Summary: Y/N finds herself feeling like her gift for Wonwoo's birthday was far from good enough when she saw what Carats and other members got him.
Warnings: Mention of IV drips, fainting, and hospitals.
Word Count: 3330+
Author’s Note: Just a small piece of Wonwoo fic that was floating in my head for a while. I finally had the time to finish it. Comments/reblogs feeds a writer's soul! Enjoy~
She watched from the corner of the couch at the rambunctious boys, her heart warming at the thought that Wonwoo has such precious friendships in his life. He finally picked up her gift, having gone through most of them and seeing as how hers was the first one set on the table. Seungkwan passed him the big box first, and she was excited to see his reaction. She worked over time for the last few months in order to be able to afford the gift, but the effort was worth it, in her opinion.
The boys hollered at the sight of the shiny Apple box, and Mingyu shouted. “Wait- wait- which one of you forgot that Carats already gave him a personalized Airpods Max?” Most of the boys shook her head, but she didn’t have it in her to tell them. Nobody put their names on the gifts so no one could tell who the gift was from. Her heart sank as Seungcheol took the box and set it aside, still thinking it was from one of the boys. In doing so, she watched her smaller gift fall on the carpet, underneath the copious amount of wrapping paper and tissue paper on the floor.
“Don’t use that one- use the one you got from our precious fans,” he said, laughing. She admired their loyalty to their fans, but found her heart still sinking when Wonwoo nodded. She worked hard for the gift, and seeing it get tossed aside felt like her efforts were also being tossed aside. She knew Wonwoo still appreciated the gift as he was never the type to take what he’s given for granted, but a part of her wished she had given him his gift privately instead. Y/N noticed Mingyu pulling out his phone, telling the boys that he was going to start a live on Instagram. She took this time to slink back to the kitchen to start cleaning up. Her relationship with Wonwoo was known to the fans, but she still wanted to respect the responsibility that comes with his job. If she were to do anything wrong, it would reflect poorly on him, so in order to avoid that she tried to live as quietly as she could.
Y/N heard her boyfriend’s speech to their fans, thanking them for their support. She cleared up the mess of having to host 13 boys in the kitchen, and made her way back to the living room once she heard they were done their livestream.
“Y/N, we’re going to go out for drinks, wanna come?” Seungkwan asked, motioning for her to join their group. He gave her a side hug before pulling her to sit beside Wonwoo, Dokyeom standing to make space for her.
She looked at the mess in the living room, and shook her head. “I think I’ll just stay and clean up. You guys have fun!”
“Are you sure?” Wonwoo asked quietly beside her, not wanting to pressure her.
“Yea. Go have fun with the boys.” She gave a short peck to his cheek, rolling her eyes at the hollering going on around her. As they all headed out, they each gave her a short hug, thanking her for hosting them. Y/N picked up her gift from the floor, looking at the designer items the boys had gifted her boyfriend. She knew that he wasn’t materialistic, and would’ve loved anything they had given him, but she couldn’t help but feel like she was lacking in her ability to spoil him. She had worked a lot of overtime hours in the last few months, having to go to the doctors for IV drops a couple of times because she was so exhausted. Luckily, Wonwoo was also busy with promotions, but it made her feel even emptier when everything was said and done. She sighed, placing the small box back on the couch and cleaning up the living room. The smaller box had contained a heartfelt card, an old MP3 player with a customized playlist she had created to represent her love for him, along with a Spotify code as she knew he would want it on his phone as well. While she was going around cleaning, she hadn’t realized the box slipping between the cushion of the couch.
The next few days were busy as she decided to continue working overtime since Wonwoo was busy anyways. She felt like their relationship was barely hanging on the last few months because of his busy schedule, and the fact that she was working more than ever before in order to be able to afford his gift and hosting the get-together with his team. Woozi and Seungcheol had offered to help her pay for the party, but she didn’t feel right about it. She wanted to spoil them, and she didn’t want them to think that she was taking advantage of their finances like that.
Wonwoo came home late at night after recording some b-side tracks for their repackaged album. He couldn’t even bother making it to his bedroom so he decided to crash on the couch. Once his body landed on the usually soft cushion, he immediately noticed a firm item in between the pillows. He dug around, finding a small box he remembered seeing at his birthday party a week ago. He opened the box, seeing the letter slipped out.
To my WON and only,
Happy Birthday!! Please excuse my crappy handwriting, but I wanted to write down how much I love you and how much I love us. Two years ago we met each other, and my life would never be the same since. I am so thankful for another year to be by your side and I want you to know that no matter what I want to always be with you. My heart is so full of love, and yet I can’t express them with words so I hope you will feel all my love in the songs I’ve put in this mixtape.
Always yours ❤️
Just as he was about to play her playlist, his phone buzzed. It was Woozi apologizing and asking him to come back to the studio. He sighed tiredly, pressing the palm of his hands against his eyes. It was times like this that he missed Y/N’s touch, and how she’s always been able to relieve his stress with just a simple hug. He missed her so much. He opened the last message from her. It was her telling him about finishing work and going to the mall, and showing him what she had bought. It was the little, mundane things that Wonwoo appreciated in their relationship. Since they found it hard to meet up sometimes, she made it a point to send little updates about her day, and he would do the same. As he was reading through her messages, and the commentary on her video haul that she sent him, he noticed the time she had sent the message of leaving work. His eyebrows furrowed as she usually leaves work around 6 to 6:30, but the timestamp had read her messaging him closer to 8pm. He scrolled back through their messages, easily finding her little messages after work and they were all late. It wasn’t as if her morning messages came later either, they were all at the same early 6am as they had always been. His thoughts were interrupted, when Woozi sent another message asking if he was coming. Wonwoo confirmed that he was, and made his way back to the studio while thinking about what would keep his girlfriend late at work. She hadn’t mentioned any big projects or anything that could keep her longer, but perhaps she just forgot to tell him. He sent her a few text to ease his mind, maybe it wasn’t as a big deal as he had in his mind.
Goodnight, baby
I just got home from the studio, but Woozi asked me to come back to record more. I’m so tired and I miss you so much
I noticed that you’ve been getting off work later than usual? Is everything alright?
He pocketed the MP3 player, and went back to the studio where he crashed for a few hours after recording. It was a little before noon when Wonwoo woke up, opening his eyes to an uneasy-looking Dino, and he suddenly he was on alert.
“Hyung-”
“Dino? What’s wrong?”
“We charged your phone when you were sleeping because it was dead, and when we turned it on it wouldn't stop buzzing.”
Wonwoo felt his heart plummeting and beating miles per hour, he nodded in thanks and quickly took his phone from Dino’s outstretched hand. He realized a few more members were there, and they had halted the recording. It was easy to see why they were panicking, usually if it was an emergency amongst the members, there would be at least a few more members who would know, but this seemed like a personal matter. He unlocked his phone, seeing 10+ phone calls, and 30+ messages from Eunji- Y/N’s best friend. He skimmed through messages, bile rising from his throat when he saw the words
‘Fainted… hospital… overworked…’
He got up quickly, catching the eye of all his members.
“What? What is it?” Seungcheol asked worriedly.
“Y/N’s in the hospital,” he said before rushing out.
“Wonwoo!” Seungcheol called. “You’re in no state to drive. I’ll drive you.”
Wonwoo nodded in appreciation, knowing that it was faster to get a ride from his members than wait for his manager. The ride to the hospital was tense, and Wonwoo was able to call Eunji back.
“Eunji- how is she?” he asked once he heard her pick up.
“She’s fine now,” she said with a small sigh. “They gave her some fluids, and they’re just looking over her now. Where were you, Wonwoo?”
“I’m so sorry. I was recording all night, and fell asleep.” He stopped when she spoke again.
“Right. I guess it can’t be helped.” Wonwoo always appreciated Y/N and Eunji’s ability to not linger on things beyond their control, seeming always focused on fixing the problem. “Did you like her gift?”
“Gift?”
“Yea- your birthday was last week, right?” When he didn’t respond she continued. “Y/N told me a few months ago that she was planning a birthday party for you and your team. She wanted to spoil you guys, and tried going all out- even buying you the Airpods Max. I’m guessing that’s why she’s here.”
“What?” Wonwoo was still trying to process everything, and the anxiety of Y/N being in the hospital wasn’t helping him see the bigger picture. He needed Eunji to spell it out for him.
“She worked overtime for the last few months to be able to afford your gift and the party. I mean she wasn’t broke by any means, but throwing a party for 13 guys can get pretty expensive. I think some of your members offered to split the cost, but she was worried that they would see her as someone too focused on money.”
Seungcheol’s eyes widened at her revelation of what she went through that day. He remembered the comment Mingyu made about the Airpods, and how he had carelessly tossed it aside. He felt so guilty for not even considering the effort she put in that day. In a way the idol life had spoiled him as staff members were usually the one preparing their birthday events. He didn’t know how much they cost but he could imagine it was more than Y/N would’ve spent on herself. He wasn’t blind to the amount of effort she put in, rivaling the decorations that a team of staff would prepare for their birthday streams.
“I didn’t know,” Wonwoo said quietly. “She never told me.”
“That’s our stubborn Y/N. She probably didn’t want to make anyone feel bad. Knowing her, she was probably overworking both at work and trying to make the party happen that she stopped taking care of herself. I would’ve thought she would stop doing overtime after the party though.”
“I’m at the hospital now.” He turned to his leader. “Cheol-”
“Go. Text us if you need anything. We can come by-” he paused. “If she wants us there.” He felt guilty about that day, thinking about how hurt she might have been.
“Thanks.” Wonwoo got to the room Eunji texted him, taking a deep breath before slowly opening the door. Eunji was sitting beside the empty bed, scrolling through her phone. “Where is she?” he asked, suddenly on alert again.
“They took her for some more testing,” she told him, motioning for him to sit at the chair across from her.
He shook his head, looking around the room, his need to see her making him restless.
