PUBLISHED: 19/05/2022

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 27

PUBLISHED: 19/06/2022

!!FIRST PART HERE!!

Part 1

MASTERLIST

TAGLIST

THIRD PERSON'S POV

You adjusted the dish filled with sweets on your coffee table for what felt like the millionth time as you waited, Finn pacing back and forth in front of the door.

The cat even looked agitated, kneading at his pillow impatiently.

A knock sounded upon the door, and you flew up, walking over to the door, Finn already opening it.

There stood Tatiana, who you assumed was Tatiana's husband; Trevor, and John's six kids, each of them, bar the baby on the oldest one's hip, carrying a rucksack.

Esme was pregnant with his seventh and last, soon to give birth. You had a dream that her and Lizzie went into labour on the same day, Lizzie having Ruby and her having a little boy named George the day after. You hoped it was a vision and not just a dream.

"Uncle Finn!" One of the older ones said as she ran up to him, hugging him.

The rest followed suit. The two adults stepped through the door, and you told them to make themselves comfortable, going and putting on the kettle. They went and sat at your new dining table, one that was big enough to accommodate you, Finn, and the six kids, not that Sophie would need her own seat, you and Finn would probably sit her on your laps.

"This is my wife, (Y/N)," Finn introduced you to the kids, "And this is our cat, Finn Junior."

You waved and gave them what you hoped was a motherly grin as you hurried over and grabbed the dish from the coffee table, holding it out for one of the children to take.

One of the younger ones came and took it, uttering a 'thank you.'

"I'm Katie, and this is Colin, Mary, Lachlan — Lockie, John Junior — JJ, and baby Sophie," Katie said, then nudged the baby on her hip, waving towards you.

The baby grinned and did a hand clenching and unclenching wave, making you chuckle.

"Does your cat scratch?" Mary asked as she walked over to Finn Junior.

"Only when he needs too, if he starts to walk away from you that's a good sign he wants to be left alone." You advised, going back over and helping Finn make the cups of tea, one cup of coffee for Trevor, and carry them over to the dining table, then sitting down next to your husband.

Trevor had taken the head of the table, with Tatiana to his right, and you and Finn to his left. It was a smart move, taking the head. To you, that was where the host or the person with the most power in a situation sat. Trevor definitely had the authority here.

"Your beds are in the last room down the hall on the right, me and (Y/N) have made up baskets with your names on them full of fun stuff, she evens knitted you all a sweater each," Finn informed the kids.

They all rushed down the hall to go check it out, followed by the cat.

They'd be sleeping in Finn's room, on his bed and the two trundles. Most of his bedroom floor was taken up by the beds, but he didn't mind, not if he got to see his nephews and nieces again. It had a plus side too; he'd get to sleep with you. He usually did, but this would be different. He had an excuse not to sleep in his own bed. He liked sleeping in yours, getting to wake up to you in the mornings.

"So. Esme has rules for her kids staying here," Trevor began, making you and Finn nod.

"Rule number one, also the only rule, no other Shelby family adults coming to see them, especially not Thomas Shelby. The kids, their cousins, can, but not the adults." He announced.

Finn sighed, but nodded. Annoying rules, but at least the kids were here. Maybe, if this visit went well, you'd be able to get the kids again.

"How has Esme been?" You asked, wanting to move the conversation so the atmosphere wouldn't become stuffy due to uncomfortable conversation.

"Good," Trevor replied, leaning back into chair, making himself comfortable, "She's due with the baby soon."

"I had a dream about the baby. She'll have a boy, with curly brown hair and blue eyes. Shelby eyes." You replied, making Finn freeze.

This didn't go unnoticed by you, who easily shifted your teacup into your other hand, taking a sip, and with your free hand sitting it just above your husband's knee and rubbing his leg reassuringly.

Trevor nodded, unperturbed as he drunk his own coffee.

"How does it feel? To be married to someone you don't love?" Trevor asked, making Tatiana choke on her tea at the lack of tact her husband had.

You quickly moved around the table to help your cousin, but Trevor just looked between the pair of you, brown eyes unforgiving.

"We don't hate each other anymore, so it's easier." You replied as you stepped back around the table and settled back into your chair, drinking the last of your tea in one go.

"But it was a nasty thing of our families to do." Finn added, taking the first sip of his own.

Trevor smirked, "I wouldn't expect anything from a Gold. Marrying his children off into a diddicoy family."

You squeezed Finn's thigh, a sign for him to stay silent. You knew if you took the bait Trevor would pack up the kids and take them away just as quickly as he brought them here.

"It was only so she didn't end up with the likes of your younger brother," Tatiana shot back gently, reaching up and pinching her husband's ear playfully, making you and Finn's eyebrows rise up.

It was news to him, and to you. But, it made sense. If your father didn't want Bonnie to be successful so badly, then maybe you'd be married to one of the Lees to quell the fighting going on between your families. Or maybe a Fury boy, to tighten alliances. Hell, you swung both ways, maybe your father would send you off with a girl from either families. But, as you sat next to your husband, you were glad that you ended up with him.

You weren't stupid. You knew your dad was going to marry you off someday, like he was trying to do with Ezzie. You were women, expected to go settle down soon. If anything, Ezzie was overdue to settle down. Bonnie and your father were lucky. They were men. They got to do whatever they wanted.

"You've broken his heart, you know," Trevor mused, a smirk playing upon his face, "But, I suppose, with the way you and your husband oh so dearly love each other, I can forgive you."

You chuckled, and internally cheered. You won this round. He saw you and Finn as acquaintances, rather than annoyances for taking away his little cousins. For that, you were thankful.

The kids came back out with their baskets, talking amongst themselves. Finn hurriedly drank the last of his tea and went over to them, grabbing Sophie off of Katie and grabbing a toy out of Sophie's basket, showing it to her.

You watched at how your husband effortlessly interacted with the kids, and wondered; would that be him and your kids one day? Would you have kids one day?

"How's Bonnie's boxing going?" Tatiana asked you, making you look back at her.

"Oh, it's going well. Thomas and Arthur, they're good at promoting him," You answered, sounding far away, and Tatiana kicked your foot under the table, raising her eyebrows.

You were flustered. Six new kids in your house, ones that you only just met. And, to top it all off, you had to make a good impression on them. They were Finn's family. You knew he cared for his nephews and nieces much more than he cared for his brothers and sister, so you had to make a good impression. You didn't want to think about what would happen if they didn't like you.

You heard a knock on the door again, and got up, hurrying over to it, opening it.

Karl, Saoirse, Charlie, and Billy were there, with Jenica.

"Just came to drop these four off," Jenica said before the kids pushed past you and entered your apartment.

"The wife and I will be off then," Trevor said, making you spin back around to see him rinsing his and Tatiana's cups.

Tatiana came over and embraced you, saying see you later. Trevor told the kids that he would be going, but the kids barely even looked at him. He and Tatiana left your apartment, shutting the door behind them. They would be staying at Jenica's for the weekend, just in case anything happens to the kids.

You went and stood by the open living room window, looking out of it and breathing in the fresh air. Finn noticed the bothered look on your face and came over.

"What's wrong, love?" He asked quietly, making you turn and face him.

"It's just sort of — stifled in here. We've only a small apartment, Finn. And — what if the kids don't like me?" You said, lowering your voice at the last part.

Finn chuckled, making you frown.

"(Y/N), they'll love you. They'd be mad not to." He reassured, and Sophie reached out towards you, wanting to be held by you.

You grabbed the baby, and she clapped her hands in glee, then leaned up and gave you a kiss on the cheek, making you giggle.

"See? One down, five to go." Finn said, putting a hand on your upper arm and leaning down and placing a kiss on your forehead, then rubbing your arm comfortingly.

"(Y/N)! Mary and Katie want to know if you'll braid their hair!" Saoirse called out, "And I want you to do mine too!"

You looked over at the girls, who quickly looked away.

"Of course I'll braid your hair, do you girls have brushes?" You replied, going and sitting down on the couch.

"Katie packed them," Mary said, making Katie look at her funny.

"No, you said you were because I was finding Sophie's shoes!" Katie pointed out, making Mary frown, but nod.

"No worry, we'll buy a brush later for you two if you wish it," You said, waving your hand in a 'don't worry about it' motion, "Sersh, go and get my brush, comb, hair tied, and ribbons off of my vanity please."

Your sister nodded, running down the hall.

"Have you lot had lunch yet?" You asked Katie, who shook her head.

"Well, after I do your hair, how about we go and have a picnic at the park?" You suggested, and the children cheered.

"Can we bake cakes and take them with us?" John Junior questioned, momentarily looking away from his new toy horse.

"Of course we can, let's go pick some cake mixes." Finn answered, picking the boy up and carrying him to the kitchen.

Saoirse came back with everything you asked for, and placed them next to your feet.

"Me first!" Katie shouted, sitting on the floor between your legs.

"My hair's a bit knotty," She added as an afterthought, "I had my hair down and it was windy."

As you gently undid her bun, you could see that her hair, was, in fact, very knotty. You grabbed your brush and started at the very ends of her hair, grabbing her hair at the nape of her neck to make sure you dragging the brush through her hair wouldn't pull her head back too much. You slowly worked your way up, making sure to not hurt her scalp as you finished detangling her hair, then parted it down the middle.

"Do you want a normal braid or a reverse braid?" You questioned, and she shrugged.

"I'll give you reverse braids; grab the jar and pick out ribbons for me to tie your hair with at the end." You instructed softly as you used the rat tail comb to help section her hair.

Finn watched you as you did the three girls' hair with patient, feather soft touches, and felt his heart flutter. He felt lucky to have you, with all of your kindness and patience, as his wife.

•••

You now sat in the park, watching the older children run around. Soon you would all be going down to the netball courts so you could play netball. The kids were keen to see you play. Colin loved netball, apparently. Katie had just finished painting your nails, they were now covered in black polish. Billy and Sophie were sat on the blanket with you and Finn, playing with their toys. Charlie and John Junior were on the edge of the blanket, petting a very content Finn Junior. Sophie was dressed in her pretty pink sweater that you had knitted for it, the pink complimenting her brown hair and light brown eyes. You were leaned back on your palms, and Finn was laid down with his head on your thigh.

You felt good. Today had been a good day. You watched Finn's nephews and nieces, along with your sister, as they kicked Karl's soccer ball around. The sun was out, but it wasn't overly hot. Just warm. Nice. You tilted your head skywards, closing your eyes so you weren't momentarily blinded by the sun, feeling the warmth hitting  your face. It felt good. You listened to the sound of the kids running around, the babies babbling to each other, the boys petting your purring cat, your husband's soft humming, and smiled. A very good day indeed. You felt content, and this contentment was one of the ones that you felt right down in your soul.

"(Y/N)?" You heard a voice that you identified as Lockie's, making you open your eyes and look at the boy who was stood before you.

"Yes, my dear?" You replied, watching as he shifted from foot to foot.

He looked back over to the other children, who had momentarily stopped their game to watch him.

"Go on then!" Colin encouraged his brother, making you feel slightly confused.

Locking looked back at you, and stopped shifting from foot to foot, now fiddling with the hem of his sweater, "Erm, can me and the others call you Aunty (Y/N)?"

You looked down at Finn, who nodded, then looked back at the nervous boy before you.

"You and the others can call me whatever you're comfortable with. (Y/N), (N/N), Aunty (Y/N), Aunty (N/N), Bee, Aunty Bee — As long as you don't feel forced to say it," You informed him gently.

He gave you a big grin, and you noticed a tooth missing from the bottom row. You were taken by surprise when he suddenly leaned down and hugged you, then ran back off to the others calling out 'She said yes!'

He checked his watch, then sat up, "Five minutes and we're going to watch (Y/N) play netball!"

Sophie came over and plopped herself down into your lap, followed by Billy. You cuddled the two and gave them kisses, feeling joyous.

Finn noticed your small smile as you looked back at the group. He was right. They did love you, but nowhere near as much as he did.

§§§

you guys aren't even ready for chapter thirty lmaooo a lot happens there

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

NEXT PART

Part 28

TAGLIST

@meadownicolee

@toothlessmcleod

@im-your-possession

@bethabear12

@paisley-37

@shelundeadxxxx

@bluehairdie

@krillfromsky

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 16

PUBLISHED: 02/06/2022

!!FIRST PART HERE!!

Part 1

MASTERLIST

THIRD PERSON'S POV

Polly Gray got out of the car, her son Michael following close behind.

"No. No fucking way," Michael protested as he got out, the springtime air hitting him.

"Have you ever eaten hedgehog, Michael?" Your father called out, making Bonnie laugh.

Polly was sure he was joking. Mostly sure.

"I'm getting back in this car." Michael announced, clearly not pleased.

"Michael, you're number two on Luca Changretta's hit list." Polly informed her son, not having it.

"Yeah, and I'll stay in a hotel," Michael shot back, pulling out his cigarette case and grabbing a cigarette.

"You stay in a hotel, I'll know where you are, so will the people who take you there, so will the people who work at the hotel." Polly said, stepping closer to her son, "And hotels don't move around. They don't even know where they'll be tomorrow. They follow the patrin and the crows."

"And if anyone should come for you, Michael, the Palmers and the Boswell's will put up a fair fight." Aberama informed the boy, Polly looking between the pair.

Michael took a few drags of his cigarette, disdain clear on his face.

"Take your medicine," Polly commanded, stepping past her son to grab them out of the car, ever the worrier.

"I'll take them," Bonnie announced, Polly handing them to the raven haired boy and him nodding a silent promise to take care of them.

