a rough town

[ofanotherera]

London is trouble on every corner. Tommy has been shown this, time and again, but all the same, Sabini's men manage to find him on the wrong side of the Camden road, and from there it's all blood and bad fortune, for everyone involved in the little dustup.

Comments

[bleak_midwinter]

His collar goes easily, and then the buttons on his shirt. His chest is a mess of bruises, the tattoo there almost invisible between them. His fingers shakily start working on the others, from the bottom up.

[ofanotherera]

Alfie swats his hands aside, and bends down to do it himself, rubbing a careful palm over the worst of the marks as he uncovers them.

"Jagging pretty close to certain death, Tommy Shelby."

[bleak_midwinter]

He leans into him, sips his tea instead. The bruises throb and twinge but the hurts have faded enough.

"Wouldn't be doing this if there weren't risks," he says, an echo of their last conversation.

[ofanotherera]

He moves, as the kettle starts to whistle. Pours it in, fetches another, gives the water a test with his hand. It's too hot yet, so he adds some of the cool- and that's enough that he nods his head at Tommy, and moves to strip him more determinedly, get him all the way down to naked.

[bleak_midwinter]

He stands up, feeling strangely bashful about Alfie undressing him considering he just had the man's cock in his mouth. Once he's all the way naked it's obvious that the damage is quite extensive- a few bruised ribs for sure, knee unable to bend properly, ankle swollen considerably, and plenty of cuts and innumerable bruises. He has to lean on Alfie's shoulder to be able to step in.

[ofanotherera]

Alfie rubs his thumb over Tommy's cheek, then helps him, carefully, to sink down into the hot water. He keeps a broad arm folded carefully around him so he can't fall, and at once reaches for a clean hand towel, to begin to patiently was the blood away.

[bleak_midwinter]

He moans in genuine, uncomfortable pain this time, as he has to draw his knees up to his chest to fit inside the tub. He's not a tall man, but it's a tight fit. The steam helps, and so does the heat, and so does the arm around his chest.

[ofanotherera]

Alfie rolls his sleeves up a little higher, then goes to get the kettle while Tommy adjusts, tipping it into the tub (careful not to let it get hot enough to burn him) before going to refill it, again, and set it back on the heat.

He sips his tea, then holds the cup to Tommy's mouth, to make him drink.

[bleak_midwinter]

He scrubs at his arms and legs with his hands, watching the water go steadily red. When Alfie puts the cup to his lips he looks up at him, drinks, then asks, so softly the rasp is hardly audible: "Is this- part of it?"

Getting taken care of.

[ofanotherera]

"With me? Yeah."

Taking the cloth, squeezing water gently over his throat, to get the dried stains there.

"This is a part of it."

[bleak_midwinter]

"It's good," he whispers. Just- it's clear from his voice- unexpected. Not only because it's Alfie. There are dark fingerprint bruises on his throat as well.

[ofanotherera]

He hisses, appreciatively, when he comes to them.

"It's fair. I'm gonna ask you to do things, to bend ways that might do you some damage, yeah? Gotta-"

Wiping his mouth again, to illustrate.

"-keep you whole enough."

[bleak_midwinter]

He nods, agreeing- it makes sense, but he'd just never thought of it.

"Tell me some of those things," he requests, gently. He can feel the energy returning to him with the bath, with feeling cleaner, and he's curious.

[ofanotherera]

"Well. What we just did, I'll do again."

He predicts, right away, stroking broad hands along him, touching, feeling.

"What we did in my office, I'll do again."

[bleak_midwinter]

He lets his shoulder slope down when Alfie strokes him there, but keeps his eyes open and looking at Alfie. No protest there, clearly.

[ofanotherera]

Alfie looks up at him, and nods his approval.

"There we are. Big, deep breaths."

[bleak_midwinter]

He listens and does so, curls his toes and then relaxes them-- all still while looking at Alfie.

[ofanotherera]

"Yeah."

He agrees with the silence, rubbing the cloth in soothing circles over his skin.

"You're a good lad."

[bleak_midwinter]

That makes him shiver in a burst of confused emotions- part of him needing it still, part of him unsure if he should, if that doesn't make him weak. It takes him thinking of the door separating them from their normal, business selves to be able to bite his lip and meet Alfie's eyes again.

"Do you like that? When I'm good for you? Or--?" Should he push back?

[ofanotherera]

Alfie considers this, with a smile, that even shows behind his beard.

"Yeah."

Resting his arm on the edge of the tub.

"'course, you won't get far if you're bad."

[bleak_midwinter]

Tommy raises one rose, scratched up hand and trails his fingers over Alfie's lower arm.

"Don't need to get far, do I? Just where you want me to be. But-" he smiles, soft and brittle, "I'll be good, then."

[ofanotherera]

"What I mean, Mister Shelby, is on those days where you don't have a good bone in you, I will put you where I need you. You need the fight, I have the fight."

Promising, lightly.

[bleak_midwinter]

He leans up, all the stains gone and the bruises left behind on his pale skin all the clearer for it, and if Alfie will let him he'll suck his lower lip into his mouth.

"Had enough fights for today," he says, implicitly expressing his gratitude for the future possibility of one.

[ofanotherera]

Alfie leans in, to keep that kiss going, messy and wet and eager.

"Yeah."

Agreeing, with a little sigh of satisfaction.

"Tonight's gonna be filth- all of it, back to front. Careful, easy filth."

[bleak_midwinter]

It makes him laugh against Alfie's mouth, low and pleased, before continuing that kiss. He hangs both arms over the edge of the tub, caresses Alfie's sides.

"Take me to bed, then, eh? I'm going all wrinkly, here in this tub."