(All her baby teeth on one side fell out almost at once. Now she looks funny, even laughs at herself) 

Harper was getting used to waking up not feeling well. His head hurt and his nose was running a little, likely because of stress and having not dried his hair properly before falling asleep. Glancing around the dark room, he noted two candles burning on the nightstand, the only illumination present besides the moon shining in from the window. 

I slept too long.  

Slipping from the bed, he felt a cold draft between his legs and blushed, uncomfortable in just the large shirt he'd been given. He dug through the dresser drawers in the room hoping to find something useful, but only found a few articles, all of which being far too big. 

He searched the room for a short while longer before a soft knock sounded on the door. "Little Hari..." 

Looking down at himself, Harper sighed, figuring that he was stuck with what he was wearing until he got something else from Rule. Might as well answer the door. He was just reaching for the handle when the knob turned and the door opened. He expected to see lord Rule, but when Arthur stood staring at him in surprise, Harper quickly ducked behind the door. 

"I-I apologize my lord, my clothes..." Harper stuttered. 

Arthur seemed frozen for a moment, then stumbled over his own words in response. "It's, I can. I'll get them, one moment." 

He disappeared, returning a few moments later with Harper's freshly cleaned maid's uniform. Harper eyed it for a second longer than he likely should have before reaching for the outfit, because Arthur seemed to notice something was off, and retracted his hand. 

"Would you prefer something else...?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as Kite wandered over and began to try and sniff up the shirt Harper was wearing, making him awkwardly nudge at the giant dog to try and get it to stop. "Perhaps the outfit Rule was to have you wear?" Arthur continued, stepping into the room and forcing Harper to push himself closer against the hardwood door. 

Kite grumbled and pushed his nose right up the shirt, making Harper jump back, then crouch down. He didn't want to be closer to the giant beast, but he couldn't just let it give him away by lifting his shirt too high, either. 

Ducking his head, Harper waited for the beast to try something again, but when nothing happened, he peaked up at it. Why is he just sitting in front of me? Looking up at Arthur, he noticed the man's left hand formed into a simple signal. Turning his attention back to the dog, Harper realized what was going on. He gave him a signal command. That's why he stopped. 

"I know that you are a boy, Harper." 

Wait... my real name. But how? 

"Rule let it slip while he was talking to you earlier." Arthur said as he knelt down beside him, making Harper duck his face into his folded arms. 

"I thought, at first, that he was just giving you a cute nickname. But then I realized that Hari would likely be considered more of a nickname for Harper, than the opposite." Arthur mused as a hand settled on top of Harper's hair, though it did nothing to settle his nerves. 

"Also, If you weren't trying to hide something, you wouldn't have changed your name, yet you clearly switched it to Hari from Harper." Arthur's warm hand slipped between his chin and his arm, forcing Harper to lift his head and look at him. "Are my words not correct, Harper?"  

Panic settled in Harper's stomach as he tried to figure out a way to discredit the facts Arthur was stating. Normally he could figure something out quickly, but his head still hurt and his mind just wasn't processing as fast as he needed it to. 

"Your silence is answer enough for that line of questioning. I have something else I've been curious about for nearly as long, however..." 

Swallowing down his nerves, Harper looked down, then back up to meet Arthur's eyes. The lord tilted his head slightly as his hand lifted to sift through Harper's hair. When it stopped, Arthur's fingers were gently tugging on one of the braids woven within Harper's dark hair. 

"Why the braids?" 

Without thinking, Harper reached up and snagged the braid from Arthur's fingers, only for the lord to grasp his hand instead. "I want an answer, Harper. Rule mentioned about being curious of them as well, so I know that you haven't told him yet, either. Although, he seemed hesitant to agree to ask you together." 

Because he saw me before...

Looking down at Kite, Harper sighed. "Some stories aren't meant to be told, my lord." He said, his voice holding only exhaustion. 

Silence stretched between them until Arthur's hand released Harper's, only to press against his forehead. The action drew Harper's eyes back up to Arthur's, confused as to what he was doing. He didn't feel sick. Or, at least, not as sick as he had been. 

"Idiot. You didn't dry your hair before you fell asleep." Arthur grumbled, making Harper raise an eyebrow. 

"Master Rule took the towel I was using." Harper replied quietly, averting his eyes. He had been expecting Arthur to get mad at him for deceiving him and Rule for so long, and probably call the magistrate back, but he wasn't expecting him to question his braids, nor worry about his health. 

Harper was at a loss for words, so when he heard footsteps enter the sitting room, he sighed with both relief and trepidation. When Rule appeared beside Arthur, Harper couldn't help but stumble to his feet and fall into the lord's arms. He wasn't sure how Rule would handle the situation and he didn't want to pit the lords against each other, but he desperately needed a hug, so he stole one while the man had been too busy processing the situation. 

"Honestly, you should have figured it out the moment Kite decided he didn't like him a long while ago." Rule whispered as his arms wrapped around Harper gently. After a soft squeeze, he lifted him easily into his arms. 

Rule's attention remained on Arthur as the other lord stood back up. Harper ducked his head against Rule's jacket when Arthur looked at him, not wanting to give the man any reason to try and ask questions again. 

"You're holding him like he's a child. Rule, you know we have to speak with lord Marksworth and the magistrate about this." Arthur said as Rule carried Harper from the room. He dropped down  into one of the overstuffed chairs, not letting Harper move from his lap once he'd settled. 

"Somehow, I don't believe that the magistrate will see this issue as something too serious." Rule said distractedly as his fingers messed with a few strands of Harper's hair. 

