Written Wonderland

Lance seemed to be enjoying what she was doing, and based on the fact that he had cooperated when she had pushed him down onto the cot, she thought things were going well. To reassure herself, she replayed the light puffs of air she felt of Lance's excited breathing when she leaned down to kiss him, twice. She wanted more, and she wasn't content to stay with her cheek against his shoulder for long, even though he placed his own cheek against her hair. It was, by some accounts, a touch he had initiated, but as it mirrored her own, Mizu did not feel perturbed by it. Reaching to run her fingers over the top of his shoulder before she got up, Mizu stood briefly again before sitting next to Lance on the cot, though it was barely large enough for one person. She braced her hip against one of Lance's thighs and balanced herself perfectly on the edge.

Mizu ran her eyes unabashedly over Lance's whole body, then, taking her time to notice the way he had thoughtfully kept his boots off the bed as he lay down, the tension in his legs, the rise and fall of his stomach, the muscles in his chest and arms, and finally, his face and hair. He looked nervous and maybe a touch awkward but still happy, so Mizu took a deep breath and continued.

She began by tracing a line up Lance's shin, pausing for a moment to run her whole palm over his knee before trailing with one finger up his thigh. She paused and allowed her other hand to join her at his waistband, slipping one finger under it on either side to slide alongside Lance's skin in either direction. She did that twice, slowly, before she slipped both hands under his shirt and slid along his chest until she reached his shoulders, pivoting her hips and adjusting as she did so such that one leg came to rest between Lance's legs and their chests were nearly touching. Then, she backed out of his shirt and came to rest for a moment on his chest, one hand curled around the muscles on his upper arm, tracing the indentations there with her thumb.

Mizu's fingers brushed over Lance's shoulder, sending gentle tingles over his skin. Then she sat up, her hip settling against his leg as she took in the sight of him. Lance perked up a little at being beheld. His hips shifted just-so as he reached his arms up above his head, stretching before twining his fingers together behind his head and relaxing his elbows to the side.

Mizu watched unabashedly, stirring a quiet thrill between Lance's hips. She took in a deep breath, and then drew a line up Lance's shin, her palm caressing his knee and then lifting to trace a single finger up Lance's thigh. Excitement started to dance in Lance's stomach, but he kept on a cool expression, enjoying watching Mizu as she touched him. Both of her hands convened at the waistband of his pants, one finger from each slipping below the fabric and tracing the line in either direction, and the excitement in him welled up enough to force out a brief huff of air, the muscles beneath Mizu's touch subtly tensing and relaxing to make the most of the sensation.

She repeated the gesture, and then withdrew from his pants to caress her hands up under his shirt, across his stomach and his chest and bringing warmth and a fresh fluttering nervousness with them. Lance swallowed as Mizu pivoted to set her knee between his legs, bringing their chests to nearly touching, and then withdrew her hands again, though then in short order she bent down to rest her head on his chest. Lance breathed in with surprise and a bit of awkwardness, his elbows lifting up from the bed before settling down again. It felt strange not to embrace someone in such a position--though, then again, in some ways, the position itself felt a little strange to him. It was comforting when her hand wrapped around his upper arm, though, her thumb caressing his bicep. He sighed, relaxing into it, and let his eyes drift up towards the ceiling of the tent, content to rest for a moment with the warmth of another person on top of him, even as his heartbeat thumped noticeably in his ears. He wondered if Mizu could hear it.

As Mizu lay her head on Lance's chest, she heard the heavy pounding pulse of his heartbeat. That, and the sharp intake of breath she had heard when she had played around Lance's waistline not only convinced Mizu that, yes, Lance was enjoying this but also set off a cascade of desires within her. She wanted to hear the sound of his breathing change again; she wanted to make his heart beat faster.

