His aura proceeded him. As though the very essence of Thomas Shelby entered the room, far before his powerful shadow even crossed over the threshold to your bedroom. Perhaps, it was the smoke that clung to his each and every step, following behind like a low blowing breeze. Or the way the atmosphere appeared to shift once Tommy's footsteps tore through it. But you knew, as you felt the cast of his sudden appearance spread across your back as if it were the beam of the rising sun, that it was Tommy's presence that made him a force in each and every room he found himself occupying.

For in a city where violence was as routine as the very falling of night over the smoke stacks and cold current of the calm canal, Tommy's manner surpassed the razor blades sewn into the peak of his cap or the weapon hanging heavy at his waist. It was a trait rare to most men, but with Thomas Shelby, all he had to do was step into a room for it to fall silent as if the very voice of death whispered itself over the crowd. The intimidation and pure exudation of power, that some men found when they aimed the pistol of their revolver at the face of their enemy, came from the mere glance of Tommy's iced over eyes. His face could be completely stoic as if it were chiseled out of stone by the very hand of God himself and yet, his eyes of pure and unscathed cerulean blue that belonged in a place far beyond the smoke and the smog of Small Heath, commanded a force which might even leave the Devil himself shaking.

They were a deadly beauty, one that could draw you in, only to drown you in a single shift in expression. But Tommy used his strong presence in place of bloodshed when he could and you had yet to met a single man, who could compete with the intensity that came from a man of such composed and unnervingly calm dignity.

"I ought to start locking my door up at night," Your voice broke through the void of silence that had settled over the night engulfed shadows of your bedroom, listening to your words meld within the warm marigold glow of the nearby flickering candlelight. "you never know what kind of bad men and drunken scoundrels might come strolling right on in."

The softest ghost of a knowing smirk tugged at the edges of your lips, as your fingers continued to work against the fabric of clean clothing you folded, setting them down against your quilt clad mattress. You knew he hovered in the doorway, leaning his body weight against the deep stained oak doorframe, nearly making it creak with it's olden age and worn wood. The smoke that trailed from his cigarette creeped into the atmosphere of the quaint bedroom, seeping a tinge of sweetness into the slightly humid air that curled itself around your senses. Forcing your lungs to inhale a deep breath tainted with the strong and unforgettable scent of Tommy Shelby. 

For whenever you found him standing in the confines of your less than spacious bedroom, you discovered that all of the little tinges of himself that lingered long after he abandoned the room, resurrected with a strength that was staggering. The aroma of his smokes, the intoxicating scent of his cologne, the breath of whiskey and the hint of evening wind seeped through the tweed of his clothes, appearing stronger than every before. Instantly, commanding control of every room Tommy entered, even if it were merely the bedroom you called home.

"Bad men," Tommy's deep voice rumbled through the atmosphere, as though it crept through the shadows like a predator, stalking it's prey through long blades of swaying grass. But even as it sent a single shiver climbing up your spine, spreading goosebumps across your flesh that remained exposed with your sleeves barely brushing over the tops of your shoulders, there was something in the essence of his Birmingham infused voice that was comforting in nature. As if it's slightly lulling quality, wrapped itself around you in an embrace that made you feel safe and protected in a way not another's hand ever could. "is that what I am, ey?"

Your lips twisted into the smile they'd fought to keep at bay, feeling as it curled up against the swell of your lower lip until it punctured the softest hint of dimples into the crevices of your cheeks. Thomas Shelby hardly laughed as he used to, since he returned home from France nearly a year ago now. The sound threatening to fade from your memories as each new day passed by, another set of hours untouched by the heartwarming sound of his laughter. But even as his laughter was as rare as the smile to stretch wide against his beautifully plump lips, there remained a playfulness inside of him that couldn't be killed. Perhaps, it appeared imperceptible to others or rather blunt and insensitive to some, but to you it reminded you of the man who laughed as if it were a gift from God that he hadn't intended to waste.

Smoothing the pads of your fingertips over the sleek buttons of your final blouse, you rest it down on the top of the stack of neatly folded clothing sitting on your bed, before twisting softly on your bare feet to face the doorway. "I suppose, it depends on what you define as bad."

Your smile remained steady on your lips, only fading to a soft hue as the essence of it's meaning lingered strong beneath the surface of your skin, as your eyes lifted from their sight against the worn floor panels beneath your bare toes and up towards the shadowed entrance. Your gaze immediately falling upon the strong silhouette of Tommy Shelby, leaning against the doorframe just as you knew he would be. The warming but slightly harsh glow of the swaying candlelight reached him in a pale gleam, lightly illuminating his lean frame, but it was the burn of bright citrine at the end of his cigarette that appeared brighter.

