#peakyprompts

Arthur, Tommy, and John walked drunkenly through the streets of Small Heath, the fog from the cold night nipping at their exposed hands as they took sips from a shared bottle of whiskey. The hours prior were a blur to them while on their rare night out away from the business. The night consisted of drinking at various pubs, Tommy and John running amuck, and Arthur getting in one-too-many fist fights. 

As they giddily walked through the doors of the betting shop, they noticed how dark and empty it was, except for a dim light coming out of Tommy’s office. When Tommy walked in, he saw Y/n sitting at his desk pouring over countless stacks of papers, a look of frustration on her face.

“Y/n? why are you here so late?” Tommy asked, taking in her tired expression as his eyesight blurred. Arthur and John stayed outside the room sitting against the mahogany walls and drinking the rest of the bottle as they listened in, knowing something was bound to go down.

“While you all were out doing god knows what and god knows who, I decided Polly and the rest of us girls would take on the paperwork you received. I figured you wouldn’t mind.” She said, taking a swig of whiskey from one of the many crystal glasses he had. Tommy sighed audibly and looked at her as she signed the company name on another page.

“Y/n that was mine to go through. Who do you think you are aye?” He said, walking over to her and tugging the pen out of her hand before she could sign another document. 

Y/n stared at her now empty hand, feeling herself grow hot with anger. She turned in her seat and stood up, looking him in the eyes. She was often the only one who could talk any sense into him.

“First of all Thomas, I’m your fucking wife. The least you could do is tell me when you’re going to be going out with your brothers. Especially when it’s for the majority of the day. You know how scary it is not knowing where you are when you constantly have people after you. Secondly, because you were too busy neglecting your business, I picked up the slack for all three of ya. We’re supposed to help each other you know. It’s a two way fucking street Thomas.” Y/n said sternly before walking over to get her coat. 

“Do you want a cap? Are you the new leader now or something? Making all these decisions without me?” Tommy asked snarkily, taking a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it.

Y/n chuckled before walking towards him, a coldness to her eyes as she looked at her husband. 

“I might as well be with how you’ve been lately. But here I am trying to help you and the boys. I’m always helping you. But you know what? without me you’d be drowning. Drowning in papers, drowning in your thoughts, drowning in all the shit you get yourself into. Soon you’ll realize that I’m needed here, how else do you think we’ve kept the shop running recently?” She said and turning to walk out the door. Tommy stood there thinking about what she said, knowing she was right but not wanting to admit it.

She smiled before placing her hand on the doorknob, chuckling to herself. 

“What’s so funny aye? Clearly you have more to say.” He said coming closer to her.

“It’s so funny how you get so caught up in this life, forgetting who’s held you up for so long...I just want to you to remember that I’ll always have a bit of a say because I love you. I need you to realize that you may wear the cap...but I wear the crown.” She said before walking out, not bothering to kiss Tommy or say goodbye to any of them.

Tommy stood there as Arthur and John stood up sloppily from the floor, laughing as they did so.

“Damn Tommy, she really ripped you a new one. You sure she’s not taking your place?” John asked. 

“No, she’s not. Not yet” He said smirking and lighting another cigarette.

“So what are we to do Tom?” Arthur asked.

“Well boys, I hate to say it but our fun is over for now. John, you go fetch us some gin, Arthur you get the type writer ready.” He said.

“What are you going to do?” John asked, walking towards Tommy’s office.

“I’m going to pick up where she left off. We have work to do.” He said before reluctantly staring at the massive pile of paperwork on his desk.

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You looked at Thomas as he sat at his desk, the gears in his mind shifting as he thought of a plan, like always. He was always thinking of his next move, no matter the situation. His eyes were sunken, with dark circles making more of an appearance than before. Looking more like a dead mans eyes than your husband’s. The nights were long and grim ever since he got back from France all those years ago, not knowing himself or even his surroundings at times as he glanced back at his reflection in the dust covered mirror.

He stared aimlessly out the window, as you silently watched him from the doorway, the smell of his cigarette smoke filling your nose and inevitably your lungs as the night dragged on.

“Thomas?” You whispered, not wanting startle him completely.

“Have you been there this whole time?” He asked, turning around in his seat. His voice dull and terrifyingly low.

“If I say no will that make this easier on you?” You asked, walking in and sitting in one of the chairs near his desk.

