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hyperfixatedfandomer · 8 months

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That handsome boy from the sky pt 4 (caught with Neteyam AU)

Part four of the series in which Spider and and Teyam escape RDA, only to come to Awa’atlu and find out that, surprisingly, Spider is considered uniquely attractive by reef Na’vi standards. (All other parts in the pinned post)

“What in Eywa’s name do these idiots even see in him??” Aonung pouted, kicking a rock as he sat against a cliff protruding through the sand, waves occasionally enveloping his legs.

“Seriously? Weren’t you wagging your tail at him yesterday??” Roxy chimed in.

‘Nung blushed. “Weren’t you?”

“Yeah I was.” He smiled proudly. “Can you blame me? He’s so dreamy! And his natural hair~” He mused, kicking his feet and closing his eyes.

Aonung made a gagging sound. Sure, he had a weak moment yesterday, he liked what he saw, but he doesn’t like like that Spider kid!

“…Whatever. He’s just a human.”

“A very strong one! Kiri said that one time, when sky people came back and they were running away from, uh, iron viper-wolves? Socorro threw a bolder three times his size at them!”

Chief son’s eyes widened. Alright, out of all the things he heard about this demon, this feat was certainly an impressive one. How much does a bolder weight anyway? How much do I weight—

“What!?” The boy exclaimed when he heard Roxto giggling.

“I know what you’re thinking~!” He giggled again. “It’s okay you know. We gotta go hang out with them tonight anyway.”

“What??”

“They’ll be attending the anemone harvest festival.” Roxto stood. “The Sullies want to integrate their big bros properly, since they weren’t here for the last one! And, you know, Neteyam’s really sweet too.”

“Uh huh.” Aonung rolled his eyes. “He’s just as scrawny as the rest of them.”

“But his shoulders are broad!”

“Pfff, Spider’s are broader.”

“Oh so you DO like him??”

“W-N-NO!”

***

“Hang out with who now?” Neteyam didn’t even try to cover a grimace that made its way onto his face.

“Aonung and Tsireya?? Y’know, Olo’eyktan’s children?” Lo’ak reiterated. “They’ll get you accustomed to the traditions and the dancing.”

“Yeah, we got the Tsireya and the tradition part, they’re not the problem bro.” Spider’s bushy brows furrowed as he crushed herbes into a sea-shell mortar. “You want us to be buddy-buddy with Aonung? The "let me leave you to your death in the middle of nowhere" Aonung? The "let me bully a fourteen-year old for things she can’t control" Aonung?”

“Listen, we haven’t really forgiven him for it.” Kiri stepped in. “But he’s changed for the better! Roxto was a good influence on him.”

“Is the Roxto kid going to be there?”

“I heard he’s nice.”

“He is! And ‘Nung is a lot of fun when he’s not an asshole.”

Oldest Sullies exchanged a glance. The idea of being around a boy who directly hurt their siblings wasn’t a fun one, but if they were insisting so badly, and the festival was allegedly a lot of fun, they guessed they had no choice but to give it a chance.

“Okay then. We gotta prepare right? Where do we start?”

Kiri grinned.

***

“Alright, the nets have been fixed, the platform stands strong, and the flowers sit just right…” Tsireya thought out loud, surveying the beautiful, tightly woven platform that was raised in front of the beach and would function as a dance floor for the celebrations. The harvest was rich this season, and Metkayina were giddy with the idea of eating, dancing and drinking all night, dressed in beads, shells and most importantly; the many colourful pond flowers that grew in small pools deep within the village, as well as the caves all over Awa’atlu, in the depths of the island’s rainforest. She often liked wearing the pink variety, what they call ‘the berry tulip’, and would tonight braid more of them into her hair. She couldn’t wait!

“Reya!”

A high-pitched voice chirped and she knew instantly who it was.

“You think these would look good hanging over the fire-pit?” Fwasim showed her garlands of delicate, almost transparent quartz crystals. “I was thinking that the light from the fire would reflect off of them, and bring more colour to the festival!”

