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“He’s meta, Morty! His life doesn’t matter. Yours does.”
The words play on repeat in Morty’s head, Rick’s voice echoing through his mind as they fly through the vast emptiness of space. Their latest adventure had been… weird. Retcons and flashbacks and previously ons…. He doesn’t want to think about it anymore.
And yet the words keep repeating themselves, over and over, until Morty decides he has to speak up.
“You said my life matters.”
“W-what?” Rick belches as he takes a long swig from his flask, side-eyeing Morty.
“You said my life mattered when Previous Leon killed Jesus, earlier,” Morty smirks, crossing his arms.
“I don’t remember that,” Rick rolls his eyes.
“You do care about me!” Morty pokes Rick teasingly, drawing an annoyed grumble out of the old man. “You care about me, you old sap!”
“You’re a little s-shit, you know?” Rick reaches into his lab coat, grabbing around for something as he continues to talk. “Fine, I care about you, is that what you want me to say?” Morty makes a triumphant noise, but Rick continues, “Well, glad you’re happy. But you’re not gonna remember t-this conversation anyway.”
“W-what?!”
Rick pulls out a little device that looks somewhat familiar, and— oh, crap.
“You mother fucker! ” Morty lurches forward to try and swipe the mind-wiping device away from his grandfather.
“ Fuck, Morty! ” The device clatters to the ship’s floor between Morty’s legs, pointing straight up at him… and the last thing he registers before he blacks out is a blue beam shooting straight at him.
When he opens his eyes again, panic overtakes him, and he looks around wildly like a scared, cornered animal. His mind is a blank slate, not a single memory or thought to be found.
“W-what the fuck?! Where am I? Who are you?!”
As he turns around in his seat, he registers the old man sitting beside him, the exasperated expression on his face shifting to panic as he shifts his feet, suddenly hearing the crunch of metal beneath one of his shoes.
“Goddamn it, Morty! What the fuck?! You fucking idiot!” The man yells in frustration, reaching down to the floor to grab what seems to be a smashed mechanical device.
He chooses to block out the abusive words, focusing on the one thing interesting in that strain of curses— Morty. Is that his name? It must be.
The old man is still rambling, “You fucking broke it! God, now I have to wait until we get home to restore your memory. Good job , stupid. I hope you’re p-proud of yourself.”
Morty looks at the old man with a mix of confusion and fear. He doesn't remember anything about this man, or their relationship. All he knows is that his mind is blank, and this asshole is responsible.
"You erased my memories?" Morty asks, his voice trembling with anger and frustration. "Why the fuck would you do that?"
"Why the fuck would I do that?" The man scoffs, throwing the broken device onto the floor with a clatter. "Because you were being a fucking dumbass , Morty."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Morty snaps back, rubbing his temples in frustration. "I don't remember anything.".
Rick sighs, exasperation heavy in his voice. “Alright, listen up, Morty. I’m Rick. Your grandfather. We go on crazy-ass adventures, and sometimes, shit gets out of hand. Like now.”
Morty stares at Rick, his face a mix of skepticism and fear. “Why should I believe you?”
Rick groans, rubbing his eyes. “Because it’s the truth. And because right now, you’re stuck on a spaceship with me in the middle of fucking nowhere. Look around you.” He gestures to the vast expanse of space outside the window.
Morty’s eyes widen as he takes in the stars and distant planets. The reality of his situation starts to sink in. “Okay, so… what now?”
“Now, we get back home,” Rick mutters, tapping a few buttons on the ship’s console. “And I fix this mess. Again.”
The ship lurches forward, and Morty clutches the armrests, trying to steady himself. “How do I know you’re not just lying to me?”
Rick glances at him, a rare moment of sincerity in his eyes. “Because, Morty, if I wanted to get rid of you, I’d have done it a long time ago. Trust me, keeping you around is a pain in my ass, but it’s… it’s necessary.”
Morty narrows his eyes. “Necessary for what?”
“For… reasons,” Rick mutters, turning his attention back to the controls. “Reasons that don’t matter right now. What matters is getting you back to normal so we can continue not dying on a daily basis.”
As the ship hums and the stars blur into streaks of light, Morty leans back, trying to process everything. “So, you’re saying we do this a lot? Erasing memories and stuff?”
“More than I’d like to admit,” Rick grumbles, his voice inching towards that I’m-not-answering-any-more-questions tone. Morty decides it’s best to shut up.
The rest of the journey passes in tense silence. As the ship finally approaches Earth, Morty watches the familiar blue orb grow larger in the viewport.
Rick’s ship descends towards Earth, landing in the front driveway of a seemingly average suburban home. Once it’s parked, Morty steps out cautiously, still grappling with the void in his mind. He feels a strange mix of apprehension and reliance towards Rick, despite the old man’s abrasive demeanor.
