Author's note: Welcome back! Puck's very excited to see you again! And your faithful author is absolutely thrilled with the response to this story so far! You're all beautiful, I love you!

Last chapter, I promised a special shout-out to the first person to tell me why Puck calls Tamaki "Narcissus". Unfortunately, the actual first person to do so was a guest. But xXRitz-aholicXx gets a special mention for being the first non-guest to get it! Well done, Ritz! However, no one seemed to get the speech that Puck's nickname is from, how sad. That would be Puck's speech at the end of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". (Faithful author is not a huge Shakespeare fan, fyi. Rather, I memorized it from the Robin Williams movie "Dead Poets Society". One of the students plays Puck on stage, and performed wonderfully. I highly suggest the movie if you haven't seen it. But be careful! There is a major character death near the end!)

Triggers: Honestly, I don't think there are any. This chapter follows the end of the first episode of the anime, so Tamaki walks in on Haruhi changing. Things go a bit differently, obviously, since Puck is here.

We love everyone who follows, favorites, and/or reviews this story!


-A few days later-

Robin found their way outside after classes. There was a huge, beautiful rose-bush maze that they wanted to check out. But their attention was drawn by something that made them wonder what could possibly make people spend so much money so carelessly.

They stood beside a little man-made pond, jaw gaping slightly in a vaguely offended way. A statue poured water steadily into the pond. A small, child-like figure -was that supposed to be a cherub?- stood proudly on a pedestal. The reason Robin stared so blatantly was that this alleged-cherub wasn't pouring the water from a pitcher, or even holding a playful spitting pose. No, the statue was, in fact, made to look as if it were quite happily urinating into the pond.

Robin scrubbed a hand across their face and shook their head lightly. They were just starting to walk away, when there was a loud splash that caused a slight yelp to fall from their lips. Turning back, they noticed several books and other school supplies, as well as a slightly worn bag, scattered in and under the water. Looking around, they saw no one. The hell? Then who...? A thought flittered through their mind, and they looked up at the windows of the school. Just in time to catch a flash of dark red and pale yellow walking away.

Before they could make up their mind about the culprit, running footfalls could be heard. A short brunette wearing the male uniform rushed toward the pond, grumbling and cursing quietly. Robin raised one perfectly-shaped eyebrow at the voice, then blinked in momentary shock.

"Haruhi?"

"Huh? Oh, Puck-senpai. What are you doing out here?"

"I was going to check out the rose maze, but this obnoxious statue caught my eye first. Who chucked your stuff out the window?"

Haruhi groaned and went back to searching the water before answering. Robin shook their head at the vague, dismissive reply. Haruhi was obviously hiding something. They weren't going to complain though, it wasn't like they didn't have secrets of their own. With a little shrug, they set down their own bag and leather jacket, divested themself of boots and socks, rolled up their sleeves, and stepped into the pond.

"Oh man, that's slimy. Gross. Here's one of your books, kitten."

"Senpai, you don't have to help, I can manage."

"It's just some water, not really a big deal. Say, you clean up pretty good; I almost didn't recognize you."

Haruhi snorted, but hadn't managed to form a reply before the pair heard more footsteps. Both heads turned at the sarcastic comment that issued as the blonde peacock from the other day approached.

"You've got a lot of nerve, commoner. Skipping out on Host Club to go wading?"

"Oi! Leave Haruhi alone, Narcissus. Some wench went and chucked his bag in this slimy little pond."

Tamaki wilted at the harsh tone to their voice. Haruhi just looked shocked that one of the rich people was defending her. Robin flipped their long, thick braid back over their shoulder as they stood, clutching the last item to be retrieved: a small black wallet.

"Here you go, kitten. Pretty sure this is the last of it."

"Oh man, thanks, senpai. I'd be so screwed if I lost that."

"No problem at all. Come on, I'll escort you back to your club, make sure your bag doesn't mysteriously try to commit suicide again."

While Haruhi laughed quietly and shook her head at the silly image Robin's words conjured up, they reached out and grabbed the still-pouting Tamaki by the arm.

"Come on, Cissy, let's go."

