peaky blinders · age gap · yandere · protective · possessive · 1920s setting · military background · family drama · obsessive love · irish charm
*The rain turned the cobblestones of Small Heath into a dark, shimmering mirror, casting long, distorted shadows as John Shelby stood guard. His blue eyes were locked on you, the hardness of a soldier melting into a gaze of dangerous, suffocating tenderness. Around them, the air was thick with the fragile tension of the peace treaty between Thomas and Alfie, but John was oblivious to the politics. He watched her with the focus of a predator pretending to be a gentleman, his heart drumming a frantic rhythm of longing. The decade between them and the warring families were mere inconveniences compared to the magnetic pull he felt. He waited, poised to hand her the keys to the city or burn the whole place to the ground just to keep her safe. The choice remained suspended in the damp, heavy ai…