Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The domestic bliss of living with Reno was soured when Luka had to return to work.
How could this be his life? It was miserable.
Being around Reno was a dream come true. Being his boyfriend was even better. Which was why it was so infuriating that Luka had to spend his time working instead of being with Reno; he almost quit within the week.
The hours were so insane and made him feel so exhausted that there was hardly room for anything else.
In the mornings, Reno woke up with Luka when his alarm went off and practiced music while Luka went on his morning run.
Cane had started joining him, and when Luka had asked Reno about it, Reno’s face went a little pinched, and all he’d said was, "I have to keep you safe.”
Luka didn’t know exactly what that meant, but he had a feeling there had been an uptick in security risk lately, and Reno just didn’t want to scare him.
Cane turned out to be good company though, and after their run, they often stopped at Corner to visit Sage and bring Reno a horrible, sugary, blended drink that never failed to make him smile.
On those days, Reno would put his violin away and make them all breakfast. After they had eaten, Cane would leave, and Luka and Reno would fall onto the couch together for moments of contented peace and affection before Reno eventually had to leave for the studio.
Alone in the flat, Luka worked on his comic. He’d completed roughly a quarter of the color so far, and it was shaping up nicely. The section he was working on had extensive backgrounds, and it was difficult not to feel overwhelmed by the level of detail each panel required.
He hadn’t heard back from the agent his online friend had suggested, but the lack of an immediate response wasn’t unusual, so he tried not to worry about it too much.
He loved the way the story was turning out, and he was starting to feel confident that if an agent could just review it, he would finally break through.
Luka’s shift started at four pm and ended at midnight.
Reno graciously allowed him to use his office space, and always tried to time his arrival home from the studio with Luka’s ‘lunch’ break so they could share dinner.
Twice a week, Reno left after dinner to go to his dance classes, and on Fridays, he missed their mornings together for photoshoots and other modeling events.
By the time Luka’s shift was over, Reno was already dozing off in bed, and it made Luka ache so deeply that they had lost their evenings together.
Reno always rolled over, sleep-fuzzy and sweet, to kiss Luka senseless and press him down into the bed until he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore. But it wasn’t enough.
He’d tasted the absolute freedom of having Reno all to himself, and he already missed it.
He knew he’d asked Reno for his independence and his ability to continue working, but the hours were making him insane.
Maybe he could find a similar job here. But Luka had no idea how that even worked.
If he could find employment on his own in England, would he qualify for a work visa?
He scrubbed his face with his hands and didn’t have the energy to look it up.
Another call was coming in for a client; he’d have to figure it out later.
Reno popped in to bring him dinner around seven, and Luka clocked out for a break, then slipped dramatically out of the plush, pink gaming chair and onto the floor. He watched it spin slowly away from him, the Sanrio character on it turning its back on him as Reno looked on in amusement.
“That bad?”
Luka peered up at Reno, who looked so precious in his frilly apron with his hair tied back high on his head, holding a bowl full of whatever he’d made for Luka. Even this exhausted, even this frustrated with work, Luka felt like the luckiest man in the world.
“I just miss you all the time," Luka admitted, stretching out on the ground with a groan. “I’m tired of working.”
“You really don’t have to.” Reno sat on the ground with him and waited for Luka to prop himself up before handing him the bowl.
It was full of some kind of salad with baked chicken, and Luka was never quite comfortable with the constant reminder that Reno’s work restricted his diet so much. “If you quit, I’d take care of you.”
“I know," Luka sighed, stabbing lettuce with a fork. “Give me some time, I’m sure I’ll eventually snap and let you.”
“I wish you wouldn’t drive yourself to that point.”
“I’m stubborn.”
“Clearly.” Reno smiled at him. “I’ll be late at the studio this weekend, it's my turn to record guitar for our single release then work on the mixing. It’ll just be me and the sound booth guys, so don’t be surprised if Arnaud texts you. He’s been looking for an excuse to get out and play with you.”
“Huh?” Luka still felt shocked whenever one of Reno’s friends, especially the band, took interest in him.
It even surprised him the first time the ladies from the neighborhood flanked him on one of his runs, demanding to know if he was the reason Reno had been so happy lately. “I didn’t know he had my number.”
