Author's note: Welcome to chapter 8, Dear Reader! I know, it's been a while. Real life tragedy halted any process for a bit. But the plot bunnies and I are back to work now! And to make up for the absence, have a relatively long chapter! (Seriously. It's about 4,800 words before adding the AN!)
Triggers: Vague mention of semi-nudity, violence, brief mention of possible abuse, and language. (As always, Puck has a potty mouth.)
If you're enjoying Puck's journey, please don't hesitate to drop me a comment or PM. The bunnies, muses, and I all ADORE feedback.
Robin had only been Hosting for a few weeks, but had settled into a fairly comfortable routine. Well, except for Tamaki's incredibly random outbursts of frivolity and well-intentioned but ignorant attempts to bond with Haruhi. They weren't the only one to get a laugh out of the little brunette constantly sending him to his corner with a few blunt words.
Hosting hours were fairly docile for a moment, so they took a minute to glance around the room. Kyoya was working diligently on his laptop, as always. Doesn't he ever take designations? Mori-senpai wiped a bit of frosting from Honey-senpai's cheek, while their group of princesses cooed and squealed delightedly. They shook their head slightly, then turned to watch Haruhi, who was carrying a tray past the twins' section. God, that silly game again. What's the point? Evidently Haruhi had the same thought. Robin was close enough to hear the exchange. And to be dragged into it, apparently.
"Who hasn't fantasized about twins?"
"I'm sure Puck-senpai agrees with us. Right, senpai?"
They barely managed to suppress the eye-roll as they stood and stretched, then strolled over. They flashed their best Roguish smile at the group before speaking.
"Sure, to a point. The thought of two lovers is so very tempting, indeed. Aye, but I prefer a bit of...variety, myself."
They offered a sly wink to the ladies gathered around, causing several to blush hotly and swoon at the innuendo. A couple of them fainted outright. Before they could add anything to hopefully cause a few more fainting spells, Tamaki rushed over and started yelling at the twins, brandishing a laptop like a weapon. Robin's jaw dropped at the picture on the screen.
Covering the home page of the Host Club's website was a picture of Haruhi and Robin. Both were topless and showing their bare backs to the camera. Haruhi's smile was small and innocent, while they were offering their usual cheeky grin. Robin knew it was a fake; there was no way they would pose for that type of photo! But...it looked so real. As Tamaki and the twins argued about the proper use of Photoshop, and Haruhi did a fabulous impression of a soulless statue, they crept forward. Inching closer, unheeding of the girls gathered around, they brushed trembling fingertips down the flawless back of the Robin in the picture.
They snapped out of their reverie a moment later, as several of the girls agreed quite loudly with Tamaki. Apparently, everyone was very keen on seeing the two newest Hosts in girls' clothes. Forcing old memories to the back of their mind, they turned back to the group crowded around them. Plastering their Rogue smile on, they spoke lightly, just a hint of playfulness coloring their words.
"Well, I can only speak for myself, of course, but I think that could be arranged, my darlings."
Squeals and shrieks of glee split the air, momentarily deafening several people in the vicinity. They grinned wryly and rubbed at their ear. Only myself to blame there. Ow.
After the guests had left for the day, Robin found themself once again sitting beside Honey and Mori. Honey had taken to setting aside a few slices of cake most days, specifically to share with the charming Irish. They had been utterly shocked, and more than a little flattered, the first few times the blonde had insisted they share. They were no longer shocked by his generosity, but they remained just as flattered. More so, to be honest, as they'd noticed he rarely shared his sweets so freely with anyone else.
As they ate, they filled Honey and Mori in on the injured fawn's progress. The sweet little thing was doing wonderfully, and was due to be released in just a couple of days, much to everyone's relief. Robin had a feeling she wouldn't go far, however; the little doe had grown rather fond of being hand-fed treats, and would nudge their hands repeatedly until she got what she wanted. They were so engrossed in their own conversation, they didn't hear the twins annoying Haruhi a short distance away. They didn't notice anything, until a door creaked open, and a new voice piped up from the darkened room beyond.
"If you like toys, you should come to my Black Magic Club. We've opened a market that boasts black magic items from across the globe. We're also holding Mass around the clock. If you visit now, I might even throw in a free curse doll, you can have Belzenef as your free gift."
