Gangster's Heart // Tommy Shelby fanfic

Arrogant Bastard

Anna walked towards his bed, her steps slow and short. She was still in a shock. An hour ago, she was praying for him to open his eyes, to hear his voice again and now, he was there awake, staring back at her. She almost forgot how beautiful his eyes were.

"Come here" Tommy whispered, opening his arms as an invitation. She offered a subtle smile, carefully crawling onto the bed to avoid causing him any pain. Nestling herself into his once-strong arms that now felt fragile, she cupped his face in her palms. Tears streamed down her cheeks again.

"This is the best birthday present," she sniffed, pressing her lips against his. This time, he kissed her back. After a month, he kissed her back. Their lips moved slowly together in a gentle, loving kiss, filled with emotions ready to burst. In Anna's case, it overflowed in tears. She cried harder, letting Tommy snuggle her, hold her, comfort her.

Closing his eyes, he felt at peace. Italians were gone, Anna was by his side and there was nothing standing in their way anymore.

Well, except a long way towards full recovery.

The peace didn't last for too long, he opened his eyes swiftly as he heard cursing and yelling, signaling arrival of Shelbys. A big smile stretched on his face as he shook his head, waiting for them to burst in.

In an instant, the door swung open, and Ada stormed toward him like a gust of wind. She threw herself onto the bed between him and Anna, hugging her brothers with big glossy eyes and a frown.

"Don't you fucking scare me like that ever again!" she exclaimed, smacking his cheek gently, not enough to cause pain, and then hugged him tightly.

"Nice to see you too, Ada," he coughed, her weight momentarily suffocating him. Anna wriggled off the bed gently, giving the family some time to reconnect with him.

Ada jumped down from him, ignoring his wincing and straightened her dress. John and Arthur were both pushing back tears, they didn't know if they will ever see their brother again. Arthur walked towards him first, patting his sholder gently, "It's good to see you back Tommy" he sniffed awkwardly, not knowing how to express his growing excitement.

John broke from his frozen state and followed Arthur, slapping Tommy's face playfully, "and I was already getting excited to get half of your shares" he smiled boyishly, cupping Tommy's face.

Laughing, Tommy rolled his eyes, "you're not getting rid of me so soon" he replied, the pain already forgotten as his family surrounded him.

The last one to come was Polly. She wasn't smiling or laughing; she observed him, still not fully convinced it was real. She approached him delicately, like handling a fragile glass, stroking his dark hair. Tommy's smile faded as he recognized the concern in her brown eyes, realizing how much they all had suffered in the past month.

"Pol" he greeted, blinking slowly. She didn't reply, instead, she leaned down into a warm, relieving hug, showing the gentle side of her that she wasn't showing too often and Tommy appreciated it. He hugged her back, silently promising himself to never let them down again.

The emotions settled, and the room descended into a comfortable silence as the family gathered around Tommy's bed. Anna perched on the edge, close to Tommy.

"What day is it?" Tommy asked casually, his fingers entwined with Anna's. She smiled, sensing his intentions.

"October, 24th" Polly replied with a supportive smile, thinking Tommy was attempting to piece together lost memories. However, his intentions were different.

Shifting his attention to Anna, who now blushed and hid her face behind her palms, the family followed his gaze, a collective confusion settling in.

"October 24th" he mumbled with a sweet smile, his gaze fixed on Anna. "Happy birthday," he added, grinning at her shy attempts to deflect the attention.

"What?" Arthur furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

Polly's eyes widened in surprise, a realization smacking her square in the face. "Why didn't you tell us?" she exclaimed.

"I would have brought a bottle," Ada laughed, breaking the tension with her characteristic humor.

Anna frowned at Tommy, cursing him out in her head for drawing attention to her in this moment.

"I'd love that, Ada," John rubbed his hands together, laughing and receiving a glare from Ada, which he brushed off with a dismissive wave.

Rubbing her red face, Anna laughed, "I'm happy with how my birthday turned out," she gave a quick glance at Tommy, who continued to stare at her as if no one else were in the room.

"Should we sing for her?" Arthur mocked, scanning the room with a mischievous grin. "I'd rather get shot than hear you singing," John retorted, his finger mimicking a gunshot to his temple.

Arthur chuckled, "don't need to ask twice." Swiftly, he pulled out his gun, leaping from his seat and aiming it at John's forehead. John responded by jumping up, a triumphant grin on his face, pushing Arthur aside with his shoulder. The scene evolved into a playful spectacle, resembling mischievous kids. They darted around Tommy's bed, their laughter filling the room, each waving their guns in the air as if engaged in a mock standoff.

"Oh, calm your cocks down!" Polly yelled, rolling her eyes. Laughter erupted as Arthur and John ceased their antics, standing awkwardly as Polly scolded them.

Ada rose, breaking the tension. "I think it's enough," she grabbed her purse. "We should let Tommy rest now," her voice carried a tone of consideration.

Everyone agreed with her, saying their goodbyes and departing, leaving Tommy alone with Anna once again. Her heart began to pound in her chest; there was so much she needed to tell him, but she didn't know where to start. For the past month, she had been talking to herself, and now, he was here fully conscious, prepared to respond to every little thing she had to say. The prospect of breaking the silence after so many days left her feeling nervous.

Letting out a big sigh of relief, Tommy adjusted himself to get a better look at Anna, who was nervously biting her nails. Arching an eyebrow, he grabbed her hand and pulled her knuckles toward his lips, kissing them gently. Electric waves surged up her hand – he was intoxicating.

""What is it, darling?" he smirked, his face smug as he observed her realization. She jumped back a little, her mouth dropping open in astonishment.

"You heard?" she exclaimed in disbelief, causing his smug smile to widen.

"Yes," he nodded, a playful expression on his face, his eyes narrowed in amusement.

Laughing, she tried to mask her embarrassment. How much did he hear? Did he know everything that happened in the past month?

"The thing is" he began, placing a finger to his lips, pretending to think, "where did it come from?" he asked, looking up as if he was fishing in his mind where did the darling thing started.

It was an opportunity for Anna to hit back. "Actually," she grinned devilishly, "you started it." Leaning closer, she whispered into his ear with a serious nod, her lips pursed.

Tommy wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "When?" he asked, the playfulness disappearing from his expression, but Anna's grin only intensified.

"The night before you ended up here" she mumbled, a sorrow hitting her as soon as the words rolled out off her tounge, a bitter reminder of how scared and vulnerable she's been for the past month. It wasn't hard to notice her changed expression and Tommy was too smart not to understand.

Trying his best to cheer her up, he tugged on her elbow, coaxing her down until she was lying next to him. "Don't think," he whispered into her ear, planting a gentle kiss in her long hair. Pausing for a moment to create a slight tension, he added, "Also, I love you too."