Author's note: First off, let me apologize PROFUSELY for the nearly two-month wait! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm SO SORRY! The plot bunnies wanted to play MANY chapters ahead, instead of working in chronological order. Then there was family stuff going on offline, I'll spare the details. But faithful author has returned! And the bunnies finally decided to work properly, though I had to bribe them with sugar and explosives. (No idea WHAT they've got planned with those. Kind of afraid to ask!)

Second thing. Welcome to chapter four! I am BEYOND grateful for all of the positive feedback I've gotten on this story so far! With only three chapters, Puck's already surpassed my other OC, Sky ("The Scarred Princess and the Knights of the Menagerie") in favorites and followers, and she's at almost 40 chapters! (Not to mention, an entire YEAR of being written/posted.) Thank you all so very much for the support!

Triggers: There's a tiny bit of violence, and some cursing. Things are... surprisingly mellow?

I do not now, now will I ever, own the rights to Ouran or anything else Bisco Hatori's amazing brain came up with. No matter how much I'd like to!


Robin threw their hands up in a crossed "X" motion and made an obnoxious noise that sounded like a buzzer going off.

"That's a negative, Cissy."

"What?"

"No way, it's not gonna happen."

Tamaki's face fell comically, and they struggled to contain their laughter. They shook their head and crossed their arms over their chest. The blonde curled back up in his corner, and they threw a mischievous wink at Honey, whose sudden pout immediately vanished. They let Tamaki wallow in over-dramatic gloom for another minute or two, while everyone watched in surprising silence.

"On the other hand..."

Tamaki's head whirled around so fast, several people were momentarily worried it might fall off and roll across the floor. Robin cleared their throat quickly and smirked at him.

"I suppose I could give it a go. I mean, it might be fun to dethrone the Host King."

"WHAT? You...you... You just can't do that!"

"Ohh, I think you underestimate the mystical power that flows in the blood of the Celts. We're a force to be reckoned with, for sure."

Before Tamaki could formulate a comeback, Robin gave him a taste of his own medicine, so to speak. They twirled him around and dipped him low, drawing him close as they straightened. Being several inches shorter worked to their advantage. They looked up at him through long, thick lashes as they brushed the back of their knuckles over his cheek. Their voice lowered slightly and grew gentle.

"Besides, no one can resist sweet words whispered in such a romantic accent. Isn't that right, mo chupín beag?"

There was complete stillness in the room for a beat, then Tamaki turned bright red and began stammering incoherently. Robin thought some of the babble might have been French, but they weren't sure. He sank to the floor, and they wouldn't have been overly shocked if he had literally melted into a puddle. They burst into laughter at the sight. With a little smirk, they glanced down at the blushing blonde.

"Wanna tell me again that I can't, Cissy?"

Laughter and applause rang throughout the room. They took a bow, grinning brightly at the small crowd. Kasugazaki was blushing almost as much as the blonde, her eyes flickering between the two. Tamaki leapt to his feet with a squeal and flung his arms around them again.

"Perfect! Absolutely marvelous! You have to join us, you just have to!"

Robin gave him a sharp pinch and disentangled themself from his arms once again. His happiness not diminished in the slightest, he rushed across the room to Kyoya. They barely managed to stifle a snort of laughter at the affronted look the raven-haired boy gave his hyper friend as Tamaki smothered him in what was quickly becoming his signature embrace.

"Mommy, wasn't Puck just wonderful? Wouldn't he be a positively amazing addition to our little family?"

As Kyoya glared and struggled to escape the blonde, Robin's brain registered what Tamaki had just said. And promptly burst into another round of laughter.

"Mommy? Oh oh, he really calls you Mommy, Kyoya? How kinky! Do you wear high heels and lace for him, too?"

It was Kyoya's turn to blush and stammer incoherently. The twins fell over each other, gasping for breath amid wild cackling, even as Tamaki blanched sheet-white. With a little snicker, Robin waved a hand at the antics before them.

"Nevermind, I don't actually want to know. We can talk about my possibly joining you lot later, hey? After the dance. I'm gone."

They tossed a cheeky grin at Honey and Mori, then fled the room as quickly as possible. They did not want to still be there when Kyoya returned to his senses.

-Several days later-

Numerous pairs of eyes watched the lithe form saunter across the courtyard, almost dancing. Rumors and theories on who it could be were traded in whispers. The figure stood out among the crowd, their long silver and green hair cascading down to a trim waist, burdened only by a pair of large black headphones. The pale face was mostly obscured by sunglasses with rainbow lenses. Instead of any attempt at the uniform, the figure wore a black dress shirt unbuttoned at the throat, with emerald green suspenders, a black kilt, green and black argyle knee-high socks, and black leather boots with chains criss-crossed over the laces. A silver pin in the shape of a coiled serpent was attached to the shirt, just above the pocket.

