Introduction.

Firstly, as stated in the description, this story will contain spanking as a disciplinary method, I'm not necessarily saying that by writing it I would condone it in real life in a non-consensual context but this is a work of fiction and if it's not your cup of tea, there are plenty of other works of fiction to be explored.

Secondly, for the purposes of this story I've made Ada slightly younger than she is in canon, however all other ages and characters remain in the same dynamic as the show.

Thirdly, the earliest school leaving age from the get-go in this story is 16, historically it would have been 14 but we're just going to break with history here a little.

Lastly, this is a Peaky Blinders fic so general warning for mental health issues, PTSD, mental abuse, physical abuse and light substance abuse. I will try to TW at the top of chapters that specifically deal with these issues when they come up, but please do be aware this is very much set within the canon of the show.

Enjoy! :)

Chapter 1

Tommy Shelby stood across the road from the school, his eyes focussed on the kids streaming out of it, looking for Finn amongst them. One hand was at ease in his waistcoat pocket, the other held his newly lit cigarette, the smoke rising past his face, joining the general smog of Birmingham.

He wondered exactly how the youngest Shelby intended to carry it off. He didn't think Finn was stupid enough not to have made a plan. He didn't think between his, Arthur and Pol's efforts that the boy was stupid enough to not at least try and make it look convincingly like he had left school with the rest of them, knowing full well one of the three of them would be waiting for him.

The slightest of frowns, imperceptible to anyone who wasn't used to scrutinising Tommy's face, crossed his brow when he noticed Ada exiting from the girls' door, across the way. How had she managed to get back in the building to leave arm in arm with her friends, without the teachers catching her? He was convinced Ada could have been bloody dangerous if she applied her brains to what he did, instead of to the priorities she assigned in her life. And whilst she frustrated the hell out of them all sometimes, the majority of him was glad his baby sister did care for dresses and dances and picture shows and whatever else it was she busied herself with.

He moved his eyes back to the boys' door, trying not to look too eagerly for the redhead amongst Ada's classmates. Not like they spoke much outside of the shop.

He'd have to let Ada get home herself, she was used to the privilege of walking home herself – and if he pulled her over now, demanded she went with him and their youngest brother, the two of them would know they'd been caught.

He was interested to see how Finn would act when he didn't know he was caught.

"Tommy!" Finn's voice came from the side of the road the school gate was on, and his eyes watched his brother's delighted face as he ran across the road towards him.

It was a novelty to Finn, that he was here, Tommy knew that. It was mostly Polly who did the school pick up. Tommy was better at doing the morning escort, but his business days were unpredictable – Pol could usually plan to make herself available for the pick-up. But when Charlie had arrived in the betting shop to inform the elder Shelbys that he'd just seen Finn walk past his yard, presumably when he should be in school, part of a group that included a girl he'd only seen from the back but who looked a lot like Ada, Tommy had called an early halt to business that day. There was too much going on these days for two of his siblings to be running around with no one keeping an eye on them, not being where they should be.

He thought Ada had thought herself too old to hang around with Finn now. There was only just short of four years between them, she wasn't quite fifteen yet, but she was beginning to consider herself quite a grown up. If he was honest she'd probably needed her arse tanned for a while now, something to make sure she still knew she was expected to follow the rules - there'd been too many quick remarks firing from her recently and she was less observant of the times she was told to be in for. But Tommy thought the Shelby household had seen the last days of double hidings.

Or maybe they'd never end. They were practically as much part of the house as the bloody bricks and tiles were. It had been Arthur and Polly to start, she might have been their aunt but she was only a few years older than Arthur, and she'd practically lived with them growing up. Then him and Arthur had had their turn at bearing the brunt of it together. Then John had come along and Tommy had got smart enough to start avoiding it, but Arthur hadn't and he'd kept his place beside their younger brother. And then their father had done the first long term disappearing act and returned eight years later, just in time to father Ada and disappear, then return, sire Finn and disappear for good. It was almost as if even their bloody useless father knew there had to be two, and that he'd left the gap too long between John and Ada.

He turned and started down the road, Finn at his side.

"How was school?"

"Fine, yeah – Tommy, can we go by-?" Finn started to ask, but Tommy cut him off.

"Fine, eh? 'Snot very enlightening."

He didn't glance at his younger brother, keeping his eyes on the road ahead, inhaling on the cigarette, but he felt the boy falter slightly.

"It was fine…" Finn said, trailing off.

"What did you do?"

"Ehh… Times tables?"

"You sure? Sounded like a question more'n an answer."

"Yeah."

"Which ones?"

"What?"

"Which times tables?"

"Six?"

Tommy nodded, still not looking at his brother, though he could tell his brother's eyes were on him.

