rick n morty blog ☆ 20, infj, west indian
rick sanchez means a lot to me :)
EGO on ao3
being one of the multiverse's hottest commodities is not for the faint of heart
RICK SANCHEZ X FEM!READER
SYNOPSIS. ricks across the multiverse use you for companionship. this is the price you pay for existing; a price that your rick has graciously (or not?) spared you from. but the citadel doesn't like rogues very much, and you worry that sparing you from your fate will prove to be more trouble than it's worth. taken in by rick for your own 'protection,' you become dependent on an insanely volatile man, and unknowingly, he becomes dependent on you. you'd do anything to stay in his good graces. he'd do anything to stay in yours.
OR rick c-137 finds himself in a dimension with you, who just so happens to be a version of the single individual ricks use for comfort and companionship across the multiverse. of course he finds a way to keep you for himself, and besides, don't you need a savior?
I just gotta say you’re Ego series is one of the best series I’ve ever read I’m going through a lot rn and it’s a highlight of my day when I get to relax and see the kind of depth you’re writing with Shakespeare is jealous of you
lolll thank u sm, im so glad ur enjoying the series and that it helps u relax :)) i hope things get better or at least more manageable for u babe <3 take care of urself!
hiee!! I just wanted to tell you that you are a huge inspiration for me and your writing actually got me back into writing fics lol. Your series ego is amazing and it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen٩(｡•́‿•̀｡)۶
hiiii!! omg thats so sweet 🥺🥺 im so glad ur writing again! thank u sm for reading and happy writing!! <3 <3
EGO — CHAPTER FOURTEEN
rick sanchez x fem!reader
synopsis. beach episode babyyyy
tw. suggestive
wc. 7.4k
masterlist.
Rick crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against his desk. He raised an eyebrow. “Anything else, your highness?”
“Sunscreen. And sunburn cream.” You read the last few items off your list. “And ice cream.”
“I’m not going to remember all of that. Just kidding, I probably would, I just don’t want to. And– and last I checked, you had Amazon on your phone.” Rick said.
“Rick,” You whined. “Some of the stuff I want doesn’t qualify for same day delivery. You promised to be supportive!”
“Yeah, of getting drunk at the beach, not— no—uuuurp–t doing fucking errands.” Rick rolled his eyes and turned back to his gadgets.
Your huff earned a fond chuckle from Rick. You, on the other hand, found nothing funny. For the past week, you’d been trying to be on your best behaviour: you’d been cleaning the house, restocking the groceries, preparing or buying food, and now you were hoping to organize and treat the Smith family to a weekend at the beach to force the family time they were all starving for.
So far, you’d reconciled with Morty. Beth and Jerry were their own monsters—you’d pieced together that Beth had a fear of abandonment early on, and there were some days you were convinced she was envious of her own son for how much time he spent with Rick. And Jerry was bitter at being at the outskirts of his own family, again.
“Hey, I told you to forget about it…” Rick taunted over his shoulder upon seeing your dejected expression.
“I live in her house. I’m fucking her father. I think I owe her something,” you said with a roll of your eyes. You knew Rick’s cares were fleeting, but you were growing tired of his insistence to write off Beth’s clear distress. You’d been there yourself; you knew it was a shitty place to be.
He snorted, rolling a screwdriver between his fingers effortlessly. “I– I don’t think a beach getaway is gonna magically heal Beth, princess. She could be rich and live in a mansion with an endless– with never-ending… fucking… I dunno, whatever it is she really likes these days, and she’d still find something to bitch about. It’s– it’s part of her routine, it’s how she lets stress go, you know? Gotta let her do her thing. She’s too smart to change when someone’s tryna prompt her; she’ll probably do that when she’s ready at, like… when she’s eighty. Jerry’s the focus of her anger most times, which I won’t say I condone out loud, but you can probably guess my thoughts about that,” he snickered to himself. “Baby, would you pa– Pass me that multi-phase quantum resonator over there, would you?”
“The last thing I’m trying to do is heal anyone,” you protested, grabbing the random piece of junk he’d gestured to. “Just… I don’t know. I want to try to make them happy, at least.”
Before he took his resonator from you, he pulled you closer by your outstretched hand, lifted you up and set you on top of his desk. “Fuck, I love it when you get what I need the first time. You know me so well.” He plucked the resonator from your hands and plugged it into something.
You frowned, swinging your feet as he resumed tinkering. “Are you listening?”
“Hm? Yeah, yeah, make ‘em happy.” He mumbled, consumed by his current project. “Real noble of you, honey.”
You sighed, pulling out your phone. You felt his eyes flicker to you every other second and before long, he let out a long sigh himself. He set down his tools and tech, turning his body to you and pushing your phone into your lap. “I’ll do the errands if you come with me.”
You brightened, your eyes flashing wide. “Really?”
He conceded a smile. “Sure, baby, yeah. Can’t— can’t leave my girl hanging, can I?”
[ ]
Rick trailed behind you as you walked through the aisles of Costco, watching as you dumped things into the cart he was pushing, according to the vision you had for this grand beach weekend. He’d never been one for mundane things, but nothing done with you was mundane.
You’d really come into your own after the Citadel—he should’ve known that experience would change you for life. After your strong immediate reaction, he thought you’d spiral downwards; burrow down in your hatred, stew in your anger, close yourself off… which you did for a time, but soon abandoned those habits. He’d seen darkness linger over you only to fall away at your deliberate choice to try again.
You were so soft these days; so sweet and understanding of his dumbass family because for some reason he couldn’t fathom, your experience didn’t make you callous at all—it actually made you more empathetic. You were so good with Morty and Summer. You’d been trying so hard with Beth and Jerry, he was almost pissed at them for not accepting your peace offerings sooner. He just wanted to see you put out of your misery.
He reminded himself he didn’t care about that shit. He’d told you it was futile but you didn’t want to listen, which you’d been doing more and more these days. In any case, he already had what he needed. If you wanted a beach weekend, no harm, no foul.
The thought that plagued him at night was that you’d done something with your darkness, something that he was incapable of. It kind of scared him, but he was better at running from his feelings than anything else. The way things were was the perfect scenario for him.
“Wait, wait, wait— Omg! Rick, look.” You showed him a set of six water guns. “It’s the perfect amount.”
“Woah, crazy.” He said, because he didn’t know what the fuck to say. When was the last time he even went grocery shopping? He delegated all of that stuff to Summer.
You tossed the set into the cart. You continued to stroll down the aisle and Rick followed, committing the way your eyes scanned the shelves with that thoughtful pout on your lips. You were undeniably dangerous.
“Hey!” A girl he didn’t recognize ran up to you. “What a crazy coincidence!”
“Brynn, hiii!” You gasped and hugged her.
“You brought your sugar daddy out today, huh?” Brynn nodded to him. He remained silent. “Damn. Guess he only functions as a wallet.”
You pushed her playfully. “He’s slow to warm up. We’re shopping for our beach weekend.”
Brynn lit up. “That’s so cute! Wait… Good idea. I think I’ll steal that.”
“I’ll text you our Airbnb if you wanna pass by.”
“Yeah, maybe I’ll call you? If I decide to…”
Your and Brynn’s pleasant chatter faded to the background. Rick’s fingers tapped the cart handlebar incessantly. Mundane was one thing; domestic was another. You were never supposed to leave his garage—this thing was never supposed to leave his garage. He suddenly felt claustrophobic, muted mental alarm bells ringing until Brynn walked away and it was you two again.
“I think we’re good.” You sucked in a breath, joining him behind the cart. “Do you think they’ll be excited?”
He felt you weave your arm through his as he pushed the cart towards checkout and all his stress vanished. “So excited, baby,” he hummed and kissed your forehead. He was being overdramatic.
[ ]
You were so nervous ahead of telling the Smiths about the trip. You’d checked Beth and the kids’ schedule and chose the most uneventful weekend. You booked and bought the Airbnb, got all the snacks, the activities, the whole nine yards—it’d seriously suck if they straight up rejected you.
Rick left you in your room after you showered to change into something comfortable. He found Beth, Jerry, and the kids loitering in the kitchen, waiting for instant pizza to heat up.
“Hey, grandpa Rick.” Summer was the first to greet him. “You wanna wait for pizza with us?”
“Not at a—uuurp—ll,” he said, pulling the fridge open and pulling out a pack of beers. “Just wanna let you know, that— that the household ‘slut’ as Beth and Jer so nicely put it is stressing over planning a relaxing, fun beach getaway for you guys. Got a beach house and everything. Fuck if I know why, just putting that out there in the hopes– you know, to make you feel guilty. ‘Cause you guys fu–uuuurp—cking suck.”
“Are… You’re not lying, are you?” Jerry frowned.
“Jerry, I don’t need to lie to make you feel bad. You do that on your own.” Rick cracked a can open and chugged it.
“She rented a house? Seriously?” Beth questioned incredulously. She exchanged a long look with Jerry. Beth smacked her lips together. “She… didn’t have to do that, Dad. Why didn’t you stop her?”
“That’s your response? You really do suck.” Morty said.
“Yeah.” Summer pulled out her phone, no doubt updating all her socials. “Anyway, did she say which beach? Omg, I have to pack and I only have one swimsuit. Shit. Mom, can I use your Amazon Prime?”
“Don’t get too excited.” Beth warned her, crossing her arms and turning to Rick. “Dad, doesn’t this sound like… Oh, I don’t know. Lovebombing?”
“And Beth knows what lovebombing looks like,” Jerry joked only to be met with groans.
“I just think it comes across as bribing us for our approval,” Beth put her hands up in surrender.
“Beth, sweetie, I think you’re looking at it wrong. When was the last time anybody liked you two enough to do shit like this for you? Can you– D’you think you can put a date to it? The last time someone you weren’t related to gave a shit about you?” Rick tossed his empty can in the trash. “You got a pretentious streak that doesn’t sit right with most people. It’s also why you have the delusion that anyone needs your approval for anything.”
“Wow, okay. How about I’m your daughter and you should respect my opinion?” Beth shot back.
“Beth, Beth,” He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “How– How abo—uuuurp—ut you cut everyone some slack and enjoy a free vacation? Anyway, you didn’t hear anything from me,” Rick said once he heard your door swing open. The family stood a little straighter when they heard your footsteps nearby, and watched you like deers in headlights when you hesitantly rounded the corner into the kitchen.
You were immediately put off by their strained smiles, feeling like you’d lost before you even tried. Rick leaned against the countertop as he downed his third can.
“Hi,” you started simply.
“Hi,” they all said in perfect unison. They immediately passed each other looks.
Okay. “Um… So, I was thinking… since everyone’s schedule is clear this weekend, maybe we could all head down to the beach?” You asked, chewing on your lip as you awaited their answer. You felt the weight of Beth and Jerry’s stare especially and began to ramble, “It’s really nice out! I checked the weather.”
“She checked the weather, guys.” Rick echoed.
“How thoughtful,” Beth began slowly.
“Yeah, s– so thoughtful!” Morty grinned.
“So… you guys in or…?” You asked.
“Yep! We’re so excited!” Jerry chuckled. “Right, Beth?”
“So excited.” She nodded.
“Yay, beach weekend!” Summer squealed, and they all went upstairs to start packing their bags, boisterous chatter following them up the stairs.
You exhaled in relief. Rick lifted his arm and you fell into his side, soaking up some much needed warmth. “See? Told you they’d be excited,” he mumured above you. “Le– Lemme hear it.”
“You were right,” you smiled at him.
“Yeah.” He finished the sixth can and tossed it, grabbing the entire pizza from the oven and dragging you along with him into the garage, grinning like an idiot, as usual.
[ ]
The drive to the beach was long. Everyone was deep in their phones (or in Jerry’s case, his iPad), except for Rick, who had chosen to drive the family car rather than his spaceship. Beth sat in the passenger’s seat, having a hushed conversation with Rick that you could tell he wasn’t pleased with. Suddenly it all felt like a stupid idea. Suddenly you felt stupid.
The thing between you and Rick was real, now; not a hypothetical thing you teased each other with from time to time. The rose colored glasses were gone the moment Beth found out. You weren’t Rick’s girl; you were a stranger in the Smith’s house, sleeping with the grandpa. What business did you have trying to budge into a family that didn’t want you? Apart from the fact that you wanted to be wanted, to belong, to be a part of something bigger than yourself, what reason did they have to accept you?
They were impressed by the Airbnb, at least. It was the best you could afford with all the recurring payments to your account, something Rick had set for you a while ago when he wanted you to accept that you didn’t need your old job anymore.
The Smiths bolted around the modern beachouse, taking in the high ceilings, the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the veranda that overlooked the beachfront. They quickly dumped their stuff in rooms to claim them, and you could’ve sworn you saw Beth and Jerry laughing excitedly when walking into their section of the house.
“You’re tense,” Rick said, startling you out of your thoughts. “I can’t even– I can’t even fathom why you’re doing all of this in the first place, but you’re at the fucking beach. Enjoy it for yourself. Besides, the ocean’s supposed to be healing or… or some bullshit like that.”
“Yeah, but apparently Beth is immune to those kinda things. I just want them to like me, too.” You sighed.
“Too? What, you like them that much?” He rolled his eyes, stepping into the kitchen and rifling through the half-filled cupboards.
You followed. “I like you and they love you, so… something, something, we should meet in the middle or— or close the circle, or…”
He snorted, pulling open a bag of chips. “I get what you mean, babe. Counterpoint: it should all be linear. Entanglements on one end and– and then family far, far, faaaarrrr away on the other side. Less– Less of a hassle that way, you know? Plus, more of you for me. Don’t wanna share if I don’t have to.”
You gave him an amused look. “Don’t tell me you’d get jealous of your own family.”
“Ohh, not jealous, baby. Never.” He hummed condescendingly.
“Yeah, okay, big guy.” You rolled your eyes with a smile. Rick’s eyes flickered past you to the stairs where the rest of the family trotted down to the main floor, clad in swimwear. Morty and Summer raced to the bag with the waterguns, hands and feet flying to push the other to gain an advantage.
Summer held up the water guns triumphantly. Morty tackled her in the next second. They tumbled to the ground with a thud, words blending together in their hurried argument.
“What’s happening?” You asked them. You’d all gotten used to this behavior.
Morty stood up indignantly, pointing at a very entertained Summer. “She– She stole ‘nd hid my phone! She said if I didn’t win, like, keep away or some other crap game, then she’d DM every girl in my grade—”
“—something super embarrassing. I haven’t decided yet.” Summer finished for him, tearing open the packaging. “Maybe I’ll focus on Jessica,” she teased, emphasizing every syllable of his crush’s name.
“Summer!” Morty screeched in horror. “Just– Just gimme my phone back! Rick– Rick, tell her to give me my phone back!”
“I’d do it if I cared, Morty,” Rick shrugged.
“...three, four, five… six! There’s enough for all of us.” Summer hustled to the kitchen sink, filling each gun one by one. “Guys, daylight is fading. We need to make the most of beach weekend, okay? I need all of tomorrow to take nice pictures, and maybe even the day after.” Summer said, muttering more to herself than any of you. Her voice raised as she yelled for her mom and dad. “By the way, I don’t want Dad on my team. Let’s split up, girls vs. boys.”
Morty let out a belittling sound. “Rick on my team? Yeah, that’s– I’m okay with that. You’re going down, b– bi– you bitch.”
“Morty, don’t bother swearing if you’re gonna fuck it up like that.” Summer’s eyes then narrowed at her grandpa. “And no weapons or tech of any kind, grandpa. That’s the rules.”
“Lame.” Rick groaned.
“He thinks so ‘cause he can’t use a gun without aim-assist,” you said, smiling sweetly at Rick. He glared at you.
“No fucking shot you use aim-assist, grandpa.” Summer gasped, looking over her shoulder.
Rick bristled, churning satisfaction within you. “It’s a failsafe! A precaution for– for when I’m drunk. And I don’t actually use it.”
“That’s what they all say…” Summer sang, screwing the final water gun closed.
Rick snatched the gun from her. “Oh, yeah? You’ll see how much grandpa needs aim-assist.”
Beth and Jerry joined the rest of you by the kitchen. Summer quickly explained her rules for her game: a beach ball would be placed between the two teams. To start the game, each team would run from their end of the field to grab the ball—whoever gets the ball first has to run to the other team’s end zone to score a point. The other team has to prevent them from doing so, steal the ball, and run to their enemy end zone. First to five points wins.
Beth, you, and Summer on one team, and Rick, Morty, and Jerry on the other. You all made your way down to the beachfront. The sun was on its way down, sharp blues dissolving into beautiful yellows, oranges, and purples. Waves shushed you as you approached, but if you knew the family, things were about to get obnoxiously loud.
“Okay, Mom, do you have a game plan?” Summer whispered as the girls team huddled on their end.
Beth’s eyes flickered between you two. “Honey, are you sure you don’t want to just give your brother his phone back? This seems pretty extreme. There’s a perfectly good beach chair calling my name right now.”
