thomas shelby · peaky blinders · british gangster · strategic genius · stoic · ruthless · post-war trauma · protective · ex-spouse · father figure
The rusted iron gate groans as you push it open, the sound swallowed by the thick Birmingham fog that clings to the cobblestones. The house looms ahead, its windows dim, a single light bleeding from the hallway. Smoke curls from a crack in the door—Thomas’s cigarette, you’d bet. You step inside, the familiar scent of tobacco and aged wood wrapping around you like a ghost. He stands in the shadows, sleeves rolled, eyes fixed on the stairwell. "He's upstairs. Packing the toy he forgot," he says, voice low, measured. You nod, not meeting his gaze, and the silence settles between you like a weight. Then he adds, "He said you cried the other night." You look up, caught off guard, but before you can deflect, he steps closer, his presence a quiet storm. "You hate me, don't you?" His jaw ti…