Robin's jaw dropped for just a second, then they leapt to their feet and rushed over.
"Neko-senpai!"
They ground to a halt in front of the barely-opened door and grinned at the black-cloaked student peeking around the corner. They could barely discern a small, but genuine, smile being returned from the shadows of his hood.
"Ah, Puck, hello. I didn't know you had joined the Host Club. It does seem to suit you, so I shouldn't be surprised."
Their little grin turned feral, as they were all set to fluster their shy senpai with a little shameless flirting. But a shiver of apprehension ran down their spine, causing them to whip around to find the danger. Which turned out to be the twins, clutching flashlights and wearing positively evil smiles.
"Supposedly, he hates bright lights. Wonder what he'll think of this?"
Before the ginger devils could do anything, Robin stormed over and wrenched the flashlights from their grasps.
"Don't even think about it, demon spawn! How dare you try to do something so cruel?!"
"Aw, come on, senpai..."
"...it's just a little light."
A low growl sounded from Robin's throat as they glared at the duo. They had to remind themself that the twins weren't really hateful, just mischievous and ill-informed. They took a single deep breath to calm themself before speaking again.
"It isn't 'just a little light' to Nekozawa-senpai. He has Heliophobia. If you were to shine those lights at him, you could cause a massive panic attack that just might send him to the hospital."
"Heliophobia?"
"What's that?"
They glanced around, but Nekozawa had disappeared already. They sighed softly and rubbed their temple; another headache was starting to form. The twins didn't seem remorseful in the slightest, but they did seem interested in a non-nefarious way.
"It's a severe fear of the Sun and other bright lights. Neko-senpai doesn't stay in the dark to keep up his Black Magic image. He's honestly terrified of bright lights. His phobia is so bad, being outside without his cloak causes him actual, physical pain."
"How do you know all that, Robin-chan?"
They turned back to where Honey and Mori sat, noting Honey's bright caramel eyes were wide with shock and interest. They offered a little smile and a shrug.
"Before I joined you lads, I wandered a bit, just looking around. Quite literally stumbled into Neko-senpai's club one day. I swear, some of the doors around here disappear when you're not looking directly at them, and reappear somewhere else. Feels like Hogwarts, some days."
Honey nodded and giggled, and there were murmured agreements from several others. Robin took their seat again, hiking one foot onto the chair and wrapping their arms around their knee. They rested their cheek against the rough denim, gazing around at the group.
"Neko-senpai is actually really cool, he's just totally shy. I think he's got some social anxiety or something, too. Probably why he's always got Belzenef with him; it's easier to let the puppet do the talking. Anyway. My point is, don't torment him, devil twins."
The twins booed for a moment, then seemed to get utterly bored with the subject. The duo turned to Haruhi and began to pester her mercilessly. They apparently wanted to visit her house, and she refused. They refused to give up, and decided to play the "Which One Is Hikaru" game. Haruhi's instant correct answer flustered them, even more so when she gave concrete reasons for her choice. It seems no one had been able to tell the two apart before she came into their lives.
Haruhi's answer had another effect on the twins. Much to the shock of the assembled group, the inseparable twins started fighting. Vehemently, and without stop. Robin had seen their twin and triplet cousins 'fighting' the same way, and simply rolled their eyes at the display.
The next day saw more of the same. They heard the gossip all morning, and were completely bored with it by lunchtime. They met up with the rest of the group as everyone headed into the refectory. The sight before them stopped them in their tracks, however. The twins were still fighting, throwing things and shouting at each other. But they had gone so far as to change their hair colors, simply to be distinguishable from each other. Robin blinked twice at the chaos, swiftly crossed themself, and walked away. Those two do my fecking head in. I can't deal with this right now.
After school, things were no better. The Third Music Room was in shambles. Tamaki was at his wits' end.
"Don't you guys think that maybe, it's time to give up all this fighting? It's driving me insane!"
"What'd you say? It's driving you insane? You've got to be kidding me! How do you think I feel right now? Every time I look in the mirror, I see his face! I'm sick and tired of constantly being mistaken for you, Kaoru! The truth is, I hate your guts!"
