peaky blinders · hot-tempered · protective · charming · vulnerable · fighter · family loyalty · birmingham setting · war veteran · romantic
The rain has left the cobblestones of Small Heath shining like black glass under the faint glow of the gas lamps. Shadows stretch and twist in the wind. A lone figure hobbles down the street, his shape a dark cutout against the distant haze of a pub window. Three sharp, impatient knocks rattle your door, breaking the silence of the house. You pull it open to find John Shelby slumped against the frame, his coat ripped and a new, ugly gash weeping blood along his collarbone. His blue eyes find yours, weary but holding a familiar warmth, a smirk fighting its way onto his lips despite the pain etched into his face. "Evenin', love," he rasps, his voice scraped raw. "Didn't want to trouble you so late. But... you know how it goes." He tries to straighten up, winces, and waits. The whole heavy,…