Work Text:
"Succubus Bo, I wish to mate with you,” the woman who said these startling words was very attractive, in the way some of the Fae had of appearing to be wearing some sort of magical glamorie. She was clean and dressed well, standing at about Bo’s height in heels, so probably a little shorter if they were both on flat ground.
Bo looked over at Lauren in confusion before turning back to the woman, “Look, I’m very flattered but--”
“If I had time for a long courtship, for games of friendship and dalliance, to dance the rumba of romance, I would do so,” the woman cut her off. “But I am an Imago, and I don’t have long enough to make pretty speeches and prance around in waiting.”
“You seem to be doing alright on the speech front so far,” Bo said. “What’s an Imago?” The question was directed less to the Imago and more to Lauren, who had jolted when the woman said she was an Imago, which meant the word meant something to her where it didn’t to Bo.
“A very short-lived sort of Fae,” Lauren explained quickly. "They have a life cycle very similar to the mayfly; they live the shortest lives out of any of the Fae, and their final imperative before...,” she hesitated, looking at the Imago and choosing her euphemism carefully, “before the end, is to find a mate.”
“Like a soulmate?” Bo was intrigued despite herself.
“No,” the Imago said, “like a fuck-buddy. Look, all I need is a yes or a no. If you’re not interested, I don’t really have a lot of time to be hanging around on the hook.” She turned to go.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Bo reached out a hand to stop her. “I’m not saying no yet, I just want a little more information before I say yes. Informed consent and all that.”
The woman stopped, considering this. “Alright, ask your questions, quickly, please.”
“Are you going to, like, die in my bed?” Bo asked.
The woman smiled, her amusement making her eyes sparkle prettily. “No, there will be enough time afterwards for me to return to my clan and my nest.”
“Is there, I mean, um,” Bo fumbled for words, “Okay, so like you’re a woman, probably, and I’m a woman, and normally mating of the imperative sort is about reproducing so, am I like, going to be hit up for child support in a few days or something?”
The woman laughed. “You’re smarter than they give you credit for. No, Succubus Bo, children may be possible from our mating, but that is an extremely unlikely outcome since I have taken precautions to prevent it. If they happen, they will be raised in the clan, not farmed out to those who will have no idea what to do with a nymph.”
“Wait, why’d you take precautions to prevent children?” Lauren asked, curious.
The woman looked at her, all amusement leaving her eyes. “That is my business, and has no bearing on this or any future that exists for me.” The words were direct, but not as cold as they could have been, and Lauren nodded.
“What’s your name?” Bo asked immediately.
The woman turned her head to look at her, tilting it to the side and pondering. “We do not have names among our own kind, not as such, but if you must call me something, then you can call me May. That seems apt. Does this mean you’re willing to accept my proposition?”
Bo looked at Lauren, who shrugged. “Your call.”
Bo looked back at May, “I have just one more question.”
May nodded encouragingly. “Ask it.”
“Why me? You’re in a Fae bar and I’m fairly sure half the room would bed if you if you opened with ‘I have a limited life span left to live and I want you to have sex with me’, so why out of everyone in here did you pick me?”
May grinned wickedly. “I have always wanted the best of everything. The best food, the best bedding for my nest, the best comforts my short life can have. They say the best sex to be had anywhere in the world is with a succubus and you are the only succubus in this area. If I am going to die soon, then I want to go out with a bang, as it were, and I think you’re the best there is to be had.”
Bo blinked. “Okay then. Helluva reputation to have to live up to, but I’ll do my best.” She and May stood up at the same time but Bo turned back to the table one last time. “Lauren?”
“I’ll get a ride home with Dyson,” Lauren waved her off with a smile. “You have fun being the best of the best and all that.” She grinned nearly as wickedly as May had done. “I expect a repeat performance later.”
Bo and May left the bar, not quite rushing, but definitely with a note of urgency to their steps.
Lauren just smiled and flagged for another drink, planning to stay at the bar for a while. She suspected things would be quite noisy at their house for a while, even with the soundproofing they’d put in at Dagny’s insistence.
She didn’t feel inconvenienced or worried though. It was just for a little while.