PUBLISHED: 16/07/2022

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 20

PUBLISHED: 11/06/2022

!!FIRST PART HERE!!

Part 1

MASTERLIST

THIRD PERSON'S POV

You woke up in the comfort of your vardo, looking up at the star covered roof, and hissed, feeling your head pound. You were grateful Finn slept in your bed, because it made you cover all of the windows for his comfort.

You had stayed the night at your family's camp, not wanting to stay around the family that made Finn believe that his brother was dead, not for longer than you needed.

It was unnecessary and cruel to him, and to you. You actually took a liking to Arthur, and that's saying something. You didn't like very many people, but Arthur, with his crude jokes and claps on the shoulder and always making someone move out of their seat so you, the wife of his kid brother, could sit down, had weaselled his way into your heart.

You'd have to admit that you also admired him for stepping up, and becoming a father figure to the younger Shelby siblings after their actual father had left them.

To your surprise, Finn begged to come with you, even after you asked him to stay so he could be with Arthur when Arthur woke up. Finn said that he'd just wake up early and take the car back to Tommy's. You ended up giving in, and letting him come, telling him you'd both take your wagon back to Tommy's in the morning, as Tommy had agreed to let your family camp there, as long as there was no conflict between yours and the Lee family.

You sat up and fumbled around for the canteen you had filled with water last night, finding it just above the cat and dog. Tuck and Finn Junior had gotten along well, which was another thing you were grateful for. You had a lot to be grateful for these days.

You uncapped the canteen, putting it to your lips and taking big gulps of the water inside, then closing it and laying back down, not feeling up to moving yet.

Finn shifted beside you and groaned, bringing a hand up to massage his temples. You wordlessly handed him the canteen, and he leaned up, then took a drink like you had just done, but managed to spill some, the drops rolling down his chest.

If you had looked a little longer than necessary at the droplets and the trails that they left along his sharp jawline and broad chest, maybe Finn was too hungover to notice. Or maybe he didn't care.

A knock in a particular pattern sounded upon the door of the vardo. You recognised the knock as Saoirse's. You looked at Finn, raising your eyebrows, and he nodded.

"Come in," You called out, and the door creaked open.

Footsteps padded along the floor, then the curtain separating your bed from the rest of the caravan was pulled back. Finn helped your little sister clamber up and over him, to go snuggle into your side. You jolted as her cold feet touched your legs.

"Hungry," She said simply, and you sat up, grabbing the biscuits that you stored in a blue tin on a shelf above your window, and sat them next to her.

"I don't want to eat your biscuits," Saoirse whined — she knew you loved them.

"I love you, I want you to eat well. Have these while I go cook," You commanded your sister, rubbing her messy hair.

"Is that why you cook for us all sometimes? Cause you love us?" Saoirse asked as she attempted to pry the lid off of the biscuits.

Finn wordlessly leaned over and did it for her.

"Yes," You replied truthfully, then prodded Saoirse's side.

"Thank you, Finn." Saoirse said, then bit into a biscuit as she sat up.

"It's alright," Finn replied, leaning out of the curtain and  scrabbling around, then produced a throw blanket, wrapping it around Saoirse.

"We gonna warm up the stew from last night?" Finn asked you, knowing it would still be out on the fire in the big cast iron camp oven.

"Yes — I'll grab the ferrets, there's rabbit holes around here, as you'd already know." You said, your lips turning up at the sides.

Finn groaned at the memory of him stepping in a hole last night, "It's not funny, I could've done my ankle!"

"Poor bitty baby," You pouted, then felt your own stomach grumble.

"You can take Daisy and Duke, they're under here," Saoirse offered, and you wiped the crumbs from the corners of her mouth, thanking her.

"I'll grab Daisy and Duke," Finn announced, sliding out of bed and standing up, waiting for a bit until he felt steady on his feet.

He loved those basset hounds. He pulled on his clothes, then his boots. You clambered out of bed, stretched, then put your own clothes on.

If Finn stared at you a bit too hard as you stretched, your nightgown clinging to your curves perfectly as you did so, maybe you were too hungover to notice. Or maybe you didn't care.

"You want to come with us or you want to stay here in the warm?" Finn asked your sister as you brushed your hair and pulled it back into a plait.

"Stay here in the warm." Saoirse decided, shooing Finn Junior away as the cat tried to eat a biscuit she was holding in her hand.

Finn handed her the water filled canteen and moved Tuck up next to her, where he promptly laid down and went back to sleep. You watched as he made your little sister comfortable, straightening up the blankets so she, and the dog, and the cat, was fully covered.

Even in the cold of your caravan, you felt a warmth spread through your chest as Finn asked your little sister if she needed anything more. After watching your sister shake her head, Finn pinched her toes through the blankets, making her squeal and roll around, messing up the perfect pile that Finn had just painstakingly crafted. You gasped, and, to your surprise, instead of getting mad, Finn just grinned down at her, chuckling as he pinned the curtains back.

You stood up and dusted yourself off, shaking your head to rid yourself of your last thought. Finn wasn't the type to get mad at little kids for being kids, you knew that. Kind. That's what he was. You were sure you'd never be able to say it to his face. You weren't very good with words.

"You're not to move from here while we're gone, until someone comes and gets you," You told your younger sister sternly as you and Finn exited your vardo.

She said something in reply, muffled by the biscuits, and you shut the door.

"Not allowed to move?" Finn asked as you headed over to Bonnie's vardo.

Bonnie owned the ferrets that you and your family hunted with, winning them in his very first scrap in a fairground.

"Dad used to scare us with stories of children stolen from fairgrounds because they left their caravans — children turned into pickpockets and whores. I still get scared, even when we're only camping with family." You admitted, and a shiver went up Finn's spine as you knocked on the door of your brother's vardo.

He had been told the stories too, by Aunt Poll and Uncle Charlie, then Arthur, to stay away from certain streets as the sun went down, because that's where kids from Watery Lane went missing. Maybe you two weren't as different as he thought.

•••

Saoirse danced happily around the fire as you finished skinning the last rabbit you had caught. Finn had ended up going back to get Saoirse as you two were the only two adults awake.

"Can you go and light the fires under the tubs?" You asked your husband, lighting the fire under the stew then starting another to cook the rabbits on.

Finn shifted his weight from foot to foot, "I forgot my lighter."

"Just use sticks," Saoirse supplied, now picking a bur out of Finn Junior's fur.

"I don't know how," Finn admitted, cheeks red.

You looked up at him, then stood up, telling your sister to watch the stew and the rabbits and warning her to not play in the fire or you would stew her dogs next.

"Cruel," Finn mused as you led him to the washtubs.

"It works," You muttered, then knelt down, a pile of kindling already under each of the two tubs.

Finn had fetched the water whilst you had skinned the rabbits, thankfully. He also put the curtains up around the tubs, for privacy.

"I'll show you how to light a fire with sticks, come here," You mumbled, grabbing Finn's hand and leading him to sit down next to you.

You demonstrated it for him, then watched as he attempted to do it under another. He sighed when his stick broke, and you silently produced another from your pocket.

"Try again," You encouraged, and Finn could hear the motherly lilt to your voice.

He tried it again, and he did it. You quietly cheered and clapped for him, mindful of everyone still sleeping. According to your watch, gifted to you by Bonnie with the winnings from his very first professional boxing match, it was only seven am.

Saoirse must have woken up early. You wondered who she slept with, because Ezzie wasn't home, probably with Isiah, Bonnie stayed at Tommy's, bedding one of the maids, and your Father followed Polly Gray home. Maybe one of your extended family looked after her.

"Sersh, who did you sleep with?" You asked your sister after you and Finn had trotted back over to the fire.

Finn rotated the rabbits on the spit. You'd probably end up eating it for lunch, on the road.

"I slept with Daisy and Duke in Dad's vardo." Your sister answered, making you look at Finn, who looked surprised as you, then at your younger sister, "What?"

"No one else had any room for me and Oscar has the flu so I couldn't sleep with him and Aunt Molly!" Saoirse defended, and you exhaled through your nose, and nodded.

Usually, she slept with you in your vardo, not wanting to sleep in Aberama's vardo now that she was 'bigger', but you supposed that she wouldn't want to sleep next to Finn.

"We would've had room for you," You insisted, and Finn agreed, making Saoirse look at him in surprise.

"The next time I'm here and there's no other place to sleep except for (Y/N)'s caravan, you come tell us. I'll sleep on the couch, and you can sleep with your sister, yeah?" Finn explained, and Saoirse gave a quiet 'yeah' in reply, bouncing on her heels.

You felt the warm feeling in your chest again as Saoirse sat down next to Finn, talking to him and asking him about his life as a non-traveller.

Finn was pleased too, that he was getting through to your sister. The last thing he wanted was another child like him, scrabbling around for a place to sleep that they didn't really want to sleep in. Scrabbling around to sleep in places that wasn't with their family, where little children belonged. Yes, your extended family was still family, but it wasn't the same. Finn knew it from the bottom of his heart, and was confident that you did too.

•••

After travelling back to Tommy's house in your vardo, Finn, your sister, your dog, and your cat sat in the seat of your wagon with you, you had one of your moments, ignoring Finn once more. That's how he ended up at the house, sat at Arthur's feet, sucking on a bottle of whiskey, while you were with your family down at the river setting up camp.

"Lady troubles?" Arthur asked gruffly, nudging Finn with his boot.

He always did know Finn the best.

"Yeah," Finn mumbled as Polly went and sat herself back in the chair across from Arthur's, her tea now made.

"Tell old Arthur what's happening. Maybe I can help," Arthur offered, and Finn sighed, taking a big swig of his whiskey then wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"(Y/N)'s cross, but I don't know what for, because she doesn't tell me!" Finn complained, throwing the hand that wasn't wrapped around the neck of the whiskey bottle up in annoyance.

"Do you ask her what's wrong?" Arthur prodded, and Finn suddenly felt stupid.

"No — But she's fine one minute then funny the next!" Finn added, "I don't know why she does it, and she always pushes me away from her and I don't like it. We're never going to get on well if this keeps on happening, honest."

"Well, next time you should ask her if she's mad at you or not," Polly said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Does she get violent with you?"

"She doesn't throw anything at me, but she does throw things around." Finn answered — He was confident that you wouldn't actually hurt him, you weren't that ill-natured.

"Well stay with her, son, how are you going to get it across that you like her otherwise?" Arthur questioned, making Finn roll his eyes.

"I do stay with her, I'm with her most of the day!" Finn exclaimed, and it was Polly's turn to roll her eyes.

"That's not when it counts. A fool could do that. You're not a fool, you're a Shelby. You stay with her when she's cross until she feels better or until she tells you to get your freckled face away from her, are we clear?" Polly instructed the boy, who swallowed and nodded.

"Good lad," Arthur quipped, clapping Finn's shoulder.

Finn leant into Arthur's hand.

"You remember your wedding?" Polly prompted.

Finn grimaced. How couldn't he? Polly asked some fucking stupid questions sometimes.

"You remember how her mother cornered her in that bathroom, Finn? What if she did that day in and day out to that poor girl, telling her she's unlovable and that's why she pushes you away?" Polly asked, taking a sip of her tea.

Finn didn't question her know all tone. If Polly said it like that, it was a fact.

He then thought for a few moments. It did make sense. But you should know that you weren't unlovable. Everyone loved you. You were even starting to grow on Finn.