“Omg, Mom, it’s not about that anymore. Live a little.” Summer whined. “I dumped and refilled our guns with saltwater while grandpa Rick was setting up the end zones. Aim for Morty and Dad’s eyes. Hopefully they’ll fumble and take grandpa down with them. If not, just… beat them up. The guns are lowkey kinda heavy enough to get some good hits in.”
Beth’s lips quirked up. “It’s always nice when I remember we’re related.”
“Can’t you, like—” Summer huffed, shifting her attention to you as her train of thought spun off its tracks. “Can’t you distract Rick? Where’s your sexy hot girl swimsuit?” She asked you.
You tried your hardest not to look at Beth. “I’m wearing it, but, uh… it’s under my coverup.”
“Well, get ready to use it.” Summer nodded with determination, a gesture both you and Beth mimicked.
You three spread out along your end zone. The beach ball was burrowed in the sand between you and the boys, who were yapping on their side. The field was about five Smith car lengths long.
“Are you losers ready?” Rick yelled over the rushing waves.
You all voiced your confirmation and the game commenced. Beth and Summer shot out from your endzone. Rick immediately went after his granddaughter, shooting his water gun at her and missing. She laughed and taunted him as she weaved his shots while landing a few of her own. Beth and Jerry were the first to the ball but Jerry cowered at Beth’s strong approach. She scooped up the ball and started to run to the touchdown zone. By this point, she regained Rick’s attention, who barked orders at Morty and Jerry to stop her. When the two started after her, you primed your gun and sprayed Jerry in the face. He wailed and rubbed his eyes, earning strong words from a disappointed Rick. Morty blinked up at you and sprinted away. You didn’t have the heart to do the same to him—you just put him in a headlock before he could yank Beth off her trajectory. Beth slammed the ball into the boys’ endzone, spinning and whooping in celebration.
“Why’d I get stuck with these idiots?” Rick grumbled as he returned to the game field. He was dripping wet, unlike Summer. His eyes flickered between you and Beth. He came up to Beth and ruffled her hair. “Good– Good point, sport. Not that you had proper competition.”
Beth beamed up at him. You swore you saw stars in her eyes.
“Wow, this may be the one and only time having a dick puts you at a disadvantage,” Summer mused. She pulled out Morty’s phone to his horror and typed away. The iconic swoosh sound sealed Morty’s fate.
“Summer! You asshole! I’m– You better not have sent anything!” Morty screamed. You released him and he scrambled to regain his footing, pointing an accusatory finger in his sister’s face.
“It’s not my fault you guys suck ass at keep away.” Summer shrugged, holding his phone out of reach.
“Rick! Do something!” Morty pushed his grandpa, as if that would communicate his distress.
Rick groaned. “Okay, okay. We’ll play you for the phone. If you lose, you have to give your phone up. No photos for the– for the ‘gram for you.”
“The ‘gram?” You raised an eyebrow.
“Why am I being punished because Morty is a lame piece of shit that can’t even jump and steal back his phone?” Summer squeaked.
You backed away from the screaming match to where Beth stood. She glanced at you sideways, and you didn’t find the indifference you were used to. She sighed. “Thanks for all this. You really didn’t have to.”
“Just wanted to treat everyone,” you said. “I know all of this is far from the ideal situation.”
Beth pursed her lips, putting her hands on her hips. “It’s— fuck. Look, it’s not not ideal, either. Just… complicated.”
A glimmer of hope bloomed in your chest. You could do complicated.
“And you two– are you guys fucking sleeping? You idiots didn’t land any shots.” Rick insulted his team.
“They’re following your example,” You called in their defense.
His eyes met yours. A wide grin split your lips. You stepped back when you realized he was gearing up to chase you, breaking into a sprint the moment he did. Your laughter echoed through the air as you booked it away from him.
“You got a smart mouth on you— C’mere,” he snapped playfully and cut you off your path.
“Okay, wait– wait, wait–” You giggled as you dodged him, only for him to get an arm around your midsection and yank you back, up, and over his shoulder with a clear trajectory to the water. “Wait—! The water’s gonna be cold, Rick, wait—” You squirmed in his arms, trying your hardest to twist and fall away.
“Gotta pay the piper, princess,” Rick said. You could hear the smug little grin in his tone.
Over the next hour, Rick, Morty, and Summer were caught in a vicious competition—best of five. With Beth’s help and Jerry dragging his team down, Summer came out on top. Every round loss was a text she got to send. She dropped Morty’s phone back in his hands once all was said and done, skipping triumphantly to the beach house knowing she wouldn’t miss this photo opportunity. Morty scrolled through all of his chats for damage control. Beth and Jerry offered weak, empty comfort as the three followed Summer into the house.
The sun kissed the horizon. Deep purples and reds overtook the softer yellows and pinks. The push and pull of waves lulled you deep into the pits of your exhaustion, and the soft breeze felt like a blanket wrapping around you. You started for bed when Rick tugged your wrist back.
“Drink with me,” he said.
Of course you agreed. He moved a single lounge chair down to the beach, reclining on its clothed surface and cracking open a bottle. You straddled his hips and snatched the bottle from him, chugging as much as you were able in one go. He distracted himself with your coverup, fingers breaching the hem of it. He pulled it up and peeked at your swimsuit underneath, humming in appreciation. “Hiding from me?”
“No,” you hummed, feeling the warmth travel down your throat into your stomach. It didn’t take long for your head to feel light and airy.
“Feels like it,” he muttered, taking his turn with the bottle. “Like– like you’re just here for my grandkids.”
“Thought you said you wouldn’t get jealous of your family,” you said, laughing softly when he rolled his eyes and waved you off. “They’re just a bonus, silly.”
“You’re not cold?” He ran his hands up your arms, feeling around for ocean water that he would’ve dumped on you. Finding none, he continued, “Al– Also, I missed all my shots on purpose just to be clear.”
A knowing smile grew on your face. “I know. You’re a good grandpa 20% of the time.”
“Wow, high— high praise,” he gruffed. He finished the bottle and immediately grabbed another from the pile he lined up beside the lounge chair.
“You think I could get my own room? Jerry should get his den back.” You enjoyed the way his expression darkened when you wiggled your coverup off; his eyes never left yours, yet somehow you felt like they crawled over your entire body. You never felt exposed; you felt seen. And being noticed was a nice, rare thing.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you want, honey,” he said in a daze.
You slid off his lap and snuggled into his side, tracing lines up his bare chest. His warm, rough palms guided your thighs to tangle with his legs before he settled back with a gratified sigh.
You’d come to know many different Ricks: Drunk + High Rick was the most gentle and sweetest version, Drunk Rick was a hit or miss, but with you there were more hits than misses, and High Rick was a clown show. Rick hadn’t been getting shitfaced drunk as often as before, but when he got to that level, he was astoundingly more affectionate.
By the time night fell on the beach, he was out of his mind. His arms were firm around you, squeezing you closer as if wanting to smother you, or to smother himself with you. His lips brushed your shoulder, then neck, then jaw as he sank into your body. You two were irregular pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly. He drunkenly whispered, My perfect girl, being so sweet to me, hm? Need– need one of these beach weekends, just you and me, just– Just me and my girl.
Your eyes drooped, comforted by the sweet nothings tumbling off his lips. You believed him when he said everything was going to be fine. Despite everything, you believed him.
[ ]
A particularly cool gust of wind shocked you out of your slumber. Your body groaned from the uncomfortable position you and Rick had fallen asleep in, but your senses quickly returned upon seeing the black, ominous ocean before you.
You glanced up at the beach house. All the lights were off—it had to be well past midnight. You reached over Rick for your coverup, dusting it of sand and slipping it over your chilled skin. You secured his portal gun next, shooting a portal to your room and rolling Rick into the green swirl.
When you fell through, Rick was already curled up on the bed. He didn’t bother to burrow into the sheets. You dusted the sand off him and the bed before draping a loose blanket over him.
Thirst begged for your attention and you figured since you were already up, you could manage a trip to the kitchen before passing out. The vibrant room had a dullness to it under the moonlight, all greys, blacks, and blues.
Beth was sitting on the ground when you arrived, knees to her chest. Most of the cabinets were ajar, and like Rick a couple hours ago, she was drinking bottle after bottle. Empty ones rolled around her. She noticed you once you got close enough. Her voice came slow and labored. “I drank all your shit.”
“Oh, that’s…” you cleared your throat, stooping to collect the empty bottles and toss them before anyone in this drug-addled, alcoholic family took a wrong step and cracked their head somewhere. “That’s okay, it was for you and Rick anyway.”
At the mention of his name, Beth frowned. You could tell she was trying to fight her emotion, but her stoic expression broke within seconds, tears brewing on her waterline. Your mind stalled; you weren’t sure how to approach this at all.
“Are you okay?” You asked. It seemed too shallow for the situation, so you followed up with, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just— ugh, stop being so nice,” she complained with a watery cough. She sat up and swiped her cheeks. “This… All this was easier when you were just a damsel in distress, so I could— when I was able to believe that my dad had done something good for the sake of doing it, not…” she breathed in deeply, tired, red eyes meeting yours. “You’re not here ‘cause you feel… I don’t know, indebted or—”
“No, that’s not it at all,” you quickly cut her off, sinking to her level and laying your feet out in front of you. “The times he’s saved me just about cover the times he screwed me over. I’m grateful, but… it takes more than that to stick around here.”
“And you… you feel more?” Beth asked.
“Mhm.” You didn’t have to think about it. “For you guys, too. I was in a really, really bad place, and being with your family made things seem normal. It helped, when Rick didn’t.”
A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. “Normal.”
You raised an eyebrow, amused. “You don’t think so?”
“I know not— I know so,” she hiccuped.
“Well… normal enough.” You smiled.
A weightless silence fell over you. Beth swirled the remnants of her drink in her glass as her knee swayed absentmindedly.
“He’s been better,” she spoke up again. “Since… Since you’ve been fucking, I guess.”
Your eyes fell shut in embarrassment, heat blooming on your face. You wanted to say that it wasn’t only sex, but you still couldn’t coherently explain what Rick meant to you.
“I just… You make him happy. And why wouldn’t I want him to be happy?” She laughed wryly. “I want him to be happy. Of course I do. I wanted to be the reason why, not– not some whore he picked up from a strip club.”
Your urge to sling back an insult was almost too powerful to ignore, but in a very much one-time show of emotional maturity, you absolved her of her comment. Maybe in her drunken stupor, she forgot who she was talking to and leaned into the fact that someone was listening.
“Because I’m his daughter— he should act like it.” Fresh tears rolled down her face as she rifled around for a new bottle. “I just got him back, I— I deserve a chance more than anyone else, before anyone else. And between you and… and fucking Morty, you’re taking up all of his time. Fuck, he even went out of his way to take Jerry to an high-end alien hospital—”
“Beth, okay,” you interrupted her, shedding your acquiescent approach for a firm touch. “He’s not happy. He’s just less miserable, and us fucking does contribute, but he didn’t come home to get his dick wet, did he? Why’d he come home, Beth?”
She blinked.
“‘Cause on some level you know if he was only here for Morty, he’d have left already, don’t you? Why stick around if he’s just gonna have to follow all your rules?” You continued.
She was quiet for a moment. “Hm.”
“There’s a lot of things he should be doing, you’re right, but I can’t really say anything about that except that it’s not your fault and… trying to rationalize someone as irrational as him is gonna make you lose your mind. I tried it.” You plucked the new bottle from her hand and popped it open, refilling her glass before sipping on the mouth of the bottle yourself.
“It’s… You’re fine with him,” she mumbled. “I don’t understand why I can’t be.”
You licked the wine off your lips. ‘Cause I accept what he is, was your first thought. It didn’t seem right to say.
Beth and Rick were the only ones that slept in the next day. You didn’t have much appetite for rest with everything on your mind. Summer made her way to the beach to get her photos, Morty hooked up his console to the TV, and Jerry went on a walk somewhere. After grabbing something to eat, you headed out to bask in some much needed sunlight.
You spread your blanket along the sand, close enough to feel the cool mist waft off the ocean’s surface, and wedged an umbrella nearby for shade. All this weekend showed you so far was that you needed to get out of the house more often. Rick might’ve been joking, but it really was healing. It was busier today—lots of families and couples spread out along the sand, flocking around the occasional ice cream cart that passed by.
Summer eventually crossed your path. Her bikini was a deep pink with cute bows at either side of her hips. She lit up upon seeing you. “You gotta help me.”
You tilted your head. She explained that nobody she came across so far took good photos and she was about to crash out. You agreed to help her, tossing off your coverup and tugging the straps of your bathing suit. You’d taken loads of photos for the girls at The Lounge; you were practically a pro at this.
“Are you two sisters?” Someone asked. You and Summer both looked over with impassive expressions.
“If you’re gonna use a shitty pickup line, at least use one that makes sense,” Summer rolled her eyes.
“Sorry, sorry,” the guy came closer. His hair was bleached to oblivion, swim trunks hanging low on his waist. He was flanked by a few of his buddies. “I just couldn’t stop myself from trying to talk to you.”
Summer crossed her arms. “We’re trying to take pictures.”
“Yeah? You want one together?” The guy forcibly ripped the phone from your hands and pushed you towards Summer. Your protests fell on deaf ears. “Come on. We want to get those hot bods in one photo. It’s only right.”
You opened your mouth to tell him off, but before a single word escaped, the guy disintegrated into a pile of ash at your feet.
You and Summer screamed, grabbing onto each other as you backed up. The cool touch of the crashing waves were the last thing on your mind when you noticed Rick approaching, the glare on his face weighted by the remnants of sleep. His bedhead was still evident and he still had the same shorts on, but he’d grabbed an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt before leaving the house.
The rest of the frat buddies barely got a chance to run before Rick’s aim found them, reducing them to ash. “Holy shit,” you whispered.
Rick stumbled up to you both, digging in his shorts’ pockets for a wad of cash. “Here, Summer, go and— go blow some money somewhere. Indulge in capitalism. And–” he gave her his gun. “There. Just in case.”
“Holy shit, fuck yeah,” Summer’s quest for the perfect photo was quickly overshadowed by her urge to splurge. “Thanks, grandpa Rick.”
“Uh-huh,” he waited for her to skip away happily before grabbing your hand. “Can’t go anywhere without getting into trouble, can you?” He pulled you back to your blanket, dropping a device on top of it. A tent spawned. He no less than threw you inside and zipped it up behind you both. “Wake up and find out you’ve gone out— what the fuck do you need alone time for?”
The beating sun made the tent glow around you, drenching you in whimsical, electric blue lighting. You sat down on your blanket, watching Rick angrily fiddle with the last bit of the zip track. “I tried to wake you up,” you said dumbly.
“Didn’t try hard enough, sweetheart,” he hissed, ragebaiting himself further by simply recalling what that guy had called you. “Fuck. I need to put a fucking deterrent in you some– somehow. This can’t keep happening. Everywhere you go, someone gets on you.” The irritation in his eyes softened as he crawled over you, eager hands squeezing your thighs, then hips, then tits. “I bet you’re having a good time at your grand beach getaway. We had a perfectly fine room but since you wanna walk out on me so bad, here’s juuust fine.”
You arched into his touch, eyes fluttering. Jealous and possessive. Two for two. A smile grew on your face.
“Y– Y– You think this is funny?” Rick half-heartedly glared at you.
“Yeah,” you teased. “Mr. Never-Jealous. It’s hilarious seeing you getting bothered over some community dick frat guys.” His eye twitched, hungover and tired brain trying to find a clever rebuttal and coming up empty. You rolled on top of him, pushing his shoulders down gently. “What were you gonna do, hm? Make me remember who I belong to or something?”
“Or something,” he muttered. His touch roamed up your body, sufficiently distracted by the way your swim suit accentuated the best parts of you. You bent over to kiss him. He responded instantly, fingers splaying over your waist to pull you closer.
“I remember fine,” you reassured him. “I can show you.”
He swallowed, eyes tracking you like an animal primed for hunting. “Y– Yeah?”
You tilted your head, committing this moment to memory. “You sound kinda nervous.”
“I’m not.” He rebutted a little too quickly. He reached up to hold you but your fingers gently circled his wrists and pushed them down to either side of his head. You were finally in a position to toy with him, and he was the one to walk right into it.
You dragged your lips along the shell of his ear, your chest pushed up against his. “Are you gonna throw a fit every time I wander off without you?” You pressed your lips to the corner of his. You could feel how his arms twitched automatically, like being this close to you and not touching you was torture. “Hm. You must like me or something.”
His face was fixed into a half-lidded glare but when you propped yourself up again, shifting your weight to his lap, his eyes lost focus for a moment.
What a pretty sight. You smiled. “I’m not hearing a no…” It was so satisfying to watch, especially after what he did to you the first night you got reacquainted.
“N– fuck, not hearing a yes, either,” he shot back.
“I think I got a pretty big one right here,” you teased, rolling your hips over his pulsing cock.