Lance's elbows lifted, and Mizu momentarily stiffened, concerned that he would reach to embrace her--she was in a very intimate position, after all--but he settled back again, and she relaxed, moving her hand from his upper arm to caress the side of his neck slowly with two fingers, moving up and down toward his jaw and away from it.

She didn't particularly want to think of Phantom in this moment, but it was difficult not to as subtle insecurities about the request she made to Lance cropped up and vied for her attention. She had let Phantom initiate and touch her how he pleased, but then again, he had asked before just about everything he had done. It was easy to agree to what he had offered, and he made it worth her while. Mizu found, however, that she did not want Lance leading this encounter. While she hadn't felt invited to explore Phantom, Lance seemed pleased to allow her to do so, and she intended to take advantage of that.

Mizu's hand grazed up the side of Lance's face and continued into his hair, tugging with quick but gentle fingers once, twice, three times. Then, Mizu fluidly shifted until she was on all fours above Lance, her muscles groaning internally from their earlier spar, and she looked at him with a neutral expression. Looking down at his chest for a moment before flicking back up to meet his eyes, Mizu said, "If you allow me to do the escalation," she took a breath, "you may reciprocate." Then, she sat back on her heels, brought her fingers to the bottom hem of her tank top, and pulled it smoothly over her head, leaving only a tighter, shorter tank beneath that exposed her chiseled waist and hipbones entirely.

Mizu's hand moved from Lance's arm to his neck, caressing the side of it slowly, and a flutter of thrill tingled over the area. His elbows flexed a little off the bed again in reflex, his shoulders tensing slightly - the sensation on his neck in some ways tickled, and it took some effort not to squirm away. He genuinely didn't want to, though, and the effort was worth it - with a soft sigh, he managed to relax, and as he did, his eyes fell shut and his head tilted slightly to the side, welcoming and inviting the sensation now that he'd shifted how he received it.

He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, then, when Mizu answered the invitation, and yet... She caressed her hand up the side of his face and into his hair, and a fresh cascade of shivers ran over his scalp, down his neck and into his back, and it didn't even stop there; her fingers gently tugged and released - once, and again, and again - and finally something tipped, and a soft moan fell from Lance's lips.

Fluster and anxiety erupted in Lance's stomach the instant he realized what had happened, mostly just manifesting as tension in his body. His eyes opened and found Mizu's, a terribly awkward grin plastered on his expression. Her own expression was so terribly neutral... at least she wasn't laughing at him, he supposed, but was she bored? Gods she was so hard to read. But, her gaze did flick down to his chest, and a trill of excitement cut through his anxiety for a moment, warmth gathering on his cheeks. Maybe... this all was really fine, actually?

"If you allow me to do the escalation," she said as she flicked her gaze back up to his, "you may reciprocate." Then, she sat back on her heels, brought her fingers to the bottom hem of her tank top, and pulled it smoothly over her head, leaving only a tighter, shorter tank beneath that exposed her chiseled waist and hipbones entirely.

Lance was sure his face must be beat-red - but, maybe hard to make out in the candlelight? Gods he hoped so. He couldn't help gawking a little at the sight of her hips, and his gaze flicked awkwardly up to the ceiling of the tent again like he was trying to give her privacy. But, why? Gods, he wasn't usually this nervous, but, he also wasn't usually just laying still while his partner made all the moves.

She had said he could reciprocate, though. His fingers wiggled a little beneath his head, wondering what that meant they now had permission to do. Take off his shirt, he supposed? He didn't have a tank on underneath, though, so that felt a bit preemptive. Instead, he just brought his gaze back to her, this time mustering confidence and resolve that she would in fact probably enjoy being beheld, same as him. So, he let his eyes rake over her lower torso again, taking in every cut and curve he could make out in the candelight with a raised eyebrow and a pleased smile. And then, he drew his gaze up her body, delighting in the realization that he really hadn't gotten to appreciate the figure she cut beneath her armor before now, and finally he met her gaze again, his eyebrow arching with a bit of a question or maybe a dare giving an edge to his smile.

