Note: This is all subject to change. Just wanted you guys to know I am, in fact still working on it.
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“…” The thought is catching on the younger’s tongue, Jake sees it. He sees how the little twitches around his mouth get snuffed by a second thought. “Am…Am I in trouble?”
It’s not what he was expecting. Is he really all worked up over some paint? He feels whatever tension building up in his temple fade away.
“No,” The word falls gently, because why would Spider be in trouble? He’s learning, and exploring and expressing himself, the way kids are suppose to. “Why would you think that?” He takes another hit of the mask. Heavier air filling his lungs properly.
“It’s just that, you came over this morning after yesterday,” Spider’s thumb rubs over his mug’s handle and he looks way, “You’d just never said anything about the paint yesterday, sir.” The bitterness lingers over his tongue and slips down his throat, wrapping around it. Another twitch his eyes barked at him for his son to call him sir. Like he was an officer, or a drill sergeant. Not his fucking Dad.
It takes him a moment to just look at his baby. Eye’s still heavy with bags, and matted hair. He smaller hands wrapped around the warm mug like it’s the only thing protecting him from the big bad scary wolf sitting across from him. Maybe Spider really feels like it is.
The head tension is back with a vengeance now as guilt berates him. Spider thinks him wanting to spend time with his son alone, is to punish him. Eywa forgive him. That’s…that’s not what he meant to do.
“I’m sorry bud, I shouldn’t have just pulled this out of the blue,” Spider’s lips flatline and he realizes maybe that wasn’t the best word choice, “But I just wanted to…spend more time with you.” The bouncing knee cuts its movement and Jake can see the way he tightens his grip on the mug. He brown eyes still looking out the window beside them.
“…Thank you for, uh, trying” The sigh was less out of annoyance, or exhaustion, and more of not knowing what to say, tittering off towards the end. Those warm brown eyes shyly meet his. “I appreciate it.” Somehow, with the gentle orbs focusing in on him again, he can tell the words are forced, no matter how sincere they sound. No matter how pleading those eyes look at him, he can tell somewhere in his soul, Spider’s just telling him what he thinks Jake wants to hear.
He's failed before he could even try.
“Can I ask you a question?” He perks up as the words echo the hallow shack. He feels a prick in the back his neck. Spider wants to ask him something?
“Of course,” He trails off, almost letting some form of affection slip. Would Spider’s be okay with petnames or silly nicknames? Would it annoy him like Lo’ak?
He smells fire as Spider collects his words a bit more, eyes glazing over before refocusing in cycles as he mouth twitches to open before closing again. Jake’s stomach twists. What has his kid so worked up that he feels like he can’t even speak around him?
“It’s it true that your old call sign was Cerberus?” Air knocked right out his lungs. Who taught him that? Who told him that? Who let his kid know what he had been? What he vowed to never return to? Who told Spider about his time with the marines. Who told him about what happened in Venezuela. Who- “You don’t have to answer.” Spider’s meek, his eyes widen as he’s staring right at him. Jake lowers his lips, covering his bared teeth. He barred his fangs at his fucking baby. He blinks, before blinking again. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck
He stood as the heavy thumps echoed in his head, reaching over the table to calm his baby that he just snarled at. The other throws himself backward, coffee filling the air as the boy scrambles away. The chair is skewed on the floor, the mug rolling away from his child. Coffee stains grow on his shirt, eyes wide with fear.
He pulls back immediately, realizing he's scaring his son. His ears pull back, vainly trying to shut the echoes up.
‘That boy knows everything.’ Didn’t he scream that months ago when they took off?
THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP
He watches as Spider hyperventilates, his body starting to shake. First in the hands, then his lungs as he draws breath, growing from his shoulders to his torso and to his twitching feet. His head twitches left, twice, pulling him forward and back. Yerik's eyes stare at him from across that river. Blood in the water, and down his nose. The iron scent coats the room so fast as it dribbles thickly over his lip. Lamb to the slaughter, he felt a heavy weight settle in his chest, suffocating him with the iron tang of blood and the acrid scent of spilled coffee.