"She'll know that you're not like Marian. She knows it in her heart, just like I know that I'm not in the tunnels anymore. But, like I do, she might get funny sometimes." Arthur said knowingly, making Finn think and nod at the pair's words.

He wouldn't leave you next time. Leaving was a horrible act, one that he didn't want to do to you anymore.

He stood up, leaning on Arthur's leg as he did so, and pulled on his coat, making his way to the door with the intention of going to you and staying with you if you wished it.

§§§

You guysss I'm sorry for the long wait lol — I've been really really busy

Thank you all for the likes on this series, for the new followers, and for the reviews that you guys give me!

Also I am once again begging for a beta reader lol if you're interested in becoming my beta reader for new chapters of Contrary please let me know!! I can send them to you via email (I have all of my work on a Google Doc), discord, screenshots through social media, whatever works lol

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

NEXT PART

Part 21

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 13

PUBLISHED: 27/05/2022

!!FIRST PART HERE!!

Part 1

MASTERLIST

READER'S POV

I had been here for about five days. I think. Assuming that the meals they had been bringing me were when they had their breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I hadn't killed any Italians, but I did maim the one who knocked me unconscious in Watery Lane, when he brought me my lunch the other day. Luca hadn't been too pleased when he found out, but he did agree that he didn't say anything about not maiming any of his men.

I was sitting on the floor, drawing on the wall with a piece of chalk Luca had given me. I would lose my mind if I was stuck down here with nothing to do. There wasn't even any windows. The air felt staler than bread that had been left out.

I heard the door unlock, and spun around on the spot. Luca was coming down the stairs, no tray full of food in hand.

"Is it breakfast already?" I questioned, feeling confused.

I had woken up a while ago, but I was sure that breakfast wasn't for a bit.

"Not yet," Luca informed me, coming to stand in front of me, putting his hands into his pocket, "For your good behaviour, ignoring that one incident, I've decided to grant you a wish."

"Let me go home?" I remarked, making him chuckle.

"Something more doable." Luca stated, looking down at me and waiting for my answer.

"Can — Can I be put into a room with windows?" I inquired, trying push the feelings of hopefulness away.

"Yes. We've got a room ready upstairs for you." Luca replied, "Your ma said you would want that."

I frowned. They already had me, why would they want her around?

Luca reached a hand out, and I ignored it, pushing off the floor and standing up, feeling a bit unsteady on my feet. He turned and lead me upstairs, into the living room, the room with the phone. Some men were sitting around the coffee table playing cards. I quickened my pace, wanting to get away from them.

He lead me to the corner of the room, then put a bit of pressure on a panel, stepping to the side then taking his hand off of it, making it swing back.

He lead me up the narrow staircase, and we ended up in a corridor of doors. He showed me my new room, the door second on the left.

He unlocked the door, both the deadbolt, which had been reversed so that the keyhole was on the inside, and the regular door lock, which had also been reversed.

"You gonna try to escape?" Luca asked lazily as he opened the door.

"No. It's not worth it," I replied, scowling.

If I did have a clear chance to escape though, I wouldn't hesitate.

"Bathroom's through there." Luca stated, knocking on the door to his left, "You share it with the room on the other side of it. That room happens to be my room. Don't worry, I don't like little girls."

I'd be stupid to take his word. He said no kids, but yet here I am, locked up at God knows where.

I walked into the room, looking around. The window had been painted black, from the outside, so I couldn't see out. I could see that it was cracked a tiny bit at the bottom to let fresh air through. To the left of the window, against the left wall, next to the bathroom door was a chest of drawers and a small mirror sat on top of it, along with a hairbrush and some hair ties, and ribbon.

There was a double bed with a plain white blanket and pillows in the far corner, a bedside table next to it. A small stool sat next to the beside table, a blue, soft looking towel folded up on it.

"I have razors in the medicine cabinet behind the mirror if you want to shave, however, I'll be expecting them all back in one piece. If not, I know a few of my men think that you're pretty enough." Luca announced, making my blood run cold.

I walked into the bathroom, and found a clawfoot bathtub in the left corner closest to Luca's room, a shower to my left, and a toilet to my right. I could see a towel on the rack behind Luca's door. In between the tub and the shower was a small cupboard which I assumed was the cupboard for towels. There was a sink in the right corner, opposite the bath. On the sink, I could see female shampoo, body wash, and conditioner.

"I won't let any of my men touch you, Mrs Shelby. Unless you give me good reason to." Luca declared, coming to watch me look through the medicine cabinet and grab a razor.

"I'll leave you to it." Luca announced, turning on his heel and walking out of the bedroom, locking the door behind him.

I dropped the razor into the tiled floor. I couldn't get to the window fast enough, dropping onto my knees and trying to look out of the tiny sliver that let in fresh air. I could see rolling green fields, and a road in front of us. It was a dirt road. The sun was only beginning to rise.

"Fuck!" I hissed.

I had no idea where I was. They were smart not to let me near a clock. If I had seen one when I woke up I could figure out where I might be, and how far away I was from Birmingham.

I tried pushing the window up, to no avail. I looked around the edges of the window. I could see dried glue coming out of the joints.

Fuck me.

I decided to go have a shower, feeling utterly filthy. I probably stunk worse than Bonnie after he finished a boxing match.

I walked back into my room, and grabbed my towel, throwing it over my shoulder then heading to the dresser. I opened the top drawer. Sundresses. I shut that drawer, and looked for other clothing. The other three drawers were completely empty.

Unbelievable.

I went back to the top drawer, and found a pale yellow sundress.

"It'll have to do," I decided, heading to the bathroom.

I started the shower, letting the water heat up as I went and grabbed the brush from the dresser. I picked up the razor, and locked both doors leading to the bathroom. I grabbed the stuff off of the sink and placed it into the shower, happy that I didn't have to smell manly. It'd feel weird, especially while I was in a dress.

I stripped off and hopped into the shower, brush and razor in hand. I didn't waste any time putting the conditioner into my hair, then pulling my hair up into a bun. My hair was knotted badly, but nothing the brush and some patience wouldn't be able to fix.

I began washing myself with the body wash, then lathering it onto my legs. I picked up the razor and started carefully shaving my legs, not wanting to nick them. I hated leg hair. I couldn't stand it, and I couldn't stand other people's leg hair touching my legs. Once, I made Bonnie shave his legs so he could sleep in my bed when one of our uncles had to sleep in his vardo. I chuckled at the memory, Bonnie being livid that I 'stripped him of his God given right to hairy legs'.

Once I was done, I shaved my underarms. I hated hair there, too. It was annoying. I washed the razor, then placed it on the small ledge in front of me. I picked up my brush, and pulled my hair over my shoulder, starting to detangle my hair at the bottom, then slowly working my way up. Once it was knot free I grabbed some shampoo, then applied that, then some more conditioner.

I cleaned under my nails too, having been surprised at how quick they grew without me chewing them. I'd have to ask Ezzie to paint my nails when I saw her next. I can't paint nails, I never did it enough to gain good ability.

I turned the shower off, then grabbed my towel and dried myself quickly, wrapping the towel around my body to shield myself in case anyone came into the bathroom. I wrung my hair out in the shower, then I stepped on my dirty shirt and used it to keep the floor dry as I shuffled along to the small cupboard next to the shower. I opened it, and grabbed the purple towel on top of the pile. I wrapped my hair up in it, then grabbed my under layers, putting them on then putting on the pale yellow sundress.

I dried my brush with the blue towel, knowing I'd probably use it again soon to pull my hair back somehow. I always pulled my hair back when I was in trouble, because no hair would fall into my eyes if I had to fight.

I put my blue towel onto the towel rack on the door leading to my room, then gathered my clothes and took them back to my room. I folded them up and placed them neatly on my bed. I unwrapped my hair from its towel turban, then started towel drying it. I could smell bacon cooking. They must be starting breakfast.

Once it was no longer overly wet, and just damp, I detangled it, then parted it in the usual spot, making sure to split it all the way down to the nape of my neck, then began braiding my hair. I walked over to the dresser and got a hair band, tying off the first one then beginning the second. Once I tied off that one I grabbed two blue ribbons, tying them around the hair bands.

I heard men chattering outside, so I peeked through the crack. They were walking away from the house. I counted ten. Arthur killed two at the warehouse. That means that there's three still here with me. I heard the locks click behind me, and quickly moved to my dresser, inspecting the ribbons on it.

The door swung open, and I looked at the man carrying the tray with my food. I recognised him as one of the men playing cards at the table.

I looked at the food on the tray. Scrambled eggs and bacon with toast on a ceramic plate, and orange juice in a glass cup. I tried to fight off a chuckle. He's obviously never plated up my food before. I had plastic plates and cups, and no utensils. Luca was smart like that.

He sat it on the bed, shutting the door behind him. I looked at him, sizing him up. Yeah, I'd be able to take him if push came to shove. I didn't know if I'd be able to take the other two, though. I'd cross that bridge when I got to it. I walked over to the bed, grabbing the glass of orange juice, then retreating to my spot in front of the dresser. I drank the orange juice in one go, feeling thirsty. He chuckled.

"You look prettier with your hair up," He mused, coming to stand in front of me.

He grabbed my hair, playing with the braids, then trailed his fingers down my bare skin to find the necklace Finn had given me. He fiddled with it, and I watched him. His eyes focused on my chest. It was inevitable. I did seem to have a chest that was on the bigger side.

My breathing became shallow as he started exploring my body with his hands, rubbing his hands up and down my sides. I grasped the glass and made sure my grip on it was tight.

"Such a pretty girl," He muttered, one hand trailing up my legs, brushing under the hem of my dress and continuing to move upwards as the other moved a thin strap of my dress off of my shoulder.

He leaned down to plant a kiss on my shoulder, and I nearly got sick as I felt something poking my thigh. He stood back up, moving to take off his belt, and I swung the glass as hard as I could onto his head, making him drop to the ground with a groan of pain, disorientated. I threw the glass at the door as hard as I could, effectively shattering it. I moved quickly, kneeling down and grabbing a shard of glass, but shrieking when the man grabbed my leg and pulled me towards him. I swung my arm backwards blindly, feeling the blade drive into him him somewhere.

He screamed in pain, then went quiet. I turned around, and he was holding a hand over his eye, which was pouring blood. I could see the glass sticking out.

I quickly checked his pockets, and found a revolver, and a car key. I grabbed my folded up clothes and boots, and ran through the bathroom into Luca's room. His door handle was normal. I strained my ears for any sound. None. I opened the door and went downstairs, kicking open the panel and found that there was no one else in the room.

I ran to the open window and climbed out of it with ease, not wanting to fuck around with locks. I couldn't see any cars, but I did spot a barn. I wouldn't have been able to see it from my room. I headed toward it, hoping that there was something to help me.

I pushed open the door, and found a car. I rolled the door right open, and tried the key in the ignition. It roared to life, making me smirk. I threw my clothes in through the window, and opened the door from the inside, hopping into the drivers seat. I pulled my coat around me, hiding the bloodstains on my dress, then reversed out of the barn, taking off. I sped down the dirt road, cheering when I hit a proper road. I followed it, and noticed some people in a field up ahead. I slowed down, making the woman look up.

Her kids started whispering to each other.

"Excuse me, miss, do you know the way to Birmingham? I lost my map a while back and I think I took a wrong turn," I rambled, "I'm meant to surprise my husband for his birthday tomorrow but now I'm scared I won't make it."

