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jeanniebug623 · 1 month

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🕸️🕷️ Weaving the Web 🕷️🕸️

Chapter 15: Truth Be Told

“Nice try, kid.” Quaritch said with a huff of fatigue and a bit of frustration as he took a seat next to where the kid was crouched and watched Wainfleet take his chances with the ikran.

Spider ground his teeth slightly and glanced down then away. Any direction to not meet the colonel’s gaze. When he ‘forgot to mention’ some parts of the iknimaya process and bonding with an ikran, the kid didn’t expect Quaritch’s challenger to fling both of them right off a ledge. Spider didn’t just feel bad because, without the colonel’s protection, he would likely end up back in a prison cell. That would be the best-case scenario. A straight jacket and padded room in the worst.

“Must’ve been one of my other sides that forgot...” Spider said to lighten the mood. He didn’t know what the recom considered discipline for almost getting him killed but the teen REALLY didn’t want to find out either.

“Yea right.” Quaritch said with a scoff and sarcastic smirk. He was legitimately angry with Spider for not mentioning that the Na’vi would handicap the flying beasts first before attempting to make the bond.

“For what it’s worth...” Spider said, finally having the guts to look at Quaritch’s disappointed gaze, “...you did something Jake didn’t.”

Ok, so it was a poor attempt at making up for Quaritch possibly falling to his death but the slight perk in the recom’s ears told Spider he’d fed his ego a little bit. Not that he wanted the recom to think he was anywhere near the level of greatness Toruk Makto was, but he had to think of saving his own skin while he was still property of the RDA.

“You didn’t use a yìmkxa.” Spider said matter-of-factly then continued when the word meant nothing, “A banshee catcher to...you know...tie the mouth shut. There really aren’t many who don’t use them...if they don’t, it’s just to show off.”

Quaritch noticed how the teen’s voice got quieter and more awkward as it was clear Spider was trying to butter him up. The colonel had made it quite clear the consequences of causing any trouble the first time they left Bridgehead. But a lot happened since then. He was only dealing with one snarky teenager then...not said teen, a young child, and a psychopath.

The colonel’s frustration tempered as he rested and looked back to the cheering of Wainfleet dominating the stone arena. He chuckled a bit and said, “Ya don’t say. There’re things even the great Toruk Makto can't do, eh?”

Spider shrugged and let out an internal sigh of relief. He avoided an ass whippin’, right? Or maybe that threat was null and void now that he was so fucked up in the head? Some of the recoms acted like they were walking on eggshells around him; some acted like nothing had changed. He wasn’t sure what he would do outside of the situation. He barely knew how to handle it as it was happening to him...

“I am...sorry.” Spider said, glancing at Quaritch then back forward when the colonel gave him a side glance.

Quaritch stared at the boy in his side eye glance before leaning forward and saw the boy’s jaw was set tight and his brows were furrowed up. If he had pointy ears too, the recom was sure they’d be pinned back and showing genuine regret. When he smirked again, it wasn’t forced or sarcastic and he reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair. He pretended not to notice Spider flinch then try to hide it. No need to embarrass the poor kid any more than he had been...

“Point for you, tiger, I’d be a fool to not expect you to try and knock us all off at least once...” Quaritch said.

Spider smiled slightly and tried to hide that as well, trying not to lean into the giant hand ruffling his locs. Part of him tried to pretend it was Jake doing it. Like in some fantasy, he had been saved and everyone was happy he was back. And Jake was promising that he would never let anything happen to him again. Treat him like his own son for once...

And yet...it felt like Spider had that with...his dead father’s recom? Maybe that was just his brain damage making him feel that way...

But after everything Quaritch had done the last few weeks? Taking ‘legal custody’ of Spider so he wouldn’t be prisoner, being present at every major medical test, letting him stay in an apartment reserved for military leaders instead of some grunt barracks? Well...Spider also had to remind himself that Quaritch was the reason he was kidnapped and ended up in that stupid death machine in the first place. Still...if Spider was ‘nothin’ to him’ then why was Quaritch doing so much?

“I reckon not everyone walks away from this, do they?” Quaritch asked, interrupting Spider’s thoughts as another of the squad started scrapping with an ikran.

“Nope.” Spider said, watching Lopez get flipped right off the ikran’s back as soon as he managed to mount it.

“And kids do this?” the colonel followed up with.

“Like I said, younger than me. Just part of being seen as an adult in the clan. Becoming one of the People. Some of them never make it...” Spider said, his mood dropping with his tone. Despite all he had accomplished, as far as young hunters his age go, he would never follow in his friends’ footsteps. Though Quaritch took it in more the literal sense, which was also true...