"Your painkillers." Polly added, handing them to Bonnie.

"But the healers up there will heal you much quicker." Aberama added, knowing from first hand experience.

"Fucking witches, the lot of them." Michael said, making Bonnie turn around, ready to defend his people.

"Show some respect, Mr. Gray." Bonnie scolded lightly, heading back over to stand with his father, "They've agreed to welcome you on account of your blood."

Michael silently puffed on his cigarette, maintaining eye contact with Bonnie. Bonnie looked at Polly, then walked off, putting the medicines in the vardo Michael would be sleeping in.

"Take your medicine." Polly commanded her son, then handed him a revolver, "Take the gun. I won't be able to contact you. Till you phone me. We'll make a plan. Tommy says it won't be long. Then we'll be free."

A squeal in the tree above them alerted the group, and there you were, sitting with your sister Saoirse, laughing as you held a spider toward her, her shrieking and leaning away.

"Girls, come down!" Your father called out to you, "We've guests!"

You both looked at him, you putting the spider on the tree. Bonnie came over and stood at the base of the tree, arms open, and Saoirse jumped first, landing in Bonnie's arms with a shriek. Bonnie put your sister down, and she ran over to Polly, hugging her.

"Hello, poppet," Polly greeted warmly, smiling down at the child, then looked back over to see you jumping and Bonnie catching you with an 'oof'.

"You're getting too big for your brother to catch you now," Aberama warned the pair of you as you approached the group, arms slung over each other's shoulders, making you giggle.

"She's my little sister, Dad, she'll never get too big for me to catch her," Bonnie countered, a big grin on his face.

You beamed your older brother a toothy grin as he ruffled your already messy hair.

"Especially cause she doesn't grow taller anymore," Bonnie quipped, making you gasp and shove him lightly, giggling.

Polly looked at you in surprise. In this camp, you weren't the difficult girl forced to marry Finn. You were just a girl having fun, being happy. Polly was sure she'd never seen you happy like this before. She didn't think you could get this happy, seeing you at your default of sour most of the time.

"Oh, Saoirse, (Y/N), this is my son Michael. Michael, this is Saoirse and (Y/N), Aberama's other two daughters, Esmeralda, the one who came with us to pick you up, she's the eldest. (Y/N) here is Finn's wife." Polly explained as you all exchanged greetings.

"Speak of the devil," You remark, watching as your husband comes over with the suitcase you had packed, ready to put it in his car.

Finn Junior was right at his heels, sauntering along, little bell on the collar jingling. You noticed a field mouse in his mouth.

"Polly. Michael." Finn greeted, hugging Polly and shaking Michael's hand.

"Nice cat you've got," Michael commented, nodding down at the scraggly grey Maine Coon, making the cat hiss in protest and run over to you.

"It's hers. I wouldn't ever want to keep that fucking feather duster," Finn replied dryly as you crouched and told the cat to ignore the mean bellend holding the suitcase.

"We're off then, see you all later," You announced, having said your proper goodbyes before you climbed the tree, Finn leading you and the cat to the car.

Polly made a mental note to make Tommy let you camp out more when all this shit was over, so you could be happy.

"She shows him his roots, teaches him how to live off the land, and how to speak Shelta, Romani, and Rokka." Aberama informed Polly, coming to stand next to her, "Honestly, you'd think he was a child with how she was babying him when she was teaching him everything."

Polly looked at Aberama, then back at you, who was now mad at Finn for God knows what.

She tried to imagine you, patiently teaching Finn how to skin a rabbit, or gently showing him how to pronounce the words of her mother tongues. She couldn't, no matter how hard she tried. The only way she could imagine you was full of fire, ready to snap at whoever rubbed you the wrong way.

But, watching you as you kissed your crying sister on the forehead, clasped her little hands in yours and promised to visit her whenever you could, she could believe that you were somewhat kind. She couldn't imagine you in the act of kindness, but she could imagine you having kindness stored away somewhere.

Finn was completely right. You really were a contrary little girl.

•••

You were wrapping Bonnie's fists with bandages when Finn walked in with his brothers. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of you. You looked divine. Your hair was twisted back into a low bun at the back of your head, and you were wearing yet another champagne coloured gown, the neckline low enough for the half heart pendant to show. He watched as your gloves fingers skilfully finished their duty, then came to rest at your sides. He noticed you looked taller, most likely wearing heels, and that you were carrying a purse which had a long thin chain that went across your body to sit on the opposite shoulder, most likely carrying a gun inside of it.

Tommy had given you a new gun as a late wedding gift. It had '(Y/N) Shelby' on the butt of it in cursive.

"Bonnie boy! Here we go, boy." Arthur said, catching your brother's attention, as well as your own, as he tipped pills into his hand, "Bring out that fucking tiger, go on."

Bonnie shook his head, "Tiger's already out."

You grinned at your brother for this statement.

"Fair enough," Arthur commented as your brother started bouncing on his heels.

Arthur threw the pills into his own mouth, making your eyes widen. You were certain he would've already done snow this evening.

"Bonnie," Your father started as he walked over to his only son, pulling him close, "Mr. Shelby will give you a 20% cut if you put Goliath down in the fourth round."

Aberama tapped your brother's side, then stepped away.

"Been caged up too long, brother." Arthur announced, heading towards the door, "If the women are going to have fun, so am I!"

Finn held a hand out, and you said see you later to your brother, promising to be sitting front row, and headed over to your husband, walking back out to the ring with him. He lead you to the other Shelby ladies, you would be sat in between Polly and Lizzie. They were the two you liked best. You flat out hated Linda, and Ada you didn't know too well to make a judgement. Your older sister Esmeralda wasn't in attendance tonight, having offered to watch the kids for everyone.

The women greeted you as you sat down, then teased Finn about being a good little husband for walking his wife to her seat. You sat impatiently, wanting your brother to get out into the ring already. You soon enough got your wish, your brother hopping into the ring with a red sash around his black shorts.

"Red for Rose." you mused, putting your head on Polly's shoulder.

She reached up and patted your face. Bonnie always wore red in his fights, for his mother Rose. The fighters got introduced, then the fight started. You immediately started cheering for your brother.

The first round didn't last long, Goliath sending your brother stumbling along the canvas. Your sister was right. He did look like Frankenstein's fucking monster. You internally chuckled as the bell rang, and the men went back to their corners.

The announcer shouted 'Round two!' And the men were back at it again. You felt something wet hit your back, and touched it, bringing your hand around. It was spit. You turned around, and narrowed your eyes at the men. One shifted nervously in his seat, and that's all it took for you to golly right in his eyes, then spin back around in your seat, cheering for your brother. Finn, who watched the scene unfold from the other side of the ring, started laughing as the man behind you furiously rubbed his eyes with his sleeve to rid the area of spit.

Lizzie moved from her seat, and you did too after a few beats, wanting to go to the toilet and wipe the gunk off your back.

You entered the bathroom, Lizzie stopping fixing her hair to look at you, then you went to the stall farthest from the door, then quickly did your business. You heard someone else enter the room and head into a stall.

"So what did Tommy say when you told him?" Polly questioned as you flushed the toilet then exited the stall, washing your hands at the sink next to Lizzie.

"He said I'd get a weekly allowance." Lizzie replied, sounding flat.

"Oh, he can be romantic." Polly snarked as Lizzie wiped your back with paper towel, ridding it of the spit.

You thanked her as you fixed your hair, not having to worry about makeup since you didn't wear any. Your ring caught the light next to the mirrors every time you moved your hand.

"Of course as company treasurer, I shall be questioning that expense." Polly joked as she walked to the sinks.

"He said something like, 'we've had enough death, let's have some life.'" Lizzie stated, bringing a cigarette to her lips.

The door opened, and you looked over to see Ada entering the room.

"Poll," She began, "This fight is fixed, isn't it? Poor Gypsy boy's getting battered out there."

She went and stood at the sinks next to Polly. You hopped up on the ledge and sat, waiting for someone to make a move to leave the bathroom.

You'd rather flush yourself down the toilet than be alone with Linda.

"Yeah, it's fixed. My Bonnie's a good fighter, he'll be fine," You informed Ada, who nodded as she got up onto the counter.

"Right, you said you have some news?" She questioned Polly, who grabbed some makeup out of her bag.

"Lizzie has some news." Polly replied, making you look at the ebony haired woman next to you.

"Polly!" Lizzie said, turning around, clearly not wanting to be put on the spot.

"Well tell her. Now!" Polly demanded, uncapping her perfume, "While the men are screaming for blood."

Lizzie sighed and looked away from the older woman.

"Have a swig. You're gonna need it," Polly advised Ada as she handed Ada the bottle of gin.

You wiggled on the spot, feeling like you were intruding on a family moment. Lizzie, sending your discomfort, leaned over and put a hand on your knee, giving you a look that told you that you were fine.

You nodded, then she stood back up and looked in the mirror.

"I'm up the duff," Lizzie announced, "And it's Tommy's."

You watched as Polly lit a cigarette, taking a long drag.

Ada gulped down the gin and handed the bottle back to Polly, "How far gone are you?"

"If I were going to London I'd be in Coventry." Lizzie informed Ada, making you giggle.

"And are you carrying on past Coventry?" Ada questioned, gripping the bench.

"All the way to fucking Piccadilly Circus." Lizzie replied, bringing her smoke back up to have a puff.

"You found out whether she's having a boy or a girl, Poll?" Ada asked, looking over at her aunt.

"No." Polly answered, taking a big swig of the gin.

"Go on then," Ada urged, hopping off the counter as Polly approached Lizzie.

"(Y/N) had a dream about it. Let's see if she's right," Lizzie added, looking at you with a small grin on her crimson painted lips.

You reached over and grabbed the gin off of Polly as she started feeling Lizzie's breast, making you all chuckle. You uncapped the bottle and took your own swig, feeling the liquor burn your throat. Lizzie continued giggling, Polly now using two hands.

"It's a girl," Polly spoke, making you clap.

Ada turned around in the mirror to look at Lizzie, happiness clear on her face.

"Call her Ruby. Ruby Shelby. She'll be a star in a Hollywood movie." Polly informed Lizzie, looking at her.

"(Y/N) said all of that, she said she had a dream about it." Lizzie stated, making Polly look at you.

"Her father's mother had second sight. Maybe she inherited it too." Polly mused.

"I was right!" You cheered, holding the bottle of gin up then taking another swig.

"Congratulations." Ada said after crossing the room, pulling Lizzie into a hug.

Lizzie kissed Polly's cheek and hugged the shorter girl, smiling as she did so. The door opened, and in walked Linda. You grimaced, and took another swig. Polly gestured for you to jump off the bench and join the group, and you did so, ending up between Polly and Lizzie, the pair's arms over your shoulders, and your gloved hands on theirs.

"Hey, Linda." Polly greeted, cigarette in hand, "Welcome to the extraordinary general meeting of the Shelby ladies club."

You all giggled at Polly's words, looking between yourselves. Linda paid you all no mind as she looked at her back in the mirror.

"Is there spit on my back?" Linda questioned, "There were men out there spitting, it's fucking disgusting."

"No, there's no spit on your back," Polly sighed as she walked away from your side, over to Linda, "Don't let us stop you doing what you came in to do."

You stayed by Lizzie, who still had her arm slung around your shoulder.

Linda looked up, momentarily stopping hitting the little blue bottle on the bench, "What? It's helped me get through the fucking nightmare of being stuck in this city."

"Well, since you're here and you're almost family, Lizzie's got some news." Polly said, watching Linda as she lined up the white powder.

"I'm pregnant." Lizzie announced proudly, her smile audible.

"Oh? And who's the father, have you managed to narrow it down?" Linda snarked, making you frown as she rolled up a bill and snorted the line.

"Shut the fuck up and snort your lines before I break a mirror and cut you with the glass, you sanctimonious snow snorting slut!" You barked at the blonde woman, making her pale.

Polly's eyebrows flew up. She fully expected you to slap Linda silly.

Lizzie squeezed your shoulder, a sign to stop, "Yes. It's Tommy."

"Congratulations!" Linda said, not sounding very congratulatory, "You've won the raffle at last."

"Yeah, she's a real Shelby lady now, Linda." Polly stated, wiping the excess snow from under Linda's nose, "Just like you."

"I suspect that you're a better woman than her." You spat quietly, and heard Lizzie going to laugh but covering it with a cough.

"Right ladies, let's rejoin our gentlemen." Polly said, gathering her stuff.

"And remember Linda, if they spit, just spit back." Polly told her, making Lizzie roll her eyes at the thought of Linda even trying to spit on someone.

"I spat back." You announced proudly, Polly looking at you, then nodding.

"She gollied right in his fucking eyes, maybe you can learn something from her." Ada muttered, her heels clacking against the floor as you all walked back out to the ring.

§§§

I love the Shelby Ladies club fr

Also would anyone like to be a beta reader lol I need a new one I'm begging pls

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

NEXT PART

Part 17

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 34

PUBLISHED: 07/07/2022

Part 1

MASTERLIST

TAGLIST

THIRD PERSON'S POV

You, the rest of the Golds, the Jesuses, the Shelbys, and Johnny Doggs' tribe were all in the dining hall of Arrow House, eating lunch. Tommy was hosting a Christmas lunch, and everyone stayed over the night before. The kids had all opened the present at the crack of dawn. You and Finn still had a handful of presents for Saoirse to open when you got home.

She had opened a few at Arrow House, her favourite one so far a kaleidoscope. She loved bright colours.