The silver-haired person was stopped at the entrance to the school by two large, intimidating-looking guys wearing the Ouran uniform haphazardly. To all appearances, their look screamed "Yakuza thug" but the shorter person wasn't worried in the slightest.

"Just where do you think you're going, freak? This is a private school, ya' know."

Black headphones were nudged away from their ears, and the rainbow shades were lowered ever so slightly. Bi-colored eyes glanced at the two guys with boredom, and just a bit of disdain. They answered in a falsely-polite tone, the Irish accent weaving music into the sarcastic words.

"Of course it's a private school. Would any of our parents have paid such an obscene amount of money for a public education?"

The shades were slipped back into place, but a large hand reached out before Robin could move past. The hooligan grabbed their shoulder roughly and slammed their back against the wall, causing a small whimper of pain. The two thugs laughed, but were cut off almost immediately when Robin's fist slammed into the face before them. The one that hadn't grabbed them cursed in shock, then grunted in pain as they stomped -hard- on his foot.

"Listen here, cúl tóna, and listen good. I go to this bloody pink school, for your information. Just because I'm not wearing that ghastly uniform, doesn't mean I don't belong. Oh, and one other thing. Grab me like that again, and I'll break every Goddamned bone in your hand."

They straightened their shirt, settled their headphones back over their ears, and continued on down the hall like nothing had happened. They ignored the comments and whispers. The gossip never bothered them. They had almost made it to their classroom when they were accosted again. A pure white rose was suddenly thrust in their face, eliciting a tiny yelp of shock.

"My dear princess, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful silver waterfall of your hair. You're not wearing the uniform, my darling, are you perhaps a new student?"

Robin snorted out a little laugh and took their sunglasses off, tucking them into their shirt pocket. They rolled their eyes at Tamaki, who still held the rose out in front of him as he bowed in a princely fashion.

"I'm neither a princess, nor your darling, Cissy. Stop acting a fool and stand up straight."

Their eyes met Kyoya's as the blonde squealed and jumped back, stumbling into his best friend. Kyoya thumped his head before he had the chance to run away to pout. He and Robin smirked slightly at each other over Tamaki's antics while he composed himself.

"Puck! You...you... You changed your hair! It's wonderful! But... Um... But... Why are you wearing a skirt?"

"It's not a skirt."

"It is, though!"

"It's a kilt, Cissy."

"But...but..."

"Go on with you, you'll be late for class."

They ignored the blonde's stammering and gave him a shove towards his own classroom. With another little eye roll, they walked into theirs, tucking their headphones away. Then immediately regretted that action. Their ears were assaulted with a variety of squeals and coos from the girls in their class. They were bombarded with comments and questions about their hair and attire, and the girls only let up when the teacher demanded silence. Thank God. Any longer, and my fecking ears would bleed.

-After school-

Robin strolled around the enormous school, wasting time until they were sure Host Club was finished for the day. They peeked into the libraries, but instantly backed away. Jesus, still too damned loud. Don't these people have homes to go to? They wandered aimlessly, enjoying the slight rhythm of their boots on the marble floors. They wondered vaguely what other sorts of clubs were going on behind some of these closed doors.

After they were certain that the "princesses" had left, they sauntered into the Third Music Room. A quick glance around proved them right; there wasn't a single yellow dress to be found. There was, however, a hyper blonde rushing at them full-speed.

"Robin-chan!"

They caught Honey with a little laugh and twirled him around for a moment before setting him back on his feet. They grinned broadly at each other.

"Hi Honey-senpai."

"Oh my gosh, Robin-chan! Your hair looks so cute!"

A slight blush crawled up their cheeks at the compliment, and they ran their hand through the silver and green locks with a small, nervous laugh.

"Thanks, senpai. I was getting tired of the black and red, thought it'd be fun to rock some Slytherin pride."

"I don't think you're a Slytherin, Robin-chan, you're too nice! You'd definitely be in Gryffindor!"

Their eyes darted around the room, the smallest bit of apprehension setting in as the others converged on their location. They didn't like the way the twins' eyes were glowing. They could almost feel the mischief the gingers were planning. Trying to ignore the troublemakers, they smiled lightly at Honey.

"That's sweet, senpai. But I think most of them get a bad rap. Sure, a lot of Dark wizards come from Slytherin, but they're not all evil. I mean, look at Draco. Poor thing never - OI! Get your paws off me, damned ginger devils!"

Hikaru and Kaoru had managed to close the distance while Robin was talking to Honey. The twins had each wrapped an arm around their waist, and leaned their heads on Robin's shoulders.

