The Tomorrow Trilogy - Gray Morning: Chapter ???
Clearly, when I get an idea for Gray Morning I have no choice but to run with it. It's like my brain refuses to let me write the books in order... and I'm not even sure there's three books, anymore. I need to do some serious thinking again and rework an outline, if that's the case...
This chapter takes place before this one.
Jazz sat down on the couch, resting his elbow against the arm of it as he pulled a book into his lap. Mitchel’s words from earlier that evening kept running through his head. The Empire needed him. The Empire was on the brink of civil war with the Resistance. Savin had better control of his anger.
He shivered, a chill settling at the base of his spine. It could all be an act. Or Savin could simply be so far gone in his own depression, wrapped up in his own little world that he simply didn’t give a damn, anymore. The latter was much more likely, Jazz thought bitterly to himself. And if Jazz came back...
He didn’t want to think about it. Instead, Jazz propped the book open, holding it with one hand while his fingers threaded through his hair. He needed to distract himself. Needed to stop thinking about this, in general. It didn’t matter that he told Mitchel he would think about it; right now, he didn’t want to.
Would him going back even do anything to help? Mitchel was under the impression that it would, though Jazz couldn’t be too sure. Six months had passed since he left the Palace -- six months since he ran away, with the intention of never seeing Savin again. Six months living with Ravi, a man who had treated him with far more kindness than anyone else had in his life.
Jazz sighed, feeling tears sting at his eyes for what felt to be the thousandth time that day. Ravi hadn’t spoken so much as a word or two to him in about a week -- at least, not unprompted. And Ravi wasn’t even home yet, though he should have been home hours ago. Jazz pulled out his phone, the one Mitchel had given him, his fingers hovering just over the screen.
Just as he began to dial Ravi’s number, the front door swung open. Jazz blinked, slipping his phone into his pocket. “You’re back late,” he said with a sniff, flipping to the next page of his book.
Ravi blinked, pulling his own phone out of his pocket and glancing at it. “Sorry, Blue,” he murmured. He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it up in the closet beside the door. “Didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”
Jazz nodded, pursing his lips together for a moment before attempting to read the next page. He watched as Ravi then slipped out of his boots, putting them aside. When Ravi headed into the kitchen, Jazz frowned to himself. Wasn’t Ravi going to ask him how his day was? Or if he was okay?
Frustration built at the back of Jazz’s skull and he clenched his jaw for a moment to help relieve the pressure. It was late. Ravi was likely tired. It wasn’t like they had made any plans for that evening, either. Except when Jazz heard Ravi fumble around in the kitchen, something shifted within his mind and his mouth opened. “Mitchel stopped by today,” Jazz said once he heard Ravi’s footsteps head back out into the living room. He never once looked up from his book.
Ravi’s footsteps stopped. A heavy pause filled the air, causing Jazz to look up at Ravi. Ravi had an unreadable expression on his face, but Jazz thought he might have seen the slightest clench of Ravi’s jaw. “Yeah? What’d he have to say?” he asked as he settled into one of the seats at the small dining room table.
Jazz furrowed his brow, studying Ravi’s posture. Something seemed off about it, the way Ravi’s shoulders hunched just slightly, the way he kept his eyes down on the table. Shrugging to himself, Jazz looked away from Ravi and flipped another page of his book despite not having read it. “He wants me to go back,” he said after a little while, his voice barely louder than the clinking of silverware against a plate.
Ravi stopped, his fork clattering onto the plate. Jazz watched him sit up straighter out of the corner of his eye. Ravi frowned and rubbed his face. “He wants you to go back?” he repeated, his words just a smidge louder than Jazz’s own. “Go back where?”
Jazz winced and buried his nose back in the book. What was he supposed to say? That Mitchel wanted him to go back to running the Empire? How the hell was he going to explain to Ravi that he was the missing Emperor? “Home,” Jazz answered, his voice thick. He cleared his throat. “There’s been a -- a work issue, and he wants me to go back to fix it.”
“You tell him no?” Ravi asked, raising an eyebrow. “Doesn’t your ex work there, too?”
Jazz blinked. “He does,” he answered, folding the book over his finger. He frowned to himself. “How did you know that?”
