𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 | 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐦²

11.

Neytiri had stolen Laya again and was talking to her in her room. Laya could tell that Neytiri wanted to get close to her, and Laya was glad for it.

"So I was thinking-" Neytiri moved behind Laya and started playing with her hair. "We could put your hair up like this-" She grabbed Laya's thick hair and moved it to a pony tail.

Laya shrugged. "Whatever- I usually just have my hair in braids."

Laya had taken her goddess braids out and Neytiri was deciding what to do with her hair, especially for the ceremony that they were going to plan. Right now, her thick and curly hair was cascading down her back.

Neytiri thought for a second. "You want to keep it Metkayina style yes?" Laya nodded. She wanted to stay connected to her culture, regardless of if she was near the ocean or not. Neytiri nodded and grabbed some beads. Starting on her hair, Neytiri stayed focused.

From outside the room, Jake was talking with Neteyam.

"How're you feeling about this Neteyam?" He asked. "About what?" Neteyam replied. Jake scoffed. "About Laya- About the ceremony, the new home. How're you feeling about it?" Neteyam smiled.

"I feel.. great. I love Laya- she's awesome. I'm a little nervous for the ceremony-" He looked down and bit the inside of his cheek. Jake put his hand on Neteyam's shoulder, urging him to look up. He did, and made eye contact with his father.

"It'll be fine. Everything will go perfectly-" He leaned closer to Neteyam and whispered. "Especially if Neytiri has anything to say about it-" He smiled at his son. Neteyam chuckled.

"Yeah- I'm glad she's getting closer with Laya." He smiled at his father. "Thank you for being so... okay.. with all of this."

Jake raised an eyebrow, urging his son to continue.

"Okay with her. Okay with me bringing her here, especially because she's Metkayina. Thank you." Neteyam smiled at his father.

Jake shrugged. "I was an outsider too. I know how it feels." He looked at his son and gave him a sad smile. "It's hard. Especially when you're all alone. At least when we went to the Metkayina we had each other." He looked to the room where Neytiri and Laya were. "She only has you. Well.. had. She has us now." He looked back to Neteyam and smiled at him.

Then Laya and Neytiri stepped out of the room, Neytiri with a proud look on her face. Showcasing her work, Neytiri made Laya spin. Laya, her hair still running down her back, was in a simple yet beautiful style. Neytiri had braided random strands of her hair and put various beads of them.

Laya usually had Tsireya do her hair, so it was strange for somebody else to do it, but she was very happy with the product. She hadn't seen it herself yet, but she loved the accent of the beads. And it still carried the essence of the Metkayina, which she was very glad for.

Neteyam saw her and felt the same feeling he did when he saw her for the first time, the feeling of instant attraction. He loved her hair then and he loved her hair now. He smiled at her and saw the bashful look on her face. "You look-" He paused. "Pretty" He cleared his throat.

Neytiri nodded and brushed Laya's hair out of her face.

"Very pretty. Right ma-jake?" Jake nodded. "Looks very nice Laya." He looked at Neytiri. "Good job-" Neytiri smiled and motioned for Jake to come in their room. Jake and Neytiri left the room, leaving Laya and Neteyam all alone.

Neteyam smiled at her and interlaced their hands. "You look beautiful." She smiled and looked away. "It was all Neytiri- she had the idea." Neteyam grabbed a braided strand and looked at the bead. It was the same that he had in his hair. He smiled to himself. His mother was not subtle, he knew this would inadvertently let others know that they were together. Laya raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't press it. Suddenly Laya remembered something.