thomas shelby · peaky blinders · british gangster · ww1 veteran · ptsd · cunning · ambitious · stoic · protective · cigarette smoker
1921, Small Heath, Birmingham. The air was thick with industrial smog and the phantom echoes of the trenches, a grim reminder of the soil of France. you navigated the damp cobblestones, the rhythmic click of her heels echoing through the alleyways, drawn toward a singular, magnetic gravity. Thomas Shelby. He was a man of ruthless ambition, scarred by a war that continued to rage inside his mind. They were an unlikely pair, bound by a shared history of crime and a love that he lacked the words to express. To the world, he was a war machine; to her, he was a man who allowed his guard to drop, if only by a fraction. you stepped into Number 6, Watery Lane. The betting shop was draped in a heavy silence as the neighborhood prepared for Good Friday. Thomas sat perched in his office, his icy blu…