Be Careful

(I had to beat my laptop up to get this chapter out. Hoping to get a new computer on cyber Monday)

A hard knock to his head jerked Harper out of his peaceful sleep. His eyes opened, leaving him confused, staring up at the ceiling. What? I was sleeping on the chair... He slid his feet from where they remained on the cushion, then pushed himself up.

Before he could orient himself, something dropped over his head, blocking his vision. Holding back a yelp, Harper swatted at the fabric until it was tossed aside. The blanket that had been on the chair?

A knock from Rule's bedchambers had Harper jumping to his feet and hurrying inside, bowing as he stepped over the threshold. "Good afternoon, my lord."

Rule's back was to him as he worked on undoing his coat. Harper watched his muscles move beneath the thick fabric before running around to his front and reaching up, his fingers going for the remaining buttons that still needed undone. "Let me help, please, my lord."

There was no verbal response, but when Rule slowly lowered his hands to his sides, Harper took it as acceptance. Carefully but quickly, he got the coat unbuttoned, then removed it from Rule's broad shoulders. He took a moment to hang it back in its proper place, then returned to help him undo the buttons on the long-sleeved shirt that had been beneath it.

"You're awfully quiet, Harper."

He knew that Rule pointing out his silence was an opening to start a conversation, but Harper was still shaken from earlier, and really didn't want to talk about it. Rule shrugged his shoulders as the shirt came off, leaving him in just a pair of trousers and boots. Harper hurried to put the shirt in the hamper to be taken down later to be washed, then turned and bowed.

When he straightened, Rule was suddenly much closer, making him jump a little. "Are you feeling alright? You aren't still sick, are you?" Rule asked, lifting a hand toward Harper's forehead. Harper stepped back, fidgeting a little with his hands before giving a small bow.

"Do you require anything else, my lord?"

When he lifted his eyes, Rule looked down at his remaining clothing, then back up to Harper with a raised eyebrow. I can't. Licking his lips nervously, Harper gave a very slight shake of his head, hoping that Rule would understand and not make him feel even more uncomfortable.

The thoughts running through Rule's mind flashed before his eyes, but thankfully, when he finally decided to break the silence, he was smiling. "Go down to the kitchen and fetch us some afternoon tea and some lunch."

Sighing with relief, Harper bowed again, then turned to head toward the door. He was just pulling it open when a strong hand pushed it closed abruptly. Harper tried to step away, but his back was met by Rule's firm chest. He could feel the man's warmth through his thin shirt as well as the pressure as his chest rose and fell with breath. The faint warm brush of air against his left ear made his heart jerk in his chest.

"I forgot to mention. Do not, under any circumstances, do what anyone else asks of you. I don't care who it is. You belong to me, no one else. Do I make myself clear, Harper?" Rule whispered, sending a shiver down his spine for unknown reasons.

When his voice failed him, Harper swallowed and nodded. The moment Rule backed away, Harper was out the door, running as if Arthur's dog was upon his heels. He felt winded before he even got to the stairs, but didn't slow until he had made it all the way to the kitchen.

"Is something the matter, Hari?" The cook asked, raising an eyebrow at Harper's sudden appearance.

Shaking his head, Harper hurried to get together a set of tea cups and the necessary other items he'd need. "My lord has requested that I bring him a tea tray and lunch." He stated as he finished getting the cups, tray, plates and silverware together.

"You have two plates and cups set on that tray. Who is the master eating with? If I'm not mistaken, lord Arthur has already left." The cook questioned as he filled one of the plates and cups, then waited.

Harper fidgeted, knowing that it was improper to tell the man that he'd be dining with Rule. "He just requested that I bring up two meals and a tea set, sir."

He held his breath as the man deliberated, his small eyes watching Harper for any sign of a lie. When nearly a full minute had passed, the cook blew out a breath and prepared the second plate.

"There. Now I best not hear about you scarfing that down behind the stairs or something. I will report to his lordship later to be sure that him and his guest enjoyed both of their meals." The man said before shooing Harper out of the kitchen with his tray.

Unsure how he'd managed to get away with what he actually needed, Harper silently thanked his luck for finally appearing. Now to just get back upstairs before running into anyone hostile. He hurried as quickly as he could while balancing the tray in his hands, being careful not to tip it or accidentally trip on the smooth marble floors of the large foyer.

He was just lifting his foot to step up onto the first stair when someone appeared to his left, startling him nearly to the point of making him drop the tray.

"Hello there, deary. Sorry for scaring you. I thought I'd give you the garment master Rule requested I make for you. I finished it a little early and was just on my way up to deliver it, but I see that I've found you just in time to take it along with you. Though, with the ball over, I must admit that it was a strange request. Perhaps he likes you in such clothing." The seamstress noted as she draped a set of men's clothes over his left arm, patted him on the shoulder, then hurried off into an open door to the side of the stairs.