“So, parents send their kids up here to die?” Quaritch said, his ears pinning back. Something twisted in his gut that made him feel uncomfortable about a teen younger than the boy next to him taking on such a dangerous challenge. Then the twisting tightened when he thought about the danger he’d put Spider and the Sully kids upon finding them in the woods.

No, that was unexpected and could have proved useful to finally getting Sully in the RDA’s crosshairs.

COULD HAVE.

“Not to die.” Spider corrected quickly, “To prove themselves.”

“Ya ever seen a kid fail this test?” Quaritch asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, but he didn’t die. He came back when he was ready and did it again.” Spider said, shifting his feet closer together in his crouched position and crossing his arms on his knees. The position was guarded and Quaritch could tell the boy didn’t want to talk.

“One of Sully’s kids...?” the recom asked quietly.

“Yea...” Spider said plainly and buried his chin in his arms as he watched the squad continue to pair up with the ikrans. Something he would never be able to do. Spider would grow up, sure. Something about being considered an adult at 18? What the hell did a number have to do with proving oneself an adult? And what did that matter to his people? To the Omatikaya? Age had nothing to do with being one of the people...it was what they did in those years. And there was a lot that Spider could not do...

The teen didn’t want to admit he was impressed with the recoms when they were all off the mountains and sitting around a campfire with their new partners snug on the cliffs around them for the night. Spider stayed quiet and just smiled to himself as he listened to the squad give each other a hard time over what they could have done better against the ikrans.

“That’s bull and you know it!” Lopez shot back as he was on the receiving end of most of the hazing.

“Seriously, brother, if you hadn’t tried to jump it so quick, you wouldn’t have landed on your ass.” Wainfleet jeered with a laugh.

Spider watched the way the recoms spoke to each other. They goaded each other in a way no different than himself and Lo’ak. It sounded tough but was all in good fun. The comradery. The warrior’s brotherhood. They were practically a family. More of a family than he ever had. He tried to push that thought away. He did have people in his life like this...he really did. They’d just...left him behind. Well, Jake probably made that call so was he really surprised by it? He wasn’t Jake’s kid...and he wasn’t worth the risk...

“Spider?” Quaritch said for the third time, concerned the boy was disassociating and one of the alters had stepped in without any of them noticing. He placed a gentle hand on Spider’s shoulder and looked into his eyes while asking, “You good, boy?”

“Yea, why?” Spider asked. Traces of panic infiltrated his mind. Did he lose time? Did someone else take over?

“Yea.” Quaritch said quickly to put concern out of the boy’s mind, “I asked you three times if you were still hungry, but you didn’t answer.”

“Oh...sorry...” Spider said, sighing quietly in relief as he looked back at the fire.

“Nothin’ to be sorry for, kid.”

“I think I’m just tired...”

“You should be after tryin’ to leave us behind in the mountains.” Quaritch said as he patted the boy’s head and nodded off to where their sleep mats were laid out away from the fire, “Off to bed now, son. Get.”

Spider stared at Quaritch, long enough that the colonel looked confused. ‘Son’ was not a word Spider was used to hearing unless it was in the context of ‘son of the demon’. He wasn’t really that tired. His brain was too busy processing his shifting perception of Quaritch and the recoms. How could being stuck with people who were supposed to be ‘the enemy’ feel like such a safe place to be...?

Eventually, he nodded and wandered over to lay down away from where the fire polluted his night vision. Laying on his back, Spider stared up at the starry sky and shifting colors from the aurora.

“Everything ok, boss?” Wainfleet asked, interrupting the colonel’s thoughts and staring at the boy.

“Yea, Lyle...” Quaritch said, running his hand over his chin, “Just tryin’ to figure out what’s on the kid’s mind. Can’t read him today.”

“You could just ask him.” Wainfleet suggested.

“I asked him if he was good. Said he was.”

“He might think he’s good. Or it might be easier to just say he’s good. Don’t you remember being a teenager? Last thing you wanted when a parent asked what was wrong was to actually tell them the truth.”

“Parent?”

Quaritch and Wainfleet looked at each other in silence.

“Well, you know...ANY adult asking a teenager what’s wrong...they’re gonna avoid talking about it.” Wainfleet said. He didn’t realize what he’d said until his friend called him on it. Regardless of the shock of the term used, the corporal clapped his hand on the colonel's shoulder as he stood. “I’ll take your watch, boss. Take the night off.”

Quaritch watched Wainfleet take up arms and start the new two hour perimeter watch. He cleared his throat and looked back to Spider. He could see he wasn’t asleep. In fact, the kid was pointing up at the stars and slowly moving his hand around. He cleared his throat again to distract himself from procrastinating then went over to the boy.