"My name's Tamaki, not Cissy."

Robin rolled their eyes and failed to stifle a snicker at his pouting tone. He sounded so childish! They cleared their throat quietly and turned to the over-dramatic blonde, Haruhi's laughter a perfect backdrop.

"Yes, I know. Tamaki Suoh, only son of Chairman Suoh. Founder and president of Ouran's first Host Club, though God only knows why you thought this place needed one. 'Cissy' is simply a shortened form of Narcissus. I happen to think it's a rather fitting nickname. Now stop wasting time, or I'll drag you by your ear."

Tamaki's pout had gotten worse during their little rant, but he squealed at the threat and took off running. They burst into laughter at the frightened blur before sauntering after with Haruhi, who was startled into renewed giggles herself.

The duo followed after the scampering blonde, chatting amiably as they traversed long corridors. Tamaki disappeared into the room before they could catch up, and Robin grinned a little in smug satisfaction. It felt kind of good to scare the pretty boy just a little. They'd probably make amends within a day or so, but it was fun for the moment. They opened the door to usher Haruhi inside, and their gaze landed on something that sent a tiny shiver of apprehension up their spine.

Tamaki was standing next to an elegant looking redhead wearing the yellow Ouran uniform dress. Robin held back a sneer. They wondered why no one else seemed to notice that the girl's body language and facial expression screamed "Spoiled, jealous bitch." Their suspicion cranked up a notch when they heard Tamaki tell Haruhi that the girl -Ayanokoji, apparently- had designated him. What is that stuck-up wench gonna do now? Ignoring the room full of girls staring and murmuring, they strode over to Kyoya, who was seated alone and busily typing on his laptop. They spoke quietly, keeping their voice polite.

"Excuse me, Ootori-san?"

Kyoya's voice was pleasant, business-like, and completely fake as he answered. Robin barely resisted rolling their eyes.

"What can I do for you, Kelly-san?"

They flicked a quick gaze around, making sure no one was listening. Seeing no attention drawn their way, they leaned in slightly and lowered their voice conspiratorially.

"I think someone is harassing Haruhi. Especially since I just helped fish his school books out of the pond. Would it be alright if I stuck around to keep an eye on him? I'll stay out of everyone's way, you won't even remember I'm here."

Kyoya eyed Robin carefully, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. The light glinted off the lenses, shielding his eyes from their view as he contemplated their request. After a moment, he inclined his head in the barest nod and answered in a more genuine tone.

"I believe you're correct, Kelly-san. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have another set of eyes on our new little Natural. I have a feeling things will be coming to a head very shortly."

"That's almost a relief. I'm sure Haruhi will be glad to have it over with."

With a tiny bow of thanks, Robin departed from Kyoya's space and made their way to an area of the room devoid of people. They sat at an empty table and stretched their legs out before them, crossing ankles covered by neon-green boots. They fished through their bag for a moment, then pulled out a worn paperback novel and settled in to read, checking often on the little brunette across the room.

Their eyes flicked upward just in time to see Ayanokoji grab Haruhi by the lapel and give a tremendous pull. Teacups, saucers, and a small vase of roses all shattered as the pair upended the table and went crashing to the floor. The redhead screeched about the "commoner" attacking her, and Robin leapt to their feet. The twins managed to dump pitchers of water on the duo just a second before they got there. They couldn't hold back the sneer this time, glaring down at the drenched girl.

"You really should be more aware of your surroundings before you start hurling lies like that. Not only did you pull Haruhi down yourself, but it was you who threw his bag in the pond. My eyes may be two different colors, but they both work just fine."

Tamaki helped the redhead to her feet, and was calmly berating her and defending Haruhi. Robin turned to the brunette and offered a helping hand up as Kyoya quietly ushered the rest of the girls out of the room.

"You alright, kitten?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Puck-senpai. I just don't get why she was so jealous in the first place."

"Probably spent her whole life thinking the world revolves around her, and just found out otherwise. People like that are always shocked to discover that they're not actually the sun."