Ravi looked up from his plate, both eyebrows raising into his hair. “I just figured you two worked together -- why else would you just skip out on work, too?” he countered, picking up his glass of water. He took a sip, his eyes avoiding Jazz’s own. “It ain’t like you’ve been lookin’ for work, either. Don’t think I’ve seen you go on any interviews or anything like that.”
Jazz nodded, his eyebrows bunching together in thought. He set the book down on the little end table beside the couch and sighed. “I told him I’d think about it,” he said, crossing his arms over the arm of the couch. He rested against it, lowering his chin to on top of his arms.
“‘Course you did,” Ravi said, his eyes flickering over to Jazz for a brief second. He cleared his throat and took another sip of water. “Ain’t like you to just straight up tell anyone no. Gotta dance around it and all that.”
Jazz flinched, lowering his eyes to the floor. “I’m sorry,” he said, closing his eyes. “If it weren’t for the very nature of my job, I would have said no. But...” He shook his head, feeling tears sting at his eyes.
“Lemme guess,” Ravi said, interrupting Jazz before he could finish his thought. “Job’s highly fucking important. The sort of thing you can’t just toss aside because your ex assaults you, right?”
Jazz’s eyes snapped open and he lifted his head, his mouth going dry. “You know, don’t you?” he breathed, his heart hammering in his chest.
“That you’re Emperor Callahan?” Ravi said with a derisive snort. His expression hardened and he pushed his meal away from him, crossing his arms over his chest. “Doesn’t take a fucking genius to figure it out, Blue.”
Jazz’s eyes widened, his blood going cold at his title. “Don’t -- please don’t call me that,” he said, sitting up straight. “I ran away from the Empire. I don’t deserve the title.”
“As far as the whole Empire’s concerned, you the only one who does,” Ravi said, shaking his head. He frowned, his jaw clenching for a moment. “Emperor Bates’ been screwing everything up.”
Jazz looked away from Ravi and ran his fingers through his hair. “How long have you known?” he asked, his voice shaking.
“Couple of weeks,” Ravi answered.
Jazz blinked. That was right around when Ravi started acting distant -- when he started pushing Jazz away. Jazz looked over at Ravi, studying the other man’s face. Ravi didn’t return his gaze, instead pushing himself out of his chair and taking his half-finished plate back into the kitchen. “Only a couple of weeks?” Jazz asked, getting up to follow Ravi. “I’ve been living with you for six months, now -- wouldn’t you have known sooner?”
Ravi’s shoulders tensed, stiffening only for the briefest of moments. “Just ‘cause I wasn’t sure doesn’t mean I didn’t already know,” he said, turning his head slightly to speak to Jazz over his shoulder. “I mean, really, Blue? Mitch’s one of your friends -- so I always knew you worked with the government. Just didn’t know how high up in it you was.”
Jazz’s brow furrowed. “How’d you know Mitchel works for the Empire?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned against the door frame. “He never said you knew he was a member of the Emperor’s Council.”
Ravi’s shoulders tensed again and he shook his head, placing his plate in the sink. “Does it really matter, Blue?” he asked, turning on his heel. “You shouldn’t even be here in the slums. ‘Specially not with me.”
“What do you mean?” Jazz asked, his voice wavering as he looked into Ravi’s eyes. Hidden deep within their depths was an emotion Jazz couldn’t quite place.
“What I mean is it’s dangerous for you to be here,” Ravi said, stepping closer to Jazz. “I ain’t a safe person to be around. My job --” He stopped and shook his head. “You gotta go back, Blue. Tell Mitch you’re gonna go back.”
“But --” Jazz closed his mouth and shook his head, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “My ex --”
“If I know Mitch, and I do, he’ll fucking take care of it and make sure you’re safe,” Ravi huffed, frowning to himself. “I don’t like it anymore’n you do, but you gotta go back.”
Jazz stared at Ravi, shaking his head as tears rolled down his cheeks. “I don’t want to,” he said, his voice cracking. “He’ll just hurt me again, Ravi -- I don’t want to.”
