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Snores echoed against aged wooden walls, blankets worn thin with use crumpled around two slumbering figures curled together in the smaller bed. Long, lanky limbs curled perfectly around the shorter and stouter of the two, drool soaking into the curls of hair below his chin and the pillow below his cheek. Warm summer air wafted against his usually frozen skin, the living and breathing heater beside him a constant warmth he was slowly becoming accustomed to once again. For once, everything felt right, peaceful almost…until it began.
Summer vacations to the old cabin in bumfuck Oregon had sounded borderline boring, something he’d never allow himself to sink into, but with the promise of Stanley Pines greeting him for three months of his company, it seemed like an impossible offer to refuse. The only spike in his plans were the smaller feet that pounded their way through the house, laughter echoing off the hallway walls as they bounded their way through the cabin with absolute excitement for another day of crazy nonsense to experience together. Gathering the breathing cockblockers had been the one thing Rick hadn’t exactly accounted for when weighing the option of his freezing lab of loneliness or finding the meaning of being alive once again with Lee by his side. Morty had taken to the twins quite quickly, yapping on and on to them about their adventures while he and Dipper tended to nerd out over the geekiest shit while Summer had found a cool crowd to kick back with, Mabel often tagging along. It was the happiest he’d seen his grandkids in years, but even with that in mind, he couldn’t swallow the freshly boiled anger bubbling in his chest as he cracked open an eye, glaring at the paper thin walls. The laughter continued to ripple throughout the room, his brow furrowing as he moved to sit up, two large arms reaching and grasping Rick, tugging him back to the mattress.
“Don’t ruin this for them, Ricky-” Stanley mumbled into the pillow below him, the rasp in his voice rumbling against Rick’s chest. He felt the anger sizzle slightly within him, grumbling under his breath as he scowled.
“F-Fucking…annoying little shits-” he hissed out, feeling the shake of Stanley’s chest as he chuckled.
“Ah, hush it, Ricky-” he grumbled out, ruffling the spikes with his larger hand, Rick’s eyes fluttering shut as he gave a soft and high pitched whine like sound. He laid there with him for a moment longer, shifting himself slightly above Rick as to lovingly gaze down at the man before him, the man he’d almost lost to time, to long gone memories… He sighed, cupping his cheek as his lips pulled into a sentimental, lopsided smirk. At the shift, Rick peered his eyes open, looking to Stanley with a cocked side of his brow and a bit of a shit eating grin.
“Getting a little fucking s-sappy in your old age, huh Pines?” he teased, melting at the snort and laugh he received in return.
“You’re testing me, Sanchez-” he snickered, leaning down as his eyes caught Rick’s, a loving and soft gaze resided in them. It was refreshing, seeing such a look glimmer in Stanley’s eyes without the helping hands of intoxication or the threat of life ending danger just around the corner. He was no longer afraid to show him those unfiltered, pure feelings. He swallowed around the lump forming in his throat and leaned up, his lips just barely grazing Stanley’s.
“Then I hope you don’t fail-” he mumbled in a sultry tone, a prickle of victory flushing him as he felt Stanley shiver above him. He captured his lips, his own chapped and cold lips moving in tandem with Stanley’s. He let out a soft sound, laying back as Stanley hoovered over him, their hands finding each other’s and intertwining their fingers. He swore nothing could feel as good as this, the pure, unadulterated feeling of being wanted…being needed. He swiped his tongue along Stanley’s bottom lip, thrilled to find instant access as he trailed against Stanley’s tongue with his own, morning breath be damned. He tasted of stale pitt cola, the slightest hint of cigar lingering in the back corners of his mouth. Rick let out a muffled moan, feeling Stanley swallow it greedily as he shifted his weight to one arm, his free hand trailing down Rick’s thin side. Just as his fingers began to flutter against the soft skin just above his boxers, he heard a loud knock at the bedroom door. Stanley snapped away, his eyes widening as he reached over for his glasses.
“Shit-!” he hissed out, slipping back into bed as Rick laid there, still trying to grasp where the hell he was as he came crashing down from his intoxicating high of Stanley. His chest rose and fell harshly with every breath as he picked his head up slightly, hearing the knock again. “Yeah, yeah, one second, kiddo!” even Stanley’s voice seemed to edge on annoyance as he shifted to get up out of bed, struggling to find his robe as a voice finally broke through the other side.
