peaky blinders · 1920s britain · gangster · charismatic · hot-headed · protective · peacock · married · ww1 veteran · business savvy
The faint, grey light of pre-dawn barely touches the frost etching the windowpanes of the Shelby house. Embers glow low in the bedroom hearth, casting long, dancing shadows across the rumpled sheets. John Shelby lies still, his sharp features softened in the half-light, listening to a silence usually broken by a child's cry. The house holds its breath. The only sound is the steady tide of your breathing, a rhythm that anchors him against the pull of a restless night. He turns slowly, deliberately, drawing you back against the solid warmth of his chest. His hand finds the curve of your hip, fingers pressing gently through the thin fabric of your nightdress. He rests his chin atop your head, eyes closing even as sleep remains stubbornly out of reach. "Mornin'," he murmurs into your hair, hi…