Feral Father

I will write father-son stuff between Quaritch & Spider, and may branch into Jake & Spider.

This page is Spider-Centric!

I will not write smut, reader-inserts, or incest. Miss me with that shit! Everything I write will be platonic! (Side note after receiving an interesting message in my inbox: I have nothing against smut or reader-inserts, but this is not the page for that form of writing. This is a PLATONIC page for father-son relationships.)

If you have a prompt or a question, send it my way! I’m always open! And once my ao3 account gets accepted, I will be writing and posting over there as well!

I don’t see any incidents where Quaritch goes Feral, and I feel like it has so much potential, so once I feel like I have a good enough grasp on Quaritch and Spider’s personalities, I’ll be writing a story where Quaritch ends up going Feral and Spider has to bring be him back to his right mind, or else General Ardmore will put Quaritch down like a mad dog!

So, if you also have an itch to see Quaritch go feral, send me your ideas and prompts in my Ask Box, and I will write it!

I also want to write angst about a guilty Jake bending over backwards trying to love and be a parent to Spider, but Spider has been neglected and pushed aside for so long he doesn’t see or understand what Jake is trying to do-

Also maybe write Feral Jake as well-

Would you mind writing some simple fluff or like an au thing where the Recoms get to Pandora much earlier and Quaritch meets Spider when he's like 10 or 12

Also have an amazing day/night.

Oh absolutely! I’m always taking requests! It just takes me a bit to work on them because I’m in college.

Quaritch sits on his sleeping bag, polishing and picking apart his M-69 before putting it all back together. He glanced around the camp he and his squad had set up for the night, his amber eyes flicking from the sleeping faces of his comrades, to the bioluminescent jungle, then back to Warren, who was on watch tonight. Warren was a good soldier, walking the perimeter and standing guard. Quaritch was proud to have him… but right now he wished the man would slack off just a bit. Just for a moment.

The colonel’s tail lashed as he clicked the final piece back on, glancing out into the forest once more. His ears strained to hear the sound of nocturnal creatures or footsteps, but to his increasing annoyance, he could barely even hear Warren’s footsteps on the other side of the campsite.

Quaritch hated the anxious impatience crawling under his skin. He was never like this.

But he needed to wait.

He needed to wait just a little longer.

The Recom forced himself to take a deep breath through his flat nose, taking in the scent of the fire and the soil beneath him, before silently releasing it and closing his eyes. He placed his gun across his lap and leaned back against a tree, remembering at the last second to shift his braid out of the way before it could get squished between the hard bark and his back.

He stayed like this for a few hours, unable to stop the flicking of his tail nor the twitching of his ears at every little sound.

It was when he heard the yipping of a nocturnal creature did he blink his eyes open once more. His ears swiveled to the noise, straining to figure out the direction it came from.

It came again, somewhere to the left, opposite to where Warren was patrolling.

Quaritch slowly rises to his feet, his muscles protesting the movement after staying still for so long. He bites back a groan as he stretches, his long legs carrying him to Warren.

“I’ll be back after a short while, nature calls.” He nods to the forest, mentally willing his tail to stop flicking.

Warren gives a curt nod, before returning to his vigilant demeanor.

Quaritch took this moment to head left, out of the camp’s perimeter, and nobody noticed he didn’t bring any toilet paper with him.

His eyes narrowed and his ears strained as he subtly glanced around the glowing forest, his tail flicking as he searched for something unseen.

The yipping had stopped the moment he had stepped away from his squad’s campsite, leaving an eerie silence as he carefully moved further and further away.

Quaritch opened his mouth, ready to call out-

Small fingers wrapped around his swishing tail and yanked.

The man grunted, whipping around with his arms outstretched to snatch up the boy who had snuck up on him. He’ll never admit that he had almost jumped, he’ll take that to his grave.

“I scared you!” The boy exclaimed, dodging Quaritch’s grabbing hands with a giggle. He rolled away and scampered across the forest floor to perch on a risen root. He looked proud of himself as he grinned at the Recom.

Quaritch scoffed, a small smile twitching onto his lips as he shook his head. “I just let you think you did, tiger. I’m too tough to let a scrawny thing like you scare me.” He lied through his teeth. The kid had nearly given him a heart attack.

Spider stuck his tongue out, obviously not believing a word the man said.

The Recom rolled his eyes, before giving the kid a glance over, and he was pleased to see there were no new cuts or bruises on the boy. He was still too scrawny in Quaritch’s opinion, but he was obviously fine since the last time they saw each other.

“Did you run into any trouble finding us?” He suddenly changed topics, a rare concern coloring his voice. The Recom squad had gone further east than usual, and he had done his best to discreetly leave a trail for the feral boy to follow without alerting any one of what he was doing. He would step heavier and ‘accidentally’ break branches, while other times he would let a piece of his tank top or pants snag on handsy plants.

All to make sure the boy could find him.

“Nope!” Spider shook his head, his chest puffing up as he pointed a thumb to himself. “It was just a long walk, but I made it!”

Quaritch snorted, a flicker of pride settling in his chest as he stepped towards Spider. He reached out and gently gripped the boy’s bare shoulder, tilting his head down to look him in the eye. “That’s good to hear, son. Sounds to me like you’re an even better tracker than anyone in my squad.” He praised, a warm feeling curling in his chest when his son beamed with pride.

It’s been over a month since they first met, and each time, it becomes harder and harder to simply let the boy go. Spider was actually the one who found him first. The boy had trailed the Recom Squad’s movements for two days before Quaritch spotted him one night while on perimeter duty.

It had been some weird new instinct that came with this new Na’vi body that had stopped him from waking the others and capturing the boy.

And it hasn’t taken long to figure out why.

Spider was the son of the original Miles Quaritch. Technically not his, but this new body didn’t seem to care.

Quaritch never took the boy back to Bridgehead or told anyone there was a feral human kid trailing them that was sired by the late Miles Quaritch. Every time he even though of it, there was an uneasy gut feeling that kept him quiet.

He didn’t want anyone knowing about his son.

So, he was careful not to ask anything about Jake Sully or where he was hiding. He never asked about where Spider came and went from. He never asked anything that could put his son or himself at risk.

Quaritch released the boy’s shoulder and crouched down to be more eye-level with him. “I only got around five minutes before I have to go. So what do you wanna do?”

Spider’s grin faltered slightly, disappointment weighing heavy on his tiny shoulders. “Oh…”

Quaritch felt his ears fold slightly, but he resisted the urge to retract his words. The others would get suspicious and come looking for him if he was gone for too long.

Spider fiddled with his hands, suddenly seeming shy. “Can we sit?”

The man frowned, not understanding why his son was so embarrassed, but he gave a short nod. “Sure we can.”

Quaritch slowly lowered himself to sit at the truck of a tree, legs laid out in front of him, and after a few moments, he understood why Spider had been so awkward.

The boy hopped off his tree root and hesitantly crept closer. He sat himself on his father’s lap, stiff and unsure if this was a level of comfort he was allowed to have.

