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Despite Morty’s much shorter strides, he keeps pace with Rick easily in his excitement to be on the Citadel. True, his grandpa might hate it, and he has his own fair share of bad memories of the place, but there’s something about the hustle and bustle that appeals to him. Maybe it’s the benefits of getting to go somewhere that clearly isn’t Earth without the risks that are usually present in the places he goes with Rick. After all, everything in this place is designed for at least one of the two of them, unlike the alien planets they visit, where even the most innocuous-seeming things could be deadly.
Rick pulls him into some sort of shop and instantly makes for a particular section. It’s clear he knows what he’s looking for, and Morty can identify the look in his eye that means he’s about to spend 45 minutes deliberating between two practically identical products. Not wanting to get involved, he wanders off alone to check out what the store has to offer. The best possible description he can find for it is ‘electronics store’, but there are plenty of items that don’t fit this category. Although the bulk of the shop is clearly intended for Ricks, he notices a small section at the back that seems to be aimed at Mortys, and wanders over, curious.
He’s looking around in interest when his eyes land on another Morty with the unmistakable expression of shock that indicates he’s never been here before. The Morty looks fairly typical, with no clear modifications or mutations of any sort. Even so, there’s something about him that looks subtly different in a way Morty can’t quite place.
“Hey, man.” he greets the other Morty, who starts at his voice, as if being startled out of a trance.
“Oh! H-hey.” the other Morty responds, his voice slightly high, like he’s scared.
“I-is this your first time on the Citadel?” Morty asks, trying to make the other Morty feel better, but also genuinely interested in having an actual conversation with another version of himself. Rick’s disdain for the Citadel means that Morty has spent fairly little time in the presence of his other selves.
The other Morty nods. “Y-yeah. Rick told me about this place, but he doesn’t really like to come here. This is the first time he’s let me come with him.”
“Yeah, my Rick’s kind of the same way. He doesn’t really like the Citadel. I-I think it’s kind of cool, though!”
“Me too! Check out this thing!”
The other Morty indicates a machine that reminds Morty of the stands at theme parks that sell photos taken on rollercoasters. On the screen are many pictures of Morty posing with various girls. Some might be real, taken in other dimensions, and some are clearly edited, but both Mortys amuse themselves by looking through the options, especially when they discover there’s a whole folder for Jessica. The machine has prices listed in a currency Morty doesn’t recognise for printed copies of the photos.
“Why would we pay when we could just take a picture on our phone?” Morty asks, pulling his phone out of his pocket and snapping a photo. When he opens it, instead of the picture he’d been expecting to see of himself with Belle Delphine, the screen shows Rick’s laughing face, flipping him off, with text reading ‘LICK LICK LICK MY BALLS’. The two Mortys spend a couple of minutes tilting their heads at the screen, trying to figure out how it works, even though they both know neither of them has a hope of understanding.
Eventually, the two get bored and turn their attention to a selection of stim toys in various shapes and colours instead. The Mortys are joking around and laughing together when they hear heavy footsteps and a Rick calling out for his Morty, slightly frantically.
“Geez, I wouldn’t want to be that Morty, am I right?” Morty quips, before noticing his counterpart’s guilty expression.
“Aw, geez, that’s my Rick. He’s gonna be mad that I wandered off.”
Morty opens his mouth to reply, but is cut off by the other Rick as he spots them.
“Morty! I-I told you not to wander off like that!”
The other Rick crouches down and takes his Morty by the shoulders in a manner that’s uncharacteristically affectionate for a Rick. His eyes shift to the side and he notices Morty. “Wh-wh-who’s this? What’ve you been doing?”
“I-I’m Morty C-137. I, uh, I actually didn’t ask your dimension, did I?”
“A-70.” replies the other Morty, at exactly the same time as his Rick snaps “None of your business.”
“Rick!” protests the other Morty. “Can you not be rude to my friend?”
“Oh, your friend ? Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise I was in the presence of your esteemed friend. How could I be so selfish as to worry about my only grandson, wh-when he’s busy hanging out with his friend ?”
