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Hey! New account! @ghostbones was banned! Transferring everything here! [Author of A Mess, Doe Eyes, My Own Two Hands, and quite a few one shots / reader requests!

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Requests open in my asks!

A Mess - Reader Walsh X Daryl Dixon series

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 // Part 6 // Part 7 // Part 8 // Part 9 // Part 10 coming soon!!

>> ONE SHOTS & READER REQUESTS <<

Doe Eyes & My Own Two Hands coming back soon!

Keep Me Close | Tommy Shelby x Reader

Request: yes by @badgerdryad

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader

Summary: As a maid at Arrow House, (Y/N) has many tasks that she has to complete. She never thought that one of those tasks would be to calm Charles Shelby down after he's had a bad dream. Nor did she expect to catch the attention of her boss because of how she completed that task.

Warnings: talks of a nightmare centered around kidnapping

Word Count: 3051

A/N: thank you for being so paitent and waiting for this story. I hope it’s what you expected. I just adore little Charlie so much. Enjoy! :)

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in stories similar to this one!

———

Arrow House was always much different after the sun went down. The already enormous house felt even larger, its halls felt even colder, and some would even swear that shadows lurked at the end of each corridor. But to (Y/N), Arrow House at night felt peaceful. It's when she felt that she was able to get her work done at its best.

She was in the room that was designated for laundry, making sure that all of the clothing was folded perfectly and up to the par of her boss. Humming a song to herself, she barely heard the whimpering of a child until it was coming from the room's doorway.

When she turned around, she found Charlie Shelby standing in the doorway with an expression that was a mixture between sadness and fear on his face. "Charles?" she asked, blinking a few times as she tried to decipher whether he was actually standing there or not. "Charles, what's wrong?" she asked him a question when he didn't dissipate after her blinking finished.

"I...I...I had a bad d-dream," he stammered through his tears, a deep frown present on his face.

"Oh no," (Y/N) stated as she set down the shirt she had in her hands so that she could move over to where the boy was standing, "I'm so sorry to hear that, buddy. Do you need help going back to sleep?" she asked him as she crouched down to get on his level.

He shook his head profusely, the fear returning to his features, "no. No, I don't want to go back to sleep. He always comes back when I sleep," he told her, his statement rushed and frantic.

"Ok, ok. That's fine," (Y/N) spoke in a calm voice, hoping to be able to soothe his worries, "what if I come into your room with you?" she then suggested another plan. It had to be the middle of the night at this point, so it wouldn't be good for him to stay up until the morning. But at the same time it was evident that he didn't want to be by himself.

"You'd do that?" he asked in a soft voice, surprised that she was offering up such a thing.

"Of course I would," she sent him a friendly smile, showing him that she was more than willing to accompany him to his bedroom. She watched as the smallest smile formed on his face. "How about we go back to your bedroom now?" she suggested, watching Charlie nod before she stood up and extended her hand to him. He took it and then they walked down the hallway to the room at the end of it.

Charlie's bedroom had to be moved down to the first level of the house when it became known that he sleep-walked at times. Tommy made this choice after he found out the hard way that his son did this. A broken vase and a screaming child surely frazzled his nerves...the boy's entire bedroom was moved down into the same hallway that held his father's office, so that he could be stopped if he sleep-walked again.

"Your room is very nice, Charles," (Y/N) commented as the two entered the room. She was able to see the great amount of toys from the dim light that the lamp sitting on the bedside table was producing.

"Thank you," the little boy responded through his sniffles as he moved over to the bed and climbed up onto it.

"Would you like me to sit with you?" she asked him then, wanting to make sure that he was comfortable with it before she went forward with doing so.

"Yes," Charlie answered, nodding his head as he grabbed his stuffed rabbit toy. He then moved over in his bed so that (Y/N) was able to sit on the side of it. She smiled at him before she sat down, making sure that he still had enough space to lay comfortablely.

