Alfie Solomons Imagines

Careful (Part Two)

Alfie walked through Birmingham with his stomach doing flips. He'd caught up with you and explained what Thomas had suggested, he hadn't expected the sharp slap across his cheek, nor the refusal to open the door to him.

On the way up to Birmingham he found himself questioning just when it was that you became more important than an incredibly lucrative deal, even Sabini had offered some form of peace if Thomas didn't listen to Alfie.

"I'm 'ere to see Mr Thomas Shelby." Alfie snapped to a young man who was hanging around the Shelby INC buildings.

The boy scurried off and returned with the orders to show him to a back room, Alfie let his mind wonder as he waited for Tommy, he had very little wiggle room and he had no doubt that if he'd never hear from you again if you were forced to go through with it.

"Mr Solomons, my boys tell me you have some business to discuss." Tommy said as he strolled into the room.

"Yeah, just a few tweaks to the contract." Alfie muttered as he took a deep breath and turned to face the Blinder.

"Oh and what exactly did you have in mind?" Tommy's voice was low with suspicion as he watched Alfie cross the room.

"I can give you a small increase in your profits." Alfie started and he could see that he'd peaked Tommy's interest. "But (Y/N) has to be taken out of the contract."

"What sort of increase are we talking about?" Thomas asked as he lit a cigarette.

"The most I can do is five percent more than I'm giving you now." Alfie waited for Tommy to answer.

"Right, I'll have to think about it and I'll get back to you when I planned to come up originally." Tommy stood to dismiss Alfie, who knew better than to start trouble in Tommy's city.

Alfie wasn't surprised that you'd decided to go into work during his time away, in your absence his office had become a war zone so it's sudden cleanliness was a clear indicator that you'd been in for at least a few hours.

At the end of the day he walked to your house, stepping back when you saw it was him and glared at Alfie, the exhausted look in his eyes had you eventually beckoning him inside.

"You went up to Birmingham." You said once you'd made Alfie tea. It was an odd thing to see the feared hulking man drinking from a delicate tea cup, you smiled fondly and waited patiently for him to collect his thoughts.

"I hoped if I offered the Blinder more we'd be able to alter the contract." Alfie sounded disappointed as he glanced at you.

"What'd he say?" You hummed as you took a seat next to him.

"That he'd think about it." Alfie sighed. "I'm sorry Darlin', I have no idea what he's going to decide."

"You can't ask Sabini for help." You mumbled taking him by surprise.

Alfie couldn't help but feel the swell of pride in his chest, you'd robbed him, that was how you first met. Unable to read or write and your concept of business was to pick out the weakest business man you could find and rob him blind.

Now here you were, sat with him in your living room discussing business with deadly enemies as of being married off to one of the said enemies wasn't a possibility.

Your conversations carried on late into the evening and you had become so used to Alfie being in your home that neither of you found it odd when you served dinner and continued to talk over the meal.

The crack in your silent treatment put a notable swagger in Alfie's step, your stubborn quiet period showed him that he really did depend on you for the little things that eventually grew into the bigger things.

"Alfie!" You snapped, the cockney stopped his march through the bakery to look in the direction you'd called from. The look on your face had him feeling like a scolded school boy and both of you knew only you could get away with speaking to him this way.

"What've I done now?" Alfie asked as you handed him some papers and a pen.

"Nothing I just couldn't find you, sign please." You said quickly.

"Right, right, now I need you out of sight.... Shelby's about to turn up and I don't want him getting more ideas." Alfie said as he handed you the now signed papers. He waited for you to be tucked safely away with several guards, giving in and letting you fix the piles of paper work when you refused to go home.

"So we've thought over your deal." Tommy said as he finished up his second tour of Alfie's buildings.

"Oh?" Alfie asked nervously.

"We'll take four percent but the girl's collateral." Tommy said as he waited for Alfie to start yelling.

"Well it's a start ain't it." He said surprised by the offer. Thomas left and Alfie hurried to find you to tell you the new deal, which was marginally better than before.

Alfie half expected another slap however, you flung your arms around his neck mumbling gratefulness in his ear as his arms pulled you tightly against him. It was then, with you stood on your tiptoes and your head rested on his shoulder that he realised why he wouldn't give you up to the Shelby's.

These small gestures that had become the norm were gestures that he'd claimed as his, a hand on your waist, a kiss on the forehead, a small army of men to walk you home. No man in his right mind would give you up and he had no intention of ever getting that close to losing you again.