// You don't touch Mary. You don't fuck with Mary because if you do, You'll fuck with Arthur and he's far less pleasant than most. This took place a while before the start of the storyline. I just wanted to show the bond between Arthur and Mary.
xxxxx
"Mary... Mary.. look at me, please." -Arthur's begging voice was tearing down the silence that had settled between the two of them-
Mary was shaking, from head to toe, her cheek was cut and she could still feel the bruise on her stomach from a punch she had received earlier on. She had her eyes wide open, her arms were dropped and she was barely standing up. She wasn't looking at him, her lips were still trembling but Arthur ended up cupping both her cheeks, staining them with fresh blood. She was shocked and he realized that it was because of him. Mary had never seen Arthur lose his mind before. She'd always seen the aftermath of his fights when she patched the boys up. She'd scold them about their tendencies to fight and would urge them to be careful so she wouldn't have to attend their funerals. Tonight, things were different. Arthur was drenched in blood, her cheeks and some of her hair were soiled too. Her green eyes were unfocused but Arthur's voice became louder to the point that it snapped her back into reality.
"Arthur! Arthur!!!!.." -She screamed and held onto his arms. he pulled her into a tight hug and gently petted her hair with one hand while the other stroked her back. She was still shocked and he understood that he had to be in charge if he needed things to be done.-
He took Mary to the Pied Piper Pub, keeping her away from the carnage he had made on the streets. His victims were alive, but hardly recognizable because he had ruined their faces. Mary let him walk her back into the pub and sat her on the chair. He yelled at the men to clear the space and bring him a basin of warm water, and a clean cloth because he had to clean both of them up. The bar owner quickly rushed into action, unwilling to piss off the deadliest member of the peaky blinders. How could he? The rest of the men cleared the room and waited outside under the supervision of the peaky boys who never left Arthur's side. Mary was still hysterical, still shaking, even though she was sitting at the table. She gasped and yelped when she felt Arthur's hand grab her ankle. He wanted to check if she was hurt in places he had no eyes on. She shrugged and swatted his hand off of her ankle.
"Mary! Mary, it's just me. It's Arthur. I just want to check if you are alright."
"I... I am..." -but she snarled and he knew she wasn't.- "They... Are they dead?"
"I should have killed 'em for what they did to you, Mary. I didn't. They're alive."
"Arthur...Arthur...Are you, okay?"
"I am. Where are you hurt? where did these bastards touch you?" -He stopped focusing on the ankle and watched as the owner brought the basin of warm water and the clean clothes- "I'm sorry...I'm sorry Mary. Please tell me where you're hurt."
He smelled like alcohol and tobacco. He smelled that putrid scent of blood but she didn't care. She didn't care because Arthur came to her rescue. It shouldn't have been like that. She shouldn't have been assaulted just for walking into the "wrong" neighborhood. She shouldn't have to cower in fear of being hurt because she entered a bar. It was a very hot night and she needed to drink some fresh water. She joined the place and nervously felt the judgemental gazes of the patrons who had never seen a black patron before. They didn't accept them, no signs, but the pub was known for rejecting anyone who didn't fit the description. Mary was brave, she held her head high and walked to the bartender. He warned her that she shouldn't be there, but she told him that she only wanted to have a glass of water. He told her that he couldn't service her but she insisted on having a glass of water. If he had to make her pay for it, she could. Again, he refused to service her.
One of the peaky boys assigned to her protection rushed to Arthur and asked him to come to the pub so he could interfere in case Mary needed some help. Arthur didn't need to be told twice. He followed the young boy, hoping that Mary wouldn't be hurt until he arrived. The bartender tried to convince Mary to leave, mostly because he informed her that he couldn't protect her if something happened but she was unphased. She needed to drink water and she needed it now. She convinced the man to fetch her a glass of water and was about to serve her when two men grabbed her arms and forbade the bartender to try anything. She protested and struggled so they would get off of her, but it only excited them. They teased her, about being a lone black woman in a pub full of horny men. She struggled harder, ended up scratching the face of one of the men, and injured him. That got him angry and he punched her in her belly, causing her to spit blood on the face of the other man. He became so angry that he pulled his knife out and started to lightly cut her cheek when the peaky boy who stayed back entered the pub and started to fight the two men.
"I... I think I'm bruised in my belly... They punched me there." -She groaned and then put her fingers on her cheek as she felt a sting- "I think... they cut me here... How bad is it?" -She inquired, her eyes still wide open, her body still shaking as she couldn't believe her eyes.
How could asking for a glass of water lead to such violence? As soon as they released her -and as soon as she recognized the hat of the peaky boy-, Mary ran towards the exit. She bumped into Arthur who put both hands on her shoulders "Mary! You good?" -She couldn't answer, but he noticed the cut on her cheek and the blood that was rolling down her soft skin. It was enough to push him into a berzerker rage. "Take care of her!" -He ordered the second peaky boy who took Mary out of the pub so she could get some fresh air. It happened so fast, so fast that she didn't fully realize what was happening. Once the fresh air hit her nostrils and filled her lungs, Mary slowly came back to her senses. She put both hands on her knees and bent a little forward in order to catch her breath back. She put her hand on her belly and then looked up at the front door.
