Word count: 3,026
Spider x Fae (human)
Angst to fluff kinda
Warnings: few cuss words, no parents, miscommunication trope kinda
Fae, a human girl, was left behind on Pandora as a baby. Being raised alongside a boy who was also left behind, she grew very fond of him, having a small crush since she was a kid.
The only issue was that he would rather be spending time with the Na'vi than in the labs they grew up in.
Dr. Max Patel did the honors of naming Fae after her parents decided they didn't want anything to do with her and left the planet.
He named her after the mythical creatures due to her parents being so against myths and hating the Na'vi's existence.
He allowed Fae to grow up with an open-minded mentality to a certain extent.
Still, Fae had nothing against myths and theories. She paid no attention to them. Instead, she focused on how to win over Spider's attention.
She decided to write letters to him.
Every.
Single.
Day.
But she wouldn't give them to him until the time was right.
She started writing the letters once she turned thirteen. Now, at sixteen, she had officially three years worth of letters.
"Happy birthday, Fae." Max says as she walks into his lab area.
"Thanks, Max. Are we still counting Earth years? Because I am pretty sure we should age differently here." Dropping on a chair, she watches as Max works, awaiting an answer.
He shrugs. "It's easier to say you're sixteen now, Fae. You aren't magically older or younger just because you're on a different planet."
"If you say so," she sighs, slumping in her chair as she continues to watch Max do his thing.
"Have you seen Spider?" she suddenly asks before Max can address her silence.
Max turns around, making eye contact with you for once. He shakes his head slowly before speaking, "Sorry, Fae. He left first thing in the morning."
Her hearts drops, realizing he forgot her birthday. She would usually say happy birthday to him as soon as the day began. He picked up the habit too as they grew up. It was tradition. Why would today be the exception?
"He didn't say when he was coming back?"
Max shakes his head once more.
"That's okay. That's fine. I'll just- I'll see you later." Fae stands up, leaving Max's office.
"Fae..." Max called, but she didn't hear, nor she wanted to.
She speed-walks over to the exit of the lab, grabbing her backpack and an oxygen mask in the process. Placing it securely on her face, she exits the first door, letting it shut behind her.
"What am I doing?" she whispers to herself before she opens the second door.
The air around her changes as she walks outside, taking in her new surroundings.
"Hey, Fae! Happy birthday!" Norm calls out in his avatar form as he watches her enter his tent.
"Thanks, Norm," she says with a smile on her face. "Hey, by any chance, is the forest a secure place to go right now?"
"When is it ever?"
"Fair enough."
She walks out of the tent, following a path to the forest anyway. Her steps are rushed with hope that none of the Sully kids will spot her on the way. If they did, it was likely they would congratulate her before Spider, which would concretely establish the fact that he forgot.
Her thoughts began to flood her mind with things she did not want to happen. Overthinking every possible scenario of the day as her heart raced, was a feeling she dreaded but occurred often.
Suddenly, she bumped into a tall body, falling back on her butt.
"Hey- oh, Fae. You should be more careful."
Shit. That voice.
A blue hand reached out to help her stand up, a hand she pridefully did not take.
"Hello, Ka'ne. I'll be on my way now," she says, only to be stopped by his long Na'vi body.
"Happy birthday, Fae, may Eywa bless you." A smile stuck to his prideful face as he congratulated Fae, whose heart only shattered further.
"Thank you, Ka'ne. I must be going now."
"Where are you going? It is your sky people birth day. We should celebrate!" He enthusiastically waved his arms around, hoping for your frown to waver.
Truth was, Fae tried to avoid Ka'ne. Why? He was a Na'vi with a massive crush on her.
He thought he was subtle about it, but every-being and their mother knew about it.
"I am not really in the mood Ka'ne, but thank you for the offer." She knew he was a nice friend, but she disliked spending too much time with him because she didn't want to lead him on in any way.
He places his hands on her shoulders and lowers his eyes to her level. "Come on, Fae. I see you are going to the forest, I can show you around."
Fae sighs, considering it. "Promise you won't smother me?"
He smiles. "Deal."
They found themselves walking through the forest, surrounded by endless flora.
Fae had to cancel her original plan, which was to find a safe area in the forest to write another letter. Her backpack contained the materials to do just that.
Ka'ne noticed her tense attitude, so he kept his usual banter to a minimum.
"Ka'ne, how did you know it was my birthday today? I never announce it beforehand."
He shrugged. "I figured I should keep count. You are a good friend, after all. Why would I forget?"
Fae thought about Spider. Had she not been a good friend to him? How come he didn't remember?
"I just figured most na'vi would forget my birthday. Since time goes by differently and all." She tried justifying her question with a lie.
"It is a special day for a special lady. Nobody should forget."
"Shit."
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing. We should find a place to rest soon, my feet are getting tired." Fae sped up her pace, trying to make the trek take less time.
Ka'ne laughs, "Alright. I know the perfect place."
Soon enough, they find themselves sitting on a large tree trunk, watching as the wind blew softly on the leaves.
