Peaky Girl (Peaky Blinders ABO Omegaverse Smut Fanfiction)

Three

When I awoke at dawn and walked downstairs for breakfast, I found Charlie sitting at the kitchen table with a letter at its center, addressed to me in messy, lopsided handwriting.

"What's that?"

"Dunno, Ru." Charlie picked up his teacup and sipped at it loudly. "Peaky boy dropped it off as soon as the sun rose."

I collected the letter and headed out the back door toward the Cut. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, I brought the letter to my nose and sniffed it. Arthur Shelby's cologne of whiskey, gasoline, and exhaust fumes filled my nose. I ripped open the letter.

"Dearest Ruby," I read to myself. "Have you ever been to the cinema? I'll take you. Please come by Watery Lane at 6 p.m. P.S. Polly says to wear a nice dress."

Arthur Shelby's handwriting was atrocious and his lettering was off, but he had written me a letter nonetheless, and I pressed it over my heart as if I could absorb the meaning hidden inside. Arthur Shelby had just asked me on a proper date. A blush graced my cheeks, and I swallowed down my feelings. I had a whole day in front of me before my excursion with Arthur Shelby to the cinema.

When 5 o'clock came, I stuffed myself into the bath with my opium pipe. I smoked to forget my nerves, but anticipation ran in my veins like a second high. I dried my hair and combed it out until it was silky and smooth, falling over my shoulders and breasts to my hips. I dressed in one of my only dresses – the dress I had worn to Esme and Joseph's wedding – and twirled in front of the mirror set up on my vanity.

I was a small wisp of a creature with broad hips and an average bust. The dress was slightly too small, and it hugged my figure a little too well so that my hipbones jutted out from the fabric and my breasts stood out against my chest. It was low cut enough to reveal my collarbones, and the sleeves were short enough to show off the expanse of my muscled arms. The girl in the mirror had waist-length red hair and dichroic green eyes with brown in the center. My skin was tan from working outside, and freckles sprayed across my body. My bottom lip was slightly swollen from Danny's punch, and the slice across my brow stood out against my skin, but the swelling in my eye had surprisingly receded. I didn't enjoy makeup, so I didn't bother covering the injuries. I preferred a clean face. I did, however, spurt myself with a little of my reserve perfume to cover the natural honey scent that was exuding from me in nervous waves.

By 5:45 p.m., I stood knocking at the front door of Watery Lane. The door opened, revealing a grinning Arthur Shelby. He looked delectable in his multi-piece suit and his flat cap, and I wanted to kiss him right on the doorstep, but I could see Tommy and John sitting on the couch just beyond the door.

Arthur's bright blue eyes looked me up and down, and I shivered, feeling bare and vulnerable underneath his wild eyes. The grin on his face stretched across his cheeks. "You look stunning, gypsy girl."

"Cleans up nice, doesn't she?" John called from behind the door.

Arthur shot his brother a look.

"Don't leave her standing on the doorstep, Arthur," Tommy chided softly.

"Right you are, brother," Arthur said in his deep voice. He took his coat from the hanger near the door and stepped outside with me.

"How was your day, Arthur?" I asked as we began walking up Watery Lane.

Arthur blinked at me as if he didn't know what to say. "My day? It was –" He cleared his throat and started again. "It's just business."

I nodded in understanding. "Mine too. Been working in the yard all day in the sun."

"Why do you work at the yard?"

"Charlie and I made an agreement when he took me in," I explained. "I could stay as long as I work. So I work."