Paranoia

Paranoia

Drabble with the prompt-

"He's so obvious... it's embarrasing..."

Pairing - Thomas Shelby and Reader

This was a request, can’t remember who by, sorry !

Opening the door of his bar for you, Tommy guided you through. His hand coming to rest, on the small of your back. Leaning down, his lips brushed your ear. “This way, I can see Arthur and Pol,” he advised you. Steering you towards the bar.

The pub was busy tonight, not even the Shelby’s were in their usual snug. Instead, joining the rest of the customers. After a long week working hard, people wanting to relax. Greeting Tommy's family, you sat beside him. Feeling your body stiffen, as you locked eyes with someone.

Freddie- your ex

Well, you would use the word Ex very loosely. You had dated for a couple of months, until you had ended the relationship. There wasn't a spark there, had been your reason. He was a normal working class man. Too normal maybe?

No danger, no excitement.

Not like with Tommy.

Just over a year, yourself and Tommy had been together now. It still felt new, he was loving, tactile, passionate. You couldn't keep your hands off each other. Unlike Freddie, it was two pumps inside of you and he was done.

Roll over and start snoring. Leaving you feeling deflated.

Seeing him wink at you, you quickly averted your eyes. Tommy hated him with a passion. Without reason of course, he would hate anyone who had ever been with you. He was insanely jealous.

"Y/n? Gin and tonic?" he asked, running his thumb across your knuckles. Eyes sparkling, as he stared into yours. Making your heartbeat faster. God, you had fallen so deeply for this man.

Dragging your gaze away from Freddie, you nodded. "Oh, yes please,"

Watching Tommy approach the bar with Arthur, you found Polly grinning at you.

“You've noticed him, haven't you?" she chuckled, lighting a new cigarette with an old one. Before blowing the smoke towards the roof. Subtly turning her head, she glared at Freddie.

"He's only having a drink, Pol. Nothing will happen, just don't tell Tom, please," shifting in your seat, you positioned your body, so Tommy wouldn't be able to see Freddie.

"You know as well as I do..." she smirked, leaning forward.

"He doesn't miss a thing," you both said at the same time, beginning to laugh together.

"Here we go, ladies," came the voice of Arthur, loud in your ear even over the hustle and bustle of the bar. Shrugging off his over-coat, Tommy paused mid-movement. Meeting the eyes of his arch enemy.

Or, at least that was they way he thought about it.

Freddie didn't break his gaze, as if he was challenging Tommy to look away first. Instead he raised his glass, giving you a little wave. Throwing his coat, Tommy stood back up.

"Is he fucking serious?" he fumed, "I told him he was barred,"

Grabbing his elbow, you gazed up lovingly at Tommy. "Let's just have a quiet drink, hmm?" you purred towards him. "Then we can go home, have an early night, yes?"

Taking a deep breath through his nostrils, Tommy puffed out his chest.

"Please?" you tried again.

"He's so obvious... it's embarrassing," Tommy scoffed, but he reluctantly sat back down. Freddie was no competition, he reminded himself.

Stay calm, stay calm.

Twenty minutes later, Freddie was still glaring over. Tommy glaring back, hardly joining in the conversation. "I'm saying brother, Y/n should leave Marshall's behind. Come and work for us, ey?" Arthur yelled across at Tommy.

Without giving him a chance to answer, you interjected.

"We have already had this conversation, Arthur. I am happy at Marshall's, I run the office now. And if we spent the whole day together, there would be no excitement," you shrugged, picking up your drink.

Stubbing out his cigarette, Tommy chuckled, "Oh believe me, there would be, love,"

"I'm with you, Y/n. You keep your independence, oh shit...." Polly sighed out, eyes darting to the left. Watching Freddie approach, staggering in between the customers.

You felt Tommy's body tense, shaking his head, unbelieving. Reaching the table, Freddie gazed at you lovingly. Ignoring Tommy, as he wobbled regaining his balance.

“Y/n," he hiccupped, "How.... you've... have you ... you been?"

Your heart sank, this was so awkward. Polly was trying to hide her snigger, behind her glass.

"Fuck off, Freddie, before I chuck you out, yet again, ey?" Tommy snarled, subtly shaking his head, as Arthur made to stand up.

Keeping your composure, you smiled back at him. Reaching for Tommy's hand, "Good thank you, Freddie. We were just leaving," you lied, expecting him to move. Finishing your drink, you placed the glass back on top of the oak table.

"That right?" he slurred, ignoring him, you stood up reaching for your coat. This was going to end badly.

“Happy, are ya? Didn't... I didn't think you would whore yourself out," he laughed, as the pub fell into silence.

