Peaky Blinders Imagines

Michael x Reader: Men Break Too

Michael x reader - you have been dating for a while and one day michael shows up in the middle if the night all drenched because its raining and he just falls apart.

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It had been an immensely stressful day for you.

You and your boyfriend Michael had a huge argument before he left with his cousins for business that morning. It ended with you both saying things that insulted and hurt each other. One you were now regretting, but not quite sure about Michael feeling the same.

Every business out didn't ensure coming home safely, and you know that. Polly had called you an hour ago asking if his son has arrived home yet. She too was worried because Thomas himself didn't tell her where they were heading to earlier.

So, there you were, trying to distract yourself from the plague of unpleasant thoughts you were having, by doing unnecessary cleaning and arranging around the place you and Michael shared, at thirty past nine in the evening.

You had cooked dinner but couldn't bring yourself to eat from worrying too much so you covered them up in case Michael later would be famished. If he even comes home. You almost slapped yourself from the unwelcomed thought.

It didn't help that a loud thunder growled outside, followed by heavy rain. You decided to heat up some water, and the kettle had only started to whistle when you heard that the front door creaked opened slowly and was shut.

Wiping your hands with, your feet quickly took you to the living room. You stopped in your tracks at the sight of your boyfriend, eyes down, drenched from head to toe, eyes red from what you assumed crying, and knuckles red with wounds that seemed to be almost dry but were hit by raindrops.

"Michael, are you okay?" you asked quietly, approaching him with careful steps.

He didn't respond.

You were now face-to-face with him when you reached out to wipe his hair away from his eyes. Your touch seemed to take him away from the trance that he was in and he caught your wrist and brought it back down. Looking into your eyes, all argument from that morning was forgotten when he leaned into your arms.

You were taken aback from the sudden gesture but nevertheless welcomed him in, running your hand softly on his back when you felt your shoulder getting damp and his low sobs were heard.

"It's going to be okay, love." You whispered to him, feeling his arms around your waist slightly tighten. You both stood there for a few more seconds when he finally pulled away lightly.

"H-how did you get used to it?" He asked, his voice cracking.

He had to kill again. You finally understood what had happened.

You worked for the family yourself and had been in numerous circumstances where a bullet between the eyes or a dagger plunged was the only resort. It was hard to come into terms with and you had no one back then to comfort you in the level that you needed aside from Polly trying her best to help you. So you knew how he felt.

"Let's get you cleaned up first, okay?" You asked him softly. He nodded and allowed you to guide him into the bathroom. He stood by the tub head down as you fetched the hot water.

When you came back, you poured it in with water from the faucet to get just the right warmth and started to helped him out of his wet clothes. Getting into the water, he couldn't help but let out a groan when he finally sat down. He didn't realize that his entire body was aching that much before. Looking up to meet your gaze, you offered him a small smile and took the bath sponge nearby.

"Do you want to talk about it?" You asked him as you were squeezing out water into his shoulders. You noted the small bruises that were starting to form around his chest and around his left eye.

"We thought the meeting was going well until we were ambushed with twice the number of men we had." He narrated. "I fought but with no intention of killing, leaving that to the others, but one man almost had me so I had to do it." He finished off, rubbing his palms on his face.

You nodded in understanding.

"Love, listen to me." You took his hand into yours. "I myself still throw up after every time it happens. The first time I had to do it, Polly took care of me and told me something that I'll never forget. 'You and the man you killed both have different lives, and different families. But what you both have in common is that you both went into this mess knowing that your lives would constantly be on the line. When people fight, and even when only one of them initially had intention to kill, the chances of getting out alive would still be half.'

Michael merely nodded at what you told him.

"So, it's like fighting for the only ticket home to my family." He told himself. You squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"I can't promise that you'll ever get used to it. But I can assure you that at the end of the day, your mum and I would be here ready to take care of you."

He grew silent, remembering the things he told you this morning.

"I didn't mean the shit I said earlier. I'm so sorry for hurting you." He apologized to you.

"I'm sorry too. We were both too angry." You chuckled. "I almost lost my mind worrying about you, knowing we weren't in good terms."

"I was a tad bit jealous of John bragging about his marriage earlier." He finally smiled, making you laugh.

"Let's not put ourselves at risk of heart attacks again, yes?" You suggested, one he eagerly agreed to.

"Hey love?" He called your attention as you stood up to fetch him his robe.

"Yeah?"

"I'm kind of famished." He guiltily said. He didn't want to trouble you having to help him cook.

"I thought you might say that. I already cooked for us." You smiled and went out of the bathroom, leaving Michael with his own thoughts about how lucky he got with you.