King’s Rainbow (BL)

In the presidential suite of the most luxurious hotel in the City of Light, a regal young man was awakened by the ringing of his personal phone. He frowned for a moment, annoyed at the disturbance. Then he stretched in a distinctly feline manner, reminiscent of the king of the jungle.

There were only five people in the world who had access to this particular number, so the young man rubbed his eyes and reached for his phone.

There was a curt message that caused him to raise an eyebrow.

Zephyr, terrace. Midnight. Don't be late.

Prince Mor smiled slightly. "I'll see you soon, my darling," he murmured.

***

In the best hospital in the City of Light, an elderly nurse stood waiting outside the operation theatre. As soon as the red 'operation on' light turned off, she rushed into the clean room where a young cardio-surgeon and the rest of the operating team were shedding their scrubs and masks and gloves and washing up.

"You were brilliant, Dr. Neel," the elderly anaesthetist told the young surgeon, clapping his shoulder. "You have a very bright future ahead of you!"

Dr. Neel simply smiled in response. He spotted the elderly nurse waiting anxiously for him.

"What happened, Nurse Lena?" he asked quietly, stepping away from the rest of the team.

"There was a message on your phone," she said. "With the special ringtone," she hurried to explain.

Dr. Neel held out his hand and Nurse Lena immediately handed it over. The young doctor immediately unlocked his phone and saw the short message.

Zephyr, terrace. Midnight. Don't be late.

A beautiful smile bloomed on Dr. Neel's face. He quickly bid farewell to everyone and rushed out.

"Ah, young love," the elderly anaesthetist murmured fondly, watching his rapidly retreating back.

***

In the outskirts of the City of Light, a tall, well-built young man was stretched out on the veranda of his new farmhouse with his eyes closed. Two large wolfdogs lay on either side of him, sleeping peacefully.

A mobile phone pinged in the young man's pocket and all three of them opened their eyes at the same time. The human pulled the phone out of his pocket and three curious pairs of eyes looked at the lit-up screen – with only one deciphering the message.

Zephyr, terrace. Midnight. Don't be late.

The young farmer Kijani laughed happily and patted the two wolfdogs. "Looks like daddy has a date tonight, boys," he told them. "Wish me luck!"

The two wolfdogs barked at him in encouragement.

***

A slim, delicate young man stepped into the arrival hall of the commercial airport of the City of Light and was greeted by deafening cheers, whistles and applause. Hordes of fans crowded in the arrival hall as well as outside, waiting to catch a glimpse of this lovely young man who had just won an international award in the 'best actor' category.

"Congratulations, Jaune!"

"Welcome to the City of Light, Jaune!"

"Your movie was amazing, Jaune!"

"Jaune! We love you!"

Neither the loud calls nor the camera shots stopped the young actor, who simply smiled and waved at the crowd and allowed his security team to escort him to a waiting car. Once seated inside the car, he leaned back and closed his eyes tiredly.

"You can rest for a while," his assistant said softly. "I'll wake you up once we reach the university. Are you sure you want to stay in the dorms tonight? Don't you want to rest in the apartment…?"

Jaune shook his head silently. Just then, his phone vibrated. Jaune looked at the screen.

Zephyr, terrace. Midnight. Don't be late.

His eyes widened and the corners of his lips curled upwards almost involuntarily. "Turn the car around," he told his assistant. "I'm going to the apartment first, and then to Zephyr. I shall meet mon coeur shortly."

The assistant frowned. "Must you meet him tonight? You're already so tired. Can't it wait till tomorrow?" he asked.

Jaune's glare shut him up quite effectively.

***

In a dark alley in the underbelly of the City of Light, Boss Arancio ducked to avoid a bullet, then turned around in a fluid, skilled movement, taking down one rival gangster with a kick and while firing the guns in both his hands. His reflexes were so fast and his movements so well synchronised that he'd already fired eight bullets, taking a rival gangster with each, by the time his kick landed.

"I hadn't expected Boss Shark's men to be so inept," he said, pointing his gun at the head of the last man. "It's bad enough that he sent only ten men to attack me…but sending such pitiful ones – really, did Boss Shark forget who I am?"

The man trembled violently and fell to his knees. A pungent odour with a hint of ammonia permeated the air.

Boss Arancio wrinkled his nose in disgust and stepped back quickly, avoiding the yellowish fluid spreading rapidly on the floor.

Just then, his phone rang, notifying him of a text message. Boss Arancio returned both his guns to their holsters and pulled out his phone to see a brief message.

Zephyr, terrace. Midnight. Don't be late.

A small smile appeared on Boss Arancio's cold face, frightening the kneeling man even more.

"I'm in a good mood now, so I won't kill you," Boss Arancio said. "Go back to your cowardly boss and tell him to stay out of my way if he doesn't want to be annihilated. Next time, I won't be so kind."

He walked out of the deserted alley without looking back. "Amore mio, wait for me," he whispered softly.

***

In a high-rise corporate building, associates of the top law firm in the City of Light rushed about with their laptops, juggling their constantly ringing phones and large bundles of paper.

The youngest partner of the law firm reclined in his leather chair in a corner cabin boasting of a magnificent panoramic view of the busy city and rubbed his temples to ward away his exhaustion. He had slept for a grand total of ten hours in the entire week…but the biggest deal of the decade was almost at its closing. He had already decided to take two weeks off the day the agreements were signed!

An associate knocked on the glass door of his cabin and peeped in. She was older than the young partner, but there was a trace anxiety on her face as she muttered nervously, "Ahmar…could you look at the indemnity clause again, please? We sent our revisions and comments, but the counterparty…"

"I'll take care of it," Ahmar said, waving his hand casually. "We will stick to our revised clause; don't change it."

The associate nodded, visibly relieved and left in a hurry.

Ahmar picked up his phone and called the attorney representing the other side. Five minutes later, he put the phone down with a satisfied smile.

Ten minutes after that, the associate came back with a wide grin on her face and gave him a thumbs up sign.

Ahmar stood up, intending to turn in for the day. He really needed to catch up on his sleep. Just then, his phone buzzed with an incoming message.

Zephyr, terrace. Midnight. Don't be late.

All traces of exhaustion vanished from Ahmar's face. "Finally, you've made your choice, jaan," he murmured.