Open Fifth
by lonejaguar
Rating: M
Summary: A night at the opera goes astray when an unexpected guest appears.
Notes: For KJ… a year old prompt that paid off in the end, I think. I lost the original prompt, but I remember: rescue, fall, opera.
open fifth
A triad that does not contain a third
The lobby was bustling, full of Dark Fae from nearby counties that spilled out into the cool autumn evening air, collecting at the entrance. Lights beamed on the newly renovated theatre on its grand reopening and every Dark Fae that was worth their salt milled about the theatre after the inaugural show, sipping champagne and eating canapés, discussing Fae business, revenge stories, and recent conquests among the Art Deco inspired design.
Lauren looked at the expanse of columns and arches that stretched through the entire lobby. The colours were vivid and enlivening. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn she'd walked back into the thirties. She sighed and caught the eye of a passing server, exchanging her empty glass of wine for another and looked for a quiet place to take refuge from the cacophony of privilege. A firm hand on her elbow held her in place.
"Don't go too far, Doctor," Evony's voice dripped into her ear. "I need to introduce you to some people."
Lauren rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm pretty sure I've met every Fae in here," she replied.
"Nonsense," the Morrigan said, leading Lauren into the ballroom. They couldn't walk more than ten steps before they were stopped again. Lauren's reputation spread like wildfire after she'd turned Evony and for Evony's sake, she took it almost in stride. There wasn't any difference in her behaviour toward any Fae they spoke to, regardless of status, and her story was so well practiced, it hardly varied as the night wore on.
"Right out from under that Succubus' nose," she'd say, referring to how she acquired not only the Light Fae's AWOL doctor, but the most powerful Fae's girlfriend. She'd look at Lauren then and make a crude joke about the last time they'd had sex, commiserating with her fellow Fae about bedding the most famous human in their midst.
And like every time that night, Lauren leaned over to Evony once they were separated from their latest audience. "I wish you'd stop saying that."
Evony laughed. "Why? It's true."
"It's not true-" Lauren stopped and smiled politely as a Dark Fae Elder passed them. "I am not your girlfriend."
"Honey," Evony said, turning to look at Lauren pointedly. "If you want that new lab equipment you asked for, tonight, you are." She looked out into the crowd. "So be a good little human terrorist and keep your mouth shut."
Lauren's jaw clenched and she disappeared the rest of her wine and deposited it less-than-gently on the next passing tray. "I hate you, you know that?"
The Morrigan laughed again and handed Lauren another glass. "Drink up, Doctor. There's plenty of time for revenge sex when we get home."
"Ugh." Lauren rolled her eyes and looked at the coffered ceiling, begging it to drop down on her that second so she could end this torture. It was true, she had asked for a revamp of some equipment in the Dark Fae research labs. It was necessary for her to continue the experiments that kept her engaged and as long as Evony believed she was working on a solution to bring her Fae back, well, Lauren had her cake and was eating it, too.
As they wound their way through the throngs of Fae to the ballroom, a well dressed shifter approached them. Lauren stepped to the side to allow him room to pass, but he smiled at her, stuffing a cocktail napkin into her hand on the way by. She frowned and watched him disappear into the crowd, just another tuxedo in a sea of a hundred, and looked down at the crumpled white napkin in her hand. It unfolded in her palm and she flattened it with her thumb, taking a quick look around to make sure Evony was occupied regaling another Fae with her hyperbolic stories.
Meet me in the pit.
Lauren frowned and turned it over, but there was nothing more. She stuffed it in the clutch she tucked under her arm and smiled radiantly when Evony began to introduce her to another Elder.
An hour later, Lauren was able to escape Evony's side under the guise of a visit to the ladies' room and found her way back to the auditorium. She peered through the port hole widows in the door before pushing her way through. The theatre was deserted. It had been a couple hours since the premiere show and the silence was welcome after all the mingling she had been subjected to. Lauren was thankful for a breath of fresh air.
The theatre after a performance is magical. All the energy from audience and performers swirling around an empty and naked stage. Her heels clicked as she walked down the steps to the orchestra pit, her fingers touching the abandoned music stands as she walked by. She'd always wanted to learn how to play an instrument; to perform.
