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What do you think the sullys family reaction to spiders torture would, be I honestly don’t think they’re going to address it in avatar three but I wanted to hear your opinion on it? (make it as dark as you want👹)
Hey!!
I do love a good dark angst 😈 but I def read this wrong and wrote the wrong headcanons lmao so sorry for the wait
I’m doing this in headcanon format for simplicity, N$FW/darker content below the cut.
TW: (All implied, nothing explicit) underage, violence, torture, S harassment/possible implied SA (depends on how you read it, tag is to be safe), humiliation, blood, starvation, isolation, emotional manipulation, abuse
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Spider didn't meant to tell them, he fully intended on taking it all to the grave unless something might help them in the war. But that was it - he wanted to move on
When he gets back, Jake and Neytiri scare him
He tries not to let them but he keeps thinking that Quaritch is back and he didn't get home whenever they come up behind him. Out of the corner of his eye they don't look like the people he wanted to be his parents. They don't even look like friends
They're kinder though, Jake especially, and slowly he feels himself being brought in
He won't ruin it with some stupid trauma response
He flinches away from them and can't sleep near them but sometimes Jake rubs his head or Neytiri will run her fingers over his shoulders when she passes. He swallows down the anxious nausea and relishes in it.
He. Can't. Ruin. it
He wears a shirt now and loose shorts that offer more coverage than his loincloth. He keeps a knife on a beaded belt over the shorts in an awkward combination of fashions and keeps his hair loose so it can't be grabbed so easy. The dreads are gone and so are his stripes but he thinks it's okay, he's just growing up. No one needs to worry.
He thinks he's done well at hiding it but it seems he underestimated the couple drastically.
Kiri ends up being the one to approach him
The family whispers about what to do, how to help, or if they can. They spent the first couple months mourning their own losses and caring for Neteyam but Spider hasn't gotten better. Tired of the indecision, Kiri slips out of their marui and stalks after her best friend
He's with Rotxo on the beach, drooping and tired but relaxed with the other boy. They've been spending more time together and he seems more comfortable around the Metkayina lately.
They don't look like his Dad, like the recoms that claimed him, and Rotxo would never hurt him. None of them would, they're safe.
He snaps awake when Kiri lands a gentle hand on his shoulder. He jerks closer to Rotxo who supports him but urges him closer to his sister.
"Sorry, sorry..can we talk?" Rotxo gives him a look and Kiri holds out her hand so...yeah. Spider stands and she leads him to the treeline
She sits him down with their feet in the sand and leans her head on his shoulder. She's playing mean and she knows it, knows she's his weakness and always has been. His stomach twists and he knows she's going to get what she wants.
"What happened?"
He bites his lip, brows pinched, and tries not to give anything away. "Was tired, it was a long day. Ro helped me with his ilu."
"You know that's not what I meant." He shrivels and leans his head into her hair. She smells salty and sand clings to her messy waves but she's always been his person.
"I...they're monsters, Kiri. Monsters. I...They hurt me." His voice cracks and his head is in her hands, dipping their foreheads to meet. "I just want this to stop..." He was fine. He was.
But she holds him and he finally breaks.
She listens while he chokes on the tears, telling her how his back hurts with the healing injuries she didn't know were there. He cries over the wrong feeling of fabric clothes but he doesn't feel safe without them. She wraps him up in her arms and they lay there. The stars are out now but they don't move and he doesn't realize that, suspiciously, no one comes looking. No one ever does.
When they finally stand, they don't go home. She leads him to the med tents still set up from the battle and sits him on the bed. Silently, she removes his shirt and gingerly applies salve to the stripes reaching around his body. Her tears land on his shoulders and his own on his thighs but he's not humiliated like he was before.
"..are there more?" He shifts, nods, and she does the same process to his thighs. Those aren't as bad, mostly from rough handling and straps but she continues her quiet ministrations none the less. Finally, she finishes, and they go home
He hasn't slept well in weeks, tossing and turning and afraid but she nudges him into the pile of her brothers and drapes herself on top. Lo'ak blinks wearily at him but Neteyam just wraps an arm around his clothed chest and pulls him tight. Lo'ak and Kiri have a silent conversation and soon he's the center of a very cozy pile of limbs and heat
His brothers flank him on either side, Tuk joining between himself and Lo'ak halfway through the night, and Kiri curled at his head with her head cushioned on Neteyams chest
It's the first good sleep he has since he got home
The peace is ruined come morning though
He's the last one to wake, Tuk mysteriously is missing, and the family is sitting around bowls of food. Kiri looks at him, shaky, and gestures him to her.