“You ain’t got much of a choice,” Ravi said with a steep shrug of his shoulders. “Look, Blue, I like you. A lot. And I care about you -- a lot. But it ain’t safe for you here, okay? Just -- trust me on this, alright?”
“You’ve let me stay here for six months -- I’ve been safe this entire time. What’s changed?” Jazz asked, a confused expression overtaking his face. He bit his lip and cleared his throat. “Is it because I lied to you? About who I was?”
“No, it’s got nothin’ to do with that,” Ravi answered, shaking his head. He sighed and pursed his lips together. “Look, I can’t tell you,” he continued softly, putting a hand on Jazz’s shoulder for a moment. It then moved, fingers curling under Jazz’s chin and directing him to look Ravi directly in his eyes. “You just gotta trust me on this.”
“Ravi...” Jazz frowned, unable to move his chin away from Ravi’s fingers. “Ravi, I --”
“I know, Blue,” Ravi whispered, his dark brown eyes softening somewhat. “You’ll be okay. Mitch’ll make sure of it. Pretty sure the man’s in love with you.”
Jazz snorted, brushing Ravi’s hand away as he shook his head and rolled his eye. “Mitchel’s not capable of loving anyone,” he said with a slight laugh. “He and I’ve been down that road before. I already know where it ends.”
His smile faded as Ravi moved away from him and ran his fingers over his hair, which was pulled back in a tight ponytail. “I’ll call Mitch and let him know he can come get you whenever he can.”
Jazz nodded and blinked away his tears. “Alright,” he sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He watched as Ravi turned on his heel. “Ravi?”
Ravi paused, his hand halfway into his pocket and reaching for his phone. “Yeah, Blue?”
Jazz cleared his throat, his face burning as he considered his next few words carefully. “That -- that date you asked me out on months ago,” he began. Ravi turned to look at him, a confused expression on his face. “Can -- can we go on it? Before you call Mitchel?”
Ravi blinked at him, the confused expression changing into a bittersweet grin -- one that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “We can go tonight,” he answered, his voice thick with emotion. “Just go and pack up your things, first, and then we can get ready.”
Jazz nodded, breathing a slight sigh in relief. He didn’t argue and simply turned on his own heel, heading towards his bedroom to do exactly as Ravi told him.
Not that he had much to pack, anyway.
This chapter takes place before this one.
Jazz sat down on the couch, resting his elbow against the arm of it as he pulled a book into his lap. Mitchel’s words from earlier that evening kept running through his head. The Empire needed him. The Empire was on the brink of civil war with the Resistance. Savin had better control of his anger.
He shivered, a chill settling at the base of his spine. It could all be an act. Or Savin could simply be so far gone in his own depression, wrapped up in his own little world that he simply didn’t give a damn, anymore. The latter was much more likely, Jazz thought bitterly to himself. And if Jazz came back...
He didn’t want to think about it. Instead, Jazz propped the book open, holding it with one hand while his fingers threaded through his hair. He needed to distract himself. Needed to stop thinking about this, in general. It didn’t matter that he told Mitchel he would think about it; right now, he didn’t want to.
Would him going back even do anything to help? Mitchel was under the impression that it would, though Jazz couldn’t be too sure. Six months had passed since he left the Palace -- six months since he ran away, with the intention of never seeing Savin again. Six months living with Ravi, a man who had treated him with far more kindness than anyone else had in his life.
Jazz sighed, feeling tears sting at his eyes for what felt to be the thousandth time that day. Ravi hadn’t spoken so much as a word or two to him in about a week -- at least, not unprompted. And Ravi wasn’t even home yet, though he should have been home hours ago. Jazz pulled out his phone, the one Mitchel had given him, his fingers hovering just over the screen.
Just as he began to dial Ravi’s number, the front door swung open. Jazz blinked, slipping his phone into his pocket. “You’re back late,” he said with a sniff, flipping to the next page of his book.
Ravi blinked, pulling his own phone out of his pocket and glancing at it. “Sorry, Blue,” he murmured. He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it up in the closet beside the door. “Didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”
Jazz nodded, pursing his lips together for a moment before attempting to read the next page. He watched as Ravi then slipped out of his boots, putting them aside. When Ravi headed into the kitchen, Jazz frowned to himself. Wasn’t Ravi going to ask him how his day was? Or if he was okay?