The shuffle of footsteps drew Lauren's attention from the percussion section. She smiled. "I thought that was you," she said, holding the napkin between her fingers.
Bo leaned against the wall behind the conductor's stand and smiled. "What can I say?" Lauren stopped in front of Bo, tucking the napkin away. Bo smiled widely. "Hello, Doctor." She reached out, her fingertips touching Lauren's hips, waiting for permission.
It was the moment Lauren watched Bo shift impatiently, her lip between her teeth, that she took a step forward. A breath escaped her chest when Bo's hands warmed her back. "What are you doing here?"
Bo turned them around, backing Lauren against the wall. She kissed her quickly, Bo's lips moving from mouth, to throat, to bare shoulder. "What are you talking about? I love the opera."
Lauren chuckled. "Uh huh." She sighed when Bo smoothed the fabric over her hips.
"This dress is…"
Lauren covered her hands. "You said that before I left."
"I know, but…" She blinked the blue from her eyes. "I just want to… tear it off."
"I think you said that, too." Lauren held Bo's hands still. "Let's try to keep it in one piece." The isolation of the pit was tempting. It had been a while since she'd done something so brazen and exciting. Bo's hands slipped from her grip and started to wander again over her hips and her sides and her breasts. Lauren sighed, finding herself slipping away. "Bo…"
The tip of Bo's nose traced an uneven pattern from Lauren's chest to her throat, kissing her once. "What?" she asked.
The second kiss fell under her jaw, the third at her ear. She felt a tingle in her fingertips and hummed, pushing Bo back a step. "What are you doing here, really?"
Bo smirked and stepped back into Lauren's body. "Keeping an eye on things," she said, nuzzling in to the hair behind Lauren's ear.
Lauren hummed and pulled away from Bo's lips. "Keeping an eye on me, you mean?"
"Keeping an eye on Evony." Bo dipped her head and kissed Lauren's shoulder. "She hired me to be a personal bodyguard for the party tonight."
Lauren rolled her eyes. "Of course she did."
"I figured," Bo started, kissing Lauren's throat. "How better to know exactly what the Morrigan's doing, than being a bodyguard for her?" Another kiss at Lauren's jaw. "Besides," she said, her lips at Lauren's ear. "If she tried anything with you I wanted to be there to kick her ass."
Lauren chuckled. "My hero," she said, pulling Bo from her ear and pressing their lips together with a gentle insistence. The low hum in Bo's chest was a sign of her resolve beginning to crumble. It was a small detail, but a significant one. Bo pressed herself against the length of Lauren's body, the warmth seeping through the layers between them. Her hands traveled over breasts and the rise and fall of Lauren's stomach, her fingers catching on every ripple in the fabric that clung to Lauren's hips.
Bo closed her eyes and groaned. She pressed her hips against her, their foreheads resting together. "Lauren…"
The leather jacket was tugged from Bo's shoulders and she lifted her head, looking at Lauren, unable to keep her eyes from wandering. Lauren's fingers pushed into Bo's hair and she pulled her back in, delicate kisses trailing from neck to jaw. Lauren held her close, tasting the skin behind her ear before placing a soft kiss there. She smiled against Bo's ear.
"Just make sure I can leave in this dress."
The kiss was overwhelming. Bo pressed Lauren into the wall behind her, the softness of her lips was deceiving, the stroke of her tongue casting a heady spell over her. Lauren could only keep up, grasping at Bo's shirt. She looked up at the ceiling as Bo moved, her mouth leaving a trail down her chest, between her breasts and back to her shoulder again. Her fingers pulled at the fabric of Bo's top, her nails dragging across her skin.
"Bo," Lauren whispered, pulling her to her mouth, kissing her ferociously.
Bo clutched at Lauren's breasts, pushing her against the wall as they kissed. The air was charged with energy, leftover from the concert and from the pounding in their chests, and the pull from Bo's mouth made Lauren's hips shift, unable or unwilling to restrain herself anymore. Bo electrified her, giving her life and stopping her heart, and now Lauren wasn't surprised by any reaction she was able to coax from her body. Her breath was lost when Bo pulled away, her chest pushed against her hands.