“Not as tired as you thought, eh?” Quaritch said as his shadow blocked the firelight.

“Too bright with the fire...” Spider lied.

“Ah, right...hate that...” the colonel sat down, continuing to block the firelight. “Better?”

“Yea...thanks...” Spider said, resting his hand on his stomach.

“What’s got your head in the clouds, tiger?” Quaritch asked, leaning his head back to look up at the stars as well.

“Just looking at the pictures in the stars.” Spider said with a shrug.

“The Na’vi got constellations too?”

“Yea...”

“Like what?”

Spider rolled his head to look at Quaritch as he continued to see what he could figure out on his own. He couldn’t tell if the recom really cared about the stars, but he did care enough to come over and check on Spider. So, he might as well humor the conversation...

“There’s Tuvom Taronyu and Taronyutsyìp right there...” Spider pointed to two clusters next to each other. “The Greatest Hunter and the Little Hunter.”

Quaritch looked at where Spider was pointing but it just looked like shiny dots in the sky to him. His ears twitched back, and he shuffled down the mat so he could lay back to see it from the same perspective as Spider. It didn’t help much and he asked, “Not seein’ a damn thing, Spider, what am I lookin’ at here?”

“There.” Spider pointed up and the colonel tilted his head to get a better look, leaning his cheek against the top of Spider’s head. “You see the spear in the Greatest Hunter’s hands? And the bow in the Little Hunter’s?”

“Ehh...” was all Quaritch could say as he tried to see what the boy was seeing. He held up his arm between them. Spider leaned his head further into the gap between the recom’s head and shoulder to look up the direction of his arm.

“More like...there.” Spider said as he reached over to grab ahold of Quaritch’s arm and moved it into a better position. As he re-explained, he continued to move the recom’s hand accordingly like he was tracing the stars like a connect the dots page out of a child’s coloring book. “There’s the big hunter. And the spear...is over their head. See?”

“Ah, yea.” Quaritch said, genuinely seeing the full picture now. The teen continued to tell him about the constellation and then some. He pointed out animals and plants and Na’vi folklore. The fire had been put out and the squad went to sleep. The sounds of the forest echoed, but all Quaritch could hear at that moment was the boy next to him as spoke with such fervor and passion that they could forget about what brought them to this point in time. And what unpredictable future lay ahead for the boy.

“There.” Spider said suddenly, pointing to a constellation that had peeked out from behind the floating mountains as the stars moved across the sky over the time they’d been talking. “That one’s mine.”

“Yours? Don’t tell me they do that horoscope bullshit here on Pandora too.” Quaritch grumbled as he tried to figure out what Spider was pointing at. Then a thought crossed his mind...what was Spider’s zodiac sign? He may not have cared for it, but Paz did.

“I don’t know what that is.” Spider said before quickly moving on and drawing over the stars with his pointed finger so Quaritch could get an idea of what the image was, “A lot of times, Na’vi kids will claim a star or a constellation as kind of a guardian. Something to watch over them when they can’t watch over themselves. You know, like when you’re asleep? That one’s mine.”

“Kinda looks like a...” Quaritch tilted his head to the side and squinted. He really didn’t want to insult the kid by his interpretation. Considering how many countless stars were in the sky, this specific constellation seemed sparse. It had the least amount of stars after the boy traced over it again. He cleared his throat quietly when he felt the kid’s head bump against his shoulder to prompt him to continue speaking and said, “Like a little arrowhead...surrounded by little spindly legs. But it looks all by its lonesome.”

Spider snorted at the description and tilted his head against Quaritch’s arm again, “I mean you’re not wrong...”

“What’s your little guardian called?” Quaritch asked, smiling that he figured it out without embarrassing himself too badly.

“Le’awtu Swirä.” Spider answered quietly.

“And that means, smart guy?”

“Lonely Creature.”

Silence fell between the two. Quaritch found himself missing the boy’s endless astronomy lecture immediately. To the colonel’s relief, Spider spoke up to further explain.

“It’s not what you think...” Spider said vaguely. He took in a breath then let it out before continuing, “The Lonely Creature is one of the Na’vi’s greatest stories. It’s about an unknown creature that lives everywhere on Pandora. In the forest, the mountains, the seas, the deserts...everywhere. No one knows what it looks like, but they know it’s there.”

“A whole pack of unknown critters?” Quaritch asked.

