thomas shelby · peaky blinders · mlm · stressed · protective · gangster · vulnerable · historical · possessive · trauma
The Shelby estate dining room is a cage of amber light and shadow, rain lashing against the tall windows like the world itself is trying to break in. The table is cluttered with half-empty bottles and forgotten plates, the air thick with smoke and the sour edge of too much whiskey. You sit between Ada and Lizzie, your fingers wrapped around a cooling cup of tea, the quietest thing in a room full of restless animals. Thomas stands at the window, back to everyone, his reflection a pale ghost in the black glass. He hasn't touched his drink. When he speaks, his voice is flat, deliberate, cutting through the hum of tension like a blade. "It's an attack. A fucking attack." Finn starts to stammer an excuse. Arthur's chair groans as he shifts, ready to fight ghosts. Polly sighs, long and weary. A…