Whoa. That was harsh. Robin blinked in shock at Hikaru's words. Staged or not, there was a small grain of truth to parts of that little speech. They watched in silence as Kaoru produced a wooden Belzenef curse doll, then a slight grin as Haruhi got fed up and started yelling. But oh no, Haruhi made a fatal mistake. She fell right into the twins' trap.
"So then what you're saying is, if we make up, we can come over to your place?"
Identical devilish grins stretched across their faces, reminding Robin of a pair of Cheshire cats. A quiet groan fell from the lips of the Irish, and they raised a hand to rub their pale forehead lightly.
"Twins with too much time on their hands are the devil."
My sentiments exactly, Cissy. They were sorely tempted to smack the duo, but Haruhi already had. Instead, they shrugged, patted the shell-shocked brunette on the head, and left, hoping to find solace elsewhere. As they passed the twins, however, they paused just long enough to offer Hikaru a quiet statement.
"Pink suits you, y'know. Cute."
As the temporarily-not-ginger devil gaped in shock and blushed slightly, Robin winked and grinned in a sly way. They left the room to the sounds of Hikaru stammering and Kaoru's laughter.
-Saturday, a week later-
Robin groaned and rubbed their eye, then cursed emphatically. They lay sprawled on the floor, panting and covered in sweat. Everything hurt, and they briefly wondered why they bothered to keep putting their body through such punishment. Before they could think of a satisfactory answer, a large hand was thrust into their field of vision.
"Up you get, little bird."
They glared up at Seamus, but took the offered hand anyway. With an annoyed grunt, they were hauled to their feet, where they swayed momentarily. Seamus immediately released their hand and gripped their shoulders instead, holding firmly until his sibling regained their balance. They closed their eyes, waiting for the world to stop spinning and right itself again.
"Yep. Overdid it, just like I thought."
A distressed sound from their brother made them open their eyes, then sigh quietly. Before he could say anything, they shook their head slightly and spoke again.
"I'll be fine. Just a bit dizzy, that's all."
"You shouldn't push yourself so hard, Robin."
The worry in his voice caused them to wince, guilt seeping in. They took a step closer and dropped their head onto his shoulder. Their voice was quiet and resigned.
"I have to, Shay. I have to get stronger. And I have to do it on my own, since I refuse to go back to Arsehole-sensei."
Light laughter met their words, though it was tinged with anger. Despite Robin being covered in sweat, Seamus wrapped his arms around them and held tight for a moment.
"You know I never try to tell you what you can and can't do. But I would have, this time. If you hadn't quit on your own, I was going to drag you out of there. Todoroki is a heartless fecking bastard, and you could have been seriously injured."
"I know, I know. But I wasn't. I'm alright, really."
They hugged him tight and nuzzled his shoulder lightly. Seamus trembled faintly, anger rising again as he recalled the incident that had caused his sibling to quit their most recent dojo.
-Flashback-
Robin lay on the floor, clutching their abdomen and praying fervently that they wouldn't vomit. Pain racked their whole body, but that last kick was the clincher. They wouldn't be sparring again for a while. They curled into a ball, trying to make themself as small as possible. Harsh laughter rang through the dojo.
"Stay down. You aren't worth the trouble you've caused. You're pathetic. I must have had a temporary bout of insanity when I accepted a little freak like you."
Todoroki-sensei scoffed and turned his back, stalking across the room to where the other students had gathered to watch. The laughter and congratulations clawed at Robin's ears, intensifying their anxiety. And their determination.
They carefully unfurled themself from the protective ball they'd been in. Gritting their teeth, they struggled to their feet, then swayed for just a moment. They rose to their full -admittedly, not intimidating- height and held their head high. They straightened their gi, ignoring the tiny flecks of red around the collar, and readjusted the belt around their waist. They cleared their throat quietly and swiped their hand across their face, wiping away a bit of blood from their lip. When they spoke, their voice was clear and strong.
"You're the pathetic one. You're nothing but a childish bully in an adult body. You don't deserve your title or your belt, and you certainly don't deserve my patronage. Téigh go dtí ifreann, cúl tóna."
They turned on their heel and strode to the door, ignoring the angry shouting of their former sensei.
-End flashback-
"It's just a few bruises, Shay. They'll heal."
"I know, little bird. I just worry."
"You worry too much sometimes."
