Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu.

Duck trudged into Fakir's room and plopped down next to him on his bed.

He glanced over at her warily. "What are you doing here?"

Duck shrugged, then buried her face in her hands. "What are we going to do, Fakir? There's something seriously wrong with Mytho."

Fakir sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair. "I don't know."

"Do you think it's because of me? Because I won't tell him," she hesitated, "how I feel?"

"Don't be stupid," Fakir snapped. "You can't tell him."

"There are so many things that I can't tell him." Duck twisted her pendant around her fingers. "He only-only cares about me as Princess Tutu. He doesn't care about me as a student," her voice faded to a whisper, "or as a duck."

Fakir took her hands between his. "Knowing what you are hasn't changed my opinion of you."

Duck's eyes filled with tears. "Fakir," she whispered.

"I care about you, Duck. As everything you are."

"Fakir," Duck's tear coated cheeks grew pink, "would you hold me?"

He smiled gently at her. "I'll do better than that. I'll dance with you." He stood and held his hand out to her.

"You know I'm a terrible dancer like this," she said as she gestured to her current form.

"You'll be fine. Come on."

Duck took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. Her knees were trembling. Fakir led her through an unfamiliar dance, but was a stronger leader than Mytho. The hands on her waist were bigger, warmer. When he lifted her she felt weightless. She leaned back against his broad chest and he whispered her name in her ear.

Shivers ran down her spine and she melted into his arms. She danced like she'd never danced before, not even as Princess Tutu. Without the magic, her muscles ached and her breathing grew harsh, but she was graceful, and her movements were full of passion.

The dance ended, and they stood, both panting, their faces inches away from each other. Duck stared into his green eyes and gently traced his cheekbone with her fingertips. His skin was damp with sweat.

"Oh, Duck," he whispered, "I-Mytho!" He pushed her away and she tumbled onto the bed.

Mytho stood in the doorway, smiling. He looked from one of them to the other. "My, my, Fakir," he crooned, "Are you giving little Duck remedial lessons?" He sneered at Duck. "That's thoughtful of you. She definitely needs them."

Duck's eyes filled with tears, and Fakir stepped forward, his fists clenched. "You have no right to be cruel to her."

A look of remorse flashed across Mytho's face, then vanished beneath a smug grin. "Since when did you care about her feelings, Fakir?"

Duck stood and put her hand on Fakir's shoulder. She didn't want him starting a fist fight with Mytho, even though his protective actions made butterflies dance in her stomach. "It's okay. I'm going to go." She walked past Mytho, careful not to look at him.

She closed the door to their room behind her and leaned against it. She bit her fingers, feeling worried and thoughtful, and tasted Fakir's sweat.

#

Fakir knew that he should be thinking about Mytho. He needed to figure out what was wrong with his friend, and how to fix him.

But all he could think about was Duck. Duck's big blue eyes, her long soft hair. Her smell, like strawberries and sunshine and fresh hay. Her warm silky skin, her slim waist between his hands. Her fingertips on his cheek, her arms around his neck. Her lips, pressing against his.

He stared down at the book in his hands, but he didn't see it. Why had Mytho come in at just that moment? Why had he pushed Duck away? How could he be such an idiot?

Maybe Duck's rubbing off on me, he thought with a rueful grin.

Kraehe appeared in the window and taunted him, laughing like the monster she was, then she left him alone.

Kraehe had put Raven's blood on the heartshard. Poor Mytho.

Fakir stared back at the book in his hands. How could he break the news to Duck? He shook his head. He couldn't. He couldn't tell Duck. She'd blame herself, the moron. He had to fix this on his own.

#

Duck hadn't slept well. She'd tossed and turned all night, thinking about Mytho. And Fakir. Well, mostly about Fakir. But when she approached him before class this morning, he'd been his old self. Cool and distant. Not like he was yesterday. She was still surprised every time that he smiled at her, every time he let his kind heart show. But today, when he'd refused to meet her eyes it hurt like never before.

Had she done something wrong? Or did he just not want to acknowledge their friendship in front of the other students? Was she not good enough to be his friend in public?

The thought made her angry, and she brooded instead of paying attention to Mr. Cat.

"Miss Duck! Did you hear me?"

Duck looked up, blinked, then shook her head.

"Pick a partner! Unless you dance a flawless Pas de Deux, I'll have you marry me!"

Lillie and Pique gasped and whispered in her ear, "You're in trouble now, Duck!" and "Oooh, are you going to pick Mytho?"

Duck looked across the room at Mytho's cold eyes and shuddered. She didn't want to dance with him. Her heart fluttered. There was one person she really did long to dance with again. She stood up slowly and reached out her hand to him.