“They look incredible! Did your father collect them?“

“Nope! My handiwork!” She giggled at Tsireya’s wide eyes.

“Ah, it’s amazing, friend! Go hang them up right now!”

The girl wasted no time, approaching grown-ups who were securing the fire-pit structure, when she heard another familiar voice come from behind her.

“Hey Reya~” Lo’ak mused, smiling and yet already embarrassed at his own boldness.

“What do you want?” She smirked, arms crossed but no malice behind it.

“Y’know…since you dressed me, Kiri n’ Tuk so well last time I thought…maybe…you could—“

“Help braid your brothers’ hair?”

He nodded, his smirk turning into a guilty grin. “Mom and dad are busy right until the festives start so..”

“Do they have something to wear at least?” She chuckled.

“Oh yes, we solved that, it’s just the jewellery and the hair…would you help us, oh tsakarem?”

The girl pushed him. “Oh stop you!”

***

“I don’t know Tuk…do I really need this?”

“Of course! I’m telling you, all the prettiest boys will wear this stuff at the festival!”

“Uh huh…”

"Pretty" wasn’t something Spider thought he’d give another try to imitate. His body wasn’t delicate enough, like his siblings’. Being human, he gave up on trying to appear good-looking a long time ago, thinking that thanks to his species and ancestry, whatever chance at attention he could have had been thrown down the river. Well, until recently.

“You look sick, dude!” Lo’ak complemented, entering the marui with Tsireya who held a large basket and she gasped in wonder, seeing the big Sully brothers ready for the holiday. Neteyam looked as elegant as ever with the top that she helped weave, seashells the colour of sunrise being their centrepiece.

Spider, on the other hand, looked perfect in his own right.

“You really are a sun lily in twilight.” Tsireya smiled. “Who made the top?”

The top she spoke of was a piece of art. Carefully crafted strings shone in the dark of Socorro’s shadow, made from pressed sea plants, and over his chest lay a pattern of small, azure crystals. They glittered, reflecting streaks of light emitting from flames of the cook fire, and Spider made the loincloth match it by tying a similarly woven ornament over it. He looked horribly insecure under his family’s gazes.

“Tuk wanted to put the newest gift to good use.”

“A gift?”

“Was laying next to the entrance when we got back from foraging the anemones.” Neteyam smirked. “But I recognzie that crystal work from somewhere..”

“Must be Fwasim, she loves incorporating gems in her clothes.” Spider added, twirling. “I owe her a big one for this.”

Tsireya giggled. That must has been her exact plan all along. She knew the forest boy was too noble to remain in dept, and that girl definitely planned to use it to her advantage.

“You both look just great! It’s only hair that is left and me and Kiri will help you all braid them. I brought some flowers, pick which ones you want.

The boys and their littlest sister swarmed around the basket, picking out plants for their ornaments. Spider’s gaze was fixed on tsawksyul, the big sun lily resting between smaller buds, the very nickname Tsireya and previously the girls around Awa’atlu used for him. Its golden petals were ten times as beautiful as he could ever hope to be, and felt too eye-catching for him to wear. He’d look like a narcissist…

“You want the lily?”

“Wh-no no no! I-it’s too much for me.”

“Why not? I think you’ll look gorgeous!” Tuk asked.

“‘Gorgous’ isn’t my thing Tuk…” The blonde rubbed his neck.

“Bullshit! Bro, it’s a party, you’re supposed to look your best!”

“I’ll look like an idiot.”

“You’ll look like a boy who put effort into himself for once.” Neteyam remarked a bit sternly. “Looking festive at a festival won’t kill you.” He then gently picked the flower. “Tsireya, can you help me here?”

***

The first song had begun, grown Metkayina playing drums, flutes and string instruments to create upbeat melodies.

Neytiri, with a bright blue flower over her left ear, approached Ronal who rested on a palette, her queue connected to a soundly sleeping baby in her sling. Tsahik motioned ‘I see you’ to her as she sat next to. “Where are your children?“

“I let them go early to get ready. Could not do so myself however…” She looked to the gathering crowd of teenagers and young adults.

“It is alright. First half of the festives is mostly for the youth anyway.”

“You didn’t mind that when you danced the night away while four months into your pregnancy.”

Ronal smirked. “I had to have some fun before she arrived…” Then smiling down at the slumbering babygirl, who was completely unbothered by the loud music and chatter going on around her. “I realise I haven’t apologised..”

“For what?”

“For doubting your family when you came here. You have adapted well, so had your children, each of them unique in their skills, and your eldest is everything we thought he’d be.”

Neytiri didn’t know how to answer. When Spider returned to Awa’atlu with Neteyam after escaping the Sea Dragon, it felt strange to hear Metkayina refer to him as her oldest child, instead of the one she considered her biggest pride, but she didn’t have the heart to correct them with the amount of stories she heard from her son about their captivity.

“He kept me safe, mother.” “He was the only one who stood between me and the demons.” “If not for him, they’d force me to tell them where the clan hides!” “He stayed loyal to us.”

Spider Socorro kept her son safe, then chose to run with him when his own father was right there. She could not overlook that.

And after his return, things only became further complicated. Spider helped around as much as he could, tiring himself out for weeks to earn his keep, and always there to have the Sullies back, her back.

Neytiri was unsure of what exactly Spider was to her personally at the moment, but he was without a doubt part of the family. It felt embarrassing how long it took her to realise it.

Just then, the chatter in the crowd of teenagers died down and they stilled, looking down one of the paths leading to the platform.

It was Tsireya, Tsahik in training, accompanied by the Sullies, all dressed up for the festival. Among the new guests walked Neteyam, the ever elegant Na’vi, and an ideal of an Omatikaya, and after him…

“It’s Spider!”

And it was indeed him, following Neteyam and cautiously brushing dreads off his shoulders, hoping the lily Tsireya braided wouldn’t be damaged.

“You look breathtaking!” One of the girls fawned with stars in her eyes.

Could Spider argue that? Barely, he thought, for the first time since setting foot on these shores, smiling to himself. This time the compliments felt deserved, if only for the effort of his new friends.

“Come dance with us!”

“Ah ah ah!” Then Fwasim appeared seemingly out of the blue, beating other kids to it as she motioned a greeting to him. “You like the gift I made~?”

“ ‘Like’ is an understatement!” Spider grinned. “It’s amazing! Don’t know how to thank you for this.”

“You could start by giving me a dance.” She smirked, her tale wagging playfully.

Slightly blushing, Socorro took her hand. He couldn’t refuse a friend could he? And for such a generous gift…

Some of the teens huffed, jealous of Fwasim cleverly wrapping the boy around her finger, watching her as she showed Spider the proper dance moves and walked him through them.

“Relax your muscles, let the wind guide you like a current.”

Again, the blonde didn’t normally do gracefulness. He considered himself far too "feral", as the elder Omatikaya put it, to move in sync with the world around him, but festive garments gave him a kind of confidence he only ever felt in rare, measured doses.

And when Spider grows confident, his playful side comes out like never before.

The first dance was over and Fwasim excused herself to help with other decorations around the beach, so Spider cast a mischievous glance towards the crowd, approaching it. “Kiri, s’it okay if I have your shawl for a minute?”

“What for? Too cold?”

“Nah. You know, the clan has been so kind to us, showing their way of things.” He purposefully raised his voice so the teens could hear and immediately, they were all ears. “Just thought I’d show them some culture of our own~”

Taking the shawl, Socorro winked at her and Kiri gasped, covering her mouth and grinning, then looking at the kids. This was gonna be fun.

The dance Spider prepared to perform was a tad bit flirty, and she never saw her big brother be the one to try it, as he never felt brave enough to join the other older kids back home. Until tonight it seems.

The music started and moving in harmony with it, Spider pulled the shawl on, holding both of its ends and sliding towards the crowd with a devious smile. Youngsters watched him, giggling flusterdly and batting their eyelashes at him, until suddenly, Socorro fixed his eyes on the shyest of the group; the girl who had broken her ankle not long ago, and swiftly pulled the shawl over her head and behind her back, pulling her towards him and the dance floor.