"Well, someone has to."
Robin pulled away from the hug and grinned up at him. The pair were quiet for just a moment, then Seamus smiled back and patted them on the head. And immediately let out a disgusted sound, wiping his hand on his trousers.
"Eww, you're all sweaty."
They burst into bright laughter at his affronted tone, then shook their head, causing their ponytail to swing around and smack him in the face. A sound very like a squeal escaped his lips, and he swatted the offensive hair away.
"Gross! What is wrong with you?"
"Aw, you know you love me, big brother!"
"Well, someone has to."
-A few days later-
Haruhi and Robin walked past the gates to Ouran and started down the sidewalk, chatting amiably. Before they could go far, a pair of arms encircled them both.
"Targets captured!"
"Sort of, anyway."
Robin squawked in pain and indignation and fought their way free of the laughing twin. They glared lightly, but didn't get a chance to scold the gingers. A limo pulled up beside them, and Tamaki's grinning face appeared as the window came down.
"Excellent. Take them with you."
There was no time to argue, for the twins manhandled the shocked duo into another waiting limo amid more laughter. Robin groaned and rubbed their forehead, resigning themself to whatever shenanigans the Hosts had planned. They rifled through their bag for their phone, content to go along with the mischief just so long as Seamus was made aware. They didn't want him to have any extra worry.
Finishing up the quick text, they shoved the phone back in their bag and stretched out in their seat with a little sigh. Haruhi, for her part, seemed to deflate, staring blankly out the window. Not surprising, as Robin had already lost count of the number of brainless schemes Tamaki and the twins had come up with so far. It really was easier to just go with it.
A little while later, they found themself being herded toward a public restroom in some sort of water park. Haruhi resisted adamantly, dragging her feet. But to no avail. The twins overpowered the little brunette and handed her off to... another set of twins. The identical females were dressed in stereotypical maid uniforms, and held malicious intent in their eyes.
"What do you ginger devils think you're doing this time?"
"Aw, it's ok, Puck-senpai."
"We brought stuff from our mom's swim wear line for you and Haruhi."
Haruhi squeaked and redoubled her efforts to get away. But the new twins had her in iron grips, and dragged her between the racks of swimsuits, offering wild suggestions. Robin turned back to the redheads. Kaoru patted their arm and offered a genuine smile.
"We weren't sure what you'd want to wear, senpai. There's male and female stuff in there."
They were touched. Maybe the twins weren't such devils, after all. They smiled back just a little.
"That was sweet, thanks."
They bumped his shoulder with theirs as they walked past. After making sure Haruhi was decent, they strolled in and wandered through the racks, debating. They finally decided on something and dashed into a cubicle to change, selfishly leaving Haruhi to be manhandled into her own swim wear by the twin maids. When they finally made their way back out, she was waiting by the door, fidgeting and plucking at the fabric of her one-piece nervously.
"Jay-zus, Haru, can you get any cuter? My poor heart!"
Haruhi blushed faintly, then rolled her eyes at her senpai's wicked grin. Robin patted the brunette's shoulder, then linked arms with her and dragged her out to show the twins. Haruhi's outfit was pink with red stripes, wide shoulder straps, and a pretty little ruffled skirt, topped off with a matching swim cap.
Robin, on the other hand, went with a masculine outfit, sticking to black swim trunks and a purple Hawaiian themed shirt. They had liked some of the girly swimsuits, but there was no way they would show that much skin. At least until the bruises healed. They grinned at the twins -and Tamaki, who had appeared while they were changing- and laughed at the awe-struck looks.
"Isn't our little kitten just too adorable?"
The twins were all set to compliment and flirt with the brunette, but Tamaki had other plans. The blonde was bright red, and roughly thrust a yellow pullover at Haruhi.
"Put it on."
Robin rolled their eyes as he went into a miniature rant. Something about young ladies not showing that much skin. They ignored him and wandered off to explore, only to be confronted by Honey and Mori.
"Robin-chan! I've never seen you wear purple before, you look cute! Wanna swim with me and Takashi?"
They smiled lightly at their senpais, even as they struggled to keep their composure. Even with the cute pink floaty covered in bunnies, there was no denying Honey's toned physique was every bit as impressive as Mori's. Keep it together. You've seen bare chests before, knock it off. A very slight blush crept up their cheeks anyway.