The woman gave a knowing grin, and raised her arm, "Thirty minutes in that direction, love. Straight shot."

I grinned, "Thank you!"

I pulled back onto the road and continued driving, feeling my heart slow down to its normal pace.

•••

THIRD PERSON'S POV

You pulled up in front of the betting den, and got out of the car. You noticed cars belonging to Polly and Arthur sitting there. You pressed the horn repeatedly, waiting until someone came outside.

Tommy opened the door angrily, ready to shoot whoever decided to waste his time, and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw you.

"Merry Christmas," You remarked, throwing him the keys to the car and pushing past him to walk inside, taking off your coat.

"(Y/N)?" Polly asked in disbelief, you ignoring her as you walked to Finn's office.

He had gotten John's office, John's name still on the door. You knocked, and heard him yell 'fuck off'.

You swung open the door, revealing a dishevelled Finn. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. You shut the door behind you. You walked over to his desk, sitting yourself on top of it, noticing the white residue on the table top. He quickly moved to stand in front of you, inspecting you for any injuries.

"It's not my blood," You informed him, reaching up and wiping a finger on the outside of his nose, getting rid of the white powder still sat there.

"Can — Can I touch you to make sure you're real? I had dreams where you came back," Finn explained, lack of sleep and playing in the snow making the line between dream and reality near nonexistent.

You grabbed his hand, squeezing it. He let out a sigh, bringing your hand up to his mouth and placing a kiss on it. You were real. And you were back with him, and safe.

"Did anyone hurt you while you were there?" Finn asked, making you pale.

"No, but this morning one of them tried it on me. He didn't get anywhere, only groped me, but God Finn, it scared me," You admitted.

In the part of his mind that was still rational and not affected by lack of sleep and snow, he made a vow to track down the bastard and cut off his hands.

§§§

As you may be able to tell; I have a fixation with bacon and eggs lol

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

NEXT PART

Part 14

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 35

PUBLISHED: 07/07/2022

Part 1

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TAGLIST

READER'S POV

Finn and I had already been to camp (after showering together, of course) to get breakfast and pick up Saoirse. Now we were in the living room, hanging up the paintings that Billy had given us for Christmas. He had given one to each of us, then one to all of us.

I had no doubt that Linda thought of the gift. She may have been a bitch, but she sure knew how to pick presents.

It was a good thing, too, because they made our walls look all the less bare. We didn't have many photos. Finn's parents weren't overly worried about taking photos of him, and we could rarely get near a camera to take photos of Saoirse, having to draw or paint her instead. In fact, the only photo Finn and I had together, as well as the only one all three of us had together, was ones from our wedding.

I frowned as I adjusted the painting on its hook and made sure it was level, then stepped back, going and curling up in my armchair.

"What's wrong, my love?" Finn asked from his spot on the floor next to Saoirse, practicing a song she taught him on the ukulele as she read a book.

"We don't have any family photos," I huffed, and Saoirse stopped reading to look at me.

Finn shrugged one shoulder, as if he couldn't care less, making me scowl. He cocked a brow and waved a hand, showing him to not worry about it.

"We should get some?" She suggested, although it sounded more like a question than a suggestion.

"We can book a photographer for our wedding anniversary," Finn added, eyes still on me as he studied me.

"I'd like that idea. But it's ages away though," I complained, throwing my arms up in annoyance as I shifted so I was dangling my legs over the side of the chair and my upper half was hanging over the other side of the armchair.

"It's in nine days, on the tenth," Finn pointed out as I listened to the fire crackle, and my eyes widened.

"Like fuck it is," I protested, rolling out of the chair, landing on my hands and knees with a 'thud' then standing up and marching over to the door leading to the hallway, making my way into the kitchen.

I headed towards the fridge, where we had a calendar hung up on it, and looked at the January page.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Oh, fuck, it is."

"Told you," Finn replied as he came into the kitchen, making me roll my eyes.

I kept on looking at the calendar as Finn pottered around.

"Your birthday is on the third?" I asked, turning to face my husband, "How come you never said anything about it."

He paused, mouth open as the arm holding the cookie he was going to bite stopping in its tracks, and shrugged, then bit half of the cookie clean off.

I gave him a deadpan look, clearly not impressed with his response, and grabbed the pen from the top of the fridge, then wrote in my birthday, placing the pen on top of the fridge once more.

"Well, when's yours then?" He questioned, mouth still full of cookie.

"On the fourth," I answered, and walked over to the island to grab my own cookie out of the jar.

He swallowed the food in his mouth, looking at me in bewilderment, "Of January?"

"Of January," I confirmed, and took a bite, humming at the taste of it.

They were homemade, I made them yesterday before we started partying.

Finn's eyes kept on flickering to my bracelet as he nibbled on his second biscuit, and I nudged him with my foot.

"What, Finn?" I sighed, feeling slightly frustrated, and he held a finger up as he continued chewing, then swallowed, and wiped his lower face with the back of his hand, ridding it of any crumbs.

He hesitated, putting his cookie down. He opened his mouth and closed it. I fought the urge to cross my arms impatiently, instead deciding to reach out and grab his hand, rubbing the back of it with my thumb. The action made his cheeks tint pink.

"Erm — I was looking at the rose charm," Finn admitted, leaning back against the island and hoisting himself up to sit on the bench.

I did the same, swinging my feet and waiting for him to continue.

"Well — I know from how all of the kids talk that Aberama and Rose never actually separated and that your father never actually got with Marian. And I'm confused about how you even ended up with Aberama." Finn said, the words tumbling out of his mouth and nearly running together at some points.

I nodded slowly, "How about a cup of tea?"

Finn immediately leaned over and switched the kettle on, as I wiggled around and made myself more comfortable, leaning back on my palms.

"So — where should I start?" I asked my husband, looking up at the roof so I wouldn't have to see him looking at me.

"At the start," He replied, barely giving me time to finish my own sentence.

I took a moment to think, before starting to speak.

"Rose and Aberama were on again off again, although everyone knew they belonged together. They had Esmeralda a good six years before me, then Bonnie followed three years after. In an off again stage, Dad met Marian at a fairground, and they got to know each other in the biblical sense. Eight months later, I came along, and with the help of some healers from the Gold family, I survived." I said, racking my brain for what Dad told me about my early years.

"Eight months?" Finn asked incredulously, eyes wide, "Is that why you're so short?"

I could feel my cheeks growing warmer.

"The healers said it was an effect of coming into the world too early!" I snapped, and Finn said a quick 'Sorry'.

"Anyway. I lived with Marian, and Dad would come and visit when he could, taking me on the road when Marian let him. Sometimes Marian even came with. Her and Rose got on well, as well as her and the older two, until they found out what she was really like, of course. He had eyes in the neighbourhood, other travellers that had settled down, so he knew how I was faring, somewhat. Uhhh — I never went to school. Marian didn't want to send me, instead I just ran amuck around the neighbourhood, playing hopscotch, making friends, eating apples from our neighbours' orchard — just having fun." I paused as the kettle stopped boiling.

Finn got up and started making us tea.

"Keep going," He requested as he grabbed the biscuits.

"Marian was forever nasty when I was a child, only nice when we had company. It got worse as I got older," I recounted, my hand absentmindedly going up and rubbing the small scar going through my eyebrow, "When Saoirse came along, after I turned eight, Dad and Rose came to visit us with her. That was probably the first time Dad, and the older two, actually ever saw firsthand how Marian treated me. Dad didn't take too kindly to it, and tried to take me off of Marian, but Marian had a lot of friends in high places, friends that wouldn't mind turning a blind eye to the way she treated me."

Finn grimaced as he brought my tea and biscuits over to me and sat it on the bench next to me, then taking the time to press a kiss to my forehead and hold it for a while, before moving to get his own tea and biscuits.

"Erm, it all came to a head when I turned nine. Dad, Rose, and the kids all came over for my birthday and it turned to shit. There was a lot of things thrown, words said, and tears. I don't like talking about it. No one does. Dad took me away that day, saying he'd shoot Marian if she tried to stop him, and I believed it. I visited her once again when I was thirteen, but other than that I had no contact with her, and didn't see her again until the wedding," I finished, and Finn took a long, slow, sip of his tea.

"It wasn't all bad," I added, "But you know how it is."

"We tend to focus on the bad parts," Finn said understandingly, nodding.

I gave him a small smile, and took a sip of my own tea.

"Erm — is Marian the reason you got funny over family photos?" Finn asked carefully, and I let a long breath out through my nostrils.

"She — she didn't have any photos of me, but she always had her and everyone else she knew up in the walls," I explained, and Finn frowned, leaning over and placing a hand on my knee, then squeezing it.

"Now, Mr. Shelby, what was your life like?" I inquired, and Finn chuckled, dipping his biscuit into his tea.

"Can we finish our tea first?" He asked, and I nodded, grabbing one of my own biscuits.

•••

THIRD PERSON'S POV

You and Finn decided to celebrate your birthdays together, on the fifth of January, with a lunch at your house, in the garden, with everyone bringing a dish of food.

It was a joyous occasion, with quite a few people in attendance. Esme and her brood even attended it, to your surprise.

If you could make a day happen again, the fifth of January, 1927, would be your first choice.

§§§

Short lil chapter because it's sorta kinda a filler lol it was meant to go in a different direction but it didn't go in that direction so eh

Also I'll give you guys from five days to a week to pick baby names from the list in the previous chapter (voting ending on the 14th of July at the latest lol)

Also — If some of you eagle eyed readers noticed that the first set of baby names were all variants of Finn's name, there's a reason for that.

If you go back to chapter nine, you'll see a scene where the reader says that she would never name her child 'Finn Junior' if she was naming them after Finn, instead using his first name as a middle name or using a variant of his name for the first name 🤭

Anyways — The rest of the chapters between now and when I plan to start writing about season 5 may all be shorter than usual, due to being fillers/not being overly important to the plot, just being more of Finn and the Reader's relationship lol

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

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@toothlessmcleod

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@bethabear12

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@cucumberfingefsandwiches

NEXT PART

Part 36

CONTRARY TAGLIST

Interact with this post if you’d like to join the taglist for my Finn Shelby x Reader, ‘Contrary’

Joining this list is absolutely optional, and you can come and go as you please :))

Love y’all ❤️

- Sunflower x

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 28

PUBLISHED: 23/06/2022

!!FIRST PART HERE!!

Part 1

MASTERLIST

TAGLIST

THIRD PERSON'S POV

Your husband leaned down, breath hot on your ear as he promised to be back soon. You gave a hum of acknowledgement and continued talking to one of Tommy's friends in high places. What Tommy brought you and Finn to this dinner party for, you didn't know. Tommy was bringing his new business partners (Bonnie, your father, and your sisters) to meet some of his uppity friends over a dinner party, therefore the senior Shelbys were in attendance as they all had important positions in the company, but you and Finn weren't senior Shelbys. If you were being honest, you and Finn didn't even have proper positions in the company, just doing whatever bits and bobs Tommy told you to do. You supposed it made sense, but also didn't make sense at the same time.

Finn handed you his glass of whiskey, and walked off, happy to be out of that damned room but feeling slightly guilty for leaving you alone.

He headed towards the nearest bathroom, wanting a few moments of privacy to settle his nerves — and to play in the snow.