"Nice nails, there Finny boy," Arthur snickered, looking at his brother's purple nails.

Finn flushed but continued scooping potato salad onto the plate for Saoirse, who was fiddling with her new kaleidoscope, looking at the lights with it. You watched your sister as she looked up at the ceiling, and giggled at how the lights made the mosaic of colours all the more vivid. Saoirse heard Arthur's remark, and wasted no time narrowing her eyes at Arthur from across the table, and tightened her grip on her kaleidoscope. You snatched it out of her hand, knowing she was most likely to throw it at Arthur's head.

The older man shifted uncomfortably. At eight (and one month and a bit), your sister had already mastered many stares. The one she was giving Arthur now was her death stare. It even made Polly and Tommy uncomfortable sometimes.

"Can I help you?" He asked, sounding slightly disturbed.

You glanced at Finn, who gave a shrug after he placed your sister's plate in front of her.

"You think Finn's nails are funny," Saoirse replied in a matter of factly tone, a tone that gave no room for questioning.

Arthur moved in his seat, sitting himself up straighter than he was before. You resisted the urge to snicker at his discomfort. Finn was now biting his fist to try not to laugh.

"Well yes," Arthur said, moving his hand as he talked, "Us Shelby men think painted nails are for girls."

"They were done by a girl," Saoirse said shortly, obviously not impressed with Arthur, "My other best friend, Daisy. And she's better than all of you Shelby men combined, and worth her weight in gold."

You bit back a snort and rattled your sister's kaleidoscope, making her look at it and grab it back off of you, proceeding to look down at her plate of food with it.

Arthur cleared his throat, spearing a piece of his potato salad with his fork, and nodded.

"Fair enough, I believe ya," He replied, and Saoirse nodded, then had some of her own macaroni and cheese.

That was another trait of Arthur's you admired. He never spoke to children like they were stupid, and took their words into account. A trait that not many people possessed.

You knew Saoirse liked it. She would always complain about Linda, who treated her and Karl like they were still five, but you understood Linda's perspective as well.

You pushed the thought away as you had some of your own macaroni and cheese. An odd choice for Christmas lunch, but Charles was going through a phase where he wanted it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so he requested a dish of it be made. Lizzie told you that it was driving her mad, and if anyone offered her the dish in future she'd shove the dish and spoon they were serving the food with up the person's arse.

You ate the rest of your lunch without anyone making any remarks about Finn's nails, then got ready to leave, saying your see you laters to everyone. Finn got a maid to go and grab the containers of food he had put away, and you ushered Saoirse to the car, her presents already been put in the trunk and backseat by a butler.

You were dreading the drive home. You had to go the long way to go back home, because the road from Birmingham to your house was flooded and boggy. Damn unsealed roads.

The drive was going to take a couple of hours, and you weren't keen on driving it because you had such a long day already. You knew that you had to go home, however, you didn't want the roads to be closed and for you to be stuck away from your house. You were grateful that Tommy had given your family food from the lunch to have for dinner, saving you having to make a meal from scratch.

You looked at your sister in the rear view mirror, who was looking at the rain covered window through her kaleidoscope, and the corners of your lips turned up.

Finn placed a hand on your knee and squeezed it. You jumped slightly at the temperature difference between his hand and his wedding band, but as you relaxed yourself into the seat, listening to the rain pattering on the windows of the car and your sister's humming, you felt entirely at home.

The car ride wasn't as bad as you thought it would be. You got home in one piece, which was good, and ate your dinner, which was even better. Now you were in Saoirse's room, sitting on her bench with your husband softly swaying back and forth, watching her as she sluggishly played with her toys. Finn placed his glass of whiskey down in between the pair of you.

"I'll go run the shower for her," Finn told you, getting up from the bench.

You hummed and moved to pick out Saoirse's bedclothes, and stoke the fire. You were the first person to have a shower, having one as soon as you got home. You could hear the shower turn on, so you grabbed Saoirse's hairbrush and undid her braids; then pulled her hair up on top of her head in a bun. Finn came back and leaned in against the doorframe, arms crossed against his chest, watching you and your sister.

"Don't wet your hair," You told your sister, who nodded as she stood up, taking her bedclothes in hand and heading to the bathroom.

"I have a present for you," You informed your husband, picking up his glass of whiskey and crossing the room to meet him.

He moved to grab his glass from you, and you held it out behind you, raising your eyebrows. Finn cocked an eyebrow, and you tapped your lips with the pointer finger of your free hand, making him roll his eyes at your antics, but still lean down and place a kiss on your lips.

"That wasn't so hard, wasn't it?" You asked you husband teasingly, handing him back his glass.

The corners of his lips quirked up as he chuckled at you, then followed you to your shared bedroom, where you got a present out of the drawer of your vanity.

"Merry Christmas, Finn darling," You said with a soft smile upon your lips.

Finn came over to you, throwing back the last of his whiskey as he walked, then placed the empty glass on your vanity, taking the present into his hands and ripping it open. He opened the box, and there was a gold watch. He took it out of its box, and inspected it. He turned it over in his hands, and saw that on the back was an inscription;

'For Finn.

I will keep loving you even

after this watch stops ticking.

Always and Forever, (Y/N)'

"It's from Cartier. Do you like it?" You asked your husband, shifting from foot to foot, watching him as he rubbed his thumb gently over the inscription.

"I love it," He answered honestly as he put it on, "The inscription, it's really nice. Thoughtful. Endearing."

You felt your cheeks warm at his words. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"It fits perfectly. How the fuck did you know my wrist measurements?" Finn questioned, and you gave him an all knowing look.

"It came to me in a vision whispered upon the winds of  secrets," You answered dramatically as you went and sat on the ottoman.

Finn gave you a look that told you that he didn't believe your obvious lie.

"You sleep like the fucking dead. I measured your wrist while you were sleeping, there." You admitted, and Finn started chuckling as he headed into the walk in wardrobe, and grabbed a bag from the top shelf, right at the back.

He had hidden it there because he knew you were too short to reach it there.

"Finn, if it's not fragile, throw," You requested, holding your hand out, ready to catch it.

You were forever impatient when it came to gifts.

Your husband obeyed your request, tossing it to you, offering you a 'nice catch' when you caught it. You knew just by the blue colour of the bag, without even looking at the writing on the front of it that it was Tiffany & Co.

You opened the bag, and found a box inside it. You took it out of the bag, and opened it, finding a silver charm bracelet, and a note.

You looked at the note first, instantly recognising Finn's handwriting.

'To (Y/N)

My friend, my love, my partner, my wife — I'm forever grateful that I have you in my life.

I love you, Always and Forever.

- Finn'

You 'awwed', and looked at the charm bracelet. It was silver. You were glad. You preferred silver jewellery. The charms were coloured, though. A bee, yellow and black, a tiger, orange and black, a green turtle, a blue butterfly, the letter 'A', which was gold, a red rose, a grey cat, a brown and white dog, an onion, and a silver 'F'.

A bee for you. A tiger for Bonnie. A turtle for Esmeralda. A butterfly for Saoirse. 'A' for Aberama. A rose for Rose. A cat for Finn Junior. A dog for Tuck. An onion for you (you snorted at this). And finally, 'F' for Finn.

"It's gorgeous, Finn I love it." You murmured, scared of being loud in case your voice cracked.

You looked up at your husband, who was surprised to tears welling in your eyes. He quickly moved to kneel in front of you.

"I'm fine. Just emotional," You said, then chuckled.

Finn chuckled along with you, helping you put the bracelet and note back into the bag, ready for you to wear tomorrow. You yawned and stumbled into the walk in, changing for bed, then staggered to bed, crawling under the covers, your husband following suit.

"I love you," You mumbled to your husband as a goodnight, eyes already shut as you made yourself comfortable.

"I love you too," Finn murmured, reaching out to touch you before succumbing to sleep.

•••

New Year's Eve. A spectacular occasion, one your family celebrated like no other. They pulled out all of the stops. The Fury family also joined in your celebration this time round, something you loved. You rarely got to see that side of your family. And fucking hell, if you thought that the Golds knew how to party, you obviously had never partied with the Fury family.

Finn had had a good time, so far, part of which he was pinning on the green leaf he had smoked in a glass pipe with Bonnie and Aberama earlier on in the night. That and all of the short, electric touched and charged stares you and him had been giving each other all night were entwining inside of him and building up to something unbearable.

Finn looked at you through the flickering flames of the bonfire in front of him. You looked different. A good kind. You had your hair done up high in a messy bun, showing off your new ear piercings. Your nose piercing flickered in the light of the fire. Finn's eyes wondered downwards, to the dress you had on. It was a deep, dull red, and came off the shoulder, showing off your shoulders and a great expanse of chest, as well as some cleavage. You looked divine.

You reached up and let your hair down, the Fury girls either side of you helping make sure it looked okay as you took a swig of the bottle in your hand. One of the girls whispered something to you as she sat back down, and you looked over at him, and winked, then went back to talking to her, laughing at whatever she said before. He watched your lips as they moved, and found himself licking his own.

Finn could feel the heat pool in his gut, his ruddy cheeks flushing a deeper red. He wanted you. He stood up abruptly, giving the bottle he was nursing to the person next to him, and making his way over to you. You noticed this, and nearly tripped over your own feet getting up and rushing around the bonfire to your husband.

"(Y/N)," He said, placing a hand on your arm.

You shivered at the contact, and looked up into your husband's dark eyes.

"You've been staring at me all night like that, Finn," You murmured, then looked away, trying to rid you head of the thoughts you were having whilst you were in company.

"Because I want you," He breathed in reply, making you snap your head back to look at him, eyes wide.

You looped your finger through the loop of his jeans and dragged him away from camp, back towards your house. As he stumbled along, Finn could hear someone say that they only had a minute of this year to go.

Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight.

You stopped, and Finn took that as his chance to push you up against a tree, lips connecting with yours, hands exploring your body over your clothes. You wasted no time letting your hands wander over his body.

"Finn, what if people find us?" You gasped, and he leaned down to nip at your neck.

Thirty-seven, thirty-six, thirty-five.

"Let them," He said simply, breath hot against your flesh, feeling painfully in the moment.

"What a way to start the new year," You mused as you helped him out of his shirt.

Twenty-one, twenty, nineteen.

As the people in your camp reached zero, you and Finn were already tangled up in each other, the worry of someone discovering the pair of you far gone.

•••

Bonnie walked into your house, head still pounding. He was coming to tell you that breakfast was ready, even though it was closer to lunch than sunrise.

The dogs barked at him, making him wine. He grabbed the dog food out of the pantry and poured it into each of their bowls, and did the same with the cat and his cat food, then put the food away and continued his task of finding you and Finn.

He made it up the stairs without falling back down them, a feat he was proud of his still drunk self for doing, and used the wall as support as he made his way to your bedroom door.

He opened it, and was surprised to see your clothes, as well as your husbands, discarded on the floor around the room.

He looked over at your bed, and saw the bruises littering Finn's chest, and snickered, closed the door back up, knocking on it. He listened carefully, and heard some shuffling in the room, then your voice, then Finn's.

He waited a few beats, then the door was opened, a half dressed Finn standing there, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Breakfast is ready back at camp." Bonnie said simply, then flicked his eyes down to Finn's chest, "You might want to put a shirt on before you come down, through."

Finn flushed and nodded, shutting the door, then Bonnie spun on his heels and went down the hallway, snickering to himself.

§§§

Okay I have a VERY important question for you dear readers that I would please like a few people to answer; since the reader and Finn are going to have babies, I would like you guys to help me pick out the baby names lol.

Which baby names do you prefer? (Please either reply or send me a message or something lol)

First child:

Finneas

Finch

Finley

Second child:

Isaac

Elijah/Eli

Ezra

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

TAGLIST

@meadownicolee

@toothlessmcleod

@im-your-possession

@bethabear12

@paisley-37

@shelundeadxxxx

@bluehairdie

@krillfromsky

@cucumberfingefsandwiches

NEXT PART

Part 35

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 9

PUBLISHED: 22/05/2022

!!FIRST PART HERE!!

Part 1

MASTERLIST

READER'S POV

We arrived at the inn. Finn shut the car off, and took a deep breath.

"Do we have to stay for long?" I inquired, looking at him.

"If Tommy wants us to," Finn replied, making me scowl, "And we've got wedding photos before we eat, so you might want to wipe that ugly look off of your face."

"Shut up before I take off one of my garters and strangle you with it," I threatened, using the rear view mirror to make sure I looked halfway decent.

"How sadistic," Finn commented, making me roll my eyes and get out of the car.

"You'd love every minute of it," I snarked, then hissed at the feel of the street on my bare feet.

I should've went home and grabbed my boots. You wouldn't have even seen them due to my gown.

Finn got out, and we walked into the inn together. He put a hand on the small of my back as a staff member came over and guided us to the area that Tommy had rented out for the reception. Half of the room had tables that were lined with all sorts of food, and circular tables for us to sit at whilst eating. The other half of the room was cleared, most likely being our dance floor. The staff member lead us to a little room past that, where a camera and backdrop was set up.

"Linda's gonna take the photos, then Jeremiah's gonna help us sign the paperwork to make it official," Finn informed me, then the devil herself entered the room.

"Oh, don't you two look lovely," She said in what sounded like a mocking tone.

"Linda, shut the fuck up and don't antagonise my wife." Finn told her abruptly, which made me start sniggering then full on cackling.

She looked at us like Finn had just pulled out his revolver and shot her with it. She huffed, then stomped off, her heels muffled by the carpet floor.