“Make what easier, love?” He asked, taking another drag of his cig before darting his eyes to yours.

“All of this.” You gestured vaguely at him. He raised his brow at you as you continued. The moonlight shining on his slender face.

“The waiting Thomas...The waiting for the shovels to stop scraping. The waiting for you to come back to bed. The waiting for you to be here, and I mean actually being here, in the present, love. You think you can keep this up but you fucking can’t...” You said, taking a deep breath, trying not to get worked up.

“You don’t have to wait up for me Y/N. I can handle myself. I can handle my...whatever this is.” He said mimicking your gesture to himself and pointing at his head before sighing in frustration. You walked over to him, taking his free hand in yours, looking at his bruised knuckles and cut up fingers, probably from gripping his cap too tightly during a fight.

“You always say that Tommy...how about you let me help you for a change? Let me bring you back to reality for a second?” You asked. Bringing his sore knuckles to your lips as you kissed them.

He put his cigarette out and placed his hand over yours, sighing as he looked down at them.

“Help how?” He asked quietly.

“By letting me into that pretty head of yours....I am your wife after all.....I just want you to be okay. I just want you to be here for me...for us.” You said, hearing the last word slip out of your mouth that you told yourself a week prior to keep in until the right time.

“Us?” He asked, his sullen mood shifting.

“I was going to tell you this week, but I never got the chance...because you were on business. You’re going to be a father Tommy.” You said, desperately watching his face for any expression.

He looked up at you, a spark in his eyes appearing that wasn’t there before, and a small smile playing at his lips.

“Really?” He asked.

“Yeah. Found out last week.” You said as he pulled you in for a quick kiss. When you pulled away you sighed, putting your hands on his chest.

“I didn’t mean for that to be the reality check, but whatever works right?” You said, looking up at him.

“Whatever works.” He said staring at you as he held you in his arms, not wanting to let you go.

“You’re my good luck charm, you know that?” He asked.

“Yes.” You said, nodding.

“Then I want you to know that anything I’ve lived through, is because you were there to guide me. You were in the back of my mind when I was digging the tunnels, you were there when I got back, you were there for me when I took over the company, you’re here during my darkest moments, and now you’re here with me, by my side. You’ll always be with me. And I’m gonna try to be there for you now.” He said, seeing him slowly turn back into himself again.

You kissed him once more, letting your forehead touch his as you took in the moment.

“I know a way you can be there for me...” You said, draping your arms over his shoulders lazily.

“Yeah?” He said, smiling back for a change.

“Come back to bed. We both need the sleep love.” You said.

“Is that all?” He said looking down at you.

“Follow me and find out...” You said, gently breaking from his embrace and heading out of the office. His steps were dragging close behind, a smirk playing at your lips as you led him up to the bedroom where the plush queen bed was waiting for you both.

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Tommy sat with his back against the door, the yelling from downstairs pounding at his skull whilst the sounds of shovels scraped at his brain. He felt his throat tighten and his ribs ache as he looked around the room which was still made up like he left it. It had been a whole 24 hours since he’d gotten back from France, but it felt like he’d never left.

John and Arthur yelled downstairs about the business details and who got which jobs, nearly knocking each other out on the cold wooden floors with the dark cabinets taking the brunt of their blows. The business was left to them, and their aunt was the only one able to keep it afloat until yesterday.

Tommy listened as their shouting carried out into the streets of Small Heath, knowing they’d probably find a way to make up before the night was over, preferably over a bottle of whiskey and cigars.

Being the more level-headed and clever one of the three, Tommy agreed to run the business alongside their aunt Polly, despite his own issues that he hadn’t had the time nor the chance to think about until he got home.

“In and out....in and out.” He said to himself while he tried to calm his breathing and his racing heart. The shouts from the men and the earsplitting sounds of bombs wreaking havoc on his mind as he sat in the safety of his room. He stared anxiously at the intricate wallpaper, not knowing if someone would burst through to save him or to kill him. But he sat there, frozen as the shovels slowly stopped, the images of the tunnels flashing through his mind as he looked on at nothing in particular. Staring off into space like he did on many nights while on guard duty.

Putting his head in his hands, he ran his fingers through his hair and cried. The memories of mere hours ago coming back like a tidal wave. The haunting screams echoing through the tunnels, the stench of rotting flesh-wounds and decaying bodies filling the air of the trenches, and the moans of the wounded men filling his every thought.

