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shu-box-puns · 1 year

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A grumpy man and his feral son

The grumpy old man being Tsu’tey.

And the feral son being Spider.

Okay hear me out, Tsu’tey surviving the Battle for the Tree of Souls and somehow finds himself as the caretaker for Spider. It’s a very lengthy progress considering he hates Sky People and he’s injured etc. But he has a soft spot for kids, and clearly this one isn’t getting the care he deserves.

One thing leads to another, and he’s looking after a baby Sky Person.

It was probably toddler Spider taking one look at this scowling, blue giant, who had accompanied Jake on a visit to Hell's Gate, and immediately clocked him as a good choice in parental figure. Just toddler Spider rising shakily to his feet - the scientists were shook, he's never shown any interest in walking before - and he clumsily toddles over to Tsu’tey who is stood off to the side. The hunter watches the child with obvious suspicion, eyes narrowed. Undeterred Spider, raises his hands above his head and makes grabby hands. “UPPIES PLS.”

Tsu’tey stares him down for several heartbeats. Unmoving as Spider gets progressively more annoyed at not getting picked up. He's small and demanding and Tsu’tey is weak.

To everyone's shock he caves on the spot. And with a simple huff, he drops to his knees and dutifully scooping the toddler up. Spider giggles happily, grasping at his necklace and holding on tight as Tsu’tey supports his head.

Norm is frozen in place for several moments. Staring owlishly at this enormous being holding Spider with such care and ease. The kid is grinning brightly, content to play with the braids hanging by Tsu’tey's cheek, who doesn't seem to care. Besides a few irritated flicks of his ear when the braids knock into it, the hunter remains focused on the task at hand.

It quickly becomes a common sight around the compound.

Naturally, because Spider is too small for an exo pack, he has to remain within Hell's Gate. Whenever Jake goes to visit the scientists, they begin expecting Tsu’tey to follow suit. And whilst Jake will spend his time with Norm or Max, Spider will inevitably find Tsu’tey and wordlessly coax the hunter into playing with him or getting into mischief. Despite his cold exterior, Tsu’tey is like putty in that boy's fingers. The minute Spider giggled at him, all bright eyes and the cute scrunch of his odd nose, the hunter immediately fell in love. An instinct within was ignited and he found himself drawn to the child.

Side note: Spider being a terror, even from such a small age. Constantly bored so he keeps getting into the machiney or trying to escape outside. At first, Tsu’tey is fooled by the cute smile and demands for cuddles and believes he is a easy to deal with as Neteyam. And then he catches Spider trying to crawl into an air vent. The toddler stares at him. Tsu'tey stares at the toddler.

"No." Tsu'tey says in his heavily accented English.

They continue to stare at one another for another heartbeat.

Then in an explosion of movement, Spider begins furiously stuffing himself into the vent, to which Tsu’tey launches himself across the hall to drag him out by his armpits.

If the space was big enough, like clockwork, Spider would attempt to crawl into it.

There was another time he walked past the glass door of the airlock and by chance glanced down. His eyes bugged at the sight of Spider straining to reach the handle for the external door. He wore no mask, and was blissfully unaware of the immediate danger that waited on the other side of that door.

Tsu’tey had never felt such fear before. Or at least, not since he fell from the sky.

Luckily, he ripped open the glass door before Spider could open the external door, which the air lock automatically locked, and was hauling Spider out. Unaware of his almost death, Spider was more than happy by this turn of events and happily clung to Tsu'tey's necklace as the hunter strode away from the airlock. He refused to let go of the child for the rest of his visit, needing to feel him to reassure himself that he was fine.

In short, Tsu’tey hadn't realised just how difficult of a toddler Spider was to keep track of. Luckily, the kid was so enamoured with Tsu’tey that the hunter didn't have that difficult of a time keeping track of him, since he always wanted to study Tsu’tey's hands or hold onto the end of his tail for balance.

Alternatively: Tsu’tey and Spider fucking around in Hell's Gate. When the little shit begins walking more confidently, he takes to making a runner, shrieking with laughter as Tsu'tey follows him. Of course, the hunter is too tall to catch him efficiently, so he has to duck around all the lights or crawl to keep up.

When Spider gets big enough to wear an exo pack, Tsu’tey definitely starts taking him out of the compound to explore. (He definitely gets his hands on an Omaticayan baby sling and wears Spider around the village so everyone gets accustomed to seeing the little toddler in the exo pack). The child is completely safe with Tsu’tey who is adament on protecting him as he explores the forest.

Tsu’tey teaches this kid everything he knows, everything Spider will ever need to survive Pandora. How to hunt. How to navigate. They figure out how Spider can ride pa’li without a kuru.

He tries to be a good parental figure, dad; strict but fair. Which he admits, gets harder as Spider grows. The kid noticeably starts withdrawing from him. Where once he naturally gravitated towards Tsu’tey in a crowd, he now hung back or chose instead to spend time with the Sully kids. Tsu’tey dismissed it as Spider growing from a boy into a man. He no longer needed such close guidance, and Tsu’tey trusted him to come to him if he needed it.

Bonus angst potential: Spider feeling insecure of his Sky Person body and feeling unworthy of being called Tsu'tey's son. Allow it to fester and give him some drive towards his reckless behaviour.

As a single parent, Spider knows Tsu'tey can’t give him everything a traditional family, but the hunter tries his hardest. Spider sees all his effort. He even thinks of Tsu'tey as his dad although he would never dare voice it. And yet, he still feels disconnected from the rest of the clan. He’s a Sky Person, he can’t form Tsaheylu, naturally he’s gonna feel some distance despite Tsu’tey’s best efforts.

