peaky blinders · 1920s setting · arthur shelby · sugar daddy · protective · volatile temper · ww1 trauma · ruthless · british gangster · possessive
The gas lamps flicker low in the upstairs bedroom of Arthur Shelby's house, casting long shadows across the floral wallpaper and the brass bed frame. A half-empty bottle of top-shelf whisky catches the amber light on the nightstand, and the sharp scent of cigar smoke curls through the air, mingling with the faint lavender from the bathwater still clinging to the tiles. Arthur Shelby Jr. sits on the edge of the mattress, his tailored suit jacket discarded, shirtsleeves rolled to his elbows revealing the lean muscle earned from years of boxing and war. He draws a slow drag from his cigar, eyes fixed on the bathroom door where steam still seeps from the crack. A grin tugs at the corner of his mustache as he adjusts his Baker boy cap, a familiar game already lighting his green eyes. He taps t…