Prompt-a-Thon: Go Forth and Be Awesome
Because this is pretty much how I envision the end of the damn book I'm writing and it got stuck in my head and I couldn't get rid of it until I wrote it...
“Hey, Jazz?”
Jazz stopped and turned towards Savin, his brow furrowing at the odd note in Savin’s voice. “Yes?” he asked, moving closer to the other man, his fingers fidgeting with the knot of his tie for what had to be the hundredth time in ten minutes.
“It’s fine, stop messing with it,” Savin said, tugging Jazz’s fingers away from the soft fabric in question. “I’ve already told you, that’s the perfect tie.”
“But --”
“No buts,” Savin said, giving Jazz’s hand a light squeeze. “Look, I know you’re nervous, but... you’ve got this. You handled the trial against Casio with grace. You’ve been directing the Empire without the official title for weeks now. You basically already are Emperor Callahan, okay? They’re just finally making it official. That’s all this is.”
Jazz nodded, interlocking his fingers with Savin as the two of them stood together in silence. He looked away from those startling green eyes; from the confidence held within them that Jazz only wished he felt, right now. “I know, it’s just... what if I fuck it up?”
“You won’t fuck it up,” Savin whispered, gently guiding Jazz’s eyes back to his. “You’re the smartest person I know. You’re sweet and kind and you care so much about your Empire; the people in it. You’ll do great, as long as you don’t lose sight of that.” He smiled at Jazz, moving to move his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “And I don’t think you will, either...”
“Thank you,” Jazz murmured, glancing behind him to the Palace gates. In a few minutes, he would be stepping onto the makeshift stage; he’d be accepting his official title, the crown, the Empire. But as he met Savin’s eyes once more, his heart stilled and the sweat on his palms seemed to dry -- at least a little. “I don’t know if I could have done all this, if it weren’t for you...”
Savin’s small smile grew as he snorted and shook his head. “You could have totally done all of this without me,” he said. He dropped his gaze to the ground, slipping his hands inside his pockets. “You know, when we first met -- I had no idea how much you’d change my life, but now... I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it.”
Jazz’s cheeks warmed at that and he, too, dropped his eyes to the ground. “Savin...”
“No, hear me out,” Savin said. He cleared his throat, his own fingers finding themselves fiddling with the knot of his tie. Green, to help bring out his eyes -- a suggestion Jazz had made to combat Savin’s suggestion of blue for Jazz, for similar reasons. “I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I --”
“Wait -- you want to spend the rest of your life with me?” Jazz returned, almost breathless as his face burned even hotter. “Savin, are you -- you’re not -- asking me to -- to marry you, are you?”
“I am,” Savin answered, a sheepish grin making is way across his lips. “And I don’t expect an answer right now -- you have a coronation to do and some political ass to kick, but...” He leaned forward and brushed his lips against Jazz’s own. “Please think about it?”
“I --” Jazz managed a nod, blinking away the tears that wanted to creep into the corners of his eyes. “I will,” he said, glancing back towards the gates once more. “I -- we should...probably go on stage, now. I don’t think I’ve got a lot of time.”
Savin nodded, nudging Jazz back towards the gates. “Right behind you, Emperor Callahan.”
Jazz smiled back at him, taking Savin’s hand in his as they walked together towards the noisy crowd. “That’s not my title yet, Dr. Bates,” he quipped. “I’m still just a Councilor...”
“For another five minutes, maybe,” Savin teased. “I’ll go ahead and take my seat. Like I said, you got this. I promise.”
And like that, Jazz stood just inside the Palace, alone. The familiar flutter in his stomach returned and he wiped his palms off on his suit, squaring his shoulders and trying to recall every line he had written for this speech, just days before. It wasn’t long before he was told to step forward. As he gave his speech, he refused to stand in one place, instead doing a slow pace along the edge of the stage, the words leaving him with a grace he was, for once, surprised he had.
It was when he finally spotted Savin towards the front of the crowd, sitting amongst the Council members -- his Council members -- that he felt the flutter in his chest finally give way into something else. When their eyes locked, he couldn’t contain his grin.
