bug @quvritch - Tumblr Blog

fickle fate & cruel coincidence ┃ miles quaritch x f!reader [8]

archive of our own

< previous chapter

act 2, chapter 1

summary: fifteen years have passed. the sky people have returned, bringing bad memories with them. you're desperate to cling to those you love and keep them safe. but a pain from your past has come back, ready to change everything.

pairings: miles quaritch x reader, jake sully x neytiri te tskaha mo’at’ite

tags: angst, canon divergence, female reader, relationship, canon typical violence, teenage spider, avatar 2 timeline, nightmares, war pt 2, recom miles is here, norm is the MVP

word count: 6.8k

A/N #1: alexa play I Want You by Mitski

A/N #2: i'm sorry yall i love Spider but the dreads and loincloth HAD to go. that's motherless behavior. y/n wouldn't stand for that

Seventeen Years, Six Months

You

Images flashed through your mind, horrifying and all too familiar. Grace’s blood on your hands, Quaritch’s dead eyes, a bullet in your stomach, one in Norm’s shoulder. Dead animals, dead Na’vi, dead humans. Carnage and destruction everywhere you turned. Once again, you were thrown back into the worst day of your life.

And then somewhere off in the distance, your son’s voice. Panicked, scared. Calling for you. Calling for help.

Your heart hammered in your chest. Fear and adrenaline battled in your veins. You whirled around, ran through the trees, tripped over branches and rocks. His voice just got farther away. You couldn’t find him. He was in trouble and you couldn’t find him!

“Spider!” You shouted, lurching up in bed. Sweat sheened across your forehead, blood rushing in your ears. It took you nearly ten seconds to comprehend where you were.

In your bed, in the lab, up in the Hallelujah Mountains. Safe and sound and out of danger.

“Fuck.” You slumped into yourself and dug the heels of your hands into your eyes. Exhaustion dragged you down like an anchor.

You really thought the nightmares had been gone for good. And then the Sky People returned—branding bigger, badder weapons and a thirst for revenge. Now, a year later, your fear had clutched you once again.

Sighing, you dragged yourself out of bed and padded down the hall—past Norm’s door on the right, to the last one on the left. Spider’s door was cracked, and it opened silently with one gentle push. You peeked in just enough to get a glance at him, or rather, his chestnut curls poking out from under the blankets. He had a habit of cocooning himself from his head to his toes. You worried he’d suffocate, but the teenager was still alive and kicking, so you let it slide.

You watched him for several minutes. Listening to his breathing, watching the blanket rise and fall. Ensuring yourself that he was perfectly fine. If asked, you would say that this was a rare occurrence. But if you were telling the truth, the answer would be different.

He was your family. You’d lost so much, and you were terrified that he’d be added to the list. It’s not as if you were a helicopter mom by any means. Sometimes you just needed to see that he was okay. After everything, you felt like you were entitled to that.

Once your pulse had come back into its normal confines, you cracked the door once again and returned to your empty bed. Maybe if you were lucky, you could fall back asleep.

A few fitful hours later, you decided to call it quits and start the day. The sun shone through the window as you pulled on your nicest cargo pants and least ratty t-shirt, stifling a yawn. You would seriously need to go to bed early tonight. Hopefully, the nightmares wouldn’t follow you.

Norm and Spider were already in the kitchen when you entered. Your son sat hunched over a bowl of oatmeal, a thin rubber band the only thing keeping his hair from taking a dip. Norm, parked in front of the coffee machine, was the only one to acknowledge your arrival. To be fair, the teenager was busy stuffing his face.

He wore his usual cargo shorts and a woven chestpiece that Kiri had made for him. The beads glinted against his skin, a pop of color to contrast his features. Norm wore cargo as well. There was always so much fucking cargo.

“Morning, y/n,” the scientist greeted, holding up your designated mug. “Got some fresh coffee for you.”

“Oh, thank God,” you groaned, reaching for the steaming drink. “Did you-”

“Cream and two sugars with a dash of cinnamon, yes. Just how you like it.”

“Ugh, you’re an angel. Thank you.” You took the coffee, kissed his cheek, and sat in the chair next to Spider. “And good morning to you, too.”

Norm just chuckled and shook his head, returning to making his own drink. The first gulp of warm liquid slid down your throat like a taste of ambrosia. You felt some of the tension in your shoulders ebb away. What a wonderful invention caffeine was.

