Thorns & Roses

Chapter 1: Broken Hearts

Hazel was frozen, hand over the door-knob of the bedroom of their shared house. In his arms was a few grocery bags, filled with what would have been a lovely dinner for that coming night. Swallowing heavily, he clenched his eyes shut and pulled away from the scene in front of him. With a slam of the door, the young man fled into the kitchen and began to angrily shove the groceries into cabinets.

"Hazel!" the other man shouted from the bedroom, naked as the day as he was born.

"I don't want to hear it!" the words spilled from his lips as he slammed the cabinet doors and began to violently pull drawers open. Hazel whirled around, golden-brown eyes flashing in righteous fury. "I open my home to you, I fed you my food!" His vision was heavily blurring from the angry, agonized tears trying to be desperately held in. "I gave you everything! EVERYTHING!"

"It's not what it looks like!" the taller, heavily muscled man pulled Hazel into him, crushing their lips together in a bruising kiss. No matter how much he wanted Jasper, Hazel knew that this... this relationship was over.

"No," Hazel sobbed, wrenching himself away from him and glaring up at Jasper's face. The other man's face was just as agonized, causing the terrible feeling within him to crack in two. "You showed me what it was like to love," he murmured with a heavy heart, dropping his honey-brown eyes to the cheery yellow cabinets below the sink. "You gave me what I always wanted."

"Jasper?" a raspy, feminine voice interrupted the two, full of irritation and confusion. "What the hell is going on?" Once more, fury rose up within Hazel like a tidal wave. His eyes flashed like the sun to meet unfamiliar, glaring green eyes.

"You cheated on me," Hazel rasped, hands curling around a drying towel in a frightening imitation of choking someone.

"What are you talking about?" the red-headed woman was more confused than anything, although some kind of understanding was beginning to dawn on her.

Jasper raised both of his hands in front of him, entirely uncaring about his lack of clothing. If it would help get Hazel back, then it would just be a plus. Hazel's eyes narrowed in on the dark-haired, much taller male with rising suspicion.

"How long have you been with Jasper?" he asked the young woman rather bluntly, hands still squeezing the towel like he would dearly love to throttle someone. Preferably Jasper.

"About three years, why?" It dawned on the young woman just as understanding sparked across Hazel's face.

"You fucker," he hissed like a thoroughly incensed feline. "How many?" Hazel's voice was low and silky, golden brown eyes glinting threateningly.

Jasper's pale blue eyes rounded, his square face blanching as both of them advanced on the black-haired male. The redhead's knuckles cracked, and he backed into something solid, rocking on his feet unsteadily. He mutely shook his head, waving his hands in a sort of pathetic 'X', trying to calm the duo down.

"How many?" the female snarled furiously, her pupils slitting like a cat's and her voice gaining an eerie hissing quality. For a moment, confusion flashed across Hazel's face. What the hell?

Once more, Jasper blanched and tried to back up, only to feel hard plaster against his back. Where was there an opening? Both of them were competent in combat, although the female was more skilled. Hazel's talent far out-stripped the redhead's, even though he could do with some more practice.

"Tell me," their voices blended together in eerie harmony, both hiss-like in quality and full of a righteous temper.

"You two and three more!" Jasper blurted out, his pale eyes round in fear. His pupils were dilated hugely, probably due to the fear that he was exuding. "Hazel's the only male!"