"So, Haru, how was the date?"
Haruna wasn't a person overly given to expressing much emotion, but you'd learned that what she said and the expression on her face were not necessarily the whole story. There was a lot going on in your princess's head, even if she didn't show it.
So when she said, "It was pleasant enough.", her face neutral, her poise perfect, you knew that she wasn't being completely honest. That wasn't her fault: she had a lifetime of training ensuring that nobody would know what was going on in her head but her. It was still frustrating, though, especially because you didn't know her well enough to actually know what she was thinking.
Did anyone?
"That bad, huh." You teased. That got the ghost of a smile on her face, just for a moment.
"Needless to say, I'll be remaining unmarried for the time being." She said, sitting up next to you and shuffling closer. "He really was an alright guy, but part of the deal would be children, of course."
"Of course." Haruna had made that part clear, too. Until the Navy adopted something like the Western militaries and their parental leave system, she wouldn't be having any kids regardless of the situation. "I don't understand why your mum even bothered, honestly."
"She knows she's right about everything, and figures it's just a matter of time before I realize that myself." She yawned, the night clearly weighing on her. "I imagine that until she dies, I die, or I give up and accept a wedding ring, I'll be in for a series of terrible dates."
She leaned against you, fiddling with her hair to let it down, and as she did the smell of her expensive soaps intensified a moment, freed from the prison of the tight bun. She really had the best of everything.
You sat together in silence a while, listening to the clock tick-tick-tick in the corner, as she nestled in against you, her head resting on your shoulder, your fingers playing in her hair. It was so long, longer than could possibly be practical, but it was beautiful. She was beautiful, so much so you couldn't really believe it.
Still, after seven months, it felt like a fantasy. For a few days this incredible woman would arrive in your life, in a blur of lips and perfume and soft skin, and just as quickly she'd be yanked from it, off on another adventure. Haruna was right, that it was stressful, that it hurt. You worried about her so much, all the time, anxiety in the pit of your stomach as you sat in class and listened to Professor Bourcier drone on about chemical processes, swirling pointless lines against your crisp, expensive note paper between whatever notes you thought useful. It was hard.
But there was something magic about it too.
"So how did you spend your evening?" She asked, after what felt like forever.
"Boringly." You said simply. You'd caught up on some homework.
"So you had more fun than I did."
You smiled, running a finger up the seam in her coat to the button at her neck, and she shivered just from that light touch through the thick fabric.
"Well, I don't know about that. Evening's not over yet." You whispered, your lips brushing her ear. Your finger played at the hooks holding her collar together. A lot of officers you'd seen unhooked those when they weren't on duty, but never Haruna.
"Of course." She muttered back. "There's still a few hours to go."
Your finger pushed the hooks apart, then you started moving down, undoing her buttons one by one, your hand slipping inside to her undershirt. You cupped a hand against her body, running along the fine fabric, and just that alone was enough to get her to sigh and lean closer.
"Please." She whispered back, pleading, pulling at the sleeves of her jacket as her lips pressed against yours. You helped as best you could, getting it off of her and pushing it away, and she broke the kiss, breathing hard.
"Okay,wait, wait. Give me a second."
Right. She had a whole complex about the sanctity of the uniform, as though her peers didn't just leave them strewn about the rooms of their lovers. That's what made her Haruna, though: she took it far more seriously than they ever would.
Haruna picked up her jacket and headed over to the closet, removing each item of clothing in prescribed order and hanging them up carefully, smoothing out the creases with her hands and making sure it all sat square. Even her undershirt was technically Navy-pattern, though she'd commissioned her own set of finer examples rather than settle for the scratchy, formless ones she'd been given, so that was treated the same, like an ancient relic or something.
It took forever, long enough that you found yourself getting bored. Only Haruna could make a beautiful woman getting undressed boring. You pulled your shoulder bag over and started rooting around inside, not really looking for anything, just distracting yourself shuffling through magazines and textbooks until a warm body pressed back up against your shoulder.