“Morning, Mom,” the boy beside you spoke, swallowing his last bite of food.

You smiled at him, tucking a stray curl behind his ear. “Morning, little bug.”

He pretended to shy away from the touch, huffing sheepishly. “Come on, I’m too old for that nickname.”

“Oh, please. Your name is Spider,” you teased him. “And I’ve been calling you little bug since long before you chose that name.”

“Yeah, but ‘Spider’ sounds cool. ‘Little bug’ makes me sound like a baby.”

“You are a baby. My baby.”

“Moooom,” he complained, groaning into his hands. It just made you laugh.

“You should enjoy it while you can,” Norm told him as he sat at the table. “One day, you’ll find yourself wishing to be called ‘little bug’ one more time.”

Spider rolled his eyes. “Whatever. You guys are just old and nostalgic.”

You gasped in mock offense. “Excuse me? Did you hear that, Norm? He just called us old.”

“Oh, I heard it,” your friend tutted, sipping his coffee. “You'd better watch yourself, kid. Your mom and I could run circles around you.”

“Even in our 80’s,” you added with a nod.

“Okay,” he snorted. “You guys have fun with your make-believe. I’m gonna go see Kiri and Lo’ak.”

“Be safe and smart. And take an extra mask,” you told him. He got to his feet and dumped his dishes in the sink.

“I’ll be fine, Mom.”

“I know. But do it anyway, please.”

“Fine,” he sighed and stopped to give you a one-armed hug. “I’ll see you later.”

You smiled, patting his back. “See you later, kiddo.”

Then he was off, leaving you and Norm alone in the kitchen. You sighed and finished off your coffee in one big gulp.

“Where’s Max?” You asked, wiping your mouth with your hand. Norm offered you a muffin, which you took and immediately began to pick apart.

“In the lab, I think. He’s been starting early the last little while,” he explained.

“Damn. Doesn’t he ever sleep?” You shook your head, speaking around a mouthful of food. “He’s gonna run himself into the ground.”

“Mm. Sounds like someone else I know.”

You raised an eyebrow. “What, me?”

He snorted. “Yes, you.”

“What do you mean? I sleep! I sleep just fine!”

“Oh, so those little midnight field trips to Spider’s room are just, what, sleepwalking?”

You deflated like a balloon, shoulders hunched. “You know about that?”

Norm’s eyes turned soft, kind. He gave you a half-smile. “Let’s just say you’re not the only one who’s had trouble sleeping lately.”

“That’s really embarrassing,” you sighed. “I promise I’m not a weirdo, I just-”

“I know, y/n. I get it, believe me,” he assured you. “It’s all just rushing back, right? Every terrible thing.”

All you could do was nod. You felt like you’d fall apart if you tried anything else.

“We’re gonna get through this. We have before.”

You laughed humorlessly. “Norm, I barely survived getting through it last time.”

“But you did. And you raised an amazing kid at the same time. You survived, and you’ve made a great life for yourself. Nobody’s going to take that away.”

The assurance loosened the tension in your chest. You smiled, resting your hand on his forearm. “You’re my second favorite person in the whole world, you know that, right?”

Norm chuckled. “I know, me too. Now hurry and eat. We’ve got a war party to ride out on today.”

“Ugh, whatever.” You grabbed the forgotten muffin and shoved it in your mouth.

Miles

His ears rang loud enough to rattle his skull. Someone was speaking, muffled and indiscernible. Blinking open his eyes, he immediately flinched away from the bright light above him. Then a big, blue head came into view. Smiling down at him—leering.

He was swinging before he had time to think about it.

Hands grabbed at him, people shouted, and he snarled and snapped his teeth. Fear and confusion clutched at him. What was happening? Where was he? Where were you and Miles?

“Colonel, stand down! It’s me!” That same blue head spoke, grabbing Miles’ shoulders. “Corporal Wainfleet!”

He paused, just a moment, trying to catch his breath. Took the chance to inspect the man in front of him. There were some similarities—the voice, that bald head, the shit-eating grin. Recognition chilled the fire in his blood.

Miles lowered his head, questioning. “Lyle? That you?”

“Yes, sir,” his smile got impossibly wider, showing off sharp canines. He gestured to the people holding the Colonel back. “And Z-dog, Fike.”

Turning his neck, he flinched a little at the sight of two more of his shoulders clad in blue skin. They smiled at him, nodding, assuring him everything was alright. His pounding heart told him it was anything but.