#

Fakir scowled. Duck wasn't paying attention in class again. She was staring at the floor.

No, he realized. She was glaring at the floor. What was she thinking about? She'd walked up to him before class as her normal bubbly self. He had avoided talking to her. He hated having a secret from her, especially since he was the only person that she'd trusted with her secret. The only one. That thought almost made him smile.

Was she angry with him for ignoring her?

His scowl deepened. Let her be angry. It was better than how upset she'd be if she found out what was wrong with Mytho.

She looked like an idiot when she glared. And she was scowling a little too. Ridiculous.

He wanted to kiss the corners of her mouth until she smiled. And then keep kissing her. Possibly forever.

He jumped when Mr. Cat screeched. Duck looked up and blinked. Fakir's heart ached when he saw the pain behind the anger in her eyes. Mr. Cat told her to pick a partner, and as her silly friends whispered at her, her eyes flickered to Mytho.

Fakir's heart sank. She still loved Mytho, even when he was full of raven blood. Fine. Let her dance with him. Let her love him. It didn't matter. She was just a stupid girl. Not even a girl. She was just a duck.

Fakir instantly felt guilty at the thought. It wasn't fair, and what's more, it wasn't true. Duck wasn't "just" anything. Not to him.

She stood, surprisingly graceful, and extended her hand to him. Fakir stared at her in shock.

"Dance with me, Fakir." Her voice was gentle, but it was a command, not a request.

She'd picked him. His Duck had picked him over Mytho!

His Duck? Fakir's stomach flip flopped in his belly. When had she become his Duck? He actually trembled when he took her hand. She squeezed his fingers gently and smiled at him.

He was completely in love with her.

"Come on, Fakir. I don't want to have to marry Mr. Cat."

She melted into his arms, just like yesterday. Fakir let the music sweep him away. He forgot about the class, about Mr. Cat, about Mytho and the story of The Prince and the Raven. All that existed for him was Duck.

He couldn't remember ever being so happy.

The music ended, and he and Duck stood together, grinning at each other.

She was so beautiful and brave and sweet. And she'd picked him. He looked into her deep blue eyes and started to lean down toward her.

Mr. Cat cleared his throat, and both of them jumped. "Very good. I suppose you won't have to marry me after all, Miss Duck."

A scattering of stunned applause broke out around them. Duck blushed deep crimson and hurried back to her seat. Halfway there, she stumbled and fell to the floor with a painful thunk.

She gasped in pain. "My ankle," she whimpered.

"I can take her to her room," Mytho stood up and walked toward the fallen girl. Cold hunger lurked behind his eyes.

Fear shot through Fakir. What if Mytho tried to steal Duck's heart? He couldn't let him take her. She wasn't safe with him. Not now. He stepped between them. "That's okay. I'll take her."

"Let Sir Mytho take her, Fakir," Mr. Cat commanded.

Fakir's hands curled into fists at the thought of Mytho's arms around his Duck. He really didn't want Mytho touching her, period. Ever. Especially not now, when she was injured. He looked down at Duck. She stared back up at him, her big eyes pleading. She looked so afraid and helpless. She mouthed the words, "Don't let him take me."

Fakir ignored Mr. Cat and Mytho as both cried out in anger. He gathered Duck into his arms and carried her out.

#

Duck's ankle throbbed. She gritted her teeth to keep from whimpering, and she buried her face in Fakir's chest. She could feel his heart beating. The sound soothed her, helped her forget the horrible look in Mytho's eyes. She wrapped her arms around Fakir's neck. "Thank you," she murmured into his shirt.

"Idiot. Why did you have to go and fall like that?"

"I didn't mean to! Why are you always so mean?" Duck blinked back her tears. He really was just a jerk.

But he was her jerk. The thought made Duck blush.

"Where's your room?" Fakir asked.

Duck blushed brighter at the thought of him in her room. Of course, she'd been in his room before. On his bed. Her heart raced.

"Hey. Idiot. I need directions."

Duck laughed at his exasperated tone. "Go up the stairs."

"All the way up?"

"Yeah," Duck said.

"They keep you in the attic?" Fakir was starting to breathe a little faster as he climbed. "With all of these damn stairs, it's no wonder you're always late."

Duck laughed. "You're just out of shape."

"Hey! I am not. You're heavier than you look."

He dumped her on the bed and she cried out in pain.

Fakir's face went bone white. "Your ankle. I'm sorry! I'm an idiot."

Duck laughed through her pain. She wiped her eyes. "So we're both idiots?"