But all Quaritch did was help shift the small kid so he was sitting with his back to his stomach, Spider’s head of dirty blond hair resting against his chest, while his little legs stretched out on top of Quaritch’s own long ones.

It took a moment of awkwardness on both ends, but it soon became peaceful.

Once again, this is one of the asks that has been rotting in my inbox for two years. Take me away officers- 😔✋

Quaritch felt like he was about to rip his own braid out, torturous death be damned. It would be better than listening to his own damn son run his mouth about the man who betrayed his own race just to go chase some blue tail.

For months it’s been ‘Jake Sully this’ and ‘Jake Sully that’ every damn second of the day.

Well, that may be an exaggeration- but it damn well felt like it!

Quaritch finds himself rolling his eyes every time Spider talks about something Jake Sully has done, said, or achieved. Hell, that traitor could shoot himself in the foot and Spider would find something to yammer on about.

God, the boy talked about Sully like he was a superhero from one of those old comics back on Earth.

At first, Quaritch thought it was getting on his nerves because Spider just wouldn’t shut up and he didn’t want to hear about Sully unless Spider was giving him the location of the clan base. It made logical sense, so that’s what he told himself. Every damn time.

But now, that logic wasn’t quite so sound.

Now, he finds himself scoffing and swallowing a frustrated growl every time Spider compared him to Jake Sully. It made him… angry.

He knew damn well what jealousy was, he’s experienced it when getting overlooked for promotion, when a woman he was pursuing fell into the arms of another. He’s experienced all forms of the ugly emotion… but never like this. Never because someone he wants to protect and keep close is comparing him to another.

But he’d never admit he was jealous of Jake Sully of all people. He’d rather swallow bullets.

And he could never let Spider know how irritated he got whenever he brought up Sully, it would only encourage the boy to up his game just to get under Quaritch’s skin.

Sometimes, after he’s made sure Spider has eaten and tucked in under whatever tree root he’s decided to curl up in for the night, he can’t help but sit and watch the boy’s chest rise and fall. He can’t explain why he does it- or at least, none that he would ever admit… but it brings him comfort just to know that his son is safe and sound right next to him, unharmed and taken care of.

When it isn’t his turn to patrol the perimeter, he sits and listens to hissing of Spider’s mask, and it calms the paranoid thoughts constantly running through his mind recently about his son’s health.

His cropped ears flick and swivel as they strain to listen to everything around him. The scientists cropped them before he woke up for the first time, claiming it would increase his hearing range, but if anything, it put him at a disadvantage against the natives because it damaged it instead.

He knew the truth. It wasn’t about helping, it was about ownership. Treating him like a damn dog. Sicking him on Jake Sully.

Quaritch rubbed a hand down his face, dispelling the dangerous thoughts. He can’t allow himself to fall into that pit.

He nodded to Z-Dog as he passed her in their small camp, signaling it was her turn to take watch. The sound of nocturnal creatures echoed all around, but Spider had claimed that it was safe to set up camp, so he wasn’t too worried.

The man quietly made his way to Spider’s side, his tail flicking away from a large bioluminescent leaf when it brushed against it. He still struggles to control the damn thing, and it irritated him how easily Spider could read his emotions through it.

He sighed through his flat nose as he slowly sank down onto the soft grass next to the sleeping boy. He watched the rise and fall of his chest, listening to the hissing of his mask with every breath.

Today had been one of those days where Spider wouldn’t shut up about Sully, criticizing and comparing Quaritch’s every move to the other man. It made him want to hiss and growl, but he would not allow himself to reduce himself to act like one of Spider’s little savage friends.

But, out of everything Spider says, he has never once said a peep to compare Quaritch’s ability to take care of him to Sully. Every night, he half-expects the boy to say something about “Well, Mr. Sully tucks me in this way” or “Mr. Sully always carries me like this” or “Mr. Sully feeds me that way.”

But it never came.

Not a single peep.

It was a deep relief, but when he really thought about it, it was depressing. Quaritch may not be the smartest man, but he could put the clues together.

Spider is always quick to yap on and on about Sully and compare every little damn thing Quaritch does to the other man. But not a single snarky word when Quaritch does something fatherly? It’s very damn telling. And when you add in all the little things; like the shocked little looks from Spider when Quaritch feeds the boy before anyone else gets to eat? The embarrassed excitement that he tries to hide when Quaritch gives him a piggyback ride instead of forcing him to climb a muddy slope on foot? The stiffness and flinching whenever Quaritch pats him on the back or grabs him by the shoulder or arm when a hidden root trips him up? The way he perks up when he realizes Quaritch is, honest to god, just listening to him?

It paints a picture that riles him up just thinking about.

None of those damn pricks gave a rat’s ass about Spider, and the kid can’t even admit it.

And Quaritch… he’ll never admit it, but there’s a softness in his oversized heart that he can’t squash out. Something that he knew wasn’t supposed to be there, because his predecessor never felt it.

He wanted Spider to look up at him in wonder, to feel pride in his father, to want to be held by him instead of pretending that he hated Quaritch.

He looked at Spider, and he wanted… too many impossible things.

The human Miles Quaritch would take one look at him now and call him a limp pussy-willow. His human predecessor would have popped Spider in the mouth for any backtalk or disrespect, shaved his head, and tried to mold the feral boy into an obedient soldier.

But the thought of laying hands on Spider brought the Recom no satisfaction or gratification, not like it would have if he were still human. It made him want to snarl and hiss like a savage at the prospect of anyone bringing harm to his son.

It’s just another expectation he’s failed to live up to in pursuit of bending himself backwards to mirror the original ‘Miles Quaritch’, because the thought of his predecessor being anywhere near Spider filled him with dread and made the fur at the tip of his tail bristle.

It continued to create a wedge between the two men, whispering doubt on whether they were even the same person.

But the one thing they had in common?

The desire to kill Jake Sully… but for two completely different reasons.

Quaritch blinked, looking down at the sleeping boy as he shifted into a more comfortable position under his tree root.

Hesitantly, he leans over and brushes his calloused fingers over Spider’s arm, blue striking out against tan.

The man sighed through his nose as his son subconsciously leaned into his touch, prompting him to rub his thumb back and forth over Spider’s bicep.

Why couldn’t Spider just accept that he was doing his best to care for the boy under horrible circumstances? Why did he have to be asleep before he accepted his father’s touch? Why couldn’t he see that he was a better father-figure than that coward, Jake Sully? Why wouldn’t he look at Quaritch and see a father?

Why does it make the Recom want to kill Sully even more?

Quaritch closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree, continuing to rub his son’s arm and listen to the hissing of his mask.

So, I’m currently working on an ask, and I added a detail about how Quaritch’s ears look like they’ve been cropped, the removal of the outer ear (pinna), and now I can’t stop thinking about it!

I decided to do some research (aka, just looking at pictures of Avatars, Na’vi, and Recoms/Rewatching the movies-), and I notice something:

Avatars/Na’vi have rounded points at the tips of their ears and are more oval shaped.

