crossfire — open

[roman.]

— smoke. he had fond memories of how it felt to pickpocket a fresh pack of smokes from a passerby on the street. some of the days felt long, spent working a job that he found satisfaction in but little promise in at the end of the day. one time, he remembered taking a pack of smokes from some big guy that could’ve easily knocked the daylights out of him had he been caught in the act. the carton had just two cigarettes left, as if they were meant to have been stolen for him to share with his brother. he remembered the way lips threatened to pull into a smile, shoving the pack in the pocket of his jacket as he made his way home.

back then, he’d been so cocky and arrogant, as if the world couldn’t possibly touch him. he’d plucked that pack of smokes with no thought at all about how it could go wrong - because nothing wrong ever happened to a darrow, and certainly not to roman. for years he had been untouchable, next to invincible.

oh, how the mighty fall. and he never even truly gave himself time to think about the trauma much if at all.

abandoned by his family. even then, managing to keep his head afloat through all means necessary along with killian until they found themselves at bluestem. then the trailer park was lit ablaze. smoke. he remembered the way it wrapped its cold fingers around his throat, leaving him choking desperately for breaths as he tried to kick out a window. he barely managed to get out of the trailer with his life. he never talked about how much the event affected him, even to that day. how could someone that was once untouchable not even be able to breathe in the familiar smell of smoke without internally wincing? there were few times in his life where he managed to feel so small, but the trauma of fire and smoke was one of the worst of them.

”i’d kill for a cigarette right now.” roman turned his head towards the man sat on the porch across from him, watching as he gently rocked his chair back and forth. “you got a pack?”
roman remained otherwise unfazed. he looked out across the main street, watching as people passed by. “i don’t smoke.”
”what?”
“i haven’t smoked in- years, you know.” the man seemed to be in disbelief, disapproval. ro stared at the man’s look before he quipped, “so that i can outlive all of you bastards down the line.” the lines, although plainly spoken, was still enough for the man’s lips to curl, a few notes of laughter passing his lips.
“more for me, then, huh?” roman shrugged plainly, gently rocking the chair he sat in as he people-watched with the man. "if smoking is what sends me to my grave, then i'll consider myself lucky." the guy could talk his ear off, but at least he seemed to share the same interest in simply watching the people of bluestem as they went about their day.

Spoiler: tags ― updated 02/27. • show

◜BASICS ┊ FEEL ENTITLED TO A SENSE OF CONTROL ◞
‣  ❝ roman lee darrow ❞ | rome, ro | male [he/him] .
‣ 27 years old . | december 27th; capricorn.
‣  currently second in command of bluestem prairie
↳ has a dual-alliance between bluestem prairie and northstar district

◜PERSONALITY ┊ MAKE DECISIONS YOU THINK ARE YOUR OWN ◞
‣ clever . observant . “people smart” . witty . quick-thinking . intelligent . determined . sneaky . argumentative . selfish . judgmental . blunt . stoic . distrustful . distant . detached . cunning .
↳ hobbies include: pushing peoples’ buttons, pickpocketing, conning, making the odds stack up in his favor, and making everyone else’s lives ten times harder

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ LET ME LOOK AT THE SUN ◞
‣ five foot seven & one hundred and sixty five pounds ; reference .
↳ brown hair, short and messy
↳ has overall muscle tone - a little on the slimmer side
↳ pale blue eyes , an unimpressed look , judging

◜ FAMILY ┊ I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO PROVE ◞
‣  john darrow x mary darrow | whereabouts unknown
↳ abandoned roman a few years ago after roman explained disinterest in the family’s way of life
‣ two brothers named cassius (“cas”) and august (“gus”)
↳ cassius and roman were extremely close growing up. inseparable.
‣ two sisters named livia (“livvy”) and julia (“ju")
↳ livvy and roman had a love-hate relationship . roman adored julia
‣ owns three dogs with frank: coca cola (cola), pookie number 2 (pooks/pookie), and angus
↳ more-so considered children than pets

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE ◞
‣  homosexual ; monogamous | grew up disinterested in pursuing relationships
‣ ex-lover to killian crowley
↳ short-lived . ended after killian explained he’d already met (and lost) his soulmate
‣ husband to franklin darrow
↳ considers him his other half .

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ SEE ME BARE MY TEETH FOR YOU ◞
‣   [ 10/10 ] physically  |  [ 6/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ very easy ] | difficulty w/ melees [ moderate ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ moderate ]
‣ @elysian. | dm for any major plots .
‣  friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .

[franklin.]

He still remembered when the night came one blustery day in Flintlock Lodge when he came face to face with the tragedy that was Roman. They were not married or engaged, barely together as Roman had made it clear he had no intention to see Frank again. But, there he stood, broken following the arson attack that claimed too many lives in Bluestem Prairie. Tainted with soot and dirt, Frank cleaned Roman off carefully as he was numbed by his own trauma. Ever since that night, Roman had not touched a cigarette since.

Frank couldn’t blame him; it was one thing inhaling smoke into the lungs to relax after a long day, but it was another to choke on it as he woke from his slumber to find his home in flames. Even to this day, Frank was mindful of Roman’s decision to stop smoking. It meant refusing to smoke outside of their home so that the smoke would not waft inside — Roman deserved to feel secure in his own home — and Frank did all he could to cut down to only one or two a day. Anything so that he wouldn’t always return home smelling like cigarette smoke.