“I’m glad you’re here now. I know you don’t like to push her to talk, but she’s more like you than you think, Wonwoo.” Before she could say more, Y/N was wheelchaired in with her nurse. Her eyes widened when she saw Wonwoo, and she was about to reach for him when the nurse had gently helped her back on the bed.
“Your tests are all done,” he informed her. “The doctor will be in shortly to discharge you.”
“I have to take my leave now,” Eunji said as the nurse left them alone. “But call me if you need anything, alright?” She turned to both of them before picking up her bag, offering a supportive smile before taking her leave.
“Y/N…” Wonwoo started, his voice cracking with how emotional he was feeling. “What happened?” Despite Eunji telling him the story, he wanted to hear it from her mouth.
“I worked a little too hard, and fainted- kinda hit my head a bit so that’s why the doctors are doing all these test,” she answered him in a light tone. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Hmm.” He took the chair Eunji was sitting on, and brought it closer to her bed. “Why were you working so hard? I saw you’ve been working overtime.”
Her eyes immediately shifted to her lap. “You’ve been busy so I wanted to keep my mind off missing you.”
He knew she was telling the truth, but not the whole truth. “It has nothing to do with this?” he asked, pulling out the MP3 player from his pocket.
Y/N gasped, thinking she had brought it home with her instead of leaving it at Wonwoo’s couch.
“I read your letter. You got me the Airpods and made me a playlist- even putting it on this MP3 player you knew I would like. Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I didn’t know Carats had already gotten you one…” she trailed off. “And I didn’t want to ruin the mood or make anyone feel bad.”
He was about to put a hand on her head, but stopped when he remembered she hit her head. Instead, he stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. “I love it. I love you. You could’ve given me a plastic bag, and I would’ve loved it.”
She chuckled at his words, shaking her head. “I was thinking…”
“Hm?”
“Maybe we could give the Airpods to your father? That way you can use the one Carats gave you, and father will be happy with the new Airpods?”
Wonwoo melted at her thoughtfulness, reminding him one of the many reasons he loves her. She made it a point to welcome his family with such open arms, including his team. “You don’t want it for yourself?” he asked, knowing she had always wanted similar headphones.
She shook her head. “I think father would appreciate it more.”
“Alright. You can give it to him next time we visit.” He took her hand, placing it against his lips as he gazed at her face. “I don’t want you to be working overtime to buy me anything anymore, okay?”
“That’s not fair,” she argued, taking her hand back. “You-”
“I don’t care about money or materialistic things. I care about you- please? Can we do the handmade gifts from now on or something?”
She thought about it for a bit, pondering on his suggestion. “You’ll only give me handmade things too?”
He nodded.
“Deal,” she agreed, breaking into a grin. “You realize that’s gonna be harder for you, right?”
“Nah,” he shook his head. “There’s nothing hard about spoiling the person I love the most.”
“You’re so cheesy,” she said between laughter.
His phone buzzed, and he checked it was Seungcheol who texted him. “Seungcheol just texted. The members were really worried.”
“About me?”
“Mm.” He responded that she was alright now. “They wanted to know if you would like to see them?”
“She nodded. “Today? Okay- maybe we can go bring food to them if they’re practicing?”
He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “We’re not doing anything. You’re coming home with me, and they’ll visit us there, okay?”
“I’m sure they don’t want to miss their practice.”
He shook his head, stopping her. “Y/N, my team is my family.”
She nodded, not knowing where he was going with this.
“And you’re now family so they’re your family too.”
Before she could say anything, the doctor knocked on the door with a clipboard. He gave her the clear to go home, and Wonwoo called a taxi for them to take to his home. As they settled in to his home, Y/N gave Wonwoo the go-ahead to have the members over to visit.
“Y/N, I’m so sorry,” Mingyu said, his face full of anguish. Seungcheol stood beside him, head lowered as if expecting to be scolded.
She shook her head, putting a hand on each of the boys’ arms. “Don’t worry- you guys have nothing to apologize for.”
“We didn’t mean to-”
“I know, I know.” She gave them both a hug. “It’s nothing, really.”
Wonwoo gently pulled her to his side, leading her to sit down on the couch as if the few seconds of standing would be too tiresome for her. She sat in the center of the thirteen boys, feeling like she was finally a part of their little family they created for themselves. When the door rang for the food to arrive, Y/N was the first to get up, but before she could even move, Wonwoo had already gotten up and made sure she stayed put while the other members jumped up to get the door. In the end, Seungcheol and Mingyu had gotten the food, and set it on the table.
“Thank you for the food, Woo,” Soonyoung said, the other members following in sharing the gratitude.
He waved it off, knowing it wasn’t the first nor the last time he would treat his members. Being older than most of them, he felt a sense of responsibility in making sure they were treated well, and felt like he would be taking advantage of them if he didn’t cover their expenses from time to time.
He took the bowl that was meant for Y/N, unpacking it and adding her preferred toppings. “Thanks, Woo,” Y/N repeated, taking the outstretched plate from his hands. He leaned over to get a side dish to put on her plate, and Y/N took the opportunity to give him a quick peck on his cheek.
“Ehh! You guys are too sickeningly cute,” Seungkwan said, giving them a side eye.
“Don’t be rude! I think they’re cute.” Dokyum scolded.
Wonwoo prepared her food first, giving her the bowl before getting his own bowl. Minghao was on her right, and took some of the side dish in front of him, and placed it on her bowl.
“Thanks Hao,” she smiled. This time she wasn’t watching the 13 boys from the corner of the couch, feeling like an outsider, but instead she finally felt like a part of their found family.
Summary: The Shelby brothers are ready to set the world on fire to ensure that their youngest sister would be safe.
Warnings: Nothing but fluff here! Maybe a case of creepy dude, but the Shelby brothers shut that down reals quick.
Word Count: 1.6k
Author’s Note: I have another Shelby!Reader fic in my drafts, but that might take longer to post. I'm still debating to have multiple parts or whether I just want to post one long fic.
The Shelby brothers made their way to the market with their youngest sister in tow. It was supposed to be a more pleasant visit, hence why the brothers thought nothing to let the 7 year-old tag along with them. The little Shelby held on to Tommy’s hand, tugging at it when she saw the rows of shiny red apples that were being sold in the vendor behind the ones that her brothers were talking to.
“Tommy, I want an apple.” She tugged on his hand, pointing to the vendor. He glanced at the distance, nodding his head.
“Stay where I can see you.”
“Okay!” she nodded excitedly, running off. She stared in awe at the amount of apples, and furrowed her eyebrows in concentration to pick the best apple. She wanted to get extra apples for her family so she started picking the best ones and collecting them in her arms.
“And what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” the seller growled.
“I wanna buy 5 apples, mister!” she responded. “And Auntie Polly said that’s a bad word.”
“And where’s your money, little girl?”
“I-In my pocket.” She tried reaching for her pockets when the man grabbed her arm and slammed it on the small counter, making her drop all the apples she was holding in her small arms. She was standing on her toes, the counter being far taller than her, and the edge digging into her frail arm. “Wh-What are you doing?”
“I’ve known little thieves like you to be a liar as well.”
“I’m not a thief!” She took out her little bag of coins. “S-See? I have the money!”
He took the bag, grinning at the contents before pocketing it. “Girl’s got money, eh? You probably stole them from some poor lad and I hate thieves more than anything.” He slowly pulled out a butcher knife, ignoring her whimpers.
“N-No- please! I wasn’t gonna steal anything- I s-swear!”
“Yea you won’t be stealing anymore with one hand-”
“TOMMY! Tommy- Help!” The girl could only scream for her big brother, squirming away from his grip.
The Shelby brothers whipped their head at the source of the screams, their eyes widening at the sight of their baby sister being held like a criminal with a man about to bring down a knife to her pure, untouched skin. They all ran, and if it wasn’t for their sister’s close proximity to the man, they would’ve already shot him dead.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Tommy asked, his voice eerily calm.
“M-Mr. Shelby- I- I didn’t know she was-” The man held up his arms, dropping his knife and trying to not aggravate the pissed-off man in front of him.
“T-Tommy,” the little Shelby cried, running up to her big brother. Arthur and John had already made their way inside the vendor, grabbing the man to make sure he wouldn’t do anything else. Tommy picked her up, eyes narrowing at the man as he felt her shake in his arms.
“Tell me what happened, love.” He pulled his head back as she instinctively tried to wrap her arms around them and burrows her head in the crook of his neck. He grabbed her right arm, scanning the rest of her body for injuries as she talked and noting the scratches she got from trying to pry her arm away from the man’s grip.
“I-I wanted to buy a few apples for us, b-but the man said I was trying to steal. I gave him my horsey purse but he wouldn’t believe me!” Arthur patted the man down in search for the little bag and threw it to Tommy’s ready hand.
“Right, then.” He picked up a nice apple, handing it to her, and walking away. He adjusted his grip on her so that he was carrying her more like a baby as he knew the second they turned away, Arthur and John would make quick work of that man.
“I-I was so-so scared, Tommy,” she sobbed. Her little hands, wiping away the tears that couldn’t seem to stop falling.
“It’s okay, love. I won’t let anything happen to you, okay?”
“He wanted to cut my hand off!” she exclaimed, sobbing even more.
Tommy was seething in anger, wanting nothing more than to kill the man who would expose his baby sister to the dangerous world that he worked so hard to protect her from. Alas, he knew she needed her older brother and not the ruthless leader of the Peaky Blinder. “You know we would never let that happen, love. They would have to go through all of us before even touching a hair on your head.”
They made their way to their home, Tommy giving the apple to one of the maids with instructions to clean it up and slice them for Y/N, and to get Polly. He took her to the kitchen, putting her on the table. He gently took her arm, assessing the damage .
“Hurts,” she mumbled, her sobs quieting down to a whimper.
“Polly’ll take care of it.” He rubbed her back comfortingly, leaning down to give her forehead a kiss.
