#also tommy is 100% on the Get Michael A Fuck Buddy train

[purelypeaky]

Then and Now

You didn’t know what to think when your childhood friend Henry Johnson disappeared. On a business trip to Birmingham with your father a few years later, you run into him again and reminisce about the past in more ways than one.

Michael Gray x reader

Warnings: lots of fluff, things get a little hot and heavy

Masterlist

(gif credit to the glorious @peakyblindersgifs)

You couldn’t believe it when he walked in.

Trying to pass time in the waiting area of Shelby Company Limited was boring you to death. Your father had stepped back into Tommy Shelby’s office, leaving you to watch the secretary tap away at her typewriter. You sighed and were letting your mind wander when the door pushed open and a young man strode over to the secretary’s desk.

You recognized him immediately. Henry was your closest childhood friend, your teenage partner in crime, and eventually your first kiss. Of everyone in your hometown, you were the most baffled when he left. But there he was, just a few feet away and already leaving you breathless.

“Henry?” you said hesitantly, standing up and smoothing out your dress.

He turned, his brows knitted with confusion that disappeared as soon as he saw you. “Y\N, is that you?”

Dropping his papers on the desk, he immediately crossed the room and crushed you into a hug. You loved having him in your arms again and how tightly he held on, as if trying to make up for the few years gone by. When you pulled back again his hands slid to your waist and you stayed there, gazing at each other a moment too long. His green eyes were as bright as you remembered. Finally you both snapped out of it and Henry cleared his throat, though the smile never left his lips.

“I can’t believe it’s you, Y\N. What are you doing here?”

“My father’s going into business with Tommy Shelby and he let me tag along. I’d never been to Birmingham before. It has...quite the scenery,” you said with a grimace, making both of you laugh. “But what are you doing here, Henry? Do you work for the company?”

“It’s actually Michael now,” he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

“Michael?”

He took your hand like he’d done hundreds of times before, ready to lead you on another adventure. “C’mon, I’ll explain.”

Before you could make it to the door leading to the offices, the secretary piped up. “Michael, Tommy wanted you to --”

“It’s alright, Lizzie. Tell Tommy I’m in a meeting, too.” He gave a mischievous grin that you knew well and squeezed your hand for emphasis.

He pulled you down the hallway of offices and came to a stop in front of one that was right outside of Tommy Shelby’s. You barely heard your father’s muffled voice because you were more focused on the door that read Michael Gray, Chief Accountant.

“Michael...” you mulled, then raised an eyebrow at the man beside you. “Am I just supposed to call you Michael now?”

“I think so, yeah.”

You gave a sly grin. “I don’t hate it.”

Michael nodded proudly and led you into the office, where you were in awe of the lavish furnishings. But before you could explore the all of the knicknacks and picture frames, he made you sit down and let him explain everything that had happened. Tommy visiting, finding out about his real family, running away to Birmingham and becoming part of the family business, all of it.

You listened intently, trying to keep an open mind, but by the end your heart was as heavy as when he first left. You looked down at your lap and tried to find the right words but none came. Only when Michael took your hand in both of his did you meet his gaze again.

“I didn’t want to leave you,” he murmured, swirling his thumb on your skin, “but I needed to be here. Doing this with my family.”

You nodded earnestly. “I know. I know you hated it there, Henr...Michael. You always dreamed of getting out. And here you are,” you added, waving a hand at the room.

He couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, here I am. You want to look around now?”

You both stood up at the same time and found yourselves a little too close together. After nearly bumping noses, you laughed it off and stepped back. Michael walked around to sit at his desk and you finally noticed how his suits were sharper, he carried himself a little taller, and he looked like he belonged behind that desk. Your Henry that climbed trees and played muddy games of football with the other little boys was gone.

He was grown now.

You shook your head and turned to survey the rest of the room in all its glory. Stacks of papers and certificates were held down by paperweights, pens were discarded next to a teapot, and you ran your fingertips along the spines of all the old and new books on the shelves. A few framed photographs depicted his cousin’s wedding party and the woman he’d pointed out as his real mother. You took it all in with a gentle smile.

Then an intricate ceramic box on one of the shelves caught your eye and you looked at Michael for permission.

He was watching you amusedly. “Go on.”

It was heavier than you expected but you held it tightly, opening it to find tiny flowers painted on the inside. The flowers and leaves reminded you of gardens back home and you wondered if Michael kept it for that reason.

“It’s beautiful.”

He smiled and pulled out a cigarette. “A little old lady gave that to me because I convinced Tommy to not burn down her son’s pub. Bad for business, you know.”

After safely returning the box to its spot you set your sights back on Michael with a smirk. You crossed the room to his side of the desk and hoisted yourself up, just out of reach of his crossed legs.

“Listen to you, ‘bad for business’,” you giggled. Then you plucked the cigarette from his mouth and took a drag. “You smoke these now?”

