I Need Period Dramas, And Fast.

I need period dramas, and fast.

Does anyone know of any period dramas to recommend, cause I’m dying and no modern TV programme can satisfy my need for old gramaphones and tea room drama.

I’m begging

Gun Metal and Daisies (Thomas Shelby)- Chapter 16

“You have shoes that need lacing up and you don’t know how to tie a shoelace?”

Masterlist

Mama bore a girl with a gun for a mouth.

Teeth dripping lead,

And lips bleeding red.

Lashes curled for war,

Onyx armour for my eyes.

Tongue waxing lyrical

Of both beauty and battle cries.

Dorothy awoke to the immediate smell of coal, smoke and whiskey. It reminded her of the days when she hung around the cut with her friends as they smoked and drank. Though she didn't, she enjoyed the memory all the same.

It reminded her of the smell of the meadows on a rainy day. It reminded her of the days when you walked past the factories and listened to the sound of the men working. It reminded her of peace. It reminded her of home.

Dorothy, still in her bleary warm state, nuzzled closer to the smell, digging her nose into the gorgeous scent.

It was only when she heard the sound of amused chuckling did her brain decide to start waking up.

Dorothy felt a hand draped around her waist, holding her back and another on the back of her head, stroking her hair slowly.

"You alright there, Bon Bon?"

Dorothy still didn't open her eyes, only snuggling closer to the bed warm feeling that she had.

"Mhmm. 'Mells nice" her voice had a slight lisp which Thomas found himself cooing at.

"That was so fuckin' cute." Thomas' mind screamed at him.

"Thank you, very kind." Dorothy could hear the teasing in his voice.

It was only when her mind caught up with her did she snap her eyes open.

She slowly lifted her head to look up at the voice, and seeing Bubs' face, only inches away from hers gave her a bit of a fright, "Jesus H Christ!" Dorothy's head jolted back, her body falling with her, it was only when she felt the feeling of falling did she realise the full extent of their positions.

Before she fell too far, the arm on her back and her crown, stiffened slightly and she stopped falling a bit, it was a bit useless though because she was already halfway down, though she appreciated the attempt.

It was only when she heard the howl of laughter did she fall completely as the grip on her back softened and she fell to the floor with an "oomph."

"Ah shit, Bonny!" Thomas cackled with laughter, his head thrown back, "I didn't mean to let go of you!" Thomas continued to belt out long roars of laughter and soon Dorothy found herself laughing as well.

After they had finally sobered you, Dorothy wiped her eyes, giggling slightly, "what's the time, Bubs?"

"Uhhh, 6:30." Thomas soon found himself dreading the fact that she was going to have to leave soon.

He knew he could see her again, of course. But a part of him still told him to let her go. She would be safer without him. But Thomas Shelby was nothing if not selfish.

And Bonny was his. And Thomas did not share.

"Ah, well I should probably get a move on!" Dorothy also found herself a bit melancholy about the fact that she had to leave this small house of bliss and peace. Though she knew she'd see Bubs again. They were friends still, right?

She didn't care who he was.

"I'll walk you back then, don't want you toppling down Hampton Lane. People might get the wrong idea seeing you passed out in the streets." Thomas tried to convince her.

"You don't need to walk me, I'm very capable, I'll have you know. But I'll let you just because I like you so much." Dorothy grinned stubbornly.

Thomas would never admit it, but his heart swelled a bit at her words.

"Ah. I just realised how weird it's going to be, walking home like this." She gestured to her attire.

"Here, I'll give you my coat so no one will notice, hopefully."

Dorothy stared outside and saw the blustery wind, "I don't think so, have you seen how cold it is out there? I'm not letting you get wind chill burns or nothin'"

Thomas, apparently, didn't care about her concerns as he took his coat off the hook and draped it over her shoulders. He sat down and tied his boots, glancing up at Bonny, she stared down at him confusedly.

"Something on me face?" Thomas quirked.

"I've never figured it out.”

"Figured our what?"

Dorothy smiled sheepishly and looked at her feet, "how to tie laces..." she traced the patterns on the floorboards with her sock clad foot.

"Isn't that like the first thing you girls are taught in school? Like sewing n' shite?"

Dorothy's glare at the floor deepened, "you think I listened to that stuff? Let alone attended?" She grinned at him, rather proud of her childhood rebellion.

