Blind Date

John Shelby x Reader

You and John have both been set up on blind dates but you don’t realise it’s with eachother 

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“Do I have to go!” John yelled from the kitchen. Arthur and Polly walked in. Arthur laughed and Polly smirked.

“Yes. You fucking do! Or do you want to be scared of women your whole life?” Polly told him with a slap on the back.

“Shut up. I’m not scared of women!” John yelled at Polly. She laughed and lit her cigarette.

“Is that why you haven’t had a proper fuck with a girl in what is it? Four years. You can’t mourn forever.” Arthur told him.

“Shut up!” John retaliated.

“She’s a nice girl. I made sure there wasn’t any dirt on her, she lives around here but her father owns a factory so she cleans up nice. But she’s a Brummie through and through, wouldn’t leave her home even when her father got loaded and moved to a big house. She’s nice but wants to meet someone. She won’t know it’s a Peaky Boy so don’t scare her.” Arthur told him.

“Sounds like a stuck up bitch if you ask me,” John muttered and Polly hit him.

“John. Shut your mouth.” She hissed. “It’s a blind fucking date. You’re not even meant to know anything about her, she’s going into this with no understanding of who you are. So shut your mouth and get on with it.”

“Alright alright! I’m going, alright.” John stood up and went to the back door.

“Good luck John Boy!” Arthur yelled as he walked out the door. John held his middle finger up at him and slammed the door shut.

You were scared. Of course, you were scared. You always had dates. That was a lie. You never had dates, it wasn’t that you were scared of men or you didn’t want to go out. You just didn’t really meet any young men or you were busy at events for your father. Being his representative wasn’t ideal because people were always talking to you constantly about business. Plus they were all snobby old businessmen. Who thought you wanted to fuck them. Let’s be honest. There was no way in hell you would fuck their old cocks.

You had two female friends and they had set you up on a blind date but wouldn’t tell you who it was. They knew you liked a man with strong beliefs and one that could protect you and take you away from your fathers business because you hated it all.

Walking down a sheltered alleyway that led to the high street, you were looking down at the name of the restaurant written on the piece of paper.

John walked down the dark street and was focused on looking down to keep his face covered by his cap. He would never say he was nervous, but no Shelby man would. John had always been scared of women. Not intimidated like he sometimes was of Polly. It was different with young women he liked. 

Having sex with strangers was also different. John could be who he wanted to be, whatever personality he felt like being. These whores didn’t know him. Whores talked, that gave you a reputation and enhanced the scare factor. 

When he married Martha, he didn’t love her in the way a husband should love a wife. However sad and horrible that sounds, they were best friends. Martha understood him and he didn’t have to be someone else around her. At home, he was the fun dad that always was there for children. He and Martha didn’t have anything other than friendship and the odd intimate night. But Martha seemed to get pregnant all the time meaning John and her only had sex about five times.

They enjoyed going out with the children, going to big fields and letting the kids run around. Going to restaurants and treat Martha to a fancy dinner once in a while. He loved her but in the way that two friends care for each other. But John couldn’t handle anything else.

Either way. Marrying Martha was an escape from the fear of women and a way to distract himself from the business. Lizzie once told him he should “Get out.” Because she didn’t see the same thing in his eyes as she did in Tommy’s. She was right. John didn’t want to become as messed up as Tommy or nearly lose his children like Tommy or want to die like Tommy does. John wanted to find someone he could love and who could love him. Someone he could come home to after a day of hurting people and tell them everything. But that was hard when you were part of the Shelby family and the Peaky Blinders Gang. Everyone was scared of you or scared of what you could/might do to people.

But getting back to the present. John wasn’t focussing as he looked down and held his cigar to his lips.

Y/n was flicking the paper between her fingers and humming to something or other as she stared at the words. The words seemed to mess up into one big mess and she couldn’t read them.

John’s paces quickened as he got closer to the road that would take him behind the high street.

You looked at your gloved hand and pulled them up a little.

John breathed in the tobacco.

You breathed in stuffy air.

John scratched the back of his neck.

You crumpled up the paper

John buttoned up his overcoat.

You shoved the paper into your coat pocket.

BANG

John slammed into someone.

You slammed into someone.

“Fucking hell!” John said.

“Jesus Christ!” You exclaimed feeling something hot press against your shoulder.

Falling back onto the floor you looked in front of you and saw a man in a peaked cap with a cigar on the floor in front of you. Looking at your shoulder there was a hole from a burn.

“Shit.” You muttered as the man stood up. Looking to your shoulder you lightly fingered the smoky smelling black hole in your thin coat.

“Agh. I’m sorry.” The man told you putting out his hand. You took it and stood up.

