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Being the smartest being in the entire universe was fun. Being surrounded by a bunch of equally talented versions of himself was also fun.
Until one day it wasn't fun anymore.
Rick Prime imagined that he would always have everything he could ever want. An environment filled with nothing but himself, literally. Always being the smartest, always being the best, always having the most talent. Always winning, always getting what he wanted, and always being right. It felt good for a while.
But being stuck in that kind of environment for such a long time began to weigh on him. It became stressful, boring and... Lonely.
And Rick Prime was getting tired of it.
So he decided that it was time for a change.
After traveling dimensions and witnessing the unique relationships other Ricks' had with their families, he began to yearn for something similar. The gears in his head turned, and he wondered what his own family was like. He hadn't seen them in dozens of years.
Was Diane still alive? Did Beth marry a Dan or a Jerry? What were his grandkids like? Did he even have any grandkids? Would they enjoy adventures? What would an adventure with his family be like?
Rick Prime decided that he wanted to find out.
...
It took Rick Prime a while, but he finally figured everything out. And now here he was, standing on the porch to the Smith House residence. From the information he had gathered, his biological grandson lived here with some kind of a mixed family. Apparently his original dimension, 34-C, had been destroyed by a cronenberg apocalypse.
His grandson was the only one to survive.
Knocking on the door, Rick Prime patiently waited, rocking on his feet and blowing raspberries while curiously looking around. This place was rigged with traps, forcefields and even DNA radars, but one can easily surpass all that trouble if they're smart enough.
"Hello? Oh?" The door opened and revealed a very confused looking Jerry, "Rick? Is that you? You look... different. Did you get yourself an anti-aging cream while you were gone? Ha, can I have some? I don't know what it is, but I've been feeling really... 'soggy' lately- if you know what I mean..."
Rick Prime couldn't keep the grin from cracking across his face, and he chuckled uncontrollably at the Jerry's shameless enthusiasm. "Haha, sorry Jerry, but I'm afraid I'm not your Rick," He smiled calmly, masking his eagerness to see his grandson, "Nah, I just stopped by to visit. Is Morty around by any chance?"
"Oh, um..." Jerry rose an eyebrow at him, obviously unsure where this unexpected visit was heading, "Yeah, he is. Just a sec, I'll go get-"
"'Rick'? D-did you say 'Rick'? Ricks here?" Morty excitedly asked, pressing his hands together in hope before pushing his father aside.
"Whoa, Morty, slow down. It's not our-"
"Rick!" Morty gasped in relief, his arms spread open until his eyes captured the full sight of the stranger standing on their porch, "Rick...?"
Rick Prime's eyes widened and his smile broadened. So this was him. His biological grandson? Well, he wasn't anything impressive on the eyes and probably wasn't all that smart, but Rick Prime wasn't here to be around people like himself. No. He was here to be with his family.
And right now... This Morty was the only family he had.
"Hey there, kiddo," Rick Prime waved at his nervous looking grandson, "I guess I'm not the Rick you were expecting, huh?"
"Umm, no?" Morty winced, not sure what to do.
"You're not, like, one of those evil counsel members, are you? I mean you do have the funny haircut-"
"Dad..." Morty snapped.
"What? I'm just saying, if he's here to cause trouble then he should leave," Jerry crossed his arms and gave the young looking Rick a rightful nod.
And it made Rick Prime's skin crawl with the urge to free his holstered gun so that he could shoot a hole through that rude noggin of his, but he resisted. He wasn't going to be that kind of person anymore. It was boring being in control all the time. But restraining himself? Using manners? Now that was a challenge.
"Look, j-just go back inside," Morty sighed and shooed his pouting father back into the house, quickly closing the door as fast as he could. "Su-sorry about him. He's got some serious trust issues, especially when it comes to Ricks'."
Morty turned around and looked up at him, his eyes filled with curiosity and the smallest hint of concern. "So what brings you here? Did... ha-have you come to see my Rick? Ha, sorry but... he's not here r-right now."
Rick Prime relaxed now that it was just him and his biological grandson, and he shook his head in response, "Nope, 'fraid I'm not here for him."
Rick Prime turned around and faced the yard, gazing at all the passing neighbors, the butterflies and the pure simplicity of this world. "It's funny- you calling him 'your Rick'. Bet you didn't know... C-137 never had any real grandkids."