Clothed in a soft charcoal tweed, seemingly untouched by the faint mist fallen from the evening sky, with his right hand hidden away in the pocket of his trousers with his left exposed to flick away the ashes of his shrinking cigarette. His cap was in place upon the top of his scalp, rimming his head as though the crown of a Small Heath king. Concealing the sleek raven strands of his impeccably styled hair, leaving only the shaven sides clear to the eye, but this evening he'd pulled it up just enough that you could witness the soft glint of his blue eyed gaze that met your own. For Tommy so often wore his cap so low, that it nearly covered the extent of his eyes, but tonight he'd pulled it up a small fraction as if he'd known you'd crave to see his eyes for all that they were.

Tommy didn't respond to you, perhaps having nothing of note to say or maybe, you wondered, if it was simply a notion that he hadn't cared to have tug at his subconscious. For he knew, in the depth of his soul and from the voices of those who spoke it clear into the tainted Birmingham air, that he would all but go and drag you down into the mud with him. But even as Tommy was incapable of spotting the goodness left lingering inside of himself as easily as you were, you knew what kind of man Tommy Shelby was and bad, wasn't it.

He was a man of contradictions and demons and sins that would forever stain his ledger, but at his core, Thomas Shelby was the furthest thing from a bad man. If anything, he was a simply a good man who did bad things for the goodness of others, his family or the life he knew. So to some, he would always appear as the villain or a ruthless man, but to you, he was simply a man who did what he had to to make it through.

Blinking softly, as you found yourself drifting as you stared intently at the sight of Tommy's stilled and even expression, you cleared your throat in a soft rumble. Deciding to shift the topic away from Tommy's demons and internal struggles, towards something lighter and something that might just get the remnants of a long day off of his mind.

"I bought a dress," You smiled softly around the forming of your words, trying to conceal the extent of your excitement from seeping into the tone of your voice, but failing as you heard the inevitably bubbly nature dance along the atmosphere. "for the races. Would you like to see it?"

In just over a days time, Tommy was taking you to the races. Cheltenham, inviting you in an attempt to clear the memories of the previous years endeavors for an outing purely for the enjoyment of the horses and your close company. Although, you knew, the profit made in the gambling den just down the street nestled on Watery Lane and at the track he'd managed to take control of after Billy Kimber's defeat, didn't hurt the experience of a day at the races one bit.

You couldn't quite see the way Tommy's lips twitched around his stick of smoke, picking up on the elation softly expressed in your voice but you watched as he nodded his head in a swift and silent motion. Gesturing for you to show him the dress you'd went and purchased for the special occasion. Plucking the cigarette from between his lips as you walked over to your closet door, exhaling a trail of ashen haze that dissipated into the air as you pulled the gown down from the hanger.

"What do you think?" You inquired the man who stood calm in the doorway, having made not a single step forward into the bedroom, not even a perceptible shift in his stilled stance. 

The fabric was soft as your fingertips grazed against the lace resembling the finest hue of emerald, the silk of the billowing gown swishing back and forth against your legs as you held it up against your body, and swayed ever so softly to display the beauty of the cascading green fabric. With sleeves of a pure but intricate lace and a bodice that hugged your body as if it had been tailored just for you, it had been the first dress to capture your eye and knew instantly, despite the raging price tag, that it was the only dress you could see yourself wearing as you accompanied Tommy Shelby to the Cheltenham Races.

Your eyes had fallen down to gaze at the dress that made your heart flutter, feeling your wide stretch smile return in full, as you blinked and looked up towards Tommy, awaiting his thoughts. His eyes of piercing cerulean blue washed over you, taking in the sight of you holding a gown that engulfed the shade of nature hardly seen in a city stained with coal and cobblestone. His lips taking another drag from his nearly burnt out cigarette, as he remained silent, shifting only as he let the smoke trickle past his lips as he flicked the end to the floor and stomped it out with the sole of his shoe. Pushing his weight off of the doorframe, you listened to the soft descent of his footsteps taking their first strides forward into the bedroom and watched as Tommy drew near. 

"It's nice."

You could immediately feel the slip of the smile playing at your lips, faltering slightly at his words. A simple phrase only two words long, holding just as little emotion within their meaning as his expression did. "Nice?"

Tommy's hands disappeared into the hidden depths of his pockets as strolled towards you, until he was nearly a pace or two away from your own stilled stance. His eyes watched the floorboards his shoes creaked across, the guiding light of his blue eyes cast along the shadowed panels until his steps came to a halt. His head lifting in a single swift motion only as Tommy stood before you now and as his blue eyes rose to gaze into your awaiting stare of pure anticipation and the faintest hint of trepidation, they nearly knocked the breath from your lungs. 