“It’s alright.” You smiled and looked at him. The man crouched down and picked up a piece of paper. Standing up he straightened it out and look at the name.

“Are you going there?” He asked.

“Yes, I’m meeting someone.” You smirked then laughed as he smiled.

“Same with me. My brother set me up with a nice girl. That’s what he said anyway. I’m John.” He didn’t mention his second name.

“Lovely. I’m Y/n. My friends told me my date was part of a dodgy business but they failed to mention he was tall and attractive. So my afternoon should be interesting.” Holding your glove-covered hands together you pushed your hair out of your eyes.

“Shall I accompany you there. As a young lady in the dangerous alleyways of Birmingham.” Y/n looked around for a second then back to John.

“But you have to promise to look after me. Or I will beat you up.” You told him with a smile.

“Woah. I can tell you. I am scared.” He told you sarcastically. You took his arm and he led you onto the high street.

Walking into the bullring you came up to the restaurant you were supposed to meet your dates. But no one was waiting for you so John said his name was Shelby and someone showed them to a table.

“A Shelby. Ooh.” You said raising your eyebrows.

“Yeah. A Shelby.” He muttered.

“I don’t care. I mean. You seem nice and I don’t really know what your family do anyway so I don’t take notice of it.” You told him and he smiled under his cap.

“Should I take your coat Madame?” A man asked you. He looked like a waiter. Shrugging off your dark coat you revealed a light pink blazer with a matching loose dress that was in fashion. The waiter took your cost then looked at John. 

“And your coat and cap sir?” He asked. Joh has him a look up and down before giving him his coat but not his cap which he lay on the table. You noticed but weren’t alarmed by the razor blades in his cap.

“Thank you sir.” The waiter replied. You also noticed the outline of a gun belt under his blazer which he buttoned up.

“Why do you need razor blades and a gun?” You whispered over the table as the waiter left.

“How can you notice the holster?” He asked staring at you.

“I grew up around men with guns. All the males in my family bad them. So I can usually detect them, but don’t like them.” You told John.

“Your a communist and a pacifist?” John said with a smirk.

“There’s nothing wrong with it. But no. I agree in the use of artillery and smaller guns in war because you can’t hope to defend yourself without them. But I’m hardly a communist. I acknowledge the unjust treatment of workers and ex military men. But I can’t feel sorry for them when women have every less rights.” You took a sip of the tea in front of you.

“A suffragette. That makes sense.” John mused.

“How so?”

“You speak like my aunt. She’s all about being equal with a man and being the head of the family and always trying to do the right thing. You remind me of her in the way you speak to me.” What John said took you aback slightly. Of course, you felt that women deserve better and were worthy of their rights. But you had never met a man who felt the same.

“I’m happy that you seem to respect your aunt.” You said and he nodded.

“If I didn’t she’d kill me.” You laughed.

About an hour later, John and you were laughing louder than anyone else after he said something about a posh old man on the other table, and how he fucked a maid up against a wall. Then how one of the waiters slipped over and spilt food all over a woman and she started screaming. You tried to hold in your laughs but it just made them more obvious.

“Okay. Let’s go.” John said through a laugh. You stood up and was given your coat. John put on his cap and took his coat from the man. He left some notes off the table then headed for the door. You linked your hand through his arm and smiled. Walking back down the high street, so many people stared or looked confused at you walking willingly with John. You didn’t understand why. But you didn’t really know who he was either. But he was also better than whoever your blind date was going to be, you were just glad that he bumped into you before you met them.

“Do you live around here?” John asked.

“Yes. Two streets from your betting shop.” You confirmed.

“I suppose I’ll see you again then.” Coming up to near the betting house you stopped and looked at each other.

“Well. I’m glad my blind date didn’t turn up because I doubt anything about the old man fucking a maid would have come up. So in happy, you singed my coat.” You smirked and he grinned.

“Yeah. Thank you for taking my mind of things. Can I see you again?” John asked.

“I think so.” You told him then began to walk away. “Goodbye, John Shelby. Till the next time!” You yelled further down the street and he took off his cap so you could see his smile.

As John walked up to the house, Arthur was standing outside with a cigarette in his hand.

“How was it?” He asked.

“I had a fun afternoon. With a different girl. Her names Y/n and she makes me feel different I guess. But the blind date didn’t show so we just had lunch together.” John told his older brother as he looked into the distance at Y/n walking away.

“Are you fucking dumb?” Arthur yelled with a laugh. “She was the girl!”

“Really? I bumped into her down an alley and singed her coat. We walked to the restaurant together and-”

“YOU BURNT HER FUCKING COAT!” Arthur had never laughed as hard as he was right now.

“Shut up!” John yelled, embarrassed, and ran inside.