Again, while the sarcasm is very Rick-like, there’s an air of over-protectiveness beneath it that Morty finds unusual for a Rick or, at least, unusual in that it’s expressed so openly.
“Rick, come on. This is the first time I get to meet other Mortys!” the other Morty whines, and something about it seems to wear the other Rick down.
“Fine.”
“H-hey, Rick, do you think Morty could come over sometime? To our dimension, I mean.” the other Morty asks excitedly.
Rick A-70 eyes Morty suspiciously. “No.”
“What? Why not?”
“Morty, remember what we talked about? Before I agreed to let you come with me here?”
Morty’s emotions shoot between indignation and confusion and concern. He really doesn’t understand whatever is going on here. However, it’s clear that the other Morty does, as he looks down and sighs.
“Yeah.”
“Good. Now, come on, we’ve gotta get home so I can stabilise these cadmium-II coils.”
“Aw, but Rick!” the other Morty protests.
“But nothing! This is very sensitive machinery, Morty! Do you know what happens if I don’t get it home where I can store it properly in the next 10 minutes? Do you? It’ll be useless, Morty, and I’ve just paid 200 blemflarcks for it, so say goodbye to your friend.”
“Aw man.” sighs Morty A-70. “I-it was really nice to meet you. I wish we could’ve hung out some more.”
“Hey, why don’t you stay here with me and my Rick for a bit? Th-that way your Rick can go back and, and sort his stuff out, and we can keep hanging out!” Morty suggests.
“Can I, Rick?” the other Morty pleads.
“No.”
“Aw, c’mon, please, Grandpa?”
Even Morty can see the other Rick’s face soften slightly at the word ‘Grandpa’ for the briefest of moments before he scrunches it up in annoyance.
“Who did you say your Rick was again?” Rick A-70 asks, turning to Morty.
“C-C-C… C-137.” Morty stammers, something about this Rick’s harsh tone making him nervous. Recognition flashes across the other Rick’s face, and Morty worries that he might say no. But, to Morty’s surprise, he sighs and gives in.
“Fine. Where’s your Rick?”
“Th-this way.” Morty heads in what he hopes is the correct direction, the Rick and Morty of dimension A-70 following behind him. Finally, he rounds a corner and finds his Rick, exactly as he knew he would be, poring over two identical-looking products.
“Hey Rick, can my new friend hang out with us for a bit?”
“Sure, whatever, Morty.” Rick responds, clearly not paying attention. The other Rick taps him on the shoulder. “Morty, I’m trying to - oh.” he cuts himself off as he sees Rick A-70.
“Look, pal, I’ve gotta get back to my dimension and deal with these coils before they go critical. My Morty has decided he can’t bear to be apart from his new friend , so will you look after him while I jump back home?”
“Please, Rick?” Morty begs.
“Eh, sure, why not.” Rick responds with a shrug and turns to go back to his items but the other Rick catches his shoulder and stops him. Morty can see him squeezing hard enough to cause pain.
“You better not let anything happen to him, got it? I’m trusting you because you don’t trust other Ricks either, but if anything happens I will know and I will fuck you up.” Rick A-70 hisses, staring intently at Rick for a few moments before pulling out his portal gun and pressing a button. Rick’s own portal gun glows in his pocket and Rick A-70 portals away.
Rick rubs his shoulder irritably and turns to Morty A-70.
“Geez, kid, your grandpa’s a real bag of laughs, huh?” Rick snarks.
The other Morty chuckles nervously. “Yeah, sorry, h-he’s kinda protective.”
Talk about understatement, Morty thinks. It’s unusual to see a Rick act like that towards anyone, let alone a Morty, but part of him is almost jealous that his new friend’s grandpa actually displays affection for him. Morty snaps out of his reverie to see A-70’s nervous expression and quickly pushes away the thoughts to deal with later, smiling at his counterpart.
The two Mortys start to kid around again while Rick picks up and pays for what he wants. Once he’s done, Rick turns to his two grandsons.