“What’s going on here?” Polly asked, gasping at the sight of Y/N’s arm and her teary eyes. “Oh my poor girl. What happened to you?”
“A mean man tried to cut my hand off, Aunt Polly! I was so scared!” she wailed, lifting her arms and wanting to be comforted.
The older woman and Tommy shared a look one that said it was being taken care of at the moment. Tommy took her in his arms, sitting down on the table as Polly took the other seat with an emergency kit with her. The little Shelby tried being strong while her Aunt cleaned up the wound, making sure there wasn’t any splinters before wrapping it up.
“There you go, darling. All cleaned up and better. There’s nothing we can do about bruises but they will go away eventually.”
“Okay” she said quietly. “Thank you, Aunt Polly.” She fell back against Tommy’s chest, the adrenaline was fading and she could barely keep her eyes open. “Thank you, Tommy… for saving me.”
“You never have to thank me for that.” Tommy spoke quietly to comfort her. “I know you’re tired, love, but you gotta eat something.” It was past the time Y/N should be eating breakfast as they were supposed to buy fresh fruits for her breakfast in the morning. He motioned for one of the kitchen staff to place the plate in front of them.
“Okay.”
Tommy pulled the plate closer to her so she could easily reach for the apples from his lap. He rested his chin lightly on her head, placing small kisses here and there to comfort her. He heard the front door open and waited for the inevitable loud entrance his brothers were going to make.
“He’s taken care of,” Arthur said in his signature gravelly voice. “He’s never gonna bother her again.”
“How are you, love?” John asked, looking at the bandage on her arm.
She shrugged her shoulders, eating another slice of apple. It didn’t take her long to finish the apple, her hunger beating out her tiredness. She cuddled closer to Tommy’s chest, the adrenaline fading and she was left with the crash. “Nap?” She looked over at her brothers and aunt for permission.
“Go sleep, darling,” Tommy nodded, kissing her head once more and positioning her more comfortably on his lap.
In a few seconds she was out, and the rest of the family was left to process the events.
“Fuck,” John muttered. “I was gonna skin the man alive.”
“No more,” Tommy said decisively. “She’s never going anywhere without us anymore.”
“Agreed.” Arthur nodded his head.
“Now c’mon, boys. Your world is no place for a little child,” Polly chided.
“A child,” Tommy repeated as almost a growl. “There are too many goddamn fuckers who would have no problem hurting a child, Pol. We have to send out a message. Anyone who dares to even breathe in her direction wrong will have to deal with the Peaky fucking Blinders.” The girl in his lap shifted, and he quickly softened his voice, rocking her a bit. “It’s okay, love.”
If they didn’t know Tommy any better, it would’ve been a comical sight to see him change tune so quickly. Alas, the gang leader decided the conversation was over and carried his sister to his office. The rest of the family dispersing to their own work. The second oldest Shelby had always found comfort in having Y/N near him when he worked. She didn’t mind the occasional yelling and swearing when he was working, and instead focused on whatever was entertaining her at the moment. She was a quiet child, not as rambunctious as her older brothers Finn and John. Most of the time, she would draw or colour pictures, but as she is getting older, Polly had given her a few book to get started on her studies. He placed her on the couch, putting his jacket as a blanket on her tiny body, but before he could get very far she started whimpering and thrashing her arms around. Tommy’s heart broke witnessing his baby sister’s first nightmare, and picked her up again. He decided to keep her in his arms while he worked, ignoring the fact that he would only be able to use one hand as the other would ensure Y/N remained on his lap. He was used to having her on his lap as he worked or in family meetings when he knew she wouldn’t be exposed to their dirty world. A smile crept up on his face as he remember the days she would play with the buttons of his jacket or his pocket watch while he ran the meeting, her presence alone able to settle any tension in the room.
“Nothing will hurt you, I swear it.” Tommy was going to build an empire for his sister, and there was nothing that was going to stand in the way.
Characters: Shelby Brothers x Shelby!Sister; Alfie Solomons
Summary: Y/N Shelby is starting to feel a burden to her family, and wanted to do her part in helping the family- except she decided to work with another gangster to help her with her cause.
Warnings: A rotten dude exposing himself to a minor. Please do not continue/read if that bothers you.
Word Count: 5.8k
Author’s Note: This was way longer than I expected, but I'm glad to be able to post it finally. I hope you enjoy a longer fluffy little sister Shelby fic! Also comments/reblogs feeds a writer's soul!
Y/N wasn’t usually an eavesdropper, but her family was so loud it didn’t really matter if she was trying to or not. She heard only pieces of what they were talking about, but it was clear on what the problem was. The Shelby family was running short on money. With their reputation, there wasn’t much that they needed to pay for, but maintaining that power requires people to be bought.
“We still need to buy Y/N’s medicine and school supplies,” Polly reminded the boys.
“She’s all better- does she still need medicine?” John asked.
“Yes,” Tommy answered shortly. He wasn’t going to let his younger sister suffer just because they hadn’t managed their money well this month.
“If you boys hadn’t put business before her as usual, she wouldn’t have gotten sick.”
Y/N felt her heart sink as she heard her name being mentioned as one of the reason they were short on the money. A few weeks ago, she caught pneumonia after walking home from school. Usually, one of the brothers would drop her off, but they were called away and she insisted that she would be fine. Tommy left a few Peaky boys around the city to keep an eye on her while having her believe that she was walking home independently. When it started raining, she thought nothing of it as she enjoyed the rain and didn’t find it as an inconvenience. That night as the boys got home, she couldn’t greet them with her usual energy as she felt ill. She skipped dinner and went to bed early, and by the next morning her fever almost overtook her. It was an awful few days, and she had to be hospitalized immediately. Tommy paid to make sure she was getting the best treatment, and as she realized, it must have costed the family a fortune. Her lips started wobbling at the thought that she was the reason her family was struggling, but she soon wiped away the tears, knowing it wouldn’t do anything. She made a promise to do her best to help the family. She started with eating less, skipping a few meals here and there to make sure the food can at least be stretched out without her eating it. Next was her school supplies, she was usually a meticulous scholar, having all her notes organized but she now made it a point to make sure she didn’t need to replace her items as quickly. Her final idea was to use some of her old clothes, and turn them into handkerchiefs to sell on the streets. She was a great seamstress for her age, and knew that this was something she would be able to do easily. With a new found resolve, she took a deep breath and got to work.
Y/N has been selling her handkerchiefs for a couple of days now, not earning as much as she wanted to, but at least it was something. She mostly sold them after school under the guise of playing, and would end up staying up to do her homework. This worked out in her favour as she can skip breakfast the next day for more sleep. She was getting quite tired, but her love for her family overpowered her desire to rest and sleep. It was a cold foggy day in Small Heath and Y/N was standing at a different street to attract new customers. She was trying to get the attention of the people walking by, but to no avail. Finally, she saw a man approach.
“Hi mister! Would you like to buy a handkerchief for a lovely lady in your life?” she asked with a huge smile. As the man got closer, her smile drop as she saw his intoxicated state and leery grin.
“Hey there little girl. It’s not safe for you to be out here all alone.”
“I-I’m not alone,” she lied. “My brothers are just at that shop.” She pointed to somewhere behind her, hoping her lie was believable enough.
“Uh huh.” The man got closer, close enough that she could smell the alcohol off him. “That’s a nice hankerchief you have there. Mind if I grab one-“ He plucked it out of her hand without hearing her answer, and stuffed it down his pants.
“Wh-What are you doing, mister?” she asked, as she saw his hand move inside his pants. He was moaning as if in pain, eyes closed. “Mister?”
“Fuck,” he cursed, shoulders dropping in relief. He took out the handkerchief, a white sticky substance staining the once floral pattern. With an evil grin, he grabbed the back of Y/N’s head, trying to stuff the handkerchief in her mouth. She squirmed against his grip.
“No! What are you doing?!” She was pushing his arm away but he was much stronger. He was able to smear the cloth against her cheek before he was pulled off her by another stranger.
“Now that’s not a very nice thing to do,” the man started. “Taking advantage of little girls.” He nodded towards someone behind him, and placed a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Are you okay, dove?”
She shook her head, unsure of what just happened.
He took another one of her handkerchief peaking out of her bag, and poured what smells like alcohol from the flask in his pocket. He gently rubbed the white substance off her face, making sure there were no traces left behind. “Make sure you clean your little face real good when you get home, okay dove?”
She ignored his suggestion, staring up at his somewhat familiar face. “Who are you?”
“Name’s Alfie Solomons. We’ve met before but you were just a little babe- about yeah high.” He motioned to a little lower than his knee. “You’re Y/N Shelby. Your brothers and I are business partners.”
At the mention of her brothers she lit up, trusting the man immediately.
“Now what is the likes of yourself doing on the streets? Don’t tell me that stubborn brother of yours cut you off from their money.”
She shook her head vehemently. “Tommy would never do that!” She stared at her shuffling feet, ashamed. “I made my family spend too much money so I want to pay them back. They’re not financially in a good spot.”
Alfie raised an eyebrow, unsure that the little Shelby knows what she just did by telling him that. Any of the Shelby’s enemy would yell in glee by that information, knowing that the mob family was vulnerable to attacks because of their lack of funding. Luckily, Alfie was quite fond of the Shelby family, and his new favourite was the one standing in front of him. His cold heart warmed at the thought that she was so worried for her family that she would go all the way to selling her stuff on the street as if there wasn’t a mark on her back because of her last name. “Well then today is your lucky day. I was looking for a little assistant to help me with things as I settle into me temporary home here.”
“Really? What kinda things?” she asked, eyes wide with hope.
The man was surprised at her eagerness, realizing that her siblings must’ve done a great job at protecting her from their world as she was still able to put her faith in people like that. “Just small things- picking up my groceries from the market, and maybe a prescription here and there from the pharmacy for me eye. I can pay you,” he paused, playing with his beard for the extra suspense. “Ten shillings a week.”
“Wow! That’s so much!” She agreed happily to his terms.