Rick’s fingers twitched beneath yours as his breath came in a short burst. He opened his mouth to spit out some quick, filthy remark—to regain the upper hand, somehow—but his tongue felt heavy, his hungover head spinning with a sudden, dizzying rush of blood. He wasn’t sure he even wanted the upper hand anymore. “Fuck,” he whispered. He’d been in control of everything for so long, he underestimated how thrilling it was to relinquish it.
The blue nylon dome around you two acted like a magnifier, trapping every drop of humid ocean air and radiating heat off your bodies. Your skin was slick against his, and every time you shifted your weight over his hips drove Rick out of his mind. You leaned over him, dragging your open mouth down the hot column of his throat, letting your teeth lightly graze his pulse point. Just teasing the fuck out of him and finding little resistance.
You loosened your grip just enough to let your fingers interlock with his, pinning his hands flush against the soft sand beneath the blanket. The playful arrogance you’d built up softened slightly as you looked down at him—at the way his dark eyes flickered open just enough to track every shift in your expression.
“Aw, are you frustrated? Flip me over if you wanna. Or admit you like it down there,” You cooed teasingly.
His defensive nature kicked up in full effect. He glared up at you, struggling against your grip. “Pretty sure I remember a pillow princess, princess. Y– You– Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
You smiled at the challenge. “You’re gonna find out.”
[ ]
Before you knew it, your time at the beach came to a close. You temporarily fucked the evil spirits out of Rick; he’d been walking around in a daze. You didn’t expect getting on top and riding him to oblivion would have such an effect on him but you found yourself craving to do it again. The man was pussydrunk. He even helped Jerry load the car.
Summer was pleased to shove a crazy amount of shopping bags into the trunk as well, and on the ride home, she was scrolling through her camera roll and sighing dreamily at her successful photos. Morty had a bit of a tan going and even some sunburn from sitting in direct sun for hours while gaming. You fished some of your lotion from your bag and applied it through his winces.
Rick was at the wheel again. Beth was in the passenger’s seat. There wasn’t any tension in their conversation as far as you could pick up.
When you all pulled into the house, everyone retreated to their own spaces. You went into your room to tidy up—if Rick remembered his promise, he’d build your own space within the day. Jerry was more than happy to have his mancave back, and just like that, his opinion of you flipped.
Rick handed you a chunky gun that was connected to a tablet. “It’s like the Sims. Design it here,” he gestured to the tablet, “and then fire the gun to make it real. G– Got it? You can attach your room to the garage and kitchen.”
“You’re not staying?” You tilted your head, catching Beth as she got back into the car.
Rick jabbed a thumb at the driveway. “Me and the kid are heading out to Shoney’s.”
It took everything out of you not to smile. “Oh, okay. Have fun.”
He still read your expression like a book, squinting as he joined Beth in the car. They drove off, leaving you with your fully customizable room system.
Designing your own space made you realize how indecisive you were. It took hours to ensure it was made to your liking because Rick made every little thing customizable, down to the baseboards. There were hundreds of furniture options, lighting options, and wallpaper options, but eventually you ended up with a space that you were so happy with.
Summer and Morty made their way over upon hearing all the commotion. They were enamoured by your space, and even more so with the Sims tablet. You let them have free reign with it and they took turns manifesting additions for their own rooms. Of course Jerry also got in on it, getting a new 98” flat screen TV for free. His unemployed ass probably cried in his room after setting it up.
Rick and Beth didn’t get home until much later. Beth was the first to find you. She poked her head into your new room, taking it in and nodding in approval. “Nice.”
You looked up from your phone. “Thanks.”
“I, uh… I have a housewarming gift.” She said hesitantly, setting a bag on a nearby surface.
You got up and rifled through the bag, pulling out a generic matching pajama set. Your smile was slow to spread through your momentary confusion.
“We all have one just like it,” she said. “I figured you should have one too, since… you know.”
Holy shit. “Thanks. Really.” You controlled your expression, hoping not to scare her off now that you knew that finally, finally, the entire family was okay with you again.
“I shouldn’t let my dad get in the way of something good for the kids.” She shrugged, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Anyway, thanks for this weekend. Goodnight.”
“Night,” you called after her as she took her leave. Holy shit.
I love how you keep all the characters in character!
And the "nsfw" scenes i love how you prompt them / imply. Its so refreshing than to see hardcore smut all the time haha.
I just wanted to ask if you have a schedule upload or do you just write when you feel like it? 🥺 I am super invested in your series rn. It's keep me going 😌🤍
hiii !! thank u sm!! i always appreciate hearing that the characters aren't ooc <3 <3
yeah as for smut i am unfortunately NOT about that life im 100% a yearner with 0 results. like i physically cannot bring myself to write smut bc i get overwhelmed just thinking abt it, idk its weird. but im glad its refreshing cuz its what im most comfortable with <3
since im on summer break i have lots of time to write and update, but theres no particular schedule i follow! it may change once uni starts back in the fall tho... we'll see!
thank u sm for reading and sending a msg in it literally makes my day <3
hey! just a thought: do u think u can add rick prime to ur fiction?? i just think it would be very interesting to see how rick prime would react to reader and how the whole our rick and rick prime plus the reader dynamic would play out
hiii i have plans for rick prime dw! he'll be dropping in sometime ;)
hii i just read the latest chapter of ego, english isnt my first language so i had some questions. i would rlly appreciate it if u could clarify things for me.
“He’d have to mentally prepare for all the guilting you’d partake in, and how easy it’d be to bend him to your will for his family’s sake if you wanted to.” i understood this sentence as “He has to brace himself because he knows you have the power to completely control him by weaponizing his love for his family and making him feel guilty.” meaning us/readers could use ricks love for his family as a blackmail to make him do whatever we want him to do??? is my understanding correct?
hiii no problem!! thank u for reading!!
with that sentence, i meant that reader kinda reached morty-status, meaning rick enjoys spending time with both reader and morty, so he'll do things for both of you to keep you guys happy enough to not complain. not blackmail at all! like reader might be soft on his family and want him to play board games with them or something and even though that's not what he wants to do, he'll do it to stay in your good graces. and morty might threaten to stop going on adventures or tell on rick to beth so rick ends up doing what morty wants to keep him happy. so he knows you have the power to control him but not because you're intentionally doing so, but because he just likes you that much. i hope that makes more sense !!
EGO — CHAPTER THIRTEEN
rick sanchez x fem!reader
synopsis. morty feels a bit threatened by you and rick's new relationship
tw. blood and gore
wc. 6.9k
masterlist.
Whatever therapy Rick sent Beth and Jerry to did not work, at all. Not in a constructive way, at least. They were closer, but only because they collectively made the decision to avoid their issues completely.
You had an issue of your own. Little by little, you felt like you were falling out with the family. Beth and Jerry tolerated you and were pleased when you fulfilled your role as live-in maid, but now that everyone knew you and Rick had something going on, they felt as though you were squatting in their house just to have sex with Rick. Beth was definitely plotting something. Not to mention the kids—while Summer was so excited that her grandpa Rick had someone she approved of, Morty, of all people, started to drift from you.
A cold hand circled around your ankle. You shot up out of deep sleep, grabbing the TV remote on your nightstand and hurling it at the intruder’s head.
“Ow, what the hell?!” Rick exclaimed, releasing your leg and rubbing his forehead.
“Rick, what—” your drowsiness caught up with you. You felt around for your phone to see the time. 6AM. “Just ‘cause you’re not sleeping here doesn’t mean I don’t need to sleep.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, take a nap later,” Rick crouched at your bedside, lifting up his shirt to reveal an open circuit panel. “Need your help.”
You stared at him in confusion, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I need you to reorganize my wires so I don’t overheat.” Rick explained, tossing the sheets off of you. “Come on, g– get up.”
You allowed him to string you along to his garage. His momentum was the only thing making you walk; had he let go of your hand, you’d have stood idle and probably crumpled against the nearest chair. He pressed a button and a flat table rose out of the garage floor. He let go of you to strip to his slacks and lay back on the surface, exposing the panel in his chest.
You dragged your feet over to his side. It was way too early for any kind of hard thinking.
“Here’s the deal—” he started.
“Don’t you have some protocol or mini robots to sort through this mess?” You raised an eyebrow at the tangled cords in his chest cavity. “Wait, back up. Why do you have this in the first place? Where are your organs?”
“All very good questions, sweetheart. Love– love your curiosity. Not my concern though. If you don’t untangle this, I’m gonna explode.” He said calmly.
The declaration was like a bucket of cold water to your face. “What?!”
“In…” A screen was projected from his wrist with a big, red countdown. “Three minutes.”
“Holy shit,” you whispered, not feeling the slightest bit tired anymore. You dove into the panel and threaded your fingers through the mess of wires, pulling them free as fast as possible. “You’re the worst.”
“You know, I don’t believe you anymore,” he grinned, folding his arms behind his head, as if you were lathering him up with sunscreen on a casual beach day.
“Believe it,” you mumbled. You yanked one cable especially hard, causing Rick to wince and lose his nonchalant demeanor.
“You really need your sleep, huh?” He met your glare with a smile. “You’re doing so good, baby, look– look at those hands go, huh? Got some experience with those? What you’re used to s’probably sooo, so much bigger than these wires, am I right?”
“Shut up, I’m trying to focus,” your eyes flickered to the countdown. One minute left. You sucked in a breath. “Please, please, please—” you begged the last chunk of wires to be agreeable with your detangling.
“Begging, now? You must like me or something,” he teased.
Your face grew hot. He just loved holding that blatant confession over your head—barely went a day without mentioning it.
“Oh– oh, we’re getting down to it. Oh, here we go, ten seconds left— oh, I really hope I don’t blow up, that— that would seriously suck—”
Your fingers flew through the last of the wires and detangled them fully before the clock hit zero. Simulated cheers and digital fireworks went off all around you but you were in no mood to enjoy them. “You’re okay now, right? You’re not gonna blow up?”
“Never was,” Rick groaned and stretched, sitting up and closing the chest panel. “They were itching and I didn’t want to sort it out, so.” He kissed your cheek. “You did good, though, tha– thank you sweetie.”
You stared at him as he pulled up scans on his computer to ensure all systems were still functional. Before you could yell at him, Morty stepped into the garage. You both spun to see him in his PJs, a set that you were fairly certain matched with his sister. Morty’s expectant eyes bounced between you and Rick, his expression falling every time he looked at you.
“What?” Rick asked hastily. Morty’s frown deepened at his tone.
“N– Nothing, I guess. Since you’re already occu– occupied.” Morty glared at the floor, leaving the way he came just as fast as he arrived. The house creaked as he stomped his way up the stairs back into his room, slamming the door shut.
“Morty’s pissed off, Beth’s passive aggressive, Jerry’s… Jerry. Summer is the only one who doesn’t give a shit. The whole house is basically against me,” you said defeatedly. You sat on Rick’s workbench as he scrolled through his digital files. “I… I think I should move out.”
“Nope.” He said without raising his head.
“They’re clearly uncomfortable with me being here, and being around you. I can hold my own, -ish… kinda. Your tech will do the heavy lifting anyway.”
“I don’t care.”
“You should care. They’re your family.”
Rick slammed his fist on the table. “S– So– So, what? I get something good going for myself and because they feel put out, I have to give up to make them feel better? Fuck that.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Your brows knitted. “Just… Did you see his little face? He always looks like that these days. He’s just a baby.”
Rick rolled his eyes. “He’s fourteen.”
“He’s lonely, and he needs attention. I feel… I dunno, maternal about him, okay? He’s been nice to me and stood up to his parents on my behalf a few times. His own parents, Rick. I don’t wanna be the reason he feels sad.” You pouted, kicking your feet absently.
“Fine, fine, fine,” Rick sighed, logging out of his computer and pushing his chair away from the workbench to look up at you. “We’ll a–uuurp—ll go on an adventure to– together.”
You threw your hands up. “You’re not hearing me. The whole point is for you to spend time with him, like you used to. You know, Rick and Morty, hundred years forever and ever.”
He huffed. “That’s not changing but nei–uuurp—ther is this,” he gestured between the two of you. Your spirits lifted at the sweet assertation. “He needs to get used to you, ‘cause you’re not going anywhere. They all need to get used to you, get– get their shit together.”
You turned the scenario over in your mind, every outcome coming out negative. “He’s just going to be agitated.”
“When he sees that you’re not Morty and he’s not you, he’ll come around. The kid really likes you, honey, don’t stress about it.” Rick stood and cupped your chin, tilting it up to kiss the anxiety out of you. He was always so good at that. “And don’t bring up that moving out shit again.”
[ ]
“Y– You sure you really need me here, Rick?” Morty’s arms were crossed and he sank far into the passenger seat.
“Shut up, Morty, this is the fifth time you’ve asked that,” Rick took his eyes off the windshield to glare at his grandson.
“Whatever,” Morty muttered, turning to the far window stubbornly. You and Rick exchanged a look through the rearview mirror.
“If you’re gonna be a brat, we can go back home right now,” Rick threatened. “An– An– And you’ll be lucky to get the chance to… to scrape gum off the garage floor.”
“Oh, sure, Rick,” Morty said sarcastically. “You know, there’s nothing more I wanna do than clean gum off the floor. ‘Cause– ‘Cause that’s what I am, r– right? A gum cleaner?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Rick’s aggravation came through his tone loud and clear, serving to activate more of Morty’s anger.
He waved his hands around, gesturing to the three of you. “I– I’m talking about this! We– We– This was supposed to be our trip, just cruising around in space, you know… cruising around as Rick and Morty! But it’s not Rick and Morty, it’s Rick, her, and then Morty! Why am I even here?!”
“Morty, relax,” You shifted to the edge of your seat to hold onto his shoulder sympathetically.
He blinked and slumped back down. “L– Let’s just get this dumb adventure over with.”
A bug slapped against the windshield, startling all three of you. Rick tried to wipe it off the glass, but instead smeared its multicolored exterior all over it. Morty recoiled in disgust.
“Guess I’m out of wiper fluid.” Rick surveyed the nearby planets. “One of these has to have some.”
He brought the ship down to the nearest planet, parking the car in the middle of a strip of wooden buildings, like a frontier settlement in the old days. The ship sent a plume of dust from the dirt road below. When it settled, a local approached the car.
Rick rolled down his window. “Hey, muchacho, does your planet have wiper fluid yet, or are you gonna freak out and start worshipping us?”
The guy looked fairly old. He was some sort of hybrid with fur for skin and puppy ears sticking out of his head. “The general store ought to have what you need.”
“Thanks.” Rick’s eyes searched the line of buildings for the general store while winding up the window.
“Of course, you’ll be wanting to be gone from here by sundown.”
“Yeah, sure thing. Wait a minute. What? Why?” Rick’s full interest returned to the local. You craned your neck around Rick’s seat to get a better look at the guy as he explained about a festival that was going to happen that same night. He was smiling as he recounted the history of this festival, but an impending sense of doom started to set in.
“For millennia, our society has been free of crime and war, living in perfect peace—”
“Oh, oh, I know what this is! You’ve been able to sustain world peace because you have one night a year where you all run around robbing and murdering each other without consequence!” Rick cut in giddily. You and Morty sent an incredulous look his way.
“That’s right.” The local chirped happily.
“What?!” Morty exclaimed, the fear in his voice evident.
“It’s like ‘The Purge,’ Morty. That movie, ‘The Purge?’” Rick explained. “You know, sometimes it’s called The Cleansing or The Red Time. There was this one world that called it just Murder Night. I– It’s a purge planet. They’re peaceful, and then, you know. They just purge.”
“Th– That’s horrible!” Morty reached over Rick to force the window all the way up. His fearful gaze swept their surroundings, every person passing by potentially a murderer. You were more concerned with the fleeting sunlight.
“Yeah.” Rick relented, but you knew his thoughts were on fire. “...You want to check it out?”
You and Morty sighed. You both knew it was coming.
You tried to stay out of their bickering to make it seem like this adventure was a Rick and Morty thing, not a Rick, ‘her’, and Morty thing, as Morty had so eloquently described it. Over the next hour, Rick replaced his wiper fluid and parked the car among the clouds to get a front row seat to the purging, much to Morty’s distaste. He argued that it was morally wrong and a horrible thing to get enjoyment from, but of course Rick didn’t really care.
Morty gained the upper hand when he caught feelings for a helpless girl being cornered below, threatening to tell Beth about where Rick had brought him if he didn’t help her out. Rick reluctantly landed the ship to save the girl, ushering her into the ship for safety. Morty gave up the passenger seat to her, squishing into the backseat beside you.
He tried to engage in conversation with Arthricia. You couldn’t take the second hand embarrassment anymore and leaned over the driver’s seat to have a hushed conversation. “I’m bored.”
“Makes two of us, sweetie.” Rick flipped open a handheld console, playing some generic video game.
“Told you you should’ve left me home.”
“And force myself to listen to Morty’s version of flirting? No chance.”
“My nana!” Arthricia shrieked, shocking everyone out of the sense of safety that had settled inside the ship. All eyes looked over at her.
You raised an eyebrow. “You just remembered your nana?”
You held your hands up in surrender, feeling a twinge in your heart at his quick outburst. Rick crossed his arms. “Holy shit, get over yourself, Morty. Ho– How are you talking to her like this?”
