EYES LIKE RAZORS

"Madison! There's someone to see you. Her face is almost as red as her hair." Ashton calls up the stairs. "Hurry up, she said she's gonna chop my balls off-"

"Ashton, be quiet." Polly scolds.

"Let her come up." Madison shouts back.

"She's mad." Ashton replies loudly. "I'm sure I can manage." Madison calls back.

"Do you two have legs? Use them. Stop yelling through the house." Polly says.

"She said let me up." Chloe states. "Are you going to cause her bodily harm?" Ashton questions, blocking the stairs and narrowing his eyes at her.

"No, I just need to talk to her. So let me through." Chloe says.

"Ashton, let her up the stairs." Polly says, and slowly he retracts his arms, moving to one side so Chloe could storm up the stairs.

"Afternoon." Madison greets when Chloe steps into her bedroom.

"Afternoon? After what you did, you say afternoon?" Chloe seethes. "What did I do?" Madison sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"My Dad! You punched him." Chloe exclaims. "First of all, I punch a lot of people. Second of all, I don't have a bloody clue who your Dad is." Madison retorts, which didn't help the situation whatsoever, her response only seemed to anger Chloe even more and Madi could see what Ashton meant about her face being the same colour as her hair.

"What's your Dads name?" Madi asks.

"Benedict. Benedict Wilkinson."

"Oh, in my defence, I technically didn't punch him." Madison says.

"You're right, you only whacked him in the face with a metal rod." Chloe says sarcastically.

"I didn't know he was your Dad." Madison states. "Would it have made a difference?" Chloe asks, "you don't want me to answer that." Madi shrugs.

"No, you don't want to answer me. I do want an answer. If you knew it was my Dad, would it have made a difference?" Chloe replies.

"No, alright? It wouldn't. He tried to hit a kid with a rod. And he threatened Finn. He knows who we are, he chose to do that. It was naive, and simply stupid for him to believe that one of us wouldn't come for him." Madison snaps.

"Let me guess, you're not sorry either." Chloe says. "I'm not." Madison replies.

"Well congratulations, my mum is dying, my dad now has no job, which means no income, we were already struggling to keep the house as it was-"

"Maybe he should've done something other than selling fucking candles then, I mean seriously- did anyone actually buy them?"

That was it. Chloes last straw, she struck out, the palm of her left hand colliding with Madisons right cheek, "don't you dare talk about my father like that, he's making an honest living."

"I wouldn't really call it a living." Madi retorts, catching Chloes hand this time, and tutting as she started walking forwards backing Chloe against the wall.

"You don't fuck with the Peaky Blinders. Your Dad should've known that." Madison states. "I'm sorry your family is struggling, alright? If you want a job I can get you one, but not your Dad, I don't want him near my family."

"Anyone that takes a job with the Peaky Blinders ends up dead." Chloe states.

"It's a barmaid job, with Grace." Madison says, "I don't trust drunk men." Chloe replies. "Nothing will happen to you. Take the job. It pays well. I won't let any of them touch you." Madison promises, dropping Chloes hand, and bringing hers up to cup the red heads cheek.

"Anyone tries anything on you darling, tell me, I'll sort them out." Madison says, "no one is gonna lay a hand on you, they do and I'll fucking cut it off."

Darling. It rolled so easily off her tongue, it made Chloe feel fuzzy. It messed with her head, and she was ninety percent sure Madison knew that. Whenever Madi called her darling, everything felt numb compared to the butterflies that would swarm her stomach.

"Just don't steal from us, don't lie to us, and don't betray us. Three things. That's all."

"I won't." Chloe swears, going onto her tiptoes and pressing her lips to Madisons, running her hands through her brunette waves.

"Good. So you're not mad at me anymore?" Madison asks.
"I'm always mad at you." Chloe replies.

"Yeah, you seemed real mad when you came all over my face." Madison teases, watching a deep red blush spread across Chloes face.

"You're a weird woman, you make all sorts of innuendos, but when I come straight out and say something to do with sex you get all embarrassed. It's kind of adorable." Madison laughs.

-

"Ada, it's Madison."

Currently Madi was stood outside her sisters flat, the location of which she had pried out of Polly, trying to get her sister to let her in.

"Please Ada, I'm your sister." 

"Then why didn't you come sooner?" Ada finally replies.

"I'm sorry, please just let me in." Madison says, her ear was pressed to the door, and she could hear a small sniffle.

"Are you crying?" Madison asks, "no." Ada replies. "Ada, let me in." Madison insists, "I get your mad at me. I should've come sooner-"

"You're right, you should've." Ada says, opening the door, tear stains down her face.

"Why are you crying? Me?" Madison questions, "no, not you. Come here, idiot." Ada replies, opening her arms up to her younger sister, who takes her offer, embracing her sister, feeling how frail she was.

"Have you been taking the food Polly offered?" Madison asks.

"A bit." Ada replies.

"You need to eat, your baby needs food. Nutrients and shit." Madison says, "language." Ada scolds.

"Ada, he can't speak yet, and I doubt his first word will be fuck." Madison replies. "Well if it is, I will be blaming you." Ada says.

"I've missed you." Ada says.

"Well who wouldn't?" Madi teases, and Ada smacks her head.

"There was actually a reason for my visit." Madison states. "If you're going to try and convince me Tommy is innocent in all this, save your breath." Ada replies.

"That's not why I'm here." Though Tommy was innocent in all this. "I need to tell you something."

"I'm all ears."

Somehow Madison actually preferred the boys just sort of walking in on it, it meant she didn't have all this build up, all this time to think about how her sibling might react.

"Ada, I, well I like- you see, the thing is... women. There's something great about women isn't there?"

"I suppose." Ada replies confused.

"What I'm trying to say is women are extremely likeable, I really like women. I think they're great. As sisters, mothers, aunts, friends.... Lovers."

"Wha- oh." Ada says, realisation settling upon her. "Well, that's great."

"It is?"

"Yeah, remarkable. You're a remarkable person, I'm sure you'll love someone equally as brilliant." Ada responds, "Madi, truly, I think you're amazing, probably because your my sister, but I doubt anything you ever do will change my mind on that."