Within seconds, he was cuddled up against her sitting figure, his hands gripping tightly onto her forearm as he tried to make himself feel safe. "Do you know what helps me when I have bad dreams?" (Y/N) started, thinking of a possible way to get him to calm down, "when I talk about the dream, it helps me to see that it wasn't real...that it was all in my head."

Charlie nodded along with what (Y/N) was saying, the frown still evident on his face. She felt so bad for him...whatever his nightmare was about, it must've been terrible.

"Do you want to tell me?" she asked him softly after a few moments had passed. Charlie nodded again in response, and (Y/N) smiled at him, showing him that he could begin speaking whenever he felt comfortable.

"In my dream, there's a man. And he's taken me from my family...he takes me and he brings me somewhere far away. And he keeps me there. I'm screaming and screaming but nobody hears me," he began to explain, his words breaking (Y/N)'s heart.

"And what happens then?" she asked him to continue.

"I'm in the dark room and it's quiet, and then the door opens. I always wake up before I see who is at the door," he told her how the nightmare ended, his eyes wide as he looked up at her.

"Maybe it was your dad who was at the door. Maybe he had found you and was coming to save you," (Y/N) tried to make light of the ambiguous ending, hoping that it would give the child some solace.

"But...but what if it isn't my dad? What if it's the man who took me?" he asked, fear still evident in his eyes, "I don't want it to be the man who took me."

"Then don't let it be," she answered his fear-filled question with confidence, "make the person in the doorway be your dad. Make it so that he is coming to save you and make sure that you're safe."

"Ok," Charlie nodded his head, his grip slightly relaxing on (Y/N)'s arm.

"Does that make you feel less afraid?" she asked him then, curious if his feelings had shifted at all.

"Mmhmm," he responded as he nodded again, a more content look on his face now.

"That's good," (Y/N) smiled at him, happy that she could help him get out of his state of fear.

"Will you still be in here with me and keep me close to you while I fall asleep?" he asked another question, moving on from the previous topic.

"Of course I will," she assured him, "I will stay in here until you fall back asleep."

"Thank you," Charlie smiled at her, calming down even more now as he found out that he wouldn't be left alone right away.

"You're welcome, Charlie," she smiled at him. "Would you like me to sing you a song that my mum used to sing to me when I had trouble falling asleep?" she then asked him, making a suggestion to help him slip back into sleep faster.

"Yes, please," Charlie replied with a slight nod as he cuddled in closer to her side.

"It's called Le Vie en rose, and whenever I sing it to myself, I feel happy and at peace," she told him before taking a deep breath and starting to sing the song in a soft voice.

She only managed to get to the end of the song's second verse when she looked down to see that Charlie was now sleeping. His hold on her forearm had relaxed completely, and how he was hugging his stuffed animal instead. Deciding that she didn't need to sing any more, she slowly slipped off of the bed, making sure that she didn't wake him up. She smiled at his peacefully sleeping figure before she moved quietly to the door of the bedroom. What was waiting for her at the door made her slap a hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't wake the boy up with her sudden scream.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Shelby, I didn't see you there," she said after the initial shock had subsided.

"Is Charles ok?" he asked, glancing behind her at the child sleeping in his bed.

"He's ok now. He had a nightmare. I was in the laundry room when he came to the door, crying. I figured I'd bring him in and try to get him back to sleep myself since you were busy with work," she explained to him why she'd been in his son's room.

"I heard him crying and figured it was another nightmare. What I didn't expect was to hear singing coming from his room afterwards," Tommy stated, his words not holding any hint of anger.

"I was singing him a song my mother used to sing to me when I was a child. It always helps to calm me down when I am scared or unable to go to sleep," she told him, "I really should have come to get you sir, I just..."

"No, you did the right thing," Tommy stopped her from finishing the sentence, "thank you for making sure that he was able to go back to sleep."