Fakir ignored her comment and refused to look at her. "You need to elevate that. And put ice on it. I'll go get ice. And pillows." He practically sprinted out of the room.

Duck looked down at her ankle. It was swelling. She poked it and winced.

Fakir came in with the ice and pillows. "Stop that. Let me see it." His fingers were incredibly gentle as he bundled the ice around her ankle and propped it up on the pillows. "There. That should help." he stood up and looked around. "I guess I should let you rest."

"Please stay." Duck blushed. She sounded so bold! But she didn't want to be alone.

"What? I can't stay here. It's your bedroom!"

"Please, Fakir." She held her hands out to him. "Don't leave me."

#

Duck held her hands out to him. "Don't leave me."

His heart raced. He should go. He needed to find a way to cure Mytho and defeat the Raven. He needed to get back to class.

He needed her. He stepped forward and took her hands. She pulled him onto the bed next to her, then wriggled around till her head was resting in his lap.

Fakir's cheeks grew uncomfortably hot.

She snuggled into him. "I didn't sleep well last night." Her voice was soft and dreamy. "Will you be angry if I fall asleep?"

Fakir traced her eyebrow. "No, I won't." Fakir wasn't sure it was even possible to be angry with her when she was sleepy. She was so adorable.

Duck's breathing grew deep and easy. Fakir bent down and kissed her forehead. "My Duck," he whispered.

Duck stirred in her sleep and murmured, "My knight."

#

Duck woke slowly. She felt warm and safe. Her pillow moved beneath her head, and she looked up to see Fakir smiling down at her. She quacked in surprise, transformed into a duck, and tumbled off the bed.

Fakir started to laugh. Duck liked to see him looking so happy. He seemed to be happy much more often now. He'd grinned at her during class, before she fell. And now he was actually laughing. "How's the ankle?"

Duck picked up a webbed foot and rotated it. "It's better." The words came out as a quack, but Fakir nodded as if he understood.

"Good."

Duck waddled over to her water pitcher and upended it over herself. She turned around as a girl to see Fakir staring at the floor. His cheeks were bright red.

Duck started grinning. She wasn't sure why, but it made her happy to make him blush. She pulled on her nightgown. "You can look now."

Fakir looked at her. "You should have warned me."

Duck realized that she didn't mind the thought of Fakir looking at her, and her own cheeks grew hot. What was she thinking? She loved Mytho. She shouldn't want Fakir to look at her. Or dance with her, or hold her, or kiss her.

But she did want those things.

The realization made her dizzy, and she swayed on her feet. In an instant, Fakir was at her side, his arm around her, steadying her. "What's wrong? Is it your ankle?"

"No. It's-it's you," Duck whispered.

"Me?" Fakir stepped away from her. "What did I do?" He took another step back. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Fakir. You didn't do anything wrong." Duck stepped forward and reached for his hands. Could she tell him? Should she? She didn't have any other secrets from him. Fakir. Her knight. He'd changed so much since the first time she met him. But then, she'd changed, too. Her feelings had changed, and he had a right to know about them. She took a deep breath, then she took another step forward. "I don't want to have any secrets between us, so I have something I have to tell you."

Duck's heart pounded so hard she was afraid it would burst through her chest. What if he didn't feel the same way? What if telling him destroyed their friendship? Or their alliance to help Mytho? Was she putting the prince into even greater danger?

And of course Fakir wouldn't feel the same way about her. She was just a duck, and he knew it.

But he deserved to know, and he was the only person that she could actually communicate her feelings to in words. "I think I'm falling in love with you." She meant to stop there, but words kept tumbling from her lips. "I know that I'm just a duck, but you did say that that didn't matter to you. And I know that I'm supposed to love Mytho, and I do, but I think I love you differently. He's almost like a brother, but you-you aren't."

Fakir's intense green eyes blazed as he stepped closer to her. "I don't deserve your love. I'm useless at everything. And I keep secrets from you."

Duck curled her hands into fists and pounded softly on his chest. She was angry and hurt, and her chest ached so much that she thought her heart might actually break. "I didn't expect you to feel the same way. I just wanted-"

Fakir interrupted her by grabbing her roughly and slamming his lips into hers.

Duck stiffened in surprise, then kissed him back. It wasn't anything like she imagined a kiss to be. It wasn't gentle and warm and soft. It was angry and hot and hard. She curled her fingers into his hair.

Then, the anger started to drain away, and his lips did grow gentle and soft. Their lips parted, and she whispered his name.

"I didn't say I didn't love you. I said I didn't deserve you," Fakir growled.

