crushing hard - finn shelby
hi everyone! i’ve been working on this for a while and i’m supeerr excited because it’s my first finn fic and also it’s the longest one-shot i’ve written since i opened this account. i hope you’ll enjoy it and don’t forget to give me feedback pls! i love you all and yes, i’m always open for requests
‘y/n, that’s enough. Pick your things and stand up.’ You let out a heavy breath with the teacher’s words. You rolled your eyes before looking up at him with a fake sad face, ‘What did I do sir?’ You smiled sheepishly but he didn’t give a fuck. ‘You think I’m blind? You’re talking with Sophie since the class started. Stand up, I’ll find you a new deskmate.’ His cold voice made you want to scream but you didn’t say anything and packed up your things. ‘Oh, Isaiah come here. Yes, you can sit with Sophie and y/n, you’ll sit with Finn.’ You frowned when you heard his name, ‘No! There’s no way I’ll sit with him. Sorry, sir but you have to find someone else.’ Your angry voice caused a confused expression on Finn’s face, what was wrong with you?
‘Or what? You have to do what I told you to do. So, walk to your new seat!’ The teacher shouted and you clenched your teeth, walking angrily. You threw your bag loudly when you arrived, Finn looked at you wonderingly under his eyelids. ‘What? Stop looking.’ You whisper-shouted at him. ‘I won’t bite, love.’ He said with a smug face and you felt more annoyed, ‘Call me that again and your pretty face will ruin by me.’ He cracked a smile at that, what did you think you were saying? ‘Do you know who am I?’ He smiled and you rolled your eyes.
‘Oh, so you think I’m gonna be scared when I hear your surname? What a pity that I don’t fucking care, right? I do know who you are Shelby and believe me, I’m disgusted.’ Then you turned your back to him, left him with the anger boiling in his blood. ‘You’ll regret that.’ He whispered slowly, touching your leg with his. ‘Fuck you.’ You said and you made eye contact with the teacher, of course, he heard you. ‘y/n, watch your mouth!’ You sighed again, ‘I’m sorry, sir. Side effects of sitting next to him.’ The teacher looked at you, ‘The two of you stay after the class.’
You sighed and scribbled in your notebook for the rest of the class. Finn watched you but you didn’t notice, focused on your drawing. Finally, the class ended and you walked to the teacher’s table, Finn following behind you. ‘I don’t know what’s happening between the two of you but you need to learn how to behave.’ Finn muttered, ‘I don’t know, too.’ The teacher continued, ‘y/n, I believe that you can tutor to Finn since he’s not the best student.’ You scowled, ‘What? I’d love to help him sir, but I’m afraid I can’t. I have French and piano lessons.’ His smile faded, ‘Every day? I don’t think so, Miss Black.’ You insisted, ‘Every day.’
‘Then there is no harm if I ask your mother? Maybe she can tell me about your free times.’ You sighed and accepted your defeat, ‘I can try to make it up, Mr Wood.’ He smiled gently, ‘I’m glad that you can, now you can go.’ Finn came after you, ‘We don’t have to, we can lie.’ You sighed, ‘No, he knows mum and I know he’ll ask her. By the way, even if we lie you can’t pretend like you’re not an idiot.’ He frowned and you smiled a bit, ‘What? Face the facts, Shelby.’ He noticed the playful tone in your voice and also smiled, ‘Whatever you want, m’lady.’ You rolled your eyes, ‘I’m a lady now?’ Finn nodded slowly, ‘’course you are, with that piano and French shit.’
‘You could use some French or piano lessons, you know? It could help you how to act like a gentleman and everyone needs things to enjoy.’ He listened to you and stopped, waited for you to look at him, ‘I do enjoy things, believe me.’ You laughed softly, ‘What? Other then humiliating and insulting people?’ Finn’s smile faded, ‘What do you mean with that?’ Your brows furrowed, ‘Of course, you don’t remember, do you? The time when you and your arrogant friends laughed at Sophie. Just because of that characterless bloke tricked her, made her believe that he liked her and it was just a bet. Looks like you’ve already forgotten it, but I didn’t.’