"Sorry about that." Haruna said, nestling back into your arms. She was down to just her undergarments: bloomers and a compression bra, all elastic and folded fabric that covered almost all of her chest. She'd said she imported them from Gallia and they were designed for soldiers, and you imagined she wore it with her uniform out of habit. It wasn't the most flattering, sure, but it made her look active and dangerous, which was hot in its own way.
She probably left those on because she wanted you to be the one to take them off.
"Where were we?" She asked quietly, clinging closer to you.
"I dunno. Where do you want to be?" You asked.
You could almost see the gears turning. You always felt with Haruna as though it was a battle for her, between what she wanted and what she'd dare reveal that she wanted.
"... did you bring that rope?" She said finally. It sounded a bit like it took actual effort for her to ask.
You smiled, reaching into your bag, and felt around until you found the end of the hemp rope and pulled it out to show her. She jumped a little when you did, like she was shocked you'd remember, or that you wouldn't want to.
"I also have…" You said, pulling the rest of the rope out and hunting through the bag, your fingers settling on the edge of the cheap magazine. "... this."
During her first visit, you'd spotted a woodcut in Haruna's bag, which… had been a catalyst for the events that had unfolded, let's say. Not long after, through the friends that had introduced you to their Tokei U friends, who in turn had introduced you to some fasciating feminist literature, and there you'd encountered the dizzying depths of the pornography debates that had been raging across campuses, and through that you'd discovered the magazine that the woodcut's artist, Shimomura Okura, worked for now. Said magazine was called Weaver's Art and… was not about baskets.
It had diagrams.
For a few minutes, the two of you spent some silent time pouring over the pages, the little lithographed illustrations, fascinated. There were instructions, stories, photographs, and some more artistic renderings: the magazine was pretty heterosexual, but Haruna was stoicly ignoring that. If they didn't publish one of these for girls into girls, they really should.
Finally, Haruna pointed to the page decisively.
"That one." She said simply.
You read the description quickly. It was recommended that you not leave the captive (they always wrote captive, which made you feel a little ill at ease) in the position too long, any more than twenty minutes, but it shouldn't be a problem.
"Yeah?" You wanted to confirm.
"... I mean, if you're alright with it. I don't want to-"
"Of course I'm alright with it. It's going to be really hot." You assured her. You weren't quite as into it as she was, but bondage was really starting to grow on you. It was fun, having that power over somebody.
Especially a princess.
Haru got that determined look on her face, the one she screwed on whenever she was about to commit to an important decision. "Alright. What do I do?"
"For starters, take off your bra." You instructed. It was no fun doing it yourself, it was all elastical-y. Didn't have anything to untie or unclasp. She did so quickly, face flush, clearly in a rush.
"Put your arms behind your back…" You read. Haruna shifted her arms, and you began tying her wrists, the magazine laying flat so you could reference the diagram. You weren't exactly an expert in knots or anything (Haruna seemed very knowledgeable, though), but the instructions were easy enough to follow.
"Too tight?" You asked, as you finished it.
"No, it's perfect." She replied. You checked just to be sure, a bit worried that Haruna wouldn't tell you if they were. Sure enough, you found it hard to wiggle your fingers in, so you loosed the bonds before continuing. Haru made a little noise that might have been annoyance, but you were going to do what was best for her whether she liked it or not.
That was the thing they got you. Haruna wanted to be uncomfortable. She wanted it to hurt a little. After you'd expressed some discomfort at her requests, she'd explained, in terse, cautious language, how it made what was happening feel more real to her, how it gave it impact. She said she fantasized about it, alone in her cabin on long voyages.
That threw you for a bit of a loop. You hadn't understood at first, not like you did now.
You beckoned for her to stand up (it was fun watching her struggle without her hands to steady her) pulled her bloomers off, and then guided her into the position you'd need her, sitting on her knees. She really liked it when you grabbed her and moved her into position, so you made sure to do a bit of that.
"Haru, where's your watch?" You asked, as she got settled.