Standing up, as fast as lightening. Tommy knocked him to the floor, with one solid punch against his jaw. Falling, Freddie landed with a thump. Knocking your table, causing the drinks to spill.

Tutting, Polly began to pat her dress.

"You just won't take the warning will you, ey?" Tommy barked at him, picking him up by the lapels of his coat. "You want more, you want fucking more?"

Spitting blood onto the floor, Freddie began laughing. Hysterically laughing.

“You think I'm scared of you, Shelby?"

Rounding the table, you held onto Tommy's bicep. "You should be Freddie, and it was never going to work between us. You need to move on," you tried, not wanting him to come to nay further harm.

Despite the fact Freddie was in the wrong. You hated violence.

"Let's go," you spoke gently to Tommy.

"Move on?" Freddie scoffed, pulling himself to his feet.

Still unsteady, trying to swing for Tommy again. You pulled him out of the way, feeling a sharp pain against your cheekbone. Freddie had caught you. He had missed Tommy, and hit you instead.

Raising your hand to your cheek, you rubbed gently. In pain, in shock of what had occurred. The whole pub fell silent... you could hear a pin drop.

Gasps from the customers!

Taking one look at Tommy. Freddie made a decision, a stupid decision.

He chose to run....

Before he even reached the door of The Garrison, Tommy and Arthur were chasing after him. Polly clicked her fingers towards the barman.

“Ice," Checking your injury, she helped you back into your seat. "Better get comfortable, we could be here a while,".

You knew she was right, no doubt Freddie wouldn't be causing trouble again.....

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My dad and I once had a disagreement over him using the adage "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

I said, "That's just not true. Sometimes what doesn't kill you leaves you brittle and injured or traumatized."

He stopped and thought about that for a while. He came back later, and said, "It's like wood glue."

He pointed to my bookshelf, which he helped me salvage a while ago. He said, "Do you remember how I explained that, once we used the wood glue on them, the shelves would actually be stronger than they were before they broke?"

I did.

"But before we used the wood glue, those shelves were broken. They couldn't hold up shit. If you had put books on them, they would have collapsed. And that wood glue had to set awhile. If we put anything on them too early, they would have collapsed just the same as if we'd never fixed them at all. You've got to give these things time to set."

It sounded like a pretty good metaphor to me, but one thing I did pick up on was that whatever broke those shelves, that's not the thing that made them stronger. That just broke them. It was being fixed that made them stronger. It was the glue.

So my dad and I agreed, what doesn't kill you doesn't actually make you stronger, but healing does. And if you feel like healing hasn't made you stronger than you were before, you're probably not done healing. You've got to give these things time to set.

@feelings

Amuseable Storm Cloud

Ko-fi / Instagram

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Typical TWD violence and gore, description of injuries, description of illness, sexual assault, forced prostitution, poorly written smut, reader’s poor mental health, mentions of past sexual assault, description of injuries from sexual assault, masturbation

*Click here to be added to taglists.

Summary: Daryl accompanies Rick on a mission for information regarding threats to the group's home at the prison. Their quest leads them to engage with some unsavory characters, leaving Daryl with more than he bargained for. Slow burn, strangers to friends to lovers, angst, drama, romance, violence, hurt/comfort.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15…..in progress

moodboard by @dustbunniess 💙

fanart by @bananafire11 💙

divider in chapters by @firefly-graphics and @cafekitsune

New Endings Masterlist

Summary: When Tommy bumps into the woman he thought he'd never see again, he couldn't let her go once more. She lights something within him that he thought was lost and decides to help her in times of need. While she tries to cut ties with the life she’s living, she's forced to commit the ultimate betrayal.

❖ - Part 1

❖ - Part 2

❖ - Part 3

❖ - Part 4

❖ - Part 5

❖ - Part 6 - Coming soon

Please check the warnings of each chapter before reading.

One Way or Another

Summary: When your brother Bonnie warns you about the darkness lurking beneath Tommy Shelby’s charming exterior, you heed his advice and break up. However, a vengeful Tommy vows to get you back and his ruthless tactics are worse than you could have imagined. 

Author's Note: Requested by a lovely anon who wanted to see dark!Tommy manipulate a reader into staying with him using Charlie as leverage. 

Warnings: language, dark!Tommy, manipulative behavior, allusion to non con (no graphic description), assault, discussion of pregnancy and adoption

You'd noticed the handsome, blue-eyed man the moment you and your family arrived in Small Heath. Intrigued by the mystery surrounding his enormous wealth and influence, you disobeyed your father's orders and began sneaking into town to catch a glimpse of Mr. Thomas Shelby. He soon took note of you as well, lavishing attention and gifts on you.

