#young masriel has my heart

[innoctemastra]

An ambitious young woman with a good marriage, well on her way to quite some position, and then that man came along and you...melted in front of him... I did not melt.

[freuleinanna]

night randez-vous

Young Masriel AU in which Asriel lets Stelmaria scope out the area before sneaking into Marisa’s room.

the idea & gifs by @tragicotps So uuuh... *nervous chuckle* I did a thing, and I hope it's okay? You absolutely destroyed me with that post, and I wanted to write it as soon as I stopped screaming in my pillow over how talented you are. It's insane, you're insane, I love your work 💛

I am also crediting @queenofnabooty because the "worse half/better half" exchange came from your tags and I died laughing, I hope you don't mind :D

Word count: 1,130 Also on: AO3

'You're late.' 'You weren't exactly elaborate in your instructions.' Within the amber eyes, a mild rebuke and a twinkle, almost a teasing. 'We spent some time searching for your room.'

The stars are dancing, and the candles are lit, and lovers are, as lovers always are on nights like this, awake and longing.

Marisa, in bed, is doing her best to concentrate on the pages, but her mind wanders. She finds herself looking at the door way more often than she promised herself she would. She also finds her heart leaping at every sound. It shouldn't do that, they agreed long ago. Distracted, she almost starts biting her nails again, a habit that has long been beaten.

'Oh, hush.'

Her daemon chatters lightly, restless because she is. A frown on her face, when she buries her nose back in the book, is not the kind that causes trouble. She hasn't turned a page once this evening. Both are well aware of that.

A sound comes three long quarter-hours later, and it is not the sound she expects. Instead of careful steps, a barely audible scratching.

'Hush, I said!' Marisa scolds, before she realizes that the monkey is listening, too. Tilting a head, he regards the door, his tail curled in a golden question mark. Looks are exchanged: his – sharp and insistent, hers – well, hers is softer for once. Their nature keeps getting mixed up in unpredictable ways.

As the scratching continues, her daemon jumps on the bed and squeaks eagerly.

'Him, you think?' A swelling, arythmic noise in her chest. Then, with a nod, 'Yes, who else.'

She kicks the covers off, throws on a robe. Pauses before the mirror to check her reflection and put a few unruly curls back to their place. Then hurries to the door. Then comes back for a candle. Just in case it's someone else, to pretend she was sleeping, and just lit it, and surely did not expect–

Silky gold at her knees, pushing her forward.

'Ohhh!' she exclaims in a whisper, unable to even get properly mad. Then finally, finally–

There isn't anyone at the door. Marisa opens it just a crack at first, then wider. The hallway is dark and empty to the eyes, as her expectations grow dark an empty, too.

Maybe he left. Maybe she waited too long. Maybe he thought her asleep. How could he have thought her asleep? What a rude, intolerable...

Shadows come alive suddenly. One in particular does, and Marisa recognizes the graceful step. Candlelight turns the pearliness of the leopard's fur to near-gold, like her own daemon's; colors the eyes amber. Stelmaria slides closer, greeting Marisa with a slow whisk of a tail.

'We thought you changed your mind.'

A deep voice blends with the curtains' rustling. To the right, a window is open, leading to a cascade of balconies on the outer wall. She must have come through there. Marisa's eyes examine the shadows for a moment, trying to guess where Asriel might be.

Not far, though. The thought is warming.

'You came,' she smiles down at Stelmaria. The leopard nods with her usual enigmatic expression, yet looks subtly pleased. 'You're late.'

'You weren't exactly elaborate in your instructions.' Within the amber eyes, a mild rebuke and a twinkle, almost a teasing. 'We spent some time searching for your room.'

'So, where's your worse half?'

If leopards could snort, that's what this sound would have been. Stelmaria glances at the windows.

'Conquering heights. Where's your better half?'

The monkey brushes past Marisa's legs, chattering excitedly, though making sure to lower his voice. His fur in orange light is gilded with a color so deep, it shines from within.

It's sweet, to see the mightly leopard in such a twitter. She grumbles tenderly, then treads forward to let the monkey throw his golden arms around her neck. She even gives him a lick on a shoulder. Both let out a sigh of the deepest content.

The same emotion is trembling in Marisa's own chest, lungs, hands, a longing so profound she can hardly stand it for a moment longer. The need to hold, and to be held. To call him his. Her Asriel.

She bites her lip, and worries. Outside, the rain is splattering – in quietude, gusts of air through the window bring its noise.

'Why would he climb the balconies, or the roof? It isn't safe. He's being reckless.'

'We couldn't go through the house', Stelmaria hums, 'the help was everywhere. And he was determined to come see you.'

She pauses, with something resembling a smile. 'Of course, he's not as agile as I am, hence the delay.'

Marisa bites a nail again, frowning. With the utmost care, the leopard slides out of embrace. Her voice is spiked with honey as she comforts Marisa by settling on the floor right at her side. Down below and out of the orange shimmer, she regains her ghostly silver frame once more.

'He's close, child. I can feel him.'

The monkey comes to lay a hand on her neck. Marisa aches to do the same, but Stelmaria, probably knowing her better than she knows herself, is already whispering a caution.

'We don't want him to fall.'

Well, that is true. Being away from your daemon, albeit barely, and then a feeling so intense and unexpected – he could fall. So Marisa waits, and keeps tangling her hair, and longs in silence. She could look out of the window and see him. She doesn't want to distract him. Three pairs of eyes, none moves away from a wide frame behind the curtains rustling in the night.

Then – a creak, a thump, a loud breath, and Asriel is here, grinning in triumph. Stelmaria perks up. He greets the daemon with a hearty laughter and a rub over her forehead, but his eyes are already drawn to Marisa. He does not lose more time.

He's cold and wet all over, hair slicked with rain. When he lifts her and turns, Marisa laughs the happiest she ever did in life. Her heart leaps. Asriel keeps every promise at once by kissing her in the only way he vowed to – like she is his, forever will be. A longing in Marisa's soul finally soothes and purrs, even though the bastard nuzzles her neck, leaving chilly raindrops on her skin. She only laughs, they both do.

'I say, lady Coulter, you made me run around like a whipped boy.' Asriel is playing with her hair, smug as ever. Marisa feels soft and light in his arms.

'I say, lord Belacqua, it's the least I'm going to put you through.'

'Oh, I sincerely can't wait.'

He sweeps her up, with shushes and whispers covering their joy, and carries her inside. Their daemons follow.

***

By dawn, they're all asleep in a tangle: Marisa on Asriel's shoulder, her golden monkey curled up happily by his other side, and Stelmaria sprawling behind Marisa, nose to her back.