Rose thorns and devil horns
Prologue
It was him, standing at the corner of the street, dressed in a beautifully designed black cotton hooded jacket. On the back showed a detailed design of a deck of cards spread out into a spiral from from two detailed white gloved hands, the king of hearts tattooed onto the wrists of the gloves. She hid behind the hedge of her third neighbors house as she watched him, her heart pounding at a dangerous rate.
"He's beautiful!"
"Wait, what if that's not him?"
"What if he thinks I'm ugly?"
"What if I'm really short compared to him?"
CHIME.
He snapped his head back to the sound of her ringtone her phone in her hand and his phone in his. She quickly turned back behind the hedge and looked at the text from her lock screen.
"-I'm here, hurry up it's cold. ?-"
She went to peak around the hedge only to find the hooded figure staring right in her direction. He let out a dark chuckle.
"You stalking me, Chihiro?"
Busted.
She steped out, uncomfortable in the sneaker wedges, slightly revealing sweater and tight jean leggings Brady had picked out for her to wear.
"Jharren?" She called softly.
"Were you trying to stalk someone else?"
"I wasn't stalking I was scared."
"You didn't even see my face yet and you're already shaking?"
"You ass, I meant that I wanted to make sure it was you and not some random person."
"Alright." The hood looked up and down at Chihiro "who dressed you up? you look like a busty Barbie."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You look cute ya ditz."
"Thanks, Brady helped me with the outfit. I really like your hoodie."
"I ordered it online from a store I work at."
She took a second to look him up and down which made him slightly nervous.
"you're so tall, I hate you." She finally said with a half serious, half playful tone.
"Your practically a midget but I love you too~"
"Hey, no im not! I'm five feet two inches."
"And I'm the World Trade Center compared to you."
"9/11 passed a while ago, Jharry"
"Then since its October I'm jack skellington compared to you."
"You jerk."
He smiled, teeth much whiter than hers it made her heart skip a beat even though it was almost all that she saw.
"You ready to go, I have my dads car tonight."
"I was hoping we could walk if that's alright, for we can get used to each other."
"You're not going to murder me are you?"
"No promises." He chuckled she giggled softly and reached out to hold his hand. He tenses up a little in surprise but grabbed her palm in return, almost lovingly.
She smiled looking up at him milk chocolate eyes melting into his gaze.
"What?" He asked
"You're really warm."
He tried his best to hide reddened cheeks, he knew Chihiro would be cute.
"Oh. I know I'm hot, don't be afraid to say it."
Chihiro blushed and leaned her head against his arm.
"I thought you said you were ugly."
"Oh, I am, my body temp is just higher than most though."
"Then you can be my heater when we play video games together."
"You thought about it?" He looked down to her in a slight surprise.
"I put the Wii U on layaway and started my new job a few days ago."
"What games did you pick out?"
The two continued to walk down empty streets hands intertwined to the diner
"I got the Mario 3D world pack. I want to get Splatoon, Bayonetta 2, Mario Party, Mario Kart 8 and the old supermario bros."
"Ooh, quite a selection for someone who rarely plays video games."
"I play Pc games.."
"Spider Solitaire doesn't count, Sweetheart."
"Why not? It's a game."
The hood shakes in a 'no' motion and she rolls her eyes.
"Fine. Well I will be playing games since you forced me to."
"Well,thank you"
She was almost frustrated that even in the dimmed diner's light she couldn't see much of his face, just pale skin and very bright white teeth, canines could be a little less long though.
"I hate how perfect your teeth are, what do you use?" She called excitedly.
He blushed under his hood to her fondness in person. He thought she was just beautiful, her hair a dark chocolate, thick glossy curls covering her head preciously. He began to doubt how fond she would feel towards himself if she really knew.
"I can show you sometime, my routine. I tend to eat a lot of junk food."
"I do too but I guess I don't take as much care of my teeth as you do."
The waitress came up and asked for what they had wanted to drink. Chihiro watched to see how long Jharren would look at the waitress as he ordered but he didn't turn his head away from Chihiro.
"I'll take a " he said calmly, his voice smooth. Curious, she stared long at his hood eventually catching a glimpse of a bright amber eye.
"And you miss?"
Chihiro stared at him for a long moment. he noticed, looking away to the window uncomfortably. She blushes and looks to the waitress "I'll have a Coke, please?"
"Pepsi fine?"
"Of course."
She smiled before walking away.