“You kids wanna get some lunch?” he asks. Both Mortys agree enthusiastically and Rick portals them home to drop off his purchases before they get into the ship. Surprisingly, Rick remains on Earth, flying to a relatively local restaurant. Morty wonders if he took the other Rick’s threat to keep his Morty safe more seriously than he let on.
The restaurant is fairly quiet, so they don’t have to wait long to be seated or served. Rick is quieter than usual, content to scribble what appears to be blueprints on a napkin until the food comes and then wolfing it down, leaving the Mortys to their bonding. Morty is fascinated to learn what the two of them have in common and what they don’t, amazed that another version of him can be so different and yet so similar at the same time.
At first, the other Morty seems to be enjoying himself too, since it’s quite a novel experience for both of them to actually interact with a kid their own age, even if it is just another Morty. As the meal goes on, however, Morty notices A-70 start to get more uncomfortable, eyes flicking around uncertainly, squirming in his seat.
“H-hey, man, you OK?” he asks his other self. A-70 starts slightly at his question.
“Y-y-yeah, I just, I, um… I need to pee.”
Morty is surprised. “Oh, well, I-I think I saw the bathrooms just over there.”
His other self shakes his head. “Yeah, I just, I, um, I, my Rick, um, my Rick normally comes with me.”
Morty feels his eyebrows raise. “Your Rick won’t even let you go to the bathroom alone?” Rick A-70 had seemed unusually overprotective, but that seems too far for any Rick.
“N-no, it’s not that, it’s, um, I… I don’t like going alone. He comes with me… to make sure nothing happens.”
Ah. That makes more sense. Morty remembers all too well what had happened to him in that tavern in the giant courthouse steps. It had taken him a while to be able to go into public bathrooms after that, too. In fact, he clearly remembers a time when he’d wet himself in Rick’s ship because he hadn’t been able to bring himself to even enter a bathroom on one of their adventures, much less use it. He knows Rick must have known the reason because, for once, Rick hadn’t snapped at him or made fun of him for it, which, in a way, had been even worse. Still, that had been a long time ago, long enough that Morty is now usually able to use public bathrooms without too much of a problem. However, it makes sense that something like this could have also happened to this Morty, and that he’s still affected by it. That would explain why his Rick seems so overprotective, too.
“H-hey, man, it’s OK, I get it. I’ll come with you.”
A-70 seems to brighten at that. “R-really?”
“Sure!”
The two Mortys head for the bathroom. When they get there, A-70 heads for the stall, which surprises Morty slightly, given his own history, but he concludes that maybe this Morty had something happen to him at a urinal instead, or that the lock makes him feel safer, or maybe he just has to take a dump. However, A-70 comes back out almost immediately after entering.
“I-it’s out of order.” He says, wringing his hands nervously.
“W-well, hey, we’re the only ones in here. If you want me to guard the door while you use the urinal-”
“I can’t.”
“I-it’s OK, I can even wait outside if you want-”
“I can’t!” the other Morty cries. His response surprises Morty, and he flinches slightly.
“W-why?”
“Because I don’t have a penis!”
“Wha-I… d-did something… happen to it?”
“No, I never had one!” A-70 is getting increasingly frustrated and Morty doesn’t understand. “I-I’m transgender.”
“You’re a girl?”
“I was a girl. Not anymore.” A-70 responds, looking at the floor, one arm wrapped across his chest, clutching his opposite arm. “I-I thought you knew.”
“N-no, I-I didn’t realise. Sorry, man.”
A-70 doesn’t respond, and Morty feels himself talking nervously to try and make the situation better. “Can’t you, like, use the women’s?”
A-70 grimaces at that, and Morty knows he’s said the wrong thing. He panics more and keeps talking.
“O-or, hey, I think my Rick has a centipede you can swallow that eats your pee! D-do you want me to ask him?”
The other Morty nods, and Morty thinks that he must really not want to use the women’s if he’d rather swallow the centipede. He doesn’t understand, but he doesn’t want to make things worse for his other self. He places a hand on A-70’s shoulder.
“C-come on, let’s go ask him.”
A-70 seems hesitant. “W-w-what are you going to tell him?”