“No, just one. But it can be anywhere it wants to be. Not knowing what the Lonely Creature is makes it accepted wherever it goes. The Na’vi respect the Lonely Creature because they don’t know what it is. They don't hate what they don’t understand. They need a reason to hate something...so they don’t hate what they don’t know.” Spider said, his eyes staring unblinking at his guardian in the stars.

Silence fell between the two as stones sunk into Quaritch’s stomach. There were a lot of reasons for the humans and the Na’vi to hate each other. That was for damn sure. But he didn’t care about that. Spider was so expendable that there were no rescue attempts. If that didn’t say ‘hate’ in some form of the word, Quaritch didn’t know what did. But this poor kid didn’t deserve that...

“Means more now than ever...most kids stop believing in them way younger than me...” Spider admitted sheepishly.

“Yea? Why’s that?” Quaritch asked, quietly.

“They don’t need stars to watch over them because they can connect to who’s here...they’re protected by who’s here...” Spider answered. A third silence. The colonel didn’t know if the kid was talking about parents or the clan or their great goddess Eywa. It seemed this Lonely Creature chose to stay lonely just to feel wanted, respected, and a part of something. Even if it that acceptance was based on how far it could stay away...

“Am I ever going to be ok...?” Spider asked with a quiet voice, barely able to escape his tight throat. He didn’t feel as lonely as he used to. It was hard to when all he could think about was the extra personalities that he could not control. But they were there in his mind.

“You’re already ok.” Quaritch said, struggling almost as badly as Spider was to speak. The boy didn’t answer but he heard him shifting until he was lying with his back to the recom. Quaritch contemplated his next decision, both for his sake and the boy’s, before sweeping his arm out and around the boy to pull him close.

Spider may have been a little panicked mentally but allowed Quaritch to scoop him up in his arm to be pulled back against the recom’s side. The recom's arm was so long it could lay around his head and bend up at the elbow, so a large hand rested on the boy’s upper arm. Quaritch gave it a light squeeze and Spider found himself curling his head comfortably into the arm of the closest person he ever had to a father...

Got to give a shout out to @naavispider for inspiration for their stargazing scene from chapter 12 of If You Ain't Playing Me. ✨

#atwow #atwow fanfiction #atwow spider #recom quaritch #spider quaritch #weaving the web #ao3 writer

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karlnapity · 2 years

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c!Beeduo, or the ghost of people you love

Sylvia Plath // Madeline Miller // Edvard Munch // Megan Morrison // Lyudmilla Ignatenko // Ghost (dir. Jerry Zucker) // Mitski

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acerathia · 11 months

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imo Shoto has Knightley vibes. Yknow, the dude from 'Emma' by Jane Austen? Who said this line in particular:

"I cannot make speeches. If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more, but you know what I am."

#i could elaborate bc i read the book #don't tell me shoto wouldn't say this to you as a confession #i'm a believer in shoto expressing his love through acts of service or gift giving #so yeah. he absolutely would pull that line #it's okay though #it's shoto smh. he can never tell you abt how much he loves u and you still would know it ofc #shoto headcanons #shoto x reader #todoroki shouto x reader #todoroki x reader #weaving the web

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crimsonicarus · 3 months

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Made my first footy web, it was basic af. But damn, I'm happy about it. Posting and adding the tag to the pinned post tomorrow

#weaving the web #laurie thoughts

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hasteworte · 2 years

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The web is more a social creation than a technical one. I designed it for a social effect — to help people work together — and not as a technical toy.

(Tim Berners-Lee, "Erfinder des Internets" in seinem Grundlagenpapier "Weaving the Web")

#weaving the web #tim berners lee #the web #internet #internetzeitalter #social media #social effect

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lucidloving · 7 months

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@roach-works // Melissa Broder, "Problem Area" // Mary Oliver, "The Return" // @annavonsyfert // Koyoharu Gotouge, Demon Slayer // Haruki Murakami, Dance Dance Dance // David Levithan, How They Met and Other Stories // Tennessee Williams, Notebooks

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nosongunsung11 · 7 months

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collection of posts for a very specific dynamic

#pallas post its #not sure how to tag this one ngl #zolu #this is about zolu #but also my ocs and me from real life #5927 #also.#web weaving #normal dynamics

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fromdarzaitoleeza · 7 months

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{Words by Anaïs Nin, from The Diary Of Anais Nin, Vol. 4 (1944-1947) / Cynthia Cruz from diagnosis,The glimmering room}

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a-study-in-bullshit · 2 months

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"I love you , I'm glad we're friends"

#web weaving #webweaving #a-study-in-bullshit #friendship #on friendship #i love my friends #are u really friends if u havent offered to eat them out before??#i think not

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moonlipgloss · 9 months

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posts that make me want to rip my heart out part 5