They sit there, Spider holding a bowl of his favorite stew, and no once speaks. He curses himself internally, not wanting to break.
Jake breaks the silence, "Spider, kid, I, ah, think we need to talk about what happened. Kiri said you're hurt and you haven't been acting right. I know, I do, that the humans are cruel. I know we didn't come but Sullys stick together. You're family now..." He swallows, guilty and nervous, " please talk to us."
He denies it, tries to stop it, but Neytiri steps in. Her voice is low and calm, like she uses on Tuk, but there's an anger in her eyes when she scans his shoulders.
"Ma Spider, tell us what they did. Your brothers and sister may leave if you wish, but you are safe. Tell me what I avenge."
He grips Lo'aks hand and Kiri's, head low, and breaks.
He tells them about the whipping, the starvation. He tells them about the machine that splayed him open and how he didn't give them up. He talks about choking on his blood and watching his memories, about Quaritch saying he sees him. How traveling with him was so much better than base until it wasn't. He tells them about walking to the shower with eyes on him, about being gawked at and hungry eyes. How he was left alone for a week and a half with his songcord and fear. What happened when they found it. Quaritch humming his song and making him bleed.
When he's done, Jake reaches for him and he flinches back harshly into Lo'ak. His brother, to his credit, just bundles him up and holds him tight with his ears drawn back in warning. Kiri has a hand on his back and Neteyam slips between them and the adults. He doesn't give them details, just the gist, but he feels lighter.
His family does not.
Jake spends the next days with Tonowari and Norm. Rage is filling every inch of him but he sits at the table and plans
He uses the information given to try and figure out how to fix it. It won't happen again, he'll destroy them, but he doesn't know how he'll get his son back to the way he was
He blames himself and brews. He feels weak and raw and can't process how badly he's failed. Norm, of all people, tries to tell him its not his fault but he doesn't think he'll ever not hate himself for leaving a child to be tortured
Spider wasn't his yet and his kids weren't safe. He knows that, but he knows no one came for him and Tommy either
He never thought he would be that person - he thought he would be better
He hates that his kids know
He hates that they were there and know what happened. That they know how he failed their best friend
He's afraid to interact with Spider, he's scared to scare him ultimately. But he also needs Spider to trust him. He and Neytiri are trying to figure out how to ask him if they can adopt him through a claiming ceremony, but right now he still jumps if they touch him
Toruk Makto knows he did the right thing. Jake Sully will never forgive himself or humanity for the lines they cross.
Neytiri is an active threat to humanity
She never trusted Spider, never felt safe with him, but she couldn't hate him
She left him and she'll always carry that, but children are precious and a Na'vi warrior would never hurt an enemy child
Na'vi don't hurt their children. They don't leave them or starve them or beat them. She already hated Quaritch but she hates him more now
But its the forced Tsaheylu that haunts her
Spider would never have that bond. That's what she thought, but the one time he does he is mocked and hurt.
The idea that humanity could hurt anyone with such a sacred thing, let alone a child of their own species, brings her to enough rage to burn down all of Bridgehead, innocents be damned
She hated humanity but now she has a human she loves. Spider is hers now, Jake brought him in after the battle and claimed him as theirs. He's hers
They'll burn for touching him
He's hurt in ways warriors rarely ever reach and so she snaps
She's already a merciless fighter but it's tenfold now. She will leave no survivors when sky-people come and she will see their blood pay the debt they owe
But for now, for now she takes care of her little ones. She helps Neteyam heal his arm. She teaches Lo'ak how to fight, helps Tuk get faster so she will survive, and helps Kiri become a healer to rival her mother. Spider is still learning to relax with the adults but she's his silent protector and soon he lets her heal his back.
