Chapter Text
Rett had rules. The biggest one being “Don't shit where you sleep.” Keep relationships platonic. You were often stuck in the aether for weeks or months without seeing another humanoid. Mixing business with pleasure made work messy, and he wanted to avoid that as much as possible.
Until he met Pyke Starfall.
At Meteor Mall, Rett stared at a display case full of watches.
“Hey, Rett,” Pyke spoke up, pointing at something inside the case. “What about this one?”
Rett looked over to see him pointing at a wedding band. Titanium with a single purple sapphire.
“Absolutely fucking not,” Rett protested. “We aren’t here to go ring shopping.”
Pyke tilted his head. “Your cover story is that you're married to a Saurian. It would look out of place if you didn't have one.”
Damn it. He was right. Rett took another look at the ring. The craftsmanship was… fine. He could make better. But it was definitely something a rich asshole music producer would wear. He moved down a few displays until he saw one that caught his eye. Diamond encrusted silver band. Looked to be the right size and gave off the impression of wealth.
“I’ll take that one,” Rett said to the jaguar-spotted Clawderan sales clerk, pointing to the case.
Pyke just shook his head, smiling. He walked over to the Aetheron and pointed at a gold band that was near the one he’d picked out. “I like that one.”
Rett gave him a confused look. “Gold isn’t really my color.”
Pyke gave him a playful nudge. “It wouldn’t be for you.”
“I'm not buying you a ring, Pyke,” Rett grunted before lowering his voice. “You know damn well I would make one.”
Pyke’s ears twitched as he turned to look at him. “What was that, Big Guy?”
“Nothing,” Rett snapped as he took the small shopping bag from the clerk. “Let’s find a suit.”
~*~
Rett opened his desk drawer and saw the ring he made for Pyke - a gold band with a fire agate stone, with a motif reminiscent of his Godhand gauntlet. He picked it up to examine his artistry. Finicky thing. Lots of minute detail. Took multiple sleepless nights and much trial-and-error, but he had finally gotten it to his standards.
He thought back to the way Pyke kissed Ophelia. All the nights he would walk past her room to find she wasn't there, only to hear her and Pyke in his room. And the crew quarters on The Rhapsody weren’t exactly soundproof.
He stared at the ring for another moment, then closed the drawer to his desk and moved to the foot locker next to his bed. He’d given Pixel his old ration tin for her Glimmer, and she’d held on to it. His GrimCo shaving kit would suffice. He opened it, tucked the ring inside beneath the handle of the razor, then closed it. Then he placed the kit back into the foot locker and shut the lid.
“Don’t shit where you sleep.”