This stuns Morty. “Uh, that you need to pee but you can’t because the bathroom is out of order?”
“You won’t tell him that I’m… trans, will you?”
Morty blinks. “Why not?”
“My Rick said I shouldn’t tell people. He says they might try and hurt me.”
“What? Come on, it’s Rick. You’re his grandson. He doesn’t care if you’re different to the other Mortys. There’s Mortys that are cowboys a-and hammers and all sorts of things.”
A-70 seems a bit more willing but still worried. “OK. B-but can we at least ask him in private?”
Morty smiles reassuringly at his other self. “Sure thing, man!” A-70 smiles back at him, weakly, and he feels a slight sense of relief.
As they walk back to the table, Morty sees A-70 holding his hands together at his solar plexus, exactly the way he does when he’s nervous. No matter how many other versions of himself he sees, he doesn’t think he’ll ever stop being amazed at the similarities.
They reach the table and Rick looks up at them.
“R-rick, can we talk to you outside?”
Rick’s eyes flick between the two Mortys, trying to work out what’s going on.
“Fine.” he gives in after a few seconds, standing up. The three of them walk outside to where the ship is parked.
“Wh-what is it, Morty? I-if you’re about to ask if you guys can go somewhere private so you can masturbate with twice as many hands, fine, but at least wait until I’ve had dessert.”
“What? No!” Morty exclaims, shocked by the suggestion. “No, Rick, I… do you have the centipede?”
This seems to throw Rick off his rhythm. “The… centipede?”
“The pee centipede. The one that you swallow it and it makes you not have to pee.”
“Oh, that. I-I mean, sure, but didn’t you just go to the bathroom? What do you need the centipede for?”
“It was out of order.”
“What? No it’s not. I used it earlier.”
“The stall is.”
Rick’s expression is a mixture of confused and exasperated. “It only eats pee, Morty. If you have to take a dump, y-you’ll just have to go in the bushes or something.” he waves vaguely in the direction of some nearby bushes.
“No, Rick, it’s not for me. It’s for A-70. He can’t use the urinals.”
Rick eyes A-70 questioningly. “Why not?”
Morty pauses, looking at A-70, not sure whether he should tell Rick or not.
“I-I don’t have the… equipment.” A-70 mumbles, gesturing vaguely towards his crotch.
Rick shrugs and tosses the centipede to A-70, who catches it and chokes it down in a way that tells Morty this isn’t the first time he’s done this. Poor guy must really not want to use the women’s if he’s voluntarily choosing this option instead.
“So, you have an accident, or you just never had one?” Rick asks, casual as ever, pulling his flask out from his lab coat and sipping from it. Despite having already swallowed the centipede, A-70 chokes again.
“Rick!” admonishes Morty. “Y-you can’t just ask that!”
He regrets his outburst immediately, worried that it makes the answer obvious. He’s never had a Morty friend before, and he doesn’t want to lose this one.
Rick shrugs. “Why? I-it’s not a big deal, Morty. You think I’ve never met a trans version of you before?”
“There’s more like me?” A-70 exclaims.
“Sure, there’s loads, in both directions. Plenty of Ricks who thought they only had granddaughters just to learn they actually had a grandson, or vice versa.”
“Why did you - why did my Rick never tell me?” A-70 seems shaken.
“I-I dunno, kiddo. Maybe he never met any. N-no offense, but your Rick, I don’t get the impression he gets out a lot.”
“Will you take me to meet them?” A-70 asks.
“Oh. I mean, I-I guess I could. I don’t exactly know their dimensions offhand.”
“Hey, yeah, y-you could like, form a club, o-or a support group, or something!” Morty suggests excitedly.
“Psh. La-ame!” Rick snorts. Morty shoots him a disapproving look, and he quickly backpedals. “What? Everything you’re into is lame, Morty. A-anyway, I want my dessert, c’mon.”
Rick ushers them back into the restaurant and Morty notices his other self seems much happier and more animated. He decides not to comment on the fact that Rick lets A-70 order first, or the fact that he lets him get both options when he can’t decide between two. The rest of the time passes pleasantly, much more so than usual, and Morty can’t help but feel a tiny prickle of jealousy at the fact that Rick is rarely so nice to him. At the same time, he’s enjoying having a good time with his grandpa, enjoying actually having a friend.