He knocked twice on the bathroom door, and no answer came. He tried the door but it was locked, making him frown. He hoped that no one was inside and unconscious. He put his ear up to the door and knocked again.

A faint, sniffly 'hello?' came through, making his heart drop. He knew that voice anywhere. Saoirse.

"Sersh, it's Finn. Can you open the door?" Finn asked, trying to sound calm.

She should have been well and truly snoring by now, tucked safely into bed, under the watch of her nanny, who Bonnie was so generously paying for.

Finn heard the door lock jiggle, then the door opened just enough for Saoirse to slip through and hug Finn in a bone crushing hug. He quickly wrapped his own arms around the child, rubbing her back comfortingly, her nightgown smooth under his hand.

"I got scared because it was a new room and I was going to ask Pippa for a nightlight because the shadows looked scary but I couldn't remember if she went right or left or what bell to ring to call her and I tried to find her but I couldn't and I ended up in there," Saoirse explained through sniffles, breathing quick and shallow, "She does it a lot but she usually puts a light on so I'm not scared."

"I'm here now," Finn reassured, making a mental note to tell Bonnie to get rid of that nanny.

Saoirse nodded, breathing still uneven.

"Take a few big, deep breaths — like this," Finn demonstrated, then gestured for Saoirse to do it.

Saoirse did so, clinging on to Finn as she did it, as if she was scared he was going to run away as soon as she turned her back.

Finn waited patiently until Saoirse was calm, then pulled his handkerchief out and told her to blow her nose with it, and she did. He suddenly heard the rapid 'click-click' that your heels made when you walked. He spun around, and you were hurrying over to the pair, dress bunched up in your hands so you wouldn't trip over it.

"What's she doing here? She was meant to be back at camp with Pippa," You said softly, giving her a hug and leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead.

"She just said that Pippa put her into one of the guest rooms," Finn replied, reminding himself to unclench his jaw, trying to keep himself standing in a relaxed way so Saoirse wouldn't see how stressed he was becoming.

"Fucking — I knew she was mad on that butler, wouldn't think she would do that to my sister because of it," You grumbled, frowning, "She'd be better off fucking living with us, honest."

"That can be arranged," Finn said, making you stop and look at him.

"That isn't a five second decision!" You hissed, not wanting to get Saoirse's hopes up.

Finn nodded, taking off his jacket and placing it around your sister, who must have been cold in her little blue nightgown.

"Want to stay with us tonight, at our house?" You asked Saoirse gently.

She nodded, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of Finn's jacket.

Finn handed you the car keys, "You go put her in the car, I'll go tell Tommy."

You nodded, and Finn turned on his heel and went to go find his brother.

You were concerned. You had gotten Saoirse a nanny so she wouldn't be left alone, with all of you going and doing business most of the day. Your father and Bonnie having a bit of an erratic schedule making it hard for them to be home, and Ezzie was usually in town with Isiah making lesson plans for the kids so they could learn too, which, knowing her, could easily turn into a night over at Isiah's house. That was where Pippa came in useful, caring for your sister when you all couldn't, but now you were wondering how many times Pippa actually left your sister alone and unsupervised.

By tomorrow, Pippa would be lucky if she had her eyes.

You walked down the corridor and turned to your right, holding Saoirse's hand, then heard a giggle. You looked to your left, and, there was your brother, talking to one of the butlers, a smirk on his face.

"Bonnie!" You said sharply, making him look at you and drop his smirk.

"What's she doing up?" He asked you, shoving the butler into the room and closing the door behind him, walking over to the pair of you.

"The nanny you hired has been leaving her unattended," You explained, making Bonnie's eyes widen.

"What about the dogs, her dogs, Daisy and Duke, don't they stay with her?" Bonnie questioned, reaching an arm out for Saoirse, who shook her head and pressed herself into your side even more.

"That's not the point-" You began, but Bonnie cut you off,

"-We always had the dogs and no babysitters-"

"Yes but we were older and we had each other, she's got no one, we're not camping with family now!" You snapped, and Bonnie pursed his lips and nodded, seeing your point.

You sighed, ushering Saoirse along the corridor and promising to see Bonnie sometime soon, when he wasn't busy.

•••

A week after Pippa was fired — and you took her eyes, cheered on by Finn — you sat with Finn, Saoirse, Ezzie, Aberama, and Bonnie at your dining table, Finn Junior on Saoirse's lap.

You drummed your fingertips against the tabletop, your nails clicking against it. Finn found the noise irritating, so he clamped his hand around yours and brought it back between the pair of you, giving it three quick squeezes

Saoirse's eyes went from you and Finn, to Aberama, and back again. You noticed that she hadn't even taken a sip of her tea, or had a biscuit. Nervous. She felt nervous.

"You can choose whatever you want, my darling Butterfly," Aberama said in a reassuring tone, smiling fatherly down at his youngest child.

Butterfly. Saoirse had finally picked a favourite colour. Blue.

"Want to stay with Bee and Finn for a bit," Saoirse admitted, making you freeze, "See what it's like."

Your husband noticed this and dropped his hand, rubbing your leg in a reassuring manner.

"We'll give you my room," Finn told Saoirse, making her grin, "And enrol her in school today, we've got time."

Saoirse's grin dropped, and she looked over at you.

"You're going if you're staying here," You told her, and she huffed, hugging Finn Junior and rubbing her face against his fur, but protested no more.

The only options were school, or a nanny, and you didn't want to hire a nanny after that last incident. You could have gotten her a governess, but you wanted her to have some interaction with other children.

Aberama looked at you and your husband. He noticed that your hair was down, which was unusual. You rarely had it down anymore. A big change from when you first got married and rarely had it up. Maybe it was a sign of growing up. He wished you had your hair down more if it was.

"We'll need to get her clothes from my vardo sometime soon, then," Aberama said softly, making you nod, the check the time.

You still had time to enrol her today.

"I've got to go see Tommy, I'll see you two back at camp," Bonnie said, standing up from the table and wiping the nonexistent dust from his clothes.

"And I've got to go and make schooling packs, I don't know when I'll be back at camp," Ezzie excused herself, Bonnie pulling her chair out and helping her stand up.

Your father wordlessly stood up, and tucked his chair in. You frowned. He always said see you later before standing up from his chair, then once again whilst leaving.

"Dad? What's wrong?" You asked carefully, not wanting to upset him.

"You're all growing so fast, at the start of the year I had you all with me but now you're all going and growing up," Aberama admitted, making you feel slightly guilty.

You didn't see your father as much as you wanted now that you lived with Finn.

"I'll never grow up," Saoirse piped up, making you all chuckle.

"Maybe all of your kids should spend one last night in camp with you — not one last night, but just one night together before Sersh comes to stay with us for a bit," Finn suggested, making your heart flutter.

He could be proper considerate sometimes.

"Yes, tonight," Ezzie agreed, and looked at Bonnie, who grinned and nodded.

"It's settled then," You stated, looking at your father who looked more upbeat than he did before.

"Tonight," He nodded, grinning from ear to ear, "I'll see you, you'd do well to get Saoirse enrolled today."

You hummed in agreement as you stood up from the table, taking the empty cups to the sink, Finn getting up and helping you.

Your sister, father, and brother moved towards the door, saying see you later, then left you, your husband, your cat, and your younger sister in the apartment. Saoirse was finally eating her biscuits and drinking her tea.

Finn walked over and phoned Poll, who agreed to go for a drive and get him the enrolment forms and help him fill them out, no questions asked. That's what he liked about Polly. Always doing things for the people she loved.

"Finn, she won't be where she's supposed to be up to in school, what if she gets bullied?" You asked your husband lowly as you stood next to him at the sink, looking over at your shoulder quickly, peeking at your sister.

She picked up things quick, being a kid, but you were sure she wasn't where she needed to be, and you knew just how vicious kids were.

"Then we'll pay someone to get her up to speed in the afternoons," Finn reassured you, leaning down and planting a kiss on your forehead, then grabbed the tea towel and started wiping up.

Finn listened to your soft humming as you moved around the room, and headed down the hallway to his room. You were probably beginning to move his clothes into your room. Neither of you had much clothes, so you'd be fine sharing your wardrobe and chest of drawers with him.

"Finny?" Saoirse's voice snapped him back to reality, and he spun around, raising his eyebrows and jerking his chin up.

"Can I get a nightlight for a bit?" She asked, shifting in her seat.

"Of course," Finn reassured, "We'll track one down after we get your enrolment form."

Saoirse grinned toothily at this statement, then put the cat down, walking over and laying in front of the fireplace, which was roaring. Even though it was getting warmer, it was still cold in the apartment, especially in the rooms. Finn wouldn't mind having a place that had a fireplace in each room. Maybe an extras room, too, so no one would have to move rooms in case guests came.

"Need help!" You called out, and Finn moved down the hallway, then backtracked, turning on the radio and finding a station for Saoirse, then moving down the corridor again.

He walked into his — now Saoirse's — room, and saw that you had all of his clothes out on his bed.

"What do you need help with?" He asked as he leaned against the doorway.

"Darling, can you take those ironed clothes and put them where ever you want them? I'll take these and put them wherever they'll fit," You said, and Finn felt his heart skip a beat at the pet name.

"That I can do, love," Finn said, crossing the room and grabbing the ironed stuff by their hangers, then walking them into your — his, now, too — rooms, going and putting them into the wardrobe, noticing his list for you pinned on the door.

He noticed the heart shaped rock on your vanity, and beamed a smile.

"What's got you smiling?" You questioned as you went and put Finn's folded clothes into your chest of drawers.

"The rock," Finn admitted, blushing, making you chuckle as you stood up, then crossed the room, leaning up and planting a kiss on his cheek.

He wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you into a hug. He took a deep breath in, and caught your scent, making his shoulders drop in relaxation. Your scent always calmed him.

"It's going to be odd, sharing a room," You said, but felt excited.

You'd be sharing a room with your husband, finally. The thought of waking up, tangled in the sheets with Finn as the morning light filtered through your window made your heart beat just a little bit faster.

§§§

Heyyy long time no see

What did you think of this chapter??

Some of the events in this chapter was meant to happen in chapter 30 but oh well lol

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

NEXT PART

Part 29

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CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 39

PUBLISHED: 15/07/2022

Part 1

MASTERLIST

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THIRD PERSON'S POV

You sat at your dining table, listening to the noise coming from inside as Finn, Saoirse, Daisy, Karl, Aberama, Bonnie, Isiah, and Oscar all worked together to cook breakfast — brunch, now, you mused as you looked at your watch.

It was Mother's Day today, and Finn and Saoirse were originally going to cook just you breakfast, but then Saoirse wanted to cook something for Ezzie, and Polly, and Ada, and Hilda. Jeremiah, who Isiah always celebrated Mother's Day and Father's Day with, was also invited. That was how that lot, as well as Isiah, Aberama, Karl, and Daisy ended up here. Saoirse then called Bonnie and demanded that he come and help cook or he wouldn't be a part of the family anymore (an empty threat, of course, but the cooking would feel incomplete without him). He ended up bringing Oscar, who was a welcomed addition.

You ended up taking the table outside so you could enjoy the weather, which wasn't all that bad at the moment.

You could hear your father instructing Saoirse on how to scramble the eggs properly. The smell drifted down to you and made you feel queasy, so you drank some of your ginger beer to fight it. This didn't go unnoticed by Polly, who poured you a cup of tea.

"Try some tea, love. Maybe it'll settle your stomach," She suggested, pushing the cup towards you.