"You're welcome, Mr. Shelby," she smiled at him, proud of her decision to help the child. It wasn't everyday that her boss handed out compliments like this.

"You can be finished for the night. It's late anyway, go to bed," he told her, and she nodded, thanking him before he moved out of the way so that she could leave the hallway and head to her bedroom.

——

"Go on, son, ask her what you wanted to," (Y/N) heard Tommy's voice coming from the door to the room that she was cleaning.

She then heard the sound of light footsteps coming from behind her, making her turn around to see Charlie approaching her. "Hi, Charles," she greeted him with a smile before glancing up at his father, who was leaning against the doorway, "what can I do for you?" she asked, her eyes back on the child.

"Hi (Y/N)," he chirped, a smile on his face.

"You address her as Ms. (Y/N), Charlie," Tommy cut in before the boy was able to say another word.

"Sorry...Ms. (Y/N)..." he trailed off with a bashful look on his face before he mustered up the confidence to continue, "I wanted to ask you if you'd like to come out and ride horses with my daddy and I?" he then asked her, his look turning to one of hopefulness.

"I'd like that, Charlie," she smiled at the child, "but I've got chores I need to finish first," she gave him her answer, a slight frown on her face as she turned the child's idea down.

"You can have the day off," Tommy interjected from behind the boy, making (Y/N) look over at him with a look of surprise on her face.

"Really?" she checked to make sure she heard correctly. A smile formed on her face as she saw him nod his head. "In that case, I'd love to come ride horses with you, Charles," she changed her answer, her statement making the boy squeal with joy.

"Yay!" he exclaimed before he turned and rushed past his father, leaving Tommy and (Y/N) behind.

"Are you sure, Mr. Shelby?" (Y/N) asked as she walked over to him.

"Yes," he nodded his head definitively, "he's been talking about asking you to come ride with us since he woke up this morning," he added, a slight smile on his face.

"Well I feel honored to have been given the opportunity," she smiled at him as he stepped out of the doorway to allow her to pass him. "Oh, and Mr. Shelby..." she trailed off then, not yet moving from in front of him. He raised his eyebrows slightly, his nonverbal way of telling her to continue, "you can tell Charles that 'Miss' is fine when addressing me...I've no one waiting for me back home," she informed him, a polite smile on her face. Tommy only nodded at the information before he allowed her to walk past him.

"You ever ridden a horse before?" he asked as they exited the house and began walking its grounds.

"I have," (Y/N) answered, turning slightly to look at him, "my family used to have one...before we lost everything," she explained, her voice softening slightly. She hated talking about her family's misfortune, but it was the very reason why she was working at Arrow House. Every piece of money she earned, she sent it home to her family.

"I figured you did...saw how you'd always watch them in the fields," he stated, his words making (Y/N) blush slightly.

"You've noticed my daydreaming then, haven't you?" she asked, feeling slightly guilty for being caught. She couldn't help it when she'd be in rooms with a beautiful view of the stables. It was hard not to stop for a few moments and admire the magnificent beasts as they grazed about.

"There's nothing wrong with it," Tommy shrugged her statement off, a slight smile on his face.

"Come on, dad!" they then heard Charlie calling from the doors of the stables, "they're already saddled and everything!"

"Come on," Tommy said softly to (Y/N), waving her on towards the stables. (Y/N) smiled and picked up her pace so that she wouldn't get left behind.

—

After spending most of the day riding across the expansive grounds of Arrow House, the three returned to the stables. (Y/N) had never been on a more well-behaved horse, and she couldn’t stop her heart from swelling as she watched Tommy ride with Charlie on the saddle in front of him. It was so refreshing to see this whole new side of her boss, and it felt really intimate…like she shouldn’t have been witnessing it. She truly felt honored to have been asked to join them.

“My legs are tired, dad,” Charlie complained. He had good reason to though…(Y/N)’s legs felt close to numb from spending several hours in the saddle. She could only imagine what the four year old was feeling.