#mine #parallels #web weaving #tender #text post #compilations

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ytilaremehpe-sselhtaed · 26 days

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*BOOP* ME IF YOU DARE; COLLECTION

#boop #boop o meter #homoerotic #web weaving #tumblr culture #dark academia #ytilaremehpe-sselhtaed

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jeanniebug623 · 2 months

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🕸️🕷️ Weaving the Web 🕷️🕸️

Chapter 10: The Innocent

TW: Implied Past Child Abuse

The colonel stared at the boy. Emphasis on ‘boy’ as he looked him over. Quaritch had assumed it was Spider he’d taken from solitary. That his remorse for Miles’ violent actions was the reason for the tears and lack of communication. But the more he looked, the more Quaritch realized the subtleties of the boy’s mannerisms that told him this wasn’t Spider he was dealing with.

The boy was still fidgeting with the hem of the hospital gown as he stared back at Quaritch. He stood with his feet slightly turned in, curling his toes. He looked uncomfortable, chewing on his lower lip to stop it from trembling and wide doe eyes asking for forgiveness as he shifted his weight from side to side. He looked exactly like a child afraid of being in trouble. Honestly, he was but it could have been a hell of a lot worse if Ardmore considered McCosker more of an asset.

“Uh...” Quaritch tried to fill the silence as he ran his hand over his face and paused covering his mouth.

This wasn’t Spider; this wasn’t Miles.

Quaritch took a deep breath and slowly let it out as he stood, walking over to Spider so he had to crane his neck back to look up at him. There was a different look in this boy’s eyes – a naivety – that the others didn’t have. The innocence in this boy’s eyes wasn’t defended by sarcastic eyerolls like Spider or fueled by violent unpredictability like Miles.

“I’m sorry...” Spider said in a quiet voice. Those big, brown eyes started shining with fresh tears. Quaritch had never felt such a sense of sympathy in his life...

“What are you sorry for?” Quaritch asked, unaware how his normal gruff tone could be imposing to younger children until he saw the boy flinch.

Spider recoiled, holding his injured hand to his chest and curling his shoulders in slightly, but didn’t back away. Trying to run away always made the punishment worse...

“I don’t know.” Spider said quickly, “But I must’ve been really bad to go to a room like that...”

Fuck........Quaritch was NOT prepared for this. Not that he’d been ready to learn his genetic predecessor’s son was still on Pandora or that his headaches following the interrogations was a mental fracture resulting in a psychotic version of that son. But this? This boy? With the literal mentality and mannerisms of a young child? No...no, the colonel was not prepared.

“No, you didn’t do anything.” Quaritch said as he waved his hand to emphasize his speech. But he paused abruptly when the boy recoiled further into himself and closed his eyes tightly as if preparing to be struck. Quaritch’s unused emotions stirred violently at the sight of the strong, independent young man he’d come to know wincing like a scared little boy. The sympathy mixing with primal rage to tear apart whoever made this young mind so afraid was causing his heart to pound

Spider opened one eye narrowly and looked at the colonel. Whoever this man was, he must have been incredibly angry with him. His ears were flat to his head and his tail was flipping repeatedly in frustration. The hand Quaritch moved across when speaking was now in a tight fist. But Spider didn’t know he wasn’t the cause for the anger...

“I-I...” Spider started, trying not to cry since that also usually made it worse, “I-I didn’t mean to. Whatever I did. Y-You're really mad...”

“No.” Quaritch said, forcing himself to temper is anger because it was only scaring the kid more, “Well, yea. I am mad but I’m not mad at you. Ok?”

“Ok...” Spider said with a tight throat. He didn’t sound convinced but when a grown-up tells you something, you listen.

Quaritch looked back at the boy, forcing down his own emotions, to put on a gentle smile. He slowly put his hand on the boy’s shoulder only to find his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. He hoped the boy wasn’t visibly shaking but now it was confirmed with his large blue hand on the boy’s broad shoulder. Spider was shaking in fear. And he wouldn’t help the boy’s fear by getting openly angry himself.

“Do you want to talk about it, Spider?” Quaritch asked, looking nice on the surface but mentally knocking McCosker’s head in like Miles had tried to do.

“I don’t know what I did...” Spider said sheepishly.

Quaritch paused to think. Ja, and his own research, told Quaritch that very few cases of dissociative identity disorder had shared memories between the different personalities. But Spider’s case was anything but a ‘normal’ case. Miles could remember everything from Spider’s life and current experience. Spider was able to vaguely remember when Miles was in control, a ‘waking nightmare’ that faded over time. But this new personality seemed more textbook. Poor kid...no memory of what happened or why he was in so much pain from his hand injury...