Staring down at the items on his arm, Harper frowned. He's going to get me caught without even intentionally trying... unless he's doing it on purpose? Harper hoped that he was just fooling himself with the idea, but once in his head, he couldn't manage to push it out as he began to climb the stairs.

To his surprise, he made it to the top without anything befalling him. Alright, now just to get to his door... Harper counted his steps, sighing with relief when his feet finally stopped in front of the door to Rule's chambers.

"Kite, go say hello."

Oh, come on.

Unable to move quickly, or even open the door without maneuvering the tray a bit, Harper braced himself for the inevitable. The large dog's footsteps thumped against the carpet as it barreled toward him, making Harper's heart speed up uncomfortably with nerves. When the beast got within feet of him, he sucked in a breath and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the impact.

"Kite, halt."

When the animal's hit never came, Harper slowly opened his eyes and gazed to his left. The beast was there, not three feet from him. It was sitting and panting, its large tongue lolling out one of one side of its mouth.

Seeing as the dog had stopped, for the moment, Harper turned his attention to the man slowly coming up behind the beast. He'd changed... wait, of course he had. It had been almost two days since the event, of course the man would wash and change. But why is he here again?

"Don't look too excited to see me, little Hari. I might get the wrong idea." Arthur teased as he stopped before him to run a hand through Harper's hair, messing it up more than it already was.

"I apologize, my lord. I was just not expecting to see you again so soon." Harper said, trying to regain his composure as Arthur opened the door and gestured him inside with a nod.

Dragging his feet, Harper stepped into Rule's chambers, making sure to keep his head down when Arthur closed the door behind him.

"You came back early. I still get her for several more days, you know." Rule chided from where he lounged in one of the overstuffed chairs. He still wasn't wearing a shirt, making the situation quite abnormal and uncomfortable.

Arthur didn't seem to mind his words or his appearance, however, because he dropped right down into the other free chair near Rule, then gestured to Harper to put the tray down between them. "You do still own her for a while, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to behave and stay away until it's my turn." He noted, patting his dog on the head as it settled next to his chair.

Rule huffed, reaching over to take the kettle Harper had brought and pour himself a cup of tea. Arthur took the other cup, filling it and sipping while Rule gave him an annoyed glare. Harper knew that the tea had been meant for himself and Rule, but he would never reprimand Arthur for drinking it... or any lord, for that matter. Arthur didn't need to know that one of the meals and tea had been meant for him.

"You aren't allowed to have more than that cup of tea. I had her fetch us a meal, and by us, I mean her and myself." Rule stated, making Harper's face turn bright red.

Two pairs of eyes focused on him right away, making him fidget where he stood before the two lords. "Go change, Harper. In fact, go use my bath. I just finished and only really rinsed off but the water is still warm and clean, since I bathed yesterday evening, too."

A bath? He had not had one in a long while. Harper did his best to keep himself clean, but he couldn't argue that he could use one.

"Yes sir. Thank you, I will be quick." He said, bowing before heading into Rule's bedchambers. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to close the door, so he only slid the one to the washroom shut, leaving the bedroom one open.

He noticed the amount of soap in the water, easily hiding whatever was to slip beneath it. Did he plan for me bathe? Or think that Arthur might return and catch me? It was too much for him to process. Rule hadn't seemed too surprised to see the other man, yet perhaps he was just being kind by making him feel more comfortable with the soapy water.

Tugging at his hair, Harper groaned, then covered his mouth.

"You aren't doing anything fun in there without us, are you?" Rule's shout questioned from the other room.

"N-no!" He replied as he set the clothing he had on his arm on down on a chair, then quickly stripped out of his maid uniform.

He was in the bath water a moment later, sighing at the warmth that still remained. Since there was already so much soap in the tub, he started lathering it along his skin, being sure to scrub himself as much as possible. Servants didn't get to bathe often, so he wouldn't make light of the gift Rule had given him by allowing him to use his water.

Satisfied with his upper body, Harper began scrubbing his legs one at a time, being sure to get every inch and even between his toes. Once that was done, he lifted his hands to his face and scrubbed, then moved his fingers up to wash his dirty hair.

"How adorable do you look?"

Harper ducked his head so quickly at the same time that he'd gasped from the shock of hearing Rule's voice so suddenly that he drew in a mouthful of water. He was about to scramble out of the tub, but then remembered Arthur was there and would likely be right behind Rule. So instead, he leaned over the edge and coughed as a firm hand hit his back repeatedly.

"I don't recommend drinking the bath water, Hari." Arthur stated, his dog grumbling somewhere nearby in likely agreement with its master.