Recombinants have sharp points at the tips of their ears and are thinner shaped.

And then I thought about it some more, and came up with my own headcanon.

Headcanon:

In Avatar (2009), Dr. Grace Augustine is the head of the Avatar Program. Therefore, she has a big say in what is and is not allowed to be done to the Avatar bodies. She would never allow cosmetic changes or dehumanizing procedures to be done to the bodies. And Parker Selfridge is kinda a pushover, so Grace would probably bite his head off for even suggesting any surgical modifications. So, the Avatars are left untouched and their ears are left alone, therefore looking the same as the Na’vi People.

Now, in Avatar: Way of the Water (2022) when the humans return, Dr. Norm Spellman is head of the Avatar Program. But not the RDA Recom Program. The Recombinants have no Avatar Drivers, no human connected to them, and no scientists with a moral compass. Their bodies are paid for and owned by the RDA. Property. They’re clones who were grown in a tank and implanted with dead memories, and their soul purposes is to serve and follow orders. The RDA do not see them as human, just disposable tools. Therefore, they can modify and perform whatever procedures they wish. Thus, cropping the Recom’s ears.

Cropping is a cosmetic surgery that serves no health benefits, it just looks intimidating. It’s also a myth that it enhances an animal’s range of hearing, but in reality, the pinna is extremely important for hearing. Which means Recoms cannot hear as well as an Avatar/Na’vi.

Recoms are not seen as people. They are property owned by the RDA. Just as a dog owner can have their dog’s ears cropped, their tails docked, a chip implanted in their ear so they can’t be lost, and other stuff, the RDA are ‘within their rights’ to modify the Recombinants as they see fit. Which means they cropped the Recoms ears simply because they can.

Which is also why I definitely think the Recoms have trackers implanted somewhere in their bodies, so the RDA doesn’t lose track of their expensive investments.

… and what’s to stop the RDA from performing other surgical procedures? Or what if they already did before the Recoms were woken up?

«I just found your account which is focused on my hyperfocus and I already love your fics!»

Thanks you! It always makes me unbelievably happy when people enjoy my writing (and my hyper-fixations-)

SPOILERS BELOW! 👇

oH MY GOD I HAD THAT SAME THOUGHT ABOUT JAKE PROJECTING NETEYAM ONTO SPIDER AS A COPING MECHANISM! GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE-

Jake is a little more mentally unstable in this than I had originally intended and got a little lost in the sauce. Now I don’t know if I made Jake too OOC, oops-

Spider knows he wasn’t a good kid. He had the anger isssues of his father and was a skyperson on Pandora. The amount of lab equipment and papers he’s scribbled all over wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg. Hell, he’d probably still do it if given the opportunity even though the scientists no longer find it cute or enduring… all to get them to at least look his way.

At the bottom of the iceberg… was allowing Quaritch to fill the role of his father and pulling him from the wreckage.

But no matter how bad of a kid he was, no matter how much he raged at the unfairness of his life, he never got mad at Jake Sully. It wasn’t his fault that Spider was the way he was. It wasn’t his fault Spider was the son of his sworn enemy.

Spider was always respectful and kept his distance from Jake and his wife. Never sought anything from them besides to play with their children.

Sure, when he was around six or seven, he would get angry when he was sent back to the Hell’s Gate or when Jake wouldn’t hug or kiss him like he did the other Sully kids… hell, Jake did his best not to touch him.

If Spider got hurt, he’d be sent hiking back to Hell’s Gate by himself or with one of the Sully kids.

If Spider raised his arms and made grabby hands at Jack, the man’s ears would fold, his tail would flick with discomfort, and he would frown down at him with a pitying look and pretend he didn’t see the boy or would be ‘called away’.

Same went for hugs, kisses, rough-housing, head pats, back rubs, and literally every other piece of affection a child could ever want.

… It wouldn’t have been so bad if Jake had reserved his affections towards his kids until after Spider left, but he never did. Spider was exposed nearly every day to the very thing he craved, the very thing he needed.

It would have been easier if he never knew what he was missing out on, but Jake wasn’t that kind.

Neytiri was an absolute no-go. She made that known from the very beginning. She didn’t hide her dislike for him… and Spider respected her for that. She never led him on like Jake did… she didn’t let him get the idea in his head that he could ever be worthy of her love and attention.

But around the time he turned ten, he began to realize that Jake would never give him what he so desperately wanted.

Because Spider was the son of his greatest enemy.

Because Spider would never be a Sully.

Because Spider was a demon.

He stopped trying to be held, he stopped begging to be taught everything Neteyam was being taught, he stopped sneaking into the line-up for goodnight kisses, he stopped trying to win Jake’s love.

Because he finally got it through his thick stupid skull that he was chasing a father-figure who would always overlook him. Because he finally figured out how humiliating and embarrassing it was to reach for a man who obviously wanted nothing to do with him.

So, Spider forced himself to get over it and face reality; he was meant to take care of himself and be a ‘tough kid’ all alone in a world that wanted to kill him. He stopped chasing. He became independent.

Just like Jake wanted him to.

Spider has never allowed himself to be angry at Jake… but he was getting to his boiling point.

It has been a month since the battle at the Three Brother rock, a month since… since Neteyam’s death, a month since Jake fought and argued for Uturu on the beach for Spider as he cradled his dead son in his arms, a month since Jake told him to be useful to the Metkayina clan

It was only a week after the battle that Jake started acting weird.

At first, Spider was convinced that Jake was seeking him out to ensure none of the Metkayina People put a spear through his heart, to keep an eye on the human boy.

But he kept coming to find Spider even after the clan had settled. Jake would do his daily duties, clear metal from the water, fish out dead bodies, kill any survivors, but then he would come looking for Spider after checking in to see if anyone was home in the Marui.

Spider wasn’t sure what Jake wanted from him, because he would just stand about ten feet away staring at the boy without blinking while Spider mended nets, weaved baskets, or sharpened spears on a secluded side of the island. It made the boy uncomfortable, but every time he asked Jake if he needed anything, the man would just get this sad look on his face and say “not to worry about it.” Or “Why, do you need something, Spider?”

He would get weirdly… eager for Spider to ask him for something. What exactly, Spider wasn’t sure. Jake’s eyes would somehow get more intense, he’d lean towards Spider, his ears would swivel forward, and his tail would flick and curl behind him.

It was weird, but the man was grieving, so Spider would drop it with a simple shake of his head.

He didn’t get why or how Mr. Sully would come find him just to sit or stand and stare when he had a family to go home to.

(Spider doesn’t know that nobody is ever at the Marui anymore except to eat and sleep. Neytiri was always at the Cove of the Ancestors visiting Neteyam or on her Ikran hunting, Kiri and Tuk were always taking care of the Ilu or distracting themselves in the sea, and Lo’ak was always visiting his spirt brother, Payakan… and none of them really speak at dinner, the weight of absence too heavy to lift the silence- to heal or pretend that all will be okay.