As Rick leads him through the front door and into living room, Morty catches a glance of a redheaded girl slumped on the couch, scrolling on her phone.
“Oh, you two are back.” The girl looks up from her phone, a mixture of relief and annoyance on her face. “What took you so long? And what’s up with him?” She flicks a wrist towards Morty, who’s currently glancing around the room and trying to recognize something, anything.
Morty blinks as he’s addressed, trying to reconcile the chaos and confusion of the past hours with the calm demeanor of the redhead on the couch. She seems familiar, like a puzzle piece trying to fit into his fragmented memories.
“Um. Hi.” Morty says to the girl in a clipped tone. “… who are you, again?”
“What the fuck, Grandpa Rick? What did you do to him this time?” The girl immediately turns to Rick, her voice rising accusatorially.
“Shut up, Summer.” The older man snaps, and Morty furrows his brow.
“Hey, d-don’t be an a-asshole,” he protests weakly, not sure why he’s defending this girl. He feels something… familial towards her, and judging by how old she looks to be, he assumes she’s his… sister?
“Thanks, bro,” Summer says, turning her attention back to her phone and confirming Morty’s suspicions. “You better fix him, Grandpa.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it.” Rick grabs Morty’s arm again, and they start to make their way towards what seems to be the kitchen before they’re interrupted again.
“Wait!” The voice calls from the living room.
Rick turns back towards Summer, who’s now halfway off the couch, a guilty look on her face.
“Um… I forgot to tell you something,” she mumbles apprehensively.
“Goddamn it, what? ” Rick groans, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “What did you do this time?”
“Last time you two did Morty’s Mindblowers, there was a scenario four, and I may have… umm… dropped the vial with Morty’s memories after using it?” She says the last sentence like a question
Rick’s eyes narrow dangerously as he processes what Summer just said. He releases Morty’s arm and takes a step towards Summer, who shrinks back slightly, realizing the gravity of her confession.
“You what?” Rick’s voice is a low growl, promising retribution.
“I-it was an accident, okay?” Summer stammers, holding up her hands defensively. “You always leave me to clean up your messes, and this one time—”
Rick cuts her off with a sharp motion of his hand. “A-and you just decided, what, not to tell me? What the fuck, Summer?!”
“I forgot, okay?!” Summer throws her hands up in the air in frustration. As the pair argue, Morty frowns. Morty’s Mindblowers? Scenario Four? The unfamiliar terms make him want to shrink into the background. He feels like he doesn’t belong here, and from what he’s seen so far, it seems this family is filled with constant conflict. Morty doesn’t really know much about himself right now, but he’s pretty sure he does not like conflict.
Finally, they stop arguing, and Rick returns his attention to Morty, pushing him through the kitchen and into a garage.
The garage is filled with all sorts of gadgets, machines, and tools, a mad scientist's playground. Rick sits Morty down on a stool and starts rummaging through a shelf, muttering to himself.
Morty watches him, still trying to make sense of everything. "S-so, you're my grandfather?" He asks, his voice uncertain.
Rick pauses his search, turning to look at Morty with a weary expression. "Yeah, Morty. I'm your grandfather."
"And you... you're a genius?" Morty continues, trying to piece together his fragmented memories.
“Smartest motherfucker in the universe .”
Morty nods slowly, his mind racing with questions and confusion. He watches as Rick grabs a device from the shelf and begins tinkering with it. Morty’s mind is a whirlwind of uncertainty and frustration, grappling with the enormity of what he’s been told. His grandfather, a genius who takes them on bizarre adventures across the universe. Summer, his sister, involved in these escapades too. And himself, caught in the middle with no memory of any of it.
Rick looks over at Morty, noticing the turmoil on his face. “Listen, Morty,” he starts, his tone surprisingly gentle amidst his usual gruffness. “I know this is a lot to take in. We go through this kind of thing more often than we should. But trust me, I’m gonna fix this.”
An unexpected warmth flows through Morty’s chest, and he can’t keep the smile off his face. Unfortunately, Rick notices.
“What are you grinning about?” He asks gruffly, though there’s a pinch of amusement in his tone. He walks over with what looks like some sort of headset in his hands, instructing Morty to sit down.
“You’re an asshole.” Morty responds simply, perching on a seat just a little too tall for his feet to reach the ground and kicking his legs.
“..And?” Rick raises an eyebrow at Morty, waiting for him to finish.
"And you care about me." Morty smirks, his eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief.
Rick groans internally. This is what got them into this situation in the first place, but it’s not like Morty could know that in his current state. Rick shoves the headset onto Morty, thinks for a moment, and finally settles on an appropriate response.
“Shut up.”