“Every Monday I will give you a list of what I need for the week, and I will pay you every week when you make your deliveries.”
“Thank you thank you!”
“Though before I hire you, you need to be better at indiscretion.”
“What does that mean?”
“You can’t go around telling people that your brothers don’t have money- your brother’s got enemies that could take him down with that information.”
Her eyes widened as she realized the severity of what she had done. “I’m so stupid!” she cried, hitting her head with her balled up fists.
“Hey, hey, there's no need for that now.” Alfie has seen grown men with less guilt for putting their family in danger with the information they divulged. “Lucky for you- you just told lil' old me, and I’m harmless.”
Y/N looked up to the London gangster with tears still lining her eyes.
“Don’t cry, dove. I’m sure even if you spent all of your brother’s money, they wouldn’t have the heart to be mad at ya.”
“I would never do that!” she said, taking his jokes quite seriously. “My family means everything to me.”
Alfie nodded, confirming that he made the right decision in hiring and caring for her. He walked her back to the outskirt of Shelby territory, knowing that her brothers would have people around to look out for her.
It’s been a few weeks since Y/N started her job as Alfie’s errand girl. Both her and the gangster was surprised that her brothers hadn’t caught wind of their relation. Though the two didn't spend more time than necessary together, they became quite close. Alfie was busy with running an organization, and Y/N was busy trying to get her homework finished. She also kept up with selling her handkerchief when she had time between running errands for Alfie, schoolwork, and pretending to be a normal kid in front of her family. She was upset that she couldn’t spend as much time with her siblings as before, but she knew she has to in order to make up for being a burden.
“Y/N,” Finn called, seeing his sister walking to their home after school. “Tommy’s called for a family meeting.”
Her eyes widened, and her heart started thundering with excitement. She raised a good amount of money, and felt like she could share with her family what she’s been up to. “Okay, Finn. I’ll be right there!” She ran to her room, grabbing her shoulder bag full of money and was basically vibrating with excitement while they waited for the entire family to trickle in. She sat in the middle of Arthur and John, ignoring their chuckles at her gleaming eyes.
“Sounds like it’ll be a breezy meeting if you’re letting Y/N sit this one in,” John commented towards Tommy who was lighting a cigarette.
“Let’s begin,” the older brother ignored the comment and started the meeting. “As you know-”
The youngest Shelby’s hand shot out in the air as if she was at school.
Tommy raised an eyebrow, trying not to show any indication of annoyance at his sister’s behaviour. The second oldest brother was too soft when it comes to matter to sister, and he would rather blind himself than purposely hurt her. “What is it?”
“I have something to share with you guys.” She pulled her out her messenger bag that she carries her handkerchief and the money she collected thus far with.
“What you got for us, girlie?” Arthur asked, peering into her bag to catch a glimpse of her gift to them.
She took her bag off, and emptied the contents on the table. The Shelby clan’s jaw dropped in shock. They weren’t expecting their youngest sibling to be emptying almost 100 shillings in cash on their table.
“How in the hell did you get that much money?” John asked.
“Girl, you better not be stealing,” Polly chastised, eyes narrowing.
“I’m not! I swear it.” She looked around for her family’s approving faces, but was just met with surprised and curious looks.
“Then you better explain yourself.”
“I overheard you guys talking a few weeks ago about being short, and I know it was my fault. I stupidly got sick so you guys had to spend money on me, and I felt really bad so I decided to help. I cut my old clothes and sewed them into handkerchiefs- I’ve been selling them on the streets to make the money.”
“You made this much selling handkerchiefs?” Tommy asked, an eyebrow raised in suspicion.
“Well… no… I wasn’t making much- just a few shillings here and there, but someone hired me!”
“Who?” Arthur asked.
“Mr. Solomons.”
“Y/N!” Polly berated. “Do you know who that is?”
“At first I didn’t, but he said he knew me since I was little. He was a really nice man, and he gave me 10 shillings every week to run some errands for him.”
“What kind of errands?”
“Just picking up groceries and prescription- that’s all!”
“I don’t want you seeing him again,” Tommy said sternly.
“But Tommy- he’s a real nice man.”
“Yea you said that already,” Arthur muttered, unamused by his sister’s connection.
“How did you even meet with the likes of him?” John asked, wondering how his sister got into contact with the mobster.
“Well… one day when I was selling my stuff, this man took my handkerchief and he stuffed it down his pants. I’m not sure what he was doing but he was rubbing it a lot in his pants, and making a lot of weird noises. When he was done there was this white icky stuff, and he wanted to put it in my mouth. I was so scared but Mr. Solomons came and saved me!”
“What the fuck?!” Arthur roared with fury. He jumped out of his seat, John following with him. “Who was this man? What did he look like?”
Y/N’s eyes widened in surprise at her brother’s reaction. “I-I don’t know. Mr. Solomons pulled the man away, and next thing I know the man was gone.” She turned to Tommy who’s jaw was clenched, and his knuckles were white from gripping his the edge of the table. “Am I in trouble, Tommy?” she asked quietly, head bowing down in shame.
“No.” He pushed himself off the table and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You did nothing wrong, but we are going to pay a visit to Mr. Solomons.”
She nodded, following her brothers who were hastily putting on their jackets. She usually held on to Tommy’s hand when they were out for safety, but he had both fists clenched the entire time, making her her believe that she was in trouble. Arthur and John were no different. She thought if they were cartoon characters they would have steam coming out of their ears. It didn’t take them long to get to Alfie's temporary lodging.
“Well well well… if it isn’t the Shelby boys, and the little princess.”
“Hi, Mr. Solomons!” she greeted with a wave and a smile.
“Hello, little one.”
Tommy moved to cover Y/N from Alfie’s gaze which did not go unnoticed.
“Oh relax, would you? I would never hurt a hair on little Y/N’s head. Didn’t you hear? I saved her from an unsightly perv-”
“Did you skin him alive?” Arthur growled. “Did you tear him apart and burn him to ashes?”
“Actually, I’m sure you’d be happy to know, but I have kept the lad barely alive. I figured once the littlest Shelby told you guys what she’s been up to, you lot would pay me a visit.”
“Where is he?!” Arthur grabbed Alfie’s collar, pushing him against the wall.
“Arthur-“ John placed a hand on his oldest brother’s shoulder. “Take it easy.”
“He’s in the barn by the outskirt of town. My men have been keeping him barely alive, but I’m not sure how much longer he’ll have.”
“Tommy-“ Arthur turned to his brother, a short silent conversation happening.
“Go.” Arthur and John didn’t waste another minute and left for the man.
“What are you trying to do, Alfie?”
“What?”
“Why are you helping us?”
“Correction. I’m helping Y/N. What she chooses to do with the money I give her is her choice. If she decides to spend all that money on the sweet ice cream shop across the street then that’s her choice, and if she decides to spend the money on helping her family, then I really can’t say anything, can I?”
Tommy’s eyes narrowed, and then flickered when Y/N wrapped her hand around his, seeing it was finally unclenched. “You hurt her in any way, and I will end you.”
“Despite your very hurtful assumptions of me, I would never hurt Y/N.”
She smiled at the older man, already considering him another kind uncle.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, little Shelby?”
“8am sharp!” she responded with a little salute.
“Alfie-“
“You can have your men escort her here or I can have my men pick her up and drop her off at your residence. She’s never been alone while running errands-“
“What?!” Y/N exclaimed, surprised at the revelation.
“You think I would let a little Shelby running around associating with me unattended, child? That’s as good as a death wish. I had my men following you to make sure no one would mess with ya.”
The girl pouted, thinking of the bodyguards as babysitters. “I’m not a baby.”
“No, you’re not,” Tommy started, ignoring Alfie’s raised eyebrow, “but you are still a child, and we are not going to take that risk of you running around by yourself.” Not with a target on your back, Tommy added in his thoughts.
As they were heading out, Alfie put a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, stopping the man in his tracks and leaned near his ear. “Girl’s too hard on herself. Now, I don’t what you Shelby boys have been filling her head with but she’s got more loyalty than the lot of you. Make sure you pay her the same respect. She don’t need to be skipping meals trying save y’alls money, but she does it anyways.”
Tommy’s jaw clenched, nodding sharply. “See you around.”
“See you later, brother.”
As they walked out, Y/N tugged on her older brother’s hand. “Tommy, where are we going?”
“We’re gonna make sure Arthur and John do their job,” Tommy simply replied.
“I-I have to see the man again?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“No,” he answered right away. “This man will never bother you again.”
Tommy said nothing as they continued their journey to the barn. In truth he wanted a piece of action in giving the man what he deserved, and he knew he shouldn’t take her with them because this was what he wanted to protect her from, but at the same time he needed her to be physically with him to make sure she was safe. He couldn’t believe in his stress he didn’t check up on her like he should- he didn’t make sure she was safe. The fact that this man was able to even approach her like that was something he thought should’ve never happened. He knew now that she needed more protection- more people to watch out for her. He was more than disgusted at what that piece of garbage did, and he wanted to make sure he paid for his crimes. His sister is pure in every way, and he wasn’t going to let anyone make her feel uncomfortable like that again. He made sure she wasn’t exposed to the dirty life they lead, and if it was up to him he would make sure she never would.
Tommy made sure Y/N stayed in the car, telling her that one of the brothers would be out in a bit to keep her company. He entered the barn, hand already on his gun. He wasn’t surprised that Arthur was still beating the bloodied man up while John leaned on the wall, his fists equally bloodied.
“John, go keep Y/N company outside. Arthur,” Tommy called for his brother’s attention. “Is the man dead?”
“Not yet. I want the fucker to suffer as much as I could,” the oldest Shelby said, spitting at the barely alive man.
Tommy stepped closer, hearing his raspy breathing from the beating he took. He took out his gun, pointing to the man’s crotch. “There’s a special place in hell for people like you.” The Shelby leader kept his voice low, making sure the man wait in anticipation at what he was going to do. He shot the first bullet, the man howling in pain. The two ruthless brothers watched him writhe around before he passed out, then Tommy shot the final bullet to his temple.