It left Jake with nobody… nobody for him to comfort, nobody for him to focus on, nobody to sooth, nobody to fill the silence… nobody to chase away his firstborn’s final words that he could never fulfill, nobody to keep him from remembering how Neteyam’s eyes glazed over, nobody to chase away the feeling of his son’s blood pooling and seeping and clinging to his skin-)

But, after a week of just lingering near Spider after his duties were done, Jake would come sit, stand, or walk right next to him while he performed his own duties and chores or whenever he was just enjoying his free time.

It wouldn’t be such a problem if Jake knew what personal space was.

It started the first flicker of anger. For his entire life, Jake has done his best to avoid touching Spider like he was a damn disease. But now he would stand so close Spider could feel Jake breathing down his neck, he’d sit so close that their shoulders would brush and Jake’s tail would tap against his back or curl around his waist, and when they walked, Jake would be stepping on his heels or running him off the path.

It was annoying, and whenever Spider would scoot away or distance himself from the unfamiliar proximity, Jake’s ears would fold back and he’d follow the boy’s movement. Anytime Spider called him out on it, there was this strange look of hurt on his face as he backed off.

Not that it lasted long. Jake would be back in his personal space a minute later staring at him like he’d disappear if he even blinked.

Then came the offers to ‘teach’ Spider things the boy already knew how to do by himself.

Jake watched him spear fish in the shallow water one day, but the moment Spider missed one time, even though he already successfully speared two that were waiting on the shore, Jake perked up and basically lunge at the opportunity to ‘help correct his form.’

The man had come alive, an eagerness in his bloodshot eyes as he climbed onto the rock with Spider.

“I don’t need help, I’ve done this a million times!” Spider argued, feeling frustrated and stupidly small as Jake crouched behind him, his chin just above the boy’s matted head.

“It doesn’t hurt to practice, Spider.” Jake had gently pushed, his voice rough with lingering grief yet filled with a content lilt.

But Spider had ducked away from Jake’s large hand when he tried to touch the boy’s shoulder, leaving the man’s hand hovering where Spider had just been as he slipped away.

Jake had stared at him with those bloodshot yellow eyes, his brows furrowed in sorrow and confusion, his ears folded down. His lips were pressed in a tight line, and his tail drooped to brush the stone

… But his fingers twitched, like he was considering grabbing Spider.

And Spider was not oblivious to it.

Lucky for Spider, night was falling, and it gave him a way out of this uncomfortably tense moment. “I think it’s time for dinner, Mr. Sully.”

That, apparently, was not what the Na’vi wanted to hear. His frown deepened and there was a pain in his expression.

“Goodnight, sir.” Spider prompted, careful to keep the unease out of his voice in case it somehow upset Jake even more. He didn’t understand what was going on with the man. He’s never been like this.

Jake slowly blinked, his hand slowly lowering to his side as he stood up, towering over the boy. The Na’vi took a step towards him, before thinking better of it, even if it obviously pained him.

He glanced in the direction of the village, where he could faintly see the fire flickering in his Marui, signaling his family’s return.

Spider didn’t like the look in Jake’s eyes when he turned back to look down at him, the bioluminescent lights reflecting off his yellow eyes as he stared once again. His ears twitched nervously, his tail thumping against his own leg. His fingers twitched once again at his sides.

… Spider has never been unnerved by Jake before… but he was getting weirder and weirder every day.

Jake blinked when Spider shuffled in the sand away from him, and there was a sorrow in his gaze as he sighed. “Goodnight, N…”

The man’s eyes widened, before he had to blink away the tears and turn away. “Goodnight, Spider.”

And with that, he reluctantly left the boy on the beach, because Spider knew Mrs. Sully would never allow him to stay. And Spider was too scared to even go near her anyways.

The incident on the fishing rock did not deter Jake. None of Spider’s avoidant tendencies and comments seemed to deter the man. And once upon a time, Spider would have absorbed every drop of attention and attempted affection Jake Sully was trying to give him, but now it was getting on his nerves.

He wasn’t stupid. He had put together the pieces after that night Jake almost called him by his dead son’s name instead of his own.

And it made Spider feel bitter and angry, because the only reason Jake was even paying any attention to him was because he couldn’t deal with the death of his firstborn.

It hurt.

It wasn’t fair.

Why did Quaritch offer him love and ask for nothing in return?

So, Spider wasn’t going to play along.

He did his best to hide from Jake. But the Na’vi always seemed to track him down with a frantic look in his eyes.

He didn’t let Jake touch him. The man made a wounded noise in his throat and kept asking him what was wrong when Spider hissed and slapped at the man’s hands and tail when they got too close. He hated when Jake’s arms would reach for him, the way he looked so tired and defeated when Spider wouldn’t let himself be held. He hated when Jake tried to pet his head or run his fingers through his matted dreads. He hated how Jake kept trying to catch him by the shoulder or by the arm if he ‘fell’ or ‘tripped’ when they were walking.

Spider has never been clumsy, Jake just wanted to hold the kid, even for a second-

He hissed and slapped when Jake would insist on checking his mask for breaks in the seal or malfunctions for no reason every other day. The man would grow frustrated and he’d try to use his stern ‘dad voice’ on Spider, but it meant nothing to the boy.

He would ignore Jake’s attempts to ‘teach’ or ‘help him practice’ things when Spider wasn’t perfect at it. He tried to get his duties and chores done before Jake would find him, but sometimes he wasn’t fast enough. He’d dodge and flinch away from Jake’s touch, and ignore the increasingly heartbroken look on the Na’vi’s face.

But even as Spider did his best to show Jake that he wasn’t going to play along, the Na’vi wouldn’t give it up.

He started bringing Spider meals, and Spider hated it because Jake made it himself to ensure there wasn’t anything in it that could kill the boy.

It pissed Spider off, because Jake has never bothered to feed him before, even when he would spend all day running around with Kiri and Lo’ak only to return to find that Neytiri made something he couldn’t eat.

And Spider would be sent home starving, forced to navigate the forest on an empty stomach.

Spider wanted so badly to slap the bowl from Jake’s hand, to rage and scream and hit something, but to waste food would be to dishonor the life taken to make this meal.

So, with an angry growl, Spider snatched the bowl from Jake’s hand.

He chose to ignore what sounded like a purr briefly start up in Jake’s throat.

Jake hovered over him with unnerving unblinking eyes, which darted from Spider’s mask to the bowl each time the boy held his breath to take a bite, reseal the mask, chew, and then repeat.

Jake’s fingers twitched forwards without permission. “Son, let me help-“

“No!” Spider snapped, glaring at Jake, who was once again growing frustrated and restless with Spider’s constant refusal to let the Na’vi help with anything.

Jake’s ears flattened, that stern look returning as his nostrils flared. His large body shifted from hovering over Spider to sit criss-cross in front on him, his knees nearly touching Spider’s. “Spider,” He started, once again using that stern voice.