They sat in silence for a while, admiring the flora around them.
Fae settles her backpack next to her, opening it to take out her stuff. She pulls out a big notebook and a pencil, which makes Ka'ne tilt his head in curiosity.
"What are you doing?" He asks.
"You can't read english yet, right?"
He crosses his arms. "I am still working my way towards that, why?"
"None of your business." She snorts, earning a small chuckle from Ka'ne.
Fae begins to write on her notebook as Ka'ne sits silently as to not interrupt her.
Happy 3 years!
It's been three years since I started writing these letters to you, Spider. I still haven't found the right moment to share these with you, but it seems I won't find it soon. Today is my sixteenth birthday, and you somehow forgot. You are nowhere to be seen, and you left the lab without our traditional early happy birthday. I am starting to think these letters are leading up to nothing. I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but spending my birthday with Ka'ne has kind of led me to that. I do wish someday I will find the courage to give these to you, even if it turns out you don't return my feelings. I'm not letting these three years go to waste. I hope you don't let our friendshi-
"Fae," Ka'ne suddenly interrupts, staring at something nearby.
"What is it, Ka'ne?" She asks, looking up from her notebook and following his gaze.
"I thought I heard somebody."
"Are you sure?"
A sudden war cry erupted from a boys mouth as he jumped out in front of them.
Fae's eyes widened for a moment before she realized who it was.
"Oh, it's just you guys," Spider says as he puts his knife away.
"Why so startled?" Ka'ne pokes fun at him.
"Didn't think anyone else was out here right now. Especially you guys," he says, staring directly at Ka'ne as he crosses his arms.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Fae asks as she closes her notebook and places it in her backpack.
"Thought you'd be in the labs, not entertaining this blue asshole."
Ka'ne sticks his tongue out at Spider, which makes him visibly cringe back at him.
"Funny. I thought you'd be with the Sullys, but yet here we are.." Fae snapped back.
The air grew tense as Ka'ne looked between the teens' glaring eyes.
"As a matter of fact, I was with them. Better than spending time with this weirdo." He lazily points at Ka'ne, who makes a fake offended expression.
"Better than spending time with me?" Fae suddenly asks, standing up and throwing her backpack over her shoulder in the process.
Ka'ne stands up as well, towering over them.
"Fae, I-" Spider's expression wavered, not knowing how to handle her sudden accusation.
"That's what I thought," She states, glaring at him. Turning to the teenage Na'vi, she pulls him by his hand. "Come on, Ka'ne, we should head back to camp."
Ka'ne nods without word, swiftly following Fae back.
Spider stands still as he watches them walk away from him. He lets out a grunt of frustration before he hears rustling in the leaves.
Turning around, he spots Kiri coming into view.
"Come, Spider, it is almost ready."
Spider nods, following Kiri and leaving his thoughts behind.
———
Fae and Ka'ne reach camp, leaving the forest the spent most of the day in.
Abruptly stopping, Fae turns around to face Ka'ne. She sighs, making eye contact with him. "Listen, Ka'ne. Thank you for spending the day with me. I am very grateful for your time. Still, I hope you don't expect to get anything out of this. You know we are just friends."
Ka'ne nods. "It is fine. Spending time with you was just the right thing. I wanted you to have a good time," He says, patting her back twice, but softly.
"Once again, thank you for that. I should get going now." She waves goodbye before walking away and making her way to the labs to find Max.
On the way, she thinks about Spider's reaction to seeing her with Ka'ne. He often had small arguments with Ka'ne, but it was all in good fun. Still, his mood in the forest was far more hateful today.
Reaching the first door to the lab, she opens it swiftly, walking inside and closing it behind her. Once she walks through the second door, she takes off her oxygen mask and wipes off the sweat on her face.
Strolling over to Max's office, she notices he isn't there.
"That's weird..." She whispers to herself, nearing his desk.
Fae notices a note stuck to his computer screen, and reads it aloud.
"Dear Fae, happy birthday. I will be out for a while, but I hope to get back to you soon. Signed, Dr. Max Patel." Fae rolled her eyes at the fact that he used both his title and last name for an informal note, but she appreciated it anyway. "At least he warned me beforehand." She shrugged, taking the note and crumpling it up.
Exiting the office, she hears the main door open.
"Max?" She whispers, walking over to the door.
"Fae!" A girl's voice calls out as she walks into the lab.
Fae smiles, pleasantly surprised by the youngest Sully kid. "Hey, Tuk. What are you doing here?"
"I'm playing hide and seek. It's Neteyam's turn seeking. Do you want to play?" She happily invites, taking Fae's oxygen mask and handing it to her.
The human girl thinks for a moment, considering the idea.
"Pleaseee" Tuk begs.
"It's not like I have anything better to do. I'll join you!" She grabs the mask, placing it over her face quickly.
"Let's go! I have the perfect hiding place for us!"
They exit the labs and make a run for the forest. Tuk is faster than Fae, but the latter does her best to keep up.
"Tuk!" A male voice calls out.