Arthur pulled out his lighter from his pocket, dropping it on the man before leaving the burning barn with his brother. Outside, John had Y/N in his arms, the little girl laughing at his animated stories. The two older brothers got in the car and drove away.
When dinner came around, Tommy watched as Y/N serve the kitchen staff heaping of food on their plate, but only put barely any on her plate. He was reminded of Alfie’s words, and stepped behind Y/N. He grabbed the spoon she was serving herself with and the plate, putting more food on it.
“To-Tommy, I’m not that hungry!”
“There’s plenty of food, so eat.”
“I was planning to eat the leftovers tomorrow for lunch.”
“There’ll be food tomorrow for your breakfast and lunch.” He didn’t miss the fact that she purposely skipped breakfast.
“Bu-“
“You haven’t been eating,” he said, and the little girl froze.
She lowered her head, and Tommy’s heart dropped to his stomach when he caught her glistening eyes, and the reflection of her tears on her cheeks. He immediately put the food down, going down on one knee to see her face. “Why are you crying, love?”
“Tommy, I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for, love? I told you nothing was your fault.”
“Everything is my fault though! I can’t do anything right!” she exclaimed, tears running down her face. He pulled her up, carrying her to his office for more privacy and sat down on his couch with her on his lap.
“What’s this all about- why aren’t you eating?”
“I just feel awful,” she wailed finally, her eyes never meeting her brother’s in shame. “I got sick and you all had to pay so much for my medicine! I tried to eat less to make up the money you guys spent on me, but it didn’t feel like enough-“
“No,” he said sternly. “You are not missing meals or eating less because you feel guilty. You will eat the proper amount, got it?”
“But-“
“Don’t make me tell Polly to monitor your meals.”
“I just wanted to do my part in helping with the family. You guys do so much for me, and I haven’t done anything.”
“Y/N, you are a child. You don’t need to worry yourself with these things. Your big brothers are gonna take care of everything for you.”
“But you’re already so stressed out, and I feel like I’m causing so much trouble. I’m not even worth it-“
“Y/N M/N Shelby,” Tommy hissed. Despite his tone, he gently grabbed her chin with his index finger, forcing her to look at him. With tears lining her eyes, she finally met his soft blue eyes, finding no trace of resentment but only love. “You will never say those words again.”
“Tommy-“
“You are worth everything and more than what we have. If I have to lose everything we own and burn down this whole city for you, I will. You are the most important thing in my life, and I will not hear you say those words again.”
“‘m sorry, Tommy.”
“Stop apologizing. You have done nothing wrong.” She leaned back down, her tears stopping to a few sniffles. “So here’s what we’re gonna do. You will eat to your fill, and tomorrow we will get ice cream after you’ve finished your errands.”
Her head snapped back up at the mention of her favourite treat. “Ice cream?”
“Yes, but you have to finish the food on your plate.”
With a wide grin she nodded, jumping out of his lap to get started on her food. He went over to the family room, finding his family getting read to head to the kitchen.
“Why has no one noticed Y/N hasn’t been eating?” he thundered, glaring at his family members for not noticing her lack of proper care.
“She’s not?” John asked, thinking back to his encounters with her.
“I thought she was just getting conscious about her body,” Polly shrugged. “You know how girls that age are, but I always made sure to put more food on her plate.”
“She has been skipping meals because she feels bad that we’re spending money on her, and I will not let that happen ever again. If anyone sees anything amiss- anything at all, you come straight to me.”
“Y’know,” Arthur started, scratching the ends of his moustache. “When I checked her homework the other day, I noticed that she was writing extra small. Me thinks she’s trying to extend her school supplies as well.” The brothers had long stopped making fun of Arthur for insisting on checking her homework. Everyone knew Y/N was the most educated on paper, but Arthur felt it was his obligation as her oldest brother to see that her homework was done and done well.
Tommy placed a hand on his forehead, wondering how much he’s missed in the last few months. “Fuck,” he cursed.
When the family went to the kitchen, they frowned when they saw Y/N staring at her food without eating a single bite. When she saw them come in, she burst into a huge smile. “I was waiting for you to eat together!”
“Oh silly girl. Your food’s all cold now,” Polly chided.
“It’s okay!” she shook her head. Arthur took the plate in front of her while Polly prepared another plate fresh from the stove, adding a bit more food than what initially had. “Arthur no! You can’t have my cold food.”
“D’n worry, love. It’ll get warm in my belly anyways!” He put both hands on his belly, patting it.
She giggled at the sight, and her eyes twinkled at the sight of her family around her. They all made jokes with her whilst still making sure she was eating so when she cleared her plate, Polly sneakily grabbed her plate while Arthur was distracting her and put a little more food in front of her. To everyone’s delight she ate it all, yawning after all the food was gone and the laughters died down.
“Tommy, can everyone come get ice cream with me tomorrow?”
“You were gonna get ice cream without us?” John asked, hand on his chest as if the thought offended him.
"Never!" she shook her head. "We're all going, right Tommy?" Her brother could only nod at her request with a small smile.
Arthur cleared his throat and got up. “Now before you go to bed, love, we need to check your homework. Perhaps we can clean your backpack as well.”
“Okay, Arthur.” She hopped off her chair, grabbing his hand and leading him to her room where she does all her homework. She took out her notebook, and Arthur immediately noticed the worn out pages from how little she had written in the notebook- it was barely legible.
“Love, I can barely read your writing!” he exclaimed. “You need to write bigger next time- for your dear old brother’s sake, eh?”
“Sorry, Arthur.” She looked down at her shoes. “I was trying to make my notebooks last longer so you wouldn’t have to buy me more.”
“None of that. You’re our little scholar- we need you to be studying hard with all the right supplies or else who’s gonna be keeping Tommy in line?”
She giggled at his jokes, and nodded, relieved that she didn’t have to lie to her brothers anymore.
“Now, read me your answers so your dear old brother doesn’t have to strain his eyes.” He sat on her chair, picking her up to put on his lap just like when she was smaller.
She read him the questions and her answers, pointing them out so there were no spelling errors either.
“Well, we got ourselves a little Shelby genius here!” he kissed her cheek, and she flinched away from his moustache, giggling all the way.
“It tickles!” she shrieked as he continued to rub his cheeks against her soft ones.
“Alright, love. Good job on your homework.”
“Can I go to bed not, Artie? I’m feeling kinda tired?” the littlest Shelby yawned to prove her point, already almost dozing off.
“Tired, eh? What have you been doing to be so tired?” Arthur asked it as a joke, but Y/N avoided his eyes as she thought he was being serious.
“I’ve been staying up late making the handkerchief, and waking up early to sell it so I can do errands for Alfie after school and still do my chores when I get home.”
Arthur’s heart broke hearing how much his youngest sister has been working, and he immediately gave her a hug. “You don’t need to do that anymore, love. Tommy’s got a plan- kid like you don’t need to be working so hard, eh?”
She nodded, almost already dozing off in her brother’s embrace.
“Go get ready for bed, and I’ll come back to tuck you in.”
“Okay!” She left for the bathroom, and Arthur went back to the kitchen where his family had stayed to grab her a glass of water for the night.
He gave a deep sigh, rubbing his forehead and closing his eyes tightly.
“Is Y/N okay?” John asked, his oldest brother’s state putting him on alert.
“Girl’s been working herself to the bone for the last month- staying up late, not eating, and still trying to run everyone’s errands. She’s fucking exhausted and it’s not even 8pm yet where before she would be begging us to play with her until midnight.” Arthur shook his head, filling up the water in the cup and leaving again.
“You tucking her in?” Tommy asked.
“Yea. She asked if she could sleep early- nearly fell asleep on me.”
Tommy nodded, following his older brother to her room. Y/N was brushing her hair, lighting up when she saw her brothers again. Arthur placed the glass of water beside her bed, and came up to her to take the brush from her hand. He finished brushing her hair for her, reminding the siblings of when she was younger and sat on his lap while he tried figuring out how to braid her hair.
“There you go, love. Prettiest girl in all of Small Heath.”
She giggled, but shook her head. “No, Artie- That’s Ada!”
“You both are the prettiest girls in Small Heath, and dare I say the whole world!”
Y/N giggled again, giving her brother a big hug before settling in bed where Tommy was standing by. He smiled as she got under the covers, and he sat down on the edge of her bed, pulling the covers right under her chin. He placed a hand on her small face, rubbing at her cheek with his thumb. He noted how soft and smooth it was, reminding him just how young she was. He leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead.
“I love you, Y/N- so much,” he whispered seeing her eyes droop.
“I love you too, Tommy,” she mumbled before succumbing to her tiredness.
The next day, Y/N and her brothers made their way to the ice cream shop. Suddenly, she stopped and gasped. “We should invite Alfie!”
The brothers couldn’t stop their sister in time before she ran off to his house, and they were quick to follower her. She knocked on his door, rocking on her feet in excitement. When the door opened, she was surprised to find someone else at the door. She hadn’t noticed but her brothers surely did that his hand was underneath his coat, most likely holding on to a gun.
“Excuse me, is Mr. Solomons home?” she asked before being pulled back by Finn behind her other brothers who had stood in front of her.
“Ah if it isn’t the Shelby clan,” the man muttered.
“Who’s there?” Alfie asked, approaching the door.
“Alfie!” Y/N greeted, shaking off Finn’s hand around her. “D’you wanna come with us to the ice cream shop?”
“Well I can’t refuse a little lady as yourself.” He grabbed his hat, and gave instructions to the man who opened the door. “Be a dear and finish up here, why don’t you.”
The Camden mobster followed the family to the ice cream shop, everyone in the shop immediately ceasing their chatter. Y/N paid no attention to the fear in everyone’s eyes as she ran up to the selection of ice cream they had.
