By the time the sun was down, they were back in Mortcerf coming upon the inn they had left earlier that day. Bram had suggested they sleep in the fields outside the town, but Bijou was having none of it.

"We'll be fine," Bijou said. "We'll only be here for a few hours."

"Bijou," Bram muttered as he allowed himself to be pulled towards the inn. "This is the first place they're going to look for me."

"Your bosses don't know what you look like. The innkeeper didn't know what you looked like. We'll be fine."

"This is dangerous," Bram insisted.

"Live dangerously, Bram," Bijou said and opened the door to the inn.

Inside the first floor, dinner was being served and the smell of the hot meat wafted through the air. They'd eaten a little on the road, but Bram found he was nearly always hungry. His wages didn't pay near enough for him not to be hungry.

"Forget the food," Bijou muttered. "We need to get a room." He dragged Bram across the room towards the counter. The same innkeeper as before was still at the counter. Bram wondered when he slept.

"Back again?" the innkeeper asked with a frown. "Where are the little ones?"

"With my sister," Bram answered. "We're going into the city looking for work."

The innkeeper nodded sympathetically. "Take the single room," he offered. "Right across from the other one."

"Thank you, sir," Bijou said in his coarse accent and dropped his purse on the counter. The innkeeper took the purse without opening it and turned around and walked off.

Bram glanced at Bijou, who watched the innkeeper with a small smile.

"Should we—?" Bram began, only to have Bijou shake his head a little.

The innkeeper came back a moment later with a tray of food that had the key to the room on it.

"Here," the innkeeper said. "Go on now."

Bijou reached for the tray, but Bram moved past him to take it and the innkeeper moved to take it out of Bijou's reach and put it in Bram's hands. Bijou frowned deeply and Bram felt the need to duck his head.

"I can take it, Love," he said.

"I'm not freshly pregnant," Bijou muttered, snatching the key off the tray and storming off towards the stairs.

Bram followed close behind, brushed past the androgynous omega from before, and followed Bijou up the stairs.