Peaky Blinders Imagines.

•Arthur Shelby•

Arthur, as sweet as he was to you, could not tolerate other men even looking in your direction.

With every new person you met, Peaky boy or otherwise, he made it abundantly clear that you and him were together. When you sat at any meal he was by your side, when you were walking to your sleeping quarters, he was there to escort you and hold your hand. If someone else were to even think they had a chance with you, he'd be the first person to let them know otherwise.

For this side of Arthur, you both loved and hated him; sure it was nice having a protective boyfriend and someone to always look out for you, but it was suffocating and was getting to the point were you felt as if he was treating you like some sort of possession rather than a girlfriend- an equal.

•

Tonight, you, Ada, Lizzie and Polly were accompanying the Shelby boys to a local boxing match, one in which your Arthur was fighting in, much to your dismay. You've known the Shelby boys since you were a kid, so violence and illegal activity is nothing new to you, and in all honesty you weren't afraid to get involved yourself; but with Arthur's PTSD and aggressive disposition, you always feared the worst when it came to events such as this.

Dressed like royalty in a blood red dress with sleek black heels and a fur coat to match- new of course, courtesy of your one and only boyfriend; you strut into the converted warehouse space that the match is being held at, arms interlinked with your fellow ladies, the boys left to trail behind. It's 7 o'clock, the boxing not scheduled to start until 8, but the place is already bustling with life, drinks flowing freely and the mood jovial on this cold autumn night, your red painted lips curve up into a grin at the sight of all the people, ready to have some fun yourself.

"C'mon girls, let's get ourselves a drink" Polly beams, leading you all over to the bar at the far side of the room, once again leaving the boys to do their own thing. You reach the crowded bar, leaning against it and waiting for one of the barmen to come over. It's not long before you feel a large presence to the left of you, you look to see, and a tall, broad man stands next to you- probably a few years your senior. "Hello there beautiful, can I get you a drink?" He asks in a deep tone, you laugh, although internally you can't help but roll your eyes, "Thank you for the offer, but I am perfectly capable of buying my own" You reply in an attempt to let the handsome man down gently, now he chuckles, stepping closer- but not so much so that you'd be uncomfortable, "I have no doubts that you are, but I'd like to" he pushes, and you can't help but admire the smooth remark.

You look over to the girls, all of which seem to be trying to find themselves a male for the night while getting themselves drinks, you then look to see if you can find the boys, but they seem to have disappeared, your eyes finally fall back to the man who watches you intently, "fine then, but on one condition, you tell me your name" you concede, letting a smile creep it's way back onto your lips, the man in front of you laughs again, "I think that's a fair trade, my name's Albert, and yours?" Albert answers, "it's nice to meet you Albert, I'm Y/N, I'll have a double whiskey, by the way" you cheekily keep the conversation flowing.

You're soon sipping away on your drink, friendly conversation flowing between you and Albert, his intent seeming to be nothing close to romantic, and in all honesty, you could see a friendship blooming between you both, it'd be nice to have someone to talk to that has nothing to do with Peaky business. "So, what's a lovely lass like you doing at a boxing event?" He asks, clearly curious, you tip the last of your drink back, swallowing it sharply, "I could ask you the same question, my boyfriend is fighting in one of the matches" you reply, leaning against the bar once more. Albert raises an eyebrow, taking a sip of his own drink, "oh really? I happen to be fighting tonight myself" he tells you, "I can't say that's a surprise, you boys seem to be all about beating the life out of each other" you joke, pushing his shoulder in a friendly gesture, making him laugh at you.

As conversation between you both begins to settle, you pull out a pack of cigarettes, "do you smoke?" You ask, offering Albert one, he gladly takes one, lighting his own before handing your lighter back to you. You both talk between drags, and it's not much longer before a familiar presence wraps his arm around you, although it's tense, and you already know trouble is brewing. You look up to see Arthur glaring at your new friend, "who's this?" His gruff voice asks, and you can't help the anger and embarrassment that brews within you, "Ah! You must be the lucky man, I'm Albert" Albert introduces himself, offering a hand for Arthur to shake- but he doesn't return the politeness, and that just pisses you off more.

"Why are you talking to him? You should be spending your time with me" Arthur demands, completely ignoring Albert's presence, and you can see it is making him uncomfortable, you on the other hand, are absolutely furious with your boyfriend's awful behaviour, and the comment he made. "Maybe, Arthur, it's because Albert actually acknowledges me as more than just a piece of meat, maybe it's because he actually takes an interest in actually talking to me rather than at me! Because you cleared off to god only knows where without thinking about spending time with me! Maybe because I actually want a friend that doesn't have to be approved by you! And just maybe, Arthur, I'm sick of being nothing more than a possession to you, to only ever be taken out when you wish to show me off like a prize show horse!" You grind out through gritted teeth, forcing yourself out of his grip and shoving him away from you. Arthur is shocked at your sudden attitude shift, left speechless as you apologise to Albert who can only give you a small, sad smile as you walk away, pushing through the crowds of people, your foul mood a huge contrast to the people around you.

You finally make your way outside, the chill air of the night nipping at your exposed legs and face, you lean against the hard brick of the building, allowing it to steady you as your mind races with a thousand thoughts. You love Arthur, you really do, and maybe you overreacted, but you cannot live your life in isolation because he wants to protect you, because he's scared he'll manage to lose you in the chaos that is your lives, you need to be able to really live, and as much as you want that to be with him, you cannot be shackled and contained your entire life. You stare up at the endless black night, watching the twinkle of a billion diamond stars breaking the dark blanket of sky above you, it allows your heartbeat to steady, and slowly with it, your mind.

"I didn't think you'd have gone far" that voice that has brought you so much joy, and yet so much sorrow too, echoes off of the surrounding buildings. You breath a deep sigh, forcing yourself to look the man you love in the eyes,  "how could I go far when I always seem to be drawn back to you?" You ask, although your question needs no answer. Arthur moves so he's in front of you, his hands moving to rest on your waist, your back firmly up against the wall, you look up at him, waiting for him to say something that'll give you a reason to stay. "Did you really mean what you said back there?" He asks quietly, his voice broken, and yet, still hopeful that you'll say you didn't.

You stare up at him, quietly taking in all of the features that had captured you almost three years ago. Moving your hands up, you cup his cheeks, using your thumbs to wipe away the couple of tears that had managed to slip through Arthur's tough barrier. "I do Arthur, I really do, but it does not mean that I have stopped loving you- because that'd be impossible" you whisper, leaning up and pressing your lips gently against his, instantly he kisses back, the grip on your waist tightening.

When you pull away, all it takes is one look into your E/C eyes for Arthur's brutal demeanour to crumble, he buries his face into your neck, letting the tears fall, not caring who sees. "I love you so much Y/N, I- I just, I'm afraid, I'm so scared because you're far better than anything I've ever had, and I know I do not deserve you, but you put up with me, you're always there when I need you, and, and I just want to protect you, because if I lose you, I lose the one thing keeping me going" he sobs into your shoulder, making you wrap your arms tightly around him, hoping that the embrace will say all you need to, because there are no words to describe how you feel.

"I love you Arthur, deserving or not, you cannot chose who you love, and I am not going anywhere" you whisper, kissing his temple, letting the stars bare witness to all of tonight's  confessions.