“Come here, son,” Tommy told him after he’d finished returning the two horses to their respective stables. Charlie limped over to his dad then, who lifted him into his arms once he got close enough. “I’ll carry you in,” he told the boy, who smiled before dropping his head to his father’s shoulder.

“Thank you for allowing me to come with you today, Mr. Shelby,” (Y/N) offered her gratitude once he and Charlie had come over to where she was standing. She was unsure if she should have returned to the house the second they returned, so she just stayed in her spot. “You really have a beautiful property.”

“It was nice to have someone along with us this time. We don’t get very many people over these days,” Tommy said then. (Y/N) couldn’t help but feel a tinge of sadness at his words. It was no secret to anyone that the Shelby family had had a rather large falling out. (Y/N) was happy that she wasn’t there to witness it like most of the other staff were. She’d been told that it was rather brutal.

“I’d be happy to join again anytime,” she told him with a smile, “if you’d let me that is,” she backtracked after remembering her place in the house, her cheeks heating up at how forward she just was with her boss.

“I think Charlie here would like that…wouldn’t you?” Tommy answered, glancing down at his son, who nodded his head as best he could with it against his father’s shoulder.

“That means the world to me,” (Y/N) smiled at the little boy, her heart swelling at the acceptance.

“Would you like to come eat dinner with us, Miss (Y/L/N)?” Tommy asked then, catching her completely by surprise.

“Oh my…that’s very nice of you to ask me, but I’m afraid that would be improper, Mr. Shelby,” she turned him down despite wanting to accept his offer. She could already hear the gossip of the other workers in the house…the things they would say if they saw a young maid sitting at their boss’ table.

“Screw being proper, I insist. You’ve most likely already missed your allotted eating time anyway, and that was on account of me,” Tommy brushed off her answer, “and please, call me Tommy from now on, yeah?” he added.

(Y/N) was unsure of how to feel or respond to his statement. She was confused by how she went from just another maid on the staff to spending time and having dinner with her boss and his son. It all seemed so sudden, but also so natural. She didn’t get the feeling of being unequal to Tommy while spending time with him today. He felt like he was a friend of hers, and they were catching up after being apart for some time. It certainly didn’t feel like he’d invited her out for the day to wait on him and make sure that his every need was met. She felt like she was free from her normal duties.

“Can you eat with us, please, Miss (Y/N)?” Charlie’s voice brought (Y/N) out of her thoughts, and when she focused on the boy, she saw that he had a pout on his face.

A smile formed on (Y/N)’s face as she finally gave her answer, “how can I ever say no to you, Charles?” she jokingly asked, making the boy smile widely after hearing her answer. “Thank you, Tommy,” she said softly to the boy’s father, her heart swelling once more when he sent her a smile in response.

The three then made their way back to the house, and shared a rather lovely dinner. What (Y/N) didn’t know at the time was that that dinner would be the first of many that she would share with Tommy and his son.

———

Tagged: @mgcllovdrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @golden-hoax @elenavampire21 @peaky-cillian @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @easilyobessedbutflighty @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife @anotherblinder @midnightmagpiemama @cillmequick @rangerelik

MASTERLIST

Main Masterlist

Cillian Murphy

Shadow of the Sea - Cillian x OC Jiyan's recent move to Ireland was supposed to mark a new chapter, a fresh beginning away from her past troubles. Yet, instead of embracing her new surroundings, she found solace in isolation, shutting herself off from human interaction. Days were consumed by avoiding colleagues and nights were spent crafting furniture and honing her dart-throwing skills at the local pub. But then, one night, something shifted.

Chapters - on going

Part 1 - Eire's Depths [1.03.2024] Part 2 - Dark Abyss [5.03.2024] Part 3 - Beneath the Surface [coming soon]

Moodboards

Jiyan Appearance

It takes effort on both sides one person can't keep a relationship alive alone.