You took it gratefully, sipping away.

"You're not reading my leaves, though," You warned the woman, seeing right through her antics.

She sighed, then looked at Esmeralda, who cocked an eyebrow as if to say 'I told you so'.

"What are you two on about?" You demanded, feeling terribly left out.

"Nothing," The two replied quickly, making it know that they were very much on about something.

"Oh, god, what's wrong with (Y/N)?" Ada questioned, knowing that the only time Polly read leaves was when someone had something big happening to them.

"Something's wrong with (Y/N)?" Hilda asked hurriedly, eyeing you worriedly.

"She looks fine," Jeremiah commented, sipping on his coffee as he read the newspaper, not even bothering to look at you or entertain the women's antics.

"Nothing's wrong with me!" You snapped, a bit louder than you should've, waking Finn Junior from his nap at your feet.

He yowled in protest, swiping at your ankles, making you yelp.

"Tell me what you two are going on about before I take your eyes out with a spoon," You threatened, narrowing your eyes at the pair sitting across from you.

Ezzie and Polly looked at each other, then back at you.

"I had a dream that you gave birth," Ezzie admitted, making you scoff.

"Your dreams are always hit-and-miss," You pointed out, she didn't always have dreams that came to be like you did.

You conveniently left out the fact that you also had a dream that you went into labour. It didn't feel like a prophetic dream. Just a normal dream. Wishful thinking. You knew the difference.

"And that is why I want to read your leaves," Polly added, making you huff as you tipped the remains of the cup out onto the ground, leaves and all, then slammed the cup back down onto the table, hard.

You were surprised that the cup didn't break.

The pair took that as a sign to take a step back. Hilda placed a hand on yours, and squeezed it comfortingly.

"If she was having a baby she would've told you all," Jeremiah pointed out, placing his newspaper down, not seeing any point to the women's nonsense.

You all sat tensely, waiting for brunch to be cooked and brought out.

"Is something burning?" Ada broke the thick silence, and you went to snap at her for saying something so ridiculous, but you soon smelled the scent yourself.

You all quickly looked back over at the house, and through the window you could see Finn, now rushing around with a smoking frying pan, everyone else in the kitchen laughing at him.

He left through the kitchen door, and after a few beats he appeared through the side door, rushing to the railing and throwing the burnt stuff onto the ground.

"What did you manage to burn, Finny boy?" Jeremiah called out to the boy, and Finn rolled his eyes.

"He burnt the onion!" Saoirse yelled out of the window, giggling.

"You shush, little miss," Finn commanded, pointing the frying pan at her, but grinned as she still giggled away.

"Finn, I was looking forward to having onion on my hamburger. Bee, divorce your husband," Ezzie joked, and you chuckled.

"I shall have to, the smell of burnt stuff stinks," You complained, screwing up your nose as you took a sip of your ginger beer.

"You know, they sort of look like you, (Y/N)," Finn said as he looked down at the burnt mess, then up at you.

"Finn Theo Shelby, stop comparing me to fucking onions! Push my buttons again and you're sleeping on the couch tonight," You said to your husband, narrowing your eyes at him, and the people around you started cackling.

"Love you," Finn threw over his shoulder before walking back inside.

•••

You all had a good brunch. Oscar and the kids had washed up and put away, and now you were all scattered around the house, either napping or relaxing. The kids were out on the play equipment with the cat and dogs.

You were stood in the kitchen with Ada, eating some leftover muffins, pencilling in Saoirse's next dentist appointment on the calendar. Ada came over and bumped you to the side, then started flipping around the calendar herself.

"What in the fuck are you looking for?" You asked her as she counted days, flipping back and forth between the pages.

"Couldn't find it, doesn't matter," She replied, and you rolled your eyes, downing the last of your drink.

"You right watching the kids? I feel tired," You said, and she nodded telling you to go and sleep and that she'd get the kids inside to colour so she could nap too.

You walked out to the hallway, and stuck your head through the doorway of the living room, where all of the couches were taken. Oscar and Bonnie were asleep on the couches in front of the fire. Hilda and Jeremiah were asleep on the couches surrounding the green rug.

You headed down the hallway to the smaller guest room, and stuck your head in the doorway there. Isiah and your sister were sound asleep, your sister snoring softly. You looked across the hall. Polly and Aberama.

You walked back down the hallway, into the living room and up the stairs, going down to your own room.

Finn was making himself comfortable in the bed, eyes half closed as he did so. You wasted no time kicking off your shoes and crawling into bed with him.

Finn quickly moved so he was flush against you, humming contentedly as you drifted off to dreamland, your husband not far behind you.

§§§

Chapter forty is next — it feels surreal to have a fanfic with such a high chapter count lmao

Also, honest question to you readers; Would you prefer me to follow the plot of the show and kill off Bonnie, or leave him alive?

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

TAGLIST

@meadownicolee

@toothlessmcleod

@im-your-possession

@bethabear12

@paisley-37

@shelundeadxxxx

@bluehairdie

@krillfromsky

@cucumberfingefsandwiches

NEXT PART

Part 40

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 26

PUBLISHED: 18/06/2022

!!FIRST PART HERE!!

Part 1

MASTERLIST

TAGLIST

READER'S POV

I started squealing as we got into the carriage. I loved Ferris wheels, and heights. In the line, Finn and I had planned out the rest of the night.

I sat myself right against the wall, looking out at the people on the ground as we began our descent into the sky. They had gotten smaller and smaller. I looked out at the buildings. I noticed that we could see the Cut from here.

"Oh, Finn, look, there's Lizzie and Tommy," I pointed out the pair, on the ground near a cotton candy cart, and looked over at my husband.

He was puffing on a cigarette, eyes on me.

"Oh, Finn, what's the point of coming on the Ferris wheel if you don't enjoy the view!" I whined, making him chuckle as he pulled the cigarette from his mouth.

"I am enjoying the view." He replied with a grin, then winked, a cocky tone in his words.

"Shut up," I muttered, looking back out towards the scenery, feeling my cheeks get warmer.

I continued looking out at the scenery, watching the people mill around the fairground, and enjoying the funny feeling in my stomach as we spun around.

Soon enough, we got out, Finn threw any arm around my waist, leading us to the bumper cars using his map.

I spotted Ada and Karl in line, Karl with a balloon on his wrist.

"Fancy seeing you two here," I called out as we approached them.

"Don't you two look quite the cute couple," Ada greeted as we lined up behind her.

"Uncle Finn, uncle Finn, can you drive me?" Karl begged, and Finn shook his head with a small grin.

"I'm on a date with Aunty (N/N), sorry," Finn replied, pulling me in closer to his side.

Karl pouted, but nodded. I felt my heartbeat speed up at the use of my nickname.

"A date?" Ada asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, Lizzie forced us," I joked, although it wasn't too far from the truth.

I would be too, if we were being honest.

"Who knows, by the end of the night we might know each other in the biblical sense," Finn said cheekily, making me gasp and slap his chest.

"Finn!" I squealed, making Ada laugh and Karl look at us confusedly.

Luckily, I was saved by the person announcing for everyone to get out of their cars, and exit the ride. I started bouncing on my heels, making Finn chuckle.

I really did love fairs.

We moved up onto the black floor after Finn gave the man our tickets, and got into a yellow car.

"We gonna annoy Karl and Ada, love?" Finn asked as I pulled the padded bar down over our laps.

Love. My butterflies came back tenfold at the stupid little nickname.

"Yes — But Karl's driving so be careful," I begged, and Finn nodded.

"I will," He spoke simply, but the smirk on his face said otherwise.

After all of the cars had people in them, the ride started. We jolted forward, and Finn immediately started chasing Karl and Ada.

I felt someone ram into us from behind, making us jerk forward. I looked around and saw that it was Flo and Dinah, Flo cackling away as she drove, Dinah blowing us a kiss.

"Finn, get those girls back," I commanded, and he laughed as he started chasing them.

"Your wish is my command," He said, dropping a hand from the wheel and placing it on my knee.

I felt my heart speed up at the contact, making me grin.

•••

Finn and I had just come from the circus and our second Ferris wheel ride of the night. We were now making our way towards the giant slide, after our quick stop at a cotton candy cart.

"Okay, so we went on the Ferris wheel, bumper cars, tilt-a-whirl, flying swings, Helter Skelter, circus, thanks to your family for getting us seats in the front row, second Ferris wheel ride, carousel, haunted house, and now we're going to the giant slide. That leaves the stalls, one final ride on the Ferris wheel, then fireworks at midnight." Finn informed me, looking down at the map as I bit into the pink cloud in my hand.

I gave a hum of approval as we walked towards the wooden slide, me dragging Finn by the belt loop again. I had pulled my yellow sweater on after sundown, because the night air had a chill in it, even with all of the people moving around the fairground.

In the haunted house, Finn had put an arm around me 'in case I got scared', but ended up nearly pissing himself when a contortionist ran full pelt at our stopped carriage in a bridge walk.

We continued trotting along until we ended up in line for the giant slide. It was a big wooden slide, one you had to sit on a piece of hessian cloth to go down. We grabbed one each from the pile at the bottom of the slide. Once Finn and I got to the top of the slide, I placed mine down and sat on it, then waited for Finn.

"We should make it a race." I decided, "Loser does whatever the winner tells them to do."

Finn nodded, "I'd be up for that."

I waited until the employee told us that it was safe to go, then started counting, "One, two-"

"-Three." Finn said, then pushed himself off.

"Finn, you bastard!" I screeched as I slid down after him, leaning forward and making myself go faster, catching up with him.

My hair blew back from how fast I was going. I whooped as I grabbed my hessian mat tighter. Finn bumped into me, sending me spinning around; making me shriek, the world turning into a blur. I reached out and grabbed Finn, making him yell as we tumbled off of the end of the slide together.

"Holy fuck, never again!" Finn swore, making me cackle.

"I won that one; you cheated, so I won by default." I decided as we stood up.

Finn didn't protest as I threw our hessian cloths into the pile. He held a hand out, and I helped him stand up.

Someone cleared their throats to our right, making us look.

Tommy and Lizzie stood there, Lizzie with a knowing smile on her face.

"(Y/N). Finn. Nice to see the date's going good." Tommy said simply, his blue eyes burning holes through us.

"It's going great," I said, interlacing my fingers with Finn's, who gave three quick squeezes.

"We'll be off then," Lizzie said, pulling her husband away from us.

I waved to the pair as I lead Finn away to the stalls. I spotted a familiar pair of men, then tried to lead Finn the other way.

"(Y/N)! Come and see your old dad and brother!" Dad called out, making me groan as Finn lead me over to them.

They were running a stall where you had to knock the cans over. I noticed oversized bears handing from the top of their stall.

I pointed up at the light brown one, "Dadda, Bonnie, I want that one."

"No can do, sister. You need to win it," Bonnie replied, leaning back against the bench of the stall, grinning.

My jaw dropped.

"Why!" I demanded, and Finn slung his arm around me.

"What do you have to do to win one?" Finn asked, and Bonnie cocked a brow as Dad smirked.

"Knock each pyramid over. No rebounds, no bounces." Bonnie informed him, "3 shillings; 3 shots."

Finn pulled the money out of his jacket pocket and handed them over to Bonnie, who gave him three balls.

"And I thought all Shelbys were good for was pushing papers around," Bonnie mused, making me roll my eyes.