Jake is taut, his son is on the floor freaking out and bleeding. Your fault. Spider was not like this before they left. Your fault. Spider was not scared of him, certainly never flinched at a raised arm. Your fault. Spider never had nosebleeds. Your fault. He knew what the RDA would do to a prisoner. Your fault. Hadn’t he done that to prisoners too? Your fault. Spider didn’t know his name was Cerberus before then. Your fault. No one knew that. Your fault.
The kid knows everything.
_________________
Yes, yes, yes, I know. Not very Aocorro here. But little Jake & Spider interaction for the soul huh? Anyone huh? No? Okay. Anyway, there will be cutesy Spider/Ao'nung stuff at the end, probably a forehead kiss, because GOD. @lovermyme, their art is so fucking good! He makes me feral with his depictions of Spider and Ao'nung.
Pookie, make them kiss now😈😈😈
I mean Aonung and Spider, make those two being clumsy and idiots in love and they kiss and im happy and everything is happy and we are happy and the world is happy and-
Just make them kiss please.
Something about spiders first kiss being with his mask on is so romantic to me
"One thing about me..." Tsireya hummed as she thought of a fact about her that not even her brother knew. This game was rather difficult, as Lo'ak had explained to her earlier. It was meant for more sky people friends to get to know each other better, as they don't spend nearly as much time with each other as Na'vi get to. But, it was a challenge she was more than willing to take if it meant she got to spend time with the Sully siblings. She had gotten to learn some interesting things so far, and a couple of things about her brother that she didn't know before, "Is that I dislike sea grass wraps on my feet."
"But your hands and face are fine?" Rotxo leans his head forward to stare at her incredulously. It was true, that she enjoyed caring for her body, proper amounts of sleep, strict balances of different foods, and she did put a lot of effort into caring for her skin. But her feet? She was revolted at letting anything touch her feet.
"Yes, of course," She felt a bashful giggle work out of her. She supposed that was the point of the game, expressing things about yourself that you normally wouldn't, so others can learn about you. Even the silly little things.
"But that is the best part!" Neteyam blinked at her, his arm finally out of the awful sling. A small scar rose above the rest of his skin, lying not too far away from his heart. "Resting your tired feet from a day of proper labor?"
Tsireya couldn't help herself from blanching. Nope, nope, nope, she could feel the sogging plant between her toes already. Her stomach twisted in response to the thought.
"Absolutely not." She crinkled her nose. "Let's move away from the subject of feet, your turn!" She looked up to the rock the tawtute had perched himself on. She found it a little odd how he always was on top of things, but Tuk told her that's just how Spider was. Granted that wasn't the only thing...unique about the young male. However, Tsireya found herself enjoying Spider's company. He was thoughtful and open to the world, similar to Lo'ak and Kiri. He held a kind and protective demeanor, an observant eye like Neteyam. He was just as playful as Tuk. So she couldn't say all sawtute were bad, or good, she could tell that Spider was a child of Ewya, which made him a friend of hers.
"One thing about me is that my name means war relief or soldier's relief." He smiled as glanced over the group. Tsireya could feel her ears pricked which her curiosity. His name meant that? She didn't know sky people names had meaning.
"Hold up Monkey boy, when did you learn that?" Kiri twisted her head over her to glance at her brother. Her eyes held a serious intent. Tsireya noted the surprise from the rest of the Suli siblings.
"Yeah bro, when did you learn that?" Lo'ak placed a hand on Tsireya's knee as he leaned forward to look around her.
"Spi-ter means war relief?" Ao'nung's tongue was a little thick on the other's name, well, all theirs were. The other teen's name was definitely not Na'vi. The syllables and sounds just didn't sound right together. Thus she often, like her brother and friend frequently butched his name just a little. Tsireya, did feel bad about it.
"Ah...No" Spider rubbed the back of his head. He rolled his head side to side with his shoulder swaying as well, his five fingers almost touching each other as his upturned palms were held close to his body. Tsireya had deduced the movement as an unsure body gesture, she had only seen Toruko Makto, and the dreamwalker that visited after the Battle at Three Brothers do it before.