“I gave it to him last week, forgive me.”
“I do," Luka said. “Just surprised.” He reached out to Reno and pulled him closer so he could plant a kiss on the corner of his mouth. “Make sure you eat too, okay?”
“Un, itoshii hito1.” Reno kissed him back with a sigh before he got off the ground and left, hopefully to make himself a salad too.
As soon as he left, Luka pulled out his phone and opened the Translate app. It took him a few times, playing with the spelling before he finally got a result that made sense.
“Devoted person.” Luka hummed, tabbed away from Translate, and searched online instead, finding a forum for non-native speakers.
A pet name, typically used by women towards their parter meaning, 'beloved person.' 愛しい (itoshii) means: lovely, dear, or beloved. 人 (hito) means: person, or human.
“Oh.” Luka scrambled to remember the first time Reno had called him that and reeled at where he found the memory. It had been at the end of their video call, when Reno had just come home after his European tour. That night, Luka had decided to see him in London.
Luka yelled from his spot on the floor, “You’re a crazy person, you know?!”
He heard Reno call from the living room, “What?”
Luka pushed off the ground and went into the living room. “I said you’re a crazy person. A complete sap. A ridiculous romantic.”
“Figured it out, did you?” Reno’s shit-eating grin was only interrupted by him taking an overly large bite of his food. “I’m shocked you didn’t come for me sooner.”
“You—” Luka watched Reno take another bite, looking absolutely self-satisfied like the gremlin he was. “I don’t have time right now to dissect all the ways in which you are clinically insane.”
“Mhm.” Reno swallowed. “You love it.”
Luka walked away from him, listening to his cackling all the way back to the Sanrio chair and his tedious job.
Unknown Number
Lukaaaaaa~ Chéri, do you want to come to the club tonight?
Hello Zana.
Please, it is Arnaud for you :(
I have more than one suitcase of stuff… idk how much of it i'll bring vs sell though tbh. I gotta save up a lil bit before I can get a ticket back.
The fuck you mean? your bf is a millionaire or whatever. use his money.
hush.
Arnaud
I'll come get you, how's 8?
Do you ever sleep?
A+
***
A+ = à plus tard.*
Like, 'see you??' French is awful.
à 2000.**
;)
2
“Bonne soirée3,” Arnaud called out, right at eight p.m. as he opened Reno’s front door. “Pardon my intruding.”
“Of course you have a key.” Luka finished putting on a hoodie before plopping on the couch and pulling on his socks.
“I am Hikaru’s platonic soulmate.”
“Ah…" Luka finished lacing his boots and looked up at Arnaud, who had his hair tied back into a short ponytail at the nape of his neck with most of the rest loose and framing his face. There was a smudge of eyeliner at the corners of his eyes, and he wore dark jeans and a well-fitted t-shirt with a jacket that looked more expensive than anything Luka had in his suitcase. “Sorry, I’ve not heard anyone else call him that.”
“I know. Just me, his family, and now you.” Arnaud smirked. “You wanna know my secret name?”
“There’s another one?”
“Yup.”
“Then, yes?”
Arnaud smiled at him a moment longer and then said, “Wanna go to Oasis?”
“I—” Luka shook his head. “Okay.”
“Let’s go. Maybe if you get me drunk enough, I’ll tell you.”
Luka tried to reckon with the fact that he was going to an expensive club to get wasted with the lead vocalist of Voltage, and found his life a lot easier to handle when he slotted Arnaud into the ‘my boyfriend’s best friend’ category instead. But, truthfully, that was terrifying too.
He’d be shocked if he got through the night without a shovel talk.
Luka shuddered—a shovel talk from Zana.
He shoved his wallet into his pocket and followed Arnaud out of the flat, down the stairs, and out into the London evening.
It was warming up, and Luka was grateful the wind didn’t chill him as much as before.
“Do you mind walking?”
Luka shook his head. “Non. Ce n'est pas loin4." He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to keep pace with Arnaud’s longer stride.
“So why’d you start learning French?” Arnaud asked as they passed several people out and about, running last-minute errands after work. “I can help tutor you if you want.”