Frustration built at the back of Jazz’s skull and he clenched his jaw for a moment to help relieve the pressure. It was late. Ravi was likely tired. It wasn’t like they had made any plans for that evening, either. Except when Jazz heard Ravi fumble around in the kitchen, something shifted within his mind and his mouth opened. “Mitchel stopped by today,” Jazz said once he heard Ravi’s footsteps head back out into the living room. He never once looked up from his book.
Ravi’s footsteps stopped. A heavy pause filled the air, causing Jazz to look up at Ravi. Ravi had an unreadable expression on his face, but Jazz thought he might have seen the slightest clench of Ravi’s jaw. “Yeah? What’d he have to say?” he asked as he settled into one of the seats at the small dining room table.
Jazz furrowed his brow, studying Ravi’s posture. Something seemed off about it, the way Ravi’s shoulders hunched just slightly, the way he kept his eyes down on the table. Shrugging to himself, Jazz looked away from Ravi and flipped another page of his book despite not having read it. “He wants me to go back,” he said after a little while, his voice barely louder than the clinking of silverware against a plate.
Ravi stopped, his fork clattering onto the plate. Jazz watched him sit up straighter out of the corner of his eye. Ravi frowned and rubbed his face. “He wants you to go back?” he repeated, his words just a smidge louder than Jazz’s own. “Go back where?”
Jazz winced and buried his nose back in the book. What was he supposed to say? That Mitchel wanted him to go back to running the Empire? How the hell was he going to explain to Ravi that he was the missing Emperor? “Home,” Jazz answered, his voice thick. He cleared his throat. “There’s been a -- a work issue, and he wants me to go back to fix it.”
“You tell him no?” Ravi asked, raising an eyebrow. “Doesn’t your ex work there, too?”
Jazz blinked. “He does,” he answered, folding the book over his finger. He frowned to himself. “How did you know that?”
Ravi looked up from his plate, both eyebrows raising into his hair. “I just figured you two worked together -- why else would you just skip out on work, too?” he countered, picking up his glass of water. He took a sip, his eyes avoiding Jazz’s own. “It ain’t like you’ve been lookin’ for work, either. Don’t think I’ve seen you go on any interviews or anything like that.”
Jazz nodded, his eyebrows bunching together in thought. He set the book down on the little end table beside the couch and sighed. “I told him I’d think about it,” he said, crossing his arms over the arm of the couch. He rested against it, lowering his chin to on top of his arms.
“‘Course you did,” Ravi said, his eyes flickering over to Jazz for a brief second. He cleared his throat and took another sip of water. “Ain’t like you to just straight up tell anyone no. Gotta dance around it and all that.”
Jazz flinched, lowering his eyes to the floor. “I’m sorry,” he said, closing his eyes. “If it weren’t for the very nature of my job, I would have said no. But...” He shook his head, feeling tears sting at his eyes.
“Lemme guess,” Ravi said, interrupting Jazz before he could finish his thought. “Job’s highly fucking important. The sort of thing you can’t just toss aside because your ex assaults you, right?”
Jazz’s eyes snapped open and he lifted his head, his mouth going dry. “You know, don’t you?” he breathed, his heart hammering in his chest.
“That you’re Emperor Callahan?” Ravi said with a derisive snort. His expression hardened and he pushed his meal away from him, crossing his arms over his chest. “Doesn’t take a fucking genius to figure it out, Blue.”
Jazz’s eyes widened, his blood going cold at his title. “Don’t -- please don’t call me that,” he said, sitting up straight. “I ran away from the Empire. I don’t deserve the title.”
“As far as the whole Empire’s concerned, you the only one who does,” Ravi said, shaking his head. He frowned, his jaw clenching for a moment. “Emperor Bates’ been screwing everything up.”
Jazz looked away from Ravi and ran his fingers through his hair. “How long have you known?” he asked, his voice shaking.
“Couple of weeks,” Ravi answered.