Spider ignored him, knowing Jake wouldn’t be able to get him to do anything while his mask was off.

Jake’s tail lashed and thumped in the sand, sending some spraying in an arch.

Spider went to take his mask off again, only for Jake’s hand to shoot forward and snag his wrist before he could unseal it.

“Spider-”

“Fuckin’ let go!” Spider screamed, yanking his arm away from Jake, who had loosened his hold at the piercing sound of the boy’s voice.

He got that sad look in his eyes again, and he bent his back to try to be more on level with Spider. “It’s ok,” He tried to sooth, taking the mostly empty bowl from the boy’s lap. “I just want to take care of you.”

“Well I don’t want it!” Spider hissed, clenching his fists. “And I don’t need it!”

Jake’s ears folded, and he frowned. The dark bags under his eyes are much more prominent now. “Yes you do. You’re a child. You need me.”

From the lack of shock or change to Jack’s expression, he either didn’t notice what he had just said or just didn’t care.

But Spider did. He cared a fucking lot. “I don’t need you! I’ve survived my entire life without you!”

Jake had the decency to look ashamed, bowing his head in a solemn nod. “I… I know I haven’t been a good father in the past-”

“You aren’t my dad! You’ve never been, dipshit!” Spider snapped, starting to get up because he was done with this bullshit. Because if Jake truly thought he’s been Spider’s father this whole time, then there’s something seriously fucked up in his head.

But it seemed like Jake was at his breaking point as well. He made an anguished noise in his throat, snatching up Spider’s arms in his hands and forcing him back into a sitting position on sand. His hands were so large on the boy’s forearms, nearly spanning the entire limbs. “I know I’ve done wrong by you, but please, let me make it up to you!” Jake pleaded, his eyes rimmed with tears, the desperation of a failed father as clear as day staring at Spider like he was his only chance at redemption.

“I’m not Neteyam!”

Jake flinched hard like Spider had struck him, and a moment of silence settled over them.

“… I… I know.” The Na’vi whispered, his voice broken and nothing like the proud warrior he was supposed to be.

He dragged the squirming boy into a hug, restraining the boy’s arms with one arm while the other one cupped the back of his head and pressing Spider’s masked face into his large, blue shoulder.

“I know…” Jake said again, pressing his wet cheek against Spider’s dreads even as the boy continued to struggle and fight his embrace.

He took a shuttering breath and turned his head to press a kiss to his boy’s matted dreadlocks, a brief thought entering his mind that he would need to tend to the unkept hair, and how happy he would be to do that for Spider.

But for right now, Jake was just wishing and praying Spider would stop fighting him and let Jake give him the love and attention he’s failed to in the past.

This ask was like, two years ago, but it was half finished and I picked it back up! I’m not sure if it’s obvious where I stopped and started again, but I’m trying to get back into the swing of things-

He should have never left Spider alone. He knew something would happen, and those strange instincts were acting up again today. It was urging him to not leave Spider alone, to stay nearby in case something happens, but he couldn’t. He had to ignore these gut feelings. There was a private meeting he had to attend, one that Spider wasn’t privy to.

So he had to leave Spider alone in the Bridgehead, while him and the rest of the squad sat in a boring meeting about money and investment and boring PowerPoints he felt they were definitely not needed for. The meeting dragged on for two hours, yet felt like far longer with his constant shifting and glancing at the clock which never seemed to move. His ears were constantly swiveling at the slightest sound, and his tail flicking and thumping against the hard chair and table. That gut feeling never left, and it was making him agitated.

When the meeting was finally concluded, he was the first one out the door, nearly knocking over a few big-wigs who were standing too close. His bare feet dirty and growing callouses thanks to Spider’s insistence that they needed to feel the earth echoed loudly in his ears as he beelined straight for the Recombinant Quarters, where he had left Spider earlier to entertain himself.

The nagging in his gut only grew when he didn’t immediately spot the feral boy. He nearly flipped the room upside down looking.

He wasn’t there.

He wasn’t in any of the rooms or the restrooms or the showers.

He wasn’t anywhere.

Miles nearly lashed out when he felt a hand on his shoulder, but managed to reel himself in when he seen a familiar bald blue head. It was just Wainfleet.

“Sir, take a deep breath.” His second in command spoke, brows furrowed in concern and ears perked forward in alarm. Miles hadn’t realized it, but he had began to snarl.

What’s wrong with him? Why is he freaking out? Why does he feel like tearing the whole damn base to the ground? Why wasn’t his boy here?!

Quaritch ignored Wainfleet’s concerns, instead swiveling his ears around frantically, straining to hear even a peep from Spider. “Find Spider. Go!” He ordered sharply, already moving himself.

The increasingly worried Colonel is in a repetitive cycle of speed walking through the bright metal halls, before slowing down and straining his ears once he realized his own footsteps were too loud and he couldn’t hear anything over his own damn breathing.

Everything felt too bright, too loud- yet at the same time, there was a ringing in his ears as he stalked the hallway like a predator.

Quaritch growled, trying to calm himself, trying to rein in this unfamiliar and unwelcome panic-

He heard an enraged scream.

Followed by something shattering.

His ears swiveled forward in alarm, before flattening tight against the sides of his shaved head. The fur at the tip of his tail bristled. His instincts screamed.

He knew that angry yell anywhere, having had it directed at him many times in the recent past.

Spider. Spider. Spider.

“Spider.” He whispered, and the sound of the boy’s name on his own lips kicked him back into gear.

Quaritch came barreling down the hall, the full weight of his Recom body rattling the very foundation of the floor as his feet pounded against the ground, his long legs eating up the distance with each thundering step. He was sure he looked like a madman.

His vision was narrowed, his focus solely on following where he had heard his son’s voice.

For a split second, he thought for sure Ardmore decided the search for Sully was taking too long and had strapped his boy back into that damned machine while Quaritch was distracted, that Spider’s brain was being torn apart and there was nothing he could do-

But the sound of Spider angrily struggling, and the resounding bangs and grunts from unknown voices weren’t leading him to the lab. It led him right to a restroom across from the busy mess hall.

He wasn’t even sure how he picked out Spider’s voice over all the racket going in there.

The metal door was locked, but that didn’t stop him.

“Spider!” He snarled and slammed his shoulder into the sturdy door, gritting his teeth at pain. “Son?! Answer me!” He ordered, his desperation masked by anger when the boy didn’t respond.

There was a still silence the moment Quaritch started slamming into the door, and he didn’t like it one bit. It meant something was wrong.

The moment Quaritch finally shouldered open the locked door, metal pieces clattering to the ground, he lost his absolute shit.

The restroom was a war-zone; two out of three sinks were busted from the wall, a mirror was broken and shattered on the ground, a stall door was ripped off its hinges, and four men stood over another, and there was fresh blood smeared over various surfaces.

And Spider was the one crumbled in the broken mirror shards on the floor, being ganged up on by a bunch of spineless cowards. The boy was groaning and wheezing, beaten black and blue. And he had gashes all over his back from being slammed into the mirror.