"Thanks, Honey-senpai. But I don't really feel like swimming right now. Thought I'd just lounge a bit."
Honey pouted momentarily, then brightened and offered another blinding grin.
"Ok! We can share some cake later though, right?"
"Of course, senpai. Later."
They ruffled his hair and gave him a playful nudge toward the current pool before he could think of tackling them in one of his tight hugs. A quiet sound from Mori caused them to look up. And up, up, up. Sometimes they forgot just how tall he was. Uh oh. The look in his slate eyes was calculating, and just a little concerned. He raised a questioning eyebrow, obviously noticing their avoidance. They smiled up at their quiet senpai and gave a little shrug. I'm alright, please don't ask. He stared for just a moment, then nodded and patted their head gently.
While the two upperclassmen showed off their swimming prowess, Robin flopped gracelessly into a lounge chair beside Kyoya. They could hear Haruhi complaining to Tamaki, fretting over her studying and laundry. Then she turned and asked Kyoya why his family owned a water park, when they where focused on the medical business. Kyoya launched into what Robin thought sounded like an advertisement for the place, something about busy people needing relaxation and not being able to fly to tropical destinations. They stifled a yawn, bored with the whole thing. Which grew worse when Tamaki devolved into some delusion about being soldiers on holiday.
The twins tried to get Robin and Haruhi to check out the water slides on the opposite side of the pool, but Robin was quite comfortable. Haruhi refused on principle; she didn't want to be there in the first place. The ginger duo finally gave up and pulled out water guns instead. They tricked Tamaki into playing with them by suggesting Haruhi marry both of them, then detailing their honeymoon plans.
"Daddy says no!"
Robin snorted inelegantly, rolling their eyes. They fished a well-worn paperback from their bag and settled in to read for a bit. It was one of their favorite books, but it was no competition for the distracting sights, unfortunately. Bi-colored eyes kept skipping from the pages to their club mates. And if their eyes stayed too long on a certain pair, well... It's not like anyone was paying any attention to Robin, anyway.
Apprehension raced up their spine a second before the sound of tinkling glass hit their ears. Their head whipped up just in time to see a huge wave descend on Honey, who was all alone in the current pool. They leapt to their feet with a startled cry, but it was too late. Honey was swept away.
In the following moments, everyone rushed to follow Honey, but they were blocked on all sides. By alligators, of all things. Robin was highly tempted to throttle Kyoya when he grinned and thanked them for all the data he was able to accumulate. A low growl from the Irish had him taking a step back. Eventually, they were able to find a clear path, and started forward again.
Only to be stopped by a sudden downpour. "The squall," Kyoya called it. They weren't about to let that stop them, but Mori had other ideas. His large hand snaked out and clamped onto their wrist gently, dragging them into a convenient little hut with everyone else.
"Let go, Mori-senpai! It's just some rain, and Honey-senpai's all alone out there!"
"Honey-senpai's stronger than you might think, Puck-senpai."
Haruhi's calm manner did nothing to ease their nerves. They were just about to demand their release again, when they got a good look at their quieter-than-usual senpai. His usually stoic expression was barely held in place, worry peeking out through the cracks. They sighed softly and patted his hand, still holding their wrist lightly. Something in his eyes lightened at their little smile, and he nodded, finally letting go and patting their head instead.
"Wait 'til the rain stops. Mitsukuni would be sad if you got sick."
Heat rushed to their cheeks and they glanced down at their feet to avoid his gaze. They were spared replying when Haruhi laid her hand on his arm and spoke quietly.
"He's tough, Mori-senpai. I'm sure he's fine."
"You're right."
The little smile he offered to the brunette caused something unpleasant to waken in their chest. But whatever negative thing it might have become was squashed by Tamaki's inane squeal.
"Don't tell me Mori-senpai's out for my spot as Haruhi's daddy?!"
They could hear the twins mocking him, but they were in no state to join in. They were too busy trying to keep the sudden onslaught of perverted thoughts from running through their mind. They briefly considered banging their head against a handy post. But then they noticed that the rain had stopped. Finally!