Thomas only shook his head, "I'll have to teach you sometime then." Thomas patted his thighs and stood up, he stared at Dorothy, she stared back, confused.

"What?"

"Where are your shoes?"

"I thought you had them."

"Oh they're upstairs."

Dorothy darted up the stairs, tripping slightly on the second step.

When she stormed back down the stairs, she leaned against the wall to slip on her small shoes. Thomas noted they had laces holes on them.

"You have shoes that need lacing up, and you don't know how to tie a shoelace? So you're only logical solution was to take them out instead of learning?"

"Yep" Dorothy states, popping the 'p'.

Thomas shook his head again. Strange girl.

Once Dorothy got the heels to sit straight, she skipped over to Thomas and grabbed his hand (even though he offered his arm) and made headway for the door.

Once Thomas had locked the door and Dorothy had marvelled at the nifty contraption; she grabbed his hand and tugged him across the field, "hurry up, Bubs! The rain'll start if we're not fast enough!" Thomas finally managed to keep up with her jogging at a brisk walk.

Once they got closer to the darker side of Small Heath, Thomas pulled her closer to him, his arm now on the small of her back protectively.

"Why do we keep going weird ways down back alleys?" Thomas looked around at the slightly unfamiliar area.

"The noises. They're quieter here."

That was the only explanation Thomas got and he supposed it was either the noise of the whore houses or her tinnitus. He didn't know exactly.

After a few more weird turns and one fence, they finally reached a doorstep with a battered door and a worse for wear door frame.

Without warning, the door flung open, "Ah sweetheart, there yer are! Darcy's in th-. Is that Thomas Shelby, Sweetness?"

Dorothy shrunk into herself a bit at the question, "yeah, Bu-Thomas, meet my dad, dad meet Thomas." She winced at her slip up.

Dorothy didn't like calling him Thomas.

Thomas didn't like her calling him Thomas.

"You two friends?" Dorothy's father smiled widely at his daughter. Seemingly not deterred by the fact he was a Shelby, only that his daughter had someone other than Ms. P.

"Yeah, Dad."

He threw open the door fully,"Well invite him in then. Tonight's a night of celebration!"

——

A slightly shorter one!

I'm thinking that when this book is done, I'll start a one shots book series of Thomas and Dorothy in different scenarios that I couldn't put in this one. So please, please, PLEASE send in some cool scenario ideas I can put them in. I want to get a list going so you can get a taste of it all!

Thanks for the love.

Feedback is always welcome.

See ya next time!

Gun Metal and Daisies (Thomas Shelby)- Chapter 19

“Family means bullying the shit out of your silblings until they try to stab you.”

Masterlist

He stole a day dreamers heart with a handful of clouds.

Things weren't good.

But things weren't bad either.

Ever since Dean had gone to work for Thomas, Dorothy found that she could give her family more than a slice of bread or porridge for a meal. She could cater a pie once a week or maybe Toad in the Hole if she got to the butchers at the right time.

But her father, no matter what Thomas promised, could only be as safe as Thomas could afford. She didn't like the work, but she saw the upsides. Dorothy for the first time managed to get remedies from the local pharmaceutical, but that came with the price of her father being in danger.

But nonetheless, the days moved forward. It had now been around a week and a bit since the night where Dorothy invited Thomas back to her house for another night to get his newly stolen shirt for him. She'd be lying if she said she didn't miss him.

She thought about him day in and day out. She thought of the smile that she only just started being able to coax out of him more often. She thought of his warm embrace despite cold hands, that didn't really make sense but she revelled in the feeling.

——

Thomas was the same. He thought all about her, all the time. At least this time though, he was on top of his work.

He thought back to the moment when she cried her eyes out in front of him and he leant down to her level and for the first time, he looked deep into her eyes

He saw her blue/grey eyes that were harsh shades of grey with dark lines around the edges. He saw the stormy grayscale and saw an oxymoron on her face as her smile brightened the room but her eyes displayed a cold feeling to the heart.

Her pale and slightly gaunt face made her grey azures stand out among her delicate features.

"Delicate." Thomas thought. She was delicate, though he would never say it out loud to her because she would probably clap him upside the head. But she was. She was fragile in his arms and he held her together as he encircled her in his embrace.

He missed her. Terribly.

And that's why he decided to go see her.

After contemplating reasons for justifying a visit, he decided he didn't need one.