“You’re safe. You’re safe. It’s over.” He mumbled as he curled into himself, putting his aching arms around his legs and bringing his knees up, like his little brother Finn would do when he’d been upset all those years ago.

Light footsteps coming up the rickety stairs broke him out of his trance-like state, making him jump a bit.

“Thomas? Are you there?” A voice asked. It was one he knew all too well. A voice that always pulled at his heart no matter how hardened of a person he had become.

“Wh-who is it?” He asked just to make sure, his ribs still aching as he waited for a response.

“It’s Y/N....May I come in?” She asked.

“Yes.” He said, wiping a tear from his eye as he got up from the floor and went to pour himself some whiskey.

“I came over to see if you boys wanted to go out and celebrate a bit...“ Y/N said, glancing around the room, both of their bodies distorted in the dust-covered mirror hanging on the wall nearby.

“What is there to celebrate?” He asked, sniffling as he ran a hand through his hair.

“What’s not? The wars over, all three of my brothers came home, and you get to have a new career.” Y/N said optimistically.

Tommy sighed and stared off out the window, the whiskey swishing in his glass as he spoke.

“We died there, Y/N. The war isn’t over, not for me. Not for John. Not for Arthur. It’s still going on. No amount of peaky business can take that away...Yes we made it home, but we’re still haunted...we’re all here on borrowed time.” He said.

Y/N sighed and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around her brother in a tight hug.

“I should’ve came over sooner, knowing that you were struggling... I’m sorry. I should’ve been there to help you just now even...We don’t have to go out if you don’t want to.” Y/N said.

He moved a bit to break free from his sisters embrace, watching her face sadden a bit at the loss of contact. He sat down on his bed, a tired look in his eyes as he spoke.

“I don’t know if I can do this....” He said.

“Do what Tommy?” Y/N asked.

“All of this. Living, running the business, keeping track of my brothers and you, acting as if everything’s back to normal...” He said, looking up at Y/N as she stood there, her hands fiddling with a pocket watch.

Y/N looked at it and then sat down with him, resting her head on his shoulder. He still smelled of gun smoke and the rich dirt from the tunnels, and his hands were still bruised and blistered from the shovels.

“Nothing is normal, and that’s okay. You can do this you know...I know you can. If my brother can make it through one of the scariest moments of his life still breathing, then he can make it through this too. Alright?” She said.

Tommy smiled slightly, his face not used to contorting in such a way after so many years of grimacing.

“Do you get the ghosts in your head? Like the other men talk about at the Garrison?“ Y/N asked after a long pause, feeling him stiffen up at the question.

“Yes. That’s a whole different war. That’s why it’s still going on for me, still haunting me. Always will.” He said, putting an arm around Y/N’s shoulder.

Y/N held his hand, gliding her fingers over the calloused parts of his fingertips.

“How do you escape the ghosts in your head, Y/N?” He asked, his heart rate calming down gradually.

“After you left, I found myself lying awake at night after the most horrible dreams. And I would use that time to write letters to you...when Aunt Poll was asleep. I did it so often not only because I care for ya, but because I wanted to convince myself that you were still out there. That you weren’t lying dead in a trench somewhere. And when it would get really bad, I’d take out my pocket watch and listen to it, and watch the hands click by. I had it set to the timing in France so that whenever I looked at it, I knew you’d be looking at the same thing. It grounded me when my thoughts got too much. It helped me know you were out there. That’s what helped me with the ghosts in my head when all my brothers were gone...” Y/N said quietly.

Tommy ran his hand over her small one, still clutching the pocket watch. For once, he couldn’t hear the shovels.

“I can’t hear them now....the shovels...” He said, smiling down at her.

“That’s because you’re home Tommy. You’re finally home.” She said, giving him the pocket watch.

“Take this Tommy. If I’m out with John and Arthur or with my friends one day and the ghosts come back, I want you to hold this and think of the family who loves you alright? You’ve always said I’m your favorite sibling.” She said hitting his shoulder lightly.

“Oh, and you can change the time back as well. France is behind you now.” Y/N said.

Tommy smiled again, embracing her as they sat there while the sun set throughout the room. They would always sit like that before the war, enjoying the silence that her other brothers never understood. Letting them talk about whatever came to mind.