"Finn, darling, ignore those two." I told him, "They're just trying to shake you up to make you miss, show them what you're made of."

Finn smirked, and started throwing the balls up into the air.

"Where are we going to put that bear in our apartment, love?" Finn asked, juggling the balls.

"You haven't even thrown a ball yet," Bonnie interjected.

Dad watched on in amusement, and I stayed silent as I leaned against the bench, watching the pair.

"I don't need to just yet; because I know I'm gonna knock 'em down. So, again, where are we going to put the bear?" Finn asked, turning back to face me, a cocky smirk on his face.

"If you miss I'll make my daughter divorce you," Dad called out to Finn, making me give Dad a death glare.

"In my room, at the foot of the bed," I answered my husband, and that was all it took for Finn to straighten up his stance and focus, then throw the three balls lightning fast, effectively knocking over the three towers.

Dad's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and Bonnie begrudgingly got the light brown bear down and gave it to me.

"I was just teasing, you know, didn't mean anything by it," Bonnie said to Finn, who gave him a boyish grin in return.

"I know, but what my wife wants," He then threw an arm around me, "She gets."

"See you later," I said as we walked along.

I looked around the stalls, trying to find something fun.

"Roll a penny, Finn I want to try it!" I pleaded, and he sighed but led me over there.

I knew that he thought it would just be a waste of money because it was a luck game but I tended to get lucky when it came to it.

Finn paid the girl running the stall, and I got three pennies.

I placed the little wooden wedge on the edge of the table, then dropped my first penny into the slot, then moved the wedge towards the paper, a bit towards the left, and dropped the penny again. I moved my penny right to the edge of the paper on the right, and dropped it into the slot, waiting for it to stop rolling and hit the paper with a clatter. I looked at my three coins. They all landed on 'WIN' squares.

"Congratulations, you can pick five prizes." The girl said blandly, sounding like she didn't even want to be there.

How boring. I'd want to be at a fairground working. You always got free rides.

"Erm, that sliding whistle, that plastic tiara, that bunch of temporary tattoos, and ... two of those friendship bracelets." I said, pointing to each one.

Finn grabbed the prizes off of the girl for me, putting the whistle, temporary tattoos, and friendship bracelets into his jacket pocket. He turned to me with the tiara in his hand, placing it onto my head gently.

"A tiara for the Queen of Onions," Finn dubbed gravely, then started laughing at my scandalised face.

"Queen of onions? Couldn't you have thought of anything better!" I exclaimed, watching him go red in the face as he cackled.

"It was either that or the queen of contrary ... ness. Contrariness." He announced after he calmed down, still giggling.

"For the last time, stop comparing me to an onion! And I'm not contrary!" I scolded, then spotted another stall and ran over there, Finn not too far behind.

"I'm no good at this one," Finn said as he forked over the money.

I handed him my bear, "Well lucky for you, I'm great at frustration."

I dropped the orange counter into the slot, and immediately started tilting the green bar using the knobs on either end, trying to get the counter to land in the notch in the middle of the bar. I tilted it left and right, slowing down every now and then as I thought it was going to land it the notch, then groaning as it didn't.

I tilted it towards the left quickly, then back towards the right, levelling it out. The counter landed in the notch and stayed there, making me whoop.

"Congratulations, pick a prize, pretty girl." The boy running the stall said, sending me a wink.

Finn stepped up and put an arm around me, "Yeah, pick a prize, love."

He then planted a kiss on the top of my head, making the employee drop his smile.

I smirked, and pointed to the giant bear, much like the one I already had, but this was a darker brown, "That one — For my husband, so we can match."

Finn grinned at me as the employee gave it to him, "Thanks, mate."

"Welcome," The boy replied, in a tone that told us that he was not, in fact, welcome.

"I think we've got enough material prizes, let's go try for money prizes," Finn decided, and I nodded, looping my elbow through his as both of us had our hands around our bears.

We didn't need money, we had enough, but it wouldn't hurt to win a few pounds, just in case.

I looked around for a fun stall, and Finn stopped, making me look up at him.

"Do you think I'll be able to make it up the unclimbable ladder?" Finn asked, nodding towards it.

"Nope." I replied, popping the 'p'.

You could make it up if you knew the tricks, but even then it was hard. Bonnie couldn't even do it and he was one of the most coordinated people I knew.

"If I win, will you give me a prize?" Finn asked, leading me over there.

"Sure," I answered, and Finn looked at me, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes," I affirmed, knowing he wanted a proper answer.

He grinned and stood in front of the employee.

"Pay a pound, try to climb the ladder. If you succeed, you win twenty-five pounds." The employee told Finn, a big million dollar smile on his face.

"Yeah, alright," Finn said, paying the employee, then giving me his bear.

"Want me to hold your jacket too?" I asked, and Finn nodded, taking it off and handing it to me.

I placed my bear on the ground and put his jacket on his bear, giggling as I did so.

"Wait," I said, making Finn look at me.

I fished a friendship bracelet out of the jacket pocket, then grabbed Finn's wrist, tying it on.

"For luck," I informed him, making him grin as he walked back over to the ladder.

Finn grabbed the sides of the ladder. He put both of his feet on the bottom rung, then lifted his right foot, moving his left hand as he did so, grabbing the side fabric of the ladder. I noticed that he put his feet at the edges of the rungs, not the centre.

Balance. That was the secret.

I watched him as he ascended the ladder, making it to the top with ease. I clapped, and the employee looked less than pleased as Finn dropped down onto the landing pad with ease, stretching his arms as he stood back up. I watched as his muscles flexed through the fabric of his shirt. It was a nice sight.

The employee grabbed the twenty-five pounds out of his pouch, handing it to Finn. Finn came over and I handed him his bear back, then picked up my own, and we began walking again.

How our legs weren't tired, I didn't know. Maybe we were too giddy to feel tired.

I noticed a man holding a multicoloured cube in one hand, and a pocket watch in the other, making me smirk.

"Finn, this way," I said, leading him over to that stall.

"Little miss! Do you want to try to solve this cube under one minute? You pay a pound and win fifty if you solve it under a minute," The employee said, and Finn bumped his side against mine.

I looked up at him.

"Are you going to get disappointed if you lose?" Finn asked, and I shook my head.

He grabbed a pound and handed it to the employee.

"Um, can you hold my bear please?" I asked Finn, who grabbed it off of me with a nod.

He started fishing around in his pocket again, and pulled out the other friendship bracelet. I grinned and gave him my wrist. He gently tied it around my wrist, leaning down and placing a kiss on my wrist after he was done, making my heartbeat speed up at the small gesture.

The employee cleared his throat, making me turn around and look at him, then gave me the cube, looking down at his pocket watch, "You can start — now!"

I started twisting and turning the cube, quickly solving the yellow side.

I went on and solved each side, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I raced to beat the time.

"Done!" I shouted as I finished the last side.

The employee's eyebrows shot up, "Forty seconds. You did it."

"Course I did," I shot back, making Finn chuckle behind me.

The employee reached into his pouch and pulled out the money. I gave it to Finn to put into his jacket pocket, zipping the pocket back up.

"Oi, mate, what's the time?" Finn asked, and the employee looked at him.

"Quarter to eleven," The employee said after checking his pocket watch.

Fuck me. We'd been here for a long time, but it only felt like five minutes.

"Is there a revolving bar here?" Finn asked, and the employee nodded, pointing him in the direction of it.

"I want to try that one before we go on the Ferris wheel, come on love." Finn said, leading me down towards it.

"Come on, hurry, I want to make the Ferris wheel before the fireworks are on," I urged, picking my pace up to a jog.

Finn jogged along beside me, and we made it to the stall. I looked at my watch. Twelve to. That gave us seventy-two minutes for Finn to do the bar, for us to ride the Ferris wheel one last time, and get back to the apartment building. We'd planned on sitting on top of the building to watch the fireworks.

The employee noticed us jogging toward him, and perked up, "Hello, lady and gent-"

"-Yeah, sorry for being rude, but how much is it." Finn cut in.

I had to bite my tongue so I didn't laugh.

"Pay one pound, win twenty-five if you manage to hold on for three minutes," The employee said.

Finn rummaged around in the pocket of his jeans, grabbing the money and handing it to the man.

"Okay, hop up!" The man said, grabbing out his pocket watch.

Finn put the bear on the ground.

"Finn," I said, grabbing his arm, making him turn and look at me.

I quickly stood up on the tips of my toes and placed a kiss on his cheek, right above the corner of his mouth.

"For luck," I said shyly, watching as a blush climbed up his neck and spread across his cheeks.

"I fucking feel lucky now," Finn muttered as he walked up to the bar.

The employee told him to hop up, and he did, holding on to the bar. The employee flipped a switch on the side of the stand holding the bar up, and the bar started to turn. I watched as he shifted his grip on the bar, huffing.

"You can do it, darling," I encouraged after the employee told him that he reached the one minute mark.

Finn continued to move his hands back and forth, his knuckles white. I was elated at the way his shirt was riding up ever so slightly, and the way it clung to him as he hung there, his muscles visible through the white fabric. The focus on his face was evident, his teeth clenched as he tried not to drop.

"Thirty seconds!" The employee said, looking up from his pocket watch.

I bounced on my heels excitedly as the employee counted down, reaching zero.

"You've won twenty-five pounds!" The employee said, grinning.

Finn dropped down, huffing. He fixed his shirt up and got the money off of the employee, putting it into the jacket pocket. At least one of us was smart enough to wear something with pockets that could zip.

"Ferris wheel, now, let's go!" I exclaimed after Finn picked his bear up, dragging him along.

•••

THIRD PERSON'S POV

You and Finn were currently ambling along the Cut, meeting Arthur halfway to your apartment building. You had half an hour before the fireworks started.

Finn was looking for good skipping stones to show off. He was great at skipping stones, one of the best in Small Heath. He found a heart shaped one, and quickly slipped it into his pocket.

"(N/N), look here, I reckon I can make twenty skips with this one!" Finn declared, making you look at him.

He was holding a perfectly circular one, and you urged him to try skipping it. He swung his arm back, then swung it forward and flicked his wrist, sending the rock skipping along. You both counted twenty-one skips before it sank, then cheered.

"That's impressive," You admitted, looking over at your husband.

He grinned back at you, feeling on top of the world.

"I can't skip stones," You revealed, making him gasp and place a hand on his chest, feeling completely and utterly shocked.

You looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"I'll show you how while we wait for Arthur, come on," Finn said softly, realising his mistake.

You looked over at him, and he picked up some more stones. You walked over and stood next to your husband, putting your stuffed bear next to his.

He gave you a flat stone, standing behind you.

"Okay, so you always stand with your non-dominant side towards the water, so you can throw with your dominant hand," Finn explained, shifting your body so you were standing correctly.

He handed you a stone, "Then, you swing your arm, but flick only your wrist. You throw this at the water with your dominant hand, but you don't throw it down, you throw it across, but not too across."

You nodded at his safely advice, then tried it yourself, Finn whooping and clapping as you managed three skips with your stone.

"You're a natural, love," Finn told you as you spun back around and faced him, throwing your arms around his neck and pulling him down into a hug.

"It's only because you taught me," You murmured as you pulled away, looking up at your husband.

Your eyes flickered down to his lips, which were curled into a soft smile.

A car horn beeping pulled you back to reality, and you looked over to see Arthur in a dressing gown behind the wheel of his car.