There was silence. It stretched on for a few moments, eerie and filled with suspense. "What?" Morty whispered, his breath shaky, "Wh-what do you mean?"
After a couple more seconds, Morty took a few steps closer to the strange Rick, his fists trembling at his sides as he looked up at him, "Ar-are you s-saying that... He's not my real Rick?"
Rick Prime lifted a finger and waved it back and forth. "Nope," He stated firmly, turning to face his oblivious grandson with a small smirk, "I am."
"Huh," Morty gasped, his body jolting backwards.
Rick Prime continued to smile at him despite feeling irritated inside. While he would prefer his grandson jump in joy at finally being reunited, he could understand how much this other Rick's presence in his life effected him. For all he knew, Morty could have been brainwashed into believing that he was a monster- which, yeah, was true to an extent, but still...
It's just not the type of face he wanted to see his grandson bare at him after learning such critical information.
"I-you-you're serious, ar-aren't you?" Morty frowned, bowing his head as he thought about it. Deep down, was it truly all that surprising to him?
Rick was a destructive, nihilistic maniac who considered all other living things troubling nuisances. He abandoned multiple realities without a care in the world. Would it really be so surprising that he possibly destroyed his own dimension before finding him?
Morty then took into account the fact that C-137 Rick did have a coupon for a replacement Morty. And would he honestly have accepted that if he truly valued him as his own grandson? Not to mention that he had literally just abandoned him for crows and had been gone for months now.
All this time C-137 had lied to him, and for what cause? Just to use him as some sort of entertaining, multi-purpose shield? All those rough, cruel adventures. Even the good ones. Was it really all just a lie?
The anxiety Morty had been suffering these past few months from the fear of Rick never returning had just been capped, and now grief and sadness were upon him. But... 'He' was here, and he was his true grandfather.
"So where-where have you been?" Morty asked, his demeanor deflated and filled with low expectation. He looked miserable. "A-and why do you look like you're i-in your twenties?"
Rick Prime was nearly astonished by how easily he accepted it. "Geez, whatever Rick you were with must've been a royal douche," He commented before explaining, "And me- well... I guess you could say that I've been alone with myself for a while. Ha, probably too long, but I'm back now, baby- woo! Yeah! Bring it."
Startled by his sudden enthusiasm, Morty timidly gazed at the Rick's outstretched hand for a second before reaching out to high-five it. Well, he wasn't really all that bad, he guessed. "But... H-how do I know you're my real Rick?"
"Oh come on, don't be a complicated shit head," Rick Prime sagged. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out his portal gun and said, "If you follow me, I'll prove it."
Morty's shoulders hunched slightly in distrust, and he fumbled between looking at the door and looking at the mysterious Rick. Did he really have anything to lose? If C-137 Rick had been lying this whole time, then Morty wanted to know. But at what costs?
"O-ok, but-but th-this better not be a trick or-or something," Morty gave the Rick a very stern look, "The moment I get uncomfortable, you're taking me home and you're-and I nev-never wanna see you again, got it?"
"Wow, it looks like we got ourselves a real boss here," Rick Prime snickered, impressed that this child withheld such confidence and authority. Being told what to do wasn't something he was used to, but it was kind of exhilarating.
Shooting a portal, Rick Prime lifted his arms out in exaggeration and grinned. Morty raised a skeptical brow his way, his hands fiddling together in front of his chest. "Second thoughts?" The Rick asked.
Morty winced and stuttered, "M-maybe?"
"Chicken. And here I thought you were a boss," Rick Prime scuffed and disappeared through the portal, leaving only his forearm descended.
Ok, so at least Morty knew that the portal wasn't booby-trapped, but still... Morty looked behind him at the Smith house. Was he really going to do this? The Rick he thought was his had abandoned him, and now supposedly his biological grandpa had magically shown up. There were so many questions to ask, and answers to seek.
And there was even more to risk. So... Should he really do this?
'You're a perfect, impenetrable suit of human armor, Morty, because you're as dumb as I am smart.'
'What we had was abusive, don't you see? I'm a bad partner because I never made you a true partner. The crows made me see that. I thought they were a joke like you but it turns out they're more enlightening than any of us.'
'I think we're done here.'