“Well, excuuuse me if I– if– if I don’t take you guys seriously! You– You don’t care about anyone else but yourselves! Somebody has to be the good guy here and– and it’s gonna be me!” Morty shoved Rick to the steering wheel. “Go, go, go!”
Rick flew the ship to Arthricia’s nana’s house. “I don’t mean to– I don’t wanna get Morty’s balls in a twist, but haven’t you been through, like– I dunno, fifteen purges already? Wouldn’t nana become routine by this point?”
“I– Can you just help me save her?!” Arthricia pleaded desperately.
“Fine, whatever.” Rick and Arthricia got out of the car, running over to the house to find her nana. Morty leaned over the center console in anticipation, laser focused on the house.
“Morty, are you okay?” You took the opportunity to speak up and get to the root of the problem.
Morty didn’t respond but his frown deepened.
You continued against your better judgement. “I’m sorry if I’m ‘occupying’ your grandpa too much. I like you guys as much as I like him, and it’s never my intention to take him from you or from the family. You know that, right? ”
“Well, you are, s– so.” Morty snapped.
You didn’t know how to explain. You weren’t going to apologize for liking Rick, or him liking you—you’d gone through so much to get to this point, and you liked where you were. But you knew from the moment you stepped foot in the Smith household that everyone fiended for Rick’s approval and attention. It probably united them to have a common ‘enemy’—someone who’s not even family that captured the full intensity of Rick’s affection before any of them did.
You pulled him back and held his shoulders firmly. He blinked up at you. “Morty, be so for real. Everyone knows it’s Rick and Morty. Your mom knows it, your dad knows it, your sister knows it. You see how they kinda get jealous of the relationship you have with Rick; Summer split time because of it. Because he came back to the family for you—because you’re his first adventure buddy before anyone else is, okay?”
“Not anymore.” Morty’s shoulders drooped, but he didn’t push you away. Progress.
You sighed. “Morty… Rick and I are getting used to each other. I’m new to him, he’s new to me. I saw you with Jessica—you were gonna allow Rick to rot in his Tiny Rick body if it meant getting closer to her.”
Morty’s face turned red. “Wh– What? Wh– What does that have to do with anything?”
“I mean that you were gonna brush off your own family to get a chance with Jessica. You don’t think Rick would do the same, too? Not saying it’s right, but… The novelty of me will fade and it’ll go back to business as usual, I promise.”
Morty shook his head and pulled back from you. “It– it’s whatever.”
You furrowed your eyebrows. “It’s not whatever. This is the most upset I’ve seen you the entire time I’ve been here.”
“I don’t wanna talk about it, o– okay?!”
You didn’t have the time to feel hurt—gunshots went off in nana’s house. Arthricia ran out with Rick’s gun. Morty’s breathing picked up beside you, eyes widening when Arthricia pointed the gun at the two of you.
“Oh, crap, oh man! D– D– D- Did she just kill Rick?!” Morty whined. You climbed into the driver’s seat and locked the doors just as Arthricia pulled on the handle. She grunted in frustration and stepped back, aiming the gun again at your head.
“Get out!” She yelled. “Get out now, or I’ll shoot you!”
“Can’t hear you through the glass, bitch,” you ignored her, pressing some buttons on the dashboard. “Ship, can you purge this backstabbing piece of shit?”
“Affirmative,” the ship chirped. A machine gun emerged from the trunk, leering over the glass dome and pointing its barrel at Arthricia. Her grip on the gun slackened and fear flashed across her face. Morty screamed in protest, pulling on your arm urgently.
“No, no, no you– you can’t kill her! No purging!”
“Morty, she’s gonna steal the ship and leave us behind, and then we’ll be the ones being purged.” You pushed him into the passenger’s seat. “She shot Rick! Let’s just get rid of her, grab Rick, and head home.”
“We– we’re the good guys, we’re better than them! Just– Would you put the giant gun away!” Morty wrestled with you for the controls. In the midst of all his interference, the machine gun retreated into the trunk but the doors also popped open in complete surrender.
His eyes shot up at your deadpan expression sheepishly.
“Get out of the flying machine!” Arthricia jabbed the gun into your arm. You and Morty tumbled out of the car, backing up slowly. She climbed inside and locked the doors, booting up the engine. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
“Y– You can’t leave us here! You’re killing us! You hear me? Come back!” Morty yelled to no avail as Arthricia clumsily piloted the ship towards the town. “Oh, man. We’re gonna get purged, aren’t we?”
You rolled your eyes and hustled back to ‘nana’s’ house. Morty followed behind. “Rick!” He screamed upon seeing Rick bleeding out on the ground. You knelt at his side and pulled him to sit up, assessing the state of his wound—a clean shot through his liver.
“Fucking Amish bitch shot me! She tried to purge me, Morty. You let your wiener do the walking, and now I’m dead, Morty!” He snarled, blood leaking from the shot wound in his abdomen.
“Rick, she, uh…” Morty glanced at you guiltily. “She took the car.”
“You fucking kidding me, Morty?! She took my car and the gun—we’re like the rest of these assholes now. W– W– We’re gonna get purged, Morty.”
“That’s what I told him,” you muttered under your breath. You helped Rick up to his feet, acting as a crutch to get him out of the burning house. “I think I remember that healing juice you made me. Morty, you need to make it, okay?”
“Me? I don’t– No, you should do it, you’re the one that remembers!” Morty protested, jogging to catch up to you two.
“I’m sorry but you’re useless with a gun, and Rick is bleeding out. I’ll tell you what to do.” You said firmly.
“Uh– Why don’t we just use Rick’s portal gun?”
“It’s in the car, dip-ass. Fuck, it hurts.” Rick whined and leaned into your shoulder. “It hurts so much. She got me right in the fucking liver. It’s the hardest-working liver in the galaxy, Morty, and now it has a hole in it. I hope she was worth it.”
“I was just trying to do right.” Morty pouted.
“Yeah, well, that’s not really the theme of tonight’s party.” Rick nodded ahead of you where a crowd of bloodcrazed locals were approaching with stakes and clubs. “Heads up.”
“Take him, Morty.” You passed Rick over to Morty, stepping in front of the two of them. You hadn’t fought since the Citadel, but you trusted your instincts enough to brute force your way through this.
“Wait! You’re gonna get purged!” Morty said frantically, looking up at Rick. “Help her, Rick!”
“I wanna, but somebody’s little sidequest got me shot in the liver. Should– Should I rub my liver hole on them, Morty? That’ll show them, won’t it?” Rick pulled you back by your shoulder. “And you, do you have a death wish or something? Let me—”
One murderer charged at you. Morty screamed and cowered behind you, dragging Rick back down with him, immune to Rick’s instructions. Your fight or flight kicked in, grabbing the man’s wrist to stop his swing and kicking him in the chest. He toppled back and left his sword in your hands. You used the blade to slice his limbs off before finally decapitating him. His blood splattered over you, and when his twitching finally stopped, you pulled back.
“Damn.” Rick whistled behind you.
“Look at that, I still got it,” you smiled to yourself, flipping the bloodied sword between your hands. Leftover adrenaline pulsed through your body.
“Still?” Rick’s eyebrow raised.
“Yeah,” you said.
“Wh- What’s that supposed to mean? Who’d you ‘get?’”
“You,” you answered. “A version of you, at the Citadel.”
The wheels turned behind Rick’s eyes. All he said was, “Nice,” with a dumb smile on his face.
The four other murderers hesitated but probably found strength in numbers, rushing at you at once. When you ran at them with equal determination, their trajectory slowed, and you used their moment of hesitation to drive the sword clean through two of them, twisting and leaving them to bleed out. The other two switched up their tune and turned on their heel, running back the way they came.
“Okay, let’s find somewhere to hunker down.” You waved Morty through the pile of bodies. Morty whimpered as he slid through the blood, foot tapping one of the dismembered limbs. You flashed him an awkward smile. “You’re… you’re okay, honey, come on.”
“I hate this planet,” he cried, earning an annoyed sigh from Rick.
You boarded the new house you found with any heavy crates and boards you could find. All the while, you were listing the ingredients and steps for Rick’s healing juice.
“W– Wait, go back– What was the last step?” Morty asked hurriedly.
“For fuck’s sake, just let me,” Rick groaned, painfully picking himself off the ground.
“You shut up and call Summer to get whatever ‘game-changer’ you said we needed.” You glared at him, your stress levels rising to an all time high. You hoped Morty realized that though you were Rick’s girl, the last thing you wanted was to go on every single adventure Rick decided to entertain himself with.
Rick cursed and pulled out a traditional phone, dialing Summer and immediately finding himself in an argument with Jerry. Once the house was purge-proofed to your satisfaction, you approached Morty’s table and assessed his progress. “This is good. Put that entire thing in the vial and you’re done.”
“O– Okay,” Morty snatched the ingredient you pointed to and dumped it into the serum. It hissed and sizzled. “Okay, I did it!”
“Good job, Morty,” you ruffled his head and finally, finally got a smile out of him. You grabbed the serum and knelt beside Rick, lifting his shirt and pouring the serum onto his wound. He choked and cursed when it set in, but like your leg, his skin was good as new within the minute.
He coughed and peeked at you through his pained expression. “Bet you’re— shit, bet you’re enjoying this, huh?”
“So much,” you confirmed, pulling him up. The three of you headed to a nearby lighthouse to set up a beacon for the package Summer was supposed to send Rick. The way there seemed clear as far as you could see—most of the people were lifeless on the ground, blood and weapons scattered throughout the meadow.
“Just remember, if there’s people in there and they try to purge us, we gotta purge them first.” Rick said, eyeing Morty sternly.
Morty narrowed his eyes up at Rick. “We’re not purging anyone, Rick, all right? W– Will you stop suggesting it?”
“Morty, if we’re gonna survive tonight, you’re gonna need to harness your repressed rage.”
“I don’t have any!” Morty insisted, earning a look from both you and Rick.
“Spoken like a person with repressed rage,” Rick mumbled.
You rang the lighthouse’s doorbell when you stepped onto the porch. An older local opened the door, thinly-framed glasses perched upon his nose. His eyes darted between you three. He sighed.
“I take no part in the festival,” he said. “If you desire to kill me, I only ask you do it quickly.”
“We’re not too keen on the purge, either, sir. We were just hoping to get on the roof of your lighthouse so we can send a beacon to my sister on earth. It’s a different planet tha– that we need to get back to.”
The lighthouse keeper hummed in thought. It didn’t take very long. “I’ll let you use my lighthouse for shelter and beacon-sending… on the condition that you listen to my tale.”
“Your…?” You tilted your head in confusion.
Rick pushed past you, Morty, and the keeper, jabbing a thumb upstairs. “Deal. I’m gonna go to the roof and set things up. You guys listen to his tale.”
You and Morty exchanged a look and sat with the keeper to hear this big tale of his. He brought out a giant stack of paper that was loosely bound, and started reading off a screenplay. You got comfortable on the couch and tried not to doze off. The keeper wasn’t as concerned with you as he was with Morty, whose expression he checked every five minutes.
“Fade out. Title: ‘the end’... question mark?" The keeper flipped the last page and looked up expectantly.
“Wow.” Morty said blankly. He cleared his throat and eyed you out of the corner of his eye with a clear cry for help. “It’s... G– Good job… Yeah. Good job.”
“You didn’t laugh at the scene in the bar.”
“I… thought it was funny, but I wanted to hear the rest.”
“Do you have any thoughts? Notes?”
“No. I— I just enjoyed it. That’s my note— you know? Please– uh, please write more.” Morty flashed a big smile.
The keeper was silent for a moment, studying Morty’s expression. “Hm. Seems a little insincere.”
Even you were getting annoyed. With a sigh, you stood to your feet and crossed your arms. Morty scrambled to follow. “Okay, we listened to your tale. We’re gonna check on our beacon now.”
“Oh, you misunderstand me, miss! I was only trying to get the boy’s true thoughts. I want to improve my writing, you see.” The keeper stood, hugging his manuscript to his chest.
You were about to push back again when Morty obliged his request. “All right. Well, um… I’m not a huge fan, personally, of the whole ‘three weeks earlier’ teaser thing. I feel like, you know, we should start our stories where they begin, not start them where they get interesting—”
“Get out.” The keeper’s tone flipped completely. He threw his script onto his chair and pointed at the door.
“What?” You and Morty said simultaneously.
“I’m sick of this. You bang on my door, you beg me to help you, I share something personal with you, and you take a giant shit on it.”
Your bewilderment was painful to bear. “You just said—”
“Hey! Nobody asked you to speak, lady. You’re not even in my target audience.” The keeper interrupted, completely consumed by his offense.
“Woah– uh, you can’t talk to her like that! Or– or me! We’re guests here!” Morty yelled, marching away from the keeper up the stairs. The keeper was hot on his tail, barking insults at him. You quickly followed behind them both, sensing tensions rising.
“You’re not guests here anymore! I want you out!” The keeper shouted once you reached the top of the lighthouse. Rick spun around, clearly not expecting a fight to unfold with a local that seemed far removed from the planet’s purging traditions. “Take that thing down. Your grandson and this lady are shitty people. Leave now.”
“What did you do?” Rick narrowed his eyes at Morty.
“I didn’t do anything! I listened to his entire screenplay— tell– you tell him!” Morty spun to you for support.
“It’s true. We both sat through it.” You confirmed. You peered over the local’s head and beyond Rick and Morty. The beacon seemed to be set up properly, at least. Hopefully whatever you needed to get out of there would be here before you had to seriously argue with this insecure freak.
Speaking of, the keeper whirled on you accusingly. He sized you up and stepped into your space. “I’m sorry. You ‘sat through it?’”
“We sat through it,” you doubled down, tilting your head to deliberately provoke him. After the twenty minutes of redundancy you just sat through, the horrible night you had to fight through, and the prospect of getting home within the hour entirely uncertain, you were ready to pick a fight. Maybe it’d make you feel better.
“Yeah, did you want us to weep with joy? It’s terrible!” Morty piled on, his voice rising.
“Morty, shut up!” Rick’s eyes swung between you and Morty. “You guys were just supposed to smile and nod, how– how fucking hard could that possibly be?”
You and Morty both sent bad vibes in Rick’s direction. Of course Mr. ‘dump all the shitty work on everyone else’ had the breeziest time at the lighthouse.
The keeper snarled and used his last power play. “That’s it– I’m taking down this beacon.”
Morty scrambled to block the doorway. “Hey, that’s not fair! Just because you hate your own writing doesn’t make us bad people!”
You pulled the keeper back by his shoulder to get him off of Morty and step around him, only for the keeper to find the backbone he’d been lacking all the years and push you down the stairs in anger. You didn’t even hear what stupid catchphrase he spat out—the motion was so swift that you offered no resistance when your foot slipped into a free fall. You tumbled down a few stairs with a pained scream until a thick, cold metal arm snapped tight around your body before your feet rolled over your head for a third time and stopped your sharp descent; the abrupt stop made your head jerk back and hit the edge of a step hard.
Morty’s voice was muddy and faraway. Black dots dotted your vision before overtaking it completely.
[ ]
“What the fuck?!” Rick yelled over Morty’s head, glaring at the lighthouse keeper. With Morty in the doorway and the keeper taking up the landing, he couldn’t even get a visual on you. Your scream came to a blunt end and he didn’t like that one bit.
“Haha,” the keeper panted, the rush of his deed catching up to him. His smile grew. “Haha! I’m not petty or insecure! You want to walk all over me? Not in my lighthouse! See what happens to anyone who wants to shit on my shit!”
Morty yelled out and surged forward, violently shoving the keeper down the stairs. No one to save him—he rolled and flopped all the way to the bottom, breaking and cracking bones with every few steps. He hit the ground at an odd angle and broke his neck.
“You like that? You want me to cut to three weeks earlier when you were alive? Fuck– Fucking annoying piece of shit!” Morty called down the stairs to the keeper’s dead body.
Rick retracted his metal arm with you in tow and quickly assessed your vitals. You were alive, just unconscious. His fingers worked their way through your hair to feel where you got hit. His frown was unmistakable when he brushed over the throbbing bump at the back of our skull.
“She’s okay, right? Did– did she get purged?” Morty’s bravado momentarily took the backseat as he approached Rick’s side. “Holy shit–”
“Shut up, Morty, she’s not dead.” Rick said. He glanced at his grandson and quirked a smile. “You just purged that guy. Told you that you were suppressing something.”
Morty didn’t respond, as if reminiscing about it. The beacon beeped, signalling his package was nearby. Rick attached you to his back like a backpack, fastening you snug against him, before he raced to grab up the package that crashed on the gallery deck—two superpowered exosuits that could take out every bloodlusted native on this planet.
The minute Morty was clothed in impenetrable armor and equipped with a myriad of weapons, he went crazy—flying through the town and sending missiles at the locals without a second thought. Rick, for once, was surprised at how eager Morty was to take advantage of Purge rules where he was once so adamant at denouncing them. It freaked him out. Morty was never like this— never supposed to be like this. Being timid and a pushover was kind of the kid’s thing, and it was what made their thing work so well.