She wraps his injuries and holds him when he's weak. He's small in her arms and she curses anyone who would lay a hand on things so precious
Rage fills her but she spends the time waiting to strike with her children and helping them heal like she never did
Neteyam won't let this happen again
He spends his time with Ao'nung and Rotxo
They're the next generation and he won't let things get so bad when its their turn
A part of him will always resent his parents for what they did. He loves and respects them more than words offer but he almost died saving his little brothers and they're still hurt so damn bad
He gave them everything he had and it wasn't enough
So he plans
He combines Omaticaya and Metkayina fighting styles. He compares defense, strategies, and discusses how they'll work together
He, Ao'nung, and Rotxo spend hours fighting and wrestling, training themselves to be strong
They'll be leaders one day and they won't be loosing their friends again
Part of him is haunted by the cruelty though
He idolizes his dad and can't imagine how the people he came from could be so cruel and make him
But he understands his mothers hatred now
And he thinks he knows it too. They took her sister and now his brother.
He's never hated someone before but he thinks he hates Miles Quaritch.
His mother just might have to fight him to deliver the killing blow
Lo'ak is protective
Anyone looks at Spider the wrong way and he's ready with a fist to the nose
He was the one that went back for Spider
He was the one that ran into the ship
Spider is his brother and best friend, his family is stepping in now but it's his job to be there
Older or not, Spider isn't as strong as them. His skin rips and his body exhausts so much easier than theirs does. He wasn't there before but he has to be now
Anyone who thinks about messing with Spider needs to go through him
His body itches with energy, with the need to do something but there's nothing for a 14 year old to do
So he just stays nearby
He distracts Spider, surrounds him with the friends they've made, and keeps him safe
He takes him on ilu rides and to visit Payakan. He introduces him to the plants around the coast and shows him the reefs with Tsireya.
He honestly becomes a menace, it's cute but Spider has to try and dodge him to get alone time
But he's a little brother and he does what little brothers do
He pesters. It annoys Spider to no end but, honestly, he doesn't think he would stop him if he could
Kiri tries to heal him.
She can't fix things but she resolves to be by his side
She spends the evenings with him just talking and laughing, he tells her things no one else gets to know and things feel a little bit normal in a twisted sort of way
They lean on each other through the healing and hurt. They coach each other through the feelings as best they can. They're best friends and always have been
She won't let that change
She wraps his wounds and learns how to ease the pain from her mother
She spends hours with Ronal and Tsireya to learn how the ocean fixes hurts and shares how the forest does the same
Its her self proclaimed job to make sure his injuries heal but so does his mind
Tsaheylu is sacred and so she talks to him about Ewya, his father, and the fear he still has
It is on him to get through it in the end but she staples herself to his side to make sure he doesn't do it alone
She makes Neteyam help too but honestly her brothers are stupid so its on her to be the support
Overtime, she and Tsireya gather together a collection to make Spider more Na'vi-esque clothes that offer him the coverage he wants
They try to make him feel like Spider again, braiding his hair, covering the bruises and scars, and painting his arms in new stripes to look more akin to their own.
He goes through stripes of each of his friends families, mimicking their patterns in little ways for them to lay their claim
She isn't the most affectionate person but for him, she finds herself making it happen
She loves him so for now, being there will have to be enough
Tuk is just a kid, she doesn't know what's happening
Spider is. . .different and she's smart enough to know it's bad
But her family won't tell her what happened or what's wrong
Spider just looks sad and her family are acting weird, but he's getting better
It's slow, but she's gonna help and it'll be faster
So she brings him toys and climbs on him, drags him deeper into the sleep pile each night and offers him the treats she steals from the cookfire
While her siblings get breathing lessons, she brings him to the tidepools and makes him weave shells into her hair
She does all the little things that her family do for her to make her feel better and thinks, quite proudly, she's making him better
Everyone gets sick sometimes, sometimes it's just in someone's head. Besides, Spider always is sicker than her brothers and sister - she just has to be persistent
He'll get better. She's sure of it.
Neteyam is gay. Like, no doubts about it, man is a homosexual.