‘It’s been a long time, you know. I bet people forgot.’ You stopped and looked him directly in the eye, ‘Just for the record, Shelby. You think what you do is okay but it isn’t. You hurt people and more important than that, you hurt their feelings and believe me, they don’t forget. It doesn’t concern you but if you ever hurt her again, you’ll never get away with that.’ He was taken aback by your words, he knew you weren’t an easy girl but he didn’t see that coming. ‘Well, then, when can we study?’ He changed the subject as you kept walking, ‘Doing anything after school?’ You asked. ‘Nothing important.’
‘Do we have a place to study?’ He thought and spoke, ‘My brother owns a pub, how about that?’ You rolled your eyes, ‘Jesus, Shelby. We’re supposed to study, not drink.’ Finn smiled, ‘What about the betting shop, there’s an empty office there.’ You thought it wouldn’t be that bad, ‘Alright.’ You agreed and found yourself walking with him once again after school. ‘People will talk.’ You said to yourself but he heard, ‘I don’t care what they think or say.’ You gave him a crooked smile, ‘That’s easy for you to say, you’re a Shelby. I’ll be the bad one here.’ He frowned, ‘Why’s that?’
‘I’m not going to boost your ego.’ Was all you said and the rest of your walk to the betting shop passed in silence. Polly opened the door and was completely shocked when she saw you, ‘Who’s this pretty lady, Finn?’ You smiled a bit, ‘I’ll be honest, Miss. The teacher wants me to tutor him and he said there’s a room we can study in.’ She smiled, glad that you cut the chase. ‘Oh, I see. Good luck with that.’ You found yourself smiling again, a real one this time. Finn rolled his eyes at his aunt and led you to the room. It wasn’t large and had a desk and two chairs in it. You opened your bag and put the books on the desk, ‘So, Shelby. Tell me which part you didn’t understand.’ Finn smiled innocently, ‘All of it.’ You gasped in shock, this was going to be a long day.
After a few hours, both of you were exhausted. You were explaining to him but every time you asked a question, it was like he didn’t listen to any of it. ‘Maybe we should take a break.’ You offered, putting your elbows on the desk and massaging your temples. Finn didn’t answer and watched your tired face as you closed your eyes. The image was familiar to him, he saw his brother Thomas like this countless times. And he knew Tommy did it when he was daunted. ‘y/n?’ He said warily, you didn’t open your eyes. ‘What?’
‘Let’s call it a day, you’ve tried enough.’ You sighed, ‘I have to help you.’ He smiled, ‘Yes but apparently the problem is me, not you.’ You opened your eyes and waited for him to speak. ‘Believe me, you’re doing great. I think you’re even better than the teacher but I’m just not good at it. Sorry.’ You took a deep breath before talking, ‘Look, I know it’s hard for you, too. Sometimes it’s not easy to understand what we’re learning and I’m not going to give up just because you’re not the best learner. We’ll continue and you’re going to be succeeded by the time, I promise.’
You kept your promise, Finn and you studied at least four days a week and after a month, he made progress. He was getting higher grades and you were glad about your job. What you didn’t know was Finn continued to study after your study sessions because he didn’t want to disappoint you. As the weeks passed, listening to your voice got harder. He was trying so hard to focus on your voice but every time you looked at him, he forgot everything. He didn’t want to study at all, he wanted to pull your small body to himself and connect your lips. Finn had a crush on you before but now it just got bigger.
On the other hand, you were failing at hiding your feelings. You first tried to deny how charming you found him but you had to admit, that boy was beautiful. You kept yourself telling he’s just good-looking and he wasn’t a good boy which turned to a lie. Finn was kind to you, so kind. He paid attention to the small details, like how much sugar you liked in your tea and what was your favourite lesson. He was soft and happy when you two were alone, he apologised for every time his brothers said something to you. You noticed he was acting like them when they were around him. Acting tougher, never smiling.