He was Thomas Shelby. He did what he wanted.

She was probably on a lunch break of sort around now.

Perfect.

——

Dorothy didn't look up when the entrance bell chimed, "Sorry, Ms. P is sick and I need to take a break to watch the ovens. Please come back in an hour, and I can serve you then!" She tried her best to be sweet about it, but if she was honest, she was tired.

She didn't actually have to watch the furnaces, it was actually her lunch break, but Dorothy didn't have lunch.

Things had been better. She tried her best to make them look better.

She decided that as gratitude, she'd try her best to make at least one full meal for her parents per day. And if by doing that, it meant that she couldn't eat a lunch, then she didn't worry. She'd eat in the evening anyway.

"Not even for me, Bons?"

Dorothy took a moment to register the voice before her head snapped up and she let out a squeal and clap at her guest.

"Bubs! Oh I've missed you!" She ran around the counter to stand in front of him.

This was really their first encounter in daylight, when any of the public could be watching. She understood that he had a hard reputation to uphold so she held back from attacking him into a tight hug and squeeze.

"I haven't seen you in a week and I don't even get a hug? The worlds truly fallen to pieces then, eh? C'mere." Thomas gestured by opening his arms, awaiting the force of her body slamming into his chest as she collided with him, momentarily winding him.

She rushed forward and embraced him in a tight hug, one that you'd give to a friend when they have to move away or when you'd just seen someone for the first time in years. It surely felt like years.

"I missed you..." Dorothy mumbled quietly, so quietly that Thomas almost missed it.

He hummed quietly in agreement, just enjoying the moment the two had together.

"Now what's all this about watching those ovens? I woulda' thought Ms. P would have at least given you a lunch break?" Thomas leaned back to look down at her.

"Don' have 'ny." Dorothy mumbled as she dug her face further into his chest, if possible, as he leaned back slightly, refusing to let go of him.

Thomas leaned forward again, chuckling a bit to himself at her actions, "I thought I paid your father enough to give you a lunch at least."

"Needed it for other things."

"Ok, well I can pay Dean more, business is getting better so 's no trou-."

"Don't give us special treatment. We're not a charity case, Bubs." Dorothy for the first time leaned out of his embrace, not fully letting go, but just enough so she could stare up and glare into his eyes to show she was at least a bit miffed.

Thomas momentarily let go of her as he held his hands up in surrender, "I know. I'm sorry! I just wanted to make things better." He hooked his arms back around her as he rested them on her back again.

"Well don't. You're doing fine just being here. Don't need none of that extra shit." She muttered back.

"So if you don't eat a lunch, when do you eat?"

"I'll eat this evening with my parents." She sighed, wanting to change the conversation, starting to walk around the counter towards the kitchen.

"Do they know you ain't eating lunch?"

Dorothy was now halfway into the kitchen and Thomas had no choice but to follow her, "what they don't know won't hurt them." She waved a hand in his direction, dismissing the conversation from going any further.

"Well we can't have that, now can we?"

"Come on. You came at the perfect time. Thought I was gonna be alone for an hour or so." She held a door open that Thomas hadn't noticed before.

Going through, he realised it was just the back entrance to the store for staff. When going out, he found crates of God knows what that hid in the alleyway of the bakery and other building. Dorothy nestled herself on one of the crates in the corner. Going one way, there was a dead end as the crates stacked so high, you couldn't get over, and the other had a clean but secluded view of the busy market in front.

Thomas sat on a crate, opposite her. It wasn't that he was worried about about people seeing him with her and having fun. He just wanted to create space so she was comfortable.

The two sat and chatted for as long as they could. Thomas laughed and sighed at all the things they talked about.

He felt like he only spent a minute in passing when she had to get back to the bakery after only an hour and a bit.

They parted ways again, Dorothy waving furiously at him as he smirked slightly, stalking away.

She went through to back door and he went down the alley, connecting once again to the market place, scaring a few unsuspecting buyers as he seemed to just have appeared out of nowhere.

His short daydream of thinking about Bonny was interrupted by his older brother clapping him on the back.

"Oh hello Tom! We's thought you'd gone wondered off. No ones been able to find you, yeah, for the past hour. My, my, I wonder what you get up to." Arthur laughed as John joined them.

"You reckon he finally got a bird, Arthur?" John 'swaggered' on their general direction.