At the sound of the man's voice, Harper sunk further down into the water. "Careful, the soap burns when it gets into your eyes." Rule mumbled as he poured some water from a cup along Harper's face, washing the soap on his face away.

"There."

Slowly, Harper allowed his eyes to open and take in what was going on. Rule was kneeling before the tub, setting down the empty cup he'd used to clean around Harper's eyes. Arthur was standing back by the washbasin, arms crossed over his chest, head tilted slightly. Kite sat panting at his feet, his attention on nothing in particular that Harper could identify.

"Thank you, master Rule." Harper said, trying to sink even further beneath the bubbles, but he couldn't without nearly drowning himself again.

Rule offered him a small smile, but instead of leaving like Harper had hoped, he reached over the edge of the tub and began to scrub the soap woven into Harper's hair. "You're cute, even for a..." Rule cut his words off abruptly, then glanced sideways at Arthur.

The other lord was staring at them as he settled beside the tub, leaning his right arm over the edge, just barely above the water. "Boy? Girl? Now would be a great time to figure that out, don't you agree, Rule?" He asked, though his attention was solely focused on Harper, as if the question was no longer relevant to ask Rule.

Taking in the man's fancy, black long-sleeved shirt, red tailcoat and brown slacks, Harper silently hoped that he cared about the clothing getting wet more than he cared about finding out his gender.

"True." Rule replied, earning Arthur's attention.

"You already know. That's why her lips are far more damaged than I had left them." Arthur stated as he leaned back against the wall near the tub. Kite curled up beside him, his large body somehow managing to fit in the space without making it too cramped. "I'm going to assume that she's a female, considering that."

Harper wasn't sure how either lord could seem so calm when they had him trapped, naked, in a bathtub. His mind was turning into mush, and Rule taking care of him by rinsing his hair while humming quietly, likely goading Arthur on, wasn't helping one bit.

The lord watched them silently, his eyes moving from one to the other. "Don't you want to just get this over with, Hari? I'll find out when it's my turn for you to come live on my property, anyways. You can tell me now... or show me, or I'll figure it out then. Wouldn't you like all of that stress off your chest?"

Yes, but no at the same time. If I tell him, and he reacts like Rule had, then I wouldn't know what to do. I also don't want to think what Rule would possibly do in response to what Arthur would do... my head hurts.

He was about to reply when Rule dumped water over his face, forcing him to close his eyes. "Ready to get out, sweetheart?" Rule asked, reaching off to the side to retrieve a large towel.

Harper didn't like the idea of showing Rule anything, but his worried gaze turned to Arthur. He couldn't get out with him sitting right in front of him. Rule might not have liked what he'd found out about his gender, and was still likely deciding what to do about it, but Harper had no doubt that Arthur would be far more strict with his decision.

"Arthur, you need to get out." Rule stated as he stood up, opening the towel to shield Harper from view.

Harper waited to hear the man's footsteps leaving, but when he only heard the sound of him standing up, he swallowed nervously. Rule scowled and leaned forward, winking with his left eye to signal the only thing Harper could think of.

While it terrified him to do it, Harper jumped into Rule's arms at that moment, his body shaking from the stress of the situation as the soft fabric draped over his hair and wrapped around him till about halfway down his legs.

"Rule." Arthur warned as he followed them out, Rule easily carrying Harper's weight in his arms as he hunched into the towel as best he could.

"You're scaring her." Rule responded quietly as he carried Harper all the way into his borrowed room. The only problem, besides Arthur following them, was the fact that Harper had nothing left to change into. His clothing, both new and old, were in the washroom.

When Rule began rummaging through the dressers, however, Harper realized that he might just have some older clothing stored in the room. He ended up pulling a large shirt out after searching two more drawers. "This will do." He mused as he settled Harper on the bed, both of them making sure that the towel was secure around him before Rule lifted the shirt to tug over his head.

"Now you're going to rest, as I'm sure you're probably too nervous to eat what you'd brought up. I'll save the food for when you feel more comfortable, alright?" Rule said as he grabbed one of the drawn-back blankets and began tucking Harper in without offering much of a choice. Not that Harper would decline. He gladly ducked beneath the blankets, completely ignoring his wet hair and Rule's hand as the lord reached beneath the blankets and retrieved the damp towel.

"Arthur, we have some things to discuss. Leave her be." Rule stated, his tone not brooking any room for argument as Harper heard his footsteps head for the door. There was a pause in the sounds in the room, besides Arthur's dog's panting, but after a few moments and a deep sigh, the second lord made his way to the door.

When the room was finally sealed, leaving him alone in his bed, Harper gave up on trying to hold back his shaking beneath the heavy blankets. He had no one left to fool in that respect.