You hated to see him when he wasn’t himself but you also knew he had to. His life wasn’t easy, he had to keep the family name reputation. He was just a teenage boy who got into a hard life. You realized you were having fun with him, some days you weren’t so happy but Finn always found a way to lighten up your mood and put a smile on your lips. The Shelby family somehow knew his huge crush on you and Arthur and John always teased you while Tommy and Polly stayed silent.
One day after school you were walking together and Finn seemed nervous, ‘Spill the tea, Shelby.’ You said and sent a smile on his way. ‘I was wondering…’ He paused and lit a cigarette, watching the sour expression on your face. ‘About what?’ You insisted, he knew how much you hate when he smoked. ‘If you have any plans for this Saturday?’ He looked at the ground as you continued walking, ‘I don’t think I have… Why?’ You waited for him to speak. ‘Tommy wants the family and some friends at his house and… I thought you’d like to come with me because it’ll be boring.’
‘You’re going to use me as an excuse to avoid them, did I get that right?’ You asked and stopped, it was your home. Finn’s eyes widened, ‘No, of course not! I mean… shit. Look y/n, I asked because I like spending time with you. We can study there, I promise there’s nothing more.’ He regretted the words the second he said them. Your smile dropped and you looked at him with blank eyes, ‘Yes, right. We can study there. I’ll see you on Saturday, Shelby.’ You spoke fastly and stepped into your house.
‘Fuck.’ Finn said when you closed the door, he screwed up He wanted to knock on the door and tell you the truth but what was he going to say? Hi, y/n. Sorry about that, I like you so much and not as a friend but I don’t want you to know. Goodbye. He swore under his breath and made his way to the betting shop. The next days were weird, you were talking but there was a coldness between you. Finn was going to fix it on Saturday, he’d find a way to make it up to you. You worked too hard for him about school and he wasn’t going to give up easily. He was a Shelby in the end.
Finn knocked on your door when Saturday came, with a sunflower in his hand. You opened the door and looked at the flower, he handed it to you, ‘How did you know?’ You asked and took the flower from him, you walked and put it on the kitchen table. He was smiling when you came back and you two left the house, ‘You mentioned it once.’ He stopped and watched you, you were so pretty with your floral sundress and he wanted to pull you into a hug. ‘How are we going there?’
‘With the car, John’s driving and Arthur will be there, too.’ You rolled your eyes, ‘Lovely.’ Finn smiled, ‘They’re not that bad.’ You were close to the car and John saw you, ‘Oii! Good morning lovebugs!’ You turned to Finn, ‘Are you sure about that?’ He was going to say something but Arthur’s shouting cut him, ‘You two, stop whispering love words to each other and get in the fucking car!’ Finn opened the back door for you and you got in the car. ‘Tell us y/n, is he treating you well?’ John asked and you felt the blood striking to your cheeks.
‘Yes, he’s kind to me but we’re not dating.’ Arthur frowned, ‘Just fucking?’ Your mouth dropped and Finn cleared his throat, ‘Brother, we’re just friends!’ John laughed, ‘Then why did you invite her? To drink tea and read a fucking book or something? Come on, we all know you like each other.’ You blushed deeper and glanced away, looking outside. Finn told them to stop and the rest of the road passed in silence. He offered you his hand once you arrived and you gladly accepted.
The rest of the family greeted you with warm smiles, even Thomas smiled a little, ‘It’s good to see you here, y/n.’ You thanked him and Ada hugged you friendly as Polly spoke, ‘Why don’t you show the house to her Finn?’ He nodded slightly and waited for you to follow him, ‘Thank you, really.’ You walked fastly to catch him, his legs were longer than yours. ‘It’s alright.’ You stepped into Charlie’s room and he ran to Finn, ‘Uncle Finny!!’ He kneeled down and opened his arms to welcome his little nephew, ‘Hey, Charlie. You doing good?’ The toddler wrapped his arms around him and murmured something.
