The Blind Brother (Peaky Blinders)

Its the accent

(Killian's P.O.V.)
I closed the door from my office behind me so I could head off to the fighting ring. 5 steps forward and take a right. Then its just 17 straight steps to the entrance of the rumhouse. When I was about to leave, Alfie's voice called my name from behind me. I turned my head left and waited for my brother to arrive beside me. His approaching footfalls told me he would be beside me in just a few seconds. "Kill, I need your help-". I shook my head slightly and interupted him "No". He stopped immediatly and I could tell that he was offended slightly that I cutt him off. "What the hell you mean no" he asked in disbelief and I chuckled in responce. "Whenever you need my help, even if its for 5 minutes, it ends up being like a 5 hour unpaid job and me getting verbally abused throughout". Alfie mumbled and basically called me names underneath his breath. Making me smirk at how easy it was to push his buttons. "Fine. Fuck off then" he told me harsh, "See? Verbal abuse" I commented loudly with a laugh, "I'll fucking hit you too, so you can add physical abuse to your list aswell" My brother responded but by his tone of voice I could hear he finally got my sarcasm. "So can you help me out with a problem" Alfie eventually asked after we finished our brotherly banter. "Would shooting someone solve your problem?" I asked him, "no" he quickly responded with a sigh. He eventually told me the problem and I told him how to fix it. There was something wrong with one of our rum batches. And I figured out that it was due to the barrels being not properlly clean so it contaminated the new alchol. "No may I go to the fighting ring? Or do you still need me to fix your problems" I questioned my brother. Alfie didn't respond he just pushed my shoulder lightly telling me to just get out. I chuckled and made my way out the shop and through town towards the fighting ring.

(Tommy's P.O.V.)
I had done some more homework on the youngest Solomons brother, Killian. I had find out that he had indeed fought in the war, by managing to falsify the drafting-document. There he was brutally shot in the face, which made him blind. So, I was indeed right that the scar he had on his face, was from a nasty injury. The shot had injured him so much that it almost had cost him his life. But he was definitely not going to die so easily. Secondly I also found out that he was a good fighter. So, my interest caught the better of me, and I decided to go and see him fight.

I stepped towards the rope of the ring and looked in. Killian stood in the middle, staring aimlessly forward. While his opponent walked circles around him. To any normal man, it looks like Killian will loose. After all, you can tell he is blind if you just looked at his eyes. But he was more than that. I could see his eyes slightly flicker back and forth, following the other boy, as if Killian could actually see. But he was not watching, he was listening. Blocking every other noise out apart from the sound of his opponent. I could see the floor bend underneath the weight of the circling opponent. No doubt the wooden floor would creak because of it. Then as quick as a striking viper, Killian lunged at his opponent. And with one quick punch to the temple, Killian knocked the guy out. His accuracy was unmatched. I stepped towards him, after he had found his way out of the fighting ring and got guided back to his stuff. "Impressive, Mr Solomons" I said stopping behind him. I saw his head go up and then he turned around after finding out where exactly I stood. "Who are you?" He questioned me. I was slightly offended that he did not know who I was, especially considering that we have talked once before. "Don't you recognize me?" I asked him curious. "I am blind, so, no" he answered truthfully, "I only recognize people by their voices or footsteps. Yours I do not know". I could detect an irritation in his voice too. Like he was sick of reminded people that he was blind. "My apologize. I'm Thomas Shelby" I said and held out my hand for him to shake. But he never shook it, but I had a feeling it was more because of the fact he didn't know I offered it, rather than him being disrespectfull. But could you actually tell with a blind man, that is as powerfull as him? "Ah, yes. Now I hear it" he said and a smirk made its way onto his face, "that retched Brummie accent of yours". "Your Cockney accent is not much better, Mr Solomons" I replied, wanting to see how he would react to me. "I never implied it was" he simply said not even sounding to care or atleast be a bit disrespected hy my responce. He was as calm as ever. "Atleast yours and mine are better than the retched Yorkshire accent". "Only thing that will get me over there is their fucking Yorkshire pudding and Yorkshire tea". He turned back to face me. His cold greyish-white eyes stared blankly at me. "Now what is it that you want, that made you come all the way over 'ere to personally speak to me under 1 pair of working eyes and 1 pair of blind eyes? Instead of making an appointment". He leaned in a bit forward "after all, I doubt you just came 'ere for the nonse that is known as small talk".

Published: 4th of october 2023