Robin shrugged and patted Haruhi's shoulder. Then grimaced slightly and wiped their hand on one denim-clad leg, having momentarily forgotten that Haruhi's uniform was wet. At that moment, Kyoya appeared beside them, holding a bag out to the brunette with a small, calculating smile.

"I'm afraid this is the only spare uniform we have. But it's better than a wet one, right?"

Haruhi peeked into the bag while he was talking, and nodded slightly.

"Yeah, thanks. I'm gonna go change."

Robin glanced around as the damp teen walked off. They only just noticed the lack of girls. Before they could comment, Honey bounded up to them, all smiles and sunshine. They offered the blonde a genuine grin in return.

"That was really nice of you to defend Haru-chan like that, Robin-chan! How did you know Ayanokoji did that?"

"I was by the pond when she chucked the bag out the window, and I just happened to look up in time. That girl's got pretty distinctive hair. And I would've known she pulled that stunt with the table, even if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. She's just...not a nice girl."

They shrugged again. This wasn't the time to explain how and why they became such an excellent judge of character. Honey nodded in a knowing manner, and they made a quiet sound of relief at not having to elaborate. They glanced around, and noticed Tamaki approach a curtained-off area with a stack of towels. A sudden unpleasant feeling raced up their spine, and they took a step in that direction, but it was already too late. They watched with mounting dread as Tamaki's face turned pink, then red.

"You're a girl?"

"Biologically speaking, yeah."

"Damn kitten. You know, it's totally unfair that you look that cute in both uniforms."

Several heads turned to Robin in shock, though most turned straight back to the sight of the adorable brunette decked out in the girls' yellow uniform dress for the first time. More than one pair of eyes lingered on them, however.

"It's ok, I guess. Not as comfortable as the guys' though. These sleeves are weird. Way too tight."

Robin grinned as they eyed the sleeves. They had to agree, those were just weird. Whoever designed those dresses was clearly not looking for the wearer's comfort. They snickered at Haruhi's obvious distress.

"Those stuffy blazers and ties don't look so comfortable, either. Better you than me, either way."

"Wait just a minute here! Am I the only one that didn't know that Haruhi's a girl?!"

With a roll of their eyes, they reached out and flicked the end of Tamaki's nose, causing the blonde to yelp and fall backwards. The twins broke into mad giggles as he once again fled to pout.

"It seems as though you are the last to find out, Tamaki. Though I must say, Kelly-san, I'm a bit surprised that you knew. You did refer to Haruhi as male earlier."

"I noticed some things, like the lack of an Adam's apple. Honestly, kitten, I thought you were trans or maybe non-binary. I would've never outed you, though."

"I don't really care if you guys recognize me as a boy or girl. It's not like it matters, anyway."

Haruhi shrugged, fiddling with the little bow at the top of the dress. Robin grinned broadly at her and threw devil horns in a "rock on!" gesture. The petite girl offered a bemused smile in return.

"Absolutely true! What's on the inside is what really matters. But, just for clarity, which pronouns do you prefer? If you have a preference, anyway."

"I...never really thought about it, senpai. Everyone thinks I'm a boy, since I'm a Host. If I tell everyone I'm a girl, I can't host anymore, and it'll take way too long to pay off my debt if I get knocked back to errand boy. I don't know..."

Robin nodded, well acquainted with the indecision residing in Haruhi's eyes. They reached out and patted her on the head with a little reassuring smile.

"It's alright, kitten. Once you actually start thinking about it, it can be a difficult decision. I know, believe me. How about we just keep using the male pronouns in front of the other students for now? That way you can keep your Host position while you figure things out."

"I think Kelly-san has the right idea, Haruhi. You're a natural at Hosting, you already have several ladies requesting repeat appointments."

"Great. Thanks Kyoya-senpai, Puck-senpai."

The others had been surprisingly quiet during this interaction, causing Haruhi and Robin both to glance around with vague feelings of unease. The twins had apparently gotten bored; they were lounging on one of the sofas, playing handheld video games. Honey and Mori sat at a nearby table, Honey glancing back and forth between Robin and Haruhi. Kyoya strode over to where Tamaki still pouted, crouching down to speak in a hushed tone to the blonde. Robin's unease grew as he turned to stare at them for a brief moment, a strange look in his pretty violet eyes.

