Chapter Text
You’ve been around the Shelbys practically your whole life. You grew up with them, you and Ada nearly attached at the hip, John close behind. Being friends with a Shelby meant you often got into trouble, resulting in another Shelby coming to help get you out of it, namely Arthur or Tommy. Oh, Arthur would always grumble and complain while you and Ada sat there giggling away. But Tommy, well, Tommy would grumble most times. But sometimes he’d just give you a grin before offering his hand, helping you to run away, and you felt like you could take on the world. You could do anything when Tommy looked at you like that.
You remember the first time you got well and truly drunk- you, Ada, and John had stolen a bottle of whisky. You were only about 15 at the time, Ada only a few years younger than you. You had only had beer before, the burn of the whisky new and caused you to cough up your first sip. John and Ada had a good laugh at that, which you quickly joined in on when Ada did the exact same thing shortly after. By the time you had finished the bottle, the three of you had been sat outside, laying down on the ground. You were all laughing at anything and everything, the whole world felt a little brighter and warmer. A nice change from the dinginess of Small Heath.
And then Tommy stepped into view, and you remember thinking that the streetlight behind him made him look like an angel come to save you. Tommy’s frown only deepened as you stared up at him, giggling, tracing the outline of the ‘halo’ in the air. You remember hearing Arthur give John a gruff ‘what the hell were you thinking?’ as Tommy leaned down, offering his hand to help you up. You took it, nearly falling back down as soon as you were on your feet. Tommy had let out a curse while helping steady you, his hands coming to your waist to help hold you up.
‘His hands are so warm,’ you had thought, giggling some more, before slumping against Tommy’s chest. Tommy let out another curse, before bending down to pick you up, one arm around your back and the other holding up your legs. You were suddenly so tired, but you had managed to look around, seeing that Arthur was trying to support both Ada and John, which caused you to let out yet another round of giggles.
“Something amusing?” Tommy asked, voice low. You shook your head, accidentally making yourself dizzy, clutching to his shirt a little tighter.
“Don’t be mad, Tommy,” you had asked quietly, tucking your head in closer to him. He really was so warm, and you were so tired.
“I’m not mad,” he replied, but you knew his frown had to be firmly in place.
“We were just having a bit of fun,” you slurred against his chest, your eyes getting harder and harder to keep open. “Promise, Tommy.”
“I know,” he sighed, starting the trek back home. You had dozed off, the sway of his steps rocking you to sleep. You only barely woke again as you felt Tommy lay you down. You offered no complaints as he carefully undid your boots, setting them off to the side, before adjusting you on what you realized was a bed, before he pulled the blanket up over your shoulders.
“Thank you, Tommy,” you had murmured, snuggling deeper into the bed.
“Sleep well, Y/N.” He tucked a strand of hair back behind your ear, before leaving you to doze back off.
When you awoke, you had first noticed the glass of water set out, quickly reaching to down it. You noticed after the fact that you must be in Tommy’s room. Looking back to the nightstand you saw a note:
Your family knows you’re safe. Drink the water.
Next time try to keep it to only half the bottle.
-Tommy
With a small smile, you had simply rolled over and went back to sleep.
While the boys were off at war, the Peaky Blinders became women's business. You were barely nineteen when they left. Polly had taken over, and you had started taking bets. It had been slower during the war. There were simply less things to bet on, less people to gamble, and less money to gamble with. Nevertheless, it was steady. And it had given you something to do.
After the Shelby boys came back, you continued to help out, mainly helping Polly with financial and clerical work. You had faced some pushback from Tommy, claiming that the Peaky Blinders was too dangerous for a woman.
“I’m not 15 anymore, Tommy,” you practically shouted at him. You had been having this conversation for a few minutes now, tempers rising on both sides.
“I know, Y/N, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous.” His face was calm but you knew Tommy, knew he was simply holding back for your sake. “What if someone comes in here and starts a fight, hmm?”
“And what about every time that happened the past four years?” you spat back, finger jamming into Tommy’s chest. “I’m still here, Tommy. I knew what I signed up for then, and I know what I’m signing up for now.”
“It’s not safe,” he repeated yet again, his voice rising ever so slightly, and you were ready to strangle him.
“Fuck sake, Tommy. I could handle it at nineteen, and I can handle it now at twenty-four. If you’re that worried, give me a gun and I’ll shoot them in the leg myself.” You were mostly joking about the gun, but you were ready to shoot Tommy in the leg now, so you were sure you’d have no problem if it came to someone who was actually causing you problems.
Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a heavy sigh before looking back up at you for a few moments. You could see it in his face the moment he resigned himself to losing this fight.
“Alright,” he said, crossing his arms. “Alright. You stay working here, but if anything happens, and I mean anything, Y/N, you’re out. I’m not risking your safety, especially more than once. Anyone comes in here causing trouble, you get out of here, yeah? Let the others deal with it.”
“And then what, Tommy? I’m out of a job?” You tilted your head to look at him defiantly. He crossed the few steps to you and grasped your chin, tilting your head up even more to look him in the eyes. You could see the anger simmering there behind his eyes, sure that he could see the same in you.
“Yes, Y/N. You’re out of a job.” You swatted his hand away, but he kept talking. “You’d be out of a job but I’d give you a stipend until you find something new. Deal?”
You crossed your arms, thinking for a moment, before nodding, spitting on your palm and offering it to Tommy. He regarded you for another second, before spitting in his own palm and shaking your hand, sealing the deal.
“Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Shelby,” you offered with a sickly sweet smile, before turning on your heel, Tommy’s resigned sigh following you out the door.
You were only partially surprised when, walking into the betting shop the next day, Polly handed you a package.
“From Tommy,” she had said with a smile. You raised your eyebrow, pulling at the note attached to the top.
Let the others deal with the problems, Y/N.
I’m not giving you a gun.
-Tommy
You let out an annoyed huff, pulling at the string on the package, revealing a switchblade. You had looked up just as Tommy walked in, giving you a small nod.
“Only if necessary, Y/N,” he said, giving you a light squeeze on the shoulder as he walked past.