Finn picked the kid and stood up, ‘Here’s my friend, y/n.’ You waved your hand and Charlie held one of your fingers, ‘I’m Charlie.’ You smiled warmly, ‘Hi Charlie.’ Finn put him on the ground and Charlie ran to you, ‘Are you like mummy and daddy?’ He asked and you didn’t understand, looked at Finn to explain. ‘Oh, I think he asks if we’re married.’ He whispered and your eyes widened, ‘Oh.’ Finn ruffled the toddler’s hair and smiled, ‘No, we aren’t.’ The little kid smiled, ‘Good. I liked her, Uncle Finn. She’s pretty.’ You laughed and said goodbye to him. You spoke once you were in the hall, ‘He’s nice.’
He gave you a look, ‘He just said he was happy we’re not together.’ His voice was thick and you couldn’t hide your smile, ‘A real gentleman, huh?’ He frowned, and you arched an eyebrow, ‘You’re not jealous of a toddler, right?’ Finn didn’t answer and you followed him quietly, walking into a big room. ‘Is that a…’ You paused and he completed for you, ‘A piano? Yes.’ You turned to him, ‘Does he know how to play?’ Finn shook his head, ‘Definitely no, I don’t even know why he has it.’ You nodded and you were about to leave when he stopped you, ‘I thought maybe you could-’ You cut him, ‘No way.’
‘Why? You have hours of lessons, please y/n.’ He gave you the puppy look and you found yourself walking to music stool. Finn stood and you sighed, ‘We can sit together.’ He happily sat next to you and waited for you. You slowly touched to the ivories at first, feeling shy but after a moment, the shyness disappeared. You were playing like a professional, focused on the piece. Finn watched your fingers, moving expertly and then he turned his eyes to your face, seeing the warm smile playing on your lips and you made him smile, too.
When you stopped playing, he couldn’t help but feel unhappy. ‘What, it was really that bad?’ You asked based on the expression on his face. ‘I’m sad because it’s over. You were amazing.’ He looked directly into your eyes and your heart skipped, ‘Thank you.’ Finn stood up and offered his hand to you, ‘Come on, I need you to see something.’ You laughed, ‘What?’ He smiled and didn’t let go of your hand as you walked. ‘You have to wait.’ You loved his cold hand holding your warm one and waited for him to lead the way.
You were outside the house and walking on grass, ‘Are you going to kill me and hide my body here?’ Finn pretended like he was thinking, ‘Not a bad idea.’ You smiled, ‘Oh. Admit it, Shelby. You tricked me to get out of the house.’ He stopped and let go of your hand, ‘It’s Finn.’ You frowned, ‘What?’ He sighed, ‘My name. You always call me Shelby like it’s a bad thing.’ You glanced away as he continued to walk. ‘It’s… I thought it was but by the time, I realised it’s not. You’re not. You’ve changed my mind, Finn.’
Hearing his name falling from your lips was bliss for him, ‘Do you really think this?’ You nodded, following behind him. ‘I judged you and it was wrong.’ You noticed you were going to a stabling yard, ‘Are we going to see horses?’ He heard the joy in your voice, ‘Yes, I thought you’d like it.’ You smiled softly, ‘You know, I had a filly called Carmen but dad sold her to a racehorse farm.’ It was the first time you mentioned your father to him and his expression softened. ‘Come on, they’re in the stable.’ You heard the neighs.
‘This is Black Beauty.’ Finn said and you were impressed by the horse, it was beautiful. ‘Is it a racehorse?’ He shook his head, ‘I don’t think so. Tommy loves riding him and he’s still too young for racing.’ You nodded, ‘I hate the races. It just… makes me sad, I can’t stand watching a race.’ He was surprised, ‘That’s why you never go?’ You turned to him, ‘How do you know that?’ The boy glanced away, ‘Never saw you there.’ There was a mare in the stable, ‘Is it Charlie’s?’