"So, Spider isn't actually my name, it's a nickname." Tsireya needed to blink, she had been staring for a bit too long. His name wasn't Spider? "My name is Miles Javier Socorro, but rarely anyone uses my middle name." His name was Meilys?
"Now I'm confused, why don't you use your real name?" Rotxo folded his arms and looked at Spider with some skepticism. Tsireya could understand. It was a lot to take in. Why wasn't his family name Tshaka? or Tsykeitan? What was a middle name?
"So I'm adopted like Kiri, and my birth parents died in the battle of Hallelujah Mountains," Kiri was nodding along, however, Tsireya noticed how Kiri's face went solemn. Tsireya glanced at Lo'ak for some type of answer. Yet his face was drawn tight as well, his eyes downcast at the rock below them. Tsireya was hoping that Neteyam would be more upbeat, but his face was hard, ear pinned back with distaste.
"They were bad people though, they attacked the Na'vi. I was only a week old at the time. My Dad, or at least his memories, were put into a dreamwalker's body. He's the one who led the burning of the Anerui village, and the hunt against the Tulkun and the one who held you hostage on the ship." Spider's voice grew quiet. He was ashamed. "His name is Miles."
"Miles means war, doesn't it?" Neteyam spoke, his eyes trained on Spider's folded, defeated-looking body. Like just telling them that had exhausted him. Spider nodded languidly.
"Miles is from the dead language called Latin, it technically means solider or warrior, but it's been so well associated with war, that it can be used as the word in some cases." Tsireya's mouth was dry and hot. Who could find war so beautiful, that one would name a baby after it?
"My mother's name, Paz Soccorro, in Espanol, her...tribe's native language," Spider glanced at Ao'nung and gave a weak smile, Tsireya felt something in her chest untwist as Ao'nung gave his own reassuring smile back. When had she started feeling sick? "Means Peace relief."
"War and peace, huh?" Lo'ak barked with a disbelieving laugh. Tsireya could share the sediment. That was truly ironic.
"What does Quaritch mean Spider?" Kiri asked, her voice wobbling from the topic of the nightmare that made their family flee their home. Spider sighed, how could Tsireya feel his saddened soul from one gust of breath? His family name, his ancestors, had cursed him by giving his name to be of violence.
"Quaritch is thought to be of Slovak origin, which means a smith, or a special maker of something," Spider rolled and rested his back on the rock. His face was no longer visible to her, but Tsireya was certain that Miles, (Spider?) wasn't proud. His tongue flicked the sky people's word out easily before returning to the mother's tongue.
"So his name would be war maker," Rotxo concluded. Tsireya rubbed her thumb between her fingers. Sawtute names had meaning, deep meaning, it spoke of their ancestors and their actions.
"What does Tsykek's name mean?" Tsireya found herself asking before she could stamp the thought down. Spider sat up and glanced at her.
"His full name is Jacob, Jake is his nickname. And it means to follow, or one who seizes. Some believe that it means deceiver. It's Hebrew, the language I mean." Tsireya watched Lo'ak jaw relax and open. His enchanting eyes were wide as he gazed at his older brother.
"Does dad have a middle name too?"
"It's Oscar." Spider grinned as Lo'ak started cackling, and Tsireya found herself laughing along with them. As much as she respected the warrior, sky people names sounded awfully silly.
"Kiri, your turn!"
"One thing about me..."
and if i asked you to draw Spider n Ao’nung literally just being wholesome like Ao’nung kisses Spider’s forehead or smth then what…..
Then i could shamely give u this 👉👈🥺🥺🥺🥺
And this ^^^
They judging me for spend so long without drawing them 👉👈🥺
Also, can i share tattoo artist spider headcanon?? I think its cute 😔❤️🩹
Anyway, guys sorry for being soooo inactive, i was passing through a time ☠️
I will post this now, and still be inactive this next week, cause tomorrow start the strike for palestine demanting a ceasefire, until 25, so i will only be posting and reposting about Palestine
Byee
Long story short, got stuck with a psychology class I didn’t want to be in, Child and Adolescent Development. I fucking hate that class. But like… it’s improved my writing?
