Page 48 of A Reign of Chromes & Shadows

“Your Highness, Prince Rain Royale—do you have your identifier?” a nervous, middle-aged attendant asked.

“I certainly do, though you already identified me without it.” Rain rolled his eyes and tugged the white-gold chain from beneath his collar. He never took it off anymore; if he did, he’d forget to put it back on, which had caused more than a few problems in the past. Snow had gifted him this particular necklace after one too many mishaps, and the sentimental value to it kept it close to his skin.

The attendant scanned the pendant, and Rain’s profile filled his screen: Rain Beau Royale, Heir of the Blue kingdom, confirmed. Two guards stepped aside at once.

Rain slipped through and waited just inside. The guard continued with the rest of the group, each of them already holding out their hands, eager to scan and follow.

“Ok guys… last one to the registration office buys victory drinks later!” Rain shouted, already sprinting toward a row of stone bollards. He leapt from one to the next with effortless precision before springing upward, landing in a crouch on the shoulders of a statue of the world’s strongest man. Fingers curled around its copper head; he glanced back to check his lead.

Jay was only a few bollards behind, looking frightfully worried; he’d clearly noticed Rain had paused. Jay relied on momentum and agility; Rain had the upper-body strength to brute-force his way through obstacles when needed.

Rain swung down from the statue to the podium, then hit the ground running. A ten-foot wall loomed ahead. He adjusted his angle, sprinting straight up the surface—one step, two, three—before catching the ledge and hauling himself onto the top. Standing, he scanned the grounds from his new vantage point. Emily, Wren, and Jasmine were already cutting through the food court, nearly at the destination. Smart route. Efficient. Nowhere near as fun.

He tore along the wall, feet pounding stone. The wall connected directly to the building housing the registration office. All he needed was to reach the flagpole, swing, and drop twelve feet. He could climb down like a sensible person—Jay definitely would—but Rain preferred the dramatic option.

He jumped, caught the pole, swung once, twice, hips driving momentum, then released. Air rushed past him as he soared. A few bystanders shrieked and scrambled aside as if he might land on them. He’d already checked his landing zone; people always overreacted.

He hit the ground in a squat just seconds after the girls arrived. They whooped, breathless, high-fiving.

“Dammit, I had a head start too!” he panted playfully.

“Well, that’s just girl power, Royale—something you don’t have,” Jasmine teased, wiggling her fingers like she was summoning invisible magic.

“I’ll go sign us in,” Wren said, barely winded as she jogged off. Stamina was her superpower. The rest of the team folded in half breathlessly as they arrive.

“Looks like our Jay-jay is last,” Emily laughed, pointing up at the wall. Jay sat on the edge, legs dangling, looking utterly defeated.

“I’ll go rescue him,” Rain chuckled, jogging back. “Hey, cutie! Need a hand getting down? That’s an awfully big drop.”

“I’m sorry,” Jay called back, “my mum told me not to talk to handsome strangers. Says they’re trouble.”

“She’s probably right about that.”

“Shut up and catch me.”

Jay slid off the wall and into Rain’s awaiting arms. Jay’s body pressed against Rain as he lowered him. His hands settling at Jay’s waist, as his feet planted; skin warm beneath the hem of his red shirt. They both froze. Rain hadn’t realised how much he’d missed him until this exact moment. Jay’s blue eyes met his, full of unguarded affection, and Rain couldn’t resist any longer; he leaned in and kissed him.

Oh, fuck yes, he’d missed this. Jay’s arms around his neck, the kiss deepening, slow and aching, a conversation without words. When Jay finally pulled away, he cupped Rain’s face, thumbs brushing along his jaw.

“I’ve missed you. I was worried I’d never see you again.” His voice trembled with honesty.

Rain’s stomach twisted. The thought of losing Jay—truly losing him—was unbearable. Even after everything he had done, the things he would have to admit to when they had a moment to talk. He couldn’t bear to lose him. And yet, deep down, he knew distance might be theonly way to keep him safe. He knew he should protect Jay from himself. But could he do it? Could he really stay away?

“Not a chance. You’re stuck with me.” He pressed a quick kiss to Jay’s lips, guilt pricking at his chest. “Come on, let’s get back before I steal you away and boycott the entire tournament. You’re already buying the first round later, slowpoke.”

“Pfft. I’ll get my boyfriend to pay,” Jay said, sliding his hand into Rain’s.

Rain couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face. Boyfriend. The word hit him like sunlight. It eased the tension between them; tension he wasn’t ready to unpack and hoped he could avoid for a little longer.

Hand in hand, they returned to the group. Everyone stared, wide-eyed. Rain felt Jay blush beside him, but he didn’t let go. Their friends radiated happiness; more than Rain expected. Even Sean, their muscle from a traditional rural region of Orange, looked genuinely thrilled for them. Rain had always assumed Sean might struggle with it, but his smile was warm, proud, familial.

Wren returned, red bands clutched in her fist.

“I’m sorry, guys, but we have no choice; we’re red-banded.” She sighed. “They have a yellow stripe, but they still look red. Everything else was booked. I didn’t realise sign-ups filled so fast. We’re lucky we got in at all. I even tried explaining that red is… extremely inappropriate for us.”

Rain felt her worry like a pulse. She was afraid of how her people would react to him wearing red—after everything he’d done. The thought made his chest tighten. He didn’t want to upset anyone. He didn’t care what colour he wore; he’d worn red plenty of times sneaking across borders.

“Who got rainbow?!” Emily groaned.