Quick reminder for fanfic writers both on here and ESPECIALLY on AO3âŚ
If your main character has a name and described appearance, DO NOT use the character x reader tag. LikeâŚseriously.
That is an OC. Use the âx ocâ or âx original characterâ tag. Stop using the âx readerâ tag. It will not give you more reach because people looking through the âx readerâ tag arenât going to read it. Three guesses why.
You are also making the filtering system null and void, which is harmful ESPECIALLY for archival sites like ao3 where the tags and filtering system are specifically there to make things easier. Itâs basic fandom etiquette guys. Common sense and consideration for others. It wonât kill you to tag things correctly.
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The moon hangs low over the cabin, spilling silver across the floorboards, painting Darlinâs skin in cold light. Sam watches them from the armchair, half-shadowed, a book long-forgotten in his lap.
Heâs memorizing them again.
Every curve of their jaw. The way their chest rises and falls, steady. The faint hum in their chest when they breathe through their nose. That warmthâthat endless, aching warmthâthat has been his for so long.
âYâknow,â Darlinâ says softly, not even turning to look at him. Their voice breaks the stillness like a whisper meant for ghosts. âYou stare at me like youâre tryinâ to take a picture with your eyes.â
Sam huffs out a laugh that doesnât quite reach his eyes. âMaybe I am.â
The word hits him like a punch to the ribs. Because tonight is easy. Tonight is safe. Tonight is here. But forever? Forever is the one thing heâs cursed with and the one thing they canât have.
Samâs gaze drops to his hands, pale and still as marble in the moonlight. âI know,â he murmurs. âI just like⌠remindinâ myself youâre real.â
They cross the room without a sound, like the wolf in them knows how to move through the world without disturbing it. When they kneel in front of him, their hands slide over his knees, grounding him. âHey,â they whisper. âWhatâs goinâ on in that head of yours, huh?â
Darlinâs brows furrow, but they donât pull away. âSometimes. Usually when Iâm tryinâ not to.â
He exhales a shaky breath that could almost be a laugh. âYou might outlive everyone else, if youâre lucky, Darlinâ. All your friends, your packâbut not me. Not really.â
Their thumb brushes against his knee. âYou say that like itâs supposed to scare me.â
âIt should,â Sam says quietly. âYouâre gonna die someday, and Iâm justââ He swallows hard, his voice breaking. âIâm just gonna keep goinâ. Like I always have.â
Darlinâ looks at him for a long time, eyes soft but steady. âThatâs whatâs been eatinâ at you.â
He nods, slow. âI donât like thinking about what itâs like to watch the years take someone from me? The way their heartbeat used to slow right beforeâŚâ He stops himself, jaw trembling. âAnd I canâtâI canât do that. I need you.â
They rise onto their knees, take his face in their hands. âSam.â Their voice is low, steady, but thereâs a crack beneath it. âYouâre not losinâ me yet.â
âThatâs not the point.â He presses his forehead to theirs. âYouâre mortal. Iâm not. I canât keep pretendinâ that doesnât matter.â
Darlinâ tilts their head just enough that their nose brushes his. âThen donât.â
He blinks, pulling back a little.
âDonât pretend,â they whisper. âDonât hide from it. Yeah, Iâm gonna die someday. Yeah, youâll still be here. But thatâs not a curse, Sam. Thatâs just⌠life. And if Iâve only got one lifetime, then I want it to be with you.â
Their words hit him harder than any truth heâs faced in centuries.
Darlinâ smiles, though their eyes are shining with tears. âYou think dying sounds so bad? âCause I donât. Not if it means I get to love you every damn day until it happens.â
Samâs chest caves in around the sound he makes, something between a laugh and a sob. His hands come up to cradle the back of their neck, pulling them closer until his lips find theirs in a kiss that feels like surrender.
When they pull away, Darlinâs voice is just a whisper. âAnd you, Mr. Collins?â
Sam laughs through the ache. âWhat about me?â
âWhat do you want?â
He looks at themâreally looksâand for once, thereâs no fear in his gaze. Just something calm, something whole. âIâd die the same day you do. So I donât have to wake up to a world without you in it.â
Their smile trembles. âThatâs awful romantic of you.â
He chuckles, kissing the corner of their mouth. âGuess Iâm sentimental like that.â
They rest their head against his chest, listening to the heartbeat that shouldnât exist but does, for them. His fingers trace idle patterns along their back, memorizing the feel of skin over muscle, of warmth against cold.
