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Tw: Violence. references to past torture
Spider wasn't like Kiri, he wasn't born with Ewya's blessings in his hands
Despite all he finds of himself later, he was still born human. He had to prove he was hers, something he did early on
She started to show her favor while he was young, when he integrated himself into the Omaticaya with the Sully kids and her child, she would send little signs to those near
Her creatures would approach but never attack, her flora would hold him strong so he wouldn't get hurt racing across their forest, and temperatures rarely teetered where it may hurt him. They were little things but she thought her people would see
For once, they didn't
Her people wouldn't see her little human, but that was alright. She could show them - she is forgiving and she is loving
So, she guided their paths together
Kiri, her sweet child, was the first to see and with her, she brought her Grandmother
but...that was it
They could not (would not) see him
It would take years for her to finally wake her children, but it would come at a price she didn't want to pay
It isn't until after the battle of Three Brothers Rock that it becomes clear that Ewya has held Spider dear to her
It's on the ship, Neytiri's knife at his chest, when something changes
Quaritch panics, throws Kiri, and he is shoved forward. Neytiri is stalking up to Quaritch with a feral gleam in her eye but, in her anger, she pushes too hard
He falls, one hand to his bleeding chest and the other to the ground, but it's in vain
His face cracks against the debris across the floor and glass shatters into his face
There's shards pressing into the soft skin of his cheeks and forehead, his eyes clenched shut against the needles sneaking in, but fear hits him when he takes in a panic breath
Kiri screams his name and lunges forward, no longer bound to her fathers arms
Quaritch yells a loud, guttural scream of his name but Neytiri takes the opportunity to plunge her knife into his throat. He gurgles on his blood before she is at his side, eyes focusing vaguely again on his face
She curses, cups his cheek and mumbles words he doesn't catch
Jake is cursing and trying to cover his face but... he's fine
His face hurts but he takes in shuddering breaths and he's fine
He takes in another
Nothing happens
He looks up at Jake with wide eyes, shaking and unsure, but he's breathing fine
It takes the man a moment to catch up and this his movements still as he falls back onto the ground. Sitting, he stares at the little human
His Dad is dying off to the side, his sister throws herself into his arms and grins with tears in her eyes
"She has you, she Sees you, Spider, she has you!" Kiri is laughing, loud with sobs choking her between and he lets out a half barked laugh as he falls into her hold
Jake brings them both into his arms, panting and mumbling prayers with grateful pants of breath.
Neytiri doesn't move but her shoulders go lax in relief
He gasps, coughing and crying, and he's seen
Things make more sense with Ewya's blessing painted across his now-bare face
The scars of wearing the mask for so long fade as the days go by and the bloody marks from shattered glass heal
Injuries that should be months away from better start to scab and soon he's only lined in pink scars, the soreness there but his body healing like a na'vi
The sand and sun don't burn his shoulders or feet, something Norm swore would happen
The ilu let him on their backs and the fauna are suddenly that much less threatening
It's a clear sign if any that Ewya has put an end to their shit
Spider remains pale and small, still human but not as painfully so
Kiri remains on cloud nine, thriving in the knowledge that her people finally see her brother like she has
It's safer for him, no one able to dispute his place, and slowly he's blended into the family he always wanted
There's a lot of conversation that needs to be held but...he's safe
It feels like a happy ending
Problem: it's not an ending
There's still a war on the horizon and he's still a human man
His skin still tears, his lungs still burn at a na'vi child's pace, and his body still can't handle everything his siblings can
He's still almost killed by his boyfriends courting gift, a fish seasoned with a little more potent spices than what a human can handle
It's something his siblings know but the adults now find themselves confronted rather plainly with
Neytiri is still learning to accept him, still bringing him into her brood, when she has to face that falling out a 30' tree isn't a skinned knee to a human boy
He's no where near the top, something Jake tells her would have been far worse, but 8' up in search of coastal fruit will still break a humans leg
It scares her in a way she was unprepared for
She carries him back home with Kiri at her hip mocking her and her charge relentlessly, Spider flushed red and indigent at his siblings banter
It's when she lays him down and begins to wrap the injury when she see's the next little sign of his blessing
The little sign to tell her that he's hers
The freckles along his thigh, tiny and dark next to her own, resemble the bioluminescence that cover her body
Really though, it's the little pattern that looks so much like her sisters that makes her pause
Na'vi spots and stripes are a matter of pride, something they pass down to their children and a little visual symbol of their family connection
Her children often would paint their families stripes across his skin in something that always enraged her, but this is small, an organic addition she never noticed
She feels ridiculous crying over freckles to her mate later, but for now she just leans her head down to Spider's and brushes her lips across his forehead
"Ohe see ngenga, my tìrol"