"The six times table, all day," he said, keeping his tone casual and bland, puffing on the cigarette, not rushing himself, "Your class can't be that promising a set – given you were on the six times table for your homework last week."

"Yeah, well, eh, loads of people got their homework wrong."

"Is that right?"

He couldn't decide what was more annoying – that his little brother was lying to him, or that his little brother was lying so bloody badly. Hell, at eleven Tommy had known how to handle himself.

It was half a blessing, a relief, that Finn hadn't had to grow up that fast. Finn hadn't had to deal with their father's temper, followed by his absence, or their mother's mental state. Finn had always had Aunt Polly and, the war years aside, him and Arthur. And even John, though John had his own family. Finn had been kept safe. Kept surrounded by people who looked after him, had his best interests at heart.

But still, it was half bloody terrifying that the boy was still so green that he couldn't tell a decent lie, that he hadn't even seemed to plan what bloody lie he would tell in response to basic questions.

At some point Finn would need to join the family business. Tommy needed to grow the legal side of it, if that was to happen. But even the legal side – it would still be the Shelby family business. Finn would still need to be able to tell a decent lie without getting caught, or the results would be tougher than finding it sore to sit for a few days. He sighed. Still, the main thing Finn needed to learn to do was follow orders and, really, that was why he'd be finding it tough to sit for a few days.

"Where did you want to go by Finn?" Tommy asked, circling back to when he'd cut the boy off.

"Sweet shop," Finn replied, scuffing his shoes.

"Sweet shop, eh?"

"Yeah."

"Harrison's?"

"Yeah?"

Tommy was tempted to smack the boy upside the head there and then, answering questions with questions.

He flicked the cigarette away and paused, then, casually, "Don't know if Harrison's will have much in, apparently a bunch of kids went in there earlier today and cleaned the place out."

Finn stopped walking, Tommy didn't.

"Come on Finn," he shouted over his shoulder.

"Tommy…" his brother's voice was trembling.

Tommy pivoted on the spot and, finally looked the boy straight in the eye.

"Finn?" he replied, one eyebrow raised.

"How'd you hear about Harrison's getting stolen from?"

He blinked slowly, then replied, "You don't seem surprised, Finn. How did you hear about it in amongst your day of the six times table?"

The younger boy began to bubble.

Well, that hadn't taken long. They'd probably take about an hour to get it from Ada, even with Finn next to her giving them both up.

Tommy didn't change his face, he simply crouched where he stood and crooked a finger to make Finn come to him.

"You got something to say to me Finn?"

The boy went from the start of the snivelling to a full cry, tears spilling down his still round cheeks. He took more after John at the moment, missing the feline cut of Tommy's own face. But then maybe he had had round cheeks when he was eleven, he didn't remember.

"I didn't steal any of the sweets," Finn blurted out between sobs.

"What do you mean, Finn?"

"I was there, but I promise I didn't steal any sweets," the boy cried, thoroughly miserable, "I said it wasn't right, I didn't join in with that."

Tommy wasn't going to get bogged down in the stealing. He arranged shipments of liquor and cigarettes to get stolen to line the shelves of The Garrison. Or for his own cupboards. He was hardly a paragon.

"But you're telling me you weren't in school today" he clarified.

"N-no," Finn wailed.

"No that's not what you're telling me?"

"No, I…" the boy trailed off and Tommy let him get control of himself, not prompting him, forcing him to finish the sentence when he was done gasping, "I didn't go to school."

"So," Tommy said, dragging it out, "You weren't doing the six times table?"

"No."

"So you lied to me?"

"Y-yeah."

"And you disobeyed me by not going to school like you were supposed to?"

"I'm s-sorry T-Tommy," came the child's lament.

"Right then," Tommy said, then stood up and turned back on the route home.

"Tommy," Finn cried out, then Tommy heard a few running steps coming to catch up with him.

The hand that had held the cigarette now hung docile at his side, and he felt Finn tug on it. He let him have it, feeling his brother's two small hands grasp on to his.

"Tommy…"

He sighed and slowed a little but didn't stop, "Finn?"

"What's going to happen?"

"Oh Finn," Tommy replied, "I imagine you know fine well what's going to happen – I'm presuming that's what all the blubbering and wailing is about, unless there's something else you need to tell me?"

"Nothing else Tommy," Finn hiccupped.

"Right – well let's get on then, everyone's waiting at the house," he said.

Finn's wails came louder.

Tommy wasn't moved. If anything, he was tempted to roll his eyes and tell Finn to stop it, or he'd give him something to wail about right there in the street; though he restrained himself. He wasn't completely out of patience yet.

But that was the thing – if the wrong people got a hold of Finn, wanted to use him as leverage, the boy would have something real to wail about. Something much more real than the sore backside he was going to be dealt once they got back to Watery Lane.