‘Yes, he loves it. He’s always asking Tommy if they can go see him.’ You smiled, ‘He’s lucky.’ Finn smiled and felt a little nervous before asking, ‘We can go sit up the hill if you want.’ You accepted and walked there. Once you were both on the ground, you looked at him, ‘I’m sorry. For making you feel bad and I’m glad you let me know.’ Finn was quite shocked with your words, ‘It’s okay, and I’m sorry, too.’ You frowned, ‘Why?’ He took a deep breath and tried to make a sentence in his mind before speaking.
‘Because I lied to you when I asked you to come here. I told you there is nothing more but the thing is… There is.’ He glanced away and gulped down before continuing, ‘There’s more than that for me for a long time and I didn’t want to tell you because I think you don’t feel the same. But I can’t pretend like I see you as a friend when I care about you so much. I totally understand if you don’t want, I know I did bad things and I’m still doing but that’s the world I’m living in, y/n. I love you but that doesn’t make me a better guy.’
You were shocked, your lips parted slightly as he looked at your eyes. ‘I’m sorry, this was a mistake. I should-’ You cut him, ‘No, it’s not a mistake. I’ll tell you the truth. When the teacher made us sit together, I hated you. You were a Blinder, you and your friends made Sophie sad. Then we started to spend time together and I realised I didn’t know you at all. I saw how kind and thoughtful you are and I saw you as a friend but… I think there’s more than this. I know you have good and bad in you but I can’t help but feel that way. I love you, Finn Shelby and I accept you as you are.’
It was his turn to be surprised and he watched you fascinatedly. You smiled and his stare fell to your pink lips, he asked for permission with a look in his eyes and you nodded, moving closer to him. His hand reached and stroked your cheek, lifting your chin just a little. He grabbed your face with both hands and leaned in to connect your lips. It was a soft, delicate kiss. Your lips were soft against his, you closed your eyes and kissed him back. Your arms were wrapped around his neck in a minute, pulling him closer to you. Finn kissed you like there was no tomorrow.
You were both breathless when you had to break up the kiss, you felt your cheeks heating up. Finn smiled and pushed a strand of hair behind your ear, ‘I waited this moment for a long time.’ He commented and you found yourself smiling brightly, ‘Believe me I feel the same.’ He smirked playfully, ‘Do you know how hard it was to listen to you at the study sessions?’ You laughed, ‘You sometimes looked like you were about to die.’ He held your hand and played with your fingers, ‘I was… All I wanted to do was throw the books and kiss you till your lips were swollen.’
‘Oh, what a naughty student!’ You commented and he laughed, pulling you into his chest. ‘You’re cold, why didn’t you tell me?’ The wind was blowing and he took off his jacket, dolling you up. ‘Thank you.’ He left a small kiss on your right cheek, ‘We don’t want you to get sick, do we?’ You sat there for a while, hugging and peppering each other with kisses. It was getting cool so you stood up and walked back to the house, hand-in-hand. Once you get in the house Finn threw a look at you, ‘That looks good on you.’
You smiled warmly and he grabbed his jacket’s collar to pull you closer, his lips meeting with yours again. ‘I told you!’ You stopped with Arthur’s yelling and the other family members saw you, too. Finn’s and your cheeks flushed as the Shelby clan smiled at you. ‘Finally!’ John commented. Thomas took off his wallet and handed a banknote to Polly, then turned to you, ‘You couldn’t wait for another fucking hour, eh?’ Your eyebrows lifted with shock, ‘Did you bet on us?’ Polly smiled happily as she took the money from his nephew, ‘Of course, we did.’
Ada shook her head, ‘I didn’t if that’ll change anything.’ John and Arthur laughed, ‘Here you go, Polly.’ They lost, too. But Polly wasn’t the only winner that day. It was you and Finn and you both knew it. You were young and innocent, there was a bright future in front of you and you’ve never been that happy before.