Quaritch didn’t have time to think- his instincts wouldn’t let him think. He was lunging into the human-sized restroom at the men, positioning himself to crouch protectively over Spider’s body, swinging his fists in a wide arch with an enraged roar that sounded nothing like Colonel Miles Quaritch and everything like a deranged beast.

There was yelling, there was anger, there was fear.

There was no thoughts of consequences or what will happen afterwards as he slammed two of the cowards through the one of the remaining stall door with a resounding bang.

He did not restrain his strength.

They crumbled and didn’t get back up.

He lashed his tail, striking another with a sharp crack like a whip as the man tried to get behind Quaritch to grab his queue to subdue him, feeling the attacker’s ribs snap under his Na’vi strength.

His fist lashed out and struck the last one in the face, feeling a dark satisfaction as the man’s teeth and nose caved under his large fist with a sickening crunch.

The Colonel wasn’t sure what he looked like, crouched over his bleeding boy in a destroyed restroom with four broken men surrounding them, but if he was in his right mind, he would be ashamed to admit he looked like a damn native savage.

But he didn’t care.

When the rest of his squad and some other soldiers found him, he was wild-eyed and cradling Spider close in his stiff, twitching arms as the boy’s blood smeared on Quaritch’s blue skin, staining it red.

He didn’t even remember gathering the boy up in his arms.

The scent of Spider’s blood was sending those stupid overwhelming instincts into overdrive and he refused to release his tight hold on the boy. It was hot and sticky, seeping through his trembling fingers, dripping down his forearms, puddling on the floor with the jagged shards of glass-

He ignored the way Spider weakly shoved against his chest, the way he kicked the Recom’s thighs, the way he moved from shoving his chest to shoving his palms into the underside of Quaritch’s jaw.

“Let go!” Spider rasped, his struggles unnaturally weak, and it only made the Recom hold on tighter.

His boy was never this pitiful in his escape attempts. He was always a spitfire with bruising kicks that would knock the air from Quaritch’s lungs and flying fists.

“I- I’m fine! I could have taken those buttholes by myself!” Spider hissed, trying to wriggle out of his father-not-father’s protective grip, only to freeze as he agitated the burning gashes on his back and the bruises on his skin.

Quaritch ignored his protests.

He had to keep Spider safe.

He had to protect him.

He had to get Spider out of here.

He needed to hold him.

He needed to make sure Spider wouldn’t disappear.

He needed to make sure those spineless bastards will never lay hands on his boy again.

He needed to get the scent of blood off of his boy.

He needed-

“Colonel…”

Quaritch’s lips pulled back in a snarled with a growl rumbling through his throat, flicking his wide yellow eyes over to the new voice. The new threat.

He almost snapped his teeth at Ja when the Recom slowly inched in front of him, into his direct line of sight, with his hands held up to placate his seemingly feral Colonel.

“You gotta calm down.” His squad-mate carefully said, glancing between Spider and Quaritch, taking in the immediate injuries he could see.

Quaritch felt himself bristling, his muscles tensing.

How the fuck was he supposed to be calm?! He had a damn feeling all morning that something wasn’t right, his kid got jumped by a bunch of yellow-bellied cowards, his kid was bleeding, his kid was hurt, his kid wouldn’t stop fuckin’ fighting him but is too weak to actually put up his usual fight, his boy needed to be guarded and protected until he heals-

His tail lashed and thwacked harshly against the metal wall. He forcefully curled Spider closer to his chest, much to the boy’s chagrin.

“I’m not a damn baby!” The boy squirmed, his feet unable to touch the ground as Quaritch held him in the nook of his arm like he was an infant, his other arm shielding him from Ja’s view and making it increasingly impossible to escape his protective cradling hold.

The boy was ignored once again. As long as he stayed with Quaritch, he would be safe. As long as Quaritch never put him down again-

“Colonel…” Ja took another step forward, his tail flicking anxiously behind him and his ears folded back. “You gotta focus and breathe or they’re gonna tranq you.”

It was only then that Quaritch noticed the human soldiers positioned at the broken door, neutralizing guns built to take down full grown Na’vi pointed at him while his squad tried to get them to stand down.

He wanted to snarl, to snap and growl. He wanted to rage and attack… but he’s already listened to these strange dangerous instincts too much today.

The feeling of Spider pressed to his chest was grounding, the feeling of his chest rising and falling against his own, the feeling of having him safely tucked in his arms.

Spider was safe.

Quaritch had neutralized the threat.

His instincts didn’t believe that for a second. They wouldn’t be safe until they were back out on the field with no humans around to snag his kid-

The colonel forced himself to relax and take a breath, closing his eyes and pushing whatever had possessed him into the far reaches of his mind.

But he didn’t let go of Spider. He couldn’t. The thought physically pained him.

I haven’t written anything in two years, but I want to get back into it. I need to re-teach myself how to write for Spider and Quaritch, but I’m excited!

I’m still working on that Feral Quaritch & Spider story (which I shamefully promised and then I dropped off the face of the earth-)

Could we please have an alternative ending to it, where he does wake? Just a little, teeny tiny drabble 🥺

For you, anon, I shall!

“Quaritch!” Spider screamed, in sync with Cupcake’s own hysteric screech, his trembling hands punching into the man’s chest as the Irkan flapped her wings in agitation. “Dad! Wake up! Wake up! Please, wake up! Dad please!”

He didn’t even notice the term of endearing slipping from his lips as he tried to force his father’s heart to beat.

Spider screamed and continued chest compressions until his arms were nothing but dead weight and he could do nothing but pathetically press his masked forehead to the man’s still chest. “Please… please please please…” He sobbed, clenching his weak fists against cold blue skin. “Please, don’t leave me. Don’t leave.” He shook his masked face against Quaritch’s skin, snot and tears mixing near the bottom of the glass. “Don’t go.”

His breath was ragged in his lungs, straining and burning like they were on fire… and as he lay sobbing against his father’s chest, that fire slowly spread to bubble throughout his body until his trembling fists were warm with a familiar emotion.

Rage.

“You promised.” Spider rasped, teeth gritting as he lifted his head from the man’s chest to stare at his lax face. “You promised me you’d always be there.”

Spider’s breath was catching in his throat as he tried to blink away the tears that blurred his vision.

His fists were no longer shaking from exhaustion, but for a different reason entirely.

“You son of a bitch!” Those hands shot out and slammed down onto Quaritch’s chest as the boy was swallowed in his grief and rage. “You fucking lied to me! You’re nothing but a stupid liar!”

Spider’s words were punctuated with his slamming fists.

Cupcake’s screams of protest were barely static in his ears as his vision tunneled entirely on the still form of his father.

“I fucking trusted you! I-!”

The body under him started convulsing.

Spider’s head snapped up in time to see Quaritch vomiting up water all over his lower face and chest.

And it was the most beautiful sight Spider had ever seen.