Bo took a step back and looked Lauren over, the flash of blue in her eyes was unabashed and she made sure Lauren could see it. She shook her head as if marveling at her luck. "You look unbelievable in this dress." Bo's eyes hovered at the curve of Lauren's hip and drifted lower, holding her bottom lip between her teeth.
"Thanks," Lauren breathed. She watched as Bo reached for her hip and curled her fingers, pulling the fabric slowly, exposing Lauren's knees and then thigh to the cool air of the theater. She closed her eyes when Bo kissed her once, gently, her lips pressing firmly against her own. And then a grin from behind those blue eyes and she was gone, sliding down Lauren's body.
Bo tried to contain herself, but by the time she made it to her knees, she'd managed to expose Lauren's leg to her hip. Bo breathed deep, willing the control to stay with her, enticed by the shadow leading to her point of interest. She pushed the dress to Lauren's hip, nearly lost in the vision. Her hands warmed Lauren's skin as her fingers curled around her panties, pulling them slowly over her hips.
Lauren saw her tongue flick over her bottom lip and her hips shifted in anticipation. She could see the smirk on Bo's lips before it disappeared between her legs and the light burst behind her eyelids. Her head fell back against the wall, a soft moan escaped her. Lauren knew this wouldn't be a long rendezvous for them, but Bo seemed to be taking a specific interest in this moment, teasing Lauren like she did when they had all the time in the world. She swore, a breath between a sigh and a moan and Lauren wished there was something to hold on to when Bo changed gears. She whimpered, her back flat against the wall, her palms pressing on the fabric panel. Her body's only movement was the shuddering breaths in her chest and the rocking of her hips.
Bo was masterful, knowing just what to do when, for how long and with how much pressure. Lauren groaned, shifting against the wall behind her and reached for Bo, her fingers just barely touching her shoulders. Her body begged for contact, the soft whimper when Bo yanked her panties down to the floor, lifting them from Lauren's feet; the quiet sigh when Bo's hands trailed the length of Lauren's legs, her fingers curling around her calf, tracing patterns behind her knees. She kissed Lauren's thigh, her fingers traveled a winding path past her knees and along the backs of her thighs.
The view was as spectacular as ever, but when Lauren looked down again, she was treated to a vision. Bo smiled at her, her blue eyes looked different this time, there was more behind them than lust and hunger, it was genuine love and desire. But once Bo lowered her head again, Lauren could barely keep herself upright, let alone contemplating motivations and emotions. The sensation made her legs wobble and her back arch. Lauren swore again, breathlessly, trying to find some rhythm. But Bo in her mastery never let Lauren off the hook so easily. And so she pushed and pulled, took it slow and careful and then turned it on without warning. Lauren knew Bo loved to see her undone, naked and breathless, writhing before her, begging for release.
Whether by timing or location, Bo wasn't interested in making this a marathon and Lauren, who's breath was ragged, her resolve crumbling, already dangling painfully above orgasm, appreciated this sentiment. She used to wonder if you could die from this kind of torture, but - she swallowed and stared at the lush velvet curtain valance above their heads - it hadn't happened yet. But then the valance disappeared when Bo descended again and Lauren couldn't contain the sound that lifted into the auditorium, reverberating off the walls.
Bo hummed into Lauren, spurred on by the reaction, and spared no expense on the next thirty seconds. Lauren clutched at her shoulders, her fingers pushing and pulling through her hair, her back pressed firmly against the wall behind her. This was what was different with Bo. There were few occasions where Lauren felt like she could completely let go, to be free to relax without fear and with Bo was one of the only places she felt that way. So when the last of her resolve slipped and Bo's mouth pressed against Lauren's rocking hips, she filled the auditorium with sound. Bo held her in her hands as she moved, guiding Lauren through the orgasm as it burned through her.