"Right, where's the happy couple?" I heard a voice call out from behind us, making us turn around.

Arthur strutted over, and clapped Finn on the back, and nodded at me.

"Groomsmen first!" Ezzie called out, and Finn moved to go stand in front of the backdrop.

"Finn," I grabbed his arm.

He turned to me, and I quickly looked over him, making sure he was decent.

His tie was askew, so I adjusted it.

"There, now you're okay," I said, making him nod and walk off.

•••

FINN'S POV

I hated this. You and I had to sit at a table all by ourselves whilst we ate. I checked my pocket watch. Exactly half an hour ago we signed the papers to make it official. You were now (Y/N) Shelby. You argued with Tommy for about ten minutes over having to change your name, your brother had to come in and settle you down.

"Can't you eat something instead of pushing it around on your plate?" I scolded you, sick of watching you play around, "My people worked hard to get this food ready."

Johnny Dogs, Curly, and Uncle Charlie had led a team of people to cook for us. I had already finished my food, and was now waiting for you to eat something so you wouldn't be hungry all night.

You rolled your eyes, "I'm not hungry."

"Eat at least the pasta so you have some lining on your stomach for later on," I reasoned, being very familiar with the horrible feeling of drinking on an empty stomach.

You stabbed your fork into your pasta angrily, and ate it. I moved my chair closer to yours, grabbing my own knife and fork to cut up your pork, knowing the pasta alone wouldn't be enough to fill you up.

"I talked to Tommy when we were getting photos done, after we make our rounds we have to stay for at least half an hour, after that we can go home. Everyone will be too plastered to notice." I notified you, making you nod.

People were already up and milling about, drinking. Tommy got the band to start playing music about five minutes ago. You were taking too long for us to walk around to peoples' tables. You finished the pasta, and  put your fork down.

"Now some meat." I urged, making you scowl.

"Uncle Charlie went through the trouble of slaughtering a pig just for this, now give it a rest and finish the meat so we can hurry up and start doing our rounds," I said through gritted teeth.

You didn't move to pick up your fork, so I stabbed my own into the pork and manoeuvred it to your mouth, holding my other hand under the food in case the gravy dripped.

"Tommy and Aberama are watching us, come on," I grunted, making you lean forward and bite the pork.

"Now was that so hard?" I asked, stabbing another piece of meat and eating it myself.

"I'll eat at home, can't we just do our rounds now?" You pleaded.

I let out a deep breath through my nose, but got out of my chair, and pulled out yours.

"Let's go thank Charlie and the boys for cooking before we make any rounds." I said as you stood up and took my arm.

I spotted the men we were looking for in a corner. I led you over to them, grabbing a flute of champagne on the way. Charlie spotted us first, and said something which made Curly and Johnny Dogs spin around.

"Here he is; the man, the myth, the legend." Johnny greeted with a grin, then looked at you and frowned.

"Behave!" Charlie hissed as Curly greeted us.

I introduced you to the three men, and you made polite conversation with Charlie and Curly, Johnny flat out ignoring you.

I'd have to speak to Tommy about it.

"We've got to go make our rounds and see everyone else, thank you for cooking," I said as I started leading you away from the trio.

You and I were already having a shit day, you definitely didn't need Johnny Dogs being a cunt on top of it all.

"I'm finding Ezzie and heading to the bathroom," You muttered, handing me your flute of champagne and walking off.

I headed over to Arthur, and listened mindlessly to the conversation between him, Aunt Polly, and Ada, sipping my drink every now and again.

After a bit, Tommy came over.

"Finn, where's your wife?" He asked shortly, making me shrug.

"She's with her sister," I answered, and Tommy shook his head impatiently.

"Look over there, boy." Tommy instructed, gesturing in a certain direction.

I complied, and your sister was there, but you were nowhere to be seen.

I scanned the room, "Maybe she's in the bathroom still."

"Go find her," Tommy commanded, and I placed my now empty champagne flute and your still full one on the table next to us.

"Aunt Poll, can you come for a walk?" I asked, making her nod and give her alcohol to Ada.

I figured that if you were crying Polly could comfort you. I wasn't the best with crying people.

"I'll come too," Arthur announced, downing the rest of his drink.

We walked hurriedly to the nearest bathroom. Through the closed door, we could hear a woman yelling at someone. I furrowed my brows and put my ear up to the door, Polly doing the same. Arthur pushed me down so he had room to put his ear to the door.

"I don't know why they brought you here, because now you're tangled up in their fucking business! You're untrustworthy and you're too angry to do anything right!" The woman shouted, then a sharp thwack sounded through the air, indicating that someone had been slapped.

"And you've got yourself mixed up with a man! How stupid can you be, you're going to end up fucking pregnant at sixteen. I pity the poor chap because you're ugly and unloveable, and that's why I never ever told anyone new that you were my daughter." The woman hissed.

"Poor bird," Polly murmured as I began to stand back up.

The next thing we heard was a barely audible 'I'm sorry mummy', and I felt my heart drop.

"Oh God, that's my bird," I panicked, trying the door handle but finding it locked.

"Move, boy," Polly snapped, pulling a revolver from her handbag and shooting handle off of the door.

I pushed the door open, and you were knelt on the floor, your face in your hands, blood seeping through your fingers. Your shoulders were shuddering as you sobbed and spoke in unintelligible Shelta.

"Marian Jones," Polly hissed, as if the very words tasted sour on her tongue, "How dare you show your face here again."

You looked up, and I could see that one cheek was redder than the other, and that your lip was busted. Blood was pouring from your nose. You didn't waste any time getting up from the floor and running to me. You body collided with mine, and I let out an 'oof' as I put my arms around you.

"Arty, go get Tommy and Aberama," I said, and I heard Arthur turn on his heel and start jogging.

You were holding onto me for dear life. I could feel your tears wetting my shirt.

"You've got some fucking nerve coming here and starting on my wife," I seethed, "You're lucky that I don't take your eyes out here and now."

Marian scoffed, rolling her eyes. She looked drunk.

"If it were up to me, I'd take out your tongue and your eyes so you could never have the honour of speaking or seeing to this poor girl ever again." Polly spat as Aberama, Bonnie, and Tommy approached us.

"Your lovely ex flame came to visit," Polly commented dryly as I rubbed your back.

"I'll take her home," I announced, making Bonnie nod as Aberama walked in and grabbed Marian roughly.

I took off my suit coat and wrapped it around you, leading you to my car. I put you into the passengers seat, then slid over the hood with ease and hopped into the drivers seat, starting the car and beginning the short drive back to Watery Lane. You were reduced to sniffles.

•••

You and I had been laying in your bed for a bit, still in our wedding clothes. You were curled up at my side, head on my shoulder. Every time I tried to move you’d whine. I hated you clinging to me like this. You weren’t supposed to be like this, ever. You were meant to be fire and passion and witty remarks that made me wish I had come up with them. Not the pitiful girl that laid beside me now, eating her cold pancakes.

You shifted your head, and I could feel a something stiff. A bobby pin.

“Want me to undo your hair?” I asked softly, making you nod.

“I trust you,” You mumbled.

I ignored the odd remark and started carefully undoing your hair, placing the flowers and pins on the bedside table.

“Thank you, for upholding the truce — Linda.” You explained after I gave you an odd look.

I hummed in reply, but then realised; we had both stirred each other up today.

“We both broke the truce, we stirred each other up today.” I pointed out, making your eyebrows shoot up.

“Does that mean we both have to do something that the other comes up with?” You queried.

I shrugged, “Yeah, them’s the rules.”

You nodded, hard in thought. I already knew what I wanted you to do.

“I want you to apologise to Arthur for the way you kicked that jug at the Garrison.” I informed you, and you nodded.

No frown, no scowl, no protesting and swearing at me, just nodding. It made me feel horrible.

“You’re getting me a cat. I won’t be able to make this place my home without an animal,” You said, “And we’re adopting. I won’t buy any animal.”

I didn’t have the heart to protest, so I nodded. I’d suck it up for a bit. I didn’t like cats, but if it annoyed me too much we could always give it to someone else or it could ‘run away’.

“Feeling up for a trip to Charlie’s Yard?” I asked, knowing there was a ratty grey cat there that was pretty tame.

You nodded, stumbling out of bed and over to your wardrobe. I walked over to you, and unzipped your dress. You quickly stepped out of it and took off your slip, revealing bright blue lingerie, and a belly button piercing. I noticed that it was the same colour as your eyes. You looked stunning, and effortlessly so. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to see you like this again.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” You huffed as you rummaged around, finding a pair of pants and a shirt, “And stop staring at my arse.”

I quickly looked out the window. I glanced back at you, and felt disappointed now that you were fully clothed. You pulled on some socks and your boots, not bothering to tie the laces, then we went downstairs. You grabbed some cooked chicken from our lunch yesterday, then wrapped it in a napkin, and off we went, getting into my car and driving us to Charlie’s Yard.

We got out and I led you to the building the cat liked hanging around. It was there, laying in the sun in front of the door.

“Oh, it’s a Maine Coon!” You squealed excitedly as you crouched and offered it some of the chicken.

It came right up to you, and ate the chicken out of your hand.

“It looks big enough to eat us,” I commented as you started stroking it.

“It — He’s gorgeous,” You defended the cat, and picked him up with ease.

He started purring, and didn’t try to get out of your arms at all. I walked up to the pair of you and tried to pet the cat, but he hissed and tried to bite me. Fucking bastard. I’ll make sure to babysit Charles sometime soon so he can terrorise the cat.

“We’re definitely taking this one home.” You announced, and started walking back to the car.

“I’m not going to take care of it, it’s your pet!” I called out as I followed you.

“Fine by me!” You replied, putting the cat into the backseat of the car.

“What are you going to name it?” I asked as I got into the car and started it, curious.

You looked over at the cat as I started driving.

“Hmm, Finn Junior.” You decided, making me scoff.

“That’s a stupid idea,” I told you, making you scowl.

“How?” You demanded, glaring at me.

“Well, if we ever have a kid and it’s a boy, we should name it Finn Junior, and it will be confusing if we also have a cat named Finn Junior.” I explained, making you laugh.

“You think I’d ever let you fuck me? Oh, you’re a funny one,” You sighed, and the cat meowed, as if agreeing, “Finn Junior is a stupid name for a kid, if I ever named a kid after you, it would be your name as a middle name, or a variant of your name for the first name — like Finneas.”

I scrunched my brows together in confusion, but nodded, letting you have it. Why is it that girls always seem to have a list of baby names picked out? Are they born with the list?

“Anyway, he likes Finn Junior, don’t you little Finn?” You asked, and the cat purred.

“You’re only naming him after me to spite me,” I complained as we reached home.

“Obviously,” You agreed, getting out and grabbing the cat out from the back, “If you didn’t say anything about how stupid the name was I would’ve named him something like Thunder, or Binky, or Ted. But, you objected, so now he’s your namesake. He even looks like you, honestly.”

I glanced at the cat’s squashed up face.

“He looks like he ran face first into a wall.” I said dryly, and you gasped, scooping him up and telling him to ignore the mean, ugly man driving the car.

You stepped away from the car, shutting the door. I made sure you were inside before glancing at the rear view mirror. I absolutely did not look like that bastard.

I’m sure you were only put on God’s green Earth to irritate me.

§§§

Another chapter done!! Marian does have a bigger hand in the plot, I’m not just bringing her back for this one scene lol.

Love y’all ❤️

- Sunflower x

NEXT PART

Part 10

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 37

PUBLISHED: 14/07/2022

Part 1

MASTERLIST

TAGLIST

READER'S POV

"(Y/N), which frame do you want for this photo, this oval one or this rectangle one?" Finn asked, holding the two frames up, along with the photo he was talking about.

The photo was the one of Saoirse leaning on the couch.

"Mm, oval one," I decided, and he nodded.

I took the backing off of the heart shaped one in front of me and placed a photo of Finn, Saoirse, and I (and the animals) in it.

We were just finishing up putting photos in the frames now. These two would be the last two to go in the living room, one going to sit on the piano (the one of Saoirse) and the one I had was going to sit on the bookshelf.

I didn't like photos in bedrooms. I was funny like that. I got it off of an elderly woman that used to live next to me when I lived with Marian. She said that photos in bedrooms would see every sinful action happening, and as a child I completely believed it.

I secured the back onto the frame once more and picked it up, then stood up and walked over to the bookshelf, deciding the put it on the shelf that was eye level with me.

It sat between a deck of cards and a small clay statue Saoirse had made in an art lesson at school. It was meant to be an artistic rendering of a heart, but it was shaped more like a lopsided triangle.

My eyes drifted back to the cards again, and my heart stopped. Oh fuck, Finn and I forgot to give each other anniversary gifts. I had gotten Finn one on very short notice, but I didn't want to bring it up in case he forgot. It'd be shit to make him feel bad about it.

"Erm, Finn?" I started as I turned back around, facing my husband who was now gathering all of the empty photo frames.

"Yeah?" He replied, stacking the frames into a pile.

"I just realised that we forgot to give each other gifts for our anniversary," I snorted, shifting from foot to foot.

"Oh, fuck," He muttered, standing up, photo frames forgotten, "I got you one but I got distracted with the breakfast and the photos."

He then headed upstairs. I headed into the mudroom, and fished around in my coat pocket, producing a deck of cards. The back of them were blank, and that's where I put my gift for him.