Before they could decode the look, the blonde yelled something unintelligle and leapt to his feet. He rushed over and stood far too close to them for their liking, staring down at them imperiously. They raised an eyebrow at his drastic stance, staring right back without concern. His gaze faltered momentarily; apparently, he assumed they would back down at the look. Kyoya took a stand beside Tamaki and adjusted his glasses so that the light would flash on the lenses, obscuring their view of his eyes. They resisted the urge to roll their eyes or snicker. It was extremely difficult.

"Is there a reason I'm getting the stink eye, Cissy?"

Tamaki wilted, barely resisting the urge to flee to his pouting corner again. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he struggled to regain his composure. Kyoya rolled his eyes at the blonde and nudged him out of the way, opting to take the lead himself.

"We're just wondering what to do about our little...predicament. If Haruhi wants to keep being a Host, we really can't afford to let her true gender become known."

Robin took a single deep, calming breath. Stay frosty. No violence, you promised Shay. Just...stay frosty. Their voice sounded perfectly even when they replied.

"If you think I would out Haruhi for any reason, you're sorely mistaken. Outing someone else is an extremely disgusting thing to do. Not to mention cowardly as hell. I've done some stupid, screwed up things before, but I would never do something so dishonorable."

Kyoya made a small noise that sounded like a hum of consideration. They could practically hear the gears turning in his head. They squared their shoulders and held their head high, refusing to look away or cower. After a couple seconds, he nodded slightly.

"Naturally. We're all just looking out for Haruhi's safety and well-being. Of course, we would look for any way to ensure those, Kelly-san."

Robin caught the warning edge to his voice. This time, they couldn't hold back the eye-roll. Really, Ootori? They huffed out a little sigh and shook their head lightly as a smirk graced their lips. They loved a challenge.

"Why, Ootori-san, is that the hint of a threat I hear? I hope you realize, you have nothing to hold over my head. If you're thinking of blackmail, let me stop you right now. It won't work, I'm completely open about my past screw-ups."

"Blackmail? Kyoya wouldn't blackmail someone! You wouldn't...right, Kyoya?"

Tamaki looked so extremely distressed at the idea, Robin nearly laughed.

"I wouldn't call it blackmail, Tamaki. I prefer to think of it as...an exhange of information."

The slight glare and knowing smirk on Kyoya's face pushed them over the edge. They snorted derisively, then burst into full-fledged laughter.

"An exhange of information. Good one! But it still won't work, you know. You have no leverage, Ootori-san."

"Oh, I think there's plenty of leverage in your medical files, Kelly-san."

"ENOUGH."

Everyone in the room -including the Shadow King- jumped at the shockingly loud command from Mori. All eyes turned to the table he and Honey occupied, surprised to see anger radiating from both young men. Sweet baby Jesus, what a voice. Hot damn... Robin gave themself a mental slap and tuned back in to what Honey was now saying.

"-ical files is illegal, and you know that, Kyo-chan. And it's just plain wrong! Besides, Robin-chan wouldn't do that to Haru-chan, they're friends! Friends help each other and take care of each other. Right, Robin-chan?"

His anger had disippated almost immediately, and now his big caramel eyes were glistening with unshed tears. Their heart melted, and it took every bit of willpower not to scoop the blonde into their arms and cuddle the tears away. They grinned at him, instead.

"Right you are, Honey-senpai. Look, Ootori-san, we both want the same thing here, really. So how about a truce, hrm?"

They stuck their hand out in his direction, then waved it around a bit when he merely looked at it with a raised eyebrow. After a moment, he issued a barely-audible sigh, shrugged, and shook the outstretched hand.

"A truce then, Kelly-san. And may I say, well-played. It's been quite some time since I've been bested in negotiations."

They caught the slightest hint of reluctant admiration in his tone, and let out a small laugh.

"I wouldn't say I bested you. Let's call it a draw, hey? And you can call me Puck, you know."

Lips quirked in what could almost be called a smile, and he nodded again.

"A draw sounds just fine. And in that case, Puck, I insist you call me Kyoya."