Hearing the second seat depress with weight, Harper spared a glance sideways to see Arthur sitting in it, watching him with narrowed eyes. "Lord Marksworth would want to know, and the magistrate will surely find issue with this." 

Harper felt Rule take in a breath to respond, but Arthur continued. "Wait. Lord Marksworth is no fool. I bet you my fortune he knew all along." A groan followed his words, drawing Harper's gaze to the man. He'd let his head fall back, eyes half-lidded as they stared up at the ceiling. 

"This is not how this situation was supposed to play out." Arthur murmured, drawing a chuckle from Rule before Harper felt lips press against his neck. Startled, he gave a shocked yelp and pulled away, but Rule easily held onto his waist, keeping him in his lap as Arthur turned his head to stare at them. 

"Are you actually flirting with a nearly naked boy sitting in your lap?" 

The actual question, and confusion, in Arthur's voice made Harper try, and fail, to stifle a giggle. He felt Rule's body shift but couldn't react fast enough before he felt teeth nip at his neck, making him yelp again, then scowl at the older man. 

"So very scary, little Hari." Rule cooed before leaning in and pressing his lips to Harper's. 

The kiss didn't last more than two seconds because Arthur was pulling him out of Rule's lap by the back of the shirt he was borrowing, dragging him back toward his room. "Enough of this. Rule, you know as well as I do that this is not something that can be swept under the rug!" Arthur yelled before shoving Harper into his room and slamming the door shut. 

The sound of a key turning in the lock had Harper hunching where he'd landed on the hard floor. The situation had been inevitable, but he'd hoped for at least a little more time... even if just to see lord Marksworth off when he passed. 

He knew. They said that he would have known the whole time. 

It was hard to consider, at first, but Harper knew that the man was no fool. He was sharp, even at his old age, and he'd gotten him out of trouble in the blink of an eye when they'd first met. Of course he would know. Perhaps that's why Harper had always felt comfortable living with the man. He always felt proud to work for him.  

Eventually, he found himself leaning against the frame of the door, listening silently to the two lords converse in the sitting room. Their voices were hushed by the walls, but whenever one of them got frustrated, their words grew in volume, allowing him to pick out bits and pieces of what they were saying. The conversation was definitely about him, which was no shock. They seemed to go back and forth about calling for the magistrate, lord Marksworth, or punishing him themselves. Harper liked neither of the three options, but he supposed that lord Marksworth would definitely be the safest of them. 

He was just nodding off a while later when he heard the key turn in the lock again. It took him a few moments to wake fully, so when he finally looked up, the two lords were already standing before him. 

Not wanting to seem rude, he hurried to his feet and bowed his head. "Good evening, my lords." He mumbled after a few moments of awkward silence. The two men looked at each other, both seemingly tired, though they normally stayed up far into the night most times they'd visited his master's home. 

"I'm sure you're worried about your situation and how us finding out that you are, indeed, a boy, is going to change it." Rule said as he crossed his arms over his chest at the same time Arthur tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. 

These two are so different but at the same time, they react almost as if they are one person. 

"Well, we've decided that you're going to return to Arthur's home with him tomorrow morning." 

Harper's disbelief must have shown on his face, because Rule's lips began stretching into a smirk. When Rule turned to look at Arthur, Harper followed his gaze, only to see the other lord staring at Rule with a similar expression to his own shocked one. 

"That is not what we had agreed upon!" Arthur growled, getting a chuckle from Rule as the man clapped the other on the shoulder. "That's what I've agreed upon. Besides, what could one short week with him do? We know where he lives. He has no transportation and it's winter. If he left, he'd be dead."

Arthur still didn't looked pleased, in the least, but when his cold eyes turned back to Harper, they seemed to soften just a little. "So you want me to hold him for a week before we make a final decision? Is that really necessary?" He asked, glancing sideways at Rule. 

After a quick yawn, Rule nodded and leaned forward, taking Harper's hand as he began tugging him across the sitting room toward his own bedroom. "Master Rule?" Harper questioned as he stumbled behind the man, quite tired, himself. 

"You'll be staying with me tonight. Arthur, you can use his room." Rule said as they stepped into his bedroom. 

Harper wasn't really against staying in Rule's room, as long as the man didn't try to attack his mouth again. Granted, he hoped that being a boy would curtail that issue from reoccurring, but he'd done it after he'd known of his gender, so Harper wasn't too sure. 

"Get in bed. You can change into your new clothing tomorrow." Rule stated as he tugged off his own clothes, leaving just a pair of loose undergarments. 

The amount of skin the man was showing warmed Harper's face, making him dart beneath the heavy blankets to hide his blush. Footsteps echoed from the other room, across the sitting area and into Rule's, stilling Harper beneath the blankets as he heard the sound of more clothing being removed. The atmosphere in the room seemed to grow more tense as the sound of the door being shut met his ears, but when he felt the bed depress in several spots as someone got in, then climbed over him to drop onto the other side, Harper realized that Arthur must have decided to leave without causing more of an issue. 

He was just about to poke his head back above the top of the blankets when he felt the bed press down on his other side, stilling him abruptly. 

"I never said that you could sleep in my bed." Rule mumbled as his weight, which Harper could only assume had gotten in bed first, moved far too close to him for comfort. They were practically pressed against each other, though Rule was only beneath one blanket while Harper had at least two on him. 

"And I never said I would listen to you." Arthur retorted as he got comfortable, his weight shifting  a small amount before silence took over the room. 

Neither lord spoke again, though Rule shifted around quite a bit before Harper could hear them both calmly breathing in their sleep. He settled in a long while later, letting his nerves finally push his mind into the darkness. 

I have no idea what's going on, or what will happen tomorrow, but at least I'm okay tonight.