“Okay,” Rick put his hands on Morty’s shoulders, patting him. “You’re just shooting corpses.” Morty let another round of bullets fly on the piles of flesh at his feet. “Okay, buddy, that’s good. Good job. Time to go home.”
Morty panted wildly and shoved Rick off of him. “Screw you, Rick! I'll purge you, too, you old, rickety piece of crap! This has been a long time coming— you know what? Why don’t you take your new sidekick and fuck off?”
“Sidekick’s kinda need to be conscious to be– to be useful, don’t they? You– do you see who’s conscious right now, Morty?” Rick snatched Morty’s wrist before he could get far. “Would you get the trigger happy out of your system already?”
“It’s be– because I’m expendable, right? ‘Cause– ‘Cause– ‘Cause you can dump allll your shit on me and go on about your day?”
“No you fucking idiot, it’s because I put so much effort into getting your parents to let you come on adventures that it’d be the biggest fucking mistake to let that all go to waste. Morty, do you think I want to go through the hassle of making her do all the meaningless shit that you do? Nobody’s quite as spineless. We all good and square? G– Good.” Rick’s grip tightened around Morty’s wrist as he took off to the skies and pulled him along with him, ignoring any further protests.
[ ]
Your eyes fluttered open, staring up at the stars whizzing by through the glass of Rick’s ship. You had been tucked in the backseat, sheets fluffed up all around you. Curtains separated the driver’s area and the back, allowing you the darkness to rest. You sat up slowly, peering through the curtains to see Rick tapping his fingers on the center console with his other hand hanging off the steering wheel.
Morty was resting across from you, stirring in his sleep. You recalled the last events you remembered clearly, questions burning your tongue.
A beep made Rick look down at the dash. He cursed and descended to a nearby planet, storming out of the car and slamming the door shut. A series of clicks told you that you were safely locked inside. Rick walked off to an alien gas station and almost instantly got sidetracked by all the snacks shelved inside.
Morty blinked awake when the ship shook after Rick’s rough exit. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Are we home…?”
“No,” you answered gently. You didn’t want to force a conversation like you’d done the last time.
Morty stretched his arms over his head. “You– You okay? You’re not, like, brain damaged or anything, right? Rick said you’d hit your head pretty hard.”
You hummed, rubbing the back of your head and feeling the swollen point of impact. “It’s aching, but that’s about it. Hopefully no brain damage,” you joked.
“I… I pushed the guy. I purged him. Pushed him down the stairs and he…” Morty gulped. “Died.”
“Oh. Uh… thanks, Morty. Wouldn’t expect that from you, being all anti-purge and all.” You smiled. “Did you feel good about it at least?”
“I did, yeah, when it happened. Now, it’s like— it’s like how was I able to do that, you know? I think I was just angry. Rick said I had repr– suppressed rage or something, so. I think he knocked me out to stop me from going crazy.” Morty mumbled. You nodded and looked out the window to pass the time when he spoke up again. “I’m– um… I’m sorry.”
Your focus snapped back to him. “What?”
“You know, for… for being mean to you.” He said, physically shrinking into his corner.
You softened. “You don’t have to be sorry, Morty. You weren’t being mean to me. I get it. The last thing I want is to take your grandpa from you, or Beth, or Summer. Or– Or Jerry…? I guess? I’d get a little territorial too if some random came into my family and started to monopolize someone.”
“But– But you’re not random. We know you. You can’t take him away if you’re one of us, I guess. You’re like— you actually listen to me, and you hang out with Summer, and you take care of Mom and Dad’s house and stuff, so… It’s stupid.” Morty’s expression turned downcast. “It’s like every time I try to talk to anybody, they act like they’re– like a literal piece of shit is trying to talk to them. Rick does that less than everyone else, kinda. And if he has you then he doesn’t need me and if he doesn’t need me, then– then my parents are right. I have no friends and I can just be left behind to die whenever, at any time, you know?” He laughed it off nervously.
“It’s not stupid,” you insisted. It was usually easy to ignore how broken the Smith family was as a unit when you knew how broken they were as individuals. Beth had her drinking, Jerry had his general uselessness, Summer struggled with feeling unimportant or inadequate, and Morty had a laundry list of trauma you were sure he wasn’t even aware of. Hearing Morty say it in his words nearly immobilized you, but you weren’t exactly surprised he was carrying this with him. You felt so bad that you didn’t even have any profound words to string together; you wanted to offer comfort as soon as possible. “Your family needs you, especially your grandpa. No one would leave you behind, certainly not– certainly not to die. Rick would never.”
He shrugged and laid back against the ship.
“Half of the reason I’ve adjusted is because you’d been there to tell me how to cope. That shouldn’t be on you, but you went out of your way to help me anyway. I’d have drank myself to death otherwise.” You reminded him. “You’re my little buddy, too, okay? If you’re ever feeling like that, you can come to me. We’re in this Rick thing together.” You offered your pinky. “Are we good?”
He perked up, smiling. He hooked his pinky around yours in a promise. “We– We’re good. Does this make you, like, step— step-grandma, or—?”
“Omg, no,” you said quickly with a laugh, pulling back and settling against the pillows behind you. “No way. Don’t let that stick. Pretty sure Summer would run with that if she heard it.”
[ ]
That night, Rick came into your room a little after 2AM. You didn’t know that he’d listen to the ship’s playback after you and Morty went back to your rooms for the night, and he didn’t plan on telling you. It was good you were around to coddle Morty’s angst. The kid needed that sort of thing. He heard the faith you’d placed in him—a little optimistic, especially after what you’d been through, but that was what made the declaration that much sweeter. He sat with the dangerous feeling you’d instilled in him until he needed to be beside you again. He needed that sort of thing.
He climbed under the sheets and felt around your head again, pleased to find the swelling of your bump had gone down. You shifted as he got comfortable, turning around in his arms and nudging into his side. His arm came around to rest around your shoulder.
“You okay?” You mumbled sleepily. He was sure you wouldn’t even register what he’d say.
He hummed affirmatively. “The Morty problem should be– should be fixed after the day we had. ”
He felt you frown against his skin. “Morty’s not a problem.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Rick rolled his eyes. It was rational to assume that if you were soft on him, you’d be soft with the rest of the family. He’d have to mentally prepare for all the guilting you’d partake in, and how easy it’d be to bend him to your will for his family’s sake if you wanted to. Morty had learned how to do so recently and he fell for it every time. Now that you and him were in some sort of alliance, he could only imagine what boring activities he'd be made to do in the near future... He guessed he could make little concessions here and there to keep his adventure buddy and his girl happy enough to avoid complaints.
At his acceptance, you snuggled closer. “Don’t wanna go on any adventures for a while,” you said.
He huffed a short laugh. That was his and Morty’s gig, anyway.
i just read ur rick fic and OMG this is best the fic EVER!!!!! the understanding of not only ricks but everyone elses character😚😚
something is wrong with me cus i like rick soo much, also i just wanted to ask u r u gonna write more rick fics??
thank u sm for ur kind words! hearing that the characters aren't ooc is one of the best compliments for me <3 im glad u loved the fic!!
if smth's wrong with u then smth's wrong with me lolll im pretty invested in ego for now, but maybe if i hit a block or finish it entirely ill make more fics!
I really like your rick sanchez fic u potrait him sooo accurately argggh. With the new season i just remember how i find him attractive ( and how my friends look at me when i put him in the hear me out cake😔) would u mind if i send fanart of the fic? I can draw ur “reader” and my “reader” hanging out too ( dang multiverse alert) 😭✨
i would not mind at ALLL in fact i would love it if you sent fanart!! omg thats so cool i cant wait to see our readers hanging tgt!! feel free to continue to send whenever no need to ask <3
and me too, when i first got into rnm i gen couldnt believe i found rick attractive but yeah. dont listen to ur friends theyre missing out lolll
getting him accurate means im daydreaming abt him wayyy too much lmao glad u liked the fic so far!! thanks for reading <3 i really like how hes been this new season too, its been peak
EGO — CHAPTER TWELVE
rick sanchez x fem!reader
synopsis. now that you and rick are back at it, your new relationship disrupts the balance of the family -- beth, especially
tw. implied sex, suggestive content, blood and gore
wc. 6.6k
masterlist.
Rick went out like a light; slipping off his lap was a piece of cake. You indulged in a much needed shower before finally getting back to your room. The moon peeked from behind your blackout board when you reunited with your bed, bathing your room in soft, cool light that made the perfect setting for hours of doomscrolling.
You settled against the headboard with your phone in hand when the door swung open. You froze, peering through the dim lighting.
“I can do this now, right?” Rick slurred, stumbling inside and kicking the door shut.
A warm smile pulled at your lips. “Yeah.”
He dropped his bottle and flask on the coffee table, kicked off his shoes, and reclined against the headboard. He lifted his arm around you, sighing once he felt your weight as when you settled against him.
You threw blankets over him as you scrolled, like you hadn’t been fighting for months. As his tired eyes flickered down to you, all he could think of was ‘finally.’ The whole family, back in a state of unbalanced balance, where he still somehow held their affection. He knew he hadn’t apologized perfectly—maybe he never would—but he only knew how to be sorry in two ways: via his brain or via his hands. And he’d already made so many gadgets for you.
“You were pretty strung up at our not-party,” he said. His slender fingers hovered over your thigh. The bullet burn had healed perfectly, leaving your pretty skin unmarred. You lifted your leg into his touch, setting your phone aside. He smiled at the subtle cue. “Needed– Needed someone to hold you?”
You chuckled softly, leaning back against his chest. “I was gonna get what I wanted but someone ruined it.”
“I saved you from being disappointed, honey, promise. Add it to the list,” he mumbled, lips ghosting your neck. You smelled like shea butter and warm vanilla and he inhaled deeply, like he was drunk all over again.
Your heart fluttered, skin taking on a feverish temperature. He felt the shift, ego churning as he got confirmation he was doing something right for you after doing a lot wrong. “I hate that you went outta your way to— to fuckin’ doll up for that random piece of shit—”
“Rick,” you laughed, bright and soft, at how disgusted he sounded. “I was horny, okay? And you haven’t been exactly available, have you? I’ll put the set on for you if you want it so bad.”
“Nah, I’ll get something for you.” Rick hummed. Then, after a moment, “Throw the old ones away.”
You rolled your eyes. “Careful. You’re dangerously close to being a sugar daddy.”
“Yeah, you’d like that, huh?” Rick leaned back to catch your eyes. You tilted your head innocently, and a snide smile grew on his lips. “Nothing happens in this house without me knowing, sweetheart. Not even your off-the-books booty call to your stripper friend to encourage underage drinking. That’s a crime, you know, y— you’re a criminal.”
“Add it to the list,” you teased. You wondered if he knew that you’d killed one of his alternates in your escape from Paradise. Not that he’d care.
“‘Got myself something of a sugar daddy. He’s got just the cutest family.’” He recalled, mocking your voice and earning a jab to his side.
“I meant everyone except you, by the way.”
“Three out of four of them got their genes from me, by the way.”
You sucked in a breath. “I dunno, I think Jerry had more hand in Morty and Summer than you did.”
“Don’t I know it.” Rick grumbled under his breath. “Those poor, poor kids.”
You sat up and turned in his arms, an exasperated grin on your face. “Your so-called strong genes weren’t enough to save them. Put out barely a generation later, how’s that make you feel?” You mimed holding a mic to his lips.
“Yeah, yeah, rub it in.” He grabbed your wrist and tugged it over his shoulder, coaxing you into his lap. You straddled his hips without protest and his hands came to rest on your thighs. “Summer’s promising, at least. Kinda.”
You hummed in approval. “Morty has his moments, too. Don’t roll your eyes, he does.” You pushed your luck a little, cupping his face and turning it to both sides. Rick was surprisingly amenable, letting you touch and manhandle him as you pleased. “Last time you were in here, I choked you out.”
He laughed hoarsely. “I remember the ‘threatening to stab me with a glass bottle’ a liiiitle bit more. Y– Y– You know what? I think the choking made up for it.”
“Dirty old man.” You scrunched your nose, to his amusement. “Rick… I’m different from the others, too, right?”
“Huh?” Rick narrowed his eyes up at you.
“Different, like… I’m not programmed to like you no matter what?”
“Like me?” He grinned, hands creeping up your sides.
“Focus.” You fought to maintain your stern expression.
He scoffed, falling away from you. “D’y– Do you think that I’d—?”
“You did put your tech in me,” you reminded him.
He leaned back and folded his arms behind his head, pursing his lips. “It doesn’t work like that, sweetheart. Citadel’s got some split-brain, Jekyll and Hyde ass procedure and the stuff I put in you makes whatever they do null and– basically null and void.”
“Basically?” You squinted.
“Fi–uuurp—ne, entirely.” He rolled his eyes. “You’re not programmed, you’re not influenced, you’re just you.”
“Hmm. Okay.” You put his hands back on your waist before sliding your own up to his shoulders. He folded his knees up behind you, drawing you closer. His eyes flickered all over your features, sticking over your lips.
“Are we– are we good?” He swallowed, leaning in.
“Mhm.” You drifted closer.
Your nose bumped his and he tilted his head, slotting his lips to yours. You readily returned his hungry kiss, feeling warmth pool in your stomach when he groaned low and soft, just for you to hear. Your eyes fluttered as he pulled you in needily by the small of your back, splaying his fingers over your tailbone— he handled you so confidently, like he knew how you wanted to feel before you did.
“Rick,” you mumbled against him. Your legs itched to squeeze around his hips and satisfy the ache between them.
“I know,” He pulled your lower lip between his teeth, allowing you to finally breathe for the first time since he claimed your lips. Your hands found themselves buried in his hair, pulling at the roots. He moved his focus to the smooth skin of your neck next, kissing down the curve of your shoulder. “Fuck, I needed this— wanted it since that stupid cowboy planet. You’re running hot, baby, how long you been holding out on me?”
You swallowed a shuddering breath as his thumbs breached the waistband of your shorts. Your hips canted forward instinctively and you hid your face in his neck. His quiet laugh made your skin burn hot, though as he grabbed your ass and dragged your hips along for you, whatever embarrassment you felt was quickly forgotten.
“So pent up you gonna get off in my lap?” Rick teased, breath fanning your ear. He was all talk—you could feel him growing underneath your thin shorts, coaxing you into a slow, heady grind. His sharp inhale brought a lazy smile to your lips. “Yeah. That fuckboy you had was gonna be a—fucking waste of your time.” He held your hips down as you rocked teasingly against him, shifting his hips up to match your movements.
“Mm… You sure?” You hummed, pressing a delicate kiss to his neck. “‘Cause you’re getting about as far as he did.”
“Oh— oh, there she is. Found your voice, baby?” Rick shot back.
His warmth left you as he toppled you off his lap onto your back. Your thoughts buffered, a cold flash striking your chest as you considered the possibility of being left there, feeling like that. For a moment, all you could see was his shadow looming over you. The cool mattress sheets provided little relief for your heated skin—the craving long neglected only started to wane when Rick grabbed your knees and split them around his hips, nudging his erection against your heat with just the right amount of pressure to send your nerves buzzing with excitement.
“Hm? Don’t tell me you lost it again.” He grinned as he observed your moon-soaked expression. With one hand, he eased you into an arch. He shrugged off his lab coat, balling it up and stuffing it under your lower back.
“Fuck—” your voice failed you. He looked light, but the weight of Rick’s hips made you starkly aware of how empty you were. “Fuck you,” you manaded to huff weakly, grasping at his arms.
“I’m gonna. Gonna make you feel s’good,” he murmured against your lips, stealing another dizzying kiss. “Don’t you worry, you’re gonna get– Rick’s gonna give you what you need, baby.”
[ ]
Morty tapped his fingers together awkwardly. “So… no adventures today? Y– Y– You’re not gonna pull me out of school and tell me to eat something that looks like shit?”
“No.” Rick sighed, furrowing his brow. He dropped his tools onto his workbench and turned in his chair to his grandson. “What, do you want me to—”
“No! No, just, you know. Just asking.” Morty interjected.
Rick shrugged. “We had some bi–uuurp—g, big adventures last month, y’know? Your mom and dad– I mean, you probably need to catch up on your dumb homework or whatever so they’re not on my ass about that.”
“Ri– Right, yeah, okay.” Morty’s eyes narrowed. He looked around suspiciously, waiting for alien goo to squirt out of the cracks or to take one wrong step and be trapped by overcomplicated technology and for Rick to laugh at the end of it all and say, are you stupid, Morty? You really think you’re getting away? Adventure time, babyyy!
But Rick just turned back to his circuit board without another word. Morty hesitantly made his way out, walking backwards to keep an eye on Rick. As if sensing bullshit, Rick glared over his shoulder. “What the fuck are you doing? J– Just– Would you just leave if you want to leave? And shut the door properly this time!”
Morty hustled out of the garage and slammed the door shut. You passed through the kitchen at the same time.
“Hey, Morty.” Your brows knitted as you took in his bewildered expression. “You okay?”