"Um… it's in my jacket. Right pocket." She replied. You went and retrieved it, popping open the delicate silver timepiece and placing it on the magazine page.
"Okay, the instructions say twenty minutes, so I'm going to take that really seriously, okay?" You explained, committing the time to memory. Haru wisely decided not to complain, so you moved on, securing her wrists to her ankles, before winding the rope up her arms. That was the key to this position, binding the elbows and forcing the shoulders back. As you wound the rope around and pulled tighter, you could feel the pace of her breathing increase, the excitement building in her.
"That good?"
"Mmhm." She responded simply. The rope created a series of little loops around her arms and ran back down through it, and you could tighten it easily. You pulled just a bit, just enough to get her to gasp. She always made such lovely sounds.
"Comfortable, princess?" You asked. She nodded quickly, clearly a bit of a lie, but that was alright. She wasn't supposed to be comfortable, just not actively hurting. "Good. I've got a game in mind for us. There's eighteen minutes left on the clock. Can you make it eighteen minutes without making any noise?"
She nodded again. You both knew this was another lie.
Now you had her tied nice and tight, unable to move much at all, except to squirm, her shoulders drawn back. Time for your secret weapon. You reached into your bag and retrieved a length of cloth you'd bought the week before, probably intended for a sewing project or a headband, and you drapped it over her eyes, tying it behind her head. Just the pace of her breathing alone told you this was something she was extremely into.
You glanced at the watch.
"Sixteen minutes, Haru. Good job so far." You whispered, running a finger across her collarbone. Down a bit. This position left her so exposed, so helpless. You rasped a finger across a bare nipple and she rocked in place a little, her mouth screwed shut, trying to block the sound attempting to escape. You stayed there a while, then shifted your hand down her body. By the time you got where you were going, she was already biting her lip.
Poor princess never stood a chance, really.
Two fingers pressed lightly against her was enough for her to throw her head back, like she was screaming silently. A bit of movement, flexing your fingertips around her clit, got her leg spasming in place, what you could see of her face screwed up to keep the sound in. You played there a while, speeding up, hearing her breath hitch with every little motion.
You leaned in close to whisper in her ear, not letting up a second.
"Eleven minutes."
Then you slipped a finger inside her, and her focus broke. It wasn't much. Just a gasp that escaped her lips, a minor thing. Anyone who was at charitable would ignore it, dismiss it as just a sharp breath. But she didn't want you to be charitable.
When you'd asked Haruna, playfully, how she managed to never show a single emotion on her face, Haruna had explained quite seriously that from her earliest memory to the day she left for the Academy she was in the care of tutors who would correct any imperfection in her poise or posture. They would test her. Make her hold hot teacups, scrap metal across her writing slate, slap her hand with a ruler, and dare her to flinch. If she did, the next lesson would be worse.
Haruna didn't flinch anymore.
Putting together that conversation with the fantasies she'd shared with you, you'd sort of got a picture of what was happening. Haruna had a script: she slipped up, she was punished. You could see her push back against this now, allowing herself little moments of honesty, but it was still always there. And she trusted you enough that she wanted to go back there with you, in a way that was fun and hot and under her control.
"Oh. That's it? You didn't even make it halfway." You said, feeling a smile creep across your face. She probably wanted you to be all stern and disciplinarian, but you just wanted to laugh. There was a delightful absurdity to all this. Your poor, messed-up princess.
"Sorry, miss." She gasped back. That actually did make you laugh, as you pressed back up closer to her, pushed another finger into her, and she collapsed against your shoulder, gasping for air like she was drowning.
"I need you to repeat that." You said. You just wanted to hear it again.
"So-sorry, m-m-m-miss!" She managed, muffled by the fabric of her jumper. Cute! You could tell she was already getting pretty close, doing her best to grind her hips against your hand, shuddering each time you bent your fingers.
"One more time?" You requested.
She tried, but the words failed her completely this time, the sound escaping her more a jumbled moan as she reached climax. Mysterious. You had nothing to do with that, obviously.
