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It was a hot day. Hotter than the days that passed for sure. Morty sat sweating on a table in the garage, even the roof overhead couldn't keep the heat away. Morty groaned for the tenth time that day and held his glass of melting ice to his head.
Rick sat at a chair by his side, tinkering away at their broken ac unit. Summer was fast approaching and anymore moans and groans from Morty and Rick was sure his ears would burst. And along summer, Morty's birthday is fast approaching.
Soft music came from a portable radio that Rick keeps fondly by the door of the garage surrounded by a handful of knickknacks but still manages to be heard from all the way over there. Rick hums the tune as he works.
It was peaceful like this, Morty thought. Just the sound of Rick's hum, the bees in his dad's collection, the birds at a distance, and cold water in his hands. Yes, this is okay. This is fine. He could totally get used to it. He closed his eyes and sighed
"Junebug, I remember everything"
Rick sang unconsciously along the new song that came on. His hands are busied away in the aircondition but his legs are slightly tapping the floor now in beat. Morty opened an eye in curiosity.
He had heard that before.
"The blue carpeted floors, the tall wooden doors
I held you in my arms"
Rick's voice was now louder and more confident and yet he still seemed to do it unconsciously. Morty straightened in his seat. He stared at the older man as he worked, bewildered almost.
"Junebug, I'd burn down a picture of a house
Say it was ours, when we didn't need it anymore
And that was when I loved you best"
Rick smiled, tightening a screw, and looked up at Morty. Morty startled and jumped a bit making Rick snicker. He sent a wink his way and continued on with his task.
Morty's heart soared.
I was the home you once tried to escape, the dark in which you lived
Soon they'd find you laying there with several different homes
They'd find you laying on their porches, do you need to use the phone?
And lure you into their rooms
That was the last I heard of June
And that was love I could not allow
The lyrics drowned behind them as a car passed by, its honked filling the peaceful quiet they were once in. Yet, Morty couldn't keep but listen to the song as Rick gaves an irrate click of his tongue.
The peace came back as soon as the car's noise was gone and by then, the song has moved to its end and Rick was softly singing it again. Morty's attention was held captive once more
"I remember everything, oh
You were beautiful then
I'm still in too deep"
Rick raised his eyes and locked it with Morty's. A soft breeze passed them then softly caressing their skin. Morty shivered and he swear its because of the wind, not because of the intensity of Rick's stare.
It was meaningful, like a joke he should be getting. It held his gaze in a way he used to but also in a completely different way. Soft. Incredibly soft. Rick Sanchez does not look people softly.
Morty coughed awkwardly and pulled his eyes away. "T-that's pretty good singing Rick. Didn't know you had it in you," he forced out a laugh in attempt to escape the trance he was in. He received no reply.
He shyly looked back to see Rick lazily studying him with a soft smile
A beat passed
Rick scoffed lightheartedly and shook his head, muttering something Morty didn't seem to catch. He finished closing up the ac and placed it off the table, taking a rag right after to clean his hands.
Morty won't ask him
He doesn't have to
The air cleared ouf, he doesn't need to make it confusing again
No, he told himself, he won't-
"You called me junebug"
Rick lowered his glass of lemon juice, peering at Morty from the reflection of the garage mirror. Morty shied away from the stare, heat filling his cheaks. It's the sun, he reasoned, those damn sun knights or whatever.
It's the sun, he doesn't have weird feelings about his grandfather, he swears.
"Oh yea," Rick smiled, taking a sip from his glass "What about it?"
Of course. Of course it's nothing. Morty just assumed again. Like he's been assuming the past couple of months about his own grandfather's intentions. Morty burned brighter with embarrassment.
"Oh haha nothing, haha just you know. Wondering- wondering what ut meant. Not that it should mean anything just- you know, just heard it again and-"
"Chill kid," Rick laughed turning around to face him. Morty watched as he strides closer as he continues to wipe his hands. He was only in his wife beater and pants, labcoat and sweater chucked off because of the hot weather.
He stopped in front of Morty, tossed the rag to the side and placed his hands on either side of Morty's thighs. He's trapped. Rick croached to speak to Morty.
"'s just an endearment to people born in june," Rick whispered, his hot breath fanning Morty in a mix of alchohol and the chocolate cake he was snacking on earlier. Morty found it addictive. But that couldn't be it, there has to be more. There should be more.
