Peaky Blinders One Shot Collection

Michael Gray x Reader - 1. 'Listen here you little...'

Birmingham wasn’t as cold today as it had been. You knew this from the moment you looked out of your window and saw the children emerging from their houses to play. Today was finally your day off and your intention was to get all of your errands done. Unfortunately, that meant leaving your house. Begrudgingly, you pulled on your coat and headed out the front door. People knew you in Small Heath. Mostly because your mother had been best friends with Polly and so when your mother had passed away when you were 16, Polly had taken you under her wing. That was 4 years ago. You now had your own job as a secretary for a solicitor on the other side of Birmingham, you had brought your own house, and were learning how to drive. John had agreed to teach you, though you feared you had made a mistake asking him instead of Tommy – John didn’t really make for a good teacher.

You decided to stop in and see Polly on the way through to get your shopping. You hadn’t seen her for a couple of weeks and felt like a visit was a little overdue.

You knew she had been preoccupied recently with Michael and the rest of the boys, so you had tried to stay away and give her time to sort herself out. You had gotten along quite well with Michael when he had first arrived in Small Heath. So much so, that is was usually your door that he knocked on when he had gotten into a fight and didn’t want to face his mother. He had done that just two nights ago in fact. You made your way down the cobbles and stopped outside the Shelby house. You knocked twice and walked in. That was how you had always entered this house. It was silent inside and you frowned. It was never usually this quiet.

You hung your coat over the bannister and headed towards the sitting room, stopping at the door when you heard raised voices.

‘Listen here you little…’ a voice spat, you recognised the voice to be Polly’s and decided to intervene. You pushed open the door and enter the sitting room. The voices ceased and both people in the room looked your way and you felt the tension rise even further. Michael was sat on the opposite side of the room, slouched in his chair, a cigarette between his lips. Polly stood near the fire, one hand on her hip, midway through pointing at Michael.

‘Hi’ you break the silence awkwardly.

Polly rushes to you, engulfing you in a hug, and you feel her shudder as she cries into your shoulder. You wrap your arms around her and hug her back, holding her and calming her as she cries. Michael rolls his eyes, not moving and slouches further in his chair. You give him a questioning look and he shakes his head. You frown but return to comforting Polly.

‘Come on Pol, lets have a seat and I’ll make some tea. Come on love’ you whisper soothingly and she allows you to move her to the table, helping her into a seat and passing her a handkerchief. She sniffles, taking the cloth and wiping her face as you go about making the tea. Once done, you place the tray on the table and hand a cup to Michael, he goes to decline but you stare at him sternly and he accepts the cup, resting it on his knee and sitting straighter. You return to the table and make Polly her tea. She thanks you and takes a sip, sitting back and staring at the ceiling, taking deep breathes.

‘Now, what has happened?’ you ask, placing your own cup on the table.

‘Why don’t you ask him?’ Polly snaps, glaring at Michael who just rolls his eyes again. You look to Michael expectantly and he clears his throat, sighing deeply.

‘She doesn’t want me getting in on the business’ he states simply, Polly sobbing again. You place your hand over hers, still looking to Michael, and rub soothing circles over her skin.

‘Quite rightly’ you respond, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Michael stares at you in shock.

‘What?’ he questions and you look between him and Polly. You take another sip of your tea, looking back to Michael.

‘I completely understand why Pol wouldn’t want you getting involved with the business. It’s dangerous, stupid and there are so many other opportunities that would give you a happier and safer life’ you explain, tilting your head in preparation for his response. He looks around the room in annoyance.

‘I’m an adult and I can make my own decisions’ he retorts, clearly having no better defence. You smirk and nod.

‘You are and you can. But you haven’t considered the permanent impact this will have. Say you get in on the business. Say you survive and don’t get killed in one of their excursions. You decide to retire from the Blinders business and settle down, have a couple kids, get a house, blah blah blah’ you pause and Polly whimpers.

‘But because of all of the enemies you’ve made. Because of all the hurt and the fighting and killing. People hold grudges. So you retire to a life of safety and ease, only for one man, because that’s all it takes, just one man, to decide he isn’t finished or ready to leave it. He comes after you. Hurts you, takes your family, kills your wife, burns down your house. Leaves you with nothing. What then? Have you considered that? Because that’s what the other lads have to face every day.’ You finish your reasoning, sipping your tea and watching Michael over the rim of your cup. You see him open his mouth to argue, that being the final straw for Polly as she leaps from her chair, running from the room muttering curse words between sobs.

Michael watches her leave and stands.

‘I better go and see she’s…’

‘Okay? See if she’s fine after you’ve spent however long trying to persuade her that you want to put your life in danger?’ you cut him off and he grimaces, sitting back down.

‘You’ve got a point…I guess’ he mumbles and you smile.

‘I work for a solicitor. I know how to argue properly’ you quip and a small smile tugs at his lips.

‘You’ve always been good at arguing’ he says and you chuckle.

‘Well, at least I’m in the right job then’.

You sit in silence for a moment and finish your tea. You know Polly needs time to calm herself down and so you’re in no rush to go and check on her. You know she will call if she needs you. Michael lights another cigarette. You tap the table, he looks up and you nod towards his cigarettes, he laughs and chucks one across the room to you.

‘I guess I should also apologise for the other night. Turning up at your door, drunk and bloody. That wasn’t right’ he begins and you hold up a hand.

‘It doesn’t matter. I’d rather you come to my house than spend the night in a dark alley by yourself’ you say and he smiles.

‘Either way, I should have had respect’.

You shrug and chuckle.

‘You were the perfect gentleman with the best of manners’ you giggle and his face falls, a hand rubbing over his face.

‘What did I say? I cant remember anything’ to which you laugh again.

‘Oh Michael, it cant have been that important if you can’t even remember’ you shrug and stand to collect the empty tea cups.

‘Y/N, tell me what I said!’ he begs and you smirk.

‘Nope’ you pop the ‘P’ and he growls.

‘Y/N..’

‘Michael…’ you mimic him.

‘Tell me..’