Still, he took a breath and raised his hands in surrender. That same cerulean shade painted him as well.

“I’m all right. Let me go,” he said softly. “I’m all right.”

They did as told, their hands sliding away to leave him on wobbly legs. He moved towards the window overlooking Pandora and caught sight of his reflection. The body was foreign, but it was him. Yellow eyes, pointed ears, fangs that threatened to break the skin of his thumb. The skin of his enemy.

“Well,” Miles grunted. “Ain’t this a bitch.”

He’d watched the video half a dozen times now, waiting for something to get through his thick skull. It still felt like he was a stranger to his own body, staring at a dead man’s face, surrounded by unfamiliar surroundings. His heart had been spliced, torn apart, and strewn across the stars. Yet, it continued to impossibly beat in his chest. His blue, alien chest.

His face—his human face—stared at him, frozen on the holopad.

Miles Quaritch was dead. Had been dead for fifteen years. Fifteen goddamn years.

Miles would be coming up on 16 in the next few months. You, you’d just turned 48. If either of you had even survived. If you were alive, if you were on Pandora, if, if, if.

Bile stung the back of his throat. His pulse thrummed in his ears, his fingertips, his throat. His body was buzzing. His body; he didn’t even know if he could call it that. It was foreign to him.

He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to make everything stop. Just for a moment. The panic churning his insides was on the verge of turning him catatonic. That’s not what he needed right now. That wasn’t his prerogative.

He was a soldier, and he had a mission.

Taking a deep, deep breath, he focused on the facts. Nothing but the facts.

Fact 1: Colonel Miles Quaritch, human, had been killed in action. Another life lost in the battle against the Na’vi.

Fact 2: He’d been brought back in an Avatar body, implanted with memories he’d uploaded a few months before his death. If he tries hard enough, he can remember up to the uploading process. It’s blurry, sure, but it’s there. Everything after that is a mystery.

Fact 3: He’s been brought back to Pandora to continue his mission. To make Pandora the home for humans.

Fact 4: Jake Sully is his target. The leader of the Omatikaya, the head of the offense against the RDA, and the biggest traitor to humanity there ever was.

Revenge. That was something Miles could get behind.

He needed to focus on that. He couldn’t think about you, or Miles, or whatever happened between his memories being uploaded and his death. He couldn’t wonder where you were now or if you were even alive. He couldn’t do any of it. It would destroy him.

So he slipped back into his old skin. The skin of a soldier, a Colonel. He took his soldiers in new bodies and began his assignment. To find and kill Jake Sully.

You

The war party went mostly according to plan, other than Jake’s boys joining the brigade and getting caught in an explosion. They were okay, other than some bruises, but it was enough to ruffle Jake’s feathers. You couldn’t say you blamed him. If it had been Spider… you could only imagine.

You returned to base on your ikran, Telisi, side by side with Norm. The two of you landed and began unhooking your gear just as Spider, Kiri, and Tuk ran up. The girls ran to their family, only a few feet away, while your son hurried over to you. Though you knew he’d been safe and sound, it soothed your soul to see it with your own eyes. Neteyam and Lo’ak’s close call had hit too close to home, it seemed.

“Mom!” Spider called, grappling you into a hug before you could do the same to him. He only reached your stomach in this body, reminding you of the little boy he’d once been. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“I’m just fine,” you assured him, smoothing his hair with a large blue hand. “You know I’ll always come back to you.”

“I know, I just…” he pulled away, shrugging sheepishly. “I worry sometimes.”

“Well, you don’t have to,” you began, pausing when you caught sight of the blue stripes painted across his body. “What’s all this?”

Spider’s face lit up, and he flexed his arms to give you a better look. “You like them? Kiri helped me with it. It’s the same pattern as yours.”

Your heart clenched. You crouched down so he didn’t have to look up at you and wrapped your hands around his wrists. “They’re beautiful, but… you know you don’t need those, right? You’re perfect as you are. You’re Pandoran, no matter what color your skin is.”

His cheeks pinked, just a little. He lowered his eyes. “I know that. It just- it makes me feel better. Like I belong more.”

You had to try very hard not to cry. You nodded, pressing your lips into a thin line. Pulling him into a hug, you pressed your cheek into the cool glass of his mask. “Well, then, I love it. I’m honored to have matching stripes with you.”