"She had a nice butt." He said after she was gone, turning her head in the direction of the waitress, wondering what Chihiro might have seen beneath his hood.
"It didn't even look like you looked at her."
"I didn't look at her" 'I could still smell all the meat in her hips' he had wanted to say but didn't. "I was too busy staring at you staring at me staring at you."
He coughed with a chuckle "at least until she walked away."
Chihiro went to look at her from a distance. Was it wrong to feel jealous over a small thing her best friend had said about another girl? She glared at the waitress backside with a small hatred until she disappeared from sight.
"...you're right."
"About what?"
"Her butt."
"Pervert." He called playfully.
"So when are you going to drop the hood?" She asked softly
"Way to change the subject, pervert."
"I'm not a pervert."
"I am." He almost purred.
"Just because your my best friend doesn't mean we're exactly the same."
"I guess you're right, but only a pervert would wear such a wonderfully revealing sweater don't you agree?"
"I told you Brady made me wear it you bully, stop looking!"
He chuckled.
"No promises."
"You know what's nice about being here with you?"
Thinking that she changed the subject again, he answered.
"What?"
"I can hurt you." She said, picking up the a coaster threateningly."
"Then I can return the favor." He raised his coaster also with a terrific glare that she could barely see under the hood.
The waitress returned with their drinks to the two battling with the drink placers like two children. Making her chuckle slightly.
"Luke, I am your COASTER!"
"NOOOOOO!"
"Here are your drinks, children."
"Thanks." Jharren hums taking his coaster and setting down and taking his drink. Chihiro then takes hers.
They both took a sip, Chihiro made a funny face and Jharren put the glass down sighing.
"Pepsi."
They switched there glasses.
They sipped again.
"That's better." Chihiro chuckled.
The waitress apologizes and asked the two what they would like to eat.
They both order fries, Chihiro ordered chicken strips and Jharren ordered the Bacon Burger.
"I'll trade you a few bites for some chicken." He offers contently, remembering her say in one voice call that she loved sharing food with people she liked.
She smiled. "Okay that sounds good. I never had the bacon burger before."
He smiled under his hood, wondering how long he could keep this up before she demanded to see his repulsive face. It was only fair, getting to see her and eat with her. Her face naturally beautiful without any makeup or a large suffocating hood. In the back of his head there was still a small hope that she wouldn't care, that she would love him or even like him even with the hood down. Jharren let out a tense sigh before taking another sip of his drink.
"Jharren...?" She hummed shyly. It made him all tingly inside.
"Y-yes?"
"If this goes decently...would you like to go to the movies with me next Saturday?"
His cheeks flushed, hope sparkling in his mind.
"If this goes decently I'll do whatever you want."
"Even watch American Horror Story with me?"
His mindset immediately changed. This would be the sixth time she tried to talk him into watching American Horror Story with her, this time in person instead of over the phone and in long cute text messages. He grunted, taking a sip of his drink.
"It's not even scary it's all just sex and gore."
"You said anything.."
"Fine."
She chuckled and took a sip of her drink.
"It's hard to think of questions I've never asked you already."
"Well we've known each other almost a year, there's still somethings we don't know about each other."
"I have anemia."
"I know, not the serious kind though, but always cold because of it."
"Oh I guess I did tell you that."
"Did I tell you about my disease?"
"No...no you didn't."
"It's the main reason I don't really want you to see my face."
"What is it called."
"It's a mutation in the genes where blood mixes between different species and it starts affecting the DNA. I don't know if they have a name for it yet."
"What happened...?"
"I don't really know, it happened six years ago."
"Oh."
"I'm just hoping that you'll still talk to me when the hood comes off." He chuckled darkly and she frowned, reaching across the table to grab his hand. Again his pale face reddened.
"Like I said before, I don't care how ugly you might be."
"We'll see." He smiles before watching the waitress hand out the orders. She got it wrong again, giving Chihiro the large Bacon Burger and The tall hooded Jharren the chicken strips. She apologized again to the mix up before promising to return with refills.
"What a great waitress." He hummed sarcastically, changing the subject.
"She's probably new." She replied, grabbing the ketchup in the middle of them and making a large pool in her basket of fries to dip in before grabbing one of the diners famous thick fries and daintily dipping half of it into the ketchup. He watched her eat, felt kind of weird doing it too. He waited untill three fries slipped passed her lip gloss- or was that just chapstick? He couldn't tell. He picked up the burger and took a big bite out of it, semi-comfortable. She watched him sink his pretty teeth into the burger, long canines slaying the sesame seed bun. It was almost like a cartoon bite to her, which made her chuckle a little. Even though she was excited to see what the rest of him looked like she was enjoying her time with Jharren.