His hands remained hidden in the confines of his pockets, but you watched as Tommy's tweed clad shoulders lifted in a sheepish shrug, the faintest ghost of an action coming from his composed posture. The swaying glow of the candlelight that began to dwindle from behind you, reflected against his frame and illuminated the soft pursing of his full lips, as his eyebrows rose with the softest hint of mirth. Tommy's eyes that bore into you with a strength that left you staggering for a breath of the oxygen tainted by the very scent of his presence, glimmered in the low citrine that bathed his being in a softening glow. Capturing the depth of the orbs that appeared time after time, deeper than the seas themselves, and glinted across the trace of a smile that reflected only in the faint shimmer of his cerulean consumed gaze.

"It's hard to tell when it's sitting there on the hanger," Tommy's gestured faintly with the slightest tilt of his chin towards the closet door behind you. "balancing on your door and not when it's hanging where it should be."

The remnants of your softly elated smile continued to falter from the surface of your lips, but this time, it slipped as a burning red hue absorbed the skin of your cheeks. Feeling the heat soaring through your face as your eyes peered up at Tommy's unnervingly easy and controlled expression, but he'd always had that uncanny capability. To light a blistering fire inside of you, while simply standing there as calm as if it weren't his very hands that discarded the stricken match.

Tommy's allure exuded from his pores just as easily as the pure intimidation and power flowed from his veins. It was staggering and overwhelming and damningly enthralling. For a simple look penned from the depths of his eyes, crashing over you until you found yourself no longer fighting beneath the current of his beguiling waves, could disarm you at your very core. His voice breaking down each and every wall of inhibition and common sense, as if the melodic sound of his self-assured and incredibly strong tone crawled it's way into the cavity of your mind, captivating you for all that he was. All the while, allowing his eyes to very nearly strip you beneath the heady glow of his blue eyed gaze.

Feeling your lashes began to flutter like the wings of a hummingbird against the soft skin of your cheekbones, as you felt the weight of his scrutiny build in the base of your thundering chest, you looked down towards the floorboards. Eyes landing against your bare toes that could no longer perceive the chill once seeping into your exposed flesh, only a burning heat running through you as if the fire roared through your very veins. Your tongue darted out every so swiftly, wetting the suddenly dry nature of your lips, feeling as the corners began to curl into the faintest hue of a light smile.

"Well, sadly Mr. Shelby," You spoke in a low tone, creaking softly as the words escaped past your lips as if you were just hearing the sound of your voice for the very first time. Keeping your eyes cast away from his steady frame, you walked the short step or two towards your bed to drape the dress of emerald silk and thin lace, across your pastel quilt. "nice will just have to make do. Because, I hadn't an extra hand in paying for a dress fit for the races, certainly not by the man who extended the invitation to me in the first place."

Even with your back to Tommy, you could feel the amusement beaming from his conceal expression as if it soaked through your clothes like the heat of the flickering candlelight. Your lips played with a coy smirk, finding entertainment in toying with a man who enjoyed anything but. Smirking further at the knowledge, that for you, he didn't mind it too badly.

Turning on your bare heel, you made the two short paces back to Tommy until your toes nearly brushed against the scraped tips of his shoes. Inhaling a deep breath of air that smelled of his rich and slightly spicy cologne, you peered up through the sprawl of your lashes and found yourself once again breathless in the presence of such blinding eyes. 

"The finest dresses aren't cheap, you know."

Your smile continued to grow against the swell of your lips, tightening and nearly conforming to the shape of your playful expression, as you watched the light in Tommy's eyes spark as he stared at you intently. His own beautiful curtain of thick lashes, dense in their rich matching raven shade, flapped in slow strides as his gaze washed over you. Staring into your own eyes for a moment or two, shifting back and forth ever so softly, before gliding down to glance at the swell of your mischievous smile. Flickering back up to your catching gaze as his tongue swept against his pouted lower lip, just as they began to part with words teetering on the very tip of his tongue.

Tommy inhaled a deep breath as he took one last stride forward, the soft exhale fluttering down against the flesh of your cheeks in a breath of warmth and smoke tainted whiskey. He hovered above you, the cast of his shadow consuming your entire being nearly extinguishing the feel of the candlelight against the small of your back, but you didn't feel an ounce of cold in his shade. If anything, it felt as if Tommy's silhouette burned with the heat of a thousand candles.

"Now," Tommy's voice seeped effortlessly from the part in his lips, flowing over the edge until it graced your eyes in a low and nearly gravelly nature, that simply fanned the flames overwhelming you from the inside out. His scrutiny consumed you as he stared down upon you with an intensity that wrapped it's arms around you, threatening to never let go. "why would I spend me money on a dress for ya, when it's just going to end up on me floor, ey?"