Mori was already on the trail, and they dashed to catch up. Hopping over bugs and a few snakes, they hurried to join him. They weren't about to let him go alone. Mori-senpai got clumsy when he was worried. They were too busy watching him, and tripped over a badly-placed tree root. They were vaguely grateful that the rain had loosened the soil; their face wasn't injured in the fall. Their ankle, on the other hand, had twisted painfully.
"Robin."
They looked up and took the proffered hand. With Mori's help, they hauled themself to their feet. Only to let out a little whimper and nearly fall again. They were saved from a second face-plant as Mori caught them easily. He swiftly gathered the silver-haired youth in his arms, much to their chagrin. They blushed again, embarrassed, but also more than a little pleased at the action.
"I'm alright, senpai. You don't need to carry me."
"Walking will make your ankle worse."
"Yeah, but-"
"No."
They huffed and rolled their eyes for form. But then they smiled lightly and looped their arms around his neck, content with their token protest. They tried really hard not to think about just how good it felt to be cradled in Mori's strong embrace. They spoke quietly, no hint of playfulness or mischief in their voice.
"Thank you, senpai."
He hummed quietly in acknowledgment, the sound doing something very funny to their heartbeat. The rest of their search was relatively quiet, neither feeling the need to speak. Until an unfortunately familiar sound reached Robin's ears, accompanied by a tremor that had nothing to do with their close proximity to their senpai's bare chest.
"Um. Mori-senpai, did you just hear guns being cocked?"
Before he could reply, they were surrounded by what appeared to be a full SWAT team. Complete with guns. Guns that were trained on Robin and Mori.
"The target has been captured by a suspicious man. We'll take the target into custody."
"Target? Oi, Mori's not suspicious, you arseholes!"
One of the men grabbed Robin's arm and tried to tug them away, but Mori sent him flying effortlessly, keeping a sure grip on them the whole time. Before they could do more than whimper, the guns were trained again. Their heart sank.
"Takashi, Robin-chan, out of the way!"
Honey came flying out of the trees like Tarzan, and had the entire squadron neutralized within seconds. Robin's jaw dropped in awe as they watched, even as their heart leapt into their throat.
"Holy fecking hell."
While they were trying to catch their breath and reorder their thought process, the rest of the Hosts showed up. The twins marveled at Honey's restraint, noting that all of the strange men were still alive. At Haruhi's extreme confusion, the group detailed Honey and Mori's martial arts prowess, shocking the brunette almost catatonic.
As that was happening, the men regained consciousness, and every one fell to their knees before Honey. After apologizing profusely, several spoke up, mentioning the dojos they trained at and beaming happily that they got to meet "the great Haninozuka". One in particular caught Robin's attention, and they made a disgusted sound. Thankfully, no one but Mori heard it, and he didn't say anything. They couldn't be certain, but they thought maybe his grasp tightened just the slightest bit. But then they noticed that Honey was tugging on his arm, and discarded the notion. Of course it was only because he didn't want to drop them as he bent to let Honey pat his head.
"You did a great job protecting Robin-chan, Takashi! I bet you were pretty lonely without me, huh?"
"...I don't know if I'd say that..."
The blonde's grin was radiant. And just a little smug. Robin wondered just what that was about. But they had bigger things to worry about. Namely, Mori still refused to let them walk, even though everyone was heading back to the limos to go home. They tried to argue, but a particularly nasty twinge made them grit their teeth. With a little sigh, they gave up the fight completely. They yawned quietly and lay their head on Mori's broad shoulder, only halfway listening as the others discussed the possibility of going to the beach next.
AN2: Ok, so I kind of glossed over the twins' fight just a little. Puck's used to that sort of thing, some of their Irish cousins do the same thing. And you might've noticed I completely skipped over the episode with Shiro Takaoji, the gradeschool boy who wants to woo his little classmate. I just...can't stand that kid. He's a brat. *Shrug* Since that whole thing never happened in this universe, Renge had no need to show up at the water park to explain Honey-senpai's calculated cuteness.
Also, "Téigh go dtí ifreann, cúl tóna" is a new phrase, yay! Puck is definitely NOT flirting here. As we know from earlier chapters, "cúl tóna" means "dickhead." And the beginning of that sentence is quite literally, "Go to hell." So there we have it! Until next time, poppets!
