Chapter Text
Down in the Undercrust in the rental truck, Pyke and Rett pulled up to a group of Redbelts, consisting of a couple of Humans with a Zorbrak and a Raizo. Rett honked the horn as Pyke turned down the radio.
Rett rolled down the window. “We’re lookin’ for a Raizo by the name of Ko. What do you know about the blue chick?”
One of the Humans gave a skeptical look to his companions, then at Rett. “What’s it to ya?”
“We’re bounty hunters,” he said, flashing his Guild badge to them before quickly tucking it away and pulling out a few notes from his wallet. “If you happen to know anything about Ko–” he turned to his partner, making a show of it. “What’s her last name?”
“Tetsutora,” Pyke replied, deadpan.
“Tetsutora–” Rett repeated, “you let Rett Starfall and Pyke Indigo know,” He passed the Redbelts his contact info along with the notes before pulling away to find the next hot-spot.
Pyke tried his best to hide his smirk as he leaned back in his seat and took another drag of his cigarette. “So… Rett Starfall and Pyke Indigo, huh?”
Rett grunted. “I misspoke. Don’t read too much into it.”
“Right,” the Solari gave a wink. “It’s got a nice ring to it though.”
Rett gripped the steering wheel tighter and spoke through gritted teeth, eyes focused on the road in front of him. “Pyke…”
Pyke put his hands up in mock surrender. “All right, all right, Big Guy. I'll shut up.” He dumped the ash from his cigarette into the empty Crispy Boy beer can before pointing it at Rett. “You've thought about it, though.” He turned the radio back up and the sounds of easy-listening jazz filled the cab.
Rett stayed silent. The truth was he had thought about it. A lot. Legally speaking, Pyke would be his next of kin so ownership of The Rhapsody would immediately go to him when he would die. It would make filing paperwork with the Guild easier, only needing one joint form instead of two. If he’d have to spend the rest of his life with just one person, he’d want it to be Pyke.
But so many more reasons not to. Attachments meant liability. A weakness to exploit. The last thing he wanted to do was endanger him… again. Pyke spent six months in prison because of him. He was damn lucky to find someone like Ko on the inside, willing to have his back. Rett didn’t want to think too much about what would have happened if he hadn’t.
And then there was Ophelia. The way Pyke talked about her, when he did, it definitely felt like he still hadn’t gotten over her, either.
Suddenly, Pyke sat up and gestured. “Looks like another group of Redbelts coming up on your ten. You want me to handle this one, Mister Starfall?” he asked, wagging his eyebrows.
Rett pulled the van over and shifted into park. “Shut up, Mister Indigo.”