Seriously, when writing through the eyes or about anyone with a traumatic childhood, or even mildly neglectful parents, little things matter. For example, my favorite traumatized noodle, Spider Socorro, should be by many definitions VERY FUCKED UP. However the JC hasn’t shown those parts yet.
At a first glance, yeah, he’s a cool character and kind of a stereotypical stray cat close friend. Whatever, however when you take a deep diver into the psychology end of it. He was basically raised in a daycare, has a insecure resistant attachment style, son of a villain, no actively-engaging family (blood related), isolated from peers until who knows how long, and probably very behind on various socioemotional markers. In perfect theory, that screws someone up, for life.
Now, I’m not saying psychology defines everyone and is always right (cough cough Freud cough). But this class has given me tools to more accurately assess a character’s mind, reactions and decisions. Holy shit do I love that.
But again, just curious if it’s normal for that to happen to writers or if they end up getting personality contradictions.
“Mother, father, I’m marrying Jakesully’s eldest.”
“Neteyam??”
“The gold one.”
Hello! I Just recently started developing Spider brainrot and I'm just now starting to interact with the fandom. I haven't even considered Aocorro as a thing before but can I just say that your series had me HOOKED? amazing, wonderful series, I'm loving it.
Greetings!
Sorry it's taken me forever to get back to you. But thank you so much! I'm really glad that our interaction wasn't a traumatizing one. This fandom can get a little scary sometimes.
Honestly, this pairing struck me over the head so randomly one day, and I immediately became obsessed. My poor roommates had to listen to me prattle on about my theories about Spider and Ao'nung getting together. I think they were just humoring my little delulu self.
I think their dynamic would be so perfectly slotted together. I know Ao'nung's original name was Nu'nung and Spider's was Javier, which had me thinking about Neytiri and Jake's Enemies to lovers trope, and I saw a lot of parallels. A na'vi with some serious distaste for humans or anything human related and an outcast that doesn't fit in anywhere? Um yes please.
But then I remembered the movie. After Neteyam died, I think, (at least I hope), Ao'nung won't be so prejudice against good humans and Avatars. Like his hate for the RDA will SPIKE. He lost a friend, and is overall probably traumatized from the three brothers battle, almost losing his life and his sister's will do that to anyone. But I think he'll give Spider a chance if the Sully claim him as theirs.
More so, shifting to Spider a little bit, Cameron wasn't kidding when he said Spider is the glue. The more I looked at this kid from different angles the more I fell down the rabbit hole. We don't see much of Jake's life on Earth, but we know it sucked, he was an alcoholic reject after he lost everything he had going for him, movie happens, we met Neytiri, a wonderful person and complex character who's lost a lot too but she still got something to fight for. Like Jake, we don't see too much of her life before their meeting. But together the pair make history, however it's also with Quaritch. We don't know about Quaritch and Paz, except that they loved Spider, and maybe just maybe they were trying to make a good life for their baby out there. Couldn't be much worst than the Earth Jake showed us right?
Now, we have a proper history. Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, We have the Sully family (which will take on the protagonist roles from A3 and onward) and we have Spider. Their parents took shit away from each other. Spider lost his entire family, and after FoP probably a chunk of sanity after the Neurosect. He's always been the reject. And the Sully siblings lost Neteyam, their grandfather, their ancestral home, their new home, and friends, and way of life.
I say this with no hate to Jake, love this babygirl mwah, but he lied straight to his kids faces and told them Spider would be fine. He's a marine, like Ardmore, he know being a kid will not save you if your in enemy hands. Like he's right, there wasn't anything he could do once Spider got to BridgeHead. That would be a suicide mission.
Spider probably doesn't have a lot of trust in the Sully's adults after A2. Like they are on the same side, they want the same thing, but Spider knows they will not hesitant to leave him. (As seen in the comics). (I actually have a theory going that in A3 or A4 once the family start getting chased again, Spider will immediately split from the pack and look to save himself, because in his mind the Sully's will be fine. They will not help me, which will cause Jake to freak out, like where is my SON?). Spider was treated more like a kid by the recoms than the other adults. I think it was Prager or Wainfleet trying to guide/comfort him after Quaritch goes down with Cupcake. (Which I lowkey hope we see some moments of Spider with them. Him with his Auntie and Uncles). Whatever...
