“Do you think you’ll stay?”
Luka frowned, feeling his gut and his head instantly start battling. “I don’t know. I really love it here, though.”
“Is it fear?”
“Yes.” Luka both loved and hated how direct Reno was. “It is.”
“Naruhodo?1,” Reno sighed.
“What’s that one?”
“I see. I understand,” Reno replied, sounding reserved. “Why did you start learning for me?”
Luka pinched his lips. “I wanted to understand. Naruhodo.”
“Wrong context.” Reno tilted his head so he could see Luka’s face. “It is used similar to ‘Ah, I see.’ More literal understanding is wakarimasu?2.”
“Wakarimasu,” Luka repeated. “I wanted to understand you.”
“And the French?”
“I wanted to understand those important to you.”
Reno fell silent for a while, his head still tilted so Luka could see his face, but his eyes focused on the tiled wall of the bathroom. He took in a breath after a while and it was shaky.
“I’ve never had that from a lover before. Arnaud is the only one who learned for me, but really his father should have taught him anyway.”
“Is his dad…?”
“Yes, he came to France for Arnaud’s mother. She was popular singer on label in France. Easier to move as an artist than a musician sometimes. Arnaud was raised in France, didn’t see Japan until we went as Voltage.”
Luka processed that information then asked, “Is that what you hope for me?”
“Yes,” Reno admitted, and it still shocked Luka how easily he confessed such big truths. “It would be impossible for me to move to the States.”
“I don’t know how visas and citizenship would work for me. It’s not like I can come here on a work visa. My job is in theU.S.A. and even if I just worked as an artist, that won’t give me a work visa to be here.”
“You could marry me, then you would have U.K. spouse visa.”
“Reno.”
“Hikaru.”
“What?” Luka froze and suddenly the steam from the water felt too hot against his skin.
“Kimura Hikaru," Reno said, his voice almost too quiet to be heard. “It’s time you knew. Spelled thicket of trees, light.”
Luka’s heart was in his throat. “Did you just propose to me?”
“Not really.” Reno was still looking at the tiles. “You can stay here on visiting visa for many months, go back home, then come back. Then, when you are ready, you can take my name and file for spousal visa.”
“Presumptuous that I’d take your name,” Luka blurted, then regretted it immediately, “I would though. Fischer is a terrible last name. I only didn’t change it when I changed my first name because I couldn’t think of anything better.”
“Luka is not your name?” Reno’s eyes went big when he looked up at Luka.
“It is.” Luka shook his head, trying to wrangle together all the pieces of this insane conversation that was happening. “I just picked it for myself. It is legally mine, though. I—” He tilted his head forward and rested it on Reno’s shoulder. “Hikaru.”
“Hello, Luka.”