That takes him a long time to admit though; his entire identity surrounded being the oldest and a warrior, it wasn't until he reached the Metkayina that he finally had a moment to breath and realize why Ao'nung was so distracting to him
It's like he can finally breathe, not even for the sake of questioning his sexuality and more so cause he finally feels like a piece of the puzzle clicked together
Homie has identity issues galore
It takes Jake back a bit to realize Neteyam is gay though, in part due to internalized earth stuff but also just because he has to admit that Neteyam is a teenager and still feels teenager things in a war
It's him realizing Neteyam only grew up in war, that its already been his childhood
Spider is demiromantic, bisexual, and trans. He has almost zero preference towards gender romantically or physically but feelings take a minute for him to develop. However, when they do, he falls hard
I love trans!Spider but don't use it all the time cause it's a process to work in canon
However, FTM Spider was sort of a clumsy coming out
Na'vi are intersex, it's very fluid, even if some still believe there should be some version of a binary
So no one quite understand why the humans are so strict on their genders or why it's such a big deal for Spider than he is a he and not a she.
He just sort of breaks down with Lo'ak and Kiri who panic and try to fix things. He thinks it's a big thing and no one really gives a shit, he's still the little stray human, but some of the older teens and stuff realize how much he cares and make an effort to make him feel good about it
He worries it'll make him more of a freak but he has a gaggle of siblings, and later friends, who reassure him that they couldn't particularly care less
His coming out is what triggers Kiri's
Kiri is an asexual lesbian who uses she/they pronouns
Unlike the romantic preferences, being asexual is a little bigger of a deal but Neytiri specifically will shut down anyone who gives her baby any shit
Being ace is a bigger thing because there is so much emphasis on intimacy and seeing one another, however, Kiri very passionately proves to anyone that she doesn't need sex to connect with anyone.
Lo'ak has actively gotten into fights to help when people start shit with them
Kiri didn't really have a sexuality crisis though
They just kind of knew, something her brothers are endlessly jealous of
Tsireya is her first crush though
Lo'ak is the one who gets it bad but Kiri admittedly fell hard for her
She was gorgeous and sweet, cared about the environment around them in a way no one their age ever seems to
Plus she stands up for her and Kiri wanted to show her what she sees so bad it made her stomach curl
But she stepped back for Lo'ak, as bittersweet as it was, she felt so good just enjoying the innocent feeling
It just felt good to have normal teenage feelings in the midst of a war
Lo'ak is bisexual, however, he would tell you he is Tsireyasexual
He is one track minded
The most loyal partner ever tho
Like, if you're his person, he is honed in
Being bi was never really a huge thing for him but he was the last one of all the teenagers to come out
He just forgot
He was sitting with Tsireya while everyone hung out and Tsireya pointed out a cute guy to him and they took in the view together while everyone kind of just ??? this is new?
It wasn't, homie really just forgot to tell people
It was a given to him
Funnily enough, he has the same taste as Kiri
Tsireya is not the first girl they both liked
While he is bi, he does lean mostly towards girls
He's a sucker for pretty
It's bad, Tsireya flutters her lashes at him and he'll do damn near anything
A simp (TM)
Tuk is too young rn to really care but when she's older, I think she's pan
People her age are much fewer and she just likes friends
Her first crush is Rotxo's little sister cause she keeps following him to hang out when Tuk is a preteen
She's hella obvious and all of the older ones think it's hilarious to tease her, she's worse than Lo'ak when he first saw Tsireya
She's bringing her shells and little flowers, trying to show off in games and dress pretty
Tsireya and Neteyam take mercy and help her get her act together but nothing comes of it
Once it starts tho she's a hopeless romantic
She has a new crush every other week of her early teen years but never gets to be a better flirt
She's a mini Lo'ak that way
He tries to coach her and says she didn't get it from him but it's obvious
Ao'nung is demi. He leans towards men physically but he is almost as bad as Neteyam in terms of thinking himself responsible for everyone
Tonowari tries desperately to break him of that mindset and Ronal is constantly trying to take pressure off of him but it's just in his nature
So he, like Neteyam, doesn't think about relationships much
He has, however, been a hopeless romantic with a laundry list of brief crushes over the years
He falls hard for Neteyam though when he arrives
Mainly because he finally feels seen, he's a big one on emotional connections
No one at home understands the pressure on him so when Neteyam shows up, shepherding siblings and standing as his fathers right hand, he doesn't know what to do
He tries to cover it up, worried still for the safety of his clan, and scare them off
A little selfish part of him was afraid of the feelings and wanted them gone
