Peaky Blinders | Imagines and Headcannons | Tommy Shelby | Redghs

A Daunting Prospect | Tommy/John

Warnings: Swearing
Word Count: 1566

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Every month without fail, the Shelby's would come together for a meal - a chance to talk about family, to leave work and the dodgy dealings of the Peaky Blinders at the door. You couldn't count on one, let alone two, hands how many of these gatherings you'd attended, first as a friend of Ada's - 'You're practically family!' Polly would exclaim - and then as John's betrothed, soon to be the mother of his first child.
Usually, yourself, Ada and Polly would set the table - making sure everybody had a placemat and napkin before dinner was served. And now, the three of you gathered in the dining room of Ada's home, finishing up and having some time to yourself, talking about the rest of the family before they arrived.
"So, how's the pregnancy going?" Ada questioned, placing a glass at every setting on the table, a hopeful smile awaiting your answer. Instinctively, you brought your palm to your stomach, gently massaging circles around your belly, setting a knife and fork beside each napkin.
"It's going well. Morning sickness has been a bitch, though" You chuckled and Ada and Polly joined in, a knowing look shared between the two Shelby mothers. Polly lit up a cigarette, taking a drag from the cylinder of nicotine before putting the wine Tommy had bought for the dinner in the middle of the table - a single bottle that wouldn't last five minutes with the likes of Arthur and John present.
"Not long to go now, is there?" Polly pushed before releasing a spindle of greying smoke into the air around you.
"Well, if that little bugger is anything like Karl, I'd urge you to hold it in..." Ada interrupted laughing at her joke, taking the last gulp of her own wine and pouring a fresh dose of crimson into the stained glass. You grew slightly nervous as Polly began to speak again, adding her own horror story onto her niece's.
"Oh, our Michael was a menace! He was my first, mind you, but Jesus, did he come out stompin'!" You gulped at Polly's anecdote, mustering a weak smile and giggle to hide your worry as you continued to massage your belly, taking a step back from the table and chewing at your lip slightly. You knew you'd be fine, Ada and Polly were only messing, preparing yourself for the worst. John was by your side, also, day and night, watching over you and making sure you had everything you needed: Extra cushions for your back; a hot water bottle to soothe your aches and pains; he'd even made you breakfast in bed once or twice when you were too drowsy to stand.
However, before you could voice your concern - going over any birthing tips the older women may have forgotten to tell you - the front door clicked open and Arthur's familiar 'Oi, Oi!' erupted throughout the hall.
"Arthur, what have I told you! Karl's asleep upstairs!" Ada yelled back, teeth gritted, no quieter than Arthur had bellowed originally and in return, the toddler began to scream - perhaps at all the sudden shouting, or perhaps it was Finn's slamming of the door.
"This family, eh?" Polly muttered to you, shaking her head and taking a final drag at her cigarette before stubbing it out and heading into the cacophony of noise flaring up in the hall. You stayed put, taking a sip from your water, trying to calm your nerves - nerves which you told yourself were nonsense, but made your heart skip nonetheless.
From the dining room you heard the whole Shelby family greeting each other: Tommy's familiar low drawl as he hugged Polly; Michael's chuckle as he saw Karl, who was now walking down the stairs with Ada; and your husbands authoritative voice when he asked for your whereabouts.
"So where's my darling wife, eh?" He questioned, entering the dining room, a large smile curving the corners of his lips as he saw you. "There she is!" You chuckled at his excitement as he took you in his arms, placing a soft kiss below your lobe. As you wrapped your arms around John's waist, the nerves you felt dissipated, meaning nothing more to you than the greying whispers of smoke Polly blew into the air.
"John!" You giggled, smacking his back playfully "You saw me two hours ago, let go, let go..." You laughed into his shoulder and even though you didn't want to leave the safety of his embrace, you pulled away as the Shelby's entered the room, Arthur bellowing once more as he did.
"Avert your eyes everybody! We have the love birds over here!" He joked and John voiced a mocking 'fuck you' as you all sat down, John to your left, Tommy to your right and Polly in front of you.

-

The night went slowly. It was nice to see everybody again, you'd been housebound for the past couple of weeks, being too weak to even stand. But as the clock ticked on, itching closer to seven, eight, nine, each person broke off into the cliques: Arthur chatted to Michael about boxing; Ada cooed over Karl as he ate his carrots; and John spoke to Polly and Finn about God knows what.
It was only when the room was filled with a multitude of different conversations did you acknowledge Tommy beside you, pouring yourself another glass of water as you did so.
"Lovely evening, isn't it?" You asked, a slight, pleasant smile curving your lips.
"What's the matter?" Tommy questioned suddenly, his voice hushed and secretive.
"I don't-?"
You've been shaking all night, you're quiet too. Nobody else has noticed, not even your husband, but look..." Tommy flicked his head to your recently poured glass of water and upon inspection, you realised only a quarter of the glass was full - the rest had spilled onto the table, making an oozing puddle around your plate.
"I-" You tried to speak, however only an inaudible gasp escaped your lips. Did Polly and Ada's stories really have this much of an effect on you?
"Y/N, are you okay?" Tommy asked, genuine concern running through his voice, but all you could do was stare at him, mind ran rabid, mouth ajar in imaginary talk. After a moment you finally spoke, this time to the whole table rather than Tommy himself.
"Would you excuse me for a minute?" You spoke as politely as you could, trying to mask the nerves that made themselves prevalent once more. As you stood, John gripped your wrist gently, a loving gaze staring up at you. "I'm okay- I just need some air, the beef has knocked me sick..." You chuckled, once again trying to mask your true feelings as you exited the room, making your way down the hallway and into the garden.
The summer sun was setting, hanging low in the sky, however her rays still blessed you - illuminating your arms and legs, a pleasant warmth blanketing your skin. The air around you was fresh, a cooling whirlwind wrapping around your ankles. It made a change to the setting inside. The homely smell of beef and roast potatoes, the thick aroma of cigarette after cigarette and the symphony of sound leaving everybody's mouths. You hadn't realised how nervous you had really been until you stepped outside, where the only sound came from the birds and the odd child in the distance and the smell was calming and crisp.
You could stay out here forever.
Although, a couple of minutes after you had left the table, the door behind you clicked open and you suspected it to be Polly calling you back in, or even John to see how you were. However, when you turned around, you were instead greeted with the leader of the Shelby family: Tommy. A confused expression graced your features as he stood beside you, thrusting his hands in his pockets and admiring the view with you.
Nothing was said for a while, but the silence wasn't awkward. Tommy was your brother-in-law and on the day John proposed, he took you aside and told you he'd protect you no matter what. 'You're a Shelby, now Y/N, that's all that matters...'
It was you who spoke first, arms folded, swaying slightly with the breeze.
"I'm nervous about the baby..." You said simply, your voice a mere whisper as you turned to face Tommy. He began to nod and gulped, realising he may be in out of his depth.
"You'll be an incredible mum. And John will be an amazing dad, you now that..." You laughed slightly, realising how silly your words were before you even spoke.
"Ada and Polly were telling me stories and-"
"Oh, ignore them. They could talk for Britain, those two" At this, the two of you started laughing, and as the chuckles petered out, Tommy took your shoulders in his hands.
"You have nothing to worry about, Y/N. We'll always protect you, keep you safe, yeah?" You nodded, knowing the Shelby's would never let any harm come to you - especially John and Tommy.
You sighed deeply, another small smile tugging at your lips as Tommy pulled you in for a hug, your cheek resting neatly against his chest.
"Now what'd'ya say we go back inside, eh?" He smiled down at you, rubbing your back with his palm, placing a kiss on the crown of your hair.