My point is, the series is about the kids, them growing up in a time of war, their families hating each other, but they themselves love each other. Like if Romeo and Juliet were the 'only childs' of their familes that found solace in each other as siblings.
The history of their species and families are going to be additonal pressure points in the next couple of movies.
And I don't think there'll be times that they won't blame each other.
"Oh your mother was going to kill me!"
"Your dad burnt my hometree!"
"Did you forget your dad helped him?"
"You saved a monster"
"A monster that saved my life twice, more than anyone else did!"
Moving forward, I genuinely believe these other teens ( The Metkayina, and the wind-trader teen) are going to be a source of comfort for the siblings to express their grief and raging emotions to. We know for sure that going to their parents in this situation would lead to. A bias judgement in which they try to influence their children with their own emotions. Neytiri blaming Spider and Quaritch convincing Spider that the Sullys never cared about him. I know Spider didn't have anyone outside the Sully siblings to express himself too. As a scientist myself, all the other scientist I know aren't the best with emotions, or children. Besides, Spider doesn't want to be seen in a negative light with these pent up frustrations. Again, which is why I think he is going to latch the fuck onto new friends who don't have a judgement on his family history.
So looking at everyone else's interpretations of Ao'nung I see him as a learner of sorts. He's an asshole, sure, but he's starting to recognize he doesn't know people without seeing them. He likes testing boundaries, but has always lived a such comfortable life, that meeting a stray cat like Spider makes him feel serious things that make him mature a little more. Being with Spider is going to let him push and pull boundaries to his comfort level.
Spider doesn't take shit from anyone, but doesn't let himself open up. So I think he and Ao'nung could really balance each other out with their experiences. Ao'nung makes a snide comment that's a little too out of line, Spider's stomping on his toes. Spider refusing to eat or sleep till he feels like he's properly earned his keep? (Because stray cats have to fight a spot to sleep). Ao'nung's smothering him with love or picking him up and dragging him back to dinner.
So sorry with the long winded answer, but thank you. These two have lived rent free in my head for months and its driving me a little bit mad. So I just really want the community to see what I see and make some more fanart/fiction so I can sit back and just read it myself.
What about you? Got any ideas about those two?
Warning: T rated for this one but might go up to M or E rated when finished (I might add a first time moment at the end of this)
Aonung has had enough.
Can’t they mind their own business?
Yes, he knows Spider is different from him, in more than one way. But he has accepted it. So why do they have to make such a big fuss and be so weird about it?! Three talks! He’s already had to suffer three talks! With their worried expressions and not so subtly allusions he might hurt Spider with his size and his weight, as if he were some sort of horrible brute. It makes him sick, this image they have of him… of them and his love.
Yes, he’s aware making Spider his official mate will be… a conundrum. He’s not stupid. He’s seventeen. He passed his Rite. He’s an adult now. Spider has no Kuru to make the bond with him. He couldn’t even pass his own Rite, being unable to ride a Tsurak like a Na’vi. Jakesully said that Spider can be considered an adult in human standards but the tribe will never validate it - not really. And Spider is small. Child sized. He reaches Aonung at the waist and Aonung isn’t stupid. He noticed how incredibly much larger he is and what it means. Yes, he’s scared. But he knows that adorable tawtute is the one. Did he ever think his mate would be a tawtute? No! But that’s what happened. And now, he’s determined to take things as they are and not as he wishes they were.
He will make this work.
He knows he can, somehow.
That Avatar - Norm - was a great help. He owes him a lot. He’s the one who told him about human physiology and how Spider’s body works. It was probably the only interesting talk he’s had so far… So much better than all the fearful warnings he got from his father, Toruk Makto and even his mother. Neytiri was… her whole sort of weird. That woman is terrifying - poor Toruk Makto. But Norm was different. Norm was… trying. He was instructive.
Aonung wants the evening to be perfect.