Jazz blinked. That was right around when Ravi started acting distant -- when he started pushing Jazz away. Jazz looked over at Ravi, studying the other man’s face. Ravi didn’t return his gaze, instead pushing himself out of his chair and taking his half-finished plate back into the kitchen. “Only a couple of weeks?” Jazz asked, getting up to follow Ravi. “I’ve been living with you for six months, now -- wouldn’t you have known sooner?”
Ravi’s shoulders tensed, stiffening only for the briefest of moments. “Just ‘cause I wasn’t sure doesn’t mean I didn’t already know,” he said, turning his head slightly to speak to Jazz over his shoulder. “I mean, really, Blue? Mitch’s one of your friends -- so I always knew you worked with the government. Just didn’t know how high up in it you was.”
Jazz’s brow furrowed. “How’d you know Mitchel works for the Empire?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned against the door frame. “He never said you knew he was a member of the Emperor’s Council.”
Ravi’s shoulders tensed again and he shook his head, placing his plate in the sink. “Does it really matter, Blue?” he asked, turning on his heel. “You shouldn’t even be here in the slums. ‘Specially not with me.”
“What do you mean?” Jazz asked, his voice wavering as he looked into Ravi’s eyes. Hidden deep within their depths was an emotion Jazz couldn’t quite place.
“What I mean is it’s dangerous for you to be here,” Ravi said, stepping closer to Jazz. “I ain’t a safe person to be around. My job --” He stopped and shook his head. “You gotta go back, Blue. Tell Mitch you’re gonna go back.”
“But --” Jazz closed his mouth and shook his head, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “My ex --”
“If I know Mitch, and I do, he’ll fucking take care of it and make sure you’re safe,” Ravi huffed, frowning to himself. “I don’t like it anymore’n you do, but you gotta go back.”
Jazz stared at Ravi, shaking his head as tears rolled down his cheeks. “I don’t want to,” he said, his voice cracking. “He’ll just hurt me again, Ravi -- I don’t want to.”
“You ain’t got much of a choice,” Ravi said with a steep shrug of his shoulders. “Look, Blue, I like you. A lot. And I care about you -- a lot. But it ain’t safe for you here, okay? Just -- trust me on this, alright?”
“You’ve let me stay here for six months -- I’ve been safe this entire time. What’s changed?” Jazz asked, a confused expression overtaking his face. He bit his lip and cleared his throat. “Is it because I lied to you? About who I was?”
“No, it’s got nothin’ to do with that,” Ravi answered, shaking his head. He sighed and pursed his lips together. “Look, I can’t tell you,” he continued softly, putting a hand on Jazz’s shoulder for a moment. It then moved, fingers curling under Jazz’s chin and directing him to look Ravi directly in his eyes. “You just gotta trust me on this.”
“Ravi...” Jazz frowned, unable to move his chin away from Ravi’s fingers. “Ravi, I --”
“I know, Blue,” Ravi whispered, his dark brown eyes softening somewhat. “You’ll be okay. Mitch’ll make sure of it. Pretty sure the man’s in love with you.”
Jazz snorted, brushing Ravi’s hand away as he shook his head and rolled his eye. “Mitchel’s not capable of loving anyone,” he said with a slight laugh. “He and I’ve been down that road before. I already know where it ends.”
His smile faded as Ravi moved away from him and ran his fingers over his hair, which was pulled back in a tight ponytail. “I’ll call Mitch and let him know he can come get you whenever he can.”
Jazz nodded and blinked away his tears. “Alright,” he sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He watched as Ravi turned on his heel. “Ravi?”
Ravi paused, his hand halfway into his pocket and reaching for his phone. “Yeah, Blue?”
Jazz cleared his throat, his face burning as he considered his next few words carefully. “That -- that date you asked me out on months ago,” he began. Ravi turned to look at him, a confused expression on his face. “Can -- can we go on it? Before you call Mitchel?”
Ravi blinked at him, the confused expression changing into a bittersweet grin -- one that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “We can go tonight,” he answered, his voice thick with emotion. “Just go and pack up your things, first, and then we can get ready.”
Jazz nodded, breathing a slight sigh in relief. He didn’t argue and simply turned on his own heel, heading towards his bedroom to do exactly as Ravi told him.
Not that he had much to pack, anyway.