Gun metal and Daisies (Thomas Shelby)

"This is Karma."

If we want the rewards of being loved, we have submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known.

Dorothy and Thomas both woke up a number of times during the early hours of the morning.
They thought that maybe they had about three hours sleep, put together that is.

The first time; Dorothy woke up, her head jutted up and almost smacked her fore head on Thomas' chin.
He did still wake up anyway but no one was hurt in the process at least.

Dorothy peered around the room and once again saw Matilda shaking again. "Oh, poor girl" she whispered solemnly. It took a moment for Thomas to realise that the only way she could go help Tilda was if he let go of Dorothy's torso, but he got there eventually.

As Dorothy crawled over to Matilda's flu-induced fever dream fit, Thomas relaxed his head back down on the floor and inhaled deeply. After a moment of almost drifting off back to sleep, Thomas heard gurgles and small choked crying sounds coming from the small kids.

"Oh god. Is this what having kids is like?" Thomas muttered as he dragged his sleep worn body off the hard ground. He leaned over to Tammy's box and took the sniffling girl in his arms. He leant back against the brick wall, bouncing the crying girl gently, who quickly stopped fussing and settled again.

Thomas was relieved that her crying hadn't woken up the other kids, otherwise he'd be in an even deeper mess than before.

Thomas rolled his head to the side and gazed his half open eyes on Dorothy who had now settled close to Matilda. The girl had stopped shaking now with the added warmth.

The moment the two shared was short, but Thomas treasured the feeling, deeply worried he might never get the chance to lie with her ever again.

——

When sunrise came, Thomas only then realised that he had fallen asleep, the baby still tight in his arms. He placed the sleeping girl back in the box she usually resided in and took a step back, surveying the scene.

"How the fuck did I get here?" Thomas almost laughed at how his day and night had so drastically changed.

Soon enough, Dorothy started stirring as she lifted her head up slowly. Her eyes widened at the stiff pain in her neck. She truly did wonder how these kids slept on the floors and still walk the next day.

She lifted the arm Matilda had subconsciously wrapped around her body off her. Dorothy carefully tried to stand up without making too much noise, but the cracking of joints and her back felt louder than gunshots.

Dorothy half-stumbled, half-walked in Thomas' direction who had an indifferent morning face on.

Without any words she leaned her head on Thomas' chest to which he responded by wrapping his arms around her sleepy frame. Dorothy hummed in content, "mornin'" she nuzzled her nose further in to his chest.

"Mornin' Bons." He rasped back quietly.

The two stood in silence for a few more moments until Dorothy spoke up, "Ms. P is gonna kill me for not coming back after my break." She giggled quietly which Thomas cracked a smile to.

"Nah. Don't worry 'bout her... She'll get over it. Potentially by firing you, we'll find out." Thomas rested his cheek on the top of her head.

Dorothy whined at the thought of her getting fired. She didn't know what she would do if she got fired. She wondered what would happen to her family.

——

Slowly but surely, the world woke up. The small kids started to shift and soon everyone but Tammy and Matilda were up. The rain had stopped, luckily, so the kids weren't confined to the sickly room.