Jharren however froze mid-chew.
"What?" He said with his mouth full, he placed a palm before his mouth while doing so, which Chihiro greatly appreciated.
"You're adorable." She chuckled
"You ARE a pervert." He said after finishing his bite. He sighed internally. Relieved she didn't catch sight of his horns or any other horrific part of him. He chuckled as she frowned.
"I am not!"
"Should I call the waitress back and tell her we have a predator in the diner?"
"Dude, your freaking older than me! Wouldn't that make you the predator?"
"You know you could say the word 'Fucking.' It's just you and me."
"There are children in this diner."
"Where?"
Chihiro stoped and looked around for any sign of infant life.
"There!" She called softly. "Middle Schooler, twelve 'o' clock."
He listens for the sound of the young boy she mentioned.
"His dad just cursed, you think he'd be scarred by a woman saying 'Fuck' and a table far in front of him?"
"Well no...but that doesn't make it okay."
"You're lame." He chuckled
"No, I'm polite." She said tearing a chicken strip into two halves and dipping one into the ketchup resort she had made for them.
He smirked and snatched a chicken strip off her plate playfully. Tearing into it with no hesitation.
"Oh, did they fry this?"
"You could have asked."
"We already agreed to it."
She narrowed her eyes and reached over to grab the large burger. She lifted the top bun and hissed at him.
"You dicknugget, you ate all the bacon!"
"Did you just call me a Dicknugget? What happened to being polite and not using such bad words?"
"Dick is on the cover of a children's book and it's a first and last name."
"I'm still scarred by the fact that you called me a dicknugget." He chuckled as she took a small angry bite into the untouched side of his burger. And handed it back.
"Your such a pain in the butt."
"Are we getting desert?"
"We're splitting the bill so get whatever you want."
"I wouldn't mind paying for it all."
"Why?"
"Because i have some gentlemen genes hidden somewhere."
"You just want to clear your asshole rep."
"That's a lie." He lied.
She shook her head and finished up her fries.
"Loan me another chicken strip fam."
"Okay, I don't want another bite of your former Bacon Burger though."
She handed him another strip before starting to nibble on the last one, watching him grab the ketchup bottle and squirt some onto his plate.
"So..."
"Yes I am a murderer." He replied with a chuckle
"What are your parents like, you don't really mention them. That and what you do for work."
"I do but rarely, I work nights with my father every other Sunday Tuesday and Thursday. And then I work regular part time at my cousins store, where I got this hoodie. My mother passed away from lung cancer a few years ago."
"I'm sorry to hear that..."
"Don't feel bad, it happens. She was a heavy smoker so it's not like she didn't know that might happen."
"Not for her, for you Jharren."
"Why?"
"It must've been hard for you."
"Thanks Chi." He said quietly
"If you really want to pay the bill I can take us to a really nice frozen yogurt place nearby and pay for our dessert there?"
"Sure."
When the waitress came back he asked for the bill and pulled out his wallet counting out cash and a tip for the waitress. Two men in the back of the diner watched his seemingly thick wallet. One was of Hispanic origin with a shaved head and the other was a Caucasian with short blonde hair, they both wore black button-up shirts.
Jharren caught their glance and stared for a moment before Chihiro tapped him.
"Are you done with your fries?"
He looked at her with a smile, passing her the basket, she munched on the last of his french fries and began to talk about a nearby college she's trying to get into. He listened, looking back to the table with the two men but they were gone, all except for a very generous tip for their waiter. He turned back to her.
"-and I'm studying for the entrance exam on my free time so I can get in next spring."
"You can do it, you may not act like it, but you're really smart. I might try online classes for college."
"You should study with me and maybe we could try and get in together!"
"Oh please, Chihiro. I didn't finish high school they won't want anything to do with me."
"You could take online courses to get a degree then maybe try to get in next year, I'd even wait a year to enter for you if you wanted"
"We'll see. Can you imagine a single college course together?"
"Yeah, we might talk a lot but-"
"That's not what I meant.."
She bit her lip and nodded.
"Okay."
"It'd beat watching American Horror Story though."
She nodded still wondering to herself what he meant.
"You ready to go?" He asked softly.
"Yep, lets get some Fro-Yo."
