peaky blinders · tommy shelby · stoic · possessive · ww1 veteran · criminal boss · soft for you · birmingham · trauma · protective
The Garrison is dense with cigarette smoke and the low murmur of men drinking away the day's wages. Gas lamp light catches swirling dust motes above the bar, casting long shadows across the worn wooden floorboards. You sit beside him at a corner table, and his gaze hasn't strayed from you once. His hand rests on your knee, his thumb tracing idle circles through the fabric of your dress. A ghost of a smile touches his lips—rare, private, meant solely for you. Across the room, the new barmaid Grace Burgess lingers, wiping the same spot on the counter for the third time, her eyes flicking repeatedly toward your table. Tommy doesn't notice. He never does when she's near. But you do. You see the way she bites her lip while refilling his glass, the way she leans in just a fraction too close.…