Bo didn't move as Lauren shook in the moments after and she closed her eyes, Lauren's fingers still sliding through her hair. Bo kissed the skin at Lauren's hip before she pulled the fabric of her dress down again, covering her ass and smoothing it over her thighs. Lauren shivered, still finding her way through the haze of orgasm when Bo got to her feet.
"You okay?" she whispered, kissing her chin.
Lauren sighed heavily, unable to open her eyes. "Yeah," she breathed. "Thank you."
Bo grinned, wrapping the doctor up in her arms. "You sound amazing in here," she whispered.
Lauren hummed and smiled, her eyes finally opening to see the array of empty music stands and chairs. "Don't get any ideas." When they separated, Lauren looked down at herself, smoothing out her dress.
"See?" Bo said. "The dress is in one piece."
Lauren shook her head with a chuckle. She picked her clutch up from the floor. "I should get back," she said with a smile. "The Morrigan's probably wondering where I disappeared to."
Bo stepped into her, slipping her fingers through Lauren's. "Will you come over later?" she asked quietly, leading Lauren to the steps.
"Maybe," Lauren smirked, looking over her shoulder as she climbed their way into the main auditorium. A few steps in, and the slow clap from the seats across the room jarred both women from their haze of sex and the playful afterglow.
"Brava!" a voice called from the seats.
Lauren had been squinting to see the source of the applause, but when she heard the voice, her eyes closed. "Fuck," she whispered.
"What?" Bo followed Lauren's gaze and took a few steps forward until she could see, halfway up the theatre, Evony on her feet and slowing her applause, dropping her arms to her sides. The grin on her face was maddening.
"Brava, Succubus," she said again, walking down the steps toward them. "Even I couldn't get her to that octave."
"Aw, don't be jealous," Bo replied, crossing her arms.
"You know, you're a shitty bodyguard," Evony barked.
Bo pouted. "I'm crushed."
The frustration in the Morrigan was obvious as she crossed her arms as well. "I hope you haven't forgotten who you're talking to."
Bo considered the comment. "Manipulative, underhanded, leader of the Dark, no, I remember." She glanced at Lauren who stood uncomfortably next to the railing that overlooked the pit.
The Morrigan scowled at her. "You best watch your step, Succubus, or I might tempt your favorite doctor into bed again."
Lauren straightened and looked between Bo and Evony, surprised by the curl of Bo's lips. "I'm pretty sure it was the other way around in the version I heard." Bo took a few steps forward, leaving Lauren at the railing. "So let me tell you how this is going to go."
Evony bristled. "I'm getting really tired of your shit, Succubus."
"The site's secure so I'm gonna go home." Bo paused on her way by Lauren. "You're more than welcome to join me," she said with a smile and then gestured to the Morrigan. "Or you can hang out with your new human friend." She winked at Evony and walked out the emergency exit just outside the theatre.
Lauren looked after Bo and then back to Evony, who fumed in place, the venom in her gaze was evident, even at a hundred paces. Lauren swallowed and cleared her throat. "Well…" Her hands clasped together and she took a step back. "I guess I'll see you Monday."
Bo was looking up at the navy blue sky in the alley behind the theatre, leaning against the wall next to the exit door when Lauren pushed through, looking left and right for Bo. When she saw her, she slapped her arm with her clutch.
"What is the matter with you?" she exclaimed. "Leaving me in there with her."
Bo laughed and shielded herself from another purse attack. "Come on, that was funny."
"It was not funny." Lauren crossed her arms against the chill of the late October wind.
"Aw, come on," Bo stepped in close and took Lauren's arms in each hand. "I wanted you to make the choice." She squeezed her arms. "More importantly, I wanted Evony to see you make the choice."
Bo was frustrating at the worst of times; stubborn, selfish, impetuous, and reckless. But at the best of times, she was generous, loyal, compassionate, and kind. And every now and then, she'd surprise Lauren with a gesture that couldn't be verbalized.
She smiled up at her, pressing a fist into Bo's side. "Thanks," she said, pushing her gently.
Bo stumbled back a step and grinned taking Lauren's hand. "Let's go home."
END