Spider sounded small when he responded, like a little boy. “Thanks, Mom.”

Arguing from the Sullys caught both of your attention, and you simultaneously went into eavesdropping mode. Like mother, like son.

It was Jake, scolding his sons in that way he’d only picked up since the return of the Sky People. The strictness of a commander, the coldness of a marine. The fear of a man who was fighting not to lose everything he loved. You empathized with him, and you pitied him.

The tighter he tried to cling to his family, the harsher he became, the quicker he’d lose them. And not to death at the hands of humans.

He only snapped out of it when Neytiri spoke up, reminding him that Neteyam was injured. He took a breath and nodded, grunting a quiet, “Dismissed.”

The family dispersed, and you were left staring at your friend. The Olo’eyktan of the Omatikaya. You weren’t as close as you used to be—hadn’t been in a while. Something deep in your gut told you to change that. You were sure he could use someone to talk to.

Norm, who had kindly taken to stashing your ikran’s gear after Spider took your attention, placed a hand on your shoulder. You looked up at him, still squatted at your son’s level.

“I’m gonna put my Avatar up and unlink,” he told you. “You coming?”

“Yeah, I’ll tag along.” Standing up, you looked down at Spider. “Wanna come hang with us at the lab, little bug?”

“Maybe in a bit. I’m gonna go catch up with Kiri and them first.”

“Okay, don’t stay out too late.”

“I won’t,” he called, turning on his heel and hurrying to where the Sully children had gone. You couldn’t help but smile. He’d been chasing after those kids since they were born.

Next to you, Norm winced, raising a hand to press it against his opposite shoulder. Right above the scarred bullet wound from the first war against the humans.

“Is yours bothering you, too?” You asked, lifting the hem of your shirt just enough to show your own scar on your stomach.

“Yeah. It always gets sore when we’re out fighting. It’s like my body remembers, it’s so weird.”

“Mine does the same thing,” you laughed. “Maybe it’s a sign we’re getting too old for this shit.”

He sighed, and you wrapped your arms around each other as you walked in tandem towards the lab. “If only.”

Spider did eventually come to the lab, tailing Lo’ak and Kiri, who wanted to see her mother’s Avatar. She stopped by regularly, watching Grace’s old logs or asking you for stories. She was the Sully child you were closest to, if you had to be honest. You were each other’s sole connection to the woman.

Kiri looked more and more like her every day. Sometimes, when you saw her out of the corner of your eye, you thought it was Grace. It always took your breath away—brought you right back to weeping over her body under the Tree of Souls.

It was easier after all these years, but you still missed her every waking moment.

You chatted with the kids for a bit, worked in the lab for a few hours, and went to have dinner with Norm and Spider like you did every night. But your son was quiet, subdued, and wouldn’t make eye contact. Something was bothering him. It emanated from the tense shoulders and one-word answers. So unlike his usual cheery self.

“What’s going on, bud?” You finally asked, worry outweighing your fear of being overbearing. “You seem upset.”

He shook his head before you’d even finished speaking, poking at his food. “Nothing, it’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“You know you can talk to us, right? We’re here for you.”

“I know that, I just-” he sighed, setting his fork down. “I’m just tired. I think I’m gonna go to bed early.”

Spider got to his feet, taking your gaze with him. Concern fluttered beneath your ribs. “Okay. Just… I’m here if you need anything. I love you, Spider.”

“I love you, too. Good night.” He disappeared from the room, leaving his dinner uneaten and his mother anxious.

You pushed all the air out of your lungs and buried your face in your hands. Tears stung your eyes, threatening to fall. Norm’s hand came to rest between your shoulderblades and rubbed comforting circles into your back. It was soothing, but not enough to dissuade your turmoil.

“God, I’m so worried about him,” you sniffled, turning to look at him. It was far from the first time he’d seen you cry. In the last fifteen years, Norm had become your best friend and confidante. He helped you through your grief, supported you in raising Spider, and stood by your side through everything.

Norm was the closest thing Spider had to a father. And he was the person you trusted most in the world, other than your son.

“He’s gonna be alright, y/n. He is a teenage boy. They get grumpy sometimes.”

You scoffed, the sound wet and pathetic. “Please. You know he’s not just a normal teenage boy. His life is anything but normal.”

