The next morning, Yuusuke was quite happy to find himself sleeping next to a warm body. He'd always heard that people were supposed to stay after the first time and he hadn't really expected the youko to, especially given his chosen occupation. But he was pleasantly surprised to wake up and still feel those arms around him. Smiling softly he rolled over, closer in those arms and peered at him.

But as Yuusuke rolled over he found that the youko wasn't there. In fact, there was no evidence of the silver creature, not even so much as a silver hair clinging to the bedsheet below him. But rather, in his place, lay Triton, the silent boy he'd seen at many breakfasts but not really any place else. He was sleeping soundly, his long bangs scattered across his face as he slept still clinging to Yuusuke. He looked peaceful enough, certainly not like the anti-social Triton that Yuusuke usually saw. There was even a very small smile still clinging to his face from the night before.

Yuusuke had been right. He'd thought that Triton and the youko were actually the same person, and falling asleep next to one and waking up next to the other only confirmed that thought. So now he knew the secret... but still not the reason.

Well, the reason could wait.

Yuusuke smiled to himself softly and settled back down to get a bit more sleep. He had work to do around the place, but he was pretty sure he was justified sleeping in at least this morning, especially considering what had happened the night before. He was reasonably sure Taski and the others would understand, so he didn't worry about it too much. There was also the fact that he was in no real hurry to actually tell everyone why he was late… he had a feeling that Triton avoided everyone in the place so this had to be rare, save for the people who actually paid to sleep with him.

As he lay there, his mind drifted back to what he'd agreed to do, and perhaps the entire reason for last night. Yuusuke suddenly felt his stomach cave in a bit, a sick feeling rising through his throat. He'd honestly just agreed to participate in the nightly activities. Just like that he'd agreed. And just now he was willing to admit something important to himself.

He was scared.

Yuusuke closed his eyes and moved a bit closer to Triton, almost as if he were trying to hide against him. He wasn't going to back down on his decision, he had more pride then that. But he figured he was at least justified in feeling nervous beyond words. He'd seen the people who walked through, and that man in the trench coat specifically creeped him out. As far as he understood, in stuff like this he didn't get a choice. So what if someone creepy like that paid for him. Or worse, because he was quite sure there was worse. Yuusuke shivered a bit and took a slow breath, trying to stay calm.

"Shhh."

Yuusuke blinked open his eyes and looked up at Triton in surprise, his eyes meeting Triton's deep green ones. Oddly enough, for a small moment, those eyes struck Yuusuke as familiar, but he couldn't quite place where. "You're awake? For how long?"

"Long enough to know you're worried about tonight."

Apparently Triton was more friendly when you woke up next to him. Odd. "Yeah… guess I'm still nervous." Yuusuke looked at him a bit closer. "You changed shape."

Triton's eyebrows knit together a bit and a glare started to form from his eyes. Apparently his 'ability' was a very touchy subject. "Yes?" His voice had turned cold, almost unfriendly. The same one that Yuusuke was used to hearing in the morning.

"Nothing. I was just… curious, that's all."

Triton frowned for a moment more, then pulled away from Yuusuke and sat up, the coldness not leaving his stance. Apparently it was a very touchy point, one that Yuusuke couldn't quickly apologize for. Not that it was fair, really, because how was he supposed to have known? But Yuusuke didn't say anything else, fearing that any more words from his mouth would actually only make it worse. Instead he just watched quietly as the auburn haired boy slipped out of the bed and retrieved his clothes. He looked a bit out of place dressed in the white tunic type outfit, but he still looked quite attractive.

"A word to the wise," he said, glancing back at Yuusuke over his shoulder. "You saw the one dressed in black, right?"

Yuusuke nodded, distinctly remembering the one he'd dubbed as Mr. Creepy.

"His name is Karasu. Don't meet his eyes, you don't want to share a bed with him."

Yuusuke suppressed a shudder and nodded. He'd figured that out for himself pretty much, but he was glad to have it pointed out to him too. Now he knew for sure.

"And another thing. The blond, he's mine. Don't touch."

"What? But he was the one…. Who kiss me…" Yuusuke trailed off as Triton left the room, apparently not acknowledging his lame attempt at an excuse, even if it was the truth. He sat there for a moment, just watching the door, then flopped back down on the bed, sighing softly.

His mind drifted back to the kiss from the blond, and how that had felt. He remembered the mischievous look in the boy's eyes and certainly he couldn't complain about that kiss. He didn't much to compare it to, but still, it had been a hot kiss. And Triton was claiming the blond as his.

Could you do that when people paid to sleep with you?

Yuusuke doubted he was claiming the blond because he paid a lot, or something shallow like that. It didn't seem to fit his personality, but then Yuusuke wasn't exactly an expert at judging character. So it had to be something else, right? There had to be something else about the blond that made the youko claim him.