Exiting the general store with a couple of rations of canned foods in his hands, Frank stopped at the sight of his husband sitting on the porch with another rancher before wandering over. ❝ How’s… kidney beans for dinner? ❞ Frank lowered a can of beans down with a jesting twitch of his lips before straightening up and looking to see what Roman and the other rancher were looking at. ❝ Hey, Frank. You got a pack of cigarettes? ❞ The man then tried in his attempt to nab a cigarette off of someone.

Brows raising, Frank lowered his eyes as he searched through his pockets before holding out an open pack for the man to take one. ❝ Cheers. ❞ ❝ You’re okay. ❞ He returned the pack of cigarettes in his pockets, raising his head to watch a flag fluttering in the breeze on top of the saloon. Soon, he began to choose where to sit, uttering to the rancher, ❝ Budge up. ❞ He made the man move aside so that he could sit beside him. More importantly, he did so with the wind direction in mind. If Roman were to get a face full of smoke, he certainly wouldn’t enjoy himself here. Being mindful of his husband was the least Frank could do. ❝ So what are y’all even looking at? How sloppy ranchers can get around here before it begins to trigger Brock? ❞ Frank had a point; most people barely looked to practice any self-care when they were so busy on the ranch.

[roman.]

—squinting, roman stared at the can of kidney beans. lips pulled in a thin line, one corner of his lips turning downwards, he hummed thoughtfully. “who are you feeding those too? me, or the dogs?” he deadpanned along in light jest with him, the other rancher not seeming to understand the joke in their words. rather, he leaned forward upon seeing frank, more interested in whether the man had any cigarettes for him. ro barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes; what a mooch.

frank had been one of the first people in roman’s life to see him so vulnerable. to this day, he was probably still the only person to have seen roman at his lowest points. whether it was after the trauma of an arson attack, his face covered with soot and enough smoke in his lungs to make him chronically cough for weeks after the fact-- or after getting shot only feet away from his home, thinking for sure those few moments with frank would be his last. though those traumatic life events were moments he’d shared at frank’s side, he hardly ever talked to him about it, or the after-effects of such devastating events. observant eyes followed his husband as he wedged himself between roman and the rancher-- blocking a bit of the smoke from ro’s direction. his gaze seemed to subtly light up in its own way. once frank’s gaze met his, he looked almost grateful.

he didn’t have to talk about the trauma. somehow, frank just knew.

and he was supportive in ways that they didn’t even mention. careful and attentive. how on earth a snake like roman managed to catch a person like frank was beyond comprehension. whatever the hell happened, he was damn thankful for such luck. he wouldn’t be where he was today without the man, or nearly as happy.

leaning back in his seat, he rested his head against the palm of his hand. “good guess,” he supplied, glancing towards frank before looking back out to watch the passersby. “just people-watching.” ah, yes; roman’s favorite pastime. a few people walked by, roman’s gaze following them as he observed, “i don’t think we could get any more western-stereotypes if we tried. maybe if we threw a ten-gallon hat into the mix…” contemplating his words, he then added in a dry mutter, “or assless chaps… then things would get interesting.”

Spoiler: tags ― updated 02/27. • show

◜BASICS ┊ FEEL ENTITLED TO A SENSE OF CONTROL ◞
‣  ❝ roman lee darrow ❞ | rome, ro | male [he/him] .
‣ 27 years old . | december 27th; capricorn.
‣  currently second in command of bluestem prairie
↳ has a dual-alliance between bluestem prairie and northstar district

◜PERSONALITY ┊ MAKE DECISIONS YOU THINK ARE YOUR OWN ◞
‣ clever . observant . “people smart” . witty . quick-thinking . intelligent . determined . sneaky . argumentative . selfish . judgmental . blunt . stoic . distrustful . distant . detached . cunning .
↳ hobbies include: pushing peoples’ buttons, pickpocketing, conning, making the odds stack up in his favor, and making everyone else’s lives ten times harder

◜ APPEARANCE ┊ LET ME LOOK AT THE SUN ◞
‣ five foot seven & one hundred and sixty five pounds ; reference .
↳ brown hair, short and messy
↳ has overall muscle tone - a little on the slimmer side
↳ pale blue eyes , an unimpressed look , judging

◜ FAMILY ┊ I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO PROVE ◞
‣  john darrow x mary darrow | whereabouts unknown
↳ abandoned roman a few years ago after roman explained disinterest in the family’s way of life
‣ two brothers named cassius (“cas”) and august (“gus”)
↳ cassius and roman were extremely close growing up. inseparable.
‣ two sisters named livia (“livvy”) and julia (“ju")
↳ livvy and roman had a love-hate relationship . roman adored julia
‣ owns three dogs with frank: coca cola (cola), pookie number 2 (pooks/pookie), and angus
↳ more-so considered children than pets

◜ RELATIONSHIPS ┊ I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE ◞
‣  homosexual ; monogamous | grew up disinterested in pursuing relationships
‣ ex-lover to killian crowley
↳ short-lived . ended after killian explained he’d already met (and lost) his soulmate
‣ husband to franklin darrow
↳ considers him his other half .

◜ INTERACTIONS ┊ SEE ME BARE MY TEETH FOR YOU ◞
‣   [ 10/10 ] physically  |  [ 6/10 ] psychologically .
↳ difficulty w/ guns [ very easy ] | difficulty w/ melees [ moderate ] | difficulty w/ hand-to-hand [ moderate ]
‣ @elysian. | dm for any major plots .
‣  friendly or nonviolent actions may be powerplayed .