“Yes, which makes him special, but also still a teenager,” Norm assured you. When you looked away, he moved his head to catch your gaze again. “He’s okay. And I’m sure he’ll talk to you eventually. He always does.”

“I just want him to be happy, and safe, and to feel like he belongs.”

“He is happy, he is safe, and he does belong. This is his home. We’re his family.”

You shook your head and wiped at your eyes. He was right, you knew that. But the stress remained. You wanted Spider to have the world. It killed you to see him upset.

The man rested his hand over yours, squeezing lightly. “Everything’s okay. He’s going to be okay. Just… give him a minute right now. He’ll talk to you when he’s ready.”

God, it annoyed you how good he was at talking you down. For a scientist, he’d sure make a killing in mental health. Not that Pandora really had therapists. The Na’vi mostly had things figured out for themselves already.

“Yeah, you’re right. You’re right,” you nodded, taking a breath. “I just worry.”

“I know. It’s what makes you such a great mom,” he teased, offering you a sweet smile. “You should finish your dinner. I worked hard on it.”

That made you laugh, and you picked your fork back up. “I’m sure you did.” Then, after a pause, “Thank you. For… everything.”

“Don’t thank me. I’ve got you. Always.”

You knew he meant it. And it made you feel equal parts lucky and undeserving.

Fresh from a nice, hot shower and clad in your favorite pajamas, you stopped short in the hallway when a thud came from your son’s room. Your pulse skyrocketed in an instant. Hurrying over to his door, you just barely stopped yourself from bursting in. As worried as you were, he deserved privacy. So you settled for knocking.

“Spider?” You called through the door. “Are you okay, sweetie?”

There was no response. But a few beats later, the door opened to reveal the boy. He looked down at you with sad brown eyes. It shattered your heart.

You gave him a sad smile. “Are you ready to talk about it now?”

He nodded, chin trembling, before collapsing into your offered hug. He was taller than you now, but he still fit perfectly in your arms. He always would. You stroked his curls, somehow keeping yourself from falling apart.

“Oh, my sweet boy,” you murmured. The two of you moved to his bed, sitting down next to each other. Once you were settled, you took his hand in yours. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

Spider paused. He tried to find the words, eyes angry and shimmering. You waited patiently until he eventually voiced a response.

“It- it’s about Dad.”

Thorny vines tangled around your lungs and choked all the air out of them. Even after all this time, you could barely say his name. Miles. He’d left you broken, alone, hopeless. You’d pulled yourself out of the darkness, but he was the hurt you would never heal from.

Your dead fiancé was a permanent thorn under your skin. Painful, unbelonging, and impossible to ignore.

But he was also Spider’s father. And if he needed to talk about him, you had to allow that. You loved him more than Quaritch scarred you.

“What about him, kiddo?” You asked, tucking a curl behind his ear. He jerked away from the motion. Your hand retracted like it’d been burned.

“Why would you be with him?” He exclaimed, pain amplifying his voice. He got to his feet, pacing back and forth. “Why- why have me with him? Why curse me with his DNA, with being his son?”

Spider wasn’t blaming you, not really. He was just hurting and lashing out. Still, it felt like you’d been slapped across the face. Far from the first time, and most likely not the last, your heart broke for your child.

“Spider…” you breathed, desperate not to cry in front of him. But when he whirled towards you, tears sparkled on his cheeks. It crumbled the last of your reserve.

“Why, Mom?!” The boy cried. “He killed Aunt Grace, he almost killed you, and Norm, and Jake, and Neytiri! He was terrible! And you’re- you loved him. You were with him. You had a baby with him. Why?”

As he spoke, the words turned from angry to sorrowful. Spider buried his face in his hands. Pitiful, hiccuppy sobs squeaked out of him as his shoulders shook. Your own face was wet now, barbed wire wrapped around your throat. It was impossible to draw air into your lungs.

“Oh, baby,” you wept, getting to your feet. You took the boy into your arms, and the two of you collapsed into a tearful mess on the floor.

His face buried into the crook of your neck, tears dropping onto the collar of your shirt. You stroked his hair, held him tight, soothed him as he trembled. Did everything in your power to make it all better.

“Am I… am I bad?” He whimpered against your throat. “Because I’m his, does that make me like him?”

“Absolutely not,” you replied instantly. Pulling away, you took his face in your hands so he could meet your eyes. “You listen to me, Spider y/l/n. You are anything but bad. You are a wonderfully kind, compassionate, good person. The best person I know. And you did that all on your own.”