I went and sat on the landing of the stairs, waiting for my husband, bouncing my leg as I did so. I heard Finn coming back down the hallway, and looked up when I heard his feet hit the stairs to see him carrying an engraved wooden box.

He came and sat next to me, and handed me the box. I ran my fingers along the top of it, loving the feeling of the wood dipping and curving. It was an intricate design of a sunflower with vines and other things surrounding it. There were small divots in either side of the box, and it had three drawers in the front. I opened the top, and found that it was a jewellery box. Inside the lid were hooks to hang necklaces on, with pouches at the bottom so they could sit in there, and adjacent to it were boxes for rings and pairs of earrings. There were two small figurines holding hands on a little platform along the back of the box.

"You can lift the top bit out," Finn informed me, and I did so, revealing more compartments, these ones slightly bigger, probably for bracelets and bangles.

I put the top part back in then shut the lid, opening up the sides to find more hooks to hand stuff on. I opened the first drawer in the front, and it was another compartment drawer. The next one down had padding in it, to put rings in. The last one was just a drawer with no compartments.

"Oh, it's gorgeous Finn, thank you," I murmured, looking up at my husband.

I needed a jewellery box, having to use the drawer of my vanity to put everything in and just being too lazy to go to the shops and buy anything.

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "It's alright."

He then reached out and touched the back of the box, and I heard something cranking. Once he stopped cranking and removed his hand, the figurines started rotating and the box played music. After a bit, I realised what song was playing.

"Is that one of the songs from the ballet we went and seen?" I questioned my husband, who nodded.

"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," He confirmed, and I grinned.

"You're so romantic," I teased, and looked back at the figurines.

The girl was wearing a yellow dress, and the boy was wearing a peaky cap. I snorted.

"Are these meant to be us?" I asked jokingly, and watched as Finn blushed.

"Oh, it is!" I crowed, throwing my head back and clapping my hands, "Finn, you're such a romantic, it's adorable."

"Shut up," Finn mumbled, red in the face as he noticed the cards on the stairs above us.

"This mine?" He asked, reaching for them.

"Yeah," I replied, watching him as he grabbed the pack of cards and flipped them over in his hands, inspecting them.

"52 things I love about you," He read the packet, then opened it.

They were normal playing cards, but had blank backs. I wrote the '52 Things' on the backs. I watched as he looked through all of them, chuckling at some.

1. Your looks (I didn't marry you for anything else, Shelby)

2. You help me reach things on the top shelf

3. You're always there for Saoirse (as well as your own nieces and nephews)

4. You brush the cat when I don't feel like doing it

5. You help me think positive when I feel negative

6. You helped me build up my self confidence

7. Your laugh

8. Your cuddles

9. Your kisses

10. You're not afraid to be silly

11. You help make our house a home

12. You make a good pillow

13. You clean the hair clogs from drains so Saoirse and I don't have to

14. You treat our animals like human babies

15. You try to maintain good relationships with my family and friends

16. You use sound effects when telling a story

17. You always touch door jambs when you walk through doors

18. You run through the alphabet when alphabetising anything

19. You keep a photo of Saoirse and I tucked into your cap (yes, I've seen it, sentimental bastard)

20. You always flip things around in your hands

21. You're an early morning person like me

22. You like climbing things (like me)

23. You put up with Finn Junior when the pair of you didn't like each other

24. You got me Christmas and birthday presents from our pets and signed the cards 'To Mum, from your loving sons'

25. You put your family first

26. You attend Saoirse and I's many activities without any complaints

27. You spoil us

28. Your voice

29. Your sense of humour

30. Your ability to keep our inside jokes running

31. You are considerate

32. Your personality

33. You learned how to do hair just so you could do mine when I don't feel like it

34. You always catch my attention just as I'm about to walk out the door so you can get one last look at me

35. You're a good cook

36. You accept me for who I am

37. You offer to wash up because you know I don't like floaties in dishwater

38. You know how I take my tea

39. You always make sure there's biscuits in the cupboard

40. You always give Saoirse another sweet whenever you think I'm not looking

41. You trust me, and I know I can trust you

42. You got your ears pierced with me and Saoirse on New Years Eve (the gold cuffs look nice, by the way)

43. Your freckles (and the way you let me play connect the dots with them sometimes)

44. Your hand fits perfectly around mine

45. You laugh at your own jokes

46. You taught me how to skip stones

47. You won me Pip (I am still disappointed that you did not take the opportunity to name your bear Squeak so we matched names)

48. The first thing you do when you walk in the door is seek out Saoirse and I

49. You learned the languages of our people

50. You buy me yellow things and Saoirse blue things whenever you see fit

51. The way that you are unapologetically you

52. You said 'I do' on the 10th of January, 1926.

"It's not much because I forgot it was our anniversary until you reminded me the other day," I admitted, and watched as he gently ran his fingertips over the writing on the cards.

"They're amazing, (Y/N), honest. I love them, they're thoughtful as," Finn replied, his voice soft and eyes glistening.

I was happy to sit there in silence with him until he felt better, but Tuck decided to come in through the dog door and track mud behind him. He shook himself, sending mud flying everywhere, some even going as far to hit the couches around the rug.

"Oh — You could've used the mat, now I've got to bath you! You naughty, naughty boy!" I complained as I used the banister to help myself stand up, Finn sniggering behind me.

Tuck just flipped over, ready for belly rubs as I approached him.

"No," I told the dog, wagging my finger at him, making him whine as I walked past him and into the hallway.

I walked down to the bathroom and grabbed Tuck's tub from in the cupboard under the sink. It held his brushes, nail clippers, and shampoo in it. I sat it on the sink, ready for when the mud dried and I could brush it out, then give him a shower.

I headed back out to the living room, where Finn was towelling the wet mud off of Tuck with one of the towels from the mud room. Tuck was gnawing on a bone, looking quite content. Finn threw me another towel, and I wiped the mud off of the floor and couch with it, not wanting to grab the cleaning supplies from the basement. I'd wipe it down when I vacuumed and mopped next.

Finn threw his towel back into the mudroom, and I followed suit, Tuck running over and laying on the floor in front of the window as soon as he was free.

I 'awwed' at the sight. I knew he'd probably fall asleep in the sun. My big boy.

"I love you," Finn said as I moved and grabbed our gifts, wanting to put them up so the dogs didn't chew them.

"I love you too," I replied, then hummed as I headed over and put them on the bookshelf, not wanting to walk up the stairs just yet.

Finn pulled a smoke and his lighter out of his pocket, placing the smoke between his lips then lighting it. I screwed my nose up and opened the window.

"You never used to hate the smell that much," Finn complained, lit cigarette still dangling between his lips as he came and sat on the window seat.

It was true. The smell of cigarette smoke always stunk to me, but it had become proper rank to me as of late.

"Well it turns my stomach now, you remember this morning," I huffed, going and grabbing a book off of the bookshelf.

Finn nodded in agreement as he leaned out of the window and exhaled.

Finn lit up a smoke in the bedroom this morning while we were laid in bed, and it smelled so bad that I threw up.

"You know, Saoirse won't arrive for a bit, we've got the house to ourselves for a while," Finn said suggestively, making me snort.

"You should've thought about that before you lit up that smoke, you'll stink of it," I pointed out, making Finn quickly put the smoke out on the window frame.

"I can go have a shower so I don't stink, wanna join?" Finn asked, a smug grin on his face.

"You can go shower, I'll be here when you get out," I answered as I settled down across from him, opening up the book.

Finn groaned, leaning against the window dramatically.

"We can christen the couch in front of the fire," I said, not looking up from my book, knowing that if I looked at Finn I'd probably drag him over to the couch myself.

Finn whooped and headed upstairs, nearly tripping up them, making me snort and grin.

"I'm okay!" He called out back down the stairs.

I sighed and put my book down, knowing damn well I wouldn't get any reading done as I waited for my husband.

•••

THIRD PERSON'S POV

You packed the last of the dishes away, and wiped down the sinks. You had a picnic dinner in the garden, you and your little family (plus the animals). You found out that the smell of coffee turned your stomach as well.

The phone rang, and you hurried over it, picking it up with a "Hello?"

"Bee! It's Bonnie," Bonnie greeted, giggling as he sat on the floor next to the kitchen bench in his own apartment.

"Hello, Bonnie," You replied, rolling your eyes and feeling yourself smile at how happy your brother sounded, "What's got you so happy?"

"I met a boy and went on a date today," Bonnie replied lowly even though it was only you two in the phone.

"Oh, that's great! What's his name? And how was the date?" You asked as you jumped up onto your kitchen bench, knowing you might be on the phone for a while.

"His name is Oscar, and the date went grand. He bought me beer when we met up because he thought that I wouldn't like flowers, y'know, because flowers are too girl-like," Bonnie said, twirling the cord around his pointer finger. "He's really nice, I like him. I could've cried when he dropped me home."

"That's cute," You said, swinging your legs as you drummed your fingers against the countertop, your nails clicking as you did so.

"Shut up," Bonnie spoke, and you just knew that his entire face would be red, right to the tips of his ears.

"He's coming to my next fight, do you think he can sit next to you in the front row? I would've asked Ez but she's scary sometimes," Bonnie stated, and you 'awwed', resulting in him telling you to shut up again.

"He can sit next to me," You confirmed, wanting to meet the boy who managed to make your Bonnie so giggly.

"And don't be mean or tell him anything about me from when I was little, or I'll smother you with your pillow as you sleep," Bonnie threatened, and you agreed that you wouldn't, even though you knew that he wouldn't smother you.

Bonnie loved you too much to hurt you on purpose.

As you continued talking to your brother, watching the hand on the clock go round and round, you felt closer than ever to your brother, and you were glad. You felt yourself growing apart from your siblings after you moved in with Finn, but now, as you giggled with Bonnie over the way he and Oscar managed to get lost on their way to the place they were having dinner, you knew that you were overthinking.

You were fine, your siblings were fine, and you all couldn't grow apart if you tried.

§§§

Another filler chapter, I apologise if it doesn't flow as well as my chapters usually do

This chapter was surprisingly hard to write and I have no idea why lol I was stuck for agesss but I managed to finish it for you guys

Also: voting for the names has closed!

The baby names that got the most votes were 🥁🥁🥁

Finley & Isaac!!!

For those of you who wanted Elijah, I was always planning on making Elijah a middle name if it didn't get picked as a first name anyway lol

Hope you all are well :)))

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

TAGLIST

@meadownicolee

@toothlessmcleod

@im-your-possession

@bethabear12

@paisley-37

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@bluehairdie

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@cucumberfingefsandwiches

NEXT PART

Part 38

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 2

PUBLISHED: 15/05/2022

!!FIRST PART + MASTERLIST HERE!!

Part 1

MASTERLIST

FINN'S POV

Arthur was now dragging me down to the Garrison. Apparently (Y/N) and her elder sister Esmeralda were there, waiting for us. Fuck 'em. I didn't want to see any of those Golds, especially the one Arthur told me I had to marry. This would be the first time I'd be seeing you properly.

"Why the fuck are we meeting at the Garrison? She's too young to drink anyway," I complained as Arthur fixed my suit as we walked down the cobblestone streets, feeling slightly buzzed from my whiskey.

"She can drink if she wants, I wouldn't be surprised if she could drink you under the table - and behave, you're going to be tied to this girl until one of you die because Shelby's. Don't. Divorce." Arthur warned before we walked in.

Arthur strutted in, and I followed, automatically reaching up to touch the bottom of the door jamb, then we walked to our private booth, passing Harry and saying hey on the way.

You were there, looking out the open window, your hair shielding you from my gaze (and Arthur's), your hand near your mouth. From the soft 'click', it was safe to assume you were chewing your nails.

I closed the door and locked it behind me, making sure no one could enter. Your sister nudged you, saying something softly, making you tuck your hair behind your ears and look at us. Your eyes met mine,  and breath caught in my throat. The sun coming through the window made your eyes look like they were glowing.

You scowled, then faced the window again.

Arthur ushered me into the chair and I slid across, stopping next to the window. I immediately started bouncing my leg. Arthur sat down next to me, saying greetings. Esmeralda replied, but not you.

"Have they organised a date for the wedding yet?" Esmeralda asked Arthur, her eyes flickering to me and back.

"Sometime next week, I suspect. Don't worry, we'll get a seamstress to sew her up a nice dress." Arthur reassured the pair of you — mainly Esmeralda.

"I don't want a white dress," You spoke, turning to look at Arthur, "I like yellow — I want yellow. If I'm going to get married against my fucking will, It's it going be in my favourite fucking colour."

Arthur nodded thoughtfully, "That can easily be arranged."

You settled back into your seat, looking somewhat content at the little say you had, "Good."

We fell into an awkward silence.

"I'll go get us some drinks," Esmeralda said, slipping out of the chair and out of the booth.

Arthur shifted uncomfortably as you openly glared at us now that your sister was gone.

"I hate you both," You announced, then looked back out the window.

I opened my mouth to say something back but Arthur raised his eyebrows at me. I quickly shut my mouth, knowing he would tell Tommy.

Esmeralda quickly came back in, a jug of beer and four glasses on a tray. Arthur flew up to help her set the tray on the table without breaking anything.

"Have they  told you of your new living arrangements?" Esmeralda asked her sister as she poured her a glass.

You shook your head slowly. I perked up in my seat as Arthur slid me a glass, wondering what was going to happen. Esmeralda nodded towards Arthur.

Arthur pointed to himself, and Esmeralda nodded. You cocked a brow as you crossed your arms over your chest.