"Come on, lovebirds, some of us actually need sleep!" He called out, but you knew it was good natured teasing.

You picked up your bears and ran over to the car, hopping in to the backseat.

You felt slightly disappointed that you didn't kiss Finn, but no matter. You'd have time in the future.

"Did you have an alright night?" Arthur asked you, looking at you two in the rear-view mirror.

"It was amazing," You spoke honestly, and Finn slipped his hand into yours, squeezing it thrice.

Arthur smirked at your answer. Tommy and Linda would owe him, (and others) money. They had a few bets placed on whether you and Finn would have a good time, whether you would kiss or not, whether you would shag or not.

They all had no intention of telling you and Finn, though. What you didn't know wouldn't hurt you.

You bounced in your seat as Arthur pulled up in front of your building.

"Thank you," You said hurriedly and followed Finn out of the car, shutting the door behind you.

You and Finn hurried up the first flight of exterior stairs.

"Here, Chuck us your bear, I'll put them inside, grab the food, you hurry up to the top," Finn said, and you gave him your bear, then sped along the balcony until you reached the door that took you into your apartment building.

There were four rows of apartments on each floor, two on the exterior of the building, then two on the interior, split by a hallway. You entered the interior of the building, running up the hallway and multiple flights of stairs until you reached the door that let you out onto the roof.

You opened it, then walked over to the edge, sitting on it and dangling your feet over the edge. You shivered. It was colder up here. You looked at the time. Ten minutes to go. You watched three minutes tick by until you heard the door to the roof open with a 'bang!'

You spun around, and Finn was stood there, a bottle of lemonade in one hand, what looked like water in the other, and something wrapped in a cloth held against his chest with his forearm. He had a blanket around his shoulders, making you snort.

He hurried over to you, sitting down next to you.

You had cut up tomato and cheese before you left, so you could make sandwiches before bed if you were still hungry.

All Finn had to do was butter the bread, put the tomato and cheese onto the sandwiches, along with salt and pepper, then cut his into squares and yours into triangles.

As soon as Finn unwrapped the sandwiches, your stomach growled. He handed you one of yours, and you thanked him, then devoured the small sandwich, grabbing the bottle of lemonade and taking a swig.

He produced a handkerchief from his pocket, along with the temporary tattoos, "Reckon you can give me one of those tattoos?"

"I'd love to," You answered, sifting through the pack.

You found one of a cartoon pistol firing.

"Take your jacket and the blanket off," You urged Finn, who did so.

You opened the bottle of water and shoved the handkerchief inside, then pulled it out and wrung it out over the side of the building. You placed the temporary tattoo onto his left arm, then placed the wet cloth over it, rubbing it to make sure the tattoo under it was completely wet. Finn watched you as he ate his cheese and tomato square.

He looked down at his watch. Two minutes to go. He pulled the blanket around the pair of you. You grabbed it and pulled it around you, shuffling closer to Finn so you both had more blanket. He threw his arm over your shoulder, you leaning in to his side.

"It's starting!" You gasped, wiggling on the spot.

You watched in awe as the first firework ascended, and burst into a brilliant ball of blue. You barely blinked as the dazzling display went on, eating your sandwich, but you couldn't even appreciate the taste due to all of your attention being on the fireworks.

Finn, however, was barely focusing on the fireworks. He continually looked over at you, your amazed expression at the way the fireworks painted Small Heath's streets rainbow.

The heart shaped rock felt especially heavy in his pocket as he looked back out at the sky, absentmindedly tracing patterns on your arm.

What he didn't know, however, was that you could feel him looking at you, and every time Le looked away you would peek at him, admiring him under the multi-coloured light.

He looked gorgeous.

As soon as the fireworks ended, you groaned, and bit into your last sandwich slice quite bitterly, making Finn chuckle.

"Before I forget," He began, making you look at him.

He pulled the heart shaped rock out of his pocket, and placed it into your palm.

You gasp, and Finn saw your eyes light up at the small gift.

"Oh, Finn, it's amazing! I'm going to put it on my vanity so I'll see it every morning," You informed him, which made him grin.

He felt invincible. You made him feel invincible.

•••

You groaned as Finn shook your shoulder.

"You're bleeding, love," He told you, making you shoot up.

You could feel a sticky substance between your legs, making you whine.

"Go have a shower, I'll put clean clothes in the bathroom and change the sheets," Finn said, and you stumbled out of your bed, and into the bathroom.

It wasn't even daylight yet.

Finn immediately stripped the sheets and doona cover, going and putting them into the laundry. He grabbed his own sheets and doona, then went and placed them on your bed, making sure to put the fitted sheet on properly. He rummaged through your closet and found you a clean nightgown and under layers, walking to the bathroom and dropping them just inside the door, making sure to look the other way so he wouldn't catch a glimpse of you in the shower.

He never understood why men would go and do whatever women wanted when they were bleeding, but as he put the kettle on to boil and started to make your tea just how you liked it, he understood. Understood that you deserved to be taken care of, to be shown love. He'd go and buy flour just to make biscuits from scratch if you came out of the bathroom and said you wanted them with your tea.

As the kettle continued to boil, he walked down to his room and marked the day on his calendar, then marked the six days after it, then counted twenty-eight days onwards and circled the week there, too. He knew that women's bodies didn't run on clocks, but at least this way he would know to stock the kitchen with your favourite food so you wouldn't be left without.

§§§

okay so if I stick to chapter plans I should be starting writing season 5 in chapter 48,,, we're going to get a lot of Finn and reader action before then lol

Did y'all like the date or nah??

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

NEXT PART

Part 27

TAGLIST

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@toothlessmcleod

@im-your-possession

@bethabear12

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@krillfromsky

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 41

PUBLISHED: 16/07/2022

Part 1

MASTERLIST

TAGLIST

THIRD PERSON'S POV

You spritzed the vinegar in the spray bottle over your mirror, Saoirse wiping it up with newspaper. You and Saoirse giggled and giggled as you got the bottle of rubbing alcohol and dipped the cotton swab in it, writing your message for Finn onto the mirror, Saoirse grabbing her own cotton bud and dipping it into the liquid, drawing pictures to decorate around the message.

You worked quickly, then headed downstairs, shushing each other as you snuck back through your bedroom, trying your best not to wake Finn up as you headed downstairs and into the kitchen, starting up on breakfast.

Finn woke up to the smell of bacon cooking, which made his stomach rumble. He headed into the bathroom, turning the hot water on at the sink, washing his face and hands. He didn't like cold water, even in summer. It always had to be hot.

He went to look at himself in the mirror, but noticed the words in the fog on the glass.

'Happy Father's Day!

Thank you for everything you do for this family.

We wouldn't be here without you.

With love from,

(Y/N), Saoirse, Finn Junior,

Daisy, Duke, Charlotte,

Tuck, the chickens, and the twins'

Finn grinned widely as he read the last bit. You were having twins. Polly and Esmeralda saw it in a dream. You, surprisingly, had no dreams about your babies. It was everyone else.

Finn headed downstairs, already in a good mood. His good mood became lifted when he saw you and Saoirse arranging pancakes on a plate, everything already set out on the dining table. You looked over at your husband, and your eyes lit up at the sight of him.

"Good morning, my darling," You greeted, coming around the table and walking to him, hugging him the best you could with your stomach in the way.

"Good morning, my love," Finn replied, then placed a chaste kiss on your lips.

Saoirse gagged at the pair of you, making you chuckle as Finn pulled away.

"Good morning to you, little miss," Finn said, and Saoirse hummed in reply, mouth full with some of the strawberries that were meant to go on top of the pancakes.

Finn knelt down, placing a kiss on your very prominent bump and saying good morning to his 'daughters'. You were now at the beginning of your third trimester. Only a couple more months and they would be here, in your arms. Finn was excited — nervous, but mainly excited.

"We don't know if they're girls, Finn," You sighed exasperatedly, slightly annoyed with the way he insisted that they were girls.

"I feel it in my gut," He replied as he guided you over to the table, pulling out chairs for you and Saoirse before sitting down himself.

"I want girls too," Saoirse agreed, and Finn high-fived the girl, making you roll your eyes at the pair as you started filling a plate with food.

"I want healthy babies," You said simply, but you were hoping for boys.

Boys that could look out for their younger siblings. Boys that could be a good big brother, like Bonnie is to you.

“Well we already have two sons, let’s hope these two are girls to even it up, aye bubbas?” Finn said, rubbing your bump at the end of his sentence.

Finn felt a jolt under his hand, and beamed a million dollar smile.

“Are the babies kicking?” Saoirse asked hurriedly, leaving her French toast in favour of putting one hand on your stomach too.

“Medium Bee just kicked me,” Finn confirmed, making you snort and roll your eyes.

Since you were the original Bee, your babies were ‘Medium Bee’ (the more active twin, they kicked and moved more) and ‘Small Bee’ (the less active twin, they just relaxed — they moved, but not as much as medium bee, and their kicks and hits seemed to be less stronger). Saoirse, with the wonderful way her mind worked, came up with the nicknames first, and you and your husband followed suit.

Saoirse squealed in delight as she felt your stomach move under her hand, making you smile. Your husband retracted his hand and started eating his breakfast, your sister doing the same.

•••

You mixed the pasta salad around, getting ready to take it outside. Everyone was at your house for lunch once more. You had bought a dining set to have outside, so you didn’t have to drag your dining table outside all of the time. The outside one was much larger than your inside one, and sat on the porch, getting carried down the stairs and sat on the grass when needed.

“Everything ready, ladies?” Polly asked, and you all gave her words of confirmation.

“Well, let’s go then!” She said, clapping her hands then picking up the tray of cooked meat.

You grabbed the pasta salad, putting the bowl on your stomach, and giggling at how it balanced there, taking a few careful steps before Ezzie scolded you for playing with the food. You rolled your eyes, but grabbed it properly anyway, taking it outside and placing it on the table.

“Here she is! Woman of the hour!” Arthur said, raising his bottle of whiskey when he saw you, making you chuckle at the tipsy man.

“How’s Artie and Will?” He asked, referring to your twins.

“They’re fine and they’re not being named after you,” You replied, making him roll his eyes jokingly.

You didn’t know what the twins would be named yet.

“I just thought, being Finn’s favourite brother and all, that I’d get them named after myself,” Arthur said, moving his hands around in his drunken rambles.

Linda elbowed her husband and hissed a ‘shut up!’ to him.

Finn frowned, and took a sip of his glass of water. Arthur wasn’t his favourite brother. John was. Arthur knew that, and even though his eldest brother was joking, the words didn’t sting any less.

“Here’s an idea; you have yourself another baby with your wife and name him Arthur,” You snarked, sitting down next to your husband.

Finn placed a hand on your knee and squeezed it, a silent thank you, then started putting food on a plate for himself, then for you, making sure to stay away from anything that set off your ‘anytime sickness’. Saoirse was doing her own, now closer to nine than eight and wanting to do everything for herself.

You tried to focus on lunch and the conversation, but you knew that after everything was cleaned you’d be seeing the nursery for the first time, Finn promising to let you see it. Finn had started doing up the upstairs guest bedroom for the nursery, moving everything from that bedroom up to the attic. Finn wouldn’t let you see the nursery, even going so far as to lock the door so you couldn’t go in. You were annoyed, but excited.