“Mister, I want ice cream for all of us, please!” she ordered. “I can pay for everyone!” She held up her little horse purse that Tommy got her so long ago.
“Oh, there’s no need for that,” Alfie said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“No, no! I want to treat you guys to ice cream.” As she went back to picking a flavour, the 4 mobster (and Finn) stared the poor owner down, not having to say a single word to get their point across.
“Don’t worry about paying Miss Shelby. Your ice creams are on the house!” he said trying to sound jovial, but tripping over his words.
Y/N didn’t notice his stutter, but beamed in happiness. “Really?”
“Yes- you never have to pay for ice cream here!”
“Wow! That’s very nice of you, mister!”
Y/N made sure everyone got their ice cream first, having a habit of putting everyone first. When it was time for her ice cream, the man made the mistake of making eye contact with Alfie. His shaking hands didn’t wait for Y/N to grab the ice cream, and slipped form her tiny hands and on the floor.
“Oh no- oh God,” the man immediately muttered. You could hear a pin drop at how quiet it was in the shop. People tensed, waiting for a bloodbath to occur.
Y/n gasped in surprise. “Oh no! Spilled ice cream. I’m sorry mister- I can help clean up!” She narrated the event only like a child could.
“Oh- uh- well- Don’t worry about the mess,” the man sputtered. “It was my fault. I can give you another ice cream.”
“It’s okay mister. You already gave us all ice cream,” Y/N said, trying to hide her disappointment. Her bottom lip jutted out slightly, and her shoulders were slouched. “Thank you though.”
The man could feel the mobsters tearing him up with their eyes. Finally it was Tommy who spoke up. “Here, love. You can have my ice cream. I know it’s your favourite flavour.” Seeing as Y/N wanted to be just like Tommy in every way, it didn’t surprise anyone that they shared the same love for a certain flavoured ice cream.
“But it’s yours, Tommy.”
“I wasn’t hungry anyways.” He placed it in her hand, making sure she had wrapped her hand around it before letting go. “Let’s go home now.”
“Okay, Tommy! Thank you.”
No one dared breath until the gang was out of the shop. However it was made clear in those short moments of two things. One, little Y/N Shelby was one of the most polite and kind kid of her age group. And two, she was also one of the most protected kid in all of England. The hold she has on the two of the most feared gang in England made her a force to be reckoned with.
Summary: Tommy and Ada was on a mission to gather some important goods for the family, and while Tommy scares the life out of the seller, Ada tries to be the voice of reason.
Warnings: More Shelby fluff!
Word Count: 586
Author’s Note: Please accept this tiny writing as I get used to my new schedule, and attempt to overcome writer's block for my Shelby!Sister series. Comments/reblogs feeds a writer's soul!
“I can give you a list of what we have,” the boy stuttered. He looked no older than 16 year-old, fear in his eyes, and he scuffled uneasily under the gaze of the leader of the Peaky Blinder.
“No,” Tommy said, shaking his head. Both eyebrows raised as if he was shocked that the boy would even ask such a ridiculous question.
“Show me the options.” It wasn’t a request, and he knew that people were slowly making their way out of the shop to avoid any kind of confrontation.
“Well, Mr. Shelby, most people like this one here, but this one has been the popular choice lately.” The boy pointed to all the options behind the glass encasement, and with sharp eyes, Tommy looked at each of them carefully.
“Jesus, Tommy,” Ada scoffed, rolling her eyes. “It’s not that serious.”
Tommy turned to his younger sister. “I didn’t realize you were the head of the family, Ada.”
She rolled her eyes again, turning around to look at the store. It was a dainty place, having just opened up- a family business that proved to be no threat to their own business. Though, there was room for doubt with the way Tommy was dealing with business on their turf.
Tommy turned to the boy in front of him, having come to a conclusion. “I’d like one of each.”
“Got it, Mr. Shelby.”
The leader stared at the boy as he moved around, ignoring the bell of someone entering the shop and his brothers calling his name. He only turned around when he heard his name being called by a high-pitched voice, one that would not be happy until all his attention was on her.
“Tommy!” The youngest Shelby yelled and jumped into his open arms. “Did you get the ice cream?”
“I did, love.” He pointed to the display with all their options. “Got a pint of everything.”
She gasped dramatically. “You did?! But Aunt Pol said we shouldn’t.”
“Then we shouldn’t tell her, eh?”
The little one put her finger on her lips. “I won’t tell.”
“Good.” He kissed her forehead, letting her wrap her arms around his neck. “Which flavour will you try first?”
She stared at the choices carefully, eyebrows furrowed in focus. It was that look that confirmed the youngest Shelby’s relation to the rest of her family- Tommy especially. The piercing gaze that she had perfected at the young age of seven. “Chocolate!”
“Hmm, good choice.”
“All set, Mr. Shelby.” The boy placed the two paper bags full of ice cream on the counter.
“Arthur, John, pay the man.” Tommy nodded in their direction, but quickly turned his attention back to his youngest sister.
“You spoil her too much, Tommy,” Ada commented.
“That’s rich coming from you, Ada.” Arthur snorted at his sister’s comment. “You bought out the toy store last time she visited you in London.”
“I wanted to give her a good experience for her first time in London,” she defended.
"Oi, behave," Tommy said sharply, knowing if they were to continue bickering, Ada would pull out her gun.
"Yea! No fucking fighting!" Y/N added, having heard her older brother use that phrase. The brother in question could only shrug with a small smile.
“Well, you heard the lass. No fighting or else fucking none of you get ice cream." Y/N giggled at her brother's words as they made their way out of the shop and back home for a classic Shelby ice cream party.
A/N: I apologize for the long wait for this chapter! I hope I do this story justice, and I hope you all enjoy the updates. If you have a kind word or two to spare, please drop by my Askbox- I really need it.
Y/N turned around at the door, seeing the hard face of her ex-boyfriend before he slammed the door at her face. She stumbled through the city, trying to numb her emotions and think about her next steps. She needed a place to stay, luckily it was still the holidays, and she had the next two days off. The first hotel she went to was booked up, and so was the second one, and the third one. She opted for a small motel in the quieter part of town, where it wouldn’t be bustling with tourists. She managed to get a single room with a king sized bed for a reasonable price. Chris didn’t leave her with much stuff, just her phone that was quickly losing battery, her purse, and a duffle bag that she threw her essentials in. Luckily, she always brought a battery pack in case of emergencies. She chewed on her lip for a while, wondering what to do next.
“Fuck it,” she muttered under her breath. She typed a quick text to Chris, hoping he hadn’t blocked her number yet.
I need the rest of my stuff. When can I pick it up?
She waited a few seconds before her phone pinged.
Tomorrow morning. John will be there.
Y/N didn’t bother to text back, her body exhausted from the day, her mind shutting down to protect herself from the incoming wave of emotions. She decided to retire for the night, just after showering in the dirty bathroom, she thought it would be best to stay in the clothes she came in, unsure of the last time the bedsheets were actually clean. Once in bed, the weight of the day came crashing down on her. Their three-year relationship was gone, just down the drain. Chris was someone she found herself imagining living the rest of her life with, but now their relationship has ended like this. Once a drop of tear escaped, there was no turning back. She was angry at him for not giving her a chance to speak, for not giving her the chance to tell him about the baby she might be carrying, but overall she was just sad. Chris had never behaved like this towards her, or anyone he knows for that matter! It would have taken a lot to get him this upset, but she just didn’t know what she did to make him upset like this- or if there was even a reason. Perhaps that was the most upsetting part of it all, he never gave her a chance to fix the relationship. He just gave up on them. He didn’t fight for them. Y/N spent hours grieving over the relationship she lost, mourning over the future she thought she would have.
Her heart was bubbling with anger and hurt, the feelings making her want to vomit, but she remained strong. She lived all her other years without Chris, and would be damned if she let him ruin her life like this. Overall, she felt defeated with the turn of events. Chris was as stubborn as a person would get, he wasn’t going to change his mind or listen to her while he was still this hurt. After a restless sleep, she woke up at around 9AM, unusually late for her, but she was grateful for the fact that it was now a reasonable time to head over to Chris’s apartment. She took her car, thankful that she always had a preference towards a CRV instead of smaller cars.
“Hi John,” Y/N greeted quietly, not knowing what his mood was going to be. She wasn’t even sure if he knew the whole story, and if he would be resentful towards her.
“Hi Y/N,” he replied. He gave her a small smile, sympathy in his eyes. “How are you holding up?”
She shrugged. “Not great.”
He nodded, unsure of what else to say. “Do you need help getting these in your car?”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
John grabbed the box closest to him, and placed it inside her car. Slowly, but surely the car was starting to get full with all her stuff, and it left her heart aching more. Once the last of her items were in the car, John stopped her. “Before I forget. Chris wanted me to give you this.” He handed her a stapled contract.
“Oh right… The agreement,” Y/N mumbled. She never thought her relationship with Chris would end this badly, she never thought it would end, period. She was sure he was the one she would spend the rest of her life with. She would never forget signing this form when they reached their second year anniversary, almost a year ago. Chris hadn’t even told her about this directly, John had given her all this information on his own.
“Sorry about all this, Y/N.”
“It’s not your fault, John. How should I make the payments?”
“You can deposit it into the account shown on the last page. It should have all the information you need, and if you have any questions feel free to call me.”
She read over the letter, heart sinking when she saw the amount of money she owed, but she wasn’t surprised. Chris had spent quite a great deal on her and the relationship. She dragged her feet to the motel, hoping to find some apartments around the area that she can afford. She was far from poor, but if she needed to make monthly instalments to Chris, she would need to be smart with her budget. Afterall, paying someone $50 000 was not in her mind when she was making the budget for the year.
The first thing she did was book an appointment with her family doctor to confirm her pregnancy. Y/N was hoping to make the first appointment with Chris after she had told him, but now she supposed everything had to be done by herself. She went back to work the next day, refusing to stay in bed and wallow in her sorrow.