Arthur cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably, leaning his arms on the tabletop, "You're moving to Watery Lane — with Finn. Orders of Tommy and your father. You're expected to move as soon as possible."

Your jaw dropped, as did mine.

"Fuck off!" You said at the same time I whipped out my pocket flask and took a long, hard swig of the whiskey.

This was the first I was hearing about it.

You stood up and stepped up onto the chair, then the table. You kicked the jug, effectively shattering it, making us all shout. Drops of beer landed on the yellow ribbon intertwined with your shoelaces, but you didn't seem to care as you walked down the table and hopped down onto the ground, and walked out of the booth.

"I'm sorry," Esmeralda said hurriedly as she got up and followed you.

Quite a fucking exit, if I do say so myself.

•••

READER'S POV

I locked myself in my vardo, this time I was adamant about not coming out. This was my home, not some cobblestone street where all the houses looked the same.

"(Y/N)! Get out here, girl!" Dad called out, knocking on the door again for what must have been the eighth time in two hours, "I'll tow this fucking vardo into Watery Lane if I must!"

The thought of my precious home touching that filthy street made me blanch, so I quickly got up off my bed and stepped across the van to the door, taking a deep breath in through my nose and letting it out of my mouth before I swung the door open.

There stood Dad and none other than Tommy and Finn Shelby. I grimaced at the trio. Finn didn't have his cap on, the sun shining freely on his face. I could see the freckles spread across his pale skin. Tommy continued puffing on the cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

"What are you lot doing here?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Finn's staying the night with you, so hand over your weapons." Dad ordered, stepping past me and grabbing my rifle and knife, "Tommy was kind enough to let you have one last night in the vardo."

My jaw dropped once more. He couldn't be serious! I looked at Finn, who looked away.

Oh, he was very fucking serious.

"We've decided you're to get married on Friday, five days' time — we'll do it here, at the camp, and you're going in to get your yellow dress on Tuesday, in two days' time. Sound alright?" Tommy questioned as Dad stepped back down the stairs.

I didn't have very much of a choice, did I?

"Sounds divine." I said through gritted teeth, making Tommy nod and walk off.

Finn stood there awkwardly, hands clasped around the black bag.

I stepped back and opened the door to the caravan wider, tilting my head to the side, "Take your boots off on the stairs. I don't want mud."

Finn handed me his bag, and I went and placed it on the table. He sat on the stairs, slowly unlacing his boots and removing them, then stood up and came in, reaching up and touching the top of the doorway as he did so, looking around.

I sat on my bed, watching him as he trailed a finger along the table and looked at the trinkets I collected at fairgrounds lined up on the shelf on top of the stove.

"So?" I asked, cocking a brow.

He turned to face me, looking confused.

"Do you like my caravan?" I elaborated impatiently, feeling slightly nervous.

He nodded, and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"It's nice, really — just not what I'm used to," He replied, settling himself down on the seat next to the bed.

His leg immediately started bouncing. We settled into an awkward silence, and I brought my hand up to my mouth out of habit, making Finn reach over and grab his bag. He rummaged around for a bit then threw a little packet onto the bed.

I looked at it, and opened it. Chewing gum.

"To save your poor nails," He explained as I ripped the foil off of a piece and popped it into my mouth.

I pulled another piece from the packet and threw it to him. He unwrapped it carefully and placed half of it into his mouth and bit down, then threw the remaining half into his mouth, chewing like a cow.

I opened the window above my bed wider, to let breeze in more. I could smell something cooking on the fire, probably soup and flatbread again.

"Erm, should we figure out who's doing what role in the wedding?" Finn asked, scratching the back of his neck, leg bouncing a bit faster.

"No, not now, not ever." I hissed, glaring at the boy.

Finn threw his arms up, "Fuck me, (Y/N), I'm just trying to make things easier on us!"

I scoffed in disbelief as Finn ran a hand over his face, "They're marrying us off together because it's for the good of our families, (Y/N), can't you do this for your family?"

I  closed my mouth, halfway through thinking of an insult, then opened it once more, "How will it help my family? I'm not doing it if it's not worth it, Shelby."

"I don't know, you can figure it out and we can make it happen. Tommy wants me to marry you because we could use a strong family like yours tied to us." Finn said, using his thumb to twirl the ring on his index finger around.

I thought for a bit.

"Can — can you keep the Lees away from us when we're passing through, keep it civil when we're camped close? Can you use Dad whenever you can? And can you promote Bonnie to the best of your ability?" I asked as the boy leaned back onto the seat.

Finn nodded, "I'll pass the message onto Tommy."

I thought about it for a bit, then narrowed my eyes at the boy, "How will it help me?"

"It doesn't, I think. I don't get many benefits either." Finn said softly.

I nearly felt sorry for him as I turned my head away to look out of my window, staying silent for a few moments.

"I'll do it for my family, don't think for one second that this is for you. And I sleep on the right side of the bed, with the window open. I can't stand a still room." I stated.

"Well, can we keep the curtains closed at night? I can't sleep with light." Finn informed me, making me groan and roll my eyes.

We weren't even properly married yet and I already hated it.

§§§

Chapter two done and dusted

Also - I find that Peaky Blinders continuity is a bit iffy, so I’m playing around with it, which in turn may make a few things feel funny time-wise.

Feedback is appreciated :))

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

NEXT PART

Part 3

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 6

PUBLISHED: 17/05/2022

!!FIRST PART HERE!!

Part 1

MASTERLIST

READER'S POV

(A/N: I have absolutely no idea what wedding dress shopping is like lmao bear with me here pls)

I paced back and forth, waiting for Polly and the rest of the girls to arrive.

"Keep on going and you'll tear a hole in the carpet." Finn said, lighting up a cigarette.

"Shut up! I'm going shopping for a dress everyone will see me in, it's stressful!" I snapped, turning around to face him.

He shrugged, "I'm going shopping for a suit today and I'm not walking a quarter mile."

I rolled my eyes as I unwrapped a piece of gum, "The suits are all the same, no one ever looks at suits, it's the bride's dress they all look at."

Finn hummed in agreement, and placed his hands on his stomach as he bounced his leg.

"I've been thinking," He began as I threw the gum into my mouth, "We agreed to be civil, so we called a truce but we don't have terms for the truce. We should make some."

"How smart, do you want a medal?" I snarked, sitting on the coffee table in front of him, crossing one leg over the other, trying to be mindful of the fact I had a dress on for once.

"I'm just saying, it would make stuff a lot easier if we knew what to expect from each other," Finn pointed out.

"That does make sense," I admitted, tucking my hair behind my ears and smoothing it down.

Finn produced a comb from his inner coat pocket and offered it to me. I took it wordlessly, and used it to tame my hair somewhat.

"Maybe you should tie it up?" Finn offered, making me scowl.

"No!" I snapped loudly, making him jump.

"I wasn't gonna fight you over it," Finn grumbled, making me throw the comb at him.

"So, say we do call an official truce, what happens if one of us breaks it?" I asked curiously, leaning forward, placing my forearms across my legs to support my weight.

"Whatever the other says — If I broke the truce you could tell me to run down Watery Lane wearing nothing but a smile, and the other way round," Finn decided, making me smirk.

"That sounds like a spot of fun — let's start making the rules, then," I agreed, and he got up, grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil off of the top of the fireplace, and sat back down, leaning on the coffee table.

"I'll write it up and stick it on top of the mantle so we can always see it, and so you can read it later on," Finn explained, already writing the number one.

I giggled as I realised I read the number — I learned my numbers from one to ten last night, as well as all my letters — Jeremiah called me a fast learner, a praise that kept me in a good mood all last night, even after Finn started on me because I dropped a plate.

"Okay, number one, no stirring each other up," Finn announced, writing it down.

"Number two, no touching me unless I say so," I supplied, leaning back onto my palms.

"I'll make it no touching each other unless the other says so. Number three, don't let the other get insulted in our presence, it will save a lot of fighting." Finn said, writing it down.

I frowned as I thought about how Finn didn't say anything to Linda yesterday.

"Number four, we have the right to walk away during an argument and the other person can't follow us," I added, watching the pencil glide gracefully across the page.

"Number five, look out for and protect each other — we're in the middle of a vendetta, the Italians probably know your family is working with mine, so they could target you too." Finn explained, making me purse my lips and nod.

As Finn put a full stop a knock sounded on the front door, along with Polly calling out. I got off the table, and walked over to the door, opening it.

Ezzie, Saoirse, and Lizzy were all standing there. Saoirse ran forward and cuddled me tightly.

"Are you off then?" Finn asked from behind me, coming to stand next to me.

"Yeah, busy day." Lizzie replied, "We'll see you after, come on (Y/N)."

"See you later," I said to Finn as I linked arms with Ezzie and grabbed Saoirse's hand.

"Miss Polly is driving us and Ezzie's getting in with Miss Ada and Miss Lizzie," Saoirse babbled, walking me over to Polly's car.

"Hey, Poll," I greeted, letting Saoirse slide across the brown seat before hopping into the vehicle.

"Morning," Polly replied, sending me a small smile and setting off, "I heard from a little birdie that you wanted a yellow dress?"

"Yeah, it's my favourite colour," I admitted, "But if I can't find one it's not the end of the world, I don't think we'll find one anyway."

"We'll do our best, my girl," Polly reassured me, making me grin.

"Saoirse, guess what I did last night?" I said to my little sister, watching her fiddle with the end of her coat.

"What?" She replied curiously, looking up at me.

"I learned how to read and write the alphabet, and my numbers up to ten," I said, watching her eyes widen and her jaw drop slightly.

"Can you teach me?" She asked excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"I can try," I replied, turning my eyes onto the road.

Within a few minutes we were outside a boutique named 'Susanna's Seams'. It looked nice enough. Polly stopped the car, and we all hopped out.

"Yellow dresses aren't common, so don't get your hopes up," Polly informed me, and I nodded.

The woman fixing up a mannequin in the window looked like she was going to faint when she saw us all. Polly strutted up to the door and opened it, Saoirse right behind her. I followed the pair, holding the door open for Lizzie, Ada, and Ezzie.

I shut the door behind Ezzie, and looked around. The older, frumpy woman behind the counter looked bewildered.

"(Y/N), flip that sign on the door to closed," Polly instructed, and I did as I was told.

"But we're open!" The woman in the window protested.

"Not until we leave, by order of the Peaky fuckin' Blinders." Polly said, pulling a flask out of her fur coat and taking a swig from it, then pointing the sliver object in my direction, "This young lady needs a wedding dress, something in a yellow shade."

The older woman rushed to the other side of the store, grabbing some dresses off of the rack.

"Sophie, come help," The older woman hissed, making the younger woman dart over and grab another, empty rack and wheel it over to the older woman, who started placing the dresses she gathered onto it.

I sat on a seat next to Polly, watching them scramble around for us. Once that rack was full, Sophie wheeled it over to us, the dresses ranging from a bright, eye catching yellow to a toned down, barely there yellow.

"Here you are," Sophie said, sounding breathless.

I stood up and started looking at the dresses, arranging the ones I liked to one side and the ones I didn't to the other side. I only liked three dresses.

"There's a fitting room over there near Susanna," Sophie pointed over to where the frumpy woman was, and I nodded, dragging the rack over there.

"Ezzie, get up and come help me with the zips." I commanded, and Esmeralda didn't hesitate to jump up and come over.

I grabbed the first dress and headed inside the room, Ezzie hot on my tail. I gave the dress to her, and she hung it behind the door. It was a nice dress, very much like a ball gown, with no straps and a big tulle skirt.

I started getting undressed, and, once I was in my under layers, Ezzie handed me the dress, and I undid the zip, then stepped into it, then she did it up.

"Oh, God, the material's not right, get me out," I urged, and Ezzie leaned over and undid the dress with ease.

I stepped out of it, and Ezzie hung it back up, and opened the door, grabbing the next dress. I tried it on, and the material felt fine, but it was unflattering.

"You look like a half plucked chicken," Ezzie snorted.

"Shut up," I grumbled as she undid me.

She passed the last dress, and I stepped into it, then looked at myself in the mirror in front of us, and I gasped.

It fit me like a glove, and wasn't unflattering in the slightest. It was an off shoulder gown with sheer sleeves ending at my wrists, and a tulle skirt, but it wasn't too big, just right. It had gold detailing on the bodice, which trailed down the dress.

(A/N: This is just the dress that came closest to what I imagined, you can envision your own)

"I feel like that fairy princess in the bedtime story your Mum used to tell us," I murmured, as if being loud would break the magic and the dress would turn into something horrid.

"You look gorgeous, (N/N)," Ezzie whispered as she did up the zip, "Let's go show everyone else."

She led me to where the other women were sitting, and Saoirse squealed.

"(N/N), (N/N), you look — you look so pretty!" She gushed, bouncing in her spot next to Lizzie.

"Gorgeous," Lizzie said sincerely, giving me a small smile.

"You look a vision," Ada confirmed, "If my brother seeing you like that doesn't make him want to skip the ceremony and consummate the marriage I don't know what will."

I blushed and looked away, not used to being complimented.

"Give us a spin, love," Polly encouraged.

"Yes, spin!" Saoirse shouted, clapping her hands.

I spun on the spot, giggling at how the skirt billowed around me.

"I never want to take it off," I told the girls, making Ada ‘aww’.

I felt truely and utterly gorgeous in this yellow wedding dress.

"It doesn't look very yellow," Sophie stated, making me scowl.

"It'll look yellow in the light of the sun, so shut your mouth you ignorant fucking cunt!" I snapped at her, Ezzie placing a hand on my shoulder.