He has spent hours preparing everything while Spider was held busy by his very supportive sister. When Lo’ak understands why Tsireya insisted they needed to weave twenty five new nets when most of the used nets seem to be perfectly fine, he might get angry. But that’s an ordeal for another day. Right now, his priority is to finish having things ready when Spider returns to his shack. He hopes the boy will not find him intruding or strange… He has no idea how to court a Sky Person. He knows Spider was born and raised among Na’vi but he still has his own things about him that Aonung can barely start to understand.
It took Spider months to understand the young Na’vi was courting him at all.
He accepted the gifts but with an expression that even Aonung translated as confused. It was only when Kiri told him that Spider had no idea Aonung was courting him at all that he decided to communicate with words and Aonung confessed that he was indeed interested in the tawtute. He thought it would finally settle everything down but then Spider rejected Aonung’s courtship and it hurt. Because Aonung wasn’t expecting to be rejected.
It could have ended right then and there but Aonung was not one to give up and he persisted. He liked this cute but fierce little tawtute and was determined to win him over. It took a moment but Spider eventually confessed his fears and Aonung did his best to reassure him. Yes, they were different species but he was sure they could make this work, somehow.
Then, his parents - and the Sullys - decided to step in and discourage him, arguing that he was going to hurt the little human with his large body and that this relationship had to stop before it even got started.
But Aonung doesn’t care. He knows he can make this work. He knows he can.
Which is why he finds himself currently preparing a pik’nik right in the middle of Spider’s shack, not really knowing if what he’s doing is the right thing at all.
The door of the shack suddenly depressurizes and the metal clicks.
A few seconds later, Spider’s voice rises into the windowless room.
“Hey Nung, Reya said you were looking for me… Why are you in the dark-”
He stops right at the threshold, his sentence finishing itself in the air. Aonung feels his heart beating in the back of his throat. His tail goes rigid behind him and his ears fall backwards. Spider is blinking at him with the most dumbfounded expression he has ever seen on his face, eyes wide, lips parted and Aonung does feel like a fool, his immense body knelt as it can in the middle of the room on a blanket that is already too small for him and that forces more than half of his body on the cold metal floor to leave enough space for the small human to fit. He tried to reproduce as best as he could the pictures Norm gave him but couldn’t find any candles like they had and he didn’t want to risk burning the whole place with a torch so he settled for bioluminescent plants that he put in jars instead. It doesn’t give that warm orange light, the plants basking the room in dim hues of pink and blue that reflect on the walls around them and the floor. He harvested Spider’s favorite human edible fruit and took some bread, vegetables and dippings that he arranged in bowls, as well as swamp nectar and prune juice.
For long seconds, Spider just stays there, watching the display in front of him, stunned and at a loss for words. It doesn’t help alleviate Aonung’s nervousness in the least.
“What… What is that?” Spider eventually asks.
Aonung’s ears flicker. Did he do something wrong? Did he miss something in his… reproduction of tawtute culture?
“It’s uhm… A… pik’nik,” he says, trying to pronounce the foreign word correctly.
Spider blinks, “Oh!”
“You know them, right?” Aonung presses, feeling more and more anxious that his idea completely missed the point.
“Only from Norm and Max’s stories. I never really… had one before…” His face takes on that adorable pink color Aonung loves so much, “But… why?” he asks and he sounds like he has no idea why Aonung went through all that trouble.
“For you,” Aonung explains.
“Me?” Spider repeats as if the concept of someone doing something like this for him is an impossibility.
“Yes, you. Please, come sit with me.”
Spider blinks and wobbles on his legs, joining Aonung on the blanket. He swallows. Aonung smiles. It’s one of the first times he can see Spider without his mask. What a beautiful sight. He takes a deep breath from his own mask.
“Is that… swamp nectar?”
“Yes.”
“Where did you get it?”
Aonung smirks, “I’m the Olo’eyktan son. It comes with privileges!” he says, sounding shamelessly smug and proud of himself.
Spider chuckles and his face flushes again.