As the night drug on, she let Tommy go to bed, peering through the cracked door at him, to make sure he was safe. This was the first time in years that he got a peaceful sleep, all while clutching the watch like a lifeline.

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You rummaged through Charlies closet, trying to find something appropriate for him to wear to this evenings dinner. Thomas had left early that morning on business leaving you to care for his son who was in the late stages of his “terrible-two’s.” 

Frantic sayings such as, “Hey! Don’t touch that” “Don’t put that in your mouth!” “No biting!” and “Oh please be chocolate, please be chocolate...” coming out of your mouth more times than you can count.

You sighed with him in your arms while you looked at three outfits spread across the table.

“Which one would you like to wear sweetheart? You have to dress all fancy like your daddy.” You said, watching as he pulled against you and towards one of the dark gray outfits, much like a baby suit with a small bowtie.

“Oh that’s a good one. Let’s put it on.” You said gently setting him down as he waddled away from you as fast as his little legs would carry him.

You looked up at the coffered ceiling and sighed, knowing it would be a long few hours until Thomas got home. 

“Charlie-boy c’mon. Daddy wants you ready for the party before he gets home.” You yelled lightly down the hall, peeking in various rooms as he was probably playing hide and seek.

“Charlie...where are you?” You asked, turning the corner into Tommy’s office. You saw his small silhouette behind one of the curtains in front of the window, overlooking the acres of land that was your all's backyard. You smiled and folded your arms over taking a couple steps towards him.

‘I wonder where on earth he could be?” you said getting closer.

“I bet he’s right......here!” You yell out, tickling him through the curtains as he giggled. 

Once he was freed from the fabric, he reached out for you to hold him and so you did. Smiling as his small giggles filled your ears. Your heart ached as you thought about how Grace must feel, watching from above as someone else cared for her child. As you stood there in thought, you glanced at the ring on your finger and the memories you’ve been lucky to have with Tommy these last few years. You wanted to try for kids, seeing how you were great at caring for Charlie, and how well you got along with everyone, but your heart still ached knowing it would probably be a long time until Tommy even had a moment to think about the both of you, let alone another baby due to recent blinder business. 

After a while of playing with Charlie, you were finally able to bribe him into putting on his outfit with a cookie. You sat on the floor with him as you watched him playing with a toy horse, trying to decide when to get ready.

Charlie lifted his finger up to you, murmuring as he looked at you with his fathers blue eyes.

“What’d you say baby?” You asked softly.

“Mama!” He said excitedly. Your eyes widened, panic and an odd feeling of happiness overtaking you as you heard him speak a word that wasn’t toddler babbling or saying “hat” “dada” and “horse.”

You didn’t know what to say so you just smiled and nodded, tears forming in your eyes as you glanced at Grace’s painting down the hall.

When you saw Charlie getting tired, you put him in his crib, turning the light out as a soft midday glow came in through the windows of his bedroom, and without hesitation you went to your bedroom to get dressed, getting as far as putting on your dress and plain makeup before hearing him wailing.

You rushed out, not worrying about any finishing touches as you opened his door, his face flushed red and tears in his eyes as he screamed bloody murder.

You scooped him up, rocking him back and forth gently as he hiccupped and screamed again, surely making you go deaf.

“What is it my love? What’s wrong?” You asked, walking with him down the hall as you bounced him in your arms. 

“Did you have a bad dream?” You asked as his tears subsided. He looked at you and pouted, his eyes about to fill with tears again as he buried his head in your neck.

You checked to see if he was warm, but he didn’t seem ill, just startled. As he calmed down you realized your silk dress was now tear stained, making it hard to dry before Tommy got home so you carried him into your all’s bedroom and sat him on the bed gave him one of Tommy’s non-razored caps to play with. You sighed as you looked at the expanse of dresses, knowing years ago you’d pass-out at the sight of even the price tag, let alone the intricate detailing and fabrics. You decided on a pastel blue dress almost aqua in color, as you turned to Charlie with approval. He smiled when you turned around and clapped his hands together as he watched you looking at it in your hands. After slipping it on, you heard Tommy come through the front door, with loud footsteps bounding towards his office.

You sighed, knowing he had a bad day, which given his line of work, it wasn’t surprising. If he had a fairly decent day, you knew something was suspicious most of the time. 

You picked Charlie up to keep him from running amuck, and headed towards his office. Your heels clicking on the wooden floors as you hesitantly walked in. 