“It’s ok...” Quaritch said softly as he stood, “Let’s take a seat on the couch and talk about it.”

His gentle tone must have soothed the boy because Spider nodded and even put on a small smile before going back over and jumping on the couch. Quaritch sat next to him and tented his fingers as he leaned his elbows forward on his knees, planning his words carefully.

“So...you are in a bit of trouble.” Quaritch said, looking at the boy to see the fear return instantly so he quickly added, “But it’s not your fault. You got into a little bit of a scrape.”

“I was fighting?” Spider asked in a hushed tone then looked around aimlessly, “Mr. McCosker’s gonna be so mad at me...”

“Eh, you were fighting with Mr. McCosker.” Quaritch said quickly. This kid may have a different mentality than Spider or Miles, but he was still going to be honest with him. He just needed to be more aware of his approach and terminology. Whatever the fuck that was going to entail. He didn’t know jack shit about dealing with young kids, even the teenage Spider was trial and error.

“I-I...I...I did...?” Spider asked, his breathing picking up as he lost all color in his face. Quaritch could recognize fear when he saw it and the boy was terrified of the consequences for crossing Nash McCosker. “I’m really gonna get it now! Mrs. McCosker’s gonna be so mad too!”

“Hey, hey. Look at me, Spider.” Quaritch said placatingly as tear-filled eyes looked up at him. The kid was close to sobbing, the panic attack reaching its tipping point. He spoke slowly and clearly through the boy’s loud sniffles, “I’m not going to let anyone get to you, alright? No one’s going to hurt you while I’m here.”

Spider stared at the Quaritch, confused. He didn’t know this man! But if he was willing to stop his foster parents from disciplining him, he was willing to take the chance on a stranger. The colonel was not prepared for the boy to scramble across the couch and collapse into his lap with his small arms wrapped around his waist.

“Thank you, sir!” Spider said through his free-flowing tears now.

Quaritch was frozen as the boy cried into his stomach with his shaky arms wrapping around his stomach. He didn’t know how to respond to the emotional child or the embrace. He could easily forget this was a snarky sixteen-year-old and more of a six-year-old clinging to a shred of kindness from a stranger. He tentatively moved his hands below the kid’s arms and pulled him fully up onto his lap and rested the boy against his chest to let him cry it out into his shoulder. He sighed quietly, running his hand down the back of Spider’s hair to his back and rubbing it soothingly.

He had no memories of ever holding his child before...

Quaritch didn’t rush the boy’s crying fit. His shoulder was well saturated in tears after only a few minutes, but it was clear how much pain and sadness this young mind had bottled up inside. No child should ever feel like this...and the admission of this was pulling guilt in several directions as he thought not only of HIS child, but ALL children.

“I really am Miles Junior...” Spider finally said after he got all the sobs out.

Quaritch furrowed his brow and leaned boy back so he could look him. His face was a blotchy mess with red, puffy eyes and snot dripping from his nose that he quickly wiped with the back of his bandaged hand. The colonel made a mental note to re-wrap that once he was fully calmed down and asked, “What do you mean?”

Spider shrugged and sniffed again, “I don’t know...but Mr. McCosker says it to remind me where I came from...”

Quaritch closed his eyes and let that sink in. And it sank real deep. That the people who raised his boy would demonize him like that. This boy’s memories were so young he didn’t know who his parents were or the atrocities he would have been taught about growing up. The old colonel would find this as a perfect opportunity to get the story straight from his side of the war. But the new colonel? That didn’t matter...the damage was done, no point making excuses now.

“You don’t seem to like that name...” Quaritch observed, wiping leftover tears off his cheek with his thumb.

The boy shrugged but also shook his head. Kids didn’t always make sense...Quaritch reminded himself that they might be groomed to please their caretakers without knowing how to express how they really feel. That came with age. Just look at Miles...

“So, you like Spider?” Quaritch asked. He wasn’t sure if this was going to make things easier or more confusing to have two personalities go by Spider.

“Yea...but I don’t know if it’s my real name...” Spider said with a nod but still looked unsure. He was afraid to say or do anything to make this kind adult upset. Plus, he’d always been told that Spider was ‘just a nickname’ because of how well he could climb.

Quaritch knew Spider’s chosen name was his true name. The namesake he inherited was a kind gesture from Paz, but it didn’t suit him. And he was, surprisingly, content that his son wouldn’t carry his name.

“Can I call you MJ until you figure it out?” Quaritch asked on a whim, wanting the boy to just rest after the trying day he’d had. No memory of the fight but waking up alone in a straitjacket in solitary with a sore hand? His boy needed to rest.