"Aye! I do! 'E's been softer more! Reckon it's one of those pretty new barmaids!"

Thomas stayed silent through the whole exchange, rolling his eyes at his brothers assumptions and stalking off in a different direction, shaking his head slightly; trying to clear his thoughts or Dorothy.

——

It was now dinner in the Shelby household. Polly insisted that everyone came back from wherever they were living to go back to the Old Shelby household for one night for a 'family meal'.

The family crowded around the table, digging into the food. It was slightly tense at first but as soon as John and Esme arrived with booze, the happy family got back into full swing, laughs and potato's passed around the table.

Thomas, always the quiet observer, just sat and smiled occasionally. He didn't show it much, but his family knew that he was content and not brooding.

"So Thomas, when were you going to tell us, you finally had a girl?" Arthur started.

From there it only went downhill, for Thomas.

The family gasped and started speculating who she was. Only laughing in his face as his jaw clenched. He couldn't get a word in, not like he wanted to. The conversation only ended when he threw his fork, like a dart, right next to Arthur's head, clattering against the wall behind his head.

Arthur only held up his hands in mock surrender and changed the subject as Thomas glared daggers into the side of his head.

The dinner ensued all the same. Only now, the conversations were weighted with subtle jokes and prods at Thomas' love life.

He would never admit it, but he did find some of the jokes funny. Only because of the kind of girl they envisioned Thomas was supposedly with. Thomas could only laugh harder when he thought of the girl Thomas was really with.

Well he wasn't with her, was he?

Thomas froze in that moment. Maybe he wanted to be with her. Thomas smiled sheepishly to himself.

He was surely in trouble now.

——

I'm having far too much fun with this book.

I really just enjoy any kind of domestic fluff and I need MORE Shelby family fluff where everyone's just okay and happy. I NEED IT.

Thanks for the love.

Feedback and comments are wanted.

See ya next time!

Wait so that means that you post the chapters here that you already posted on Wattpad? Or am I mistaken? :)

I post all my Gun Metal and Daisies chapters on Wattpad first before I post them on Tumblr. Tumblr is really only a second platform for my books. However all requests and one shots are written on Tumblr first.

At the moment, I post a chapter every day on my Wattpad of Gun Metal and Daisies. There are currently now 32 chapters on there. I only really upload them on Tumblr when I have time to.

Sorry for the confusion! Hope that clears things up!

Thanks for the love!

Gun Metal and Daisies (Thomas Shelby)- Chapter 13

What a plot twist she was.

Masterlist

I wonder how biology can explain the physical pain you feel in your chest when all you want to do is be with someone.

“Ah, shit.” Thomas sighed. He was digging around in the drawers, only finding his slightly older penny collar shirts and three piece suits. After a bit more digging, he found some braces and loose trousers.

Thomas let out an undignified snort at the realisation and of what she had to wear.

He turned to her, holding the braces, loose trousers and dress shirt; a shit-eating grin on his face.

“No!” Dorothy could only gasp, “I can’t wear those, Bubs!”

“I’m sorry, Bonny, it’s all I’ve got for you.” His grin only getting wider.

Dorothy huffed and snatched the clothes, trudging to the bathroom.

She scrunched her nose up at the smell that still lingered in the room.

She mumbled curses she’d heard her father say in Romani whenever she got in trouble, the words slightly escalating when she laid them down in front of her. She stopped short when she heard Bubs laughing down the corridor when she snapped a bit louder.

“Don’t laugh at me! This is going to look stupid enough, as is. I don’t need you laughing your arse off at my expense!” She huffed indignantly.

She only heard him sober up a bit after she had attempted to tighten the braces around her shoulders a bit more. The shirt was gargantuas on her and she felt like a pansy trying to tuck it all the way in, only giving up halfway. The trousers pooled around her ankles so she had to role them up, hoping Bubs wouldn’t mind. Then the braces to help keep the trousers up, didn’t even shrink enough to sit comfortably on her shoulders, so she had to hold them up as she was walking around, feeling like a mayor of an old western city in one of those cowboy movies who snapped their braces back on their chest. She felt utterly stupid.

It didn’t get any better when she walked back into the bedroom and Thomas didn’t react, his eyes only widening. For what? She did not know.

——

When Bonny stepped out of the the bathroom, Thomas felt his heart stop. He took in her small frame. The sight was almost comical as she desperately tried to keep the trousers up and the sleeves falling over her hands making them look like small paws.