He was nursing a glass of whiskey and smoking while looking out the window.

“Rough day?” You asked from the doorway. He turned slowly to you, his cold stare softening as he looked you up and down and saw Charlie in your arms.

“Yeah. Arthur got into some trouble. I had to go help out and keep him from killing someone at the ring.” He said putting his cigarette out in the ash tray on his desk.

“Oh lovely.” You said rolling your eyes and smirking. 

“What about you aye? What did my little one get into today?” He said making his way over to you and Charlie.

“Well...he tried to take your watch, tried to put it in his mouth actually...bit my finger when I tried to take it from his mouth, oh and he left a small present on his bedroom floor because he wanted to roam the house in the nude. I prayed it was chocolate, but...no.” You said laughing and shaking your head.

“Fucking hell...” He said.

“Well if that’s all the complaints for the day, I think it’s time we get going aye?” He said with small smirk.

You scoffed and walked away from him. “Oh I’ll give you something to complain about.” You said as you took Charlie to the car.

You sat there silently as he drove, his free hand finding his way to yours that was resting on your lap.

“I’m not too good with jokes sometimes. I’m sorry Y/n.” He said squeezing your hand. 

“Oh I know.” You said smirking. 

“Were there any good moments today?” He asked. You swallowed hard and decided to tell him.

“Well while we were playing he uh...called me “mama.” You said.

“Mama!” Charlie yelled, giggling from the back.

“I didn’t know what to say Thomas...I just smiled and nodded. I hope that’s okay.” You said. He smiled and glanced at you as he went to park the car.

“Well...in a sense you are now. Without you I don’t think we could’ve managed.” He said, kissing your hand.

You smiled as he helped you out, him picking up Charlie out of the backseat.

You thought for a moment before walking towards Polly’s house, daring to ask him the question that’s plagued your mind the whole day.

“Hey Tommy?” You asked, causing him to stop near the front steps.

“Yeah?” He said.

“How would you feel about another child? Obviously not now because I know everything’s busy, but that all just got me thinking...” You said trailing off nervously.

“I’d love that. But first, we have to get through this fucking party.” He said smirking. You sighed in relief and nodded as you followed him inside, music and  the murmurs of everyone filling the room. 

“That we do...” You said quietly to him as you both walked towards the family, bracing yourself for the onslaught of hugs, whiskey, and not-so-kid-friendly conversations.

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“Hello? John what is it?” Thomas said with a deep groggy voice. The shrill ringing of the telephone having jolted him out of bed right in the midst of a nightmarish crescendo of shovels scraping away at his brain. The nights still haunted him after the war, the only solace being the daylight that would eventually come streaming in, and you laying by his side. 

“There’s been some trouble by the cut. You need to get here before it turns into a blood bath.” He said urgently.

“It’ll be a blood bath regardless brother. Did you keep an eye out for me at least?” He asked, knowing full-well John may have slept on the job.

“After a nap, yeah. That gang from over in London are here, same ones causing trouble earlier. They’re out to get our supplies again.” He said.

“Alright, do me a favor a stay awake or else I’ll cut your eyelids off myself. I’ll be there soon.” Thomas said.

“Alright Tom. Hurry though, or Arthur’s gonna go feral.” He said before hanging up.

Thomas sighed, and ran his hand over his hair and down his face, exhausted from the week already. It was 3 in the morning and all he wanted was one nights rest. He looked up at the intricate wallpaper, fearing the scraping would break through the thin walls and he’d be surrounded by the dirt in the tunnels again. But the sound of you waking up pulled him out of his trance.

“Tom? What’s wrong? You okay?” You asked gently, scooting up behind him and wrapping your arms around his waist.

You could hear him sigh deeply as he put his hand over yours. 

“I have to go take care of some peaky business.” He said, not wanting to get into details if he could help it.

You sighed and let go of him and laid back down, causing him to slowly turn to look at you.

“You know I’d stay if I could. A gang we had trouble with is trying to get into our supplies and my brothers are about to stain the cut red with their blood if I’m not there soon. I have to go. You can trust me, Y/N.” He said.

“Trust you to come back alive? I highly doubt it.” You said angrily, getting up and quickly wrapping yourself in one of Thomas’ jackets. 

“I’ve faced worse Y/N, I swear I’ll be fine.” He said, getting up and putting on his pants and shirt, the buckling of his belt clinking as he fastened it.

