now he was standing outside waiting for you to answer him.  

"I'm having a cigarette. A girl's not allowed to have a cigarette?"   

"What are you doing with Michael?" Tommy came up to stand beside you. 

"What do you mean?" You finally turned to face him.  

"I mean why are you with Michael?" 

"I don’t see what it matters to you Tommy." 

"You shouldn’t be wasting time with someone like Michael. He's immature and he could hardly take care of Charlotte. You expect him to take care of you? You need someone who can provide for you and get you out of Small Heath. That’s not Michael." Tommy said. It upset him that you were wasting your time with Michael.  

"I thought I was just a kid?" You commented. It was a comment that he'd repeated multiple times while you and Michael pretended to be a couple. Every time John or Arthur would tease you Tommy would call you both kids and wave you off like you weren't important.  

Tommy cursed under his breath.  

"We're not together." You admitted. Michael had told you to hold out until Tommy admitted that he loved you but you knew that was never going to happen.  

"What?" Tommy looked up at you. It was a look you'd never seen before.  

"Michael and I, we were just fooling around, we're not actually together. I mean, it was just pretend." You shrugged.  

"Why?" Tommy asked, he stepped a little closer to you. 

"I don't know." You wouldn’t meet his eyes. 

"Why did you pretend to go with Michael?" He stepped closer still.  

"It was Michael's idea. It was stupid I know, but you don’t have to be all protective older brother-" You were cut off by Tommy grabbing your face and kissing you.  

Since you were thirteen you had thought about Tommy kissing you. It always seemed like some outlandish dream that would never come true. Your whole life Tommy had treated you like a child, just Ada's little friend that came around too often and always caused trouble. He teased you relentlessly when you were a child and ignored you the older you got. Now here he was, standing outside in his garden kissing you while the rest of the Shelbys were in having dessert.  

"Please don’t refer to me as your older brother ever again." Tommy said as he pulled away. He smiled at the blush that spread across your cheeks. 

"Michael told me if I went out with him you'd be upset." 

"So you were specifically trying to make me angry?" Tommy asked.  

"No, just trying to make you notice that I'm not a kid anymore." You replied.  

Tommy kissed you again, gentle but insistent. You couldn’t believe that he was kissing you and just the same, he couldn't believe that he had finally kissed you. "I haven't thought you were a kid in a long time."

Feedback is always welcome...hope you enjoy.

[marjaystuff]

Elise Cooper Interviews Maisey Yates

The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch and The Hero of Hope Springs show why author Maisey Yates is the Queen of the Cowboy stories. In both stories the characters are searching to find their place in the world. They are stories of hope, acceptance, love, and family with a small-town romance.

The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch has the heroine as someone who enforces the rules, butting heads with the hero who likes to test the rules. Both are two lonely people in their own way. West Caldwell never had someone to rely on, while Pansy Daniels, although surrounded by her many siblings, grew up alone trying to make up for her little girl antics.

Now a police officer, hoping to become the police chief to follow in her late father’s footsteps, Pansy had dedicated her life to safeguarding the local community, while fighting off the child stereotype.  West is the illegitimate child of Hank Dalton and now has many siblings.  He is learning to trust them, confide in them, and open up his heart.  

After losing her parents at a young age and being raised by her older brother, Pansy now has to face-off against her new landlord, a hot-headed cowboy with an attitude. Both seem to have contempt for each other and push each other’s buttons.  But there is a definite attraction, one that Pansy first tries to avoid.  She does not want West in her life, especially since it will be frowned upon by the board who will decide the next police chief, a job she has wanted all her life.  West is an ex-convict even though he was falsely imprisoned.  But the more they get to know one another, the more they realize they care for each other.

The Hero Of Hope Springs is a friend to lover story.  It delves into the horrific subject of child abuse and the emotional aftermath.  The heroine, Sammy Marshall, hides her vulnerability behind a free-spirit attitude.  She would have fit perfectly into the sixties, in the age of the flower child.  But she always wanted and needed a family.  She observed how Ryder Daniels raised his siblings, a family friend, and two cousins after their parents died together in a plane crash. Wanting to be a part of this make-shift family, Sammy shows up at the ranch and joins the clan.  It does not take long for Ryder and Sammy to become best friends.

