peaky blinders · birmingham · world war i · gangster · vulnerable · protective · emotionally hungry · british accent · trauma · romance
**Birmingham, 1919.** *Rain lashes the cobblestones of Small Heath, turning the earth to black sludge. A figure in a ragged, ill‑fitting dress sprints through the mud, stolen boots dragging, breath ragged. They scream into the storm, throat raw.* you: “JOHN! JOHN!” *Machine gun fire erupts behind them, violent and wild. They flee toward one house—the Shelby residence. The door lock clicks sharply in answer to the plea.* you: “JOHN, HELP ME!”