come home || tommy shelby || indefinite hiatus

its such a pity

Kit had been married away to one of the Shelby brothers when she was freshly 17, Arthur, though he was mentally unstable, stepped up, offering his hand in marriage in an attempt to keep the girl safe. She'd grown up with them, watched them develop into fine young men before the war. Her and John had always been closest and they would have been the pair to wed if it wasn't for his past love and the children she bore for him before her passing.

Arthur was a good husband, they shared little intimacy past cuddles and the occasional kiss, their relationship platonic for the most part. She knew Arthur had his eyes set on another woman, and she knew he only offered to marry her to save her from a fate that would have ruined her life. It was a pain she had to live with, to be married to a man that saw her more of a friend to keep his bed warm at night.

She slept in his bed with him each night, his arms slung around her waist in a pitiful attempt at comfort. She appreciated him trying, as he was the only one aside from Polly to know her past. Often she did find herself snuggling against him, pressing her side into his chest as his fingers danced sleepily across her arms as his forehead rested against her shoulder. Though sometimes she spent her time at John's, his house just a few buildings down. She helped with his children and on occasion she found herself wrapped up in his arms in bed, his lips on her temple in a soothing gesture before he coaxed her into sleep. These days Arthur was becoming even more distant and more than 2 nights a week were usually spent in the comfort of John's bed, tucked into his side.

And then there was Thomas. Thomas. Second oldest and head of the pack, a force to be reckoned with, a formidable man that commanded an entire room with few words. She admired him, both for his unwavering confidence and his pure ability to have an entire city eating from the palm of his hand. He was seen less and less as of late, at least by her, she knew the brothers were together daily, though she never managed to catch him for more than a few minutes. But she treasured those moments together, his blue eyes that bore into her, captivating and swirling as he peered overtop of his whiskey glass. It felt wrong, to look at another man that way, especially her husbands brother. But Arthur, Arthur had another woman and she was every way better for him than her, so why couldn't she look at Thomas that way?

"Y'alright darlin?" Arthur poked his head into the room she was sat in, it was Thomas' actually, she'd spent most of her time there when the boys were away at war. Arthur's room was too empty without the company of her husband and Thomas' room radiated a certain warmth, books piled up. She often found herself curled in a ball under a pile of blankets in the corner of his bed. She was being flooded with fits of emotions she was too weak to control as of late, and his bed was her comfort. Arthur knew what was wrong, though he also knew there was little he could do to help. So when he went into his bedroom to find it empty, he immediately moved to Thomas'. He didn't know if his brother knew of her infatuation with his room, with that certain spot on his bed that appeared to have a permanent dip where her body would rest.

Unbeknownst to him, Thomas had found her there several times after the brothers came home from a drunken night. She was always curled up in the same space, her knees tucked tight to her chest and her arms pulled up over her head in what appeared to be defence, often with a book abandoned at her side. Whenever he would question Polly, she'd brush it off with, your mattress is comfier, or, your rooms warmer, but he knew there was little truth to her statements. So every time he found her there he'd gently help her to her feet, noting how she always seemed somewhat upset or nervous when he did, and lead her back into Arthur's room.

He knew Arthur was having deals with another woman, Linda, and he'd heard him and Kit talking one night about divorce. Of course, she'd remain in the house, she was a Shelby by principle. They'd have to travel well into London to find a lawyer willing to divorce a Shelby, no matter how willing they are. They'd had few talks and he knew Kit had met the woman, Linda her name, and Arthur had arranged to move to her house after the divorce.
In a way, Thomas felt bad for her, though there was never a whole lot of romance in their marriage, he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to watch your husband fall in love with someone else after they failed to do the same with you.