"But Puck-senpai, we just wanted to tell you..."

"...how cute you look today."

Robin gave them each a smack to the head, then disentangled themself from the duo's grasp. They glared, then simply rolled their eyes as the twins held each other and laughed. God save me from ginger twins. They sighed softly and quickly crossed themself, then attempted to fix their shirt.

"But seriously, senpai..."

"Why are you wearing a skirt?"

They wanted to bang their head against the nearest wall. It seemed like a much more pleasant idea than having this conversation again. They sighed again, forcefully.

"It's not a skirt."

"It's totally a skirt. Right, Kaoru?"

"Right, Hikaru. It looks good on you, but it's definitely a skirt."

With a quiet scream of frustration, Robin stomped over to the nearest wall and gave in, banging their head against it repeatedly. Ow. Ow. Ow. No ow. Soft. What the feck? They opened their eyes, blinking at the large hand that had suddenly appeared between their head and the wall. Their eyes traveled up the blazer-clad arm. Up, up, up. Finally, their gaze landed on the face of Mori. His face remained calm, but concern flared in his slate eyes.

"Don't hurt yourself."

They blushed again, and nodded slightly.

"Thank you, Mori-senpai."

His lips twitched in the faintest hint of a smile, and he patted their head gently. They grinned back lightly, though inwardly, they were dancing around joyfully. He smiled at me! He actually smiled at me! They cleared their throat quietly and turned back to the ginger devils.

"I'm all for wearing a skirt when the situation calls for it, but this is a kilt. Does no one in this bloody pink prison know the difference?"

"Does that mean..."

"...you like cross-dressing?"

Robin rolled their eyes at the twins. They seemed to be doing a lot of that today. They shook their head lightly.

"Who said anything about cross-dressing?"

Confused looks crossed several faces. Tamaki rushed over to add his opinion, followed quietly by Kyoya and Haruhi.

"You just said you wear skirts sometimes. Men don't wear skirts unless they're cross-dressing."

"Aye. And whoever said I was a man?"

Three jaws dropped comically, and a slight squeal of confusion was heard from Tamaki. Kyoya wore a bored expression, Haruhi looked vaguely interested, Mori's expression was stoic as ever, and Honey was grinning just a little. The twins recovered from their shock before Tamaki.

"You're a girl?"

"I never said that, either."

"What? So which is it?!"

Robin flinched at the high pitch of Tamaki's screeching. They actually took a step back, rubbing slightly at one ear.

"Christ Jesus! Are you trying to deafen me, you daft sod?"

Tamaki wasn't sure what the words meant, but the tone was unmistakable. He rushed to his corner, pouting. Honey scooted closer, worry evident in his wide eyes. He clasped their free hand in his, squeezing gently.

"Are you ok, Robin-chan?"

They offered him a small smile and squeezed back. His responding grin was bright and radiant, and their heart gave a funny little thump against their ribs.

"I'm fine, Honey-senpai. Sorry for the outburst. Always been a bit over-sensitive to high pitched noises. Shay's always saying I've got ears like a dog."

They turned their attention to the corner, where the twins had gone to torment the whining blonde. They cleared their throat quietly, making all three cease their antics and turn back. Smoothing their hands down their kilt, they were suddenly very aware that all eyes were on them.

"I suppose you're waiting on some sort of answer, hey?"

At the affirmative nods and gestures, they issued a quiet sigh. They were thankful that Honey and Mori were giving the troublesome trio looks that kept them from shouting and carrying on anymore. They cast the two a grateful little smile before taking a deep breath.

"Well, it's not like it's any great secret, lads. I suppose, if you've got to have a label, you could use 'non-binary' or 'gender-fluid.' I'm not too keen on the labels, myself."

They gave a little shrug, totally calm on the outside. But inwardly, they were quaking with apprehension. These were the first people they could call friends in Japan, and they didn't want to lose that. Especially Haruhi and their senpais. They glanced around, hoping their nervousness didn't show. Confused looks met them at every side. With a wry, slightly self-deprecating little grin, they continued.

"It just means that I don't identify as male or female. I'm just...Puck. I mean, sure, I prefer neutral pronouns and stuff, but I'm not gonna get all torqued off if someone assumes a gender for me. I don't particularly care what the general public thinks."

This was a true statement; for the most part, anyway. Robin generally wasn't bothered if someone used male or female pronouns when referring to them. They were very close to only a select few people, and those opinions were all that really mattered to them. But on the other hand, they truly wanted this odd little group to accept them. They wanted a place to finally belong.

"So that's why you weren't shocked that Haruhi's a girl?"

"And why you don't wear a uniform?"