She took his hand again and he smiled as they walked out and up the street. He watched her lead the way and stop, looking at her phone, her dumb cutesy case matched her personality perfectly in his eyes. He started questioning her heavily though as she opened Pokémon Go after unlocking her phone with a password he couldn't remember.
"What are you doing?"
"There's a Mystic Gym next to the shop, that's how I remember how to get there."
"Okay?"
"Pokémon Go is pretty much a map so shut up."
"Just don't get run over."
She put her phone away and continued walking, tugging on his arm playfully. He watched her hair bounce and her hips swing with a smile. So far she still seemed to like him, maybe he could pull it off and be with The short cute girl much longer than he expected.
They had begun to walk into a dark street, the place was in a decent neighborhood but here they certainly needed some repairs to the lamps. It seemed to make his day because Chihiro hugged his arm tightly and quietly looking around.
"Are you scared Chihiro?"
"No..It's almost pitch black down here,but the frozen yogurt place is just down this street and next to a Chinese shop across the street."
"Alright, you wear glasses don't you?"
"Yeah."
"Where are they?"
"My new ones haven't been delivered yet."
He heaved a quiet sigh, she can see pretty alright without them but it was a relief to know she was somewhat unable to see all his flaws clearly. He pulled his arm from her grasp to wrap it around her shoulders, making her flush pink. She clung to him as they walked. He almost started to think that she would not mind his appearance. He sniffed her hair, it smelled sweet almost fruity, he also caught a whiff of lead and gunpowder. He clung to Chihiro tightly.
"Stop where you are or I'll blow your motherfucking head off."
Both Jharren and Chihiro Froze.
Chihiro turning her head and letting out a soft shriek in terror.
She clung tighter to Jharren and Jharren turned around slowly, hands in the air.
The two men were from the diner, the Caucasian male held a pistol in his hands and his Hispanic companion held a bottle of whiskey.
"Look at the girl honey." The Caucasian man said to the Hispanic one.
"She is a little pretty, we could take her to the apartment and cut her up in the morning." The Hispanic man mumbled to the Caucasian.
"Jharren, i'm scared." Chihiro whispered softly.
"It's going to be okay, I promise." He replied just as quiet.
"I have two hundred dollars in my wallet." He began and took out the wallet, holding it out.
"You can have all of it and we won't go to the police."
"You sound cute, I'll let you live if you hand over that girl, your wallet, and that nice hoodie you have."
"Please, anything but the girl." He reached his hands out pleadingly.
There was a clicking sound from the gun, the man had turned the safety off.
"I'm not gonna tell you again pretty boy, take off your jacket and bounce, she would only break up with you after a week."
He began to lift his hoodie from his body and the Hispanic man came closer to Chihiro.
"When I say, get ready to run behind me." He said to her, his hoody halfway pulled over his head to show a grey T-shirt against his abdomen.
As the man grabbed Chihiro she let out a horrific shriek before Jharren snatched the hoodie off of his body and grabbed the Hispanic man with all his force, his arms wrapped around his neck in a way that he couldn't breath.
"Drop the gun or he dies." The tall slender man growled fiercely and Chihiro stood dumbfounded.
"Get behind me." He said, his head turned away from her. Long black hair flowed down his shoulder blades, on his head where a thick set of curled horns
The mans face turned white when seeing Jharren's face.
"Diablo...DIABLO!" He called and fired. One shot hitting The Hispanic man's shoulder and the other hitting the Man in the side. He cried out.
"Nathanael, help me!"
"Let him go!" Nathanael called.
"Drop the gun and kick it over here." Jharren demanded. Nathan quickly complied and did as he was told. Jharren kicked the gun back into a water drain in the gutter leading to the sewer. Chihiro help tight to his jacket almost helplessly, scared of the two men and even the one she clung to, sharp white horns growing past long black hair.
He shoved the man away and grabbed Chihiros hand when sirens could be heard, they must've heard the gunshots from nearby. She ran behind him for a good five minutes of turning left and right into an alleyway with silver colored trash cans.
"Are you okay?" He asked, his hoody clutched in his other hand. She leaned against his warm chest, exhausted.
"Why were you wearing those horns? Did you know they were following us?"
"Chihiro..." he exhaled her name, pain in his voice.
She hugged him tight. "What?"
"Look at me."
She slowly raised her eyes and dropped her grasp around him, backing up against the other side of the brick wall. He chuckled.
"I should have known this would end badly."