The boy was jerked from his shock when his father’s tail slapped into his thigh, forcing him into action as he lunged up to crouch near the man’s head, the Irkan clicking and shifting excitedly behind him. “Oh Eywa, thank you.” He choked as he wiped the expelled water from Quaritch’s cold face. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Quaritch’s yellow eyes were wide and delirious, his ears pinned back, and his mouth slightly gapped as he panted and gasped for breath. The man’s hands flailed at his sides and reaching for his bare chest, and his feet and tail kicked and thumped wildly against the stone.

Spider continued to cry and praise Eywa as he rolled his father onto his side and slapped him on the back, forcing the man to cough up as much water as he could.

Eventually, Quaritch’s eyes closed once more and he drifted off to sleep. Spider felt panicked at not being able to see his eyes… but he knew sleep was the best medicine he had at the moment. So, with his limbs heavy with exhaustion and his heart heavy with a rollercoaster of emotions, he collapsed onto his rear next to Quaritch and leaned his back against his side, staring blankly out at the distant wreckage and the rising daylight. He couldn’t even bring himself to care that the Sully’s were somewhere out there, possibly waiting for him to find them… and he forced himself to ignore the sharp stinging on his chest, where Neytiri’s blade cut into him…

Cupcake’s talons clicked across the stone as she took her position curled near her rider’s head, eyes focused on the sleeping Na’vi and the boy who lay against him.

Spider took comfort in being able to see his father’s chest rise and fall, in seeing his face twitch and his ears flick, in seeing his tail shift and move… in feeling the man’s thunderous heartbeat under his hand. Everything that told him he was alive.

… Quaritch was alive.

His father was alive.

He’d keep his distance at first, only staring from a distance. Head constantly tilting and filling with thoughts and questions every time he sees her, because she looks different from everyone else he’s seen on the SeaDragon.. and every time he sees her from the corner of his eye, it makes him homesick. Her tattoos and hair is just so Na’vi-like. Her hair decorated with beads and other jewelry, and her skin inked so foreignly familiar it was like looking at cursive writing for the first time when all you’ve ever known is printed writing. Everything about her looks so familiar, but he can’t understand.

It makes him long so desperately to see the people of the Omatikaya Clan again, even if they didn’t wish to see him.

Eventually, his curiosity would get the better of him, and he’d blunt out the first question that came to mind the next time he sees her. “Why do you look like that? Your hair and stuff.”

Definitely one of his more tasteless questions, but he never claimed to have a way with words.

The woman is shocked at first, both by the question and the fact that Spider was talking to her. But once she recovers, she’d indulge the boy. “The same reason you dress the way you do, it’s part of my culture.”

Spider is both intrigued and confused. “But I don’t see anyone else that looks like you.”

The woman finds him ignorance amusing. “What, you expect everyone from Earth to be from the same cut?”

“Yes.” Was Spider’s immediate response, which got a guffaw from her.

For the next hour or so, the woman, who he now knew as Amari, chatted with him and spoke of her beliefs and ideas. She talked about her tattoos and jewelry, her home, the different cultures and religions on Earth. There was just so much that Spider never knew. He clung to every word, and in return, he spoke of the Omatikaya and his home.

Until he was rounded up by Lyle, that is.

I fucking love you man, love your fics bruh

*evily rubs hands together* I hope this hits your angsty needs hard enough-

“Come. On!” Spider grits out, desperately fighting against the waves of the ocean as he yanked Quaritch’s limp body inch by miserable inch onto the rock. “Shit!” He curses as another wave tried to take him off balance, nearly losing his grip on his father’s vest strap.

It was almost as if Eywa herself was trying to drag them both back under.

The boy shivers at the thought, redoubling his efforts to escape the waves. With one last straining pull, the both of them were safely far enough onto the rock that the crashing waves couldn’t wash over them, and the raging fire of the sinking ship couldn’t touch them.

Sea water sprayed onto his body as an Irkan landed next to him on the rock, screaming as she flicked her head side to side.

Cupcake was here.

… But then, she began fidgeting and making sharp calls, her head tilted and eyes on the the body… which still hasn’t gotten up.

Spider felt his heart skip and cold dread weigh in his gut. “Hey..” His voice was breathless as he inched towards Quaritch. “Get up…”

Nothing.

He clears his throat, and calls more firmly. “Get up.”

His father’s ear didn’t even twitch at the sound.

Static filled Spider’s veins as he dropped heavily onto his knees next to Quaritch’s head, uncaring of the pain that shot though his bones, and frantically shook the man. “Quaritch. Quaritch! Wake up! Open your eyes!”

Spider felt sick when the man’s head only limply rolled away.

“Oh, Eywa. Oh no. No no no no no!” It was getting hard to breathe. Spider could have sworn Quaritch had still been twitching when he pulled him from the wreckage. “Please, Eywa.”

Frantically, and ignoring the Irkan screaming behind him, the boy scrambled to his feet and grabbed hold of the Na’vi’s sickeningly pliable arms and sloppily maneuvered them through the sleeves of his vest, carelessly casting it aside, before ripping open the tank-top.

Even though his own racing heart pounded in his ear, he pressed the side of his head to his father’s chest and willed it to beat back at him. He held his breath for a moment. Then another…. And then another.

There was nothing.

“No!” Spider cried, throwing himself from the man’s chest in denial, and placed his hands together over his heart, tan skin contrasting against blue. “You don’t get to do this to me!” He used his whole body weight to press down on Quaritch’s chest. “You can’t do this to me!”

For once, Quaritch said nothing in return, only jolting under Spider’s rough chest compressions.

Never before, had he so desperately needed to hear his father’s voice; to sooth him, to say his name, to reprimand him, to scold him, or to even just cough- to please just do something!

“Please!” Spider so desperately wanted to call for help, to call for Kiri or Norm or Jake or even Eywa herself… and more then anything, he wanted so desperately to call for Quaritch… but he was all alone, preforming a technic he never properly learned on the very man he wanted to help him.

He didn’t know how hard to press down. He didn’t know how many compressions he needed to do. He didn’t know how fast he needed to go. He didn’t know if or when to give a break. He didn’t know anything!

“Quaritch!” Spider screamed, in sync with Cupcake’s own hysteric screech, his trembling hands punching into the man’s chest as the Irkan flapped her wings in agitation. “Dad! Wake up! Wake up! Please, wake up! Dad please!”

He didn’t even notice the term of endearing slipping from his lips as he tried to force his father’s heart to beat.

Spider screamed and continued chest compressions until his arms were nothing but dead weight and he could do nothing but pathetically press his masked forehead to the man’s still chest. “Please… please please please…” He sobbed, clenching his weak fists against cold blue skin. “Please, don’t leave me. Don’t leave.” He shook his masked face against Quaritch’s skin, snot and tears mixing near the bottom of the glass. “Don’t go.”

He barely heard Cupcake’s mournful scream as she took to the skies, leaving him alone with his dead father.

Spider laid over the body of the only man who ever seen him. He laid over his father, and sobbed into his cold still chest, where only Eywa bore witness to the grief that swallowed him whole.