Ryder realizes there is an attraction, but does nothing, not wanting to destroy their strong bond of friendship.  But after Sammy approaches him asking him to choose a baby-daddy, everything becomes complicated. She realizes her best friend Ryder would make the perfect sperm donor, not with a tube, but with actual intimacy. After discovering she is pregnant, Ryder makes it clear he wants to make her an “honest woman” and wants to marry her. Although she agrees and goes through with it, Sammy still struggles with letting him get to close after seeing her parents’ disastrous relationship. Eventually both realize they are the light to each other’s darkness.

Both books have a touching story filled with humor, heartbreak, and finally love. The characters are brought to life and readers root for them to find their happiness.

Elise Cooper:  You write women’s fiction and cowboy stories.  Do you have a favorite?

Maisey Yates:  I like variety.  Always by the time I am ready to write a cowboy romance I enjoy it.  But after writing all the cowboy stories I am ready to write a women’s fiction story where the structure and focus are different.  

EC:  Since Pansy is a police chief would you ever write a mystery with her?

MY:  I am open to writing anything.  I probably write every year a friend to lover’s story and a best friends’ story.  I read a lot of mysteries as a child.  If the opportunity presented itself I would go for it.  If Harlequin called me and asked if I would write a mystery I would say yes and figure out how to do it tomorrow.

EC:  In The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch how would you describe the main female character Pansy?

MY:  She was the first character I thought of for this series.  She is a small woman who is a tough police officer that has an improbable name.  Pansy takes herself very seriously and is committed, focused, and accomplished. Because she has to fight for everything she has succeeded at she can be prickly, stubborn, at times uptight, super self-driven, and a rule follower. In her case she had to overcome the pity people felt for her after she lost her parents.  

EC:  Why give her the name Pansy, which she also has to overcome?

MY:  When I was giving my children names I thought about the spelling, how people will pronounce them, and what impressions will come from a name. I had to overcome stuff since like Pansy I lived in a small town forever.  People see you as the child. I decided to give all the girls in the family a flower’s name.  

EC:  How would you describe West?

MY:  He is a bad boy type of hero, but more self-aware.  At times he is mouthy, incorrigible, and always seems to try to get a rise out of her.  He is a bit of a smart-aleck. Overall, he is dependable and is there for her and his step-brother.  A steady guy. I have a quote in this book that Pansy says to the step-brother, but it can actually apply to West.  “The world can take everything from you…Your money, your status, your home. Your job. Your family. But there are a few things in your soul that the world can’t have unless you give it up. Your hope. Your faith. Your integrity. That’s the measure of a person. Those things that can’t be taken and how hard you hold on to them. You’ve made mistakes, but it takes integrity to come and own up to them.”  What counts is his inner strength.

EC:  How would you describe the relationship?

MY:  In the beginning there was a little bit of Pansy rebelling because it was so new and exciting.  He had redemption and knew he wanted to make a good life with her way before she knew.  He pushes Pansy into her journey.

EC:  Family and community play an important role in the book?

MY:  The Daniels’ family is a representation of a community that was built from a tragedy. They are an unconventional family that has a strong support system.  A friend of mine who is a new author for Harlequin said something profound to me, ‘It’s not the characters just falling in love with each other, but also falling in love with the town and community.’  They are there for each other.

EC:  Switching gears, how would you describe the heroine, Sammy Marshall, from the book, The Hero Of Hope Springs?

MY: Sammy came from a dysfunctional family, which was my jump off inspiration for this story. She had an abusive father so everything at her home was a mess.  In her mind, seeing the Daniels’ family feels like living in an adult free utopia, which she wanted to be a part of.  She saw Hope Springs Ranch as a hopeful place, where she would be loved and taken care of.  The hero Ryder and his family were her family.  Her free spirit attitude covered up her issues, although she was unconventional.

EC:  How would you describe the hero Ryder?

MY:  He had to grow up way too fast.  Sammy calls him an old retired man, which is true symbolically.  He worked really hard to get everyone else into a good place.  He was their care-taker, and gave everything up he dreamed of.  Now at the age of 34 he is an empty nester, but still tries to protect everyone. He is very traditional.

EC:  How would you describe the relationship?

MY:  She needed his steadiness and she allowed him to lighten up.  Because she did not want to lose him as her best friend she kept the relationship as platonic.  This is a story of a woman who wants to not lose the friendship of the hero.  She needed his strength and he needed her free-spirit.

EC: Can you explain this quote, “My father treated me like a human punching bag, and my mother like a human shield”?