Her doctor’s appointment was on a rainy Wednesday, the weather matching her foul mood. She was grateful that they didn’t ask too many questions about the baby daddy, and instead focused on the her and the baby’s health, giving her all the information she needed.
A month after they separated, the investigation started. Y/N wasn’t sure what to think. She knew for sure she would never steal from Chris, she was adamant in proving that she was never with him for his money. But no one seemed to believe her. She couldn’t blame them. If Chris didn’t even believe her, how could she expect strangers to believe her? She did her best with giving as much information to the police as possible. They were looking into her accounts, but she was confident they wouldn’t find anything. She was positive in her innocence.
The stress was getting to her, pressure from her friends and family on why she and Chris broke up on top of the investigation was piling up. She woke up in her one bedroom apartment, a sharp pain in her abdomen. A pressure in her chest was building as an ominous feeling dawned on her. She made a beeline to the bathroom, seeing the blood seep through her cream shorts, and she felt nauseous. She phoned her OB/Gyn in a panic, quickly washing up to Uber to her doctor. She wasn’t going to risk driving in this condition.Two long hours later, and she got her result. She had a miscarriage. While her doctor was going on with how often it happened, she tuned out. There was an empty feeling in her heart, and she wasn’t sure if it would ever be filled again.
Y/N had no time to grieve the loss of her baby because a month later the press found out about the whole investigation. After that her life became a living hell. The journalist and press were following her around like a piranha smelling fresh blood. Once the news became public that she was remotely involved in this fraud case, she was fired from her workplace with the excuse that they didn’t want to have the negative press on her team. The next few months were unbearable to say the least. Every day was harder than the previous.
Y/N left her home to do a quick grocery run, her small home was packed with paparazzis around her. She asked her lawyer a few months ago to move to a smaller apartment and somewhere she could have a small sense of security, losing her job and the payments she made to John made a considerable dent to her savings. Unfortunately, her lawyer said no. There were strict rules on what she could and couldn’t do as a part of this investigation as outlined by the court, and moving was not an option. As she was coming back, one of the journalist had gotten close to her, enough to hit her with their giant cameras.
“What do you have to say about the investigation?”
“Were you just with Chris for his money?”
“Did you steal from him?”
“Did you plan all of this?”
Questions were thrown at her, each one hitting her harder. She knew that she never had any intention of hurting Chris, even after all this time, she was no longer mad at him. Instead, she felt sorry for him. It must have been hard for him to accept that the people closest to him betrayed him, and she knew how sensitive he was to the people around him. He was always so friendly to people, and there were some that took advantage of his kindness.
“Please leave me alone,” she said, trying to avoid more cameras hitting her.
“What was that?”
“Can you repeat that?”
“Did you say to leave you alone?”
It was the first time she acknowledged them by talking to them, and they were eating it up. Now she was even more anxious. She knew not to have given them anything, Chris had told her that all the time when they were dating. Once they think they have a chance to get something out of you, they would attack and be more aggressive with their advances. Finally, she made it inside her home, quickly locking the door behind her and throwing her groceries on the kitchen counter. Once her hands were empty, she fell to her knees, tears quickly falling down her face.
-
Scott drove them both home, Chris being unfit to even get behind the wheels with his mind so jumbled.
“You gonna be okay?” Scott asked once they arrived at Chris’s farmhouse.
Chris nodded numbly, offering a forced smile. “Yea, I’ll be fine. Go on your date.”
“I can cancel-”
“Scott, really, it’s fine.” Chris punched his brother’s arm, trying to give him a semblance of his old self. “I’ll be fine. I’m good.”
“Okay. If you need anything- and I mean anything, call me, okay?”
Chris rolled his eyes. “Yes, mom.”
Scott chuckled, shaking his head. He grabbed his duffle bag of stuff he brought when he stayed over.
Once Scott left, Chris fell to his couch. Dodger padding towards him, and throwing his toy next to him. “Not now, buddy.” He did, however, scratch the back of the canine’s ears. “I fucked up, and I gotta figure out a way to apologize to your mom.” He pulled out his phone, trying to find any sign on Y/N through her social media. She’s never been an avid user, especially once their relationship became public. He wasn’t surprised to find that she hasn’t been active since a bit before they broke up.
However, something on his Twitter caught his eye. It was a paparazzi photo of Y/N from the morning exiting a grocery store, and a few more from outside of what he assumed was her home. She was highly distressed, her sunglasses failing to hide the crease between her brows, and the way her body curled in itself. The tweet itself was hateful, telling Y/N she brought this upon herself. Chris flared with anger, seeing the replies and other tweets, all blaming her. Just like him, they didn’t hear her side of the story. He went through the journalist’s tweets, they wrote clickbait articles using her name, getting quotes from her friends and family that he knew weren’t all that truthful. One of the article broke his heart. There was a quote from her begging them to stop following her, to leave her alone, but they made a joke out of it in their writing. They weren’t interested in telling a story. They were there to just break her even more.
Chris went back to his page, and tweeted something for the first time in a few months.
A/N: I decided to split the last chapter because I’m still very undecided about how I should end this. If you have a few kind words to spare, please leave some in my Ask- I really need it.
Chris’s POV
The first time I saw her in real life after our breakup was before the trial. She was standing outside the doors with a white blouse and black pencil skirt with nude heels to match. She looked like she lost a few pounds from the last time he saw her, her makeup doing little to hide the dark circles underneath her eyes. My eyes were drawn to her stomach, seeing it unchanged from the last time I saw her made it all real that something had happened with our baby. Perhaps there wasn’t even a baby to begin with? Only she can answer my questions. But do I deserve an answer?
There was a necessary trial for Daniel and John to be convicted, and as much as they tried to keep it private, they couldn’t stop the press from waiting hours outside the court. Finally it was their turn to stand in trial, we all made our statements, including Y/N. She avoided looking at me, opting to look at the back of the room as she stuttered through her statement. I frowned at her unease, heart clenching everytime she jolted when a new voice cut her off. Finally when she was dismissed, she ran to the back of the room, sitting down at the bench chair.
Finally, the investigation was finally over, the jury found John and guilty of all charges. My lawyers comforted me that this was all just procedures. A trial was just a necessary step, and that there will be administrative paperworks still after this. Either way, I just wanted this to be over. I thanked my lawyer again, and parted ways. Naturally, I was looking around for Y/N. I saw my family motioning for us to make our leave, but I raised my hand, silently asking them for a few minutes. I found Y/N in the corner, peering at the entrance, her face etched into worry and fear at the sight of the crowd of people. My heart broke, seeing her display her vulnerability with no one to support her was enough to make me want to build a time machine and break my face before I had the chance to break her heart. I slowly approached her like one would to a wounded animal, heart racing at the thought of speaking to her again.
“How are you getting home?” I asked, wincing at how the volume of my voice seems to be amplified when she jumped to look at me.
Her eyes widened with surprise and something else I couldn’t put my hand on, before shifting her view to the floor. “My car,” she mumbled.
“Your car?” I repeated, straining to make sure I heard right. When she nodded, I nodded my head coming to a decision before speaking again. “Where are you parked?”
“Back of the parking lot.”
“Okay. I’m going to ask if there’s another exit we can take. I’ll be back.” I made my way to my bodyguard, going through the options of a different exit, and unfortunately they only had the back doors that were for staff only. We had to go through the front entrance if we wanted to get to her car. “Hey, there’s no other entrance that we can use, but me and Eric will take you to your car,” I nodded towards my bodyguard, thumb sticking out in his direction.
“You don’t have to,” she mumbled, her eyes never once leaving the floor.
“I want to.”
The crowd was in a frenzy as the two got out of the building. My bodyguard and I flanked on either side of Y/N, trying to protect her as they tried to navigate through the crowd. I placed a hand on her lower back, remembering the times I would tuck her by my side as we ran away from the shutter of the cameras around us. I knew it wasn’t easy for her to be in the spotlight like this, she was never one to ask for attention from the public. I resisted pulling her closer, knowing it would draw unnecessary headlines and more trouble for her than I was worth. There was so much I wanted to say, so many things I wanted to apologize for, but I knew this wasn’t the right time. I lowered myself near her face when she got into her car as Eric fended off the crowd, I just needed her to know one thing. “I’m so sorry about everything, Y/N. If I could I would go back in time and re-do that whole night, I would do it in a heartbeat.” I had no intention of asking her to call me or give me another chance, it was not a burden I wanted her to carry. She looked up at me, eyes wide and shiny, a permanent look of unease etched in her furrowed eyebrows, and I felt my own eyes prick with unshed tears. “I love you, Y/N,” I whispered, ignoring the ache in my chest when she closed her eyes and a tear escaped. I made sure she was tucked in the car properly before gently closing the door, and turning back to the crowd, trying to move them away from her car.
I walked back to my family, a tight feeling in my chest growing. They all smiled at me sympathetically, unable to offer anything more than their presence. I knew they wanted me to reach out to Y/N, but I couldn’t get myself to do it. I had no right to come crawling back to her after hurting her this much. It’s as if the three years together went down the drain with my inability to hold back and listen. Y/N knows about my trust issues, she’s the one who would validate me when I felt like an asshole whenever I drew boundaries with people. How could I have not believed her?
-
It was another month of finishing up all the paperworks that Chris finally had time to sit down and think about his next steps. Right now he’s taking a break from the industry, being a free agent as his friends would call it, and focusing on himself as well as his friends and family. More than ever, the whole ordeal helped him realize who his actual friends were. Some stood by him, and some disappeared the minute they heard he was bleeding money thinking it was going to be permanent. He got up, checking his phone to see that his mom texted him about having dinner. He responded that he would be there, and went back to his photos app, pulling one up of him and Y/N at his birthday dinner a few months prior things went to shit. Over the past month he thought a lot about the reason he didn’t believe his girlfriend of three years. He had to take a good look at all his flaws, opening Pandora's box of everything he hated about himself. He had to admit that he was a commitment-phobe, that he’s been looking for a way out since he thought about proposing and settling down with her. He hated the feeling of being enveloped, so he tore it to shreds before it could even happen. It was something his therapist told him when he retold her the events of what happened, and it took him awhile to process the fact that his three-year relationship crumbled because of his childish fear of being trapped.