It didn't take long, some shouting, some yelling, Arthur's voice dominating the whole pub and the street and finally, she saw her assailants being brought out of the pub and into the streets, by Arthur and the other Peaky Boy. She watched as Arthur unleashed his anger and massacred the two men. She watched his fists breaking bones, getting soaked with these people's blood, his eyes dark with rage as they dared to attack Mary. Arthur's mind flashbacked to when he found her in the pub. The sight of her eyes filled with fear and disgust was enough to rile him up. he needed to make these bastards pay for what they did to his sister. he had to teach them a lesson. So his fists flew and hit hard. His fists would be relentless as he sought revenge for the young woman. Arthur's mind became blank, it was hot white with rage as he pounded into those men. The oldest Shelby didn't even realize the fear he might have induced in Mary's heart, for she saw the beast he was.
"It's a light cut. you're gonna be alright. Let me see your bruise." -He didn't give Mary the chance to protest and helped her pull her skirt down on her waist and lift her shirt up -right under her bra- so he could see just how bad the bruise was. She had a fist-sized bruise on her belly and it crept up to her sternum. That wasn't as bad as he feared it would be, but Mary would need to take it easy for at least two weeks.- "You'll be alright. two weeks off of work and you'll be alright Mary." -He said as he grabbed the clean towel and dipped it in the warm water basin.
"I don't understand why they did it..." -She whispered as she finally let tears roll on her cheeks. Arthur started by cleaning her face, removing any trace of blood that had stained her soft skin. She was finally crying, her body still shaking from the sheer shock she went through- "I just wanted water... Arthur... I just wanted to drink some water and....and they told me that I couldn't drink because they didn't serve Black people... I just insisted on drinking water, even offered to pay for it..."- She said, shakily trying to grab her bag to show she had money in it. Arthur shushed her.
"I know Mary. I know. They shouldn't have done it. Trust me, there would be retaliation." -he promised himself that he would burn the place down. He would talk to Tommy about the events, but he would first make sure that Mary was doing alright. He cleaned her face as she pulled her shirt back on her waist. and then washed some of her hair, her neck, and the places his bloody hands touched.
Silence fell between the two of them. Mary was still seeing the scene of a berserker Arthur beating the brains out of her assailants. She had never seen Arthur in action before. She had never seen him lose control. Part of her was relieved that he did so in order to protect her because she could tell he was furious. She could feel his rage from where she stood and knew that he was enraged because they hurt /her/. Yet, part of her was scared. She was scared of that display of violence. She was nauseous about the amount of blood she saw him soak his fists up with. She was scared of this type of violence against her -not from Arthur! but from the people who had something against her family.- And she was scared he would be hurt the same way he was hurting others. Arthur could feel her fear but he misinterpreted it. Thinking that Mary was in fact, scared of him. he washed his hands, and his face, and removed his trench coat so he would be as clean as possible.
" Mary... I need ya to look at meh." -She nodded, calmer than before and more focused on Arthur's face now. " I am sorry. It shouldn't have happened like this. The...The boys Tommy sent were supposed to take care of ya. They should have gone to the pub with ya." -He made a mental note about punishing the peaky who took too much time before he intervened.- "They didn't and ya got cut. ya got hurt." -He groaned, visibly upset by what happened to her- "I managed to come because it wasn't too far away but just imagine if I came too late? you'd be..." -he shook his head- "Mary. What you saw outside. The violence, the blood. I didn't want ya to see it. I didn't... I didn't mean to scare ya like that. I know it's not pretty and I know I'm a monster... I'm sorry if I scared ya."
"Arthur... no... No... You didn't scare me." -She said, leaning her forehead to his.- "You didn't scare me. You saved me! you saved... You saved me! I'm... I just realized how violent things could be for all of you. I'm... I've just realized you put your life in danger every day, that's all. I'm... I'm... I fear to see you at the end of those fists. I fear you'll end up like those guys on the streets.." -She shook her hands so he would release them and she could cup his face with both her hands.- "I fear for Tommy...But I am not afraid of you. I am not...Arthur, please, look at me." -He set his cerulean eyes upon her, prompting Mary to give him a coy smile.- "Good, that's good... You are not a monster, Arthur. You are a force of Nature. You...You saved me, Arthur." -She repeated and pressed a kiss on his forehead while he crumbled against her.
His bravado collapsed and he became a puppy in her arms. Mary wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. Arthur hated that violence. He loved that violence too. He was a man who learned how to kill in order to protect his family and later on, his country. He was a man whose inner violence and pain both built him and destroyed him. He was a man very few could accept, very few could understand and most of them feared. Arthur Shelby? just the name was enough to scare people, but when they saw him walk on the streets, they would always step aside and cower in fear. Arthur was a monster, somehow... he projected that image and he sincerely believed he was one. Yet, he was still capable of being good, of being loved and Mary... well, she might not know it, but she made him believe he could be more than just a beast. Even now, as she was traumatized by the events that unfolded, she still managed to comfort the older man. She still found compassion and love within her heart to forgive him for the brutal display of violence in front of her. He would take her home and would have a word with Tommy. He would make sure she was safely back to where she belonged. Next to Tommy. Yes, he would!
-TBC-
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