"Eh. Good enough. You okay still?" You asked quickly. She nodded, biting her lip, clearly barely holding things together. You glanced over to check the watch: You still had five minutes.
"Just enough time for some more, Haru. Want me to keep going?" You asked. Probably not more of the same, though. Your fingers were getting sore.
She nodded, desperately, body still vibrating from the aftershocks.
"A little rougher, maybe?"
"Y-yes." She gasped, her voice pleading. Spirits, it was lovely.
"Well, I suppose you do have it coming, whore." You said, a bit forced. Calling her names was oddly the hardest part, but she insisted she liked it, and to be honest it was a bit thrilling. You'd resolved that it was okay if you were extra nice to her the rest of the time.
You started by pulling off your jumper, as it was getting unbearably warm in here, then you placed a finger on her sternum and traced down to one of her breasts. Just before you reached anything good, just as her anticipation peaked, you instead brought your hand across in a quick, sharp slap to her breast, making sure the impact was shallow. You wanted it to sting, mostly.
You'd read a guide in one of the magazines.
Haruna tried to double over, but with her arms tied back she just wiggled and almost fell with a keen moan. You gripped her shoulders to steady her, brushing stray hair from her face before she ended up eating it.
She anticipated your next question, though. "It's good." She gasped, barely comprehensible, nodding desperately. She wanted more.
Fair enough. You repeated the action on the other side, the gliding finger, the anticipation, the impact, and she practically convulsed, crying out. You could barely restrain yourself from laughing hysterically: you got to slap a princess and call her names because she liked it. Time was looking at someone like her wrong was a death sentence. The, ah, modern age, huh?
"You like that, you slutty… slut? Fuck." You were not the creative type. You compensated with another slap, and though she gasped, the sound of it was a bit different. Not what you wanted.
"Haru? You okay?"
Haruna almost nodded, you could see her almost commit to it, but then she shook her head.
"Belay that." She said, a ragged edge to her voice. Her safe word.
"Oh spirits, I'm so sorry." You said, pulling your hands away. "Was that too hard? Oh no, Haru I'm really-"
"It's okay. Just more… sensitive… than I thought. It's okay. You're okay."
You nodded, which was absurd because she couldn't see you.
"Do you want to be untied?"
"Please."
You shifted around behind her and started undoing the knots, letting Haruna's shoulders finally relax with a corresponding sigh of relief. You kept talking to her the whole time, working out what had gone wrong, and figured out some changes for next time.
The ropes had maybe been a bit too tight on her forearms, leaving red lines down them, but it wasn't too bad. When you removed her blindfold, you found a messy impression of her fancy makeup against the white fabric, and her fine mascara was a blurry mess across her face. It looked so unlike her.
On the other hand, you had plenty of evidence that she enjoyed herself as well. Even as you were untying her, massaging her wrists and ankles where the rope had been, she was still riding out the aftershocks. She was so sensitive that the accidental brush of your fingers against her back got elicited little sounds of pleasure.
"Are you sure you're okay?" You asked for the twentieth time, lying with her, arms wrapped around her, playing with her hair.
"Yes. It was just too much in the moment." She said quietly. She shuffled and squirmed to turn to face you, planting a kiss messily once she could. "That really was wonderful. You're an artist with your hands."
Fancy nobility type compliments!
"I do my best." You said sheepishly. You were a little distracted, because Haruna was sliding down your body to your bare legs. "Oh, right."
You'd kind of forgotten about yourself in all this.
"Don't worry, we can be gentle for this part." Haruna assured you, pulling aside your skirt. You appreciated her saying that, but you'd come to realize that's not really want you wanted either.
You ran a hand gently through her hair, then seized a clump of it in your fingers. Not pulling, but enough that she'd know you had her.
"I'm sorry, princess, what made you think your punishment was over?"
Spirits, that sounded dumb. But her eyes lit up and she gave a little noise of approval, so it couldn't be that dumb, right?
"Sorry miss." Haru said, putting on her smallest and most diminutive voice. It still made you laugh.
"I'm going to need to hear that again."