Even though she was drowning in the fabric, he thought she looked... cute? He couldn’t describe what it was. It was the equivalent to what Thomas imagined was the feeling of meeting an energetic puppy or the excitement of a child when they get handed some liquorice.

Thomas smiled, a small smile. She was cute.

It was another thing to add to the list of things she was and he wasn’t.

The silence ebbed on. Thomas could only stare. She could only stare back.

Thomas’ mouth twitched a bit. He broke out into boyish sniggers as she stared back unimpressed.

She put her hands on her hips, “oh yeah, laugh it up, I’m sure it’s s- Oh!” Her hands flashed like a light to the trousers that were so close to falling down again, now that she’d let go of the braces.

The action only made Thomas laugh harder.

“Are you done?” She raised an eyebrow as he wiped his eyes and sobered up a but. Nodding his head as he recovered.

“Here, let me help you.” He made his way towards her, Dorothy only pushed his hands away: “I’ve already tried that! They don’t tighten anymore!”

Thomas didn’t say anything as he grabbed the strap of the braces and wove the strap in on itself to make a knot on her shoulder, then doing the same with the other. Dorothy’s mouth formed an ‘O’ shape and tapped her head.

“There we go. Much better.” He patted her shoulders and stepped back, seemingly proud with his work. “Now, back to bed. I have some questions and you need to answer them.”

Dorothy’s stomach dropped. She knew this was coming. She’d have to talk about it eventually.

Sighing, she sat on the bed, Thomas sat in the chair next to the bed. Dorothy half missed him sitting closer, but she didn’t say anything.

——

“So what’s all this then? Why am I finding you in the middle of the streets, face first in the cobbles? Eh” Thomas leaned back expectantly, making sure he had full control of the situation.

Dorothy knew that keeping secrets from friends was the best way of losing a friend. But she was equally terrified that by telling Bubs the truth, that he’d bugger off and not want anything to do with her.

The guilt would have been immense, though.

“I have low blood pressure... something like that, I think.” Dorothy stared down at the quilted blanket, doing the tapping thing with her hands again.

“Ok. And why couldn’t you get food on the table since the last time I saw you?” He leaned forward, his eyebrows furrowed a bit.

Dorothy cringed at the bluntness of his questions, “couldn’t afford it.”

“But you work at the bakery, does that not source an income?” His gaze pierced into the side of her head, she refused to look at him.

“Mama needed it...” he voice even quieter now.

“Is she sick?”

Dorothy nodded her head, she pulled her lips into a tight line and squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to think about her home life.

Thomas knew this was a sensitive subject for her - hell, this whole conversation was -, he understood the feeling of watching family members fall apart and whither away right before your eyes.

“Where ‘bouts do you live?”

The pause lasted longer than Thomas liked, he feared the worse, “she has a home, right?”

“Hampton Lane.” Her answer was honestly worse than being homeless, in Thomas’ opinion.

Hampton Lane has a wide expanse of whore houses, anyone who lived on that street were whores themselves or drunks.

Thomas’ chest tightened. Before he could ask the dreaded question, she answered it quickly, “I’m not a whore though! I promise! Never done anything of the sort!” She shook her hands in front of his face, desperately pleading that he didn’t think her to be like that.

“So your poor blood pressure, what does that do?” She thanked him for changing the subject.

“Makes me light headed easily n’ other stuff like tha’” her voice croaked as the inner turmoil seeped out of her.

“What other stuff?”

“Tinnitus, n’ that.”

Thomas had heard of tinnitus. Men in the war quite often got diagnosed with it after hearing the shells go off so many times, it became white noise.

Thomas connected the dots, “s’that why you’re always humming, and put records on?”

She smiled a bit at the fact he’d noticed. It was weird, but it showed that he cared.

Thomas patted his knees and stood up, checking his pocket watch, noticing how much time had passed.

“You look exhausted out of your wits, I’ll leave you to sleep and then tomorrow, we can see how you look.” Dorothy smiled, as he left and closed the door behind him.

As she heard him walking down the stairs, she thought of the way the warmth left the room as he trotted further away from her.

She settled down under the covers and closed her eyes, welcoming sleep as it wrapped itself around her eyes.

——

ANOTHER ONE DONE!!!

Thanks for the love.

All feedback is welcome.

See ya next time!