Clearly that doesn't work but, once they realize they both like one another, it doesn't take him long to latch on
He and Neteyam become close rapidly and fall into a relationship fast once things are started (a genuine surprise to literally everyone)
A very devoted partner; he learned from his Dad and takes being a good partner seriously
it took him a really long time to feel confident in himself so once he and Neteyam are together, he's devoted to becoming a strong partner to demonstrate a strong relationship to his partner
Metkayina are extremely family based and he will not let them down
Tsireya is pan
She has so much love in her she doesn't know what to do with it
Falls hard and fast, Ao'nung has spent years trying to keep her from falling for everyone who she connects just a little bit with
Actually did have a crush on Kiri too, though she had one on Lo'ak at the same time
Might by poly but she never investigates it
She's very spiritual and spends a lot of time with the ancestors so her partner needs to care too
Like she makes Lo'ak ask the ancestors for their blessing when she accepts his courting
He was scared shitless and got teasingly (?) threatened by her deceased uncle
She cares deeply about helping others to the point of being naive - she has gotten hurt before because of it so she needs some reassurances in relationships
Lo'ak is not her first relationship but he is the first really healthy one
She's prone to trying to fix people honestly, she doesn't get what she puts in a lot
However, when she does, she's a little angel
Gifts, cooking, help; whatever she can do to show her love she'll do
Wants to be Tsahik so she's terrified Neteyam will take the job
He lets her happily, preferring to be a line of defense for his people regardless
Rotxo has no clue what he is
He just knows he likes Spider
He's a giant softie
Like gentle giant himbo vibes but fiercely protective of his family
Very proud of his home and his heritage
He has two moms so sexuality wasn't really a big deal growing up, however, he just didn't really care
He just likes who he likes
He had a bigass crush on Ao'nung for a bit but later realized it was just a deep platonic love
Unlike most of the crew, he doesn't fall easily
Like he has had maybe 2 crushes his entire life
So falling for Spider is a shock
But he's just happy to find his feelings returned
He's a big provider type, likes giving gifts and taking care of his friends
He has a lot of issues about feeling useful and needed; he grew up in Ao'nungs shadow and so feels like he needs to fight to be seen
Hence part of how he and Spider bonded
While very gentle, he's very passionate about being a warrior once he finally feels like he has a reason to be
Does a lot of soul searching after the Sullys come
He still has a lot to learn about himself but feels much more at peace now that he doesn't feel like just Ao'nungs best friend
Kiri and Spider have been best friends since the beginning
They met when Kiri was still an infant and Spider around 2. He still wasn't allowed to leave the labs but he snuck in to one of Kiri's checkups
He was a climber and a builder - hence his name - and so it was hard to keep him out of where he wanted to be
So when the toddler heard another cry in the building it was only a matter of time before he found it
He wanders, stumbling through the offices he's confined to and sneaking until he reaches the Avatars
Jake is there, Kiri in his arms, sitting next to Ms. Grace's tank. He's talking and it sounds like a story which Spider loves so he of course toddles his way over. He climbs into the Na'vi's lap without regard for his size, skin, or the fact that he's only met Jake a handful of times.
Jake, to his credit, catches the tiny human with a free palm under his butt. Paying no heed to the flabbergasted look on the mans face, he peers down to stroke the girls cheek
He flies for a moment while Jake tries to keep them apart but then the girl has his hand in her palm
She blinks up with big eyes and Spider offers a giant toothless grin: there was no going back after that
Neteyam comes with Kiri
He's Spiders age but double his size, 2' taller for the 2 months he's younger
Still, Spider doesn't let the few kids his age on Pandora get away. He's a social butterfly and opts to conquer Neteyam's introverted ways.
And so he toddles after the blue boy everytime he comes with his sister
Kiri is growing fast, especially next to human growth standards, but she still has a ways to go to meet Spider, so her big brother will have to do
It's 3 months of toddling after him, pulling his tail, and playing with the pretty beads adoring his hair while Neytiri tries desperately to keep the little human away from him
But, once again, containing Spider is mission the adults surrounding him have yet to accomplish
And so Neteyam finds himself with a little blonde flea attached to his side
He chases the younger boy through the halls, giggling at the tiny hisses Neteyam lets out when he catches him. He pulls his tail and climbs onto his big boy bed - he can use the grown up bunks now! - while Neteyam tackles his obstacles with ease.
The other boy is shyer but Spider has learned how to rile him up by now
They play for the hour or two that Jake spends with Kiri getting monitored in the labs. If Neytiri is there then it's harder, but Spider can normally get a story for them at least.