MY: Sammy felt that as a child her mother should have protected her.  If your parents do not protect you then who would.  It is a very complicated difficult deep issue.  

EC:  The scene about the mid-wife is very interesting?

MY:  it is a case of art imitating life.  My sister-in-law had a home birth.  I am much more like Ryder and am very traditional with wanting to be in a hospital that has modern medicine. But I thought Sammy 100% wants a home birth.  It is not a judgement on my part.  Just because a character feels or says something is not necessarily how the author feels. I personally believe in traditional birth.  

EC:  Can you give a heads up about your next books?

MY: In the first three books of this series the heroes are aware of their feelings before the heroine, which is not my tendency.  The Last Christmas Cowboy is out in October.  It will be Rose Daniels story where she tries to play matchmaker to her sister and enlists the help of family friend, Logan Heath.  But she does not realize that he is attracted to her.  

In November the book Claiming the Rancher’s Heir will be out. It is part of the Gold Valley Vineyards series.  This book has an enemy to lover’s story.  They were so mean to each other yet had so much chemistry but acted like cats and dogs

THANK YOU!!

[starlightshadowsworld]

Heath Burns was many things.

But one no one expected was for him to be protective.

The sound of a body hitting the ground echoed throughout the halls.

No one had even seen Heath move.

Only the flare of fire that was left in his wake.

"Leave him alone!" He glared at Manny before him, standing in front of the fallen teen.

A shield between the two.

"What’s it to you Burns, this lame normie needs to know his place."

The temperature of the hallway rose.

A growl made it’s way to Heath’s throat.

"Don’t you dare talk about him like that!"

Manny rolled his eyes with a snort "what would you want me to not call a locker a locker? Step out the way Burns and I won’t kick your sorry arse."

Luckily, Heath wasn’t alone.

"You try that and you’ll have to go through us." Said Clawd, walking over with Deuce.

"Let’s go dude" said Deuce, keeping his gaze on the bully lest they get any funny ideas.

Heath wanted to argue but the fight left him when a hand reached up and tugged at his jacket.

"Heath…"

He softened in way no one had ever seen him do and helped the other to his feet.

Manny roared but knew he was outnumbered and ran off like a coward.

"You alright…jeez he did a number on you…?" Fussed Heath, checking him over and taking the first aid kit that Slo mo handed him.

Deuce sent everyone a warning look, and they deserted leaving the group alone.

It was weird seeing Heath like this, but it was nice to see the more softer side of the fire elemental.

The younger teen slumped against the lockers, letting Heath fuss over him.

Their was a nasty bruise on his cheek and Heath swore under his breathe.

"I’m sorry…I should’ve known he’d have pulled some shit."

"It’s okay…so much for a good first impression."

Heath frowned, shaking his head and gestured to the other 3 monsters. "Hey, none of that. You can do over. These are my boys. Clawd Wolf, Deuce Gorgan and Sloman "Slo Mo" Mortavitch. Guys, this is Jackson Jekyll, my cousin."

Jackson gave a shy wave which the others returned with a smile. "Nice to meet you dude" said Deuce with a friendly smile Jackson returned.

Feeling a lot more at ease.

"Sorry man, should’ve met you at the gate…." Said Heath apologetically, Jackson smiled softly "your here now, that’s all that matters…who was that?"

"Manny Taur, I don’t get it tho he was in a great mood earlier." Said Clawd.

Jackson chuckled sadly "I mean I’m a normie in a monster school…should’ve known."

Deuce frowned "ain’t nothing wrong with that man, don’t let him get you down."

Heath nodded "yeah he’s an arse, a friend but an arse. He’s not gonna get away with doing this to you. And if you say your used to it and not to bother I’m telling your mum."

Jackson pouted but relented and Heath grinned ruffling his hair before softening.

"You okay?" Asked Clawd, he and the others feeling a wave of protectiveness for Jackson.

Jackson nodded "hurts a bit but, yeah I’m okay."

Heath looked at him, taking his hands in his.

"Are you both okay?"

Jackson paused, going silent for a few seconds before looking down.

Shaking his head.

Heath shuffled over and hugged him.

"He took our headphones…Holt tried to stop him…."

Burying his head into Heath’s shoulder.

He was warm….he felt like home.

"He won’t ever hurt you…either of you again." Promised Heath.

His reputation right damned no one would hurt his cousins again.

Looking at his friends he knew they agreed.

"Welcome to monster high little bros."