You even met his son Charlie a few times in his father's office. Giving voices to the toy horses and soldiers he would bring, the chubby toddler would laugh and grasp at your cheeks. You loved his laughter and often wished he was your own child. "You're a natural, sweetheart,” Tommy praised with a wide grin, which made you anxious for something more with him. You found yourself daydreaming about becoming Mrs. Shelby and giving him another baby.

Tommy wasn’t shy about expressing his own desire to you. A bottle of whisky and a sour mood had led him to confess that Charlie was not his son. He claimed it was an error in his judgement of character that would not happen again. This time he wanted things done in the proper way with the right woman, he said. You’d melted on the spot when he took your head between his large palms and kissed you full. His advances would escalate in the following meetings as he learned of your purity, more enamored with you than ever. You knew it was only a matter of time before he proposed to make you his completely.

However, someone in camp must have taken note of your frequent visits to Shelby properties because word quickly got back to your brother, Bonnie. "Y/n, what are you doing with him? He's not good for ya," he said furrowing his brow in concern.

"What do you mean, Bon?" you asked curiously.

“Don’t you know? You must,” he insisted, underestimating your youthful naivete. 

"He's the leader of the Peaky Blinders, Y/n. He's responsible for cuttings and beatings…murders. No one is safe round him. Not even you," he warned ominously.

"Surely not," you said, shaking your head in disbelief. Tommy was an upstanding businessman, or so you thought.

"Y/n, please listen to me," your older brother begged, sliding closer to you. "I wasn't supposed to tell you,” he said in a low, conspiratorial tone, “but Da and I are here to kill his enemies. And there's a long list. You don't want anything to do with Tommy Shelby, trust me," he stressed twisting his cap in his hands. 

After a lengthy conversation about everything he knew, including the murder of Tommy’s first wife, you were shaking with fear. Bonnie wasn’t easily spooked and it bothered you to see him this upset. “Alright, I'll keep my distance," you agreed, witnessing his agitation.

Bonnie sighed with relief, but you noted an apologetic tinge to his voice when he said, "I only want to keep you safe.”

You reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know," you assured him and he relaxed back into his chair.

True to your word, you broke things off with Tommy the next day. You tried to be careful, explaining it in every conceivable way except the real reason. In your usual self effacing manner you babbled away to ease your nerves. "I'm much too young for you, Tommy. You'll get bored of me and everything I don't know. Surely you want someone more...experienced," you blushed.

Although he seemed to listen intently without judgment, inwardly he was fuming. It was your omission that told him everything he needed to know. Someone close to you had warned you off and he was certain it was your father or brother, perhaps both.

As you left his office that day, Tommy began plotting to get you back. Preferably in a manner that would punish you and your family. He would win you one way or another. Gambling was his livelihood after all and the odds were always in his favor.

----------------------

Two weeks later...

You heard Tommy's footsteps thudding on the stairs behind you, slowly and methodically. The rhythm pounded inside your skull like a drum, driving you to the brink of hysteria and quickening your own steps. He was frighteningly calm despite your obvious distress as though he enjoyed humiliating you. 

"Come back to bed, love," he urged in a saccharine voice that turned your stomach.  

Your body shivered in reply as you headed toward the sitting room in search of your coat. Blinking back the tears at your lash line and biting your tongue until it bled, you promised yourself you wouldn't let him see you cry. It had been the same tactic you used that morning when your father admitted he'd gambled away your innocence in a scrap metal yard when Tommy goaded him into a coin toss.

"You're going to allow this?" Bonnie yelled at your father, pacing the floor in anxious rage reserved for fight days. 

Placing yourself between him and the two blinders who had come to collect you, you mumbled, “I'll be alright.” It was a meager attempt to convince him and yourself. Turning to your father you asked, “It’s only one night?”

Watching from the corner of the room, deathly still, your father replied "I hope so." But his eyes were wide and filled with terror, the likes of which you'd never seen. 

A harsh tug on your elbow startled you out of yourself as Tommy towered over you. "Where do you think you're going, eh?" he asked tightening his grip, all attempts at gentle tactics now vanished.

"I'd like to go home to my family," you choked out desperately, fingers ghosting over his in a vain attempt to soften his grasp. If he held any affection for you, perhaps he would allow you to leave with a shred of dignity.