Yes. HIS boy.

“Like in Spider-Man?” Spider asked excitedly with a big smile.

Quaritch paused for a moment. He never read those old comics as a kid, but Wainfleet was always a sucker for those types of things...

“Wasn’t that Spider-Man's girlfriend...?” the colonel asked, not sure of his comic knowledge. The happy nod he got in response confirmed his suspicion but what the hell? The kid’s happiness was far more important. He surrendered with a low chuckle and said, “Yea, just like in Spider-Man.”

“I like it!” Spider said and he threw his arms around Quaritch’s neck into another warm embrace.

Quaritch was more than happy to reciprocate this time and wrapped his arms around the young child in a teenage body. Thank God for the size of his recom body, he could pretend for a half a second they’d gone back in time to a time that should’ve happened but never did. He put his hand on the back of Spider’s head, running his fingers through his hair.

“Good.” Quaritch said quietly, “I’m happy you do, MJ.”

#atwow #atwow fanfiction #atwow spider #spider quaritch #miles spider socorro #recom quaritch #weaving the web #ao3 writer

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karlnapity · 2 years

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L'Manburg, or the beginning of the day and the home you leave behind

Miriam Adeney // Evelyn Waugh // Yizheng Ke // Junot Diaz// Walter Benjamin // Vincent Van Gogh // Anne Carson // Ocean Vuong

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acerathia · 10 months

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The Lament of Erebus || Chapter 1: The weight against their soles

Summary:

They appeared in the dead of night, ripping people out of their homes and lives, only leaving scattered clothes fluttering in the wind. There was nothing else left of the missing people. OR Midoriya Izuku is quirkless, despite his protests, despite the feeling churning in his insides. It seems like fate has a cruel way to show its affection, as this lead to a social death sentence. And he has lived like that all his life. That is until society began to shift, creatures of the night swallowing people residing in the dark. The question is, what is the connection between them and Izuku?

Wordcount: 1.5k

Read it on AO3 || Masterlist

Tags/CW:

Minor Characters Death, Abuse of Power (Government), Censorship, Isolation, Alternative Universe,

Note:

Literally filled with anxiety rn but still posting it. I hope you enjoy it!! Also currently unbeta'ed, so some slight changes may occur oops

Izuku had been four when he was diagnosed as quirkless. The doctors didn't care about his missing toe joint, they had no proof for the absence of his quirk but their belief. There was no way he could still manifest a quirk, their arguments sounded the same. No matter how the little kid tried to argue with them. He knew it wasn't true, he had a quirk. But how was a four year old supposed to describe how his insides felt? How his shadow seemed to grab his ankles, weighing him down? He only barely registered something going on, but never, truly understood what. So he had to continue with his life, medically quirkless and yet.

Some people sensed some kind of wrongness in him, surrounding him, almost swallowing their footing around him. That played a big part of his school life. Isolated, not bullied, but ignored to the degree of neglect. And if someone was knowledgeable, they knew, they were aware, how studies showed how isolation affected the brain, how it destroyed someone.

But Izuku? He had his mother. She didn't care how fast lamps seemed to break around him, or how the dark places moved and grabbed in his company. She cared for him when no one wanted to, no matter the situation, he was her boy after all. And thanks to her Izuku remained sane, her smile lighting the corners of his brain, saving him from being swallowed in himself. The world had Inko Midoriya to thank for, or nothing would have had the chance to remain for all this time.

And in another timeline, maybe, he could have discovered the thing inside of him, used it to become the hero he always wanted to be. But everything had a consequence. And poor Izuku, his timeline just wasn't the one he wanted, maybe the one he needed, but he only was the victim of the circumstances. The actions of someone else skewed with his possible future. Leading to the current state of events, Izuku stuck there as the everyday civilian.

He had barely turned twelve when the butterfly effect truly kicked in. The appearance of mysterious creatures destroying every hint of a normal life anyone could have led in a world full of quirks.

They appeared in the dead of night, ripping people out of their homes and lives, only leaving scattered clothes fluttering in the wind. There was nothing else left of the missing people.

For such a long time people assumed kidnappings, some shady dealing in the usual groups. But no matter how deep the heroes crawled, they couldn't discover any trafficking ring, any gang, that could just make people disappear without even the smell of blood lingering in the air.

But they tried, they dug until they reached the deep, dark water of existence walking through the city, grabbing at everything and anything, even resuscitating old cases. Nothing. Not until a pair of proheroes got grabbed, on their date.

