NYX

beginning of a bond

maxe was used to long, uncomfortable silences.

when she was in a room with batman? oh, god, that man was so awkward and quiet whenever he put on that bat suit. when the team was first getting to know each other and getting used to hearing each other's thoughts because of the mind link thing? that was always awkward, except for with her and robin. they'd been around each other so long and for so many years, they could tell what the other wanted with just a glance at one another.

with keith, though? maxe barely knew the guy, and this silence was one of the most awkward things she'd experienced. and she knew it was because both of them had obvious trust issues, but it was also because the boy had zero social experience with anyone aside from shiro.

she wanted to start a conversation, but she didn't know how. fuck, why was it so frustrating to talk to this one awkward guy? just because he's cute doesn't mean shit.

"we're landing," the boy suddenly states, snapping the redhead out of her thoughts. maxe, realizing she'd been pouting slightly while lost in thought, schools her expression as she waits for the small ship to land.

the two of them leave the spacecraft, looking around at the intense greenery surrounding them.

"wait."

keith turns to face her, cocking an eyebrow in confusion. "what is it?"

"are we just gonna leave the ship here after we get the lion? like, this is a valuable piece of altean technology, a race that's been pretty much eradicated for the last 10,000 years, and we're just gonna leave it? that doesn't make any sense whatsoever," she rambles, her own confusion evident.

the red clad boy takes a moment to stare at her, a deadpan expression on his face, before he thinks over her words and begins to nod in agreement.

"yeah, that just doesn't make sense. we should pick it up on our way out of here, that way we don't just leave it. who knows what anyone who finds it would do with it."

with that, the two begin to head off, following the little coordinate thing that maxe had been given before they left. she would let out frustrated huffs every few minutes or so, not understanding why they hadn't found the lion yet, but she would calm herself down and tell herself that the wait was worth it if it meant possibly helping to save the universe from some tyrannical asshole.

they came across a patch of plum purple trees, and maxe looks around at the scenery in awe. she'd never heard of places like this from the green lanterns, or j'onn, or any of the other intergalactic leaguers. it was cool seeing alien stuff outside of earth on her own account rather than just being told about it.

she got a bit too caught up in looking around, that she didn't notice when something was off until keith let out a yell, the girl turning around to see the boy being held up in the air by a rope tied to his foot. his arms were dangling and his hair was hanging around his face, his jacket hitting him in the face briefly.

"what the fu-"

the redhead was cut off by some strange chatter coming from behind her, and she quickly snatches her knife from her boot and holds it up in defense, ready to defend herself and keith from whoever had set the trap.

to her surprise, it was a bunch of little people about the height of her midriff with baby blue skin and curious markings painted on their face and bodies. her eyes sweep over the group, counting about fifteen of them in her immediate sights, when one steps forward from among the crowd of aliens.