The crowd exploded in whistles, squeals and laughs. The girl’s friends, happy to see her being noticed by a popular boy, gently nudged her towards him.

She was completely and utterly flustered to say the least, but that didn’t stop her from putting her hands in Spider’s and letting him guider her through the Omatikaya dance, thought she made no eye contact with him.

“Aww, am I not even worth a glance?” The blonde frowned.

“W-what? No! No of course not I—“

“Am I really that filthy?“

“No!” She exclaimed with wide eyes, grasping his shoulders. “You-y-you…look…incredible…”

For a moment Spider’s intense, dark eyes were locked on her and that poor girl’s heart skipped a beat, her ears fluttering like butterfly wings.

And then he got close to her face and smirked. “It’s okay, I know, was just messing with you.” Then chuckled, freeing her from the confines of his sister’s shawl. “Cheers for the anemone harvest festival. Have a good night~” And just like that, the boy was gone, leaving his dance partner surprised by the sudden disappearance, but a shy smile on her face nonetheless.

Aonung and Roxto arrived when Socorro began scouring the crowd again. “Eywa! They started without me!”

“The festives are for the whole village, skawng. No one’s gonna wait for your lazy ass.” Neteyam teased, appraising the simple jewellery he wore. *The boy didn’t even try.*

“Yeah, well, somebody had to help collect the remaining anemones! My and your fathers will be here any minute.”

And just as he said that, the two men appeared out the shadows, settling next to their wives.

“Hey baby. How’s the festives?”

“Our children have a lot more fun than last time.” She smiled, looking at the Sully kids dancing near the flames of the fire.

And among said kids was Spider, locking a reef boy in a dance with him by pulling a green, woven shawl over his head.

Immediately, Jake’s eyes widened to size that of a tulkun’s. “Who’s that?”

Ronal leaned towards him. “Ora. An excellent fisherman, one of the best warriors in our clan. Very responsible, a good choice, though the rest are no worse.”

“The rest???”

“Yes, Spider danced with a variety of partners, he has good taste.” Tonowari nodded in approval.

Sully barely held his jaw from hitting the floor. He left this kid on his own for one day and now the adults are thinking that he is choosing a future mate. The idea could chase away some unserious suitors but those who felt persistent enough would likely take this as a sign to start trying to court him.

Jake looked forward to grounding his stupid son for the next ten years when they got back home.

***

Giddy, Spider plopped down on the edge of a woven deck next to Kiri, who was munching a sweet snack. She offered her plate to him as he carefully wrapped the shawl around his sister’s shoulders.

“Having fun?”

“You bet!” He chirped, taking a deep breath and removing his mask to get a taste of the fried flower petals, covered in a syrup similar in taste to honey.

“Those poor children had no idea what to do with themselves!” She giggled again. “Where did you learn to be smooth like that?”

“Kiri, c’mon.” The boy spoke after putting his mask back on, mouth stuffed with sugary goods. “I always had it in me! No teacher needed.”

“I never saw that side of you back in the forest.”

“Well…” He shrugged. “There wasn’t really anyone to show it to…”

“…Do you like it here?”

“Huh?”

“Awa’atlu.”

“I mean…I won’t stop missing the forest. It’s our roots y’know, but..”

“But?”

“It’s beautiful. When I’m in the water I feel connected to the great mother like I never had before, the ilus are cute and Metkayina are…nice.” Socorro smiled, his cheeks reddening. “Not the same as the jungle, but I’ll be fine!”

“Okay, good…”

“Why the question?”

“I hoped you weren’t getting uncomfortable with the attention.”

“Uncomfortable?? Kiri I’m a celebrity!”

“Uh huh.” She rolled her eyes.

“Who wouldn’t like being handsome??”

“You were always handsome, dumbass.” The girl nudged him playfully, and Spider grinned…

Because for the first time in forever, he felt like agreeing.

Anyway, hope you liked my longest chapter of this fic! This fanfic is insanely fun to write! Let me know in the ask box if you have anything to say!

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