After the other women cleaned everything up (you got out of clean up duties do to your baby bump), and everyone either went home or started relaxing either in the living room, garden, or guest bedrooms, Finn took you upstairs, covering your eyes as he lead you to the nursery door. He guided you to find the doorknob, and you twisted it, pushing the door open.

“And — open,” He commanded as he took your hands off of your eyes.

The wall in front of you had been repainted — a light blue. The rest were still a faint, barely there yellow. A rainbow with clouds on each sides had been painted on the wall, the window in the middle of the rainbow. In front of the two clouds were two cribs, each of them with a mobile. There was a chest of drawers in between the cribs.

Down to your right, there was a big, red armchair with a footstool, a bookshelf with baby books and stuffed toys on it between that and the crib on the wall adjacent. There was a change table closer to you, a bin next to it. On the floor, in the middle of the room, was a light grey rug. In front of you, next to the crib, was a rocking chair. Finn put his hand under your chin, and gently tilted your head so you were looking up at the roof. Your jaw dropped.

The roof was painted black, with yellow stars. A crescent moon sat near the light.

“Do you like it?” Finn asked softly, scared that you wouldn’t and all of his effort would be for naught.

“Oh, Finn — it’s perfect,” You gasped, tears filling your eyes and threatening to fall.

Your husband grinned, leaning down and kissing you on the temple.

“Finn,” You began, going and sitting in the red armchair — which was quite comfy, if you were being honest.

“Yes, my love?” He replied, coming to sit in front of you on the footstool.

You placed your hands on your stomach, a habit you gained in the past six months.

“What did you want to name our babies? And don’t just say girl names,” You warned as you took off your necklace, making the corner of his lips turn up.

“I like Elizabeth or Polly for a girl,” Finn answered, then added, “John or Isaac for a boy. Something biblical. And sort of like Isiah’s name.”

You ‘awwed’ at your husband. You could definitely see your baby with those names.

“I like Isaac for a first name, but remember, Esme’s already got John Junior. What if we use John as a middle name?” You pondered as you slipped your wedding band onto your necklace, and Finn hummed.

“I want to name them Rosie or Ezra, if they’re a girl, and Finley or Elijah if they’re a boy. Not your name, but a variant of it,” You explained, and your husband nodded, racking his brain for where he heard that phrase before.

He chuckle once he figured it out. Your wedding day, when you were naming Finn Junior, his big baby boy.

“Finley,” Finn repeated, testing the name on his tongue.

He grunted in approval. It sounded nice. Finley John. Even better.

You gave the necklace to Finn, who held it above one side of your stomach, the side that Medium Bee sat in. He knew what you were doing. He’d seen it done in Johnny Dogg’s camp when he was younger.

He held his arm absolutely still, and the ring started swinging back and forth in a straight line. You and him watched it as it did so, mesmerised. He stopped the ring, then moved it to the other side of your stomach, over Little Bee, letting it swing again. Another straight line, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

“Isaac Elijah doesn’t sound too bad, does it?” You asked, crinkling your nose up as your thought.

“No, it doesn’t,” Finn answered, feeling slightly dejected, but tried not to let it show.

“And Finley John. That’s a good name. A strong one,” You continued, tilting your head as your thought.

Finn chuckled as he undid the clasp on your necklace, placing your ring back on your finger gently, giving your hand a kiss, then putting your necklace back on you.

He stood up, then helped you out of the armchair. Instead of going and telling everyone the news of your discovery, you decided to go and have a nap, after a bathroom break of course.

Finn ended up with one less pillow than he would’ve liked, the pillow ending up supporting your stomach, but he didn’t mind. He dreamt good during his nap, dreaming of two little boys toddling after you in the garden, giggling and squealing as their feet got muddy.

§§§

The next chapter will be a doozy oof

I hope you all enjoyed this one :))

Love y’all ❤️

- Sunflower x

TAGLIST

@meadownicolee

@toothlessmcleod

@im-your-possession

@bethabear12

@paisley-37

@shelundeadxxxx

@bluehairdie

@krillfromsky

@cucumberfingefsandwiches

@jamieolivia27

NEXT PART

Part 42

CONTRARY - FINN SHELBY X READER; PART 3

PUBLISHED: 15/05/2022

!!FIRST PART HERE!!

Part 1

MASTERLIST

FINN'S POV

You and I were now sat around the fire with the rest of your family, having eaten our dinner of vegetable soup and flatbread. You were sitting next to Esmeralda, your younger sister Saiorse on your lap as she chattered about her adventures today. I was in between Aberama and Bonnie, a situation I very much wanted to avoid.

I looked at you as you flipped your hair back over your shoulder so it wouldn't be in Saiorse's way, then looked at your other two sisters. They looked one and the same, anyone would think that Saiorse was Esmeralda reborn. But you, you looked different — and you felt different.

Your eyes flickered over to me as you were talking to Esmeralda about someone named Brianna, and I felt my face flush as I realised I had been caught staring.

"Come on, we're talking a walk, Shelby." Bonnie's voice sounded from my right, making me look at him.

He was already standing up, lantern in his hand. I looked over at you, and you raised your eyebrows as if to say 'go with him'.

I stood up, and he wordlessly turned on his heel and went. I followed him, feeling entirely at his mercy. I heard from Arthur what he did to Billy Mills, and I'm nowhere near as good a fighter. I didn't even have my cap on me in case he made a move.

We walked a fair distance away from the fire before he stopped, and turned to face me, the lantern illuminating the scene around us making him look all the more scarier as he looked down at me. I drew myself up straighter, trying to make myself seem taller.

"You be gentle with my sister any way you can, you hear me, Shelby? Because if I find out you haven't I'll kill you and mail your body back to Tommy in fifty different parcels," Bonnie warned, "She doesn't need a harder life, not right now."

I nodded, the last bit of his statement making more questions than answers.

"I'm about to give you a photo, put that photo in your bag and show your brothers because the woman in that photo is not allowed to come near (Y/N) under any circumstances, and if I found out that she's come near (Y/N) I'll hit you so hard I'll send your nose up into your fucking brain, do you understand?" Bonnie stressed, and I could only nod.

He reached into his jacket, and produced a photo, handing it to me. I looked at it under the light of the lantern.

"Who's this?" I questioned, noticing how the woman in the photo looked somewhat like you.

"That's (Y/N)'s mother. She's a cunt, and the reason (Y/N) is the way she is. Her name is Marian Jones." Bonnie informed me, "She does more damage than good anywhere she goes, so keep her away from my little sister."

"I will," I agreed, knowing all too well what it was like to have a parent that hurt more than helped.

"I'm glad we could understand each other, Shelby." Bonnie said, grinning and clapping me on the shoulder as if he didn't just threaten to kill me, then led me back over to the fire.

•••

You and I were now in your vardo, under what seemed to be a million blankets, bar one thick, scratchy dark blue one you had hung up on the window above your bed to stop any light coming in. We had the window above the bench open, and the curtains partitioning your bed from the rest of the caravan shut, but you could still feel the fresh air.

It was a nice feeling, the cold air keeping my face cool while my body was warm under the covers. I could see why you liked sleeping with moving air instead of still.

"Your family's nice," I said as I stared at the star painted roof, trying to start a conversation.

You snorted, rolling over towards me and propping yourself using your elbow, "I could've told you that, Shelby."

I did the same, mirroring you so now we were face to face, "Yeah, but everyone says their family's nice."

"Not entirely true — anyway, I think Dad likes you, I'm pretty sure Bonnie and Esmeralda do too, and Saiorse hates you because you're, and I quote, 'stealing me away to live in your filthy house on Watery Lane'. So, all in all, you did good, Shelby." You announced, the corners of your mouth quirking up.

I huffed, thinking of Bonnie's chat.

"Bonnie has a fucking funny way of showing me he likes me," I grumbled, making you cock a brow.

I noticed a thin scar running through your brow as you gave me a look that said 'explain'.

"He threatened to kill me and send my body home in fifty different parcels, then threatened to hit me so hard he'd send my nose up into my brain if I didn't do certain things." I elaborated, making you shake your head, some of your hair coming over in front of your face.

You quickly flipped it back, tucking it behind your ears, "Bonnie's word is his law, Shelby. I suggest doing whatever he told you to do."

"Yeah well, my word's my law too, and I'll do what I said I'd do — that's a promise," I stated, looking you in your eyes.

You could only nod at the tone of my voice, one that meant business.

I yawned, and flopped down onto my back once more, closing my eyes, muttering 'goodnight'.

The last thing I heard before drifting off to sleep was you replying with, 'sleep well, Shelby'.

•••

THIRD PERSON'S POV

Finn didn't want to do it, but he did. He put my hand on your shoulder, and shook lightly.

"(Y/N). (Y/N), wake up." He whispered, making you stiffen, then sit up quickly.

"I'm awake, what's wrong?" You mumbled, eyes still closed as you leaned over Finn, grabbing a match and lighting the lantern.

It was obvious to Finn that you had done that many times, which concerned him slightly — fire and wood didn’t really mix.

Finn took a deep breath in, then let it out, "Nothing's wrong, I just need to piss, and I'm scared of going alone."

Your eyes snapped open, and you looked back at the brown haired boy in your bed.

"Finn, you better be joking, because if not, I'll smother you with the fucking pillows and throw your dead body into the cut." You cautioned, making Finn shake his head, blushing, the blush reaching the tips of his ears.

"Oh for fucks sake! Hurry up and put your boots on before I decide to stay in bed." You commanded as you crawled over the boy, out of the warm nest of blankets, quickly putting on your socks and boots, along with whatever coat was closest.

The coat smelled nice, you decided, although you couldn’t place the name of the scent, something which bothered you nearly as much as being woken up for nothing. Finn rolled out of bed and slipped his boots on, not having to bother with socks as he slept with them on. He picked up the lantern, and the pair of you left your caravan, the fire still roaring as a few of your uncles sat at it, keeping guard.

You led Finn just beyond the tree line, then stopped, "Pick a tree, any tree, I'm sure they'd be honoured to have a Shelby piss on 'em."

Finn rolled his eyes as he hooked the lantern onto a tree branch, making sure you had your back to him, then began to take care of business.

Finn fixed himself back up and grabbed the lantern off of the branch, "You know, I was thinking—"

"If you're anything like your older brother Tommy, that's a dangerous pursuit," You cut in, making Finn clench his jaw, but ignore your statement.

"—I was thinking that you could meet the girls, Polly,  Ada, and Linda, in the morning, after we settle you into home." Finn stated, turning to look at you.

His eyes widened once he realised you had on his coat.

You turned around to look at him, face blank, then nodded, making him grin boyishly, the light from the lantern glinting off of a small scar just above his lip.

"I suppose it's only fair, since you met my family. Now let's go back." You said stiffly, shoving past him and leading him back the way you came.

When you walked into your caravan, you kicked off your shoes and put the coat back down where you found it, and climbed back into your blanket cocoon.

Finn followed, blowing out the lantern and putting it on the table next to the bed, climbing up into the bed then pulling the curtains closed, slipping under the covers next to you once more.

You were already asleep by the time Finn had made himself comfortable, your hair covering your face. Finn gently ran a hand through it, pushing it back so it was out of your face, then stared up at the ceiling once more, counting the stars to help put him to sleep.

§§§

I’m so obsessed with enemies to lovers trope you don’t even understand how much fun I’m having while writing it lol

Love y'all ❤️

- Sunflower x

NEXT PART

Part 4