He sniffled, the tears beginning to slow. You took it as a sign to continue.

“Who you came from does not dictate who you are. That’s a choice you get to make,” you told him. “You are not your father. You’re not me. You are your own person, and I couldn’t love you more. You’re perfect. Don’t ever doubt that.”

Spider nodded, fell into your arms again, and you clung to each other for a long time. Until the tears dried, your breaths evened out, and your pulses were back in normal range. The worst of it had passed. The wound, torn back open, could begin to heal again.

“Mom?” The teenager asked, sounding tired but much more like his usual self.

“Yeah, kiddo?”

“I would like to know why you were with him. If you have an answer.”

“Yeah, of course.”

You took a breath, and the two of you parted again to be face-to-face.

“Your father-” you started, then stopped when a lump instantly formed in your throat. You hated talking about him. It brought everything up—all the terrible, convoluted emotions. Swallowing, you tried again. “He was a bad man. He made terrible, horrible choices. But in the quiet moments, when it was just us, I could see it. The good man he could’ve been. And the life we could’ve had.”

Spider’s eyebrows furrowed, his lips pursed sympathetically.

“I desperately wanted him to make the right choice. To choose me, choose us. But he didn’t,” you shook your head. “So I didn’t stay. I took you, and I fought with the Na’vi, and he died. And now here we are.”

He nodded solemnly. “Do you ever wish you’d never met him? Or never loved him?”

“Not even for a moment. Because he gave me you.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “Thanks, Mom. I’m sorry I blew up at you.”

“It’s okay, little bug. This is a talk we should’ve had a long time ago. I just… I have a hard time talking about him. I’m sorry,” you shot back. “I’m gonna be more open with you from now on. And I hope you know you can always talk to me.”

“I know,” he said, and then, “I love you.”

You smiled and pulled him into a spine-crushing hug. “I love you more.”

The two of you finished your reconciliation, bid each other good night, and parted ways. You left the room, slightly cracking the door, and allowed yourself to feel the exhaustion weighing on your bones. It dragged you down, a vortex of fatigue and sorrow. You felt vulnerable—an exposed nerve buzzing anxiously.

Norm was standing in the doorway of his room, leaning against the frame. He gestured his head back towards Spider’s room. “I told you he’d talk to you.”

“Well, you were right,” you sighed, walking over to him. “You always are.”

He wrapped his arms around you out of instinct, giving you an embrace you desperately needed. You pressed your cheek against his chest and let your eyes close. It took some of the weight away.

“You know you’re allowed to miss him, right? Even with everything he did.”

“I know.” You didn’t have anything else to say. You couldn’t say anything else. It was too much effort.

“Do you miss him?” Norm asked, quiet and soft. Walking on eggshells.

The lie rolled off your tongue easily, even as it burned. “No.”

Miles

His first plan of action was to take the recoms to Quaritch’s (the dead one) last known coordinates. Maybe it wasn’t the right call, but his gut told him the best place to start was where he’d last encountered Jake Sully. Maybe there’d be clues—intel they could use to track the Na’vi insurgency down. And maybe he just wanted some closure for his death. Some hints about the missing pieces of his life.

The site of his murder didn’t feel familiar like he thought it would. It was just another patch of Pandoran forest. Humid, dense, and so goddamn green. At least he didn’t need a mask anymore. That thing always made him a tad claustrophobic, if he was being honest.

The destroyed mobile lab sat before him like an omen. And a few dozen feet away, his old AMP suit. The glass panel had been shattered, and even from a distance, he could see the Na’vi arrows sticking out of it. His dead, decayed body would be in there, too.

Miles didn’t make his way over there. He couldn’t work up the nerve just yet. Instead, he scanned the surrounding area and sent Lyle to do the dirty work.

“Lyle, see if you can pull some data off that dash cam,” he ordered, gesturing to the rusted suit.

“That thing’s deader than shit, Colonel.”

“So were we,” he shot back. The Corporal sighed, but crouched down next to the AMP.

The rest of the team scoured the terrain, the lab, anything they thought might provide intel. The forest around them was quiet—unnervingly so. No chitters from creatures or rustling of bushes. It made his hair stand on end, his tail twitching anxiously. He had the distinct feeling he was being watched.

But there was nothing. No ambush, no sudden arrows whizzing through the air or bullets racing toward him. Just the quiet of the forest. He sucked on his teeth and continued searching.