“Y– Yeah, uh– you notice anything different with Rick? He’s been… he hasn’t wanted me to go on an adventure in, like, weeks.” Morty explained, walking up to the kitchen counter.
“Oh! Um…” You ducked behind the fridge door and grabbed a can of pop. “Maybe he’s otherwise occupied?”
“Uh-huh, sure. Li– Like Rick would ever be happy with just being occu– with—” Morty clicked his tongue. “You get what I mean! He’s never occupied!”
You bit back a smile, popping the can open. “Maybe he found a good pastime, then.”
“What’cha talking about?” Summer chirped from behind you. You jumped in surprise, an opportunity that Summer took advantage of; she plucked the can from your hands and took it as her own. “Hey, did you and Rick stop beefing?”
“Yeah, we came to an understanding.” You gave her a look, smile growing. “Thanks to your meddling, of course.”
Summer grinned and tossed her ponytail over her shoulder. “What can I say? I’m basically a therapist. You’re totally glowing, by the way.”
“I don’t know about that,” you giggled, getting yourself another can of pop and sliding one over to Morty.
He pouted as he fiddled with the pull tab. “It’s just weird.”
“Maybe, but it’s not like you like going on adventures with Rick, anyway.” You asked, eyes widening when Morty’s expression turned sheepish. “You do? After all your complaining—”
“H– Hey, I complain for good reason, okay? He’s– Rick’s fucking insane!” Morty protested desperately, pointing a finger over at you.
“Wha–uuurp— What’s all this commotion?” Rick emerged from the garage. He put his hands in his lab coat pockets. “I can hear your dumb squeaky voice over my chainsaw.”
“Someone’s missing adventures with grandpa…” Summer sang teasingly. Morty stood up on the stool and held his soda over his head, threatening to throw it at her. “Morty, getting defensive is just proving my point.”
“Well, well, well, look how the tables tu—uuurp— look how the tables turned.” Rick rubbed his hands together. “Glad you’re finally in on the program, Morty. I gotta bunch of stuff I’ve been putting off, since, you know…” His eyes met yours. “It’s important to get your rest in.”
“You know, that’s– that’s really nice of you, Rick.” Morty smiled up at him. “But—”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s head out. Fuck school and fuck your homework! You don’t need ‘em anyways.” Rick dragged Morty off the stool and into the garage. Summer’s shoulders drooped; she could tease all she wanted, but she wanted to go on adventures with grandpa just as bad, a wish that often went unfulfilled.
You cleared your throat, making Rick pause in his tracks. He held your gaze as you subtly glanced at Summer. He groaned and threw his head back, glaring up at the ceiling. After a moment, he pushed Morty through the garage door and held it open. “You coming, Summer?”
Summer quite literally brightened up. A precious grin bloomed over her face. “Really? What are we gonna do? Raid something? Blow something up? Raid something and blow something up?”
“We’re gonna watch a movie.” Rick deadpanned.
“Oh. Fun.” Summer followed her brother into the garage, who was busy informing her about the Ball Fondlers franchise and the premise of the newest movie.
Rick watched them load into his ship, closing the garage door enough to hide the two of you from their sight. “I don’t do adventures with—”
“You do now.” You said gently, crossing the room to his side and pressing a kiss to his jaw.
“No—uuurp– promises.” Rick grumbled and stormed into the garage. You heard the ship take off not a minute later.
You smiled to yourself, turning around. Your heart dropped to your ass when you were met with Beth’s shocked face. When the fuck did she enter the room? Heat blossomed over your cheeks as you realized what she must’ve seen. “Oh! Uh... Beth, I—”
“No! It’s okay. It’s your business.” She swiped a wine bottle from the cabinet and swiftly turned around.
You wilted, feeling awkward. “Beth, let me explain—”
“No need! You’re both grown adults!” She cut you off hurriedly, disappearing upstairs.
Shit. A heavy, unsolved weight settled on you, exacerbated by how awkward you felt. You might be Rick’s girl, but Beth was his daughter, first. You could only imagine how she felt. Not that she gave you an opportunity to answer the questions she undoubtedly had.
You glanced down at your unopened soda can. You were going to need something stronger.
[ ]
The Citadel might as well have not happened. If you weren’t in Rick’s space, he was in yours. If you weren’t touching him, he was touching you. If you weren’t talking, he was rambling on and on about a scientific theory you couldn’t bother to remember the name of, checking in every other minute like, you listening, honey? Pay attention, this is where– this is the good part. You’re a smart girl, here’s– how about you say it back to me? One piece of clothing off for everything you get wrong. Sound fun?
The family was a little freaked out by the shift in Rick’s demeanor, walking on eggshells as if any moment he might turn back into the drunk asshole they knew him to be. Even Jerry got through a half-assed conversation with him without being the butt of a joke. He was still a bitch and an asshole, but he was also sweet, sometimes. He’d taken Summer and Morty out for a movie and ice cream with no ulterior motive other than to hang out. His adventures didn’t always serve him, now; every now and then, he allowed himself to just have fun with his grandkids.
If he wanted any rest at all, he’d find himself in your bed. He was gentle with you, a real sweet-talker. You give him what he wanted—to feel wanted, needed, like he’s earned you, because he had. Though he’d never put a name to it, he likes how he feels when he’s with you. He… liked you.
“You’re breathing weird.” Rick said drowsily.
Your eyes peeled open. It had to be 7AM or something, and your body made sure you knew how much it didn’t agree with the time when you sat up and stretched. Rick’s arm was still tucked under the pudge of your stomach, holding fast onto your hip.
“Beth knows.” You sighed.
“So?”
“So? Your daughter, who’s older than me, knows that we’re… And you said you brought me in out of the goodness of your heart— I mean nobody believed you, but you still said it.” You glared down at his peaceful face. “Don’t you think that’s weird to her?”
“I’ll start being considerate of her feelings when she gives up her deplorable taste in men.” Rick said.
You swung your legs off the bed and got dressed. You collected Rick’s clothes off the floor and tossed them on top of him. “Change.”
Rick groaned, batting his clothes aside. “I don’t have any empathy to care when you freak out about things I don’t give a shit about.”
“All the people I’ve been with and I’ve never had this problem… I guess it’s ‘cause I’ve never cared about their stupid families.” You mused to yourself.
“We–uuurp—ll, get used to it, sweetie. I dunno why you’d choose those sorry shits to care about, but I’m defintely not one to talk,” he sat up and pulled his shirt over his head. “Ho– Hold on, wait— Who else? Why’d you– why’d you– why say it like you have a whole list? You know I get pissed when you bring other people up. Not ‘cause I care, just… you know. Why?”
“Shut up and let’s go get breakfast. Wait— actually, you go first then I’ll come after.” You fixed your face in your mirror.
“Stop it,” Rick stood and came up behind you. “This isn’t fucking high school, and I’m– I’m– I’m not hiding from anyone. Have you seen their marriage? They’re the last people you should be concerned about. And Beth knows daddy’s got game. It just so happens that it’s in her face this time. No biggie.”
Your eyes followed him in the mirror’s reflection. “No biggie? It freaks me out! I feel like she’s thinking of ways to kill me or– or something violent whenever she looks at me.”
Rick snorted, shaking his head once. “You’re probably not wrong.”
You whirled on him, dead serious. “Rick.”
He laughed at your fearful expression. “Kidding, sweetheart, m’kidding. Seriously, forget about them.”
“But—”
“Forget about them. Just– Say, ‘yes, Rick, I’ll stop caring about stupid shit.’ Here, le— lemme help you,” Rick took your chin between his fingers and forced you to nod. Your eyes tracked him as your head bobbed up and down, watching his coy smile grow in real time. “Was that so hard?” He crooned and squished your cheeks together, pulling you closer by your face; your hands flew to his wrists to stabilize your stumble. He pressed a sloppy kiss to your puckered lips, during which his hands dropped to your jaw, grip unyielding. You abandoned your worries as you pulled him closer.
Making out with Rick had to be one of your favorite things. It was better than any drink or drug, and yet you always felt high after he had his way with you. There was something so intimate about getting off on each other’s bodies before anything came off; panting into each other’s mouth, kissing until it became all teeth and tongue, and grinding and humping like fucking teenagers until the desire became unbearable, and there was no other conclusion than to rip each other’s clothes off and get that much closer.
His hands always wandered—you weren’t sure there was an inch of your body he hadn’t touched or squeezed—and always found a way to contort you into the most vulnerable positions. He liked having you on display for him, and kissing you until you went dumb let him see you in his favorite state: writhing, breathless, and whiny.
Rick’s hand slid down your back to grip the underside of your thighs, lifting you up so he could fall back onto the couch with you in his lap. You were learning that was his favorite place to have you. His adjusted his hips to support you more comfortably, spreading his legs so you can sink closer to his—
“Hey, I don’t know if you heard, but breakfast is ready.” Beth knocked and immediately barged in without waiting for an answer. “Oh.”
You practically launched yourself off Rick, backing away and tripping onto the bed in the process. You cleared your throat and offered a loopy smile. “Hi– um… Morning, Beth.”
Beth stood idle in the doorway, gripping the doorknob a touch too tight to be normal. Her eyes swung between you and her father in blatant distaste.
Rick’s half-lidded eyes communicated his frustration, throwing his head back against the couch in defeat. “Wh– What? Did I forget to teach you to wait after you knock?”
You swore you saw Beth’s eyes twitch. “Fuck you, dad. It’s my house. Breakfast. Now.” She slammed the door shut behind her.
You buried your face in your hands. “She hates me.”
“Maybe.” Rick rose to his feet. “Better keep those pretty eyes peeled. Y– You’ll never know when she’ll take you out for good.”
You searched his expression for any indication of him being serious, and you thought you found one or two until his eyes creased. You whacked his shoulder as you passed him. “Jerk.”
Leave it to the Smiths to arrive at vampires for casual breakfast conversation.
“Grandpa Rick, couldn't you, like, use your superknowledge to turn yourself into a teenager and come to our school and help us hunt the vampire down?” Summer asked hopefully.
You smiled encouragingly at her, doing everything in your power to avoid looking at Beth. Sitting beside Rick had never felt like a big problem until today.
“Um— wow.” Morty scoffed.
“Yeah, pretty specific pitch, Summer. I probably could turn myself into a teenager and hang out in the zit-covered, hormone-addled, low-stakes assworld that is high school. But here's my reverse-ask—” Rick leaned forward. “Why in the fuck would I ever do that, ever? And how dare you even ask me that? And why aren't you more ashamed of yourself?”
Summer frowned and looked at Jerry. “Dad?”
“Be ashamed of yourself, sweetie.” Jerry didn’t look up from his tablet, a content smile on his face.
“Ignore your grandpa, Summer. He gets cranky when he hasn’t had his bottle,” You said in an effort to save her feelings.
“Or when I get cockblocked.” Rick muttered under his breath, to your horror.
“When y– when you get what? Huh?” Morty spluttered. Rick waved him off and you breathed a subtle sigh of relief.
Beth came around the corner, affronted. “Jerry! I can’t believe you just said that to our daughter!”
“Huh? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention!” Jerry set down his tablet, only now taking in the baffled expressions from those around him.
“To a conversation about vampires?” Beth countered suspiciously, her tone itself a challenge. She sat down across from him.
“Clearly, I didn't know it was about vampires because I wasn't paying attention. Which you would know if you ever paid attention to me!”
“Oh, here we go, right to the victim role.” Beth laughed dismissively, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.
You and Rick exchanged a look. You exhaled softly, massaging your temples.
“Did you have something to say, slut?” Beth snapped at you, eyes wild.
“Woah.” You physically reacted, eyes widening in shock.
“Beth, uncalled for.” Rick said, unimpressed, which only seemed to piss her off more.
“Yeah, mom, just– just ‘cause she worked at a strip club doesn’t mean she’s a slut! That’s– that’s not very– you know, that’s some kind of wrong!” Morty defended you valiantly.
“Slut-shaming,” Summer helped him out. Morty nodded behind her. “You’re totally being a bitch right now. Stereotyping is so not cool.”
“See? Am I a victim, Beth, or am I married to a mean, unfair monster that always hurts everyone?” Jerry asked triumphantly.
Beth let out a barely subdued scream of frustration. Rick gritted his teeth and slammed his fists on the table. “For fuck’s sake! Will you fix your marriage or get a divorce already?!”
Silence reigned over the dining table. Jerry and Beth looked at each other sheepishly.
“We tried a couples' therapist.” Jerry began.
“That's Earth therapy. You might as well ask a horse to fix a merry-go-round. I mean, he'll try his best, but mostly, he's just gonna get horrified. I know about a place off-planet with a 100% success rate.” Rick pointed his fork between the two of them.
“Well…” Beth tapped her fingers against the table. “We want to make it work, if we can. It's just—”
“Then it's settled. No need to pack.” Rick reached over and grabbed Beth’s arm, dragging her around the table. He grabbed Jerry with his free hand, dragging them both out the room. “Let's go, go, go, go!”
You, Summer, and Morty barely had time to react. The garage door opened and closed, Rick’s ship booting up and taking off minutes later. You rubbed the back of your neck, turning the last interaction you had with Beth over in your mind.
“Do you think Mom and Dad are– you know. Do you think they’re gonna get a divorce?” Morty asked his sister.
Summer pushed away from the table and stood. “I think it's okay to dream, Morty. Anyway, I'm gonna go make some wooden stakes.”
Morty sighed, playing with the food on his plate absentmindedly. “You– You’re okay, right?”
“Don’t worry about me, Morty.” You finished your breakfast. You ruffled Morty’s head when you passed by to clear the table.
You dropped the kids to school in their parents’ absence. Rick came back half an hour later, unwilling to explain where Beth and Jerry were. He looked seriously drained. You were washing some dishes when he wandered into the kitchen.
“See what I mean?” You tossed him a look over your shoulder. He leaned back against the counter, watching you. “Beth’s territorial. I bet she’d give up Jerry if it meant keeping you.”
“Which means nothing.” Rick unscrewed his flask and gulped half of it down.
“Which means a lot, because those two don’t know how to live without each other.” You shot back. You hung the last dish to dry and wiped your hands on the random apron you found, turning off the tap. You turned to face Rick, who was, of course, already staring you down. “You’re just that important.”
“Ugh, I’d have stayed over there if I– if– if– if I wanted therapy. Which I don’t want, ever, just– just to be clear.” Rick pocketed his flask. “En– Enough about them. We got interrupted.”
You pulled the apron off and hung it up. “I’m freaked out, and not in the good way.”
He grinned. “I can fix that.”
You giggled and held him back at an arm’s length. “I’m just gonna be thinking about your daughter.”
Rick disengaged from you entirely. “Gross.”
“Yeah, exactly. Until you fix that, Summer’s offer stands.” You turned on your heel and retreated to your room.
You assumed he went to sulk in his garage. Hours passed and you muddied your worries with constant noise, flipping between TV shows, TikTok, Youtube, etc, etc. Whatever therapy place Rick dropped them off should address whatever Beth had going on, right? You figured your optimism would be punished soon enough.
The time came around to pick the kids up, but even that distraction was stolen from you. Stepping out of your room to a party with adolescent drug-seeking high school students was not remotely on your radar. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything like the not-party you had while Beth and Jerry were away months back—there weren’t as many people, a reasonable amount of snacks and punch that you hoped wasn’t spiked.
You made your way to the living room where everyone was gathered only to see a miniature version of Rick strumming a guitar and singing about being old and dying. As if the red flags raised in your mind were telepathically communicated to Summer, she passed you an awkward look.
She left her date to pull you aside. “Did you hear the song?”
“Yes, but—” You glanced over at Tiny Rick. “What’s going on with him? Why does he—?”
“He put his brain in a teenager clone and I think he’s, like, all sad and angsty. Like, ‘help me, I’m going to die?’ That’s a clear sign if I’ve ever seen one.” Summer frowned.
You blinked. “I… I can try to convince him to get back in his proper body.”
“No, it’s okay. This is on me. I think I can get through to him, teenager to teenager.” Summer puffed up her chest slightly. You could see the gears turning in her head already, and you knew better than to stop that train once it started.
“Yeah, you go save your grandpa.” You said. Summer smiled and approached the party. You followed her, eyes lingering over Tiny Rick. Apparently he needs it.
[ ]
The following day was relatively quiet with the kids occupied with Tiny Rick. You wandered into his garage to visit the Rick you knew. He was suspended in a vat of blue fluid, hair waving left and right as he swayed.
He’d never let you fiddle with his work stuff if he was around. You took the opportunity to pull out your box and reconnect with all the things he made for you. You smiled once you pulled out the manicure machine, brushing your thumb over the blue and pink heart detailing he built into the exterior. You sat in his chair and activated, giving your nails a much needed refresh. They were shaped, blue, and glossy within minutes.
You were about to pull out more stuff when the garage door burst open. You spun around to see Tiny Rick panting heavily. He stormed inside and picked an axe up from the shelf.
“Rick, what are you doing…?” You asked nervously.