This was right. This was how things were supposed to be. Him: in front of a crowd, in front of his Empire, leading it and protecting it.
All with Savin by his side.
“Hey, Jazz?”
Jazz stopped and turned towards Savin, his brow furrowing at the odd note in Savin’s voice. “Yes?” he asked, moving closer to the other man, his fingers fidgeting with the knot of his tie for what had to be the hundredth time in ten minutes.
“It’s fine, stop messing with it,” Savin said, tugging Jazz’s fingers away from the soft fabric in question. “I’ve already told you, that’s the perfect tie.”
“But --”
“No buts,” Savin said, giving Jazz’s hand a light squeeze. “Look, I know you’re nervous, but... you’ve got this. You handled the trial against Casio with grace. You’ve been directing the Empire without the official title for weeks now. You basically already are Emperor Callahan, okay? They’re just finally making it official. That’s all this is.”
Jazz nodded, interlocking his fingers with Savin as the two of them stood together in silence. He looked away from those startling green eyes; from the confidence held within them that Jazz only wished he felt, right now. “I know, it’s just... what if I fuck it up?”
“You won’t fuck it up,” Savin whispered, gently guiding Jazz’s eyes back to his. “You’re the smartest person I know. You’re sweet and kind and you care so much about your Empire; the people in it. You’ll do great, as long as you don’t lose sight of that.” He smiled at Jazz, moving to move his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “And I don’t think you will, either...”
“Thank you,” Jazz murmured, glancing behind him to the Palace gates. In a few minutes, he would be stepping onto the makeshift stage; he’d be accepting his official title, the crown, the Empire. But as he met Savin’s eyes once more, his heart stilled and the sweat on his palms seemed to dry -- at least a little. “I don’t know if I could have done all this, if it weren’t for you...”
Savin’s small smile grew as he snorted and shook his head. “You could have totally done all of this without me,” he said. He dropped his gaze to the ground, slipping his hands inside his pockets. “You know, when we first met -- I had no idea how much you’d change my life, but now... I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it.”
Jazz’s cheeks warmed at that and he, too, dropped his eyes to the ground. “Savin...”
“No, hear me out,” Savin said. He cleared his throat, his own fingers finding themselves fiddling with the knot of his tie. Green, to help bring out his eyes -- a suggestion Jazz had made to combat Savin’s suggestion of blue for Jazz, for similar reasons. “I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I --”
“Wait -- you want to spend the rest of your life with me?” Jazz returned, almost breathless as his face burned even hotter. “Savin, are you -- you’re not -- asking me to -- to marry you, are you?”
“I am,” Savin answered, a sheepish grin making is way across his lips. “And I don’t expect an answer right now -- you have a coronation to do and some political ass to kick, but...” He leaned forward and brushed his lips against Jazz’s own. “Please think about it?”
“I --” Jazz managed a nod, blinking away the tears that wanted to creep into the corners of his eyes. “I will,” he said, glancing back towards the gates once more. “I -- we should...probably go on stage, now. I don’t think I’ve got a lot of time.”
Savin nodded, nudging Jazz back towards the gates. “Right behind you, Emperor Callahan.”
Jazz smiled back at him, taking Savin’s hand in his as they walked together towards the noisy crowd. “That’s not my title yet, Dr. Bates,” he quipped. “I’m still just a Councilor...”
“For another five minutes, maybe,” Savin teased. “I’ll go ahead and take my seat. Like I said, you got this. I promise.”
And like that, Jazz stood just inside the Palace, alone. The familiar flutter in his stomach returned and he wiped his palms off on his suit, squaring his shoulders and trying to recall every line he had written for this speech, just days before. It wasn’t long before he was told to step forward. As he gave his speech, he refused to stand in one place, instead doing a slow pace along the edge of the stage, the words leaving him with a grace he was, for once, surprised he had.
It was when he finally spotted Savin towards the front of the crowd, sitting amongst the Council members -- his Council members -- that he felt the flutter in his chest finally give way into something else. When their eyes locked, he couldn’t contain his grin.
This was right. This was how things were supposed to be. Him: in front of a crowd, in front of his Empire, leading it and protecting it.
All with Savin by his side.