𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫
𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞
♕
𝘰𝘸𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘵
Birmingham
Small Heath, 1919
Dawn had awoken that morning with a buzz. Not because she had been drinking or filling her nose with illegal narcotics. No, she was buzzing from the euphoric feeling of fullness. A toothy grin on her face as she twirled an equally happy Theo round her finger, relishing in his free laughter.
For the night before was spent snacking on bread, leaving them both to go to bed with stuffed stomaches. She hadn't gasped awake with the familiar achy emptiness she was used to nor the grumble of her body's protests.
Today was her day off and she planned to spend the hours dancing around the the tiny flat to non existent music, surely annoying whoever lived downstairs but her happiness at that moment in time couldn't care less.
And little Theo was definitely feeding off his mums glee, with a cheeky smile painted on his lips from the moment he woke up to his mothers joyful humming, prancing out of the shared bed and joining her in a shared ecstasy.
It had been a few hours since then, and the both of them were lying on the bed, Dawns arms wrapped around her sons as she listened to him blab nonsense, though was joyful enough to encourage whatever randomness he spurted with matching beaming grins. Each of their blonde hair cascading their heads in a halo, they were truly in heaven.
But there's always that saying, it's too good to be true? Well that was more apparent now then anywhere else, for there time was up to be satisfied.
Hazardous shouts and screams of arrogance thundered from outside, like a beat of war drums, or a herd of wild animals stomped the streets, fuelling the trepidation that set alight in the air.
Dawn jumped from her position on the creaky bed, eyebrows scrunched in confusion, looking down to see the fear stricken boy below her, with a gulp she glides off the bed before kneeling in front of her son who had followed her move my mad at upright. "Reste ici!"𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦!
Dawn tiptoed through the flat, making her way to the doorway to seek the problem, though halting in her steps as alarms rang in her head. Roaring strides left up the staircase leading to her home, and before she could run back to the safety of the bedroom the, the old wooden door was kicked in. Hinges fell poorly on the splintering frame, the force denting the plastering of the walls beside her. A yelp had left her mouth but it was over shadow by the scared scream from the otherwise of the apartment.
Men sprung through the opening like a wildfire, trashing and contaminating everything they touched. And she was forced to watch as she was roughly pushed against the wall, grunting as they did so, her bones crunching at the pressure put on them as they were slammed back. "Lâche-moi, putain de cochon!" 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘮𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘪𝘨!
Though she was met with a growl as her spine once again cracked against the surface behind her, tears falling freely down her face as they raided. Yet another loud scream of protest rang her lips as they forced themselves into the bedroom, her threats floating idly in the room of chaos, "Stop, stop it you bastards!
Instead of being slammed back again like she was expecting, the cold callous hands holding her let Dawn drop to the floor in a heap, the men walking out the bedroom with a shake of their head, silently commanding the other to follow them out the house.
At the sight of them retreating, Dawn didn't hesitate to scamper to the bedroom, in hopes of finding little Theo unscathed. Though she's she reached the room she couldn't help the heartbreaking sob as the young boy and curled himself into a ball, hiding in the furthest corner with fresh tears cascading his face.
Dawn quickly fell to the floor and gathered him in her arms, hushing his cries in sweet weeps of hums, pulling him closer then humanly possible as he gripped onto her body. "Oh mon bébé." 𝘰𝘩 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘺. Her hands swept across his flushed cheeks in attempt to clear away the tears, holding him tightly as she spoke, "mon amour, did they hurt you?"
His sniffles filled the room, as he shook his head in attempt to ease his mothers worries, though his knee told her otherwise as it was blotted with red and nasty hues of discolouration painted the scene, "I fell, when they came in, trying to get off the bed."
Dawn bit her lip but nodded none of the less, backing away to examine the damage on his leg. It would definitely need a first aid kit but unfortunately she didn't own one in her flat- or she had yet to replace it from the last injury Theo had sustained.
Her words were soft as she asked if he could stand, and with her help the young boy hobbled onto his feet, though just as quickly as he did, his knee painfully buckled and Dawn was quick to catch him before he hit the ground. Hoisting the five year old on her hip despite the ache in her own ribs from the assault beforehand.
Dawn wasn't sure what was happening but quickly walking down the street carrying the young boy she could tell it wasn't just her who had the misfortune of uninvited visitors. With one hand holding Theo in place and the other nuzzling his head further into her neck before placing it over his exposed ear, in hopes of protecting him from the loud crashes and curses.
It was a four block walk to the flower shop, a place she knew held a handy first aid kit below the counter in case of an emergency mishap. And she only hoped the place wasn't as trashed as the houses surrounding the street. Fortunately to her relief, it was all still intact, either they hadn't made there way to shop on the corner of the market or they avoided it for all good reason unbeknownst to her.
Quickly unlocking the door, she waltzed in, placing the boy on the counter before weaving herself behind and under in search for the medical box amongst the clutter on the hidden shelves. When finding them she plonked it on the surface above her and stood, moving to the tap and filling a small bowl full of warm water, before crouch down in front of her son.
