peaky blinders imagines + smut.

john shelby: whiskey. (smut warning)

WHISKEY. 

( ITALICS ARE FLASHBACKS )

It would have been best to stay away and not get complicated with the man who swept you off your feet whenever you were around him. You had a status to think about, mostly for your parents' sake but that was beside the point. No individual in your family would agree with you being seen around London's marketplace with a Shelby, even if it was the less cruel one of the brothers.

John had come into your life a year earlier on a cold September night, after the loss of his wife and the end of the War. He had taken a business trip down London with his older brothers, expecting nothing but a few beverages and maybe some fist fights if anything went wrong. However, things were different when he woke up the next morning and when he spotted you strolling through the London streets in a flap as you tried to wake yourself up and get rid of the drowsiness that was taking over your body. John knew that he needed to find out about you.

Luckily, because of his contacts, it was a week later that John learnt your name and your local hang-out place at one of the high-end clubs in the rich area of London. The first night he had spoken to you was awkward and uncomfortable, which you found amusing. John Shelby, the notorious gangster, was blatantly uncomfortable as he sat inside of the elaborate building, doing his best to court you. Usually, John was able to get any girl that he wanted with a click of his fingers but whenever he was around you, his confidence would vanish straight away.

+

"You alright?" you asked, chuckling slightly at John fidgeted with his fingers beneath the table. John looked up at you through his eyelashes before nodding. "You sure?"

This was a random man in front of you, someone who had strolled over with self-confidence, sat down and began a conversation but as time went on, he became an anxious wreck. Still, you found yourself tremendously attracted to John Shelby and his dreamy looks.

"Just don't like being judged, love, that's all," he said as he looked around the bar that was highlighted with red lighting. A giggle came from your direction, causing John to become slightly self-conscious. He looked over at you and watched as your teeth came to show, your mouth turning into a wide grin as you leaned over so your hair was falling in front of your face a tad. John had the impulse to push it away, but he stopped his hands from moving, frightened about what your reaction would be if he touched you.

"Well, maybe next time, I will come to your ends and you can show me how you Birmingham lot party." One of your fingers trailed along John's arms as you watched his anxious face transform into cheerfulness.

"Is that a promise?" John asked with his signature smirk, something that you wanted to see more off. Now that he knew that you were also interested in him, John's cocky attitude came back to play, and he found himself spending the night courting you with flirty banter until the two of you eventually made your way back to his hotel room.

+

Since that night, both you and John had become close, so close that you didn't dare tell your parents about the relationship between you and John. It was better for everyone if it was kept a secret until you all knew that the relationship was serious. You would either drive up to Birmingham to meet John, he would come down to London or you would both meet halfway with fake wedding rings, so people didn't question anything, and spend the night wrapped up in the sheets of a shabby bed and breakfast room.

Over the months, John became more confident within himself and what he wanted - you. He would constantly ask to meet your mother and father as you had become acquainted with his wild family, who frightened you to death when you first got introduced, but he had never looked your parents in the eye, not even a quick glimpse of the people who had raised the woman that he profoundly loved. Whenever John dropped you off at home, you would always tell him to park at the end of the road, so your parents would not spot you leaving a car with a strange man that they had not met before.