Love?

Yuusuke played around with that word in his head a bit. Love. Was that something he was now allowed to have? Were people in his new occupation allowed to fall in love? Seriously? Wasn't it a hazard to the job and what they did to get money? "Aren't you betraying someone's trust by sleeping with others?"

"In a way, maybe."

Yuusuke blinked and turned, finding Kuronue standing in the doorway. As he turned Kuronue gave a small wave, then stepped into the room. "Oh, uh, morning."

Kuronue stepped into the room. "You might want to cover up, kid. While I'm not complaining about the view, I'm betting you don't want to be sitting there naked for the world to see right now."

"Shit!" He'd completely forgotten that the night's activities had left him completely naked. Yuusuke rolled over and quickly grabbed the blanket, tugging it close to cover himself and to almost hide under. He wanted to just shrivel up and die. And Kuronue probably thought he was an idiot, especially considering how he was chuckling right now. But then… it was slightly amusing.

"So, you were wondering about the whole sleeping around thing."

Yuusuke nodded lamely.

"The thought comes up all the time. We sleep with people because they pay for it. But we're still people. So things like feelings and love still mean stuff to us. We're not heartless."

"I didn't think-"

"I know you didn't think of it like that, but it comes up. And yeah, it can be a problem."

Yuusuke frowned, his eyes glancing around the room. So the long and short of it was to not fall in love. Then you weren't risking anything and you didn't hurt anyone with what you were doing. But then those words rang in his head, the words Triton had said to him.

'Don't touch the blond, he's mine.'

"But some people do still fall in love."

Kuronue blinked. "Of course we do. We're people too. Having wings or being able to talk to the dead doesn't make us exempt from the normal rules of life. Sure, we're a bit stranger then most people are, but we fall in love too. In fact, it's a lot easier to fall in love at this job, because too many people mistaken affection that is paid for as real. That's what you have to watch out for kid, that's the real danger."

"You've had that, haven't you?"

The winged man shook his head. "Nope, not me personally. But I know someone here who is in love, and I'm worried for him." He shifted on the bed a bit, as if considering his own words, then he glanced at Yuusuke. "I can trust you, right? To keep a secret?"

Yuusuke nodded. "I won't say a word."

"Remember the blond kid you saw? Well, he's not rich. In fact, he's quite poor, and almost a bit too young to be visiting a place like this. But he happened to fall for Triton. I'm not sure how they met, neither will answer questions about it, but they fell for each other. It's not the fake paid for kind, but it might have started out like that, I really don't know. All I know is that as far as everyone else is concerned that blond boy belongs to Triton, and no one else."

"If they like each other, why does he keep showing up and paying? Why doesn't he just visit?"

"Triton won't let him get that close."

That made sense. In fact, that explained a lot of things about the youko that Yuusuke had recently slept with. His mood swings, his form changing, even just the different ways he acted toward people. He didn't let anyone close. In fact, the more Yuusuke thought about it, the more he realized that his moment with Triton was probably one of the most rare things in the world possible. Given any other circumstances, or maybe if he hadn't been so bold in that moment to ask, it never would have happened.

"But he keep showing up?"

Kuronue nodded. "Night after night. Nearly every night he can."

"Why? If someone won't let you get that close, won't give you a chance, then why would you keep paying for it."

Kuronue's dark black eyes trained on Yuusuke. "You sure you can't answer that yourself?"

Yuusuke quickly looked down, avoiding those eyes and settling his own on his hands, which he found to be clutching the sheet that was now covering him. He could answer that himself, especially now that he'd seen another side of Triton. The answer was obvious. In the morning, the youko let his guard down. And even at night, during the right moments, he let it down there as well. Perhaps, to the blond, those small and rare moments were worth it all. Those moments coupled with the hope of more were probably what drove him, and Triton never seemed to stop him, especially if he was claiming him as his own.

But still, that really had to hurt on nights when he didn't get there fast enough and someone else managed to secure Triton's 'services'.

Was that why the blond has kissed him that night that Triton went off with Karasu?

Yuusuke groaned a bit and leaned back, dropping his arm across his eyes. "My head hurts. Can I go back to sleep?"

Kuronue responded with a soft chuckle and Yuusuke felt the bed shift as he stood up. "Sure, you're allowed to sleep in. I was making pancakes, so I'll bring a plate by while they are still warm. And you do have the day off, you know, right? Tonight's your first real night, so the day is yours." With that Kuronue left the room. Yuusuke heard him exit and the door shut behind him, leaving him in relative silence.

Sighing softly Yuusuke rolled over in bed and pulled the blankets tight around himself. Even though he should have known better, he gave in and let himself drift off to sleep, images from the previous night flashing through his mind.