His words, forward and blunt and everything that made Thomas Shelby who he was, still managed to leave you weak in the knees. For he had an impeccable way of displaying his intentions, conveying his wants and desires, without having to actually say the words. It was as if Tommy Shelby knew the future and hadn't the time to waste on futile words of proposition and flirtation, for he knew without a shred of doubt, where you were to be at the end of the night. Maybe it should have bothered you more, his flippant and infuriatingly attractive self-confidence, in simply knowing that you were to find yourself wrapped in his sheets come the breath of fresh morning light. But you'd found with time, that it served you no good to fight the course of fate, certainly not with Thomas Shelby involved.

"Ah," You whispered in a breathless tone, peering up at Tommy through your lashes as you stepped the last pace separating your bodies. Resting your palms flat against the lean muscle of his chest, the heat of his flesh seeping through the fabric of his exquisitely tailored three piece suit. "so, that was your plan all along was it?"

The edges of Tommy's lips twitched in a motion nearly imperceptible, if your eyes had not been studying him closely, but it was in the depths of his gleaming eyes that reflected the extent of his tempting expression. "Oh, I have many plans for us."

Your spout of breathless, lighthearted laughter hadn't a single second to escape into the open air, before Tommy all but absorbed your smile with the capturing of his strong kiss. But you felt there, in the candlelit shadows, as your eyes fluttered closed with the feeling of his intoxicating touch, the way his lips curled into their own sense of a smile. Melding against your own with a mirroring tone of playfulness and for Tommy, the ever elusive feeling of unbridled happiness.

Perhaps, Tommy had stopped by that night, knowing his suit would end up on your worn floorboards beside the now disheveled pile of once neatly folded clothes. His head resting against a pillow that smelled of your jasmine perfume, losing himself into the sounds escaping past your lips in the softest breaths, instead of the sharp pinging of metal shovels against the far opposite wall. Maybe he'd come for that very reason or perhaps, he simply hadn't the strength to keep his hands away from you whenever you were in his sights. But you found, as your head rested against his bare chest and the gentle beat of his heart lulled you into a peaceful slumber, that you didn't care the reason. The end result with Thomas Shelby would always be the same.

Tommy was gone come the bright pierce of morning light, as he so often was. Having learned to untangle his bare limbs and shift his weight from the bed without ever waking you, leaving you oblivious to his absence until your eyes fluttered open to the fresh beam of a new day. But there in his place, beyond the scent of his cologne lingering on the sheets wrapped around your naked frame and the faintest imprint of where his body had rested bare beside your own in the dark hours of the night, was a gown.

A gown of twinkling blue, the tone of crystals embroidered into the fabric as if they'd simply stolen the shimmer of the stars as the new morning's light danced across them. The purity and warmth of fresh sunlight gliding across the shimmering reflection of ice. It was a blue softer than the one that captivated Thomas's gaze and yet as your now awakened eyes fell upon the sight of fabric more breathtaking than any you'd ever seen before, you couldn't help but think immediately of him. As if the man had gone and now owned the entire color blue, no matter the shade. 

You knew Tommy had picked this dress especially for you, knowing that not only would it look more than nice cascading down your elegant frame as you joined him at the races, but even better tossed in a pile at the base of his bed come the evening's bright moon.

The smile stretching across your lips could not be control and you hadn't aimed to reign it it. Instead, letting it continue to shine brighter and brighter against the swell of your mouth, as your fingertips dance over the twinkling fabric. Disbelief clouding your thoughts as you gazed upon the new gown Tommy Shelby miraculously discovered beneath the cover of night and brought it back to you, all before you awoke to notice he was ever gone. You'd long ago given up on questioning the man that is Thomas Shelby and yet, in that moment, your amazement became you and you couldn't help but question if there was anything he couldn't make happen.

A/N: Okay, this one is cute! 

This idea first came to me with the line that Tommy says about buying a dress, the piece of dialogue hitting me and instantly hearing his voice saying it and knowing I had to try and write something with it! I also wanted to do something a little more sensual and softer than some of my heavier and more emotional pieces I've done this far.

Softer pieces are already a tricky thing for me, as heavy, angsty and emotional pieces somehow come easier to me, and the trickiness was only heightened by the complexity of Thomas Shelby and the Peaky Blinders universe. For there is very little or at least, limited "softness" to this world, but there is romance and a softer side to Thomas that I absolutely adore, it's just about figuring out what is and isn't realistic for his character and how to shape it around that. I heard his voice saying some of these lines in my head and could see his face as he spoke them and that helps me know that okay, this is something that could come from Tommy. 

I hope you all enjoyed this piece. I am always hard on myself and doubtful of pieces like these, as I feel they read so much differently than some of my others, but I wanted a bit of a lighter, more sensual/romantic one shot and can only hope that I've delivered in a way that still manages to capture my writing and that you all enjoyed it!!❤