A few times, he catches Rick staring in the way he recognises to mean that Rick is doing something inside his own head. Once they finish, Rick pays, and they walk out of the restaurant before portalling back to A-70.
That dimension’s Rick is sitting on the couch, idly channel-hopping through interdimensional cable. However, his expression and the speed with which he gets up when he sees them betrays his nervousness.
“H-hey, buddy. Did you have a good time?” he asks his Morty, ruffling a hand through his hair as Morty A-70 runs into his arms for a hug. Again, Morty feels a familiar pang of envy at their easy affection. He wonders if this Rick was more affectionate with Morty when he thought he was a girl, and the habit never broke, or if they’re simply closer than he and his Rick are. He thinks again of the way his Rick treated this Morty earlier, but quickly pushes the thoughts away to deal with later.
“Rick! A-apparently there’s other trans Mortys! Can we go and see them sometime?” Morty A-70 asks, and his Rick visibly stiffens.
“What did-” he begins, but Rick cuts him off, pressing a spot in his temple where Morty assumes an implant is hidden.
“I’ve sent a list of coordinates to your portal gun, if you want to check ‘em out. T-they’re split by gender, depending if your Morty wants to just meet other guys or not.”
The other Rick doesn’t look pleased, but his Morty grins massively.
“Thank you, Rick!” he exclaims, and his Rick’s expression softens as he sees his Morty’s happiness.
“C-come on, Morty, we’d better go.” Rick turns to him, waving off the other Morty’s gratitude.
“O-OK, Rick.” Morty turns to his other self. “I-I had a lot of fun today! We should do this again sometime! I’ve never been friends with another Morty before!”
“Yeah!” the other Morty replies enthusiastically, grinning at being called a friend. He turns to his Rick. “Can I, Rick?”
Rick A-70 looks at his Morty’s pleading eyes, then at their counterparts. “I guess so.”
“Yes!” the other Morty punches the air.
The two Mortys wave at each other as Morty steps through the portal with Rick. They emerge next to the ship and both get in.
They fly in silence for a few minutes while Morty tries to decide if it’s worth spoiling the happiness with his question.
“What is it, Morty?” Rick sighs.
“Wh-what?”
“I can tell you’re building yourself up to say something. Just spit it out.”
“W-well, I, um… you were really nice to that other Morty.”
“Weird way to thank me for paying for a meal for you and your friend.”
“I just mean… why do you never do that for me? You’d never let me get two desserts.”
“How else should a grandpa react to his grandson’s coming out?”
“C-coming out?”
“Coming out, like out of the closet? C’mon, Morty, you must’ve heard that one before.”
“I-I have, I just… would you do that, for me, if I came out?”
“If you came out, sure. Why, you got something you want to tell me? Or you just want double dessert?” Rick looks at him expectantly, and Morty isn’t sure how to respond.
“D-did you say there’s girl Mortys? Like Mortys like me who… became girls?”
“Sure, Morty. I-i-is that really such a shock to you? Ah, what am I saying, you had your mind blown by a cowboy version of yourself.”
Morty takes a moment to think. “So… it would be OK if I was one of them? If I wanted to be a girl?”
“Boy, girl, anything else you can think of, whatever you want. Y-you’ll still be the same pain in my ass either way.”
Morty feels a small smile spreading across his face. He knows what that means in Rick-speak. And though he’s never given much thought to his gender identity before, it’s nice to know that he’ll be accepted whatever happens.
The jealousy he feels at the thought of Rick A-70 openly worrying about his Morty, hugging him casually, treating him like a grandson instead of a problem still needles at him, but it’s easier to ignore in the warm glow of acceptance. He knows it’s something that will come back to haunt him at the worst moments, usually when he’s trying to sleep or shower or when he and Rick have an argument, but he hopes that thinking about gender will occupy his mind enough to keep his thoughts from drifting too far towards the negatives for a while.