Fae's heart drops as she recognizes Neteyam's voice, which meant they had been caught.
"Run, Fae!" Tuk yells as she tries to hide her laughter from the rush the game was giving her. "I will distract him!" She adds, pointing toward a direction that she tells Fae to follow.
Running like her life depends on it, Fae stumbles upon an open space. It had wooden tables and logs set up perfectly, yet there was nobody around.
"What is this?" She breathlessly asks herself as she examines the area.
Suddenly, a torch lights up, which begins a series of torches lighting up around her.
Fae takes in the scene, following the torches until the last one lights up.
"Spider?" She asks in awe as she notices him standing next to the last torch. He smiles at her before snapping his fingers once.
"Happy birthday!" A chorus of voices sang as she looked around to see everyone she cared about standing there.
Max,
Norm,
The Sully family,
Ka'ne,
Her lab family,
Her human and Na'vi friends,
And most importantly,
Spider.
As everyone sang, Kiri brought out a handmade necklace for her to wear. She skillfully placed it around Fae's neck, congratulating her in the process.
"Thank you," Fae whispered, holding back tears.
She couldn't believe what was happening.
Everybody started applauding once they finished the traditional birthday song. Spider walks over to Fae, engulfing her in a sudden hug.
"Your cake is back at the lab, happy birthday Fae."
Fae holds him tighter as tears start running down her cheeks. She can't wipe them away due to her oxygen mask surrounding her face. "Thank you, Spider."
Everyone starts pooling in and laughing about the day's events.
It had all been planned.
Ka'ne was meant to distract Fae throughout the day so that they could set the whole thing up. Tuk was meant to bring her to the area with Neteyam, so they made up the idea of them playing hide and seek.
The only thing that wasn't planned was Spider stumbling into Ka'ne and Fae in the forest. That was a mistake on his part.
After celebrating for a while, they blew out the torches and made their way back to the labs so the humans could eat cake.
Fae had thanked everyone multiple times, as she had not expected any of this.
Soon enough, she was eating her birthday cake in the labs, sitting closely next to Spider.
"I hope I didn't make you feel bad earlier," Spider says before taking a piece of cake and gulping it down.
Fae laughed. "You did. But it's okay now."
Spider's chest tightened at the idea of hurting her, but it's what he gets for acting like he forgot her birthday.
He sighs, placing his arm around her shoulder. "I didn't mean any harm, I just- I wanted to do something big for you. You deserve it."
Fae smiled as she put her plate down on the floor next to her. "Thank you for that. I am extremely grateful," she says.
Spider places his empty plate next to him as well and turns his face slightly to meet her gaze.
"I need to tell you something."
Fae straightens up, suddenly nervous. "Yeah?"
"Please don't kill me for it."
"Spider.."
"I'm serious."
"Okay...? What's wrong?" Fae shifts in place, which causes Spider to take his arm away.
"I read your letters."
The girl's breath hitches at the thought. Her gaze darts everywhere as she processes the information. "What?" She breathlessly asks, no longer keeping eye contact with him.
"I found them about eighteen months ago. I saw that the envelopes were for me, so I couldn't resist. I have read plenty of them, in order-"
Fae gulps, "Spider, you've gotta be shitting me." Her biggest secret had been found out by the one person she didn't want to know yet.
"Listen, Fae. Every day, I look forward to stealing those letters from you, even if just for a moment. I hated reading until I stumbled upon your words." He places his hand on Fae's chin, bringing her face closer to his. "I love you, Fae. I'm tired of hiding it," he declares, which shocks the love struck girl.
"Hiding it?" Fae whispers.
"I spend most of my time outside the labs so I don't have to face you. I avoided you because I didn't want to make my crush on you so obvious. So when I found those letters, I couldn't believe it. I felt like someone was playing a prank on me." He lets go of her face, lowering his head in shame. "But when I figured you were really writing those letters, I panicked. I didn't know what to do about it."
"But you were jealous of Ka'ne, weren't you?"
"Yeah, I didn't know how to hide that at all." He chuckled. "But the point is, I've finally decided what I want."
"Which is?" Fae stared at him expectantly.
"In one of your letters, you said you didn't know whether you wanted to be my girlfriend or if you just wanted me around more often."
Fae cringes. "Please don't keep bringing up the letters, it's embarrassing."
Spider laughed. "Well, that letter made me realize you weren't sure of yourself, which made me unsure as well. But as I kept reading the letters, you became more sure of what you wanted through time. Now, I know that I want what you want."
"Spider, I've written about a thousand letters already. Can you remind me what I want? Because I have an idea but-"
He pressed his lips against hers, interrupting her sentence. She gladly returned the favor, not without smiling into the kiss. Her smile made him smile, which made them pull back with a small giggle.
"I want to be with you, Fae," He stated, placing his hand on her cheek and caressing it softly. "I love you."
Fae pecked his lips lovingly, pulling back to answer. "Believe it or not, I love you more."
A/N: sorry i died for a bit lol, school has been extremely time consuming. i hope to post more often, your comments are giving me LIFE.