Still riding the wave from Lance's quiet moan as it had fallen from his lips, Mizu watched Lance behold her. He was shy to look at first, even bothering to look up at the ceiling for a moment as though she weren't already between his legs on a cot. The sight of his propriety, even feigned for her sake, was comical, and she could not help her mirth from quirking up one corner of her mouth for a moment. But, then, as though gathering himself, he did look over her torso almost greedily, taking it in for the first time. She was grateful to be seen; she had no particular shyness about her body. It was a tool like any other, and she had carved it well.

Mizu studied Lance's face--flushed by the look of it, though it was difficult to tell in the candlelight, with a radiant smile and a raised eyebrow. She liked the sight of it, and the further she went with whatever it was the two of them were doing, the more she wanted, a heat building within her. He seemed to be asking her, what next, then?

After a short moment of assessing what it was she wanted, she slid her hands up her hipbones and stomach until she came to the hem of her short tank and pulled it over her head just as fluidly as she had with her overshirt and cast it aside, exposing her small breasts as they cut a light curve on either side of her chest. Briefly, she wondered what she would throw on in a hurry if someone needed her attention, but she decided she could give herself some time if she needed it. No one could fault her for needing a minute or two to compose herself. That settled, Mizu didn't feel particularly interested in spending time on another spectacle such that she transitioned quickly.

Methodically, Mizu brought one knee over Lance's leg and then the other one such that she was straddling him. She was intentional about where she placed her pelvis, just below where it would touch Lance's. Then she began to lean over, putting weight on her knees and eventually her hands as she placed them on either side of Lance's arms. She held herself ever so slightly above Lance's groin, curling her toes in her boots and straining her leg muscles to give herself leverage. Finally close enough to Lance's ear, she said, "I'll need you to tell me if I do anything you don't want. Can I trust you with that?" And then she began trailing slow, tentative kisses down the side of his jaw and neck, her arm and leg muscles holding firm under the strain.

Mizu took a moment to respond to Lance's expression, and for that moment, the anxiety in Lance’s stomach started to bubble again. Thankfully, it wasn't too long before Mizu's hands stole his attention as they slid over her hip bones and her stomach to pull up her tank as well, and he watched enrapt as her full stomach and then her bare breasts entered the candle light before him. With that, it felt like something new about this encounter had just become real, which sent a fresh pulse of excitement through him.

The temptation to touch her was certainly growing, distinctly vivid now that her breasts were plain before him, but so far he had it under control. A nervousness was rising in his spine that he might slip up at some point, but he wasn’t entirely sure what to do about it; all he could do, really, was just continue doing his best to keep a handle on it.

He was just starting to contemplate removing his own shirt to keep his hands occupied safely within ‘reciprocation’ territory, when Mizu shifted positions again, moving her knees to straddle him and then setting her hands on the cot on either side of his arms. Gods, he wanted to grab her hips, guide her more directly over him, start some friction between their bodies instead of the space Mizu had left between them. Mizu leaned down to whisper in his ear, warm tingles dancing over his skin with the proximity.

"I'll need you to tell me if I do anything you don't want. Can I trust you with that?"

Somehow, that was not at all what Lance expected her to whisper. He let out a sort of awkward huff of a chuckle, betraying some of his surprise.

“Of course,” he said, his shoulders contracting just briefly in a hint of a shrug, insofar as that translated while he laid on the cot with his hands still tucked behind his head. At this point he was almost keeping his hands pinned there, lest they venture off on any of the impulses that rolled through his mind with Mizu’s let-down hair and naken torso so very close.

Then, she began trailing slow, tentative kisses down the side of his jaw and neck, and he swallowed, tilting his head to give her lips more room to caress where they may. His eyes briefly closed, but then opened again in short order, just enough antsiness in him to demand some visual stimulation still. His gaze found a candle to watch while his skin relished where Mizu touched.