They begin to eat, talking about their day. Spider is always shy at first but when Aonung starts speaking with him, he suddenly opens up and can no longer be stopped, going on and on and on about the fish they saw and the nets they weaved and how Lo’ak kept growling the whole time. Aonung smiles and chuckles, watching him. There are so many colors on him when he speaks. It’s like the words are dancing on his skin, each one of them a different emotion that lights him up in so many different shades. His own human bioluminescence. It’s fascinating.
Spider suddenly realizes that Aonung is staring at him intensely. He stops talking and frowns, looking self-conscious again.
“What?” he asks, pouting a little.
Aonung smirks, “You’re beautiful,” he whispers.
Spider swallows, his Adam apple bobbing as he does. Aonung blinks at him. Slowly, he cups his face. His hand is so much bigger, it encircles his head completely. His heart starts beating faster. It’s the first time he can touch his beautiful face, the first time he finally has access to that masterpiece held behind a glass for so long. Gently, he swipes his thumb under Spider’s eye. The skin is so soft.
“Sevin,” he whispers.
Spider swallows again. His eyes are huge. His lips tremble. A breath passes through them, hitting Aonung’s hand with its warmth. He blinks at the tall Na’vi. Aonung bends down slowly toward him. Spider’s breath hitches through his nose and fills his lungs with too much air, making his throat tickle with the need to cough.
Their lips touch for the very first time.
Aonung has already kissed his mask a few times already but nothing compares to this. Spider’s lips are warm and tiny against his. Aonung’s mouth takes almost all of Spider’s lower face and he adjusts his angle not to smother the human and free his nose, making Spider’s chuckle in the kiss. Yes, that size difference is really awkward. But Aounung wouldn’t change it for the rest of the world and laughs. Spider wraps his small arms around Aonung’s neck, his fingers digging into the thick curls. The Na’vi moans at the gentle contact. Slowly, he opens his mouth and pokes the tiny lips with the bit of his tongue, requesting entrance. Spider shakes against him but parts his lips nonetheless and Aonung touches the tip of a tiny tongue and it feels like a spark of electricity. His braid is heavy on his lap. From the corner of his eyes, he sees his Kuru open and the tendrils reach up, desperate to touch the tawtute.
The kiss deepens. Spider’s hand cups Aonung’s face. Aonung strokes the soft skin of Spider’s cheek with the back of his fingers. The kiss is slow, careful. Aonung knows that he can’t push the fragile human and he doesn’t want to. This feels so nice, kissing him and touching him like this. Spider tastes like fruit and Swamp nectar. He’s delightful.
They part. Spider gives him a shy smile and looks down. His lips are a bit swollen and pink. He looks adorable and so much more edible than any of the food on that blanket. Aonung keeps his hand on his face and kisses the tip of his nose gently, making Spider chuckle.
Their eyes meet.
They’re both breathing hard and deep.
Their bodies are hot, heart racing behind their rib cages.
Gently, Aonung lays a soft kiss on Spider’s cheek before diving into the warm crook of his neck. The human’s reaction is immediate. Goosebumps suddenly cover his skin and he moans loudly, tilting his head. Ok, so the neck is very sensitive for humans. Good to know! He gently sucks on the skin, mindful to keep his teeth away and not leave any mark. But that skin is so soft and tender.
“Nung!” Spider whines.
Aonung pulls away and returns to face him with a playful smirk.
“My cute little tawtute is sensitive!” he gently mocks.
Spider turns beet red again but looks down in haste.
“Spi?” Aonung asks, “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” he’s suddenly anxious - he did try to be as gentle as he could.
“What?! No! Of course not!”
Aonung relaxes at that.
“Then, what is it?”
He touches Spider’s cheek again, marveling at the softness of that skin he can never feel against his fingers. With his other hand, he takes his mask and breathes deeply in it, the intensity of the kiss having left him a little too dazed for his own good.
Spider shrugs, “Nothing… I just…” shyly, he looks up at the Na’vi, “I just like you, I guess…” he’s quick to look down again.
Aonung feels his heart miss a beat. Here, just the two of them in the confinement of this tawtute shack, in that strange colorful darkness, it feels so much more intimate than in the open of the sea. It fits them. It makes them belong.
“I like you too,” he says, “So much, Ma Spider.”
Spider nibbles his bottom lip, not looking at Aonung. He’s adorable. He smiles and bends down to kiss him again just as gently as the first time. He tastes fruit and swamp nectar again. His mouth is so warm and wet. He loves it. His fingers sink into Spider’s dreads, then on his shoulders, brushing against the blue painted patterns on his skin - he wonders if Spider will let him paint him. His hands find their way down Spider’s arms and onto his waist. The skin is so hard there. There are so many muscles. He’s really beautiful.
His ears fall backwards.
He can feel himself… react. But he won’t give his parents reason. He can control himself. He knows he can. Spider’s is more important than any heat.
“Can I… see you?” he asks in a whisper.
Spider looks up in haste, “What?”
Aonung’s tail swipes nervously behind him, “Can I look at you… I really want to see you, Ma Spider.”
“I’m right here,” Spider babbles.
“Without your Tweng,” the Na’vi specifies with a smirk, “I want to touch you. All of you. If you allow me."
Spider’s eyes widen and he thinks he’s going to faint.
Oh dear, Sorry, that came off so aggressive. Point is, I added a new chapter to Of Lambs and wolves, it's close to where I want it to be as a narrative and I must thank SPFab for their amazing beta reading. I hope you all enjoy it.
Also, when the fluffy mini series hits, can you guys make a suggestions on how Jake would coach Ao'nung into wooing Spider? Because I can see so much humor in that.
1.) Because of their tails, Na'vi are really bad at shooting upside down. Like you know human trick shots where we can just comfortably dangle upside down to make a shot, yet, their tails' sense of balance it throwing them all off. Think of a cat's tail, it corrects them while they are upside down.
2.) Na'vi have different waves of light that they can see in. Like you know how bugs see in different waves, or dogs hear in different frequencies?
3.) Their enhanced senses are something the RDA uses dramatically for war. Like think about the Flash Bang potential here? A weapon that only throws off Na'vi. That means avatars have slight protection from them because of their human DNA, or when Jake gets word that these are gonna be used, he has Spider come along as their human coverage.
4.) There are poisonous foods to Na'vi that humans can eat. Like something that would stop their hearts, Spider can just casually snack on. That's like watching someone eat deadly nightshade for breakfast.
5.) Na'vi aren't meant for long periods of starvation. Not like humans are. Have you seen how lean they are?? There isn't a fat deposit on these guys, and they are BIG. They need food to keep going. So they can go without eating for a week, max.
6.) There are human pheromones that they can't smell and there are Na'vi pheromones that human's can't pick up. I mean, smells are chemical structures allow us to recognize something and pick up the smell. So if the chemical make up of environments for humans and Na'vi are different than it makes sense that there are smells that they/we can't even pick up. OR EVEN BETTER, the smells are all off. Like if we give them an earth flower for them to smell, and to them it comes off as the smell of rotten eggs. IMAGINE.
7.) Na'vi don't thermoregulate like we do. Thus why there isn't a big need for clothes. Granted, it's be weird, cause that's where most of our calories go towards, straight up thermoregulation.
8.) Human's are better at reading body language between the two species. Human's don't have a tail or ears to give away feelings, and we're taught from a young age to control our RBF, eyebrows and flushing. So we typically pay more attention to the posture of another person. So humans can pick out little details better.
9.) Na'vi are better are regulating their emotions. Or at least dealing with them. I know their brains have 3 lobes or something, while ours have 4. But I just have a feeling that since they have response to another creature in their brain, that they have a better specialize area in the brain for dealing with emotion.
10.) No tumbling or gymnastics for the Na'vi. I was thinking about it. And it's a lot of circular movement and I genuinely think their queue would hit stuff or disorientate them if swung around too much. Like, I know we saw the Metkayina teens do all that diving, and Neytiri's roll on to the boat, but like. She just did that, onto her brain organ. God that had to have HURT.
Thank you for listening to my silliness.
When I said Spider listens to music loudly in my fanfic series, this is what I mean.