He sighed, leaning his head back against the couch. “What am I gonna do?” Just then his phone pinged. His heart skipped a beat as he recognized the familiar numbers.
A/N: Here we are! We’re at the end. Thank you for everyone who followed me on this journey, and I truly hope you enjoyed this mini-series!
The rest of the night was restless for Chris. He brainwashed himself into thinking Y/N was an awful person for the last few months, and he spent hours asking himself if this was a one-time mistake or if he just wasn’t the right person for her. He loves her, he knows that, but this is no longer a matter of love. Their love has been tested and boiled down to trust, and that trust has evaporated. Y/N would have a hard time trusting him again, if she ever could trust him again. And Chris was left with the fear of never being able to commit. He shared many times to his friends, family, and the media of how much he wanted to settle down and start a family, but there is a reason why it never happened. His fear of being trapped into this one thing, one label - actor, husband, father - it had consequences. He would never define himself as just an actor, he would share a plethora of himself with others before mentioning that he acts. To him, it was his job and not his identity. But marriage, fatherhood, that was an identity. Being in the media for so long, no matter how thick of a skin you have, you start losing a piece of yourself to the headlines and assumptions. And that was Chris’s biggest fear. He didn’t want to lose his identity to how people perceive him because he’s not just a “pretty boy” or “Captain America”, he was just Chris Evans, but he doesn’t know who Chris Evans is.
Chris woke up to the sun, his body reacting quickly when he saw the time on his nightstand.
9:13AM
He jumped out of his bed, quickly heading to the bathroom, putting on whatever clothes he could find. His night was restless, he tossed and turned until finally sleeping at 4AM, and why he woke up so late. He jumped to his car, breaking a few rules to get there before 9:30AM. He rushed in, automatically looking at their usual seat by the window, and his heart fell when he saw other patrons there. Fuck, he cursed at himself for waking up so late. He was about to pull out his phone when he saw a familiar outline by the back at the booth.
“Y/N?” he called, slowly approaching her as she looked up.
“Hey, I wasn’t sure if you were gonna come at all.”
“Fuck, I’m sorry. I slept really late last night, and missed my alarm clock.”
“It’s fine. I ordered your usual.”
“Thank you.”
“Well? Are you gonna sit down?”
He flushed red, quickly making his way to the seat in front of her. Chris’s heart soared when he saw the slight amused smile on her face.
Before the awkward silence could settle in or more of Chris’s admissions of guilt, Y/N spoke first. “How have you been holding up, Chris?”
“I- I’m fine! Really fine- I mean compared to-”
She shook her head, silencing him. “Are you well?”
He knew that was the question she asks when she knows he’s lying. It was a more intimate question. Asking him for vulnerability, and to assure that this was a safe place. “I’m,” he paused, trying to gather his thoughts and actually assess his feelings. He counted five seconds backwards, pausing to find his physical self amongst the hustle and bustle of the hectic life of the past few months. “I’ve been better, that’s for sure. Honestly, I’m trying to make it up to you. I feel awful for what I’ve done, and I’m going to therapy again! I want to be better, if not for you, then for me.”
Y/N smiled, hearing the last few words, nodding in approval. “I’m so glad to hear that, Chris. I really am. Has the dust settled? Trial stuff is over with?”
“Yea, the last of the paperworks has been submitted last week.”
“Wow. I find it hard to imagine that the trial was a month ago.” Y/N shook her head fondly, memories of the last few weeks zooming through her head.
“H-How have you been?”
“Good. Similar to yours. I’m going to therapy again as well, but overall I’m doing better than the last time you saw me.”
“That’s good.” Chris hesitantly looked at her stomach which she took notice.
“What’s wrong?”
“Um- Th- The baby?”
Y/N deflated and Chris nearly slapped himself for asking. “I had a miscarriage quite early on.”
“I’m so sorry.”
She shrugged, gnawing on her bottom lip. Despite having worked on this particular topic for the last month twice a week with her therapist, it was something she still found hard to talk about.
“I’m sorry that you had to go through the miscarriage alone,” Chris said quietly.
“When the media found out about the investigation, I found myself feeling so relieved that I had lost the baby… I don’t know what kind of person that makes me, but I can’t imagine going through that on top of a pregnancy.”
Chris nodded, agreeing that a pregnancy would make her already hard life much more difficult at that time.
“I grappled with a lot of guilt after that, feeling bad that I was feeling relieved. Then I lost my job, and I was even more grateful because I would not have been able to afford the necessary things for the baby- especially with how I was still making payments to John.”
He continued nodding, listening intently to her feelings as he wanted to make sure he knew the reality of her life in the last eight months.
“The media really was just the worst of it all, y’know? Well- I’m sure you know since you had to deal with it for your whole career, but I lost my job because of them… and now- Now I can’t even go out without feeling anxious. I’m so scared of going out, and being hounded like that.” Just the thought of going out with the flashing cameras gave her flashbacks of having cameras shoved in her face, people bombarding all around her, not even giving her the room to move.
“I’m really sorry, Y/N. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. I’m sorry I let my insecurities and stupid brain get in the way of us.”
“I think it all worked out for the best.” She didn’t say it maliciously, she loved him too much to say things for the sake of hurting him. It was the honest truth, and she knew Chris would agree that this was for the best.
Chris nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. He knew it worked out for the best, his therapist told him that this would’ve been the best outcome. If this whole ordeal didn’t happen, they would’ve gotten married, and Chris would let his feelings of insecurity and being trapped fester to the point where it might get messier. He was silent for a few seconds, breaking it with a question that he didn’t know he wanted the answers to. “Would you ever consider being with me again?”
“I- I honestly never thought about it. What do you think will happen?”
“What do you mean?”
“If we get back together?”
“I-I don’t know. I never really thought it through either.”
“I’m sorry, Chris, but you may be a romantic, but I’m a realist. If we do somehow get back together, I think there’ll be a huge rift between us. You will never trust me, and I will never believe that you would trust me completely. What about the next time we fight? I can’t say that you wouldn’t pull out the same words you did that night. Any big decisions we make will have that looming tension because of the difference in our finances.”
“We’ll talk it out-”
“Like we talked it out when you thought I was stealing money from you?”
“We’ll go to couple’s therapy. We can work this out-”
“Chris, don’t you get it?”
“I know it isn’t fair to ask, but why won’t you give us another try?”
“Because I’m scared! Our-Our breakup nearly killed me,” she said quietly. “I don’t want that dependency ever again, and it wasn’t just about the breakup. The person you became in those months you were detaching yourself, the person I became, it just scared me. To think I could let those feelings of inadequacy and awkwardness build up for so long because I was afraid to lose you- because I was not ready or prepared at the possibility of not having you in my life. That- That is something I never want to feel. I loved you, Chris, so much, and I still love you, but you can’t be my entire life. I need to be able to live without you.”
Chris sighed, not of disappointment because he was feeling everything but that. He was so proud to hear of Y/N’s wisdom, it was a quality he always adored and respected in her. She wouldn’t give his bullshit a pass, but she never made it seem like a black and white problem. There was a complexity that they both understood in being human, and the problems that come with it. He understands the breakup was still his fault, and right now there was no way they could go back to being in a relationship despite their love for one another. “Y/N… Do you- Do you hate me?” Chris asked genuinely. He was surprised at the idea that despite how much he hurt her that she was willing to forgive and love him, and he wanted to know if there was even a part of her that would hate him.
“Chris.” She put her hand on the hand that rested idly on the table. “For the last several months, I’ve cried, I’ve yelled, I’ve thrown things. I was so frustrated at you- I was so angry that you wouldn’t listen to me- I was upset that you never gave me a chance. But never- never did I hate you. In that same lens, I was frustrated with myself- I was angry, and I was upset at myself because despite everything you said, and how much you hurt me- using my insecurities against me, I still love you. These past three years that I’ve been with you, I have loved you more than the day before, so much so that I would be able to say that I loved you for your past, current, and future. It would take a lot more than your projection of your own insecurity and fear to stop me from loving you.”
He let out the breath he was holding, gazing into her eyes to see the sincerity and love that was still there despite everything she’s been through. Chris shook his head in awe at the amazing person in front of him. He chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m a goddamn fool to let you go.”
She laughed alongside him. “Yes- yes, you are a meatball. But hey, we’re all meatballs at one point in our lives. That’s why second chances are a thing.”
The two parted ways, having made no commitments to ever seeing each other again, but knowing their paths will cross again, even if it’s just a few supportive messages between friends. Chris knew how important it was to work on himself, and he knew better to try getting back together when he had yet to make any attempts to fix the problem. Y/N happily enjoyed her distance from him and the media. She never deserved his anger, never deserved the last few months of all that’s happened, and she knows that. She always knew that. What makes it complicated is the amount of love she held for him- the empathy, compassion, and understanding she’s showed him despite everything awful he did to her. She never thought it was a bad thing to forgive him so quickly, because she knew it was for her peace of mind more than it was for him. She was thankful for the love they shared, and more importantly the love they still share for one another. Afterall, it was because of their love for each other that they knew innately what the other needed even with such distance between them, but it was time they focus that love on themselves.
Summary: Chris Evans and Y/N L/N believed themselves to be endgame, partners in crime in life. That is until Chris finds out something that tears their relationship at the seams, throwing away years together. Will they be able to fix the mistakes they made or is their fate written in the stars?
Chapter One: Heart Made of Glass
Chapter Two: Mind Made of Stone
Chapter Three: Tear Me to Pieces
Chapter Four: Skin to Bone
Chapter Five: Hello
Chapter Six: Welcome Home
A/N: This series is officially complete! Thank you everyone for the love you showed.