“Sometimes. Do you?”

When stifling your cough didn’t work, you just put out the cig in the ashtray. “Sometimes.”

That had both of you laughing again and then you trailed off when you looked out of the office window into the foggy Birmingham sky. It was quiet for a moment too long while you worked up the courage for your next question.

“Do you ever miss home?”

Michael lifted his eyes to to find you still looking away. “I think about you sometimes.”

Your heart bottomed out and you wrung your hands in your lap but couldn’t meet his gaze. It would give you too much hope. “You do?”

“Of course I do.” He stood up and rounded in front of you, waiting with a gentle smile until you looked at him. “We had a lot of fun when we were kids. I didn’t know any other girl who could drive her mother as crazy as I did mine. And when we were older...”

He trailed off, unsure of breaching the subject. But you encouraged him by resting a hand on his chest and he leaned into your touch, stepping closer until he was between your legs. He glanced around your face as if trying to re-memorize every inch and let his fingers brush your cheek. Your breath caught at his close proximity and your gaze unconsciously dipped to his lips when he spoke again.

“Well, things weren’t so bad when we were older, either. That’s what I remember most.”

That was all the prompting either of you needed and you met in the middle for a tentative kiss. It was a gentle test of the waters and Michael rested his forehead to yours in the wake, but only for a moment. The water was just fine and both of you dove in.

His open mouth slid against yours passionately and your arms wrapped around to seal his body to you. All of the tension and uncertainty melted away at his touch and you let yourself get lost in the moment and in the feel of Michael’s hands smoothing down your sides. You flashed back to the few other times he’d kissed you but this was the best yet, proven by his strong mouth capturing yours again and again. He even chased your lips when you tried to break the kiss, stealing one more before he let you speak.

You played with the hair at the nape of his neck, still panting. “Can they see us through the glass?”

“Do you care?” Michael countered with a smirk. There was that reckless streak you missed.

Clasping your hands, he tugged you with him until he sat in his chair and you straddled his lap. Your chest flushed with heat at the precarious position but you loved having Michael under you again and could feel him already growing hard. His grip settled at your waist and he watched you hungrily, sending that heat from your chest rushing down to your core.

His mouth was on you again in a flash, kissing you like no time was lost between now and your younger days in the countryside. It was playful and eager and he toyed with your tongue to make you laugh and god you’d missed smiling into him. Your hands raked from his hair to his shoulders, anything to pull him impossibly closer.

You had just started fumbling with his waistcoat buttons when a door slammed down the hall. After leaping off of Michael’s lap, both of you stared at his office door with baited breath. But nobody came.

“That was close,” you whispered childishly.

“Couldn’t have your father finding us again, hm?”

The two of you shared a smile and started fixing your disheveled appearances. You tugged your dress back into place and watched as Michael straightened out his suit. He cocked his head at you when he caught you staring.

“Do you like it?” He made a show of fiddling with his cufflinks.

“I really do.”

He noticed your change in tone and nearly melted under your heavy-lidded gaze. You wanted to tell him exactly how you’d let him take off each layer of his clothes and yours, but voices from down the hall dragged you back to reality once again.

Michael sighed. “We should probably get back to them.”

You nodded and let him open the door before sauntering past, relishing in how he nearly groaned just watching your hips swing. Just like good old days. But you were only a few steps down the hall when he caught your hand and turned you toward him.

“How long are you in town?” he asked earnestly.

“Two days. Then it’s back home.” You smiled sadly, cupping his cheek. “But we’re staying in a hotel up the road. Maybe we could go out tonight? You could show me all of Birmingham.”

With a kiss and a squeeze to your hand, he promised just that. Then the two of you continued down the hall walking a few paces apart so that no one would suspect anything. You found your father and Tommy Shelby still talking out front.

“Ah, Y\N, the secretary told me you were acquainting yourself with Mr. Shelby’s accountant,” your father called, waving you over to him.

“You remember Henry?” you answered, linking your arm with Michael’s. “It’s a long story, but he’s working for Mr. Shelby now.”

Michael shook your father’s hand and they began chatting. You noticed Tommy Shelby watching you curiously and he pulled out a cigarette just like Michael had earlier. Apparently he really was related to the Shelbys.

Tommy stepped closer to speak to you, nonchalantly puffing smoke into the wind. “I hear from Lizzie that you reacquainted yourself with Michael rather well, Miss Y\L\N. She takes advantage of the thin office walls.”

Your eyes blew wide and you tried to stumble around an answer. “Mr. Shelby, sir, I don’t know --”

“Don’t worry, that’s no business of mine. What is my business is giving Michael the day off tomorrow.”

At that moment Michael glanced at you with a smile before turning back to the conversation with your father. Your heart swelled and you nodded resolutely.

“That would be lovely, Mr. Shelby. Thank you.”