"I had blue carpeted floors," he whispered breathlessly, watching the way Rick was watching his face. It was exciting. Rock never got this close to him before. It makes him think that maybe-
No, he thought, he should stop assuming.
Rick laughed and backed away from him. Morty snapped his attention back to earth and sawq the old man looking at him, amused. "I thought you good, nothing gets past that observation skill of yours." Rick said with a smile
"What-"
"Had Rob sing and write that," Rick sighs, revisiting a few memories, "It's about you"
"No"
"Yes"
"You're fucking with me"
"Damn I really am a bad person in your eyes"
Morty flinched guiltily but straightened immediately. He's joking. He had to be joking. A song? About him? Now that's just ridiculous. Far fetched even. Why would he?
"A song? About me? You're kidding. That's- really, Rick? You're getting lazy at lying," Morty scoffs, trying to convince himself it isn't real. That Rick's joking with him. Because if he isn't,if Rick's serious then, then-
Then he'd love him even more. And that's the problem, isn't it? Morty love Rick too much already. Inappropriately so. Morty's been fighting this feeling for five whole months. If this is real then so is his feelings. And he hate that he loves him.
Rick must have seen the anguish inside him and his smile turned sadder but still soft. He moved to the back of the garage and opened a secret compartment even Morty doesn't know. Morty only caught a glimpse of it but he saw what seems to a collection of records and few trinkets that seem familiar but so so so far away. Rick came back with a record in hand
He walked to the radio and turned it off, clicking a few buttons until a player rose from beneath the cabinets. He placed the record in and put the pin down.
Morty looked at it curiously as it turned silently for almost a minute until there came a voice. It was Rick's.
"H-hey bLEGHH, this - this thing on, man?" the voice in the record asks, another voice laughs "Yes, Rick its on." The voice said and then followed by what sounds to be tuning of a guitar. "Ready?"
"Yes, fine. BLEGHH whatever. A-anyway. Hey, Morty. It's gran- I'm grandpa Rick here. Happy seventh birthday, Morty. I just want to- it's just- I just want to say how haUGHH- happy I am that you're- bLEGHH you're alive. Grandpa lo-loves you, Morty. This song is for y-you"
And then came the familiar instrumental of the song. And then the lyrics, and then Morty's feelings. God, he's so in love. His every breath feels like a love letter for Rick and only Rick.
"So yeah, got it made for you. Never gave you this though, I've been erasing our meetings from your mind since you were six and tattled me to your mom," Rick laughed, "The asshole Rob liked it too much he released it, Motherfucker never credited me foe the lyrics. I could have been a producer Morty!"
"You did the lyrics?" Morty couldn't speak until then but this, he felt like he need to ask. He need to know.
"Of course, how else would it be special? That song wasn't meant for the world, it was my love letter to you" Rick's cheeks lightly colored with red and he cleared his throat, "or something like that"
Morty wanted to cry. No, he wanted to kiss the everloving fuck out of his grandfather. He's in love with his grandfather and he's fucked but that's okay he love him and that's what's matter.
"Rick, I l-"
"Shhh" Rick placed a finger on Morty's mouth and smiled at him. He wiped the stray tear that left Morty's eyes, kissing his forehead right after.
He mouths
'I know'
And then he sings
"You were beautiful then
I'm still in too deep"
Rick placed a hand over Morty's mouth and placed a tender kiss over his hand where Morty's lip would be. Morty's eyes fluttered shut and he took in a sharp breath. He couldn't feel Rick's lips over his hand but he knew it was there, it was close. As close as he had ever gotten to it.
Upon retreating, Rick smiles. Morty returned it with a bright one of his own. Rick touched his forehead, then his cheeks, and down his chin. Morty's breath rasped as Rick closed in on the distance. Almost. Almost-
"Dad, is the ac done?"
Morty found himself falling in his bedroom, a portal closing above him. Bewildered, he got up and peeked through the door, hearing Beth and Rick's voices downstairs.
It wasn't a dream, he clutched his heart in excitement. It wasn't a dream, he repeated to himself. Not even a second passed when a portal opened and a piece of paper fell on Morty's bed.
With a lovestruck smile, he picked up the paper and completely melted upon reading its contents. He sanked to the floor and clutched the paper on his heart, he couldn't wait to get down to the garage to listen to the record player.
The first line on the note in his hands read:
"Little Junebug's Mixtape"