After a quiet huff of a chuckle, Lance said, "Of course," his words right next to Mizu's ear as he attempted a shrug with his hands still underneath his head. Mizu stopped kissing Lance's neck and jaw to pull away and look into his eyes a moment, a soft smile coming over her features. She decided to trust him and relaxed her muscles, closing the distance between their bodies and settling her pelvis gently against whatever pressure might have been building in his pants. Her own body set sparks up her center, eager and hungry for exactly what was happening.

Sitting up halfway and putting a little more weight on Lance, Mizu ran her fingers over his chest, making certain that she circled each of his nipples once before she walked her hands down Lance's stomach until she was fully sitting up on top of Lance. She was enjoying painting permission over his body. Then, she adjusted her body so his bulge was immediately underneath her and squeezed her pelvic muscles, which she imagined were still noticeable even through both their pants.

She started moving backward and forward slightly, building friction. She crossed her arms over herself, cupping her breasts and squeezing them a little before moving up toward her neck and into her hair. Gods, it felt like she hadn't enjoyed her body in years. This felt so right, here in the candlelight with this beautiful man underneath her.

Lance turned his gaze to find Mizu when she pulled back, doing his best to keep his expression to a calm and curious smile. She met his gaze with a soft smile of her own, and it warmed him to see. She looked absolutely beautiful with her hair down and her skin glowing in the candlelight, her soft smile radiant.

And then, she shifted to close the distance between their bodies, and a shudder cascaded through Lance, pushing a soft gasp from his lungs. His hands escaped their makeshift prison behind his head, yearning to wrap around Mizu and pull her even closer. He managed to stop them mid-air, though, a flash of fear showing in his expression as he forced them to relax back down onto the cot, though doubt crept into him. Maybe it would be all right? Like, would it be reciprocation at this point? Lance was starting to realize he felt awfully anxious about what exactly Mizu had meant by that, or how egregious it would be if he misguessed.

Mizu sat back then, pressure building where their bodies met, and where no small swell of excitement was building in Lance. She caressed her fingers over his chest, pulling shivers with them, especially as she circled each of his nipples. Lance couldn't help shifting beneath Mizu as she walked her fingers down his stomach, his back arching slightly as he pressed his hips against her, heat beginning to throb between them. Then, he could swear he felt an actual throb, not from his body but from Mizu's, and elation and yearning both jolted through him, a surprised and admittedly slightly whiny vocalization briefly bursting from his lips.

His eyes only grew wider as Mizu started moving back and forth into a languorous friction that pulled fresh throbs from his own body to eagerly answer hers. Lance gripped at the cot above his head, his heartbeat pounding as he watched Mizu touch herself, crossing her arms over her body and cupping her breasts and caressing up her neck and into her hair. It all sent chills over Lance's skin again, all while heat continued to throb between his hips. Finally, he just genuinely couldn't take it anymore, and his hands darted away from the cot and towards Mizu's hips, desperate to touch her skin and complete some kind of circle with her. Surely it counted as simple reciprocation at this point. And if she didn't like it, then surely she could tell him--or hell, pin his arms back down, if she really wanted to. His fingers pressed more firmly into her skin as his mind flashed back to how she'd maneuvered his hands quite deftly out of the way earlier in their encounter.

"You are absolutely stunning," he said, the compliment practically bursting forth from within him. He hoped it didn't sound hokey; he meant it quite fully and genuinely, and his fingers massaged at Mizu's hips as though to try to imbue her skin and muscles beneath with the sentiment.

Mizu enjoyed the sounds Lance was making--quiet, surprised, and excited vocalizations that were nowhere near as loud as would be needed to escape the tent. But, she should probably remind him how much of a problem anything louder would be soon. For now, though, she was relishing every change of his breathing pattern as her hands made their way back down her body.

Lance's hands approached her, and after some thought on his part, touched her hips on either side, and she hummed pleasantly, grateful he felt comfortable with the contact.