The moon dips lower. The night hums. Somewhere, an owl calls out into the darkness.
And for a little while, the two of them just breathe.
Because thisâthis fleeting, fragile thingâis theirs.
And if dying ainât so bad, itâs because loving was worth it.
DYINNNN AINT SOOO BADDDDDD NOT IF WE BOTH GOOOOO TOGETHERRRRRR
thinking about bokuto absolutely loving the endearment you have for him bc it's such a simple wordplay yet it's still so sweet. 'mahal kou' OURGHGOUGHOUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH you get it
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[This is very oc insert (names and the such), but still is in line with the canon!! So some details may be made up by me and/or be canon darlin, read with this all in mind!
Side Note: I don't write at all, I honestly jst wanted to doodle and have some writing to back it up so bare with me here.....]
F!Eva always carried themselves with joy, they never seeked out unwanted danger, they never let negative thoughts cloud them. They were content. A family that always stays by their side, a pack they can rely on to feel safe, and best friend they know will back them up in any situation.
Despite the way they carry themself, they will always inevitably meet their fear. Quinn Fox. He's not someone F!Eva expected to meet, he's neither someone they wanted to meet. He changed their life in a way that is unimaginable to them, bringing so much hurt they never prepared for.
They wanted nothing more than to run, an escape, an exit point to their problems. Of course, there's always an endpoint to the running, that end point being, The Talbot Pack. A pack that cares, stays. And stayed they did.
F!Eva knows they belong, they know that no matter the mistakes, heavy or light, they always have the pack to be there.
After all of the issues, F!Asher had been there to ground them, to keep them afloat, as a best friend always would. Once again, F!Eva felt like they could breathe once more. The heavy unexpected fog that game into their life had cleared up. They could live with their guard down once more, they never let their head drop anymore.
These days, they took time for leisure, visiting parks, taking time to hone their talents. One day, F!Eva's attention is diverted to a small flyer pasted on the streets. The House of Rebane's club is having a special night, eh? They wander till they reach the busy block this club was found, walking in curious and enamored.
They wish to admire the place much further, until this luxury is taken by a strong southern tone...
HEHEHEHHE THAT WAS SO FUN TO DO WWWWW
Bonus: this is what they look like in the canonical redactedverse :3
i often mourn the fact that darlinâs name shouldâve been sugar instead of darlinâ. cause like. yeah darlinâ is a stereotypical southern petname but so is sugar and it just sounds so amazing with that accent. petition for sam to call darlinâ sugar in one of his audios NOWWWW
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(I hc Darlin' with a stutter; read here for more.)
--------------------------
Samâs mind was gently pulled into consciousness as a great horned owl called from outside his bedroom. He glimpsed at the clock on the wall. Nine o'clock. Still late evening, not yet time to be up. Enticed by the owl's promise of a set sun, though, Sam slipped off his blankets.
Bare feet met hardwood as he left the bed, eyes still closed in an attempt to at least stay half-asleep. He shuffled over to his window and pulled back the black-out curtains before feeling around for the latch. His fingers found it just as a sliver of a voice snuck through the silence:
âSSSam?â
He gave a groggy response as he opened the window, âJusâ gettinâ someairâŚâ
Darlinâ gave a low hum of approval and rolled over to face him. Sam made his way back over and climbed into their bed with all the grace of a drunk bat, eliciting a sleep-laden giggle from his mate.
âOh, hush,â he grumbled, his smile unwittingly trickling into his voice, âIâm barely awake.â He drew Darlinâ to his chest.
They both drifted in and out of sleep, lulled by the owlâs repeated call. The cool air of early night seeped into their room; the two snuggled further under the covers in response.
"I can feel your magic,â Sam mumbled. It was an uncommon sensation; usually, Darlin' only let their magic extend beyond themself when they felt safe. And they rarely felt safe.
âYours t-t-too...â
âFeel good?â
Sam felt them nod. He gave them a small kiss before asking, âWhatâs it feel like?â
Darlinâ drew sleepy circles on his chest as they tuned into his magic. After a few moments of silence, they spokeâslowly, like they were savoring a flavor in their mouth:
âItâs l-l-likeâŚ.sinking into a wwwarm b-b-bath..itâs like aâŚb-b-bassâŚlow and in-in the b-backâŚthrummingâŚocean wwwaves under a full mmmoonâŚimmmmenseâŚsoothingâŚl-like aloe v-vera on skin after a-a sunny dayâŚâ
Joy swelled in Sam's chest and he tightened his arms around them. âI love the way you put that, darlinâ,â he murmured.
