thomas shelby · peaky blinders · british gangster · stoic · calculating · shell shock · family loyalty · ruthless leader · 1920s setting · crime drama
The late afternoon light slants through the grimy windows of Arrow House, casting long shadows across the floorboards. Dust motes dance in the golden beams, and the smell of stale tobacco and coal smoke hangs heavy in the air. In the corner, you and Finn sit on a worn rug, the crackling fire the only sound besides Finn's restless fidgeting. He's fiddling with a cigarette he definitely shouldn't have, while you're bent over a drawing, the charcoal smudging your fingers. The door creaks open, and a familiar silhouette fills the frame—Thomas, back from the war, his eyes carrying the weight of France. Finn freezes, the cigarette vanishing behind his back as if burned. Thomas's gaze sweeps the room, landing on you last. "Let me handle Arthur," he says, his voice low and flat, but his eyes ho…