Destruction of the Mind / [Thomas Shelby | Peaky Blinders]

chapter / nine

**WARNING: Rude speech/sexual comments**

Once again, for the second night in a row, Thomas slept next to Florence. This time he was a little less intoxicated and didn't have to rush away without warning as soon as the sun rose. They stayed up until the early hours of the morning, chatting and sharing kisses as if they had been together for years. It hadn't been confirmed between them, but they knew they had something special.

They eventually got to sleep, only to be awakened by the blazing sun seeping into the room through the gap in the curtains. Groaning, Florence tugged the covers over her head whilst Thomas only laughed at her and sat up, rubbing his eyes. She muttered profanities to herself as she popped her head out, squinting at the light that was shining directly in her eyes. Thomas only laughed harder, getting out of bed to open the curtains wider.

"Well, this makes a change - is it my turn to rush out of the door now?" Florence sniggered, only for Thomas to break into a run and jump on the bed, showering her face with delicate kisses.

"I do need ta' leave soon, though." He said to her, putting a hand on her cheek and gently caressing it with his thumb. "I'm sure you'd love ta' know that it involves gettin' back at that ugly old mug."

"Well, get 'im good then." She responded in her best attempt at a Birmingham accent, grinning at him.

"I'll see ya' in the pub tonight?" He asked her when he finally got up to leave, whilst putting his jacket and shoes on.

"Definitely."

Thomas walked out of the room, his face resuming his usual unfazed expression. He jogged down the stairs and walked to his own home, saying 'good morning' to those who nodded at him as he went. As soon as he got in, he retreated to the bathroom to have a wash, before getting dressed into a dark blue tweed three-piece suit.

He jogged down the stairs and opened the doors to the bookies, spying Arthur in the office with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He stormed in there, as soon as he saw that his brother was sitting on his own. Thomas banged his fist on the table, startling Arthur.

"Woah there, Tommy," He called out, his voice raised, "what're ya' doin'?"

"I knew it was shady, 'im coming down 'ere to see us." Thomas started, sitting in the spare seat opposite of where his brother was sitting.

"Oh god, not this again, he's 'ere for business," Arthur groaned, taking a swig of his drink.

"Well, not for our business he's not. Henry's 'ere for Florence, Arthur." Thomas growled, clenching his fists at the things Florence had told him last night. "They were set to be betrothed before she fled 'ere, he's a dirty ol' pervert and I don't want 'im in my town."

"Aye, they were gonna' be married? Ain't 'e like twice 'er age?" Arthur scoffed, "so what are the Peaky Blinders gonna' do 'bout him then?"

"I need you to get the boys together, down at the whiskey warehouse next to the river," Thomas smirked, "we're goin' to give 'im the Peaky Blinders warnin'. I'll get 'im there... where is he, anyway?"

Henry had noticed that Thomas had returned from spending the night with Florence and watched as he went to have a bath. Henry took this as the opportunity to leave the Shelby household and sneak to see Florence, forcing himself into her room as she had a bath herself. He waited for her to return, smirking to himself.

Florence hummed, washing the soap off of her body before standing up and wrapping a towel around her. She dried herself off before pulling a fancy mauve dress over her head and admiring how it looked in the mirror. She pulled her wet hair to one side as she fastened the clip at the back, then started to rub her hair with the towel to separate the strands so they could dry. She then grabbed her small round tin of lip balm, applying some to her plump lips and pouting at herself, giggling.

After emptying the bath water, she returned to her room happily, only to be filled with fear when she saw Henry perched on her bed with a wicked smile on his face.

"It's so nice of you to join me, finally," He snickered, "I was starting to think you knew I was here."

"How dare you come here," Florence replied, bravely, "I declined your marriage proposal because I will not be a wife to someone like you."

"But you'll be a wife to someone like Thomas Shelby?" He snorted, letting out a deep chuckle, "He's got blood on his hands, that man. Worse than me. I'm only a horny vicar, darling."

"Cut the shit, you liar! I know who you are." She hissed at him, walking backwards slowly until she felt her back hit the door. "Your name's Henry and you deal drugs. To think that I thought you were a disgusting pervert, now you're even more foul since I found out the truth."

"You think your words hurt me?" He said, standing up and inching towards her. "I couldn't give a shit what you say to me, I'll make sure when we're married to put some tape over your mouth to teach you a lesson. You don't speak to your husband like that, sweetheart."

Henry grabbed her face with his grubby right hand, yanking her forward harshly, only for her to cry out. He smashed his lips against hers, forcing his tongue into her mouth to give her what he classed as a sensual snog. Florence felt sick to the stomach, struggling to push him away from her. He eventually pulled away, but his body was still unbelievably close that she could feel how hard he was through his pants. She wanted to vomit.

"You better thank your friend when we get back to London, she let me know where you went after I fucked her all night long." He whispered into her ear, moving a hand to her bum, which he squeezed. "She's nowhere near as gorgeous as you are though. I can't wait to see you naked."

Florence felt the tears fall down her cheeks as she sobbed silently. He let go of her, pushing her out of the way of the door with a hard shove.

"I'll be back, love. You're coming to London with me whether you like it or not. You can prepare the story for Tommy, tell him seeing me made you miss London or something like that, tell him you lied about me," He spat at her, with an evil grin on his face, "and if I find out you've decided to tell him what's really happening, I'll make sure I fuck you so hard that you can't walk for weeks."

And with that, he left. Florence then locked the door before escaping to her bed as she cried continuously for over an hour. Her head throbbed as she looked at the time, not knowing what to do for the next 5 hours until she was due to go to work.

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oMG I HATE HENRY SO MUCH I WANT TO FUCKING PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE

 so i'd like to thank you all for reading bc i'm so happy with how it's turning out n stuff ^-^