Then, a handful of minutes later, shouts came from the forest. Both from his soldiers and… others. Miles wasted no time in taking off towards the commotion.

His subordinates had detained a handful of Na’vi. Young ones, based on their sizes. Teenagers—one of them was smaller, probably not even 10. And there was a human boy, wearing one of those damn masks he hated so much. They shouted, shocked and fearful. Calling to one another in their native language.

“What have we here?” He mused, watching them attempt to wriggle out of the grips of the recoms.

“Hey, Colonel. Check it out,” Lyle, who’d come running right after him, spoke. He held up the hand of the teenage girl. “Four fingers. We got ourselves a half-breed.”

The warm, gratifying feeling of being right flooded through his veins. If he had to guess, there probably weren’t many Avatars going around popping out kids with a Native. He’d just found a direct connection to his target.

Miles turned to the non-human boy, gesturing to him. “Show me your fingers.”

The boy lifted his hands and showed off two blue middle fingers. He had fire, that was for sure. It made the man chuckle. “You’re his, aren’t you?”

His response was to bear his fangs and hiss, ears flat against his head. It reminded him so much of Jake that it nearly made his stomach turn.

“You’re his, alright.”

Attempting to question the boy about his father’s location proved difficult. He just responded with sass. Even threatening didn’t work. A knife to his throat, and he didn’t budge. He was a brave kid.

So he moved on. Took the knife and held it against the teenage girl. Boy, did that get a reaction.

The little girl and the boy shouted in Na’vi, pulling against their captors.

“Hey! Hey, don’t touch her!” The human boy shouted, voice raw with anger and panic. Something about it made Miles pause. He turned towards him, tilting his head. When the boy spoke again, it was softer. Pleading. “Don’t hurt her. Please.”

The Colonel moved in front of the human, brown eyes meeting yellow. “What’s your name, kid?”

The boy’s brows furrowed, but he answered. “Spider…” and then, after a pause, “y/l/n.”

His body went ice cold. The air left his lungs, his ears ringing. His son. His Little Miles, standing in front of him. All grown up.

He could see it, now that they were face-to-face. The little bits of him in the boy’s features. But mostly you. God, he looked so much like you. Down to the way he was glaring up at the man.

Miles took a knee to be eye-level with him. “Miles?”

The teen’s face darkened, his lips pursed. “Nobody calls me that.”

Right. Of course. He was the bad guy. You wouldn’t curse him to live with the name of his horrible father. If you were still around, that is.

“Well, I’ll be damned…” he breathed. “Where’s your mom?”

The question came out of its own accord. A subconscious slip he couldn’t take back. He didn’t think he wanted to. He needed to know where you were. If you were alive, if you were here…

That could change everything.

But Spider didn’t answer. His expression was like stone, expressionless and closed off. His eyes burned with hatred. Maybe some recognition. Had he been able to parse out who Miles was to him?

It didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to answer. He was stubborn, just like you. And the Colonel couldn’t stay there twiddling his thumbs.

He got back to his feet and tried to remember how to breathe. A rock had lodged itself in his ribcage, sharp against his pounding heart. He had Sully’s kids, and he had his dead self’s son. High-value prisoners. There was no way he could let them go.

He radioed General Ardmore and requested extraction.

They shuttled the kids back to the clearing where the lab was. It’d be easier to be found there, and Lyle had managed to pull the footage from his AMP suit.

The video of his death was short, sweet, and to the point. Fighting Jake, incapacitating him, and receiving two poison arrows from his woman. The camera focused on her snarling face, and then it was a blur as he fell back and succumbed to his death. His final choked breaths rang out from the device.

A shiver ran down his spine. He felt cold all over.

“That’s the end, but…” Lyle spoke from over his shoulder. He pressed a button on the screen, and the video sped forward to an hour or so later, “I thought you should probably see this, too.”

The footage started up again, just a capture of the sky above. But a moment later, there were footsteps. Then you appeared on screen. Just how he remembered you—beautiful, angelic. Your face was streaked with tears. He could see it even behind the mask, through the staticky video.

His chest squeezed painfully. A longing he’d never felt in his life fell over him. Though his memories told him he’d only seen you days ago, his heart knew the truth. It’d been years, decades. But here you were, standing over his freshly deceased body.