You walked over to his whiskey stash, taking a glass and pouring yourself some before knocking it back and setting the glass down harshly.

“What?” He asked, an annoyed tone hinting at his voice as he gathered his things. He could see you were mad, the candlelight flickering near you only further highlighting the menacing curve of your brows.

“You think you’re fucking invincible but you’re not!” you said loudly, just enough to get him to stop moving around the room to look at you.

You were met with silence so you continued, finally letting your pent-up feelings out.

“It’s just hard seeing you go because you always say that. You always say you’re fine and you’re not. Fuck, you said that last year and you almost died Tommy! If Arthur hadn’t been there you’d be in the ground right now and I’d be widowed...” You said, a tear slipping down your face as you remembered a deal they had that went wrong one night.

He silently walked over to his desk and grabbed a gold ring, placing it on his index finger, and then walked over to you, putting his hands in yours.

“I know, but this isn’t like last time love. This is just some gang out there sticking their noses where they don’t belong. I’ll be fine...see?” He said pointing to the gold ring.

You calmed down a bit and looked at it, smiling slightly at the memory. You’d given him that before he got sent off to France all those years ago. 

“I wore this the whole time. I thought of ya the whole time I was in the tunnels Y/N. You got me through that, and you’ll get me through everything else. You’re my good luck charm, remember?” He said, leaning in to kiss you quickly. You kissed back, desperately wanting to hold on to him, to force him to stay, but you knew you couldn’t. This was his job now, his company, his “business” he had to take care of. 

You sighed as he stepped away from you, putting on his cap and lighting a cigarette before gently closing the door. You watched out the window as his car pulled away from the house and into the night, as your once peaceful sleep eluded you until the sun came up, anxiously waiting for him to come home again.

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Thomas watched as Y/n ran out of the betting shop, tears streaming down her face as the chill of the winter air whirled around her, stinging her skin as she headed to the Garrison despite it being early in the morning. The bartender recognized her as Tommy Shelby’s girl and immediately poured her whatever she liked despite the emotional state she was currently in. He knew better than to talk to her now and so he left her with the bottle and went to clean the dirty tables. It was empty apart from a couple of the local drunks who might as well live there on a daily basis. 

Back at the shop Tommy stood frozen in the privacy of his office as his eyes welled up with tears. He swallowed the lump in his throat as he walked towards his desk, immediately grabbing the phone. 

“Poll. I know you’re not in today, but I need ya.” He said, his voice cracking at the end. He heard her hang up and so he waited for her arrival. He racked over the last hour in his mind, mixed emotions of anger, fear, and sadness taking hold of him. In one quick movement he threw a glass at the wall, watching it shatter as he drank straight from the bottle in his hand. His mind pulling him in a thousand directions. He should never have done what he did, and he knows that it would take a miracle for Y/n to take him back, but he was sure the two of you were done.

Polly came in as Tommy wiped his tears away, staring blankly at the glass on the ground. 

“What did you do?” Polly asked in a monotonous voice, clearly tired of cleaning up after her nephews mistakes. 

“I lost her Poll. I lost the only woman I’ve truly loved because of one damn mistake.” He said closing his eyes as he took a swig from the bottle of whiskey. 

“You cheated didn’t you...” Polly asked, taking a seat in one of his armchairs. 

“She may as well think I did. You know the woman we hired a couple weeks ago? The one from London?” He asked going over to his desk and placing the bottle down. 

“Oh that mess? Why did we hire her for? She can’t type as good as Lizzie and she can’t keep up with the bets.” She said lighting a cigarette. 

“Well, last night she came to my office abruptly. I was here late taking care of paper work while Y/n was helping with the rest down the hall. But that woman came right in, no knocking or anything and started talking about how I needed to go out and find a good woman. Find a better woman...better than Y/n, and I could tell she’d been drinking. But I didn’t expect her to make a move on me Poll. She waltzed right in and kissed me. She knew Y/n was here but she did it anyway...” He said looking at Polly, his ocean eyes pleading for help.

“And she saw you both right? Did you kiss her back” Polly asked, tapping her cigarette on the ashtray. 

“Yes she saw us. Poll you should’ve seen her face...she was broken. I tried to talk it over this morning when she got in the office. Tried to tell her I never kissed back, but it was no use. I tried to tell her what happened and that she walked in at the wrong time, but it was too late. I lost her as soon as that door opened.” He said.