Spider doesn't notice the flirting, he thinks the person is just trying to be his friend.

Oh hell, Quaritch would be pissed the moment he realizes someone is flirting with his underage son. Everyone in Bridgehead and the SeaDragon are adults. He’ll try to scare them off through threats and intimidation, but if that doesn’t work, someone is about to get a beatdown. All the while Quaritch is resisting the urge to just straight up maul them.

He’s going to make an example out of whoever it is, to be a warning to ward off any other sick bastards stupid enough to mess with Spider.

Then, he’s going to have to sit Spider down and explain why he beat the tar out of someone who the boy perceived as being kind to him. Quaritch will have to explain that Humans aren’t like the Na’vi; there’s usually always an ulterior motive or desire behind the mask of niceties.

And he hates having to explain Human nature to Spider. Hates the fear gripping his chest at the thought of something happening to Spider during the times he couldn’t be there to keep an eye on the boy. Hates how everything he was saying only reinforced Spider’s distrust of Humankind…

But he has to, if he wants his boy to be safe when neither Quaritch or the other Recoms can be around to ward off wandering eyes.

He knows his son is strong, but without the knowledge of what mankind is capable of, he wouldn’t know what to defend himself from…

Oh yes yes yes! I accept requests! I love it!

If there’s one thing Spider got from his father, it was his stubbornness and anger… definitely his anger. That boy could blow up like a grease fire when provoked; try and douse it out with water, and it’ll only grow. You have to smother it.

Now, that isn’t to say Quaritch actually smothers the boy whenever he gets mad. He wouldn’t never.

No, instead he’s found it easier to snatch the kid up by his armpits and hold him at arms length while he screams curses and tries to punch and kick Quaritch in the chest. He learnt the hard way not to hold him close, after receiving a hearty kick to the chest, resulting in Spider rocketing himself backwards out of his grip and onto the floor, nearly giving the Quaritch a heart-attack while the other Recoms burst into laughter. Sometimes it was easy to forget how strong Spider was, but his bruised chest left him with a reminder of that strength for the following week.

Even if he had scolded Spider’s ear off for it, he couldn’t help but feel pride at the boy’s strength. He’d never say any of this, of course. He didn’t want to encourage Spider’s violent behavior towards him… but it made Miles feel better to know his son could wipe the floor with anyone who made the mistake of thinking he was an easy target.

And if Spider could bruise a Na’vi, he could only imagine the damage that kid could do to another Human with a single kick.

Maybe he should be more concerned with the amount of anger Spider seems to fall in, but he had his fair share of anger issues in his youth, and still does, so when someone pushes Spider’s buttons a little too much, Miles isn’t too hard on the kid when he blows up.

But none of this matters, as currently Miles is dealing with a different kind of situation. This isn’t angry Spider, this is stubborn Spider.

Z-Dog had been messing with the kid all day as they traversed through the jungle, like the absolute child she is, and Miles could only roll his eyes at the immaturity of it all. They taunted, poked, and argued with each other like children.

Spider eventually got fed up with her, and planted himself defiantly on the next large root they passed.

Miles had an ear tilted back towards the kid, so when he heard the crackling of Z-Dog’s laughter, he expected his kid to snap something back, but was met with resounding silence.

Brows furrowed, he turns his head to make sure he was alright, only to come to a halt at the sight of Spider sitting grumpily on a root, arms crossed over his chest, and Z-Dog bent over and snickering at his expression as she popped a bubble in his face. The rest of his squad paused at the sound of Miles’ growl.

“Zdinarsk!” Miles snapped, causing her to shoot up and snap to attention, looking like she got caught doing something she shouldn’t have. “The hell happened?” He continued as he quickly walked over to the two, frowning as he scanned Spider for any injury.

Z-Dog tried to keep a straight face. “He refuses to move.”

Miles couldn’t see anything wrong, but his tail still lashed in worry as he leans down to place a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You hurt?”

Spider only huffed, giving Zdinarsk a side-eyed glare. “No, she’s being a stupid butthole!”

Miles deadpans at the boy, ear twitching at the sound of Z-Dog’s snort of laughter. “Whatever you say, Tarzan.”

“I don’t even know who that is!” Spider snaps back, snarling up at the woman, who only popped another bubble at him.

Quaritch finally blinked, letting out a harsh sigh. “You’ve gotta be shitting me- alright, enough! Both of you!” He scolds them, letting his hand slip from Spider’s shoulder as he stood. “Get up.” He orders the kid, motioning for him to stand.

The boy only sneered and shook his head. “Not until she leaves me the fuck alone!”

Miles took a deep breath in through his nose. Lord, give him patience. “Zdinarsk, go bother Lopez.”

Said marine perked his ears. “What? Why me?!” He protested.

He was ignored.

“Yes, sir.” Z-Dog salutes.

“Liar!” Spider hissed, puffing up when she sticks her tongue out at him.

“What did I just say?” Miles growls, to which Zdinarsk raised her hands in surrender before leaving to pester someone else. He turns back to Spider. “There, now get up. We gotta get a move on before we run out of daylight.”

Spider didn’t move, still not convinced Z-Dog wouldn’t bug him again the moment they start moving again.

“Spider. Don’t test me, boy.” He threatens, eyes narrowing and a stern frown in place as his tail flicked in agitation.

The boy didn’t budge.

Lyle made his way over. “Maybe we should set up camp, night will be on us in a few hours.” He tries to pacify, but Quaritch only hissed as Spider side-eyed them.

“No. I ain’t givin’ in to this tantrum. We’re moving.”

With that, he swooped down and snatched Spider up before the boy could properly react, throwing him over his shoulder as he strides forward back to the front of the squad. He held tightly onto the back of Spider’s legs and ignored the kid’s hissing, cursing, wiggling, and kicking as best he could. He also ignored the other’s snickering coming from behind him.

It took about half an hour, but Spider finally tired himself out enough to allow Miles to slightly loosen his grip on his legs, and the boy rag-dolled against his back, head pressed into Miles’ vest and arms dangling in defeat as he tried to catch his breath.

… With Spider calm and not fighting him, Miles began to feel a light feeling building in his chest, like the weight of the word was slipped from his shoulders and replaced with the comforting weight of his son… he didn’t want the feeling to leave. It felt.. nice, oddly enough.

They carried on like this until Spider grew bored.

Quaritch jolted slightly when little fingers brushed against his tail, causing it to lash away from the touch. He clears his throat as some of the others chuckled. “The hell you doin’, kid?”

“I’m bored. Put me doooowwwn.” Spider whined into his back.

“Hell no. Can’t have you tryin’ another stunt like that and slow us down.” Was the excuse Miles came up with, unwilling to admit that the idea of putting the kid down was feeling more and more unappealing by the second. He didn’t realize how much he would enjoy holding his son, until this moment, and he was unwilling to part with the boy.

Spider only groaned and went back to trying to catch his tail.

>:(

(JK JK have a great day tho!)