Tsu’tey definitely bullied a throat comm out of Norm and the scientists after Jake explained how helpful the little devices were over long distances. He bestows the little necklace to Spider and wears the pair, instructing his charge to use it if he needs it.

When he was five, Spider used it constantly to narrate to Tsu’tey what he's doing with his day. Telling him all about the funny plants he's seen whilst exploring with the Sully kids, gossiping about a fight that he just witnessed amongst the young hunters. Snitching on Lo'ak who just fell out of a tree.

And Tsu’tey reveled in it. Allowing his boy's excited voice to narrate in the back of his mind as he carries out his daily chores.

As Spider grew older however, he stopped using the coms as much. And when the humans return, he strictly uses it for emergencies.

Therefore, Tsu’tey immediately knows something is up when Spider randomly starts talking over the comms, thanking him for everything. Apologising and telling him that he won't be able to make dinner.

Then Jake calls in and tells him about Quaritch.

Tsu’tey is on his ikran and speeding for the old compound faster than toruk could move at its top speed. He is livid.

Tries to keep the panic out of his voice as he steadily tells Spider that he's coming. Naturally, Quaritch is unsuccessful in obtaining any of the kids. And Tsu’tey wouldn’t let ANYTHING happen to his boy.

Like Spider gets YEETED off of that branch by an explosion and Quaritch stumbles upon him wounded and barely conscious. The colonel neals down to scoop the kid up onto for Tsu’tey to appear through the bushes and brutally whack him upside the head with his bow; stunning him.

Being the petty man he is, Tsu’tey wouldn’t deliver one hit and flee. He’d swing again and again, snarling and spitting insults as the Colonel scrambles to find his bearings. The pissed off hunter deals as much damage as he can and quite literally herding the recom away from his son. Only Lyle opening fire on him gets him to back off, and with a hiss he scoops up Spider and disappears into the foliage.

Spider's pov with Quaritch looming over him and Tsu'tey's shiny forehead and scowling face peering through the bushes over the recoms shoulder:

Neytiri's pov from the tree branches above where she is trying to drag Kiri to safety:

Basically, I just want to see Tsu’tey panicking about the scrapes on Spider’s skin, the handcuffs, the very real reality that if he had been even a second later, then Quaritch would’ve hoisted the kid onto his shoulder and taken him.

Man is bordering on a manic episode as he stops long enough to ensure all the Sullys made it out before he’s calling for his ikran and high tailing it back to High Camp where Mo’at can fix Spider up.

Meanwhile, Spider is shook. He has never seen Tsu’tey so dishevelled. The hunter is always calm, always in control. But he's frantic. Tail thrashing to and fro like a whip as Mo'at fussed over Spider.

All the tension of the event boils down to some raised tempers and high emotions. Tsu'tey is a nervous mess, and Spider is so unnerved by the blatant show of terror in his father figures face that he can't help but feel guilty. Definitely tries to get Tsu’tey to leave so he'll stop hovering and looking at him like that.

Meanwhile:

Tsu’tey: trying to convey to his boy how much he means to him because he hates how Spider is always yeeting himself into danger for the sake of others, and his crusty old heart could not take the grief of losing him.

Spider: Just stop pretending! You’re not even my real, Dad!

Tsu’tey: floored! He buffers. He stops breathing. He just stares at Spider like he’s grown a second head as the words sink in. Then he visibly crumbles. Real, actual tears streaming down this man’s face. He feels like a failure. How did he overlook this? Why didn’t he notice? Did Spider just call him DAD??

Spider: *with an expression of genuine fear* You can CRY??

Once Tsu’tey starts, he can’t stop fucking crying and has to excuse himself whilst Spider is left feeling conflicted and guilty. He didn’t know Tsu’tey possessed tear ducts. Whenever he was upset, he was either disappointed and scowling, or pissed and committing attempted murder; there is no in between.

And as a result, Tsu'tey starts acting weirdly towards Spider. He sees how good Neytiri is with her children, how the other fathers easily get on with their sons, ensuring they’re seen, heard and kept safe. (He ignores whatever the hell Jake is doing because WTF). And he tries to parent differently.

And naturally because it’s incredibly out of character for him, Tsu’tey takes it way to far and becomes incredibly overbaring.

Spider literally has to sit him down and go: I know you care, but STOP all of this. You’re scaring the shit out of me.

And then Tsu’tey is stuck. His tail thrashes in unease because he’s tried his way and miserably failed. And then he observed everyone else and he’s still fucking this up.

And it becomes a learning curve for them where they actually communicate and establish boundaries and talk about feelings. It goes surprisingly well.

When Spider's insecurities finally surface after a failed raid, where he almost got Tsu'tey killed:

Tsu'tey trying to reassure his boy who is clearly distraught and hating on himself. ”I see yo-”

Spider immediately cutting him off because he doesn't deserve to hear that right now. ”But you DON’T see me. Hell you don’t even like me.” Spider yelled. He doesn't mean it. He's just spitting words. Scrambling for something to say that will hurt Tsu'tey enough to make him back off. ”You see a Sky Person and nothing else. You see the son of the man who destroyed Home Tree. You see a threat you can mould into an ally. You don’t fucking see me. You see an opportunity. Potential. You see what you want to see.”

Tsu'tey is not having it. He goes real quiet, and kneels down in front of Spider who is trying to hide in his hands. He takes Spider by the wrists and forces him to look him in the eye. His gaze is steady, voice firm and even as he reassures his boy.

<”I. See. You.”> Tsu’tey repeats. He squeezes Spider's hands, wordlessly begging him to understand. <”I see you, Spider. My son.”>

Spider: