how long did rome burn?

"The underworld is the place for lovers, All the heroes seem to be chasing their hearts all the way down to hell." -it’s the dead that know love // L.H.Z

[bettysjuggie-deactivated2026012]

[drew-simon]

keikcsakura:

“You mean — you weren’t going to carry me home anyway? ”

“I thought you were gonna carry me?”

[drew-simon]

“Wanna take a spin?” @stellamonroe

[drew-simon]

keikcsakura:

“I’m thinking tequila shots, what about you? Tequila? I promise it’ll be fuuuun! ”

“Tequila sounds like I’m gonna be carrying you home tonight.”

[drew-simon]

[nikopetran-archive]

| The Long Road Back |

[drew-simon]

nikopetran:

Niko nodded at his words, his thoughts trying to suss out the cause . He tempted himself to ask, but instead slowed the vehicle down, turning into a parking area protected by a large electronic gate. Pulling up to a keypad, he punched in the set of numbers for his code and it opened, giving himself the chance to address his brother’s issues with sleep once again. “Why’s that?” he questioned, driving down the lot where rows upon rows of containers were set, the one he was looking for fairly far to the back, but still only another couple of minutes as he somehow remembered. “Is it the place you live?”

Drew laughed humorlessly, nodding his head. “Yeah, it’s a shit hole, honestly,” he explained with another laugh, looking over at his brother. “Last week, a chick overdosed in the room next to me and cops are still swarming all over the place. The walls are so thin. You can hear everything. It’s-- It fuckin’ sucks, man,” he groaned. “I mean, I’ve lived in some shitty places, but I got use to some nicer shit the past few years.” 

[drew-simon]

lily-calnan:

Lily’s hands drew up to his chest, fingers nervously drawing circles over the fabric of his shirt, butterflies fluttering in her stomach at the way he pulled her into him. “You have a good tongue too I guess,” she mumbled back, not knowing where this was going and not wanting the moment to end, so she sunk back into his lips, her tongue gliding and dancing along with his.

“You guess?” he mumbled, letting a smirk form on his lips. “Why don’t we go back to your place and I’ll show you how good my tongue is, hm?” he offered, pulling back to catch her eyes for a moment. Another smirk crossed his lips before he leaned in to kiss her jaw. His hands stayed on her ass, giving it another sharp squeeze, not bothered by the fact they were in the middle of a bar. 

[keikcsakura]

| Like Drinking Sea Water |

[drew-simon]

keikcsakura:

It was when he finally opened the door that the balloon that had formed in their gut deflated pitifully in the sound of a sad sigh. What Keiko wanted to do was pull him into a tight embrace, apologize for being the worst and apologize that he had to see it. They wanted to explain away the issues, coat it in more apologizes and just kiss him because that’s where their heart rested. “No, no, it’s okay.” they quipped, gaze dancing around the room, an attempt to peer inside that went as a failure.  The mention of a surprise put Keiko aback just slightly as confusion sheered along their features. “A surprise?” Repetition didn’t help, no, same went along with the ball that was attempting to swallow down their throat. “What kind of surprise?” It seemed strange, but Keiko allowed it to cave somewhat, shutting her eyes upon his request and reached out for his hand  so that he could at the very least guide them inside. “What is it? What for?” they questioned again, impatient as the nerves ticked along their skin.

“Yeah, a surprise,” he explained with a soft laugh. He took her hand, tugging her softly into his room. “A surprise, surprise,” he smiled, bringing her hand to his lips to give it a soft kiss. “It’s for your birthday. I never gave you your present,” he explained, reaching for Keiko’s other hand too so they were cupped together, offering a solid place for him to set the kitten on. “Happy Birthday,” he grinned, leaning forward to kiss their cheek. “Oh, you can open your eyes. I forgot that part. Sorry,” he laughed, scratching the back of his neck out of nerves. 

One of the many cats that hung around the motel had been pregnant when Drew moved in. He’d taken to feeding the cat bits and pieces of stuff he could afford to feed it. When the cat gave birth, Keiko took to the smallest of the littler, the only solid white one in the whole bunch. The cat seemed to love Keiko as much as they loved the cat, so Drew took it to the vet. He got it the shots it needed, rid it of fleas, and even got a bow to fit around it’s neck. “So, what do you think?”

[nikopetran-archive]

| The Long Road Back |

[drew-simon]

nikopetran:

Seven, almost eight hours in the car, and while it was a roomy vehicle Niko’s feet still felt like they were cemented to the gas pedal. Drew had slipped in and out throughout the night,  mumbling some nonsense about not getting any sleep but it was something else, and something Niko wasn’t about to pry into.  “So it’s a shitty little place, but has questionably good security.” he tried to talk to ease any of the exhaustion, “I figure that we’ll go there, go through what I’ve got and then crash at the hotel down the road.” he explained – pointing to it as they drove by before passing his brother a concerned look. “Listen,” it took a lot to ask, but he did so anyway. “Are you sure you’re all right? “ @drew-simon

Drew seemed to be in a constant state of exhaustion. The place he’d been staying at since he arrived in Rockford was shit. It was one of the reasons he’d settled there, it was cheap enough for him to afford. He’d been slipping in and out of consciousness throughout the drive, regrettably. It was really the first time he and his brother were in a situation they couldn’t escape one another. He had a ton of questions, but had no idea where to start, mix in his sleepy state and it all just gave him a headache. Niko’s voice jolted him awake for resting his eyes. He ran his hands over his face, sighing and nodding at his words. “Yeah, yeah. I’m alright. I just-- I haven’t been getting much sleep.” 