Darlinâ smiled softly, sleep tugging at them. âHow's mmmine?â
âYours? MmmâŚâ Sam allowed Darlinâs magic to seep into him. âYour magicâŚis like fireworks. Those kinds that you light and then toss into the street to see them spin real quick and change colorsâŚyouâre the buzz after a concert...the windswept euphoria when you get off a roller coasterâŚyouâre stargazin' durin' a meteor showerâŚyour magic feels likeâŚlikeâŚâ
Home.
Darlinâ jumped.
They pushed themself up a bit and stared at Sam with wide eyes.
âWhat? What is it?â he asked, staring back in concern.
They shook their head. âFuck, I-I-I heard y-you in-in mmmmy head.â
Sam mouthed a small âohâ. Seeing that Darlinâ was more startled than scared, he relaxed slightly. âYou think we might of bridged?â
Darlinâ gave a small nod. âI-I didnât mmmmean t-t-to.â
âMe neither,â Sam assured them, âGuess we were justâŚin tune with each other.â
They dropped their gaze. "I...I-I haven't d-d-d-done that in-in...in a l-l-l-long t-t-time."
"Me neither," Sam replied. He studied them a moment before asking, "Are you okay?"
They nodded again. "Are-are y-you?"
Sam couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just worried about you."
Darlin' lowered their head back onto his chest. âI-Iâm fine. J-justâŚsurprised mmme,â they muttered, trying to slow Sam's heartrate with their words.
Sam ran one hand up and down their back, with the other in their hair. When he felt like they had both reached a state of calm again, he asked, âIs that somethin' youâd be interested in doin' with me?"
After no response, he added, "S'alright if the answerâs no.â
"You don't wwwant that. N-not wwwwith mmme."
Shut down. It was the kind of response he often got from them. It was the kind of response he couldn't stand. He knew it was a form of protection, and they had been getting better about it. But still, every so often, Darlin' would deny him or themself something in the belief that they were broken or unworthy or dangerous. Every time, it simultaneously burned Sam's heart and broke it.
"Why do you say that?" he asked, trying to keep his tone gentle.
Darlin' bit the inside of their cheek. When he was met with no response again, Sam kissed the top of their head and entreated, "Please, Darlin'. You don't have to speak quick. You don't even have to give an explanation. But please don't ignore me entirely."
Fuck. How could words spoken soft as candlelight twist guilt into their gut like a knife? Darlin' buried their face into Sam's chest, breathing in his scent. It steadied them.
Finally, they responded, their voice muffled by Sam's sleepshirt, "It...fucking s-sucksâŚin-in mmmy head."
There it was.
Sam sighed, "That may be true, for you. But that doesn't mean I don't want to bridge with you. I'm not scared of your thoughts, darlin'."
"B-but you should b-be.â
"But I'm not," Sam pushed back, just a little. Silence fell between them, and he let it. Darlin' had answered his question. There was no point in trying to convince them how he felt. He kissed their head once again in silent reassurance that he was not mad and closed his eyes, hoping to get a bit more sleep.
Darlin' bit harder at the inside of their cheek, their mind buzzing with frustration. The owl outside made itself known again; Darlin' laid in indecision as they listened to it call over and over. They could feel Sam's magicânot reaching out but still present. His magic was safe. He was safe. He was strong. Stronger than they were. Braver. Calmer. Steadier.
When Darlin' finally spoke, their voice was small and soft and scared:
"I-I wwwwant t-to try...if-if you also wwwant t-to."
Sam felt his heart skip. He craned his neck to the side to make eye contact with Darlin' as he asked, "You sure? I don't want you doin' this if you're not really wantinâ it."
"You-you give mmme all of you. I-I wwant to do the same. E-Even if it scares mme," they whispered, "I-I wwwant t-to b-be b-brave for you."
"You don't have to."
"B-but I wwant t-to."
Sam studied their face for a moment before kissing their forehead and whispering, "Alright. Thank you, darlin'. But if we start and you donât like it, you tell me and weâll stop, okay?â
âOkay.â
âGoodâŚis there a certain way you want to lay or sit?"