“Sorry, Mr. Stan, I-I just wanted to ask Rick something before Dipper and I go out for today-” Morty’s voice boomed through, that inexplicable flicker of anger returning. A loss of Stanley’s loving touch and embrace for some stupid fucking question? He grit his teeth together, sliding himself out of bed as Stanley called out from his bent over position.
“It’s alright, kiddo, just uh, gotta find-” he heard the door open, his head snapping up as he grasped the first thing near him and held it in front of him, seeing Rick’s angered scowl standing in the doorway.
“Oh! Hey, Rick, I wanted to ask if I could bring the portal gun with us today? Y-Yknow, maybe Dipper and I can get farther in the woods a-and not have to worry about the walk home-”
“J-Jesus fucking christ, Morty, a-are you serious?!” he snapped, his arms flying up above his head in exasperation as Morty winced back a bit
“Wh-What do you-”
“Oh yeah, Morty, b-because I can totally trust a f-fucking moron like you with my portal gun! You’ve showed me so many times just how reliable you can be with it! Stranding yourself h-how many times? Real smart moves, dumbass-” he scowled, watching the previous excitement in his face melt away before hardening into some cold and hurt expression he’d seen countless times before. Stanley stood in absolute disbelief as he watched Morty cross his arms, scowling back at his grandfather.
“You could have j-just said no, you f-fucking jackass!” he huffed out, storming off as Stanley scowled, his eyes landing on Rick. The silence between them grew heavy, Rick unable to meet Stanley’s gaze, knowing damn well he went too far with the kid. He heard movement from Stanley, the sound of clothing shifting around, before he heard his voice just beside him.
“Cool off, Rick.” he hissed out, slipping past him and closing the door a bit harshly before him as Rick’s brow furrowed heavily. He ran a hand through his hair, his chest aching and head pounding as he shuffled to the side of the bed, sitting down as he rested his head in his hands.
“F-Fucking hell, when did I become this shitty?” he whispered in defeat.
Stanley finished tying his red robe shut as he followed the muffled sound of sniffles to one of the shack’s storage rooms. He looked to the doorknob, shifting it around to find it locked.
“F-Fuck off, Rick!” Morty’s voice hissed out sharply, Stanley’s heavy brows furrowing as he sighed.
“Hey, kid, it’s uh…it’s me…look, would ya let me in for a bit?” he called out, silence following his question for a heavy minute. He cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly before the door “Your grandpa’s not here…told him to calm down-” the door clicked before him, slowly creaking open as Morty avoided his gaze. “Oh…uh-”
“I-I’m sorry, Mr. Stan…” he grumbled, Stanley’s brows furrowing heavier
“Woah, nope, none of that, kiddo. Nothing back there was your fault-” he gave a gentle attempt at a smile, patting Morty’s shoulder as the poor kid looked to him, a painfully familiar look in his eyes. “...Guess that uh…happens a lot?” he asked, Morty wincing slightly as he looked away.
“My family’s filled with a bunch of assholes-” he hissed out, leaning against the doorframe as he wiped at his eyes “I get it, I make a bunch o-of mistakes and shit, I know I’m failing classes, I-I know I have a learning disability, I know I’m stupid- ”
“Hey, hey, shut yer yaps, kid!” Stanley huffed with a slight annoyed tone, an understanding look in his eyes “ Yer pretty damn smart, Morty…hell of a lot smarter than I am-” he gave a chuckle, watching Morty’s brows furrow together in confusion.
“Wha-”
“Well, ya keep up pretty good with your grandpa, keep track of his nerdy shit-” he smiled a bit, shrugging “Bet he didn’t teach ya any of it either…” he hummed, Morty seeming to smile a bit sheepishly.
“I-I…kinda had to learn, I guess-” he whispered, Stanley shifting to ruffle Morty’s waves around.
“Then I don’t see a stupid kid before me…I see a pretty smart and badass one..” he flashed a bright smile, Morty’s eyes softening as he wrapped his arms around Stanley in a shockingly fast motion. Stanley tensed for just a second before chuckling and patting the top of his head. “Alright, alright, enough gloomy looks-” he hummed out, gently pulling away and turning from the doorway before hearing:
“Y-You’re really smart too, Mr. Stan!”
