The only person feared more than the Peaky Blinders is Iviana Thorne
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Tommy Shelby left for France hopeful and in love, he returned empty only to find his love was gone. Their reunion proves how much the war changed them both but can they find a wa...
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0. fuck 'young and in love, heart attacks waiting to happen' ~ 1905
"Was that... okay?" Tommy sat awkwardly, looking everywhere but the naked woman laid in front of him.
"Tommy stop stressing, I've told you it was fine." Ivy reassured him, placing a hand on his bare arm. "Hettie did it with James a couple of weeks ago, she said the first time is always a little awkward."
"Good, good." He nodded to himself, reassured it wasn't just him being bad at sex. From the stories his older brother Arthur had told him, he expected it to be a lot more rough and wild than it was.
"We'll just have to keep doing it until we're pros, won't we?" Ivy clambered on top of him, causing Tommy to relax again. "Come on, we were running late before we started." Ivy rolled off him once again, collecting her clothes from the floor. Tommy watched in amusement as she attempted to flatten her messed up hair.
"Hurry up will ya?" She turned to him, frustrated before walking out the door. They couldn't turn up late together, that would be far too suspicious. Although, Tommy and Ivy were always together. Would that make turning up separately even more suspicious? Leaning against the front door, Ivy decided to wait for Tom.
As no one was around, she reached into her coat pocket and retrieved the slightly bent cigarette she had managed to sneak from her twin brother's case. He was the same age as her and yet was given a lot more freedom. Ivy hated the inequality but secretly liked being treated like a princess by her father.
She had barely two puffs before Tom burst out of the house. She was quick to hide the cigarette but the smoke in her mouth would have to re-emerge at some point. Caving in to Tommy's raised eyebrow, she blew the smoke into his face.
"You know your dad doesn't like you doing that."
"And since when do I care about what he's got to say?" Ivy placed the cigarette back in her mouth, taking a long drag. Rolling his eyes, Tommy took the cigarette from her lips and placed it between his own.
"You can answer the questions then when your dad smells smoke."
"The whole of fucking Birmingham smells like smoke, you really think he's going to notice it on me?"
The two walked side by side the short distance to Ivy's family home, which hid a secret betting shop in its heart. Ivy's father set up the business in 1901 with the help of Arthur Shelby Sr, Tommy's father.
Marching into the betting den, the couple were met with 14 beady eyes staring back at them. Mr Thorne and Mr Shelby were sat at either head of the table, each smoking cigarettes. Arthur Jr sat beside his father with Ivy's brother Freddie, both imitating their fathers with cigarettes between their lips. Across from them was little John, trying desperately to sit and act like his brother. Giggling at his actions beside him was Ada. She held one of Polly's children while Polly held the other one in the seat beside her.
"Where have you two been?" Mr Thorne asked sternly.
"Walking by the cut sir, lost track of time." Tommy fidgeted where he stood, visibly nervous.
"Is that why there's lipstick on your neck?" Arthur Jr piped up. Anna rolled her eyes as Tommy frantically wiped his neck of the substance that wasn't there. Ivy never wore lipstick, something he should've noticed.
"Sit down." Mr Shelby instructed, rolling his eyes. The pair scurried to sit at the large table. Ivy sat beside her brother with Tommy next to her, dangerously close to the father of the girl he had been fucking not even half an hour before.
"Now." Mr Thorne bellowed, scaring Tommy half to death. "The reason we have gathered you kids here is because we've been discussing your roles in the business. Arthur will be eighteen in a few weeks and as an adult, he will be taking a much a larger role than he already has in the running of things. This has been decided for a while but it got us thinking. Ada and John are still only 8 and 10 and so this is less for them but as you three are now 15, we think it's about time your roles became more prominent as well. None of you are in school anymore so from now on you will work here as us adults do for a pound a month. It's not much but it's a hell of a lot more than you'd get working down a mine. How does that sound?"
That was the day Ivy and Tommy's childhoods ended.
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1914
Ivy laid alone in the bed of her and Tommy's shared house. They had been officially a couple for almost five years now, the prince and princess of Birmingham. The business was almost entirely run by the two of them and life couldn't be better.
Tommy entered the room in only his undergarments, looking a little on edge. Ivy could tell straight away that something was up. She could read the look on his face like a book, nervous and anxious but with a hint of something else.
"What's wrong?" She sat on her heels, reaching over to hold her love. While he'd usually lean in to her touch, he forced himself to remain standing, taking several deep breaths. "Tommy, you're scaring me."
"Shush, I need to get this out." Ivy felt her mouth go dry. Had he done something terrible? Was there another woman? "I was going to wait until our fifth anniversary but with the tension in Europe, I need to ask now, I can't afford to wait another day."
Pausing to read her reaction, Tommy walked with shaking legs over to where the couple kept their clothes. Rummaging around his draw, he pulled something out but kept it in his tight fist to prevent Ivy seeing what it was.
Once back in front of her again, he slowly crouched down to her eye level, resting on one knee.
"Iviana Mary Thorne." He looked deep into her eyes as he opened his fist. She daren't look, baffled by what it could be. Instead, she kept her gaze on her love's icy blue eyes. "Will you marry me?" Her eyes widened as a smile spread across Tommy's lips. Not trusting her voice, she nodded her head frantically, finally looking down at the beautiful ring he was holding.
Practically leaping into his arms, the two shared laughter and joyous tears the entire night as they began making rough plans for their wedding.
~
The two were woke the next morning by persistent banging on their front door. Equally bewildered, the two decided to answer it together.
Whatever it was must be important.
After making themselves look somewhat presentable, they rushed down the stairs to see who was attempting to break their door down.
Tommy opened it to reveal Aunt Pol, looking as though she had seen a ghost. Her eyes were tear stained and her hair a mess.