"N-n-no. You?"
"Nah, this is perfect."
Sam closed his eyes and leaned his head back against his pillow, running his hand through Darlin's hair. Darlin' closed their eyes as well, listening to Sam's heart.
It was quick. Almost as quick as the first time. When the bridge reformed, Sam could feel Darlin's body tense against his. Through the bridge, he felt the tension in his own muscles. He kissed the top of their head.
It's okay. You're safe.
âFuck.â Fuck, woah, that's fucking weird.
I'm going to fuck this up.
I shouldn't have done this.
I'm just going to hurt youâ
âhey, hey, it's ok.
Fuck, sorry, I'll try to quiet down...
...Do you think anyone's ever tried bridging with more than one person at one time?
If you can do that, could you make a true hive mind?
Bee people. Bee shifters? Are there any insect shiftersâ
âfuck! Sorry!
"SSSorry..." Darlin' muttered. Sam giggled and stroked Darlin's head. The sensation soothed them both.
You're alright, darlin'.
I donât mind your thoughts.
But you shouldâ
âshut up, Tankâ
âfuck, I wish I would just shut up!
SorryâŚ
...Your head is so quiet.
Shit, I don't mean quiet like empty I justâ
âgod I am such an ass!
You're not an ass, darlin'.
Damn, I love you.
I love you.
"I love you, darlin'."
Darlinâs body went lax at the assurance. Their mind stilled for just a moment. Tap tap tap. Darlinâ tapped Samâs chest three timesâa gesture heâd come to learn meant âI love youâ. The feeling of their own fingers echoed against Darlinâs chest.
I love you, too.
So much.
Fuck what time is it?
Shit, weâve got to get up soon.
Do we?
ItâsâŚSaturday? Yeah, Saturday.
Fuck yeah, we can stay in bed.
We could make breakfast.
More like you could make breakfast, Iâm shit at cooking.
Iâm shit at most things.
I donât even think Iâm doing this rightâ
âyouâre doinâ just fine, pup.
Samâs heart skipped as he realized what heâd just thought. Or maybe it was Darlinâs heart skipping, he couldnât quite tell. His eyes shot open, and he looked down at Darlinâ, whose face was already turning red. Samâs own face began to burn too.
âFuck, Darlinâ, Iâm so sorry.â Iâm sorry.
I didnât mean to think that.
That wasnât appropriate.
I should have asked beforeâ
âfuckâŚ
For once, Darlinâs head was quiet. Like static. Samâs stomach fluttered. Or maybe it was Darlinâs. The bridge was somehow deepening, and Sam struggled to differentiate where the feelings were originating.
I know wolves can be particular with those kinds of names.
Especially when their mates arenât wolves.
I should have asked.
Iâm sorry, I didnât meanâŚ
Samâs thoughts slowed as Darlinâ pressed a soft kiss to his lips. They buried their face into his neck.
âDarlinâ?â
I liked that.
YouâŚwhat? "What?"
Darlinâ groaned quietly, âI-I liked it.â
Call me it againâ
âwait, I mean, uh, umâŚ
A grin stretched across Samâs face. âOh yeah?â he cooed, stroking the nape of Darlinâs neck.
You like beinâ called pup?
Sam giggled as his stomach fluttered at the word; this time he could tell that feeling definitely came from Darlinâ.
You just a little puppy?
My puppy?
âSSSSSaaaammmâŚâ Darlinâ whined.
Sam pulled his body back a bit. Darlinâ turned their head to look up at him. The blush on their cheeks made Sam swoon, but he still had to be sure:
âI can stop, darlinâ,â Sam said, his voice soft but serious.
Darlinâ shook their head. âN-no.â Itâs just, nobodyâs ever called me thatâŚ
Sam couldnât stop grinning. Their blush. The way they ducked their head and avoided his eyes. The weakness in their voice. He rarely saw Darlinâ so bashful.
Well itâs about timeâŚ
My sweet puppyâŚ
Câmere⌠"C'mere."
Darlinâ hummed as they curled themself around Sam once more, tangling their limbs with his. Sam ran his hands through their hair as they traced their fingers over his chest. The two sank into repose as their sensations and thoughts melded and lost origin.
Sam breathed deep and murmured, âSuch a good pup.â