A Refreshing Swim
A Princess Tutu fanfic by Klondike Aura
Water splashes up everywhere, threatening to spoil Rue's fine gown.
"Come on, Rue!" Duck calls from her spot in the picturesque lake. "The water's so cold and clear!"
"I'm perfectly fine here," she replies from the shore.
The summer sun burns brightly in the sky of Siegfried's kingdom, trying to beat through Rue's shady hat and parasol. Duck, who had never heard of anyone in a story getting sunburned, is almost completely exposed to the elements. She frolics in the crystalline pool, the loose strands of her wet, pinned-back hair sticking to her forehead and her light undergarments clinging to her body.
But Rue's formal garments weigh heavier and feel more stifling as she continues to watch Duck play. Somehow the typically ungainly girl was almost graceful. It's easy to see her roots in the water; she seamlessly belongs.
Rue presses her lips together and gulps, suddenly bothered.
"Ruuuuuuue!" Duck whines. "Come play with me!"
"Princesses don't play."
"But you're still Rue and Rue can play!"
"I can't while I'm a princess."
"Then what's making you a princess now?"
But before Rue could answer, Duck grins wide and runs over to the shore. The girl grabs the princess's skirt and begins to tug.
"What are you doing?!"
"If you're not dressed like a princess, then you can be Rue!"
"What?!" Rue cries out, taking her skirt back.
"Here, you can just go down to this," Duck explains, tugging at the nearly-translucent fabric hugging her form.
Rue can feel her cheeks flush, the lake looking more and more inviting (and more and more like it might relieve her of this strange heat not at all related to the weather) with every passing second.
"All right," she finally relents to Duck's delight.
In a unconsciously smooth gesture, Rue reaches the back of her dress and tries to undo the small pearl buttons along her spine. But once she reaches the odd part between her neck and her lower back, she can't quite work the buttons.
"Do you need some help?" Duck asks.
"I can do it myself."
"But it's faster if I help," she insists, her fumbling fingers running into Rue's as she reaches to help undress her.
The princess, for her part, is so startled that she jerks her hands back and puts them in her lap. She hopes Duck didn't hear her suck in that tiny gasp at the feather-soft touch.
"Everything's so tight, Rue," Duck complains.
"Mm," Rue briefly hums with a slight nod.
Soon Duck's hands are on Rue's bare skin, stripping her of the regal dress and leaving her in surprisingly simple undergarments. The girl can't remember ever seeing so much of Rue before now. She always knew the princess was pretty but even her skin was so soft and beautifully pale no matter how much was revealed. She shakes her head, glad that Rue can't see, and wonders where these strange thoughts came from.
"Now we can go play!" Duck insists, grabbing Rue's hand and pulling her towards the water.
"No, wait!" Rue says even as she's dragged along.
But the warning goes unheeded and Rue ends up losing her balance, tumbling into Duck and sending both girls into the lake.
"Isn't this much better?" Duck asks when they surface.
Once Rue finishes sputtering and gets her sopping hair out of her eyes, she can't resist laughing at Duck's eager face.
"Yes, it is," Rue assures her at Duck's pout. "This is much better."
Author's Notes: Another little story to pass the time while I wait for my brain to kick into Variations gear again. More is to come, as things are about to jump into a new section. In the meantime, have some Rue and Duck fluff.