"On the house," Susanna said as I stormed back to the fitting room to get dressed.

"We're Peaky Blinders, it's never any other way." Polly said flatly as Ezzie closed the door behind us, making me snicker, "And that girl there, Sophie, she needs to go — permanently."

Ezzie unzipped the dress, and I stepped out of it, pulling my other dress back on and slipping my feet into my shoes, and we walked back out to the women, Ezzie holding the dress. Sophie came over and Ezzie handed it to her to be bagged.

"Now, I don't want to have all the same style dresses, because what will suit one of you mightn't suit the other — Just pick whatever dress you want, preferably in your favourite colour," I informed the group, "The men can match a tie to a dress."

That had been a detail Finn and I had discussed last night after coming home from Jeremiah's. I didn't want everyone looking the same, we're not fucking blades of grass.

Everyone started getting off the seats and looking for dresses. Ezzie set off towards the green dresses.

I lead Saoirse over to the kids dresses, looking for a white one — Another detail we had agreed upon, the kids wearing plain white and black instead of colours. Saoirse was going to wear a dress that was white with a black sash around it, and Karl was going to wear a plain black suit with a black bow tie. I had no doubt they would have everyone clucky.

•••

We managed to get everyone the dress they wanted. Polly had picked a gorgeous purple dress, Ada snagged a dark blue, Lizzie grabbed a deep red, and Ezzie picked a bold green. The best part was that everyone looked absolutely, effortlessly beautiful in their dresses. That and the fact that we got all of the dresses for free.

I decided to keep my dress up in Polly's spare room. She didn't want me keeping it at the house in case Finn saw it.

The girls and I discussed my somethings; something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue, and I had picked them out successfully, except for my something new, because apparently Finn was covering that for the pair of us.

The something old was going to be Birdie Boswell's pearl earrings. I was hesitant to wear them, but Polly said that they were passed down to her and she could therefore pass it down to whoever she damn well pleased. My something borrowed was going to be the tie from Dad's own wedding suit that he wore when he got married to Ezzie, Bonnie, and Saoirse's mother, Rose. I was going to wrap it around my bouquet. My something blue was going to be my undergarments.

On the way home, Saoirse jumped in with Ada, and the rest of us women went to go get my something blue — nice looking undergarments, with a matching garter set. I was planning on burning them as soon as I got home.

I could just wear a blue ribbon on my wrist. What the girls didn't knew wouldn't hurt them.

§§§

I couldn't find any nice obviously yellow dresses 💔💔 buttt champagne is still technically yellow lol

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

NEXT PART

Part 7

i do have a personal blog and I finally posted stuff there so, if you want to keep up with me, you guys should go follow!!

@naiwillalwaysloveyou

ANGEL - SETH CLEARWATER X READER

PREVOUS Prologue

I

THIRD PERSON'S POV

Seth sat with the pack and the imprints after telling them about you — The little he knew anyways. He was still hung up on the fact that you would only be here for two months.

"Why don't you, I don't know, show up in the same places she is?" Embry suggested, throwing a baseball to Quil as they sat down, albeit carefully — Sam would kill them if they broke something.

Emily wouldn’t mind, but since she bought half of the stuff in the house Sam would break their fingers if they scratched even one thing.

"He's not a mind reader, Embry, God," Leah snarked, throwing an arm around her not so little brother's shoulders, pulling him slightly closer to her.

She smelled like home, so he nestled in a little closer, needing the comfort.

"But the little Cullen is, maybe Jake can ask them for some help," Embry shot back, and Seth looked elated, but then his face dropped.

"But I don't want her to think I'm a stalker or anything," Seth murmured defeatedly, and it was back to the drawing board.

The room went silent, Seth dragging the slightly good mood down with him.

"Adopt a dog," Quil suggested, and everyone looked at him.

"You said she has a dog — If you get one then you can take it for walks when she takes hers for walks. That's not that stalkerish. You have an excuse to be in the same place at the same time," Quil elaborated as he fumbled an extra hard throw from Embry, and Seth grinned so bright that it made everyone else crack a small smile.

"Quil, you're a genius! Now all I need to do is find a dog." Seth replied, his mind running wild as he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, wondering who to message.

Adopting dogs from the local shelter was really expensive, and he was saving for a new dirt bike. He only had $200 to go, and he really didn’t want to waste money on a new dog. Not when he could nearly taste the dirt bike.

"Rez dogs are having puppies all of the time man, but if you're that keen Miss Postoak is trying to get rid of her bitch since she can't afford her right now, she’s only a companion dog and the others are working dogs," Jared supplied before taking another bite of his blueberry muffin, courtesy of Emily, and Seth felt victorious as he clicked onto his Mom’s contact and called her, asking if he could get a dog for his birthday.

"You're picking up its’ crap, buying its’ dog food and leashes, and it is getting neutered, we have enough strays on the reservation as is, young man — and I'll help you set up the yard for it when you get it," She replied, then said 'love you' and hung up the phone.

Seth whooped, then calmed back down, looking around the room at his expectant friends.

"What the fuck do I need for a dog?"

Leah pinched her brother’s ear for his foul language, making everyone laugh.

•••

Thankfully, Old Quil owned many a dog in his lifetime, used for hunting, mainly, but most of them were now companions in their old age, the man hesitant to get another in case it outlived him. Young Quil helped Seth buy the needed supplies like leashes, a crate for inside, dishes for the food, a dog bed, and a vet appointment was set for Monday so the bitch that Seth adopted — named Missy, a Rottweiler Shar Pei cross (Rott Pei, Quil had helpfully given him the proper name for the breed of the mutt) could be checked up, seeing as she was due for one.

Seth and Quil now at the store, buying some dog food. The smell was still overwhelming, and mixed in with how all of the other store goers smelled it was nearly unbearable. He could even still smell the products they mopped the floors with. He put the last thing in the cart when he heard a familiar voice. You.

"Quil, shit man, that's her!" Seth whispered excitedly, then listened as you made your way through the aisles, talking about dog food for Cujo.

Quil watched his younger pack mate bounce on his heels as you approached, and tried not to laugh at how excited Seth was getting. The boy turned to face you as soon as you turned the corner, dragging your dad by his hand, a basket in your other hand.

"Oh! It's little Seth!" Alexander pointed out, making you look away from the tins of dog food on the shelf, and give him a friendly grin, dropping your dad’s hand in the process.

"Hello, hello," You greeted, and nodded towards his full trolley, "Stocking up for a vacation?"

Seth turned back at the groups of haphazardly stacked dry kibble bags and wet food cans, and numerous treat packets. Maybe he was going a tiny bit overboard.

"Uh, no," Seth admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with a chuckle, "I'm getting my first dog and I think I got overexcited."

"Oh! Such a spoiled little puppy that will be! Maybe you and miss (Y/N) could take your dogs for walks sometimes! I think she gets sick of her old man slowing her down," Alexander offered, and nudged (Y/N)'s shoulder, "If you need help with the dog too, (Y/N) could teach you a few tricks. Should help her keep herself busy for the next two months."

Seth tried not to smile too hard as he agreed, but noticed that you looked less than pleased, but give him a tight lipped smile nonetheless.

"Dad, grab two dry bags of dog food," You commanded, and your father did your bidding as you somewhat aggressively threw some dog food cans into a basket, managing to dent one of them.

Your father suddenly looked less than pleased with your behaviour as you threw the last can and turned on your heel, shoulder checking him as you walked past him. Alexander looked back at the pair of boys and gave them a tight lipped smile and a small wave before leaving behind his daughter.

Seth cocked his head to the side, trying to drown out the rest of the store goers to listen to you. Quil immediately did the same.

“What in the Gods was that? Ridiculous behaviour for what?” Your father said gruffly, but not unkindly.

"Dadda, I don't want to go for walks with him!" Was the first thing Seth heard you say, which made his heart drop, but he kept on listening anyway.

"Nonsense, he seems nice! A friend wouldn't hurt," Your father tried to reason with you, but you huffed.

"If a friend wouldn't hurt we'd actually live in one place and not move around like nomads." You then let out a soft 'fuck!', most likely stubbing your toe on the stupid boxes near the mouth of aisle 2.

"Well, I'm sure this place is the place. Trust me, tiny child. If it isn't, I'll buy you your dream Dodge Challenger for a late birthday gift." Your father reasoned.

"Don't bullshit me," You snapped back, sounding like you were nearer to the doors.

"I'm not! Matte black Dodge Challenger with red under glow for your birthday, or we live here, I swear it on Cujo's life." Your father pleaded, and you sighed.

"Fine. I'll see if one of the workers knows how to get into contact with him. I'll try to find him on MySpace or Twitter or something." You relented, then the doors opened to the front of the store, and your scent was gone.

Your Father cheered and Quil put Seth into a headlock playfully, messing up his hair, making Seth laugh as he did so.

•••

You sat on your new bed, your dog Cujo, a black Cane Corso who was getting on in his years, shown by the grey fur on his muzzle, resting on the floor next to your bed, not being allowed on any furniture. Your father was doing research in his room.

You picked up a piece of mango and popped it into your mouth as you looked up the name of the place you were staying at on Facebook. You found the profile, and clicked into it, then went straight to followers. You couldn't find any followers with Seth's profile picture, so you went and looked up the name of the school, finding their profile and looking through the followings for Seth. No luck. Even searching his name up you discovered nothing. You stalked his school until you found his name on an old post where he had won an award for a spelling bee, also discovering his last name. Clearwater. Seth Clearwater.

You logged into your MySpace account, and looked for him, and surprisingly found him. His profile picture was a photo of him with a man, standing side by side, grinning.

You found it, and let held your arms up above your head in a victorious manner, looking around the room as if expecting someone to cheer for you, then focussing on your dog.

"See how fucking amazing I am, Cujo? The FBI needs to hire me as a detective," You said, then started scrolling through his profile.

Nothing overly fancy. Just some pictures of him, people you assumed to be his family, and some of nature around the area, alongside some photos of his adventures. You clicked the 'Add Friend' button, and decided to make a new friendship bracelet while you watched movies, heading off to your dad's room to go and ask him to start the bracelet for you.

•••

Seth was currently scrolling through Twitter at his desk as his Xbox 360 started up, Leah lounging on his bed playing Mario on his DS. Technically, he and Leah shared the Xbox, but he just kept it in his room as she didn’t really play it much these days, instead choosing to play his DS. He didn’t mind. Just as long as she stayed in his room so he knew it was safe. Missy was laying halfway under his bed, gnawing at a new chew toy Quil had picked out.

His phone beeped, and a new notification popped up. He walked over and slid onto the bed next to his sister. A new friend request. He looked, and his heart started speeding up as he looked at the profile.

“What?” Leah inquired, hearing the thrumming, looking over his shoulder.

“She added me on MySpace!” Seth told his sister excitedly, showing her the profile picture of you and a black dog, along with your Dad and a woman who looked a bit like you, and accepted your friend request, then started looking through your profile.

There were photos from all around the world. Australia, Sweden, Italy, France. Your father and you were the main focus of your photos, but your nature shots were a sight to behold. There were also some with people that weren’t your father, so maybe friends and relatives. The photos of the woman in your profile picture stopped around a year ago, he noted. Your newest photo was the Welcome to Forks sign, you and a huge black dog posing in front of it, the same one from your profile picture.

A message notification popped up. He opened it, and there was a message from you.

Y/N:

Hey

“Oh my goodness, she messaged me!” Seth nearly squealed, and Leah bit back a laugh at her little brother, knowing that laughing would probably result in him attacking her with a pillow covered in a Spider-Man case.

“Well don’t just ignore it, reply!” Leah urged, and Seth looked at his sister, eyes as wide as saucers.

“What do I say!” Seth panicked, and Leah rolled her eyes, grabbing the iPhone covered in a Spider-Man case and messaging her back.

Seth:

Hey

•••

You blinked at your laptop screen, your friendship bracelet forgotten. You didn’t expect him to reply so fast. You went down to the vending machine just outside of the office about ten minutes ago and he wasn’t there, instead there was a girl at the counter, talking on the phone as she painted her nails. Maybe his shift was over, and he was at home? You didn’t think on it much.

Your fingertips ghosted over the keys, then stopped, instead picking up your phone and logging into MySpace there.

“Dad?” You called out, and he ambled into your room, a sandwich with a bite taken out of it, jerking his head upwards slightly as he chewed.

“Seth messaged me and I don’t know how to reply,” You admitted, and your father chuckled as he came over and sat next to you, trying not to get any crumbs on the bed.

Cujo immediately came over and sat expectantly next to him on the floor, but your father shooed him away. Your baby walked over and laid in his crate, looking offended.

“What do you want to say?” He asked, pulling your phone into his hand, getting ready to type a message for you.

You leaned against his muscly arm, and shrugged. You weren’t very good at holding conversations.

“Why don’t you ask him about his new dog?” Your father suggested and you grinned victoriously, taking back the phone and sending him a message.

Y/N:

How’s things going with preparing for ur dog?

You hummed, feeling content, then sent the message. Seth started typing immediately.

Seth:

She’s good! We picked her up like an hour ago and she’s currently harassing my sister, lol

A photo came through of a dog that looked like a Rottweiler, but was wrinkly, and the tail curved upwards, sitting on the lap of a girl that looked a couple years older than you, playing a DS.

“Oh! Looks like a little Rott Pei! They’re stubborn little fucks,” Your father commented, still eating his sandwich, making you giggle.