[drew-simon]

Bonnie

[drew-simon]

Stella

[drew-simon]

Keiko, Niko

Keiko

Niko

[drew-simon]

sophia-underwood:

Sophia hadn’t noticed him next to her until he had gone to help her but when she finally dared to look up at him, she mentally kicked herself for ignoring yet another cute boy. “I know how to walk in heels,” she defended although the evidence was stacked against her. It was easy to see that he was trying to be nice but all Sophia could think about was what he was currently thinking about her. She obsessed over the opinion of others which is why she shook her head when he offered her the new drink. “What? You think I can’t hold my liquor?” she asked as she finally pulled herself up. It was obvious that she couldn’t.

Drew nodded, flashing a grin as she worked to regain her footing. “Okay,” he stated, reaching back out when he thought she might stumble again. His tongue drug over his bottom lip as he looked the girl over, not bothering to act like he wasn’t checking her out. He set his hand on her hip, holding her steady for a moment since she seemed like she needed it. “Never said that,” he defended, running his thumb over her hipbone before pulling back. “Just thought water might be a nice change. Clean your pallet, you know?” he offered with a smile. 

[drew-simon]

lily-calnan:

“Oh whatever,” she shook her head at him, eyes dropping, not at all expecting his next move and it showed in the way she was frozen at first, eventually kissing him back. It’d been so long since she’d been kissed like that and she craved so much more instantly. “Are you sure about that?” She mumbled out, hoping he’d get the hint.

A smirk formed on his lips when she hinted at wanting him to take another taste. He took a step closer this time, setting his hands on her hips and running them down to her ass to pull her the rest of the way, closing the gap completely. Drew pressed his lips to hers once more, giving her ass a squeeze as his tongue slipped past her lips. “I’m one hundred percent sure,” he mumbled against her lips. 

[keikcsakura]

| Like Drinking Sea Water |

[drew-simon]

keikcsakura:

It was gross. It was earlier than her usual walk. Simple phone calls kept her going, kept the bills paid, her school books new(ish) but she longed for the days she wouldn’t have to anymore.  Before long she was being pulled into an apartment in an unfamiliar side of town by an unfamiliar man, their bodies lingering awkwardly in the door way, his lips against her neck whispering some nonsense that she only half listened to. It was fact, through one ear out the other had been Keiko’s own version of dissociation. She’d focus and think of someone else, she would drift off, only doing as she was told, take the money and leave — but this time for a brief moment she caught the gaze of someone familiar walking by the door, the complex lights hitting just right so that they could be seen. Drew? She could feel the lump in her throat grow, but before she had the chance, the apartment door was closed behind them and it was back to business as usual.  It wasn’t long (was it ever? Maybe sometimes) until Keiko slipped of the apartment, an extra five hundred slipping into her clutch that she disappeared, making her way back down towards the  motel she’d come too familiar with over time, knocking lightly on the door that she would have normally just opened, the key burning a hole in the back of her mind. “Drew?” she temped to take out her phone, call him  in hopes he was inside but opted otherwise, not sure what to do if he didn’t open up but considered setting herself down against the wall — still they waited, knocking one more time. @drew-simon

He wished he hadn’t seen it. He wished he would have kept his head down and stared at his feet like he had such a habit of doing. He knew what Keiko did for a living, he knew before he even knew their name. His mom had the same profession, so he was no stranger to the ins and outs of the business. But, despite all that, seeing it actually happening still rubbed him the wrong way. It was easy to ignore when they were in their own little bubble that that made for themselves every time they were together, but outside the door of Keiko’s apartment or Drew’s shitty motel room, the bubble didn’t exist. He tried to distract himself. He watched shitty cable tv and tended to the present he’d gotten for Keiko’s birthday, but the idea of them with that gross, old dude just kept pushing into his head. 

The knock made him jump and curse under his breath. He knew it was her before she even spoke his name, which only made his heart race a bit quicker. Drew was so busy trying to adjust the bow on her present that he almost forgot she was at the door. Once everything was perfect, he scooped the solid white kitten up in one hand and held it behind his back as he used the other to open the door. “Hey, hi-- Sorry I didn’t answer right away...I, uh, I’ve kinda got a surprise for you, so close your eyes?”

[lilscollins-archive]

[drew-simon]

coolest person in rockford?

Me. No, probably Stella, honestly, because she broke into John Mayer’s dressing room with me, but also me because I had the idea in the first place, so...