He smirked wickedly at your cowering form, “I don’t think you understand, love. This is your home now." Tucking your disheveled hair behind your ear to reveal a bite mark on your shoulder he added, "We're just getting started, you and I." His thumb traced a dark bruise forming higher up on your neck and you winced as he pressed into it. He placed a kiss to your lips and murmured against you, “Going to tell me how much you loved having me inside you, filling you up?” 

His nose brushed against yours as you pulled away. Taking a deep breath, you attempted to steady your voice. “Tommy, how can you expect me to stay after you hurt me like that?” you asked, eyes burning with tears as you relived the pain inflicted on your body and heart as you realized he’d never meant a word he said to you when you were courting.

“Everyone’s first time is like that, sweetheart. It couldn’t be helped,” he replied, caressing your cheek. You felt the bile rising in your throat as you thought of how rough he’d been, holding you down and rutting into you like an animal without any regard for your comfort. 

Mustering all your courage you asserted, “I don’t want it like that ever again.”

Tommy chuckled, “Every woman says that until she wants a baby. Then you'll be begging for it.”

You shook your head as you spat, “I don’t want a family with you.”

His eyes narrowed, large hand sliding down over your midsection as he tsked, “A bit late for that. You might already be carrying my child. What will you do then?” he asked with raised eyebrow.

“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t ask anything of you and I don't want..."

"I don't give a fuck want you want," he interrupted, eyes blazing with fury. "You belong to me,” he hissed, hand snaking down to your throat. 

“No!” you shouted, fighting against him. You were paralyzed by the feeling of your airway constricting under his crushing grip, reducing you to pathetic whimpers. He squeezed until your lungs burned from lack of oxygen, your fingertips scrabbling for his wrist and clawing uselessly. 

Leaning to whisper into the shell of your ear, hot breath fanned over you along with his terrifying words, “You don’t want to make things worse now, do you?”

Just as your vision turned dark, he relinquished you and you fell to the floor gasping for breath. Between coughing fits, you became aware of the housekeeper, Mary, standing in the room. When Tommy had summoned her you weren’t sure. Perhaps you had lost consciousness at some point because she stood with Charlie in her arms and the ringing in your ears soon turned to shrill crying. 

“Ch-Charlie?” you asked, reaching for the child with a hint of a smile in hopes of cheering him.The brightness returning to your eyes told Tommy all he needed to know. With clenched jaw, he  jerked his chin and Mary left the room as quickly as she had appeared. “What’s she doing?” you mumbled, attempting to stand despite the fuzzy feeling swimming inside your head.

Tommy didn’t answer, pretending as though he hadn’t heard you. He picked up the phone, adopting a business like tone, and began, “Good evening, put me through to Sister Agatha.” 

You could still hear Charlie’s desperate sobs echoing down the corridor as Tommy greeted the woman on the other end of the line. Standing on wobbly legs, you hesitated with uncertainty, wishing to comfort the boy. However, your attention was brought back to the cruel words you overheard next. Your jaw dropped as you heard Tommy proclaim, “Send someone to collect the child tonight.”

You scrambled toward him, a look of horror crossing your face. “What have you done?”

Tommy stood like a brick wall, cold and impenetrable. “What necessity dictates, my darling.”

“I d-don’t understand,” you stuttered at his heartless action.

Taking his time to light a cigarette and toss the match into the fireplace, Tommy smoked quietly for a few moments before ushering Mary back into the room. He took Charlie from her and placed the toddler in your trembling arms as your eyes darted between them. Within a few minutes the boy settled, his cheek resting upon your shoulder. As your hand caressed his golden curls, his cries turned to quiet hiccups and you felt the gentle motion of his thumb sucking before his limbs grew heavy with sleep.

“Tommy, what’s going on?” you begged to know as fresh tears slid down your cheeks. “Why are you behaving this way?”

Tommy stalked to you in three long strides, forcing your chin to meet his gaze. Icy blue stare cutting into you sharply, he scolded, “You’re the one forcing me to do these things.”

You tried to shake your head in adamant denial, but his harsh grip kept you in place. Through pinched cheeks you sputtered, “I never told you…”

“But you did,” he bit back. “Weren’t you the one saying you wanted to leave? That you didn’t want a family with me?” He threw your chin away in disgust as your brain reeled.

“You’re twisting my words…” you protested. “Of course, Charlie should stay.”

Just then a knock came at the door, followed by two nuns announcing themselves as representatives of St. Hilda’s. You backed into a corner, holding Charlie to your body protectively, heart beating wildly as you thought of a way to save him.

“What a darling little boy," one of the nuns chirped despite the late hour. Then she added carefully, "May I take him now?”

Tommy caught your eyes from across the room, “Go on, sweetheart,” he urged. “Unless you’ve changed your mind?” 

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