Your aunty Lara had one, over in Italy. He tended to chew any shoes left outside, and didn’t like Cujo much.

Seth:

Her name is Missy :)

Y/N:

She’s so cute! Is she a Rott Pei? Dad says they’re stubborn lol

Seth:

Yeah, she is. I’m gonna try and take her for a walk tomorrow. She’s really good on lead, and well socialised. My sister Leah’s coming too, wanna come with?

Before you could type ‘no’, your father snatched your phone and sent a message.

Y/N:

That sounds good, when & where?

“Dad!” You hissed, picking up your stuffed Elmo doll from beside you and assaulting your father with it, making him drop his sandwich.

Cujo wasted no time in scrabbling over and eating it, making you laugh, but you quickly stopped as your phone beeped again, leaning over and grabbing it from your dad’s hand.

Seth:

Tomorrow, like 11am?

We can take out a picnic!

Me and Leah can come pick you up :)

You quickly positioned yourself so you could see Cujo in the background, your dad deciding to hop into the photo as well, holding up both of his thumbs and giving the biggest smile you’d ever seen.

Y/N:

Cujo & I are keen, so’s Dad apparently. See you then!

•••

Leah pinched her little brother’s cheek as he put the phone down, tittering at the way he blushed, the colour in his cheeks and ears becoming more noticeable with the red undertone of his blood rushing to them.

“My baby, all grown up! Going on a date with a girl-”

“-It’s not a date, Leah,” Seth said exasperatedly as he grabbed his phone and messaged Jacob, wanting to let him know first.

Seth:

(Y/N) and I are walking our dogs together tomorrow.

Jacob:

Good job bro :)

You should see if she wants to come to your birthday party tomorrow

Seth blinked. Tomorrow was his birthday. He’d be fifteen, and in two months he’d be starting tenth grade.

Seth:

I forgot about that haha

Are you and Ness coming?

Jacob

Wouldn’t miss it for the world man

I picked out a cool gift but Ness said hers is ‘practical’, or whatever

You know how she is

Seth laughed and sent back a thumbs up emoji, then leaned over and scritched Missy behind her ears, making her wag her tail contentedly. Today was a good day. Tomorrow was going to be even better.

•••

Alexander stood out on the porch of the cabin, facing the sea as he puffed on his Marlboro, the cigarette being his only source of light other than the moon, full and low over the sea.

A movement in the distance, over near some rocks, only just visible in the corner of his eye. His head snapped in the direction of it, his blue eyes nearly glowing in the dark.

Something was staring right back at him, its eyes shining green like a cat’s in the dark. A stare off ensued. Alexander moved ever so slightly, reaching for his crossbow, but the creature then spread its’ wings and took flight, the huge wing span nearly blocking out the moon as it ascended.

Alexander growled and put out his cigarette, dropping it into the metal trash can near his feet. He found what he was looking for. Now it was time to complete the rest of his mission.

•••

Mary Postoak stared at the moon through her kitchen window, opting to watch it as the sink filled up in front of her.

There was a flash of darkness in front of the moon, looking like a huge bird. She gasped, a hand going to her chest. It was bigger than any bird she saw, ever. And the last time she checked; birds didn’t have legs like humans.

A thud was heard in her backyard, and her dogs started barking, making her head for her back door, but a yelp cut her off. She instead turned on her heel, running towards her bedroom and grabbed her rifle, then ran through the hallway, throwing open the back door and loading the rifle.

She grabbed the flashlight from her deck table, and turned it on, shining it toward the scene, and gasped.

Something was hunkered over her dog, feeding from it. Upon hearing her, it looked up, blood covering its lower lip. It was hideous. Pale skin, and two enormous wings. It stood up at its full height, nearly ten feet, and stepped forward, making her drop her torch and point her rifle at it.

She fired it once, hitting it square in the chest. It growled, then lunged for the woman, attacking her before she could even scream.

§§§

Fun fact lol, Missy & Cujo are based on dogs I've owned. Again, not proofread so please kindly point out any mistakes!

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 5

PUBLISHED: 16/05/2022

!!FIRST PART HERE!!

Part 1

MASTERLIST

THIRD PERSON'S POV

Finn could hear you chattering away to the girls most of the day. You bonded more with them than you did with him, and it was safe to say that they adored you, and you them, bar Linda. He was slightly grateful, because it would make your transition into the family easier on you if you were liked.

You had become a good use in the betting shop, whispering in the men's ears on which horse you thought would win. Who would be stupid enough to ignore a traveller girl with a nice smile?

Little did the men know, you were making sure Shelby Company Limited would earn all the men's money by telling them to bet their money on the losing horses. Polly admired your cunningness.

It was now the end of the day, the shop just closing. You were sat on Polly's desk, chewing gum, laughing at some story Polly was telling you about your Dad. Finn was stood in the doorway, watching the pair of you, feeling envious at how Polly had managed to worm her way into your good graces and he was stuck being called 'Shelby'.

Linda pushed past Finn to show Polly something or other.

"You can't read it, you're not part of the business," Linda said to you, dropping the file onto Polly's desk just behind you.

"You're acting all high and mighty for someone who joined the business five seconds before I came through the door," You replied breezily, "And besides, I can't read — or write — anyway. I can do my name, and Dad says that's enough."

That didn't come to a surprise to Finn, he only learned how to read when he turned seventeen last year, and he still wasn't the best at it, even though he practiced reading the Bible every night with Jeremiah Jesus.

Linda scoffed, rolling her eyes, "Doesn't your family care about you children enough to teach you how to read?"

You stopped chewing your gum, and pursed your lips, looking at Linda.

"What did you just say?" You asked calmly.

"I'm just saying, if you want a respectable job and not one as a whore or a hit man your father should have taught you how to read," Linda stated, opening up the file.

One moment you were sitting there as Linda started explaining what she was showing to Polly, and the next you and Linda were on the floor, you on top of her punching her relentlessly with no sign of stopping.

"Oh, fuck," Finn gasped, hurrying over to pull you off of Linda, who had blood pouring from her mouth and nose.

Polly made no move to grab you, just watching it unfold. In her opinion, you could say whatever you wanted about a person, but you left their family out of it.

You threw your right elbow back, hitting Finn square in the nose, sending him stumbling back. He was dazed for a few seconds, but quickly recovered, grabbing you by the collar and dragging you back off of the poor woman. He could feel his nose dripping blood.

You thrashed around in his grip, trying to get him to let you go.

"(Y/N), if you hurt Linda any more it'll make it harder for Tommy to consider your terms for the marriage — Bonnie and safety when passing through, remember?" Finn cautioned, making you stop your thrashing.

"Don't you ever talk about my family like that ever again, you Christian slut!" You shrieked at Linda, who was rolling on the floor, holding a hand on her face and groaning.

Finn helped you up roughly, his nose still pouring blood. He lead you to the bathroom, where he grabbed some toilet paper and dabbed under his nose. He looked in the mirror, thankfully it didn't get onto his shirt. You turned on the tap and started washing your hands.

Finn pinched his nose shut, making sure to lean slightly forward as he looked at you in the mirror.

"Linda's not in the bridal party then?" Finn asked, words barely decipherable.

"Absolutely not," You spat as you grabbed paper towels to dry your hands, "I want Polly to be there, and Lizzie — Your sister Ada can be there if she wants. That makes four bridesmaids with Ezzie, Saoirse can be the flower girl."

Finn nodded, then thought about groomsmen. Thomas, Arthur, Isiah, and someone else. Michael would still be in hospital. Maybe Bonnie? Karl could be the ring bearer, he was the right age for it.

"Erm, can Bonnie be one of my groomsmen? And can my nephew Karl be the ring bearer?" Finn asked, watching as you took deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth to calm yourself down.

"I'm not Bonnie's fucking mother, he can do what he wants!" You barked, "And yes, your nephew can be the ring bearer, now fuck up and leave me be!"

Finn gave you an awkward thumbs up, not wanting to nod. You would've laughed at the sight if you weren't still mad.

Polly entered the bathroom, looking at Finn then at you, "I'm about to take Linda home, everything alright in here, no trouble in paradise?"

You nodded, "I'm gonna stay in here for a bit until I cool down. He's just taking care of his nose. You, Lizzie, Ada, all have a spot in my bridal party do you wish, I will not have that cunt anywhere near me on Friday, if she's near me I might stab her with a spoon."

"Oh god, you've definitely got your Mother's anger issues," Polly muttered, making you frown, "Alright, tomorrow we'll leave nine o'clock to go to the seamstress here in town, sound good?"

"Sounds good," You confirmed, and Polly spun on her heel and walked out, her boots clacking against the floor.

Finn looked at you out of the corner of his eye. As he eyed you up, decided that you were more than capable of taking Linda out with a spoon.

You and Finn stood in silence for a few more minutes, you managing to get your anger under wraps. You spat out your gum into the bin, and Finn threw the bloody toilet paper in there as well.

"Come on, let's go home, I've got stuff to do," Finn commanded lightly, leading you out of the bathroom.

The pair of you passed the dining room, where Tommy was waiting.

"Finn! (Y/N)!" He called out, making you both turn, "Come here."

You followed Finn hesitantly, a big contrast to his confident walk. You were sure that Tommy was about to yell at you for hitting Linda.

"How was your day?" Tommy asked, his eyes flitting between you.

"Yeah, it was okay," Finn answered, conveniently leaving out the part where you thrashed Linda.

"I had fun bonding with the girls," You admitted, following Finn's lead and ignoring the elephant in the room.

"And Finn!" You added hurriedly as an afterthought.

"Good people. Well done. No trouble?" Tommy questioned, dropping his to his side, flicking the ash off the end of the cigarette.

"No. No trouble." Finn responded, shaking his head.

"What's this I hear about your fiancée flogging Linda, then?" Tommy asked, looking directly at you.

"She suggested my Dad was negligent. I wasn't having it," You answered simply, looking right back at him.

You were feeling nervous, even if your actions didn't show it, with the way your heart was palpitating you had no doubt.

"I know, and I think she knows that now too. Try to keep punches between you and any member of the Shelby family to a minimum from now on, yeah?" Tommy said, and you knew even though it sounded like a question, it was a command.

"Yeah." You agreed quietly, stepping back.

Finn let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as Tommy nodded.

"Erm, after we get married, (Y/N) wants some stuff to happen, Tom." Finn cut in, making Tommy cock a brow, but gesture for him to continue.

"She wants you to hire Aberama whenever you can, because he'll be family and we take care of our own. She wants you to promote Bonnie as best as you can, and for the Lees to leave the Golds alone whenever they pass through here," Finn concluded, looking Tommy in the eyes.

Tommy took a draw from his cigarette, then nodded, "I'll see what I can do, I should be able to fulfil your wishes. You can go now, I'll lock up."

You and Finn nodded, and turned to go.

"Oh, and (Y/N), good job on getting everyone to bet today, Poll told me. It'd be good if you can do the same tomorrow." Tommy added, making you throw a 'yeah' over your shoulder as Finn opened the door for you.

"What business do you have to do?" You asked Finn curiously as you set off down Watery Lane.

"Reading lessons, I have them every night if I have the time." Finn replied, "I learn from a preacher. He's my best mate's dad."

You nodded thoughtfully as you popped another piece of gum in your mouth.

"Would — would I be able to join?" You asked, looking at him, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Of course you can," Finn reassured, making the corners of your lips quirk up.

You walked in a comfortable silence to Jeremiah Jesus's home, where Finn knocked on the door in a particular manner.

Isiah Jesus opened the door, and grinned at his best mate, then saw you behind Finn. He quickly stepped aside and let the pair of you enter his home.

"Finn, nice to see you again," Jeremiah greeted as if he hadn't seen the boy in ages, when in reality Finn was at his house two days prior. "Here for another reading lesson?"

"Yeah, and it's always a pleasure to be here. Isiah, Jeremiah, this is my fiancée (Y/N)." Finn introduced you to the men, "She doesn't do handshakes, or any touching."

You nodded in greeting, Isiah and Jeremiah nodded back and saying their heys.

"Would it be alright if she joined in our reading lesson?" Finn asked Jeremiah, who grabbed his Bible, along with some pencils and pieces of paper.

"Of course — Come sit down, Isiah go out the kettle on." Jeremiah commanded his son as you Finn sat either side of the man at the small, rectangular dining table.

Jeremiah told Finn to start reading a particular Bible verse out loud, then turned to you.

"Do you know how to say your alphabet?" Jeremiah asked you, sliding you a pencil and piece of paper.

You nodded, placing your hands on the table unsurely.

"Know how to write it?" Jeremiah continued, making you shake your head.

"I'll write the letters and you copy them underneath," Jeremiah said, quickly writing the twenty-six letters on the page, then drawing small arrows next to the letters to show you which way to direct your pencil on the page to form the letters.

He then pointed to the first one, "This is 'a'. Now, write it on your page."

You grabbed your pencil hesitantly, feeling embarrassed.

"Hold it like this," Jeremiah advised, picking up his own pencil.

You adjusted your grip, and placed your pencil on the page, writing a shaky 'a' then looking at Jeremiah, who smiled at you.

"Well done, (Y/N)." He praised, making you smile from ear to ear.

Finn looked up at you from across the table, stopping reading momentarily. This was the first time he'd seen you properly smile, the happiest you had ever been since he met you. In the moment before he started reading again, he decided happiness looked nice on you.

§§§

I'm coming out of isolation tomorrow so Contrary probably won't be updated as frequently!!

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

NEXT PART

Part 6