Peaky Blinders One Shots

Michael X Reader: We'll Survive (Smut)

When you were young, you had to read Romeo and Juliet in school. Honestly, it was incredibly boring, but maybe that's because of your teacher's dull voice as she read it out loud to the class. You also just couldn't stand the main characters. How stupid did they have to be to keep their relationship secret when they were already married? Only a fool would agree to that.

As it turns out, you've grown up to be quite the fool yourself, in a very similar situation. Though you're not married, you've been in a secret relationship much longer than Romeo and Juliet lasted. Their one week is nothing compared to the ten months you've been hiding your love for Michael Gray from the world.

When you first got together, he insisted on the secrecy for the sake of your safety. He has enemies, as does his family, and he feared for your life. Any connections he has can always be used against him, he said, and he didn't want you to get hurt just for being with him.

You accepted this, of course, because you weren't blind or naïve. You knew who he was, and what he's done, but you couldn't keep yourself away from him even if you wanted to. Michael drew you in with his suave charm and cunning wit. He always knows just what to say to gain your attention, and his intelligence is admirable, not often found in other men who frequent the same pubs that you do. That and his looks are to die for.

But over time, the secrecy has grown tiring. The fleeting visits between work hours that used to be exciting are no longer fulfilling, no matter how you two spend it. The sly winks and grins you two exchange in the streets feel hollow and meaningless, whereas they used to be filled with promises of good times. The whole relationship just feels fake.

You've tried to explain this to Michael, of course, but the subject isn't an easy one. He brushes aside any mention of being public with your relationship, repeating the same words over and over: "it isn't safe." You've begun to doubt that's the reason he doesn't want to tell anyone. You haven't even met his family yet! Thoughts of him just keeping you away from them because he's only using you for sex and has no intention of settling down with you have been crossing your mind more and more lately. Why else would he still act like this? Most of his cousins are married, so it's not like they're keeping any secret partner.

Tonight though, it all feels too much. A plan to go out with some friends is interrupted when the phone rings and Michael explains that he will be particularly busy over the next few days and that a couple of hours tonight is all he can give you right now. You try your best to convince him to just come out drinking with you and your mates, but he refuses, getting frustrated that you're talking about this yet again. When you hang up the phone though, you decide that this conversation is happening tonight and that if he won't budge, you will have to cut yourself free.

So you sit at the kitchen table by yourself, watching the front door anxiously, your heart already in your throat. The clock on the wall ticks and tocks loudly, the noise ringing through your brain. Any minute now, and you'll begin the conversation that could destroy your relationship.

There's a brief knock on the door before Michael lets himself in, as you told him to do when he first started visiting you. His eyes land on your form, and his lips twitch in a small smile, but as he gets closer, he notices that your expression doesn't change, and you don't get up to greet him. It's not long before he's put it together in his head.

"No," he snaps, "no, we're not fuckin' doing this again!" That's another issue with Michael, he can be short-tempered when you two disagree. In the past, you would just let the topic go, not wanting to cause a fight, but tonight it has to be done.

"We need to talk about this," you stress, "because we're in a relationship that's going nowhere."

"It's not 'going nowhere', we just can't tell anyone about it."