Polly sighed as she watched her nephew sulking and got up and walked over to him.

“What you’re going to do is you’re going to find her and you’re going to apologize. Get straight to the truth and then let her be. She may not take you back but just know that our new employee won’t be working for us anymore. I’m going to write up a report and she’ll be leaving Shelby Company Limited today.” She said, shooing him away from his desk. He silently grabbed his coat and walked out following the dark streets to the Garrison to see if she was there. 

As he opened the door his heart dropped as he saw her crying next to an almost empty bottle of gin. Her makeup running down her face as she rested her head on her arm not noticing his presence until he sat next to her.

“I came here to talk Y/n.” He said quietly, the bartender taking away her bottle when Tommy nodded towards it. 

“I came here to drink.” She said slowly sitting up, her eyes narrowing as she realized the bottle was gone. 

“Oi! Give that back!” She hollered at the bartender, but Tommy shook his head at him and put his hand on her shoulder. She grabbed his hand and pushed it off, folding her arms over her chest in defeat.

“I’m not interested...in talking to you Thomas.” She said slurring slightly.

“I know, but I at least wanted to apologize and to get the truth out there aye?” He said, looking at her as she blinked back tears. 

“I saw you Thomas. I saw you and the new girl.” She said wiping her tears.

“That’s what you don’t understand Y/n, please hear me out.” He pleaded.

“Thomas...If I’m not your first choice, then I won’t be a choice at all.” She said before leaving the bar and going over to the coat rack. 

Tommy walked quickly over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from putting on her coat. 

“Please hear me out.” He said. Y/n sighed and looked at him with tired eyes and nodded, sitting down at a nearby table and chairs. 

“What you saw was a mistake. I made the mistake of letting her in my office. I didn’t know why she was there but she started spouting crap about ya. Saying how I deserved a better woman, better than you. And I told her to leave but she didn’t. Y/n what you saw was her making a move on me and I’m so, so sorry you saw that and if I could take those 5 minutes back I would. She kissed me and I didn’t kiss back, I promise you that. Look...I’m not expecting you to forgive me, but I just wanted you to know what happened before you opened that door. I wanted you to know that she’ll no longer be working with us anymore either. Polly is firing her today for it.” He said. 

Y/n sat back in her chair, slowly taking in the information. She only saw them kissing, nothing else, but it still hurt her nonetheless because she loved him, more than anything in the world.

“I don’t know if I can trust you again Thomas. I mean it.” She said looking at him.

He sighed and held her hand. “Y/n you were my first choice, you always have been. I love you and I swear on my grave that something like that won’t ever happen again.” He said, his voice stern but soft.

She held back tears as she wrestled with her emotions, the gin wearing off slowly.

“I love you too, but Tommy I swear to god if you mess this up the second time around then that’ll be the last you see of me.” She said, getting up and grabbing her coat.

“I know.” He said helping her put it on. 

“So can we try this again?” He asked.

“Yes. Now c’mon. We have work to do.” She said walking slightly wobbly to the door.

“I may have work to do, but you don’t. I’ll give you the day off and Polly will take you home. You deserve some rest.” He said, his hand wrapping supportively around her waist as they walked towards the shop. 

“Alright, but no funny business. I’m serious.” She said.

“No funny business. Now c’mon lets get you home.” He said helping her inside.

Later that evening Tommy came home early, wrestling around with the small box in his pocket. He looked at his girlfriend sleeping peacefully on the bed, her makeup off and her hair slightly disheveled. He planted kisses on her forehead and one on her lips until she woke up. She smiled slightly, holding her head after waking from her alcohol induced slumber, wondering why he was home.

“What are you doing here? You don’t get back until 9 usually. It’s only 5.” She said sitting up.

“I finished some work with the lads and then I got to thinking...” He said kneeling by the bed. 

“Thinking about what?” She asked.

“I got to thinking about how I’ve never been so in love with before with anyone...and everyone in the shop can see that. And I’ve never been so upset in my life as I was when you walked out last night and earlier today. I thought I’d lost ya. I’ve never loved someone as much as you Y/n. And i want to prove to you that I do and that I’d never let something so foolish happen again.” He said, taking the small velvet box out of his hand, revealing an intricately carved gold engagement ring with a diamond on top.