The pair had been minding their own business, walking through the streets, talking, laughing after the dinner they enjoyed. It hadn't been their first date and it shouldn't have been the last. But not everyone got lucky with their wishes and hopes for their future.

They have been on their way home, just through this alley and the door was glowing at the end of it. They were proheroes, they could manage a familiar alley just fine. And they knew that, their pace slowing, not wanting to end the night just yet.

And maybe, if circumstances had treated them better, they could have gotten out, like they did times before. But they didn't hurry up, their steps just a bit too slow, the shadows dragging their feet to a stop.

Their giggles filled the alley, if only they didn't. Maybe they stopped for a kiss, a hug, maybe they themselves didn't know why they halted their steps, surrounded by the moving shadows. There was a single breath before the darkness engulfed one of them, crawling and scratching. And even if the victim suffered immense pain, no sound could even be perceived in the first place.

The shadows scratched at the soles of the other, but fate had planned another outcome. Their quirk lit up, banishing the shadows into their corners, into their seats at the edge of everything. And once they had left, nothing existed of the partner, their clothes, unscathed, draped over the floor. The hero scrambled to pick them up, before stumbling out of the alley, the heaviness in their steps banished with their light.

The hero, filled with the feelings of determination, protectiveness, hurried to the next police station, not allowing their pain and fear, their anguish, to even come to the surface, intend on leaving these ugly feelings for the shadows of the house, not their home, not anymore.

They told the police what they saw, how the darkness swallowed their partner, soundlessly leaving these clothes not even tattered. The police didn't like that story, they tried to outright deny it, but too many factors proved that tainted event. The cameras viewing the exits of the alley, the clothes, every single lie detector, even the human one. They all told them how they felt the truth, how, at least for them, it actually had happened.

And oh, how much the investigators hated that. How bad they wanted everything to be a lie, because how were they supposed to catch something like that? Something impossibly illusive? They had to resign from the case, hand it over, as much as they tried to resist. As much as they tried to resist, they were aware how powerless they were, how they could not contribute to this case any longer.

The heroes received the case. But everyone knew, at least the people filled with knowledge about how this society ticked, the case landed onto the desk of the Hero Public Safety Commission. The government. And what would the HPSC even dare against these creatures? What could they possibly do, which the police couldn't have done?

Some people thought their measurements were over the top, not understanding the gravity of the situation perhaps, some worshiped the commission for their actions, looking at them like saviors. But in truth they only introduced a lockdown. Nobody was allowed to leave their homes at night, the lack of light strengthening the shadows. Of course everyone got compensation for everything they might have lost in such a situation.

And the heroes? Those poor heroes. If they considered themselves lucky, they didn't get deployed for the service at night. The rest on the other hand had been thrown into the darkness, with nothing but their flashy quirks to help them. Because they would be fine, shadows hated the light and their powers were bright enough to protect them, weren't they? Why else would they be heroes if they couldn't even protect themselves? And every hero had to obey the whims of the HSPC or else they would lose everything they ever fought for.

Maybe some would consider the underground heroes the victims in this particular situation. They had to work in the day, making everything they built naught. But they too had more things to consider than their preferred life path. The lives of the common people hung on them to compensate for the lost heroes, not dead no, but lost to the fight with the invisible darkness.

And twelve year old Izuku had no idea about any of this, why would he? Well, he did, to some degree, because people notice things when they lose them. And they lost their freedom to wander into the night, and more importantly, they lost some of their dear heroes to the night. In more than one way, but they only knew what the government told them. Which wasn't enough, barely the truth.

So Izuku stayed at home, not that he would have done otherwise, and his mother, with his last bit of luck, had only to work in the brightness of daylight. But if everything had remained like that, we wouldn't have the story right now and I wouldn't have anything to tell you, wouldn't I? Because there would always be something that goes wrong, and for Izuku it was multiple things at once. He simply messed up once and fate took that mistake and knitted the future.

And considering why we all were here, we all knew how much of a hero nerd Izuku was, almost in every possible direction fate could have gone, he was one. So nobody should be surprised by the following events.

Of course Izuku noticed the change of pattern in their behavior and in their patrol routes. And he wanted to know why. Why did the government actually implement the nightly lockdown? Was there something else but the allegedly rising criminal rates at night? There had to be, or the change in the normalcy of the heroes wouldn't make sense.

Luckily, he didn't decide to break the lockdown on a whim, or else the story could end right here. No, he did what he could do best and analyzed and investigated. And this decision marked the beginning of his involvement and how he would grow to regret his decisions.

#midoriya izuku #izuku modoriya #midoriya izuku centric #midoriya centric mwah #midoriya fanfic #bnha fanfiction #mha fanfiction #weaving the web

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