“You son of a bitch… Was it worth it? Seeing your mission through, throwing everything away to see it to the end. Did you get what you wanted?”

There was that ringing in his ears again. The hollowness in his chest. As if his insides had been torn out and replaced with sand. He felt heavy and weightless all at once.

“You ruined my life. I hate you. I hate you for- for making me love you, for making me plan my life with you and then fucking- tossing it aside like it was nothing! And I hate you for leaving me. I hate that I have to mourn you now.”

Miles watched you weep over his body. Watched you press your hands against your mask, covering your face as your shoulders shook. The grief came off of you in devastating waves. Anger and misery molding together into something even more terrible. It made him feel sick. It made him want to burn the whole world down to get to you.

“You took everything from me. Over and over again. And I still always loved you. Maybe I always will.”

The footage crackled as you went silent. The burden of your final words pressed down on the man. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think. He was sure this must have been how it felt to die.

You stepped away from the AMP suit, but then paused. You turned back towards him. There was a quiet tinkling as you reached down and ripped the dog tags from his neck. They hid in your closed fist, pressed right against your sternum. A memento to keep him with you.

Maybe that meant… there was a chance. Maybe this wasn’t the end of your story.

“Goodbye, Miles.”

You disappeared, leaving him behind. Closing the door. But maybe not for good.

“Yeah, there’s nothing after that,” Lyle murmured. He took the holopad from Miles’ hand and tucked it away.

The Colonel looked down at his past self. A skeleton in a metal suit. A man who’d failed and died for it. A man he could learn from. A man he no longer was.

The skull was small in his hand—pitiful. All it took was a small squeeze, and it crumbled beneath his fingers. Bone turned to ash. He felt nothing but resentment as it fell to the forest floor. His own farewell to the deceased human.

Above him, the sky rumbled angrily, and it began to rain.

Things descended into chaos faster than he could comprehend. The eclipse had made its daily appearance, casting the world into darkness. The soldiers held the children in place as they waited patiently for their extraction. The soft patter of raindrops on leaves kept them from complete, overwhelming silence. Miles paced, antsy and impatient.

Ardmore was sure taking her sweet time.

And then, out of nowhere, an arrow sank into Fike’s skull. The kids immediately sprang into action. Sinking sharp fangs into forearms, setting off a smoke grenade, and running into the forest. They were under attack.

It was a blur. Soldiers died, children were chased, and Jake and his wife prowled the forest. Miles battled the fear that clutched him. The knowledge that his murderer was only feet away, capable of doing it again. Part of him wanted to just hide until it was all over.

But he was a soldier. He had a mission, and he had a son he needed to get back.

He raced through the forest until he found Spider. Unconscious on the forest floor, covered in mud. He’d fallen from the tree above, most likely. But more important than that, he wasn’t alone. A woman, an Avatar, crouched over the boy and held his shoulders.

She looked up as Miles approached, instantly hissing and baring her fangs. Her body was a shield for the boy—keeping him protected and out of reach. The man reached for the gun hanging across his chest, but stopped. Realization oozed through him like poison. It was you.

Older, angrier, but you nonetheless. He knew your Avatar too well to doubt it. His entire being went numb. He couldn’t move.

Horrified realization filled your face at the same time. You recognized him even in this body. Even after so many years. It made him feel so many things at once that he got dizzy.

The two of you stared at each other, unmoving. Clueless about what to do. Too in shock to think.

Lyle came from behind you then, the butt of his gun raised. Miles shouted ‘No!’ a moment too late. The rifle hit the back of your head and knocked you out. You went limp, collapsing on top of your son. The man raced over instantly, the spell broken.

Finally, the light of the ship shone on them from above. Their transport had arrived.

“Grab her,” he commanded. “Gently. We’re taking ‘em with us.”

Lyle scooped your Avatar into his arms, and Miles took Spider himself. They got out of there fast. There was no time to hesitate or second-guess. Not that there was much to think about if he was honest. His family had been dropped into his lap.

He was taking you with him, and he would find a way to fix things.

taglist: @clayton04@tenkosimp@literallygabbie@goddess-of-spring@pinkdestinytaco@ipadkidsworld@sugamilkey@kitkat0928-blog1@retiredpieceofshits@blackqueenie-18@luckyarrow@blue-iris09@togethersleekparable@stardustsnova @womenlover0 @p0rpal @chaotickittenanchor @snorklingfae

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

bug