It continues on for a while with Kiri joining them as she starts to crawl, then toddle with their hair or her brothers tail in her fist
And it seems that gets Spider a little too comfortable
Namesake on full display, he tries to climb the bunkbed ladders of the bunk room while Neteyam is chasing him
He's gotten far too big for most of Spiders tricks to slow him down so the child thinks this is his chance to get a rare upper hand
Except bunk beds are tall and metal is slick and maybe Spider isn't really that much of a big kid yet
He really does try to catch himself but its too slippery and he hits the ground hard
The scientists around the lab don't like it when he cries and really does try to keep it in, but his arm really hurts and he can't help but let it escape
He waits for Neteyam to mock him or tell him to stop but instead finds himself craddled against the boys chest.
"Shhhh, shh, 's okay Spi, just stop cryin'. I-I'll get my Daddy and Uncl' Norm." Spider only shakes his head and cries more, clinging to the other boys beads.
"No'uh, 'm okay. 'm a big boy."
Neteyam stutters for a minute before he nods. The two boys stay curled on the floor for a few minutes then with Spiders arm cradled between them.
"Don't worry, 'm here Spi. Every'tings okay."
Their relationship is never as close as the others growing up but there's an understanding between them the others never have
They're equals, the two oldest brothers.
They might be opposites but they've got one another's backs...even if that's just taking left while the other takes right to corner Lo'ak at highcamp.
Neteyam never made friends easily
Spider forced himself into the picture and his siblings never really got a choice in the matter
Sure, being the Ole'ekytans son meant some of the other kids would clamor for his attention but he never did good at being more than casual
Responsibilities stack on him like like the berries on Tuks tarts: he doesn't have the time or strength to devote to anything else
His siblings are enough though. There's a war and he can't loose focus or they'll get hurt
He left them once and lost Spider - he won't let it happen again
It gets lonely though
He chases after his kid brother and protects his sisters from as much as he can but...there's no one to look after him
Then he meets Ao'nung
Ao'nung is brave and cool and gets it in a way his siblings just can't
He may not have grown up in a war but he has a little sister and another on the way - he knows the responsibility of an important father and its addicting to have that person in his life
They lean on eachother, quietly, and he finally has something for himself
He tells him things he never told anyone else
He talks about his fathers expectations and pressure, his mothers trauma, his worry over the human they left behind, and his fear for Kiri's future. He talks about Lo'ak running into danger and Tuk losing her innocence and Ao'nung talks about his anger. About the fear he has of whats to come, about Tsireya and how he worries this will break her. He's weak around him and Neteyam savors it.
Time goes by and he gets hurt. His arm might never be the same as it was and his ear still rings with the echoes of gunshots but he has his brother back and his family is safe
Neytiri finally, finally lets Spider come home but it's not over
He doesn't think it ever will be
But Ao'nung slips his hand into his and maybe he'll be okay
Maybe he doesn't have to do this alone
Rotxo was Ao'nungs first friend
They were friends from the first time they sat through lessons together and they've been attached at the hip ever since
Rotxo knows Ao'nung will be a great Ole'ekytan but he'll need a right hand and Rotxo is ready to step up
For a long time he thinks maybe he'll be more than that but the Sullys arrive and they both find that path a different way
Still, they're eachothers person
They back one another up no matter what and there is rarely one without the other
In training they pair up, have joint moves that they make just for themselves and know the others gaps or weaknesses like its their own
Tonowari didn't want to train them for war but they didn't want to risk being unprepared
So when the sky people reach their waters, they spend every hour they can steal with one another
They spar and wrestle and carve more weapons
Their hands shake with fear and adrenaline but they keep their thighs pressed to the others and carry on
Rotxo gains muscle mass and Ao'nung learns to use a bow Neteyam carved. They grow their skills, their strength, but also their fear
Unlike the Sullys, they didn't grow up with war on the horizon
They don't know what's coming and cling to each other while they can.
No matter what, they know they can rely on the other
It isn't until they see Quaritch dead that they'll let go of the breath they're holding but they hold the other up until then
Nothing could pry them apart and nothing that tries will walk away
I've seen this before but he did his hair in the dreads to try and mimic Jake; no one ever really taught him how to maintain or care for his hair. After getting taken, his hair is in such bad condition they shave it to his scalp.
It grows back curly and darker than he expected. It takes a while to thicken but Kiri rubs salves and oils into his hair to help. When its finally back in decent shape she and Tsireya go to town braiding an styling it.
He ends up with longer hair eventually that is in Viking braids to the back of his head, then it's a messy bunch of curls down to his shoulders.
Once he is accepted into the family, Neytiri helps him braid in family beads to remind him that he's theirs now. It's small but she needs him to know she's there.
Tuk likes to collect shells and pretty stones to make jewelry and she ends up using some to braid into his hair - her other siblings don't let her but Spider can seriously not say no to her
He and Tsireya get along a lot better than anyone expected
After getting tortured and having to deal with so much so fast, her calming presence does really well for him. Plus, he has all the blackmail she could want on Lo'ak
They also are both secret gossips and will sneak away for "lessons" where they ride her ilu and talk shit
Rotxo takes a special liking to Spider and it freaks Ao'nung and Lo'ak the fuck out
Netyam (cause he's alive here bitch) is hovering constantly trying to make sure he's not getting bullied but they just genuinely vibe together
Rotxo has a crush on Spider and Kiri. They both know about him liking the other but not themselves.
Spider is demi/bi, Kiri is demi/ace, Lo'ak is bi, Neteyam is gay, Tisreya has no damn clue, Ao'nung is bi but closeted, and Rotxo is pan.
About half the younger na'vi love Spider cause funny little monkey boy and y'know, life is already weird and the other half woul lowkey drown him if left alone
That goes for Lo'ak too but that's just cause he's a little shit
Home
Spider was never meant to find Home
He knows that. No matter what Kiri whispers to him, what Lo’ak insists when the young warriors of the Omatikaya attempt to chase him off, or what Neteyam mumbles when Neytiri whips around with venom on her lips - he knows it, because if it were wrong, it would mean that everything that’s happened was for no reason. He can’t go that route, and so Home is just a concept he’ll never know
His siblings tempt to sway him many times over the years - they feel so much like Home it hurts, but he’s not so selfish to risk it for them when he knows he already took it from their mother
He’s seen his father in the photos the scientists don’t know he has, video logs that show a man that’s only been a horror story his whole life
But what scares him is he sees himself
He sees his eyes, the scowl when he’s angry, the cinch in his brow. He scowls at the image and sees his own face stare back.
So yeah. He doesn’t have a home. He has siblings though, and that’s more than he deserves. So Spider is okay. Really, he is.
But then his Dad shows up
—-
Quaritch is everything he thought he’d be and…not.
He’s angry. The man is full of hate and a need for revenge. He destroys the ground beneath his feet and spits on the life that’s surround them. He doesn’t know Ewya but he hates her none the less.
But he’s protective. Possessive of what’s his (and yet another damn thing he got from his father) and it seems Spider is included in that
He hates it but a part of him feels protected - it’s safe in the that’s holding a poison blade is. He’s one slip up from hell
But hell was bridgehead. It was the feeling of his deepest parts being pried out and displayed like the pages of a storybook
No one cared as they saw some of his best and his darkest days.
No one cared when the whips came out. When he bled so much he worried it was fatal
No one cared when he starved, when the distant sound of wildlife made his stomach twist with need.
Except Quaritch.
Quaritch snuck him food, bandaged his back, and pulled him down.
His hands may have delivered some of the blows or his lips produced the words to trigger nightmares but he cared.
Love is complicated, but he knows his Dad loved him
He thinks he may have too
Quaritch saw him.
He didn’t know. He thought he did but he didn’t but he wanted to he knows he did -
Then Neteyam almost dies. No one came for him. They left him, gave him up, except his brothers didn’t
Neteyam and Lo’ak fought for him.
They risked their lives when they had the chance to get away
Spider pieces his home together after that
Home finds him in the nights after when he rests with Kiri on his shoulder and Lo’ak’s hand loose in his grip. Tuk is curled into her mothers chest and Jake stands a silent guard at the door. Neteyam is flat on the bed of one of Ronal’s medical tents. His brother has been asleep for a few hours now with Norms assistance, but his family is too afraid to leave his side
He’s been awake the whole time. He hurts in ways he didn’t know he could until his capture but the warmth of his closest friends is too precious to loose right now. Still, he can’t sleep. Adrenaline is running under his skin and anxiety is inching up his throat. Jake is outside, safe and strong, but his tracker could lead the rest of the sky people here again, never mind Norms tempering, or his memories could have a clue, they had to be recorded, or -
Jake lays a large hand on his shoulder.
He jumps and a scared gasp escapes his throat before he processes the subtle differences. The thinner fingers, callouses Quaritch hasn’t had time to form yet, the gentleness.
“You need to sleep, Kiddo.”
Spider shudders and bows his head. “I will, just…can’t. I’ll go lay down in a few hours. When they’re okay.”
He can practically hear Jake roll his eyes. “I’m here. You’re safe, they’re safe. You need to sleep, Son.”
They both freeze, blood cold and eyes wide, as the silence envelops them.
Then, of course, Lo’ak snores and the moments gone. Jake laughs softly and suddenly exhaustion is pulling at his eyelids. A cushion slides behind him and a hand gently lowers him down.
“Sleep.”
The pieces come faster after that.
He cries with Kiri for hours. Laments his father, spills everything he felt. She’s the first one he tells the truth too. She knows more than he thinks anyone else ever will
He tells her Quaritch is alive. He tells her its all his fault.
She cries, yells, and then they just lay there. She tells him how scared she was of her mother. How lost she felt without him there.
He looks at her as she cries and another puzzle piece slides into place
Lo’ak and Neteyam came together when they came back for him, but it doesn’t feel settled until later.
They’re on their ilu with Spider behind Lo’ak as they race out to meet Payakan. He’s giant and beautiful and damn terrifying, but Lo’ak describes him as his soul brother. An extension of himself and a badass of a friend. They tell him how Payakan saved them. How he helped get Spider home
He’s scared and excited and now sure what to make of the beast, but then Lo’ak is leaving him on the ilu and falling into the water
He rises on a fin the size of a small marui with a loud whoop that can’t help but make Spider laugh in astonished awe
“Paya, meet my other brother, Spider.” Then a wave of water is splashing over him as Lo’ak laughs in a way he hasn’t heard since the forest
His breath leaves his lungs as he laughs and laughs, happy for more reasons than one. Neteyam meets his gaze from across the surf and smiles then one quick nod. He holds his gaze and feels the warmth spread in his chest.
“Team up?”
“Team up.”
Tuk has been his little sister since he held her in his arms for the first time. Neteyam snuck him over when they were barely into puberty and put a baby the size of his torso into his arms
He remembers her being the most terrifying thing in the world. He was so sure she would be terrified of him, that he would make her cry as soon as she was in his arms and the other kids would realize he’s a monster
But Tuk has always been Tuk and she just grinned and pulled his hair. Her Tswin fluttered with her affections and he knew he would do anything for her
He had never seen her angry, truly angry, until she stumbled into him cleaning the cuts along his hips and back. The cloths on the floor are bloody and his skin is angry and mottled but he had been decent at hiding the level of it until now. Behind her, Neytiri stops in her tracks as she takes in his scars
Tuk’s eyes fill with tears and then he has a bundle of 5’7” child in his arms
Her eyes flash and she looks like her mother when she growls out; “What happened? They hurt you?”
He stutters, not knowing what to say when Neytiri kneels down in front of him. She takes the ointment and the bandages in front of him, moves his arm from his side, and begins to apply. Her hands are shaking and he realizes he’s never seen her frazzled
“You’re a child.”
He looks up, Tuk now angrily crying in his arms while she cleans and gently bandages the wounds. “I..I know…look, I’m sorry Tuk saw, I-I didn’t think anyone was coming back for a while..”
“You’re a child. Children are precious. I-I didn’t realize they…that…” She scowls down at the drying blood and puts the wrap down. She pulls him forward so he rests against her with Tuk snug between them. “I’m sorry, Spider. This will not happen again.”
His face is red and words don’t seem to work but he manages a scared nod. “O-Okay?”
She nods, decisive, and resumes her work. Then, lifts a dirty dread with a disgruntled finger. “These next. My children will not be seen looking uncared for.”
And that’s that. He has a family, a home, and it’s all he ever wanted.
He doesn’t think it could get better.
Part two coming cause holy shit it's 2000 words