Opening the the box and fishing out what was needed. Her fingers brushed the cloth which was now soaked in water and carefully placing it on his knee, a hiss cut though his wavering lips and Dawn looked up to him with a bright humoured smile, "I thought you were a big boy eh?"
Theo managed out a laugh, throwing on his bravest smiles and crossing his arms, "I am mum! I promise! Can't feel a thing."
"Well my brave boy you definitely are because we've finished!" Dawns hands came to stop with wrapping the bandage and patted his other leg encouragingly.
Getting up she started packing away the supplies and tidying up the mess, getting ready to leave and clean the house they had left. But a tug of her arm casted her attention to Theo who was looking up at her with watery eyes, "I don't want go yet mum, please."
Dawn couldn't help but give in, a part of her too not wanting to go back the chaos, so she nodded her head and ruffled his hair, letting him know she agreed, and for the next hours busied themselves in decorating the shop with fresh flowers- replacing the old wilting ones (anything to help keep their minds off of it all)
♕
By the time Dawn deemed it safe to go home, it was already dark, and the word safe was now ironic considering the streets were lingering with angry drunk men raged at the raids earlier that day- drinking to ease their struggles and foul moods.
Once again Theo was hiked on her hip, as she swerved through the streets avoiding any areas which emitted drunken foolishness, ending her further from her house the what she started. But as she carried on walking through the dingy streets, smoke bellowing the air and a tower of blazing fire caught her attention.
Tired eyes exhaustedly locking onto the what they were burning and the figures around it, her orbs rolled back in exasperation, and she was careful not to scoff incase she woke the sleeping boy nuzzled into her shoulder.
Dawn made it her mission to scurry her way through, steering clear of the men provoking the fire, in order to go by unseen and out of interrogation.
With a speedy pace and ducked head she had made her way around, unknowing of the blue eyes that followed her moves, as she fell into the shadows, unaware of those trailing a couple of paces behind.
It wasn't until she got to a block from her flat did she realised something was wrong, adrenaline kicked in as her sense heightened, searching for the danger she was sure was following her. But she would've been stupid to stay, the fight or flight ringing in her head, and she definitely wasn't going to stick around and fight- considering her lack of skill and the sleeping five year old in her arms.
Speeding her steps so she was practically running, she weaves through the alley leading to her home, waking the the boy from his daze at the sharp corners she drifted, he didn't get time to ask what was wrong before he was placed on the floor. His mother above him fiddling for the keys which she remembered was useless against the broken door. Opting to try and slam it open which proved difficult to the pieces of wood wedged underneath.
As she did so, a prideful smile was yet to work it's way up her face as a voice startled her out of the silence she had lingered in. Ushering Theo inside the flat, she angrily turned at the sound of the familiar Birmingham slur.
"Send the bill to the peaky blinders, we'll be sure to pay for any of the damages."
A sarcastic laugh escaped her as she left the doorway, making her way down the cobbled steps and into the face of the gang leader, "That all? You really followed us five blocks in order to tell me to bill you? T'es en colère?!" 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘥?!
The upturn of his lips was not the reactions
she was expecting from him but when he smirked, the young woman faltered a little bit.
"No that's not all Dawn Johnson, In fact I'm inviting you to races."
Dawn was speechless, her mind completely boggled before she regained herself, and an unflattering cackle left her, one sprung form her heart in soul as tears streamed her face from her squeezed shut eyes. She even had to stop herself from doubling over by balancing a hand on the wall. But when she glanced back up and the man to see end to the bad joke, realisation pooled in her as she fell quiet,
"Mon dieu tu ne plaisantais pas-" her head shook in disbelief as she once agin spoke in English, "My God, you weren't joking!"
"Do I look like a man who jokes?"
Dawn knew it wasn't a question but decided to test his patience anyway, "Well Mr Shelby-"
"-Tommy."
Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, clonking a strange look to the man before he continued, "Call me Tommy."
Clicking her jaw in aggravation, she muttered incoherent French curses, turning to the man, this time finding courage to look him in the eyes, "Well Tommy, I'm going to have to.. decline your offer."
She watched in as Thomas Shelby rummaged his hand through his jacket pocket, after finding what he was looking for, grabbed the woman's hand and slid a couple of pounds into her grasped grip. "It wasn't a question, buy a pretty dress and make sure it's red."
For the second time in there three encounters, she looked on as he walked away, the only reminder of him signalling in her head as she tried hard to figure out what was rooting through his mind. And she knew that Tommy was calling in the favour she owed. Fucking fantastic she thought bitterly, wanting nothing more then to chuck his money back at him, though she knew not to cross the Shelby's and if she wanted then to leave her alone then she would have to play her part until he got bored.
Turning to leave back up the stairs of the flat, she was reminded of mess she would spend the night cleaning up, but before she fully disappeared into the fresh hold she heard the distant shout,
"-And buy some fucking' food while your at it!"
♕
That was long I'm sorry
𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