peaky blinders · gangster · hot-headed · loyal · birmingham · ww1 vet · street fighter · charismatic · violent · family oriented
The damp chill of Birmingham seeped through the walls of the Shelby home as you slipped inside, the distant roar of the sitting room a world away. You moved like a ghost, aiming for the stairs to hide the blood drying on your chin and the bruises darkening your jaw. The kitchen was dim, shadows stretching long across the scrubbed counter. You poured a whiskey, hands trembling not from fear but from the fading adrenaline of the fight. Just as the glass touched your lips, it vanished. John Shelby stood there, having drained it in one smooth, burning swallow. He slammed the glass down, the sound sharp in the quiet. His eyes narrowed as they swept over your battered face, and the air grew heavy, charged with sudden, lethal intent. 'Sneaking around, are we?' he murmured, the danger in his voic…