“Tiny Rick. It’s Tiny Rick!” He yelled, enraged. Tiny Rick’s glare refocused on Rick’s real body. “Say goodnight, old man.” He roared as he charged towards the vat, axe primed and ready to make a killing blow.
“Stop, wait!” You screamed and ran between him and the vat.
Tiny Rick stumbled to a halt, chest heaving. He pointed at you with the axe angrily. “Would you— would you get the fuck out of the way?! I’m not here for you!”
“You’re not killing Rick, Tiny Rick.” You said sternly, crossing your arms.
“What’s– You’re young! He’s old and so, so close to death! You’re gonna die too one day, you don’t think– never crosses your mind what’ll happen if he kicks the bucket before you?”
“Yeah, well—” You glanced to the side, scrambling for a retort. “I don’t think Rick’s capable of dying. And I like him old.”
“I didn’t want it to come for this,” he said solemnly, “because some part of me loves you—”
You were startled out of your vigilance. “Wait.”
“—but I don’t give a fuck about that old man’s feeling right now! I’ll never go– I’m never going back! And if you wanna stand with him so bad, you can die with him!” He let out a battle cry and lunged at you, axe ready to hack one of your limbs off.
You ducked and used his momentum to throw him to the other side of the garage. He crashed through a few vials and boxes before he was back on his feet again with murderous intent. On his second run, the kids burst through the door and tackled him to the ground. Morty held him down as Summer kicked away his axe.
“Summer, you bitch!” Tiny Rick fervently wrestled against Morty, breaking free and stepping back from the three of you.
“Don't talk to her that way! She's your granddaughter!” Morty exclaimed, balling his fists at his side.
“I don't need a granddaughter!”
“She's my sister! And if Tiny Rick is gonna be an asshole to my sister, then, you know, y— y— you may as well be old again.”
“You think you're tough, huh, Morty? What are you gonna do?” Tiny Rick provoked Morty, pushing his shoulders in challenge. “I'm Tiny Rick. I'm the coolest kid in your school. How are you gonna just make me do whatever you say, huh?”
Morty took a few deep breaths to build up his courage before squaring up. “I'm gonna do what real Rick would do if he was here— I'm gonna kick your ass!” He launched himself at Tiny Rick, climbing on his back and putting him in a headlock. “Rick, I know you're in there! I know you're trying to get out!”
They both grunted as Morty flattened Tiny Rick to the garage floor.
“That's it, Morty! Hold him down!” Summer knelt in front of him and pushed earbuds into Tiny Rick’s ears, blasting Elliot Smith. You stood there dumbly, incapacitated by the absurdity of it all as Tiny Rick came around.
“H– How do we get you back into your body?” Morty said urgently, getting off of Rick.
Rick propped himself up on all fours, tears falling down his cheeks. Your interest was piqued—you knew he was guarded, but just how much unaddressed trauma and feelings did he keep buried away that one day as a teenager and some indie folk music was enough to bring him to this state of disarray?
“Okay, listen carefully. There's a set of diodes on the vat's control panel, a blue one and a red one.” He sniffled. “What kind of world is this? I didn't ask to be born. I need you to connect the blue one to my left temple and the red one to why doesn't anyone really like me?”
Your lips pulled into a frown as Summer scolded him. “Focus, grandpa!”
“Just– Just put the stupid wires on my head! I hate being a teenager!” Rick yelled hoarsely. Summer ran around the garage to get the things Rick said he needed, attaching the wires to either side of his temple. The machine hummed as it powered up and the three of you looked expectantly at the real Rick in the vat. With a sharp buzz, the vat broke and Rick dropped to his knees.
“Ugh,” He groaned, weakly propping himself up. Morty came to his side to help him to his feet.
“Pants!” Summer screamed and averted her eyes.
“Thanks, kids. You figured it out. Well– Summer did.” Rick dislodged himself from Morty’s side and put his hands on his hips, glaring down at him. “Kind of weird that you were that willing to sell my existence out for some trim, Morty.”
“Pants!” Summer yelled again, to no success.
You laughed softly, a stupid smile lingering on your face. Yeah. You guess you did love this family.
“But listen, I forgive you both because you know what? I learned something important today… The teenage mind is its own worst enemy. Oh, I also learned this.” Rick pulled a lever, grabbing the discarded axe and hefting it over his shoulder. The room lowered deeper into the ground like an elevator, revealing a completely different setting. Vats of Ricks of all ages were lined up before you. “Operation Phoenix is not the fallback I thought it would be. I guess it's back to the drawing board.”
Rick’s grin was manic as he swung his axe through each, butchering his clones into eyes and limbs, until the floor was soaked with blood. You didn’t know what to think when his violent display made you feel something, especially since his grandkids were shrieking in fear beside you.
“Grandpa's back, baby!” Rick fell to his knees, soaking his arms and chest with blood as he brought his axe down on the last of Operation Phoenix. A crazed laugh accompanied the shiiinnggg of his axe. “Grandpa's—” He paused in his tracks when his phone rang. He checked his notifications, uncaring of the blood smearing his device. “Oh, man, I gotta pick up your parents. They have been blowin' me up.”
He stood and gripped his axe with both hands. “One last swing for the road!” He cut a leg in half, amused by his grandkids’ shrill, terrified cries. His eyes locked with yours as he walked back over to you three, dropping the axe. “C’mere, baby,” he cupped your face and kissed you, slanting his mouth hungrily against yours. “Fuck, I missed you.”
He didn’t care that Morty and Summer were appalled onlookers, and honestly, neither did you. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, freshly done nails digging into his bare skin. He moaned against your mouth and backed you into the workbench behind you, sweeping the contents onto the floor and pinning you against its surface.
“Wh– What the fuck, Rick?” Morty gasped. “When the heck did you guys— Is this what you've been doing all month?”
Rick laughed. “Y- Yeah, Morty, got the sweetest little hobby these days.”
“Gross! Holy shit, grandpa, get a fucking room!” Summer stomped her foot, frustrated by the lack of decorum and lack of clothing.
“This is basically my room, kids, take a hike. Gotta– you got two days outta me. I got shit to take care of,” Rick pressed a button and a stairwell appeared out of the wall. He watched them grumble and complain as they climbed out of the sublevel. He brought your leg over his hip, grinning down at you.
“What?” Your cheeks burned in embarrassment, but you were too enamored to care.
“Nothing,” he mumbled, nuzzling into your neck. “Being a teenager is the worst. So sad and angry all the time, ‘nd so, so horny, baby, s’the worst.”
“Rick, I—” Your breath stuttered when his hands snaked under your shirt and unclasped your bra. “I like you. You know that, right?”
He gave you an odd look. “Yeah, I know.”
“Okay.” You hummed, another concern stopping you from fully relaxing. “You need to pick up Beth and Jerry.”
“They can wait.” He said matter-of-factly.
You grabbed his shoulders to shake some sense into him. “They’re gonna be waiting hours before I’m done with you. You go get them and come back. No interruptions?”
“No interruptions.” Rick agreed immediately. He pulled the lever and brought you both back up to the main garage. He swiped his pants and hopped in his ship, blasting off faster than you’d ever seen him fly.
You peeled yourself off the workbench, waddling over to the bathroom and being so, so thankful that Summer and Morty were nowhere to be seen. At this rate, you didn’t know how you’d be able to face anyone in this house.
EGO — CHAPTER ELEVEN
rick sanchez x fem!reader
synopsis. before you and rick can sort out whatever it is you're still going through, you bump into his ex, unity
wc. 5.4k
masterlist.
If Rick was aware of what you meant to him pre-Citadel, he was being smothered with it now. His regular dates with rumination paled in comparison to unlabeled quality time with you. There was nothing to distract him—no one to distract him. And you used to take his mind off things so well.
He didn’t want distance. He wanted you too close for comfort, because even his penchant for habitual destruction was overshadowed by your absence. He wanted you on his desk, in his chair, in his lap, in his arms, intertwined in such a way that was so inexplicable that even he, the smartest man in the universe, had no way to rationalize it. He was nothing if not obsessive.
But you didn’t need him. Not anymore. The whole point of the arrangement was protecting you from the very thing he left you to fend off on your own. He’d erased the leverage he had on you, and you’d stayed away from him with your newfound freedom. Of course you would. You were protecting yourself where he had failed to do so.
He thought he was making it through having you so close yet so far but unfortunately, uncertainty did a number on him. You were right there, in his arms. He got what he wanted only to lose it just as quickly. He didn’t mean to lie to you again—he was a monster. He only felt the weight of it when you realized it, too.
Sleep eluded him, he had unusual cravings, a stomach for vile substances, and headaches that persisted past any remedy he had. All token symptoms of withdrawal.
[ ]
Morty couldn’t sleep. He knew what he saw, but did he really? That Rick, his barely-approachable, detached grandfather, was hung up on you?
Rick’s face was definitely softer leaving uncertainty—softer than he’d been for months. Even as his dad made joke after joke at his expense, Rick remained tolerant. He simply leaned back against the counter with not one speck of contempt on his face. It made Morty feel uneasy to be honest. He half-expected Rick to set up some elaborate cruel prank as payback, but… there was nothing.
Forcing you and Rick into the same room was the only extraneous variable. Even he could figure that out. And he was particularly interested in restoring whatever was going on between the two of you before the Citadel incident so he could stop worrying about Rick going too far and bringing him down with him.
Morty threw his bedsheets off and raced into Summer’s room. He crept inside and shook her awake. “Hey. Hey, wake up.”
“Morty, what the fuck are you doing in my room…?” Summer didn’t need to open her eyes to know it was her brother. She shoved him back and turned over.
“You need– Summer, wake up.”
“I am up.” She groaned. “Ugh, I hate you. It’s like 2AM.”
“You need to ask Rick to go on a– a– on an adventure tomorrow. Okay? And you have to get you-know-who to come along too,” Morty explained.
“Morty, nobody is awake enough to hear you whispering right now. You can say her name.”
“Sh– You shut up, Summer! J– Just do it, okay? She won’t go on— If it’s just a regular Rick and Morty adventure, she won’t come and Rick won’t just let her tag along, either, so we need to force it.”
Summer propped herself up on her elbow and rubbed her eyes. “All I’m hearing is I get to go on an adventure with grandpa and play matchmaker. I’m in.”
[ ]
That’s how you found yourself in Rick’s UFO. The only other time you’d been inside was when he picked you up from The Lounge and brought you to the house the first time—almost a year ago. The real reason why was unknown to you, of course. The kids weren’t forthcoming about their intentions.
You sat in the backseat with Morty as a hippie song played on the radio. Though you and Rick had definitely jumped over the biggest problem strangling your complex dynamic, uncertainty still lingered between you. The hate didn’t magically disappear—the remnants of it still boiled within you, watered down into a sustained sense of betrayal.
He drew you in and drove you away all at once. Your head and heart were at war with each other. On one hand, he was a walking red flag that you knew you couldn’t rely on. On the other, you and him just… fit.
You didn’t know if things could be like they were in the past, and that’s what deterred you the most. He proved to be irresponsible with your trust. You had nothing left to give him.
It was as if your conversation in uncertainty never happened. You and Rick hadn’t followed up with each other after it, but when he saw you in the living room, he’d stick around. If he used the dining table as an impromptu workspace, you’d ask him about what he was doing.
Polite. It was all so painfully polite. Sterile. Like two opposite ends of a magnet that drew close but never snapped together.
A beep broke you out of your thoughts. “Oh yeah, distress beacon!” Rick cheered, bringing the coordinates up.
“You’re excited about that?” Morty asked.
“The first rule of space travel, kids—always check out distress beacons. Nine out of ten times it's a ship full of dead aliens and a bunch of free shit!” Rick tossed a grin over his shoulder and sped up, bolting through space to the marked location on his GPS.
The ship sending out the distress signal was completely wrecked. It didn’t have many things on board—all systems were dark, the walls were dark and ashy, like a gunfight had transpired. If the condition of the cabin was any indication, you were walking amongst the losing team. Not much treasure to loot, but Rick still drew a symbol that would get the authorities off his trail.
A door opened behind you. You all spun around in shock, a half dozen blue aliens rushing out with relieved smiles, clothed in two-toned green space suits. Yellow-tipped antennae portruded from their heads, framing their faces like a crown.
Rick quickly hid his spray can behind his back. “Oh! You’re alive! That’s… great.”
“Can you help us?” The only woman asked hurriedly. “Our planet was taken over by some kind of… some kind of entity! It absorbed the minds of our people!”
Oh…. Yeah, that didn’t sound like something you wanted to deal with. You stepped back behind Rick, the picture of nonchalance as usual, and the kids retreated behind you. His arms crossed as he listened to their case.
“We didn't notice until it was too late. The people it takes over, they look like your friends, your family, your leaders, but they're not… themselves any more. They're part of it.” One of the men explained.
“And how do you know it didn't get on the ship with you? Those two ding-dongs seem pretty calm about the whole thing.” Rick pointed to two of the aliens hanging around in the background.
You all stared at them for a moment. They blinked slowly, sweat beading on their foreheads. With a scream, they pounced on their friends, yanking their heads back and throwing up into their mouths.
Summer exclaimed in disgust and hopped back against the wall. You turned your eyes away and took a deep breath to suppress the building nausea. You finally peeked when the screaming and commotion stopped. Confusion settled into your features when you saw them all standing the exact same way with the exact same expression on their faces.
“Hello, Rick. Long time no see.” They said in unison.
Your nose scrunched at their tone. It sounded coy, sweet, and knowing, like there was history.
“Unity?” Rick’s jaw dropped.
Your face remained tense. You rarely saw Rick caught off guard—in fact, you’ve never seen him so surprised.
Rick scratched the back of his neck nervously. The action alone piqued your interest further—Rick? Nervous? “Uh, these are my grandkids, Summer and Morty. Summer, Morty, this is, uh— this is Unity. We sort of used to… date.”
Oh.
Your gaze collided with Rick’s, both of your expressions unreadable.
The ride down to the planet was mostly silent, save for Rick and Unity’s quiet conversation. He didn’t seem very relaxed. You wondered if they ended on good terms. Did it break up with him? Or did he break up with it? How long ago did this happen?
Summer looked around at the zombified individuals around her, her distaste palpable.
“You okay?” You whispered.
She huffed. “No. This was supposed to be our trip with grandpa. This body-stealing bitch is—”
“Woah, woah,” you laughed softly, missing Rick’s glimpse over his shoulder at you. “They seem to be on good terms.”
“They’re not supposed to be. This makes it so much harder to—” She cut herself off when Morty glared over at her urgently. “Whatever. Who’s on good terms with their ex, anyway?”
The ship landed on the planet, a platform extending from the blast doors soon after. Rick was the first to disembark. “Quite an operation you got here, Une. You're a whole planet now huh?”
Civilians spoke up one by one as you passed them. “After we broke up, I spent some time wandering through space. I found this world, where I was better able to focus on my passion for unification.”
You stopped before a woman who looked like the leader of the collective, clothed in a purple suit jacket and black skirt. This form was blue like all the rest, its skin tone bringing out the purple in its hair.
“You mean stealing peoples’ bodies?” Summer snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Summer, rude.” Rick pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why don't you kids run off and play with Unity while Unity and I do some catching up.”
“Rick, you haven’t introduced me to this one,” Unity in its presidential form approached you with a smile.
Rick’s eyes went wide. “Oh, uh– yeah. That’s… She’s my—”
“Babysitter.” You answered on his behalf with a tight-lipped smile. You were regretting coming along on this adventure with each passing second, a sentiment the kids seemed to share if their unimpressed expressions were any indication.
“Oh! Well, you don’t have to do that while you’re here. You’re a guest! I’ll keep the kids safe, out of trouble… you know. Occupied!” Unity beamed, glancing over your faces for any signs of rejection. When it found none, four aliens came up to Summer and Morty.
“W– Wait! Rick, aren't these people going to barf into our mouths and absorb us?” Morty cowered behind you to avoid the aliens coming to take them away.
Unity chuckled and put its hands on its hips. “You're all guests here on my planet. You're free to be yourselves. I've never been good at… disappointing Rick.”
There was that tone again. Your eyes flickered between it and Rick, heat bubbling low and deep within you. You felt silly for feeling that way, and you weren’t even sure what way you felt.
Summer and Morty’s shared look went unnoticed, both of them internally panicking, their plan now out of their control. Summer put a hand on your shoulder, clearly aware of your discomfort. “Um, grandpa Rick, I think we should go—”
“It’s okay, Summer. You kids should go and explore.” You swallowed whatever you were feeling, avoiding Rick’s attentive eyes like the plague.
You shook your head quickly. You’d been so excited to explore outer space, once. “No, no. I’d love a… a tour, maybe? If—”
“Yes!” Unity chirped, clapping its hands together. “I would love to show you all around. In fact, I have a person just for that!”
A female tour guide emerged from the crowd and greeted you and the kids, pulling you all away from Rick. A little peace and quiet was just what you needed.
Morty and Summer chose to rest on top and watch their faces get carved into a mountain. Rick may not have played a big part in their upbringing, but his vanity seemed to be genetic.