"That's all great and everything, but can I leave now? I need to fix supper for Dad, and there's a sale at the supermarket."

Everyone turned at Haruhi's frustrated question. Tamaki leapt at her with a little squeal, flinging his arms around her and twirling her in manic circles.

"Did you all hear that? Daddy's little girl wants to fix him supper! Isn't she just so precious?!"

"Get off of me, senpai! You're not my father! Let go!"

Tamaki dropped her with a whine and fled to his corner, muttering about how his daughter didn't love her daddy. Robin burst into startled laughter at the scene, and Honey joined in a beat later, followed quickly by the twins. Haruhi just shook her head and swiftly headed for the exit before the crazy blonde could recover and accost her again.

Once Robin's laughter tapered off, they grinned at the group surrounding them. After a little bit of light conversation, they bid the boys farewell and took their leave. Striding through the school, their thoughts stayed on the Host Club, however.

Seems like a decent bunch of blokes. Definitely keep an eye on Kyoya, he's a shady one, for sure. I bet he's got a soft side in there somewhere, though. Is Tamaki that dramatic all the time? That'd get annoying real fast. Maybe that's why Kyoya's so cranky. Man, Haru looked so cute in that dress. Adorable. Should ask her to hang sometime. Can't believe Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai stood up for me like that, wow. Gotta keep my cool around them, don't get twitchy, they probably get the hero-worship shit all the time. Remember, they're actual real people, not just kick-ass fighters. Seem like genuinely nice guys, at that. Oh man, wouldn't it be keen to actually be friends with them? Hrm. I should do something to thank them for sticking up for me. But what?

They racked their brain the whole way home, and finally landed on something that sounded just right. A triumphant little grin lit up their whole face as they strolled through the front door, then turned to pure surprise when they spotted the tall man standing in the middle of the room. Silky black hair fell to broad, muscular shoulders. He had dark, piercing blue eyes and almost aristocratic features. Full sensual lips that seemed almost feminine turned up in a brilliant grin when he saw Robin.

"Welcome home, precious."

Robin took a running leap at the man with a glee-filled squeal. He laughed softly and caught them in his arms, and the two embraced tightly. After a long moment, Robin finally let go and kissed his cheek before stepping back. Their smile was radiant and joyful.

"I missed you, I'm so glad you're home early!"

"Aww. I missed you too, darling."

He gave their thick braid a playful little tug, and they retaliated by flicking him right between the eyes. He pouted in an over-dramatic way, and their giggle was almost child-like. He smiled and threw an arm around their waist, and they lay their head on his shoulder.

"Don't stay gone for two weeks next time, ok? It's lonely here without my big brother."

"Aww, I'm sorry, little bird. But tell me, how's your first week at Ouran going? Are you making friends? Are any of them hot?"

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Robin, causing them to cringe and make retching noises. He laughed, even when they punched him -lightly- in the shoulder.

"They're highschoolers, Seamus! You're too old to think any of them are hot, you perv!"

"Ow! Hey! Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I think you broke it! I'll never be able to use this arm again!"

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen. I barely tapped you."

They rolled their eyes at him, and he stuck his tongue out in reply. Then the siblings just smiled happily at each other, glad to be reunited after Seamus' work trip. Robin was right, two weeks was too long. He would be sure to make the next one shorter.

"Ok, maybe I exaggerated just a little. But really, little bird. I do want to know how you're doing with school. You're not having any trouble, are you?"

"Everything's fine, Shay. I'm making some friends, I think. At least, I've met some decent folk. Couple of shady characters, but nothing alarming."

"I'm glad it's going well so far. Just promise me you'll tell me if anyone hassles you, yeah?"

"I promise, Shay. I'm gonna try really hard, I'm tired of fighting."

"Good. Now that that's all settled, what should we do about supper?"


AN2: Don't worry, Seamus isn't that kind of perv, he just likes teasing Robin. And Robin likes teasing back. Shay isn't "old" by any means, he's only three years older than Robin. If you have any kind of comments, questions, or criticisms, please don't hesitate to leave a review! (Or even PM me!) Until next time, poppets!