"You're absolutely stunning," Lance said, his voice full of genuine awe. Mizu opened her eyes, and the color in her face deepened a little, surely not enough to notice in the candlelight. She slowly stopped the movements of her hips and placed her hands gently on Lance's hands where they massaged the muscles around her hipbones. She had known he was watching, obviously, but having attention called to it made her unsure of herself. Still, the heat underneath her was beyond pleasurable, and she closed her eyes to focus on that again, letting it subsume all the other thoughts in her mind.

She wondered if it would be too much--or too little--to just stay exactly as they were for a while, her sitting up on his lap, straddling him. But, the sensation that she should reply to his compliment or at least thank him pricked at her awareness. She did think he was being authentic, but...

With one last squeeze of her pelvic muscles, she pulled herself off Lance and sat on the edge of the cot where she sat for a moment, unlacing her boots. Her face was unreadable and mostly covered by hair anyway as her fingers worked. She was not hasty about her motions, but she wasn't taking her time, either, eager for the sensation that she could fully and truly relax. She wanted, if only for these next few moments with Lance, to forget entirely that they were in the middle of a war, that all the soldiers in this entire camp looked up to her, that they were metaphorically and literally courting a goddess... Mizu wanted to be only herself, only a body and its needs and their fulfillment. When she was finished with her boots, she had half a mind to take her pants off as well, but ultimately, she decided not to bother with them yet.

That finished, she laid herself down on the cot close to the tent wall. She sighed, then, a real, full sigh.

"You're quite the looker yourself," she finally said, a smile in her voice.

Mizu opened her eyes after Lance's compliment, and his heart thudded in his ears as he tried to make out her response. He could swear he caught a glimpse of some kind of fluster, which was gratifying, but it was a little hard to hold on to through her otherwise stoic expression, especially as she stopped her movements and set her hands on his. Briefly, fear tore at him, that he'd already overstepped. He tried not to let that show in his own expression, but his fingers did ease their grip on her hips, his eyes studying her face for any hint of where she wanted to take this next, while he tried to somehow will the heat in his pants to keep its throbbing to a minimum.

It was a mixed bag, then, when Lance felt another throb from Mizu, sparking both thrill and relief in him, but then she withdrew from him.

Just slightly panicked, Lance propped himself up on his elbows to watch her as she sat on the edge of the cot... unlacing her boots. Oh, thank the gods, surely that meant she wasn't dismissing him just yet. Lance relaxed back down on the cot, almost involuntarily, but then a fidgety antsiness started to flare up shortly after. Only then did it occur to him that perhaps he could take off his boots, as well.

With a smile, he sat himself up and swung his feet both down to the floor, playfully nudging Mizu's hip with his before settling in a scootch away, to give them both space for this untying business. Lance was a bit more hasty about it, but, to be fair, Mizu had gotten a head start, and he didn't really want to keep her waiting. He was glad, too, because he'd only barely finished pulling off his second boot when Mizu laid down on the cot behind him and let out a full, deep sigh. Lance pivoted to look at her, and happy flutters danced through his chest to see her gazing back at him.

"You're quite the looker yourself," she said, a smile in her voice.

Lance smiled widely, his whole face lighting up with pure glee. Without even thinking, he was up on his feet, one hand brushing his hair back from his face and the other settling on his playfully askew hip, striking a bit of a pose.

"Why thank you," he said, his eyebrow raising and his expression shifting a bit more sultry. Deciding this was the perfect opportunity to do away with his shirt, he reached back to grasp the back collar and pull it over his head in a practiced motion, discarding it lightly to the floor. Indulgently, he shifted his weight to let Mizu watch his freshly-bare torso move through the candle light, and then gracefully slid onto the cot, settling down next to Mizu with his elbow propping him up, his eyes leaving hers to wander over her body before returning with a fresh round of what next, then? glinting through his smile.