Stanley’s movements halted, his brows furrowed together as he glanced over his shoulder, looking to Morty as he scoffed.
“Ah, cunnin’ maybe, but I dunno about-”
“N-No I..I mean it-” he closed the storage door, as he stepped out into the hallway “Dr. Ford and Dipper explained how he was saved…h-how you only had one of his journals…his work a-and how you didn’t graduate highschool-”
“Thanks, Pointdexter-” he scoffed with an eye roll
“-or go to college or…have a house really-”
“-Real heart touching stuff here, Morty, but uh, kinda losing the point here kiddo-”
“- but you did it, yknow? D-Despite all that you saved him..a-and you lived too…even made a business, it’s…really cool stuff..” he seemed to look to him “It…made me think that maybe I…have a chance…y-yknow at this stuff in- th-this life…” he looked to the shocked Stanley, his smile soft as he shrugged “Just…you’re pretty smart too, Stan…”
“...Thanks, kid-” he whispered shakily, his fingers trembling as he glanced away, images of those long hours holding a scribbled sign promising himself away for free or best offer. He felt his bottom lip tremble slightly, biting at it as he cleared his throat, blinking away the threats of tears “Means…means a lot to me.”
Footsteps creaked down the hallway, Stanley’s head snapping behind himself to see the tall, looming figure approaching, one of his own white bathrobes dangling against his smaller frame in a useless attempt to clothe his body properly. Morty’s face soured, turning towards the door again.
“I-I’ll just fucking portal in, dipshit-” Rick huffed out, Stanley narrowing his eyes at the other before Morty looked up with a quizzical gaze. Held firmly in his grasp was his portal gun, the device being offered up as he looked to Morty “D-Don’t break it, o-only use it to get home, a-and for the love of fucking god don’t let Stanford touch it-” he rolled his eyes before feeling Morty grasp it gently. He stared at it in slight disbelief before smiling softly and looking up
“...Thanks, Rick.”
“Y-Yeah yeah, you’re up next to wash and w-wax the fucking ship-”
“Aw man-” he groaned, sighing heavily before slipping away, trying not to let the future chores dampen his excited spirit arising once again. “Dipper! I-I got it!”
Stanley looked to Rick, sighing heavily as he crossed his arms “You were pretty hard on him, Rick-” he caught his eyes, a stern look in his eyes as he frowned. Rick groaned slightly, rubbing his face.
“Look, Lee, I-I really don’t wanna fucking talk about this shit-”
“And I don’t wanna see you calling that kid stupid, Rick-”
“-Lee, i-i-it’s not what you think-”
“-And why’s that?”
“-B-Because you wouldn’t understand-”
“-because I’m too dumb ?”
“F-Fucking christ, no , Lee! I-I just don’t want this world t-to chew him up and spit him back out like it did to us! H-He needs to know what’s fucking- wh-what’s really waiting out there for him!”
Stanley winced, a clear memory of himself sat back, watching Dipper struggle with chopping wood before he and Soos…he knew the feeling, wanting to protect the kids from what he and Ford had experienced as kids… He sighed, rubbing at his eyes under his glasses.
“I get it, Ricky…” he whispered, frowning a bit as he rubbed the back of his neck “A-Alright, alright, maybe I wasn’t always easy on Dipper…maybe I worked him a bit too much to keep him from feelin’ like he wasn’t any good…” he shook his head “But I know what that feels like, Ricky…to know someone real fuckin smart and…never be able to keep up.” he felt the eyes against him shift, meeting with his with a guilty expression that hid away quickly.
“...You’re not stupid, Lee…neither is Morty-” he mumbled under his breath as he walked a bit closer, his hand reaching for Stanley’s stubbled cheek. A soft smile grazed his lips, chuckling as he leaned into the palm.
“Between you and your grandson, my head might grow double its size by tonight-” he teased, hearing a scoff as Rick leaned down, resting his forehead gently against Stanley’s.
“W-Wouldn’t mind if your other head grew a bit more by tonight-”
“Shut up-” he snorted softly, smacking at his