"What do you mean, 'it's not a secret'? We all thought you were a boy! You can't just be neither, it doesn't work that way!"

They rolled their eyes at Tamaki's outburst, even as a relieved little sigh escaped their lips. They scrubbed one trembling hand down their face, willing their heartbeat back to a normal pattern. They addressed the twins' questions first, ignoring the blonde's confused, outraged spluttering.

"So Haruhi's a bit androgynous, so what? I didn't see a boy or a girl, just a cute brunette in a blue uniform. Speaking of, no. I don't wear either uniform because I'm not a fan of conformity. I've never exactly fit in a cookie-cutter world, and I'm not about to try now."

They vaguely addressed Tamaki's ranting, but not the blonde himself. They turned to Kyoya and bowed low, a slightly remorseful look on their face.

"After our little stand-off, I assumed you had given then others my medical files anyway. I figured it was common knowledge by now. I was wrong to think so poorly of you. I'm sorry for doubting you, Kyoya."

The Shadow King nudged his glasses up, concealing the shock he felt at the sincere apology. He waved his hand in dismissal and cleared his throat softly.

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not completely heartless. Though, of course, I will vehemently deny having said that."

The last of Robin's apprehension melted away in a burst of genuine laughter. They glanced around at the odd assortment of people in the room once their mirth tapered off. The twins seemed to have gotten bored already; they were sprawled on one of the plush sofas, apparently conspiring over something that was undoubtedly nefarious. Haruhi had taken full advantage of the lack of attention on herself, and was studiously bent over one of her text books. After offering Robin the tiniest hint of a genuine smile, Kyoya had gone back to his laptop. Tamaki retreated once again to his dark corner, muttering under his breath in French and pouting like a child.

Before they could spot their upperclassmen, Honey appeared beside them with a little giggle. He grabbed their hand, intent on tugging his friend over to share cakes. But the quiet yelp that fell from Robin's lips stopped him cold. His head whipped around, and his eyes filled at their pained expression. He looked down at the hand grasped in his own, letting out a shocked gasp.

"Robin-chan, what happened?"

They carefully extricated their hand from his, groaning softly. They were just surprised to have made it this long without someone noticing the livid bruises and slight abrasions. They flexed their fingers gently, wincing slightly at the soreness. They sighed and cast their eyes to the floor.

"A couple of punks thought it'd be fun to have a go at me this morning for being a freak. One of them slammed me up against a wall, so I punched him in his stupid face."

They shrugged, hoping to downplay just how intense the situation had truly been. It didn't work. Honey flung his arms around their waist with a little wail and squeezed tight. They blinked and stammered for a moment, then wrapped their arms around him and hugged back lightly. Before they could figure out how to get the shorter blonde to release them, Mori had appeared to rescue them.

He plucked Honey off his feet, easily dislodging Robin in the process. They inhaled deeply, then shot the quiet teen a grateful smile. He replied in kind, his lips curving upwards the tiniest bit before taking their injured hand in his own, causing their cheeks to color hotly. He inspected the bruised, abraded skin, eyes dark with concern.

"It's really not as bad as it looks. I swear, nothing's broken, it's just some bruising. And I doubt they'll be bothering me again. So it's nothing to worry about, aye?"

Mori was silent, but nodded after a moment. He released their hand and patted their head gently, ruffling their hair a bit. Honey whooped happily, all worries forgotten.

"Thank goodness! I'm so glad you're ok, Robin-chan! Now you can come eat cake with me and Usa-chan!"

He made sure to grab their uninjured hand this time, while they laughed joyfully at his enthusiasm. They were quickly seated between Honey and Mori, with the hyper blonde offering them massive quantities of cake. There were far too many choices, in their opinion. While they were pondering over which delectable flavor to choose, Kyoya settled into a seat across the table.

As the twins alternated between tormenting Haruhi and Tamaki in the background, Robin and Kyoya hammered out the details of Robin's involvement with the Host Club. Once everything was in order, they stayed and chatted happily with Honey and Mori, occasionally gaping in awe of the sheer number of cakes Honey could demolish in one sitting. Well, at least I'll not be bored. Not with these lads. They grinned slightly to themself. Perhaps they'd find a place to belong, after all.


AN2: And so Puck became a Host! What will their type be? Will Tamaki stop pouting anytime soon? Stay tuned!

(Puck called Tamaki "my little puppy" in Gaelic. Also, the phrase used with the thugs apparently doesn't have a literal translation, but it basically means "dickhead". )

Let me know what you think of their new hair colors! Any suggestions, constructive criticism, questions, or comments are welcome. Don't hesitate to review! I love getting feedback from Dear Reader! Until next time, poppets!