Duck's emotions whirled and crashed in her chest. She started laughing and threw her arms around his neck. "You love me?"

"Of course I do, idiot."

#

Fakir saw Duck on the bottom of the dark lake and called her name. She looked up at him and smiled through her tears, then her face crumpled again.

"Fakir! The pendant won't come off! It's because I don't want the story to end! It's all my fault!"

He reached for her hand. "It's not just you. Everyone's scared of returning to their true selves. They've become accustomed to their roles in the story. Mytho is the only one who really wants the story to end, and I still can't write his story." Fakir pulled Duck onto her feet. "The real you is a duck, and the real me has been protected by others since I was a child. But even if that is my true form, I want the story to end."

"But I want to stay a girl so I can be with you!" Duck cried as Fakir started to lead her in a Pas de Deux.

"I'll write us our own story. One that Drosselmeyer has no hand in. Our own happy ending."

"You can make me a girl again after the story ends?" Duck's hopeful look made Fakir smile.

He nodded, trying to project confidence as lifted Duck into his arms. "If he could, I should be able to. And even if I fail, even if you stay a duck, I'll still love you. I'll always be by your side. I promise that I'll stay with you forever."

#

This is set after the final episode. Rue and Mytho are back in the story and Fakir has finished writing The Prince and the Raven, and Duck is still a duck.

Duck looked pointedly at the blank pages on Fakir's desk, then at him. He chuckled. "Okay, okay. I'll write our story today."

Duck quacked happily and settled down on the desk. Fakir looked at her, then sat down. He picked up his quill pen and stared at the paper. He looked back at Duck. "I can't concentrate with you watching me."

Duck quacked and stomped a webbed foot.

"Of course I'm not going to write anything you'd disapprove of!"

She quacked again, this time sounding uncertain.

"Yes, of course I still love you. Don't be an idiot!"

She flapped up to his shoulder and nibbled on his ear with her smooth bill. He started to giggle.

The door opened behind him and Charon poked his head in. "Fakir? What's going on in here? Who are you talking to?" His eyes focused on Duck and he sighed. "Just the duck again? I was hoping that you'd actually brought a friend home."

"Sorry about the noise, but I'm a little busy." Fakir picked up the quill again.

Charon sighed and left.

Duck quacked quietly. Fakir petted her soft feathers. "I know he's just worried about me, but the fact that he's forgotten about you makes me so mad."

Duck glared sternly at the blank pages.

Fakir sighed. "You're right." He put his pen to the paper and began to write.

Once upon a time there was an adorable yellow duck. Once, she'd been a girl named Duck who transformed into Princess Tutu, but only in a story. For the story to end, she had to sacrifice her power. Even without her powers, she still had the strength and hope to give everyone else a happy ending.

But one other person wasn't happy when the story was over and she was once again just a duck. A young writer named Fakir loved her, and he wanted to hold her in his arms again and ask her to be his bride. Fakir wanted to use the power of his stories to change her, but he was afraid to misuse his power. He had no idea that all he had to do to change the duck back into the girl he loved was to kiss her. The power of their love was enough to allow Duck to take her true form, the one that resided deep within her heart.

The pen clattered from Fakir's fingers. "Is it really that simple?"

Duck jumped down from his shoulder and poked him with her bill. She quacked frantically, stomping first one foot, then the other, and waving her wings.

Fakir pulled a sheet from his bed and wrapped it around her tiny shoulders. "So you aren't naked," he explained to the impatient Duck.

He took a deep breath and took one last look at her duck form. She really was a cute duck. But she was a beautiful girl, too. He pressed his lips to her cool orange bill. The room filled with golden light, and the duck in his arms transformed into a girl.

Her true form was a mix of the graceful Princess Tutu and Fakir's klutzy Duck. She opened her big blue eyes and smiled at him with Tutu's wisdom and Duck's innocent optimism. "Fakir! You did it!"

He picked her up and twirled her around, the sheet billowing like a cape. He felt like his heart would burst from all if the joy in it. He started to laugh. "Duck! I love you! Marry me!"

Duck threw her arms around him. "Of course I will, Fakir. You're my happy ending."

Fakir kissed her, rejoicing in the warmth of her lips against his.

The door behind them swung open and Charon strode in. "That's it! You can't propose to a duck, Fakir! I'm getting you out of this room right now!" He froze, staring at Duck's human body, nestled in Fakir's arms and clad in nothing but a sheet. His cheeks blazed bright red. "Nevermind." He ducked back out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

Fakir and Duck laughed so hard that the tumbled onto Fakir's bed, where they stayed for the rest of the day.

They lived very happily ever after.