You split from them to wander around the spotless streets. The tour guide was silent, as if operating on autopilot, but to be fair, there wasn’t much to look at. The planet was perfect… too perfect.
The tour guide buffered for a moment before life was breathed back into her. “How did you come to know Rick?”
“Uh…” You said dumbly, not expecting any dialogue between you and Tour Guide Unity. “I care for his grandkids.”
Unity’s eyes lowered, a bashful smile spreading on its lips, like you’d confirmed something it knew about him. “He said he changed. I want to believe him, but… can you tell me? How he’s been?”
The hope in its eyes deepened the pit in your stomach. A month ago, you’d have used this opportunity to ruin something Rick clearly treasured, to hurt him the way he hurt you. But you found you were devoid of that desire. “He’s… Rick’s fun. He’s a fun guy, takes his grandkids on all sorts of adventures, especially Morty. He can be rough and mean sometimes, but he tries.”
“Yeah?” Unity brightened.
“Yeah.” You inhaled sharply. These conflicting emotions were eating you alive, and having to see Unity and Rick together was not helping. “You know where Rick’s at? I think I’m ready to get back home.”
The tour guide’s shoulders fell slightly. “What, already? Are you uncomfortable? We can find somewhere to get you off your feet, if you want.”
You smiled apologetically. “Your planet is great, Unity, don’t take this the wrong way. I haven’t been feeling the best lately and was kinda dragged out here, so… I just want to get back.”
“Well…” Unity nodded slowly, lips pressed together in a thin line. “Rick’s, uh… He’s— we’re—”
Your heart dropped into your stomach, but you maintained your unbothered expression. You held up a hand to stop its attempt to stall. “You don’t have to explain anything to me, I just need his portal gun.”
Unity hesitantly led you to a giant arena. Massive cheers billowed over its high walls, all chanting, Rick! Rick! Rick! You doubled down on your earlier assumption.
By the time you reached the entrance to the stadium, hundreds of assimilated filtered out. They were dressed as any casual civilian was but they were undeniably high out of their minds. They stumbled around, throwing up and tweaking out on the gravel.
“What happened here?” You mumbled, stepping over an unconscious man.
“Hard party, hard drugs. The usual with Rick,” the tour guide said.
Rick used two assimilated as crutches to stumble out of the stadium. He was wearing a sombrero of all things, and somehow in the past few hours, grew a mustache so long it curled at the ends.
“What’re you doing here?” Rick waddled over to you and no less toppled over into your arms. You pushed him upright, getting bumped by his wide sombrero in the process. He smelled like booze and drugs, but then again, when did he not?
Waves of memories of slumming it in his garage late at night came rushing back. You took a step away from him and cleared your throat. “I just came for your portal gun. I wanna go home.”
“No. You’re staying.” His nose scrunched in distaste.
“No, I’m going.” You mentally prepared yourself for the rings you’d have to jump through to get him focused enough to do this for you. “Rick?”
His eyes lifted past you as a ship descended behind you. Identical humanoid men descended the ramp, cloaked up in dark capes.
“That’s Beta-Seven, a neighboring hivemind. Our planets maintain a practical relationship to exchange vital resources, so be nice,” Unity pulled Rick in line. He reluctantly straightened up.
“Unity,” Beta-Seven smiled. Its eyes narrowed as it swept over you and Rick. “Is it a bad time? Are all present lifeforms assimilated?”
“Beta-Seven, these are my single-minded guests, Rick and his grandkids’ babysitter.” Unity explained with a polite smile. You forgot that’s what you labeled yourself as. Hearing it said back to you made your blood boil.
Beta-Seven’s demeanor changed entirely. His half-hearted attempt to maintain the polite introduction didn’t go unnoticed. Your little walk allowed you the time to realize that it wasn’t jealousy you were feeling—you didn’t have Rick to fear losing him. He wasn’t yours at all, though somewhere along the line you’d believed that was the case. It was envy for the closeness and understanding that he had with Unity. The same envy you knew Beta-Seven was feeling for Rick, because of Unity.
Rick and Unity were deep in a conversation about some complex crystal compound. Beta-Seven’s lips were furrowed in a deep pout. Is that what you looked like when you first understood what was going on?
“Hey,” you approached him. You desperately needed a distraction. “What’s your planet like?”
It took Beta-Seven a moment to tear his focus from Unity. “Perfect. Identical lifeforms all working in perfect harmony. Very efficient.”
You hummed, nodding to the pod he came in. “Do you have little ships with Beta-Sevens locked and loaded to drop to deliver messages?”
It cracked a smile. “Maybe. Do you want to see how it works? How, uh… how my ship works? I can tell you now, my weapons systems are something to write home about.”
“You’d let me see? I’m not really looking to be assimilated.” You crossed your arms playfully.
“I suppose I can make an exception in this case.” It put a hand on your back and guided you closer to his ship. The dozens of Beta-Sevens parted around you to clear a path, all looking over at Unity. It wasn’t hiding its true motives, but you didn’t care.
“Woah, hey,” Rick yanked you back. He spun you behind him and jabbed a finger at Beta-Seven. “Y– You can invade this planet all you like, buddy, but me and my people— we– we’re not up for grabs.”
“No?” Beta-Seven challenged all-too-gleefully.
“No.” Suddenly, his portal gun appeared in his hands. He turned to you over his shoulder. “You– you wanted to go home, didn’t you?”
“It’s okay, I think I found something else to pass the time,” you reasoned as you slid past him back to Beta-Seven. “Beta-Seven was gonna show me around its ship and take me through its weapons systems. I think it’ll last ‘til you’ve finished catching up with Unity, and it’d be better to all go home together, anyway.”
“Weapons systems…?” Rick’s jaw clenched and his glare narrowed. He assessed Beta-Seven’s vessel and barked a laugh. “Please. You’ve seen my weapons systems. Y– You’re not gonna find any others better than mine.”
“She’ll never know until she looks, will she?” Beta-Seven put a hand on your shoulder.
“...Ri–uuurp—ght.” Rick snapped through gritted teeth.
“Unity said be nice, remember? Have fun with your drugs.” You waved before taking your leave with Beta-Seven.
Once the spaceship doors closed behind you, you and Beta-Seven broke away from each other, dropping the act. Its ship was dark, gloomy, and minimalistic. There were no windows, but there were a collection of screens down the hallway, which were the only things providing any sort of light.
Beta-Seven smiled sympathetically. “Rick Sanchez is yours, isn’t he?”
You put your hands on your hips as you paced. “No. Is Unity yours?”
“No.” It admitted. “I hate feeling this way. I should want to assimalte Unity and its entire planet. I can tell you’re the same—you have the same look I see on my lifeforms when I think about Unity.”
“That makes two of us.” You mumbled. “Is it always like that? I wouldn’t take Unity for a party animal.”
“It was like that a long time ago. I worry about Unity. It’s made so much progress on its planet. But this single-minded disease shows up and suddenly, it’s missing meetings and making drugs, blowing up cities…” Beta-Seven drew in a slow breath.
You pursed your lips. “You’d probably be better off not worrying about Unity. You’d probably be better off running far away. You’d probably expand quicker.”
“I know.” Beta-Seven shrugged. “But you understand why I won’t.”
“Yeah,” you muttered. You were both trapped by people that were bad for you (you more so than Beta-Seven—Unity seemed pretty nice) and simultaneously trapped by the inescapable feeling of wanting them. “I do.”
[ ]
Rick felt like he was having déjà vu. Being here on Unity’s planet, surrounded by bass-boosted music, smoke, drugs, and alcohol was like the party he had almost seven months ago, and he felt just as stupid and just as empty as he did back then.
He was going in circles and he was fed up with it. If you thought you were going to outdo him in avoidance or passive agressivity, you were wrong. He more or less spilled his guts out to you and you still weren’t budging. He might have let you set the terms up until now but at this point, he knew they were shit. The fact of the matter was that you were his and he was tired of fighting that. Since when did he play by anyone else’s rules than his own?
Seeing Morty and Summer pissed him off. He had the mind to feel bad, but not the will to act on it. The last thing he needed was them to come at him from their moral high ground, telling him that he should leave Unity be and come home with them. Where did they find the balls to tell him what to do? When did he stop being that untouchable mystical man they blindly obeyed? Was it because he hung out with them intentionally for six months? He made a mental note to never do that again.
“You and Unity are like... like... leggings and mid-calf boots. You think you're great together but you're just bringing out the worst in each other!” Rick couldn’t be bothered to debunk whatever poorly-conceived comparison Summer had for him.
“Oh, boy, Summer. Well put. Why don't we see what Unity thinks?” He turned to get an assimilated to back him up, but Summer butt in before he could get the support.
“Fuck what Unity thinks! Respectfully.” Summer crossed her arms. “You should be worried about someone else.”
“Yeah, Rick— uh, there’s someone else that you have a thing with, right? Y– Y– You want to stop all the near-death experiences and, I dunno… set– settle down for a bit?” Morty smiled hopefully.
“Settle– settle down? What the fuck are you talking about?” Rick threw his bottle to the ground and charged through the shards towards Morty.
“Reeeal subtle, Morty.” Summer rolled her eyes.
“H– hey, I was just tryna help!”
“Bi—uuurp–g Rick doesn’t need your stupid help,” Rick groaned, turning his grandkids swiftly and putting a portal in front of them.
“Wait, wait, wait! Just— we all know you guys are beefing!” Summer exclaimed, resisting his push. “But I know she loves you, like we all do, just like you love us. So you need to fix it. Okay, grandpa Rick? That starts with leaving Unity and coming home with us.”
“What? Dumb.” Rick scoffed, even though he paused over the thought that you liked him. “Bye.”
“Ugh,” you fanned the air around you as you entered the room. Rick’s shoulders grew tense. “What’s going on?”
“We were just about to go home.” Summer retorted, taking a couple steps towards the idle portal. “Right grandpa?”
“What were you up to?” Rick asked, completely distracted, much to the kids’ annoyance. “Huh? Beta– fucking Beta-Seven kept you nice and warm?”
You rolled your eyes and ignored him, walking over to Summer and Morty. “Home sounds great.”
He grabbed your arm and forced you to look him in the eyes. “What’d you do with Beta-Seven?”
“What’d you do with Unity?” You stared back, wrenching your arm from his grip. He didn’t respond, but the air around him was charged, like any wrong move would make him blow. Unity’s assimilated looked concerned, and maybe it realized that Rick hadn’t changed much at all.
You sighed. “It showed me around and taught me how to use some of the controls. He had some good wine, too—we had some of that. Are you coming home or not?”
No response. Surprise, surprise.
“Come on, guys. Rick’s got unfinished business to deal with.” You held his gaze until you turned around.
[ ]
Another three hours passed before Rick made it back home. No sombrero, no mustache, no over-the-top costume. The minute he entered the living room, Beth gave him an ultimatum which he accepted without protest—strike one. Summer asked about Unity, who he condemned so casually, he might as well have not spent the entire day with it—strike two. He didn’t so much as glance at you—strike three.
“I’ll be in the garage if you need me,” he said. Strike four. Rick would never leave the option open to come into his space. It was always, I’m working on something, if you bother me I’ll strand you somewhere or something to that effect. If you didn’t know any better—and you knew better—he was asking to be checked on, unintentionally or not.
You weren’t sure what could’ve happened since you and the kids left, but Rick was different. Bad different. Knowing Rick was like knowing yourself, and his expression told you that he was done coping. He was tired, for once, of himself. From there, it didn’t take much internal debate to gather up the willpower to follow him.
You heard chemical reactions unfolding before you even opened the door. The sunset drenched the cool-toned garage into something just shy of welcoming. It’d only been a few weeks since you’d been inside and not much progress was made. In fact, it was in worse condition than ever.
“Rick?” You closed the door behind you.
He was sitting down when you looked over. He threw a red lightbulb over his shoulder. It shattered a few feet away from you. You tiptoed through the debris. You didn’t even know what you were going to say to him. He just had to sorta redeem himself, didn’t he? Hating him was far easier than…whatever this was.
A low whirr made you glance up. He lined his head up with some laser—his baby blue hair lost its hue as red light glowed around him. Dread shot through your gut—you assumed the worst and rushed in, pulling his chair back. The laser fired and missed his temple by a few inches. “Holy shit.”
Rick struggled to hold himself upright. The blank man you saw in the living room was gone, his dead eyes overshadowed by the most sorrowful frown you’ve seen to date. You lowered your voice as you asked, “Rick? Were you going to…?”
“Why do you care?” He muttered.
You sucked in a sharp, irritated breath. It was like him to use your line against you. “Were you?”
“Why do you care?” He tugged himself closer to his desk, away from where you cornered him. He wiped his eyes and swiped at his nose. “You don’t care. Made that pre–uuurp—pretty clear today.”
“I–” You huffed in disbelief. “I don’t want you to die, are you kidding?”
“Did I really fuck up that bad?” He turned in his chair to look up at you, leaning against the backrest with his long legs sprawling across the floor. “Huh? Di– Did I fuck up so bad you felt the need to satisfy yourself with Beta-Seven’s shitty, low-grade, 18th century weapons systems? I– I could make its entire matrix with a box of scraps and a dead fucking battery. I could do that shit in my fucking sleep.”
“I don’t— What? I don’t doubt you could do that.” You whispered. You hadn’t expected your distraction to work so well on him. The absurdity of his jealousy lit a fire within you.
“So why?!” He yelled, shooting up to his feet, the force of it sending his chair into the desk behind him. You took an involuntary step back as he began to close the distance between you. “I gave you an out. Why would you go off with that piece of shit? To– to– to spite me? To show how you like eeeeverybody except for me? Th– That you’ll tolerate every entity just not the one standing right in front of you? Huh? Is that how we’re playing this?”
“No!” You retorted. “Rick, you saved me but you also gave me up! How the fuck am I supposed to feel?”
He seethed quietly as he paced around you. “I got even with you. I gave you my collar. What more do you want from me? Do you still hate me?”
You glanced to the side. “No, but… I put all my trust in you and you screwed me over because… I don’t know. You felt a little scared? A little unsure? What’s gonna happen the next time Rick decides I’m not worth his time anymore?”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“I can’t trust you, though, can I?”
He let out a ragged, desperate sound, and stepped even closer. Before you could think of avoiding him, his large hands clamped shut around your wrists. His grip wasn’t bruising, but absolute, anchoring you to him. Up close, the heat and intoxicating scent radiated off of him, making him impossible to fight. “No, no, no, I don’t care if you– if y– if you trust me or not. Let’s— I’m done doing this with you. It’s going back to how it was.”
You rolled your eyes. “That’s not how it works.”
“It works how I say it works.” With a swift, sweeping motion, Rick collected his chair and fell back into it. He reached out fast enough to yank you closer and pull you into his lap. He swallowed your resistance until you fell limp on top of him, knees tucked to the side. “It was a stupid lapse of judgement ‘nd it’s never gonna happen again.” His hands rested on your hips, squeezing like he was refamiliarizing himself with you once again, and he rested his forehead against your chest. “I fight with everyone else, sweetheart, don’t make me fight with you. I want whatever you have for me, w– wha– whatever we got going on. Give– give it back to me.”
Your heart skipped and heat seared your face. “Rick—”
“‘Cause– ‘cause— ‘cause I am a different Rick and you are my girl. The sweetest girl in the whole– in the whole galaxy.” He hugged your midsection, pressing his cheek against your skin. Definitely emotional.
“Okay. You’re drunk or high, or both.” You muttered, peeling his arms off of you.
“S’the only way I can get– can—uuurp—get through the day without blowing my brains out. Cut me some slack,” Rick gripped you tighter. You steadied yourself with hands to his shoulders. “You think I don’t understand what’s going on in that pretty head of yours? I sabotaged myself. Is that what you want to hear? You sidelined me, but I did that. Happy?”
Your eyes shot up to the ceiling. That is what you wanted to hear. Your walls were thinning by the second, threatening to topple over as your fingers slid up the column of his neck and tangled in the messy strands of blue hair. “What happened with Unity?”
“The usual. Didn’t fuck any of it, if that’s what you’re getting at,” he mumbled, visibly relaxing as you slowly came around.
Heat picked at your neck. “Woah, I— no, I don’t care about that.”
“Y– You sure?” There was a smile in his voice now. “Saw your face. My– my girl mad at me ‘nd still getting territorial—looks good on you.”
“No, that’s not—” You cut yourself off with a short laugh. “I’m not your girl.”
“This isn’t— It’s not up for discussion,” Rick slurred, head growing heavy as his high caught up to him. “The stupid fight is over. You’re over it, I’m over it. I– I’m putting my foot down. Yeah.”
You let out a long, slow sigh, the last bits of your anger and bitterness dissolving alongside the sunset. “Rick.”
“Don’t leave.” He mumbled into your skin, barely audible. His fingers clutched the fabric of your clothes before slackening. “You can’t.”
You kept your fingers in his hair, leaning your cheek against his head and hugging him tight. “I’m not leaving,” you reassured him gently.