Frowning, Morty's eyes watered and his fists shook. He bit his lip and shook his head, damming C-137 Rick in the back of his mind. New beginnings were perplexing things, but if his idol could do it so easily, then... So could he.
Throwing on his toughest expression, Morty grabbed hold of Rick Prime's forearm and jumped through the portal.
Within seconds he was in an elaborate, bright blue laboratory with weirdly symmetrical walls that moved and changed colors. It was bizarre. "Whoa," Morty gaped in awe, feeling a forgotten sensation of excitement envelope him.
Rick Prime watched his grandson gaze around like a shocked tourist, the wonder in his eyes causing him to raise his brow in confused pride. Most Ricks' he brought here could care less about the looks of his lab- all they ever wanted was to see what new weapons he had created. It got to a point where nothing he made was good enough anymore.
At least it wasn't good enough to them. But for his grandson?
Rick Prime had a feeling that he might actually enjoy having a grandson. "If you're done stargazing, my DNA scanner is this way," He said and began walking away.
Morty shook himself out of his stupor and chased after him, completely mind blown, "D-did you make this yourself. I-I-it's incredible, l-like I'm walking through the future o-or something."
"Well aren't you easy to please?" Rick Prime chuckled and stopped in front of a wall that looked like a bar. "DNA scanner."
Morty gasped when the wall moved quickly, flashing off a variety of other walls before landing on one with a screen. Rick Prime hit a few buttons and lifted his hand out beneath a cool blue light. After a few seconds, his name popped up on the screen along with his dimension number.
"34-C."
"Alright, kiddo, your turn," Rick Prime stepped aside, presenting the blue light scanner.
Morty was hesitant at first but he decided that he didn't want to hold back. If his Rick had been lying to him, then he wanted to know for certain. He stepped forward and lifted his hand out, feeling the tiniest tingle beneath his skin. Above him the screen flashed his picture along with his name and dimension number.
"34-C."
"But... I don't understand," Morty looked down at his hands, reminiscing about all that he had been through with his old Rick, "Why would he lie?"
"Maybe it's because he didn't have a Morty." Rick Prime suggested, "Self-loathing Ricks' have a tendency to do that. I'd know way too well from experience. Sheep dogs can't herd without the sheep."
Morty felt pathetic for feeling the sadness that rose from that. "So why did you come back? So-so that I can-can be 'your' sheep?"
"I love your perceptions, kiddo," Rick Prime snapped his fingers thus causing the entire lab to turn transparent, revealing the beauty of outer-space beyond the walls. "To me the entire universe is a herd of sheep, but you know... Some times herding something so significant can be exhausting when you do it alone..."
That, and it was lonesome.
Smiling, Rick Prime turned around and faced his grandson, "Instead of adding to the herd, I decided- why not find a buddy to herd with?"
A buddy to herd with? Morty's eyes were impossibly wide, and his chest ached with a kind of happiness he wasn't very familiar with. A Rick who saw him as an equal? And not just any Rick but his 'biological Rick'. Could Ricks' like this even exist? Was this even real?
'A buddy to herd with.'
Morty smiled and bowed his head, staring at the ground in case his question received an answer too painful to face, "You... You wanna be buddies?"
Rick Prime nodded and smirked, "Only if you think you can handle it."
Morty blinked. For the past few months, he had been yearning for any kind of recognition even if it was the gum from underneath C-137 Rick's shoe stepping on his face. Kids at school were acting like lunatics because 'he was around too much'. Even his makeshift family tried to find excuses to avoid him. And let's not even get started on Rick's sheer abandonment.
This could be a chance at a new life- one that was actually worth living. Their original dimension was destroyed and all that was left was them. And that's reality. He was Morty 34-C. Not C-137.
"O-ok," Morty timidly agreed, looking up at the Rick, "B-but don't get too comfortable. I'm-I'm still keeping my eye on you in case y-you try something funny."
"Pfft, wouldn't dream of it, kiddo," Rick Prime chuckled and walked past him, ruffling his hair as he went, "Now, where should we go first? I dunno about you, but I could eat a whole gazorpazorp. Shitty thing about limitless metabolism? You're always fucking hungry."
Morty touched his head and bit his lip, not entirely sure what to expect from this wild turn of fate. On one hand, he missed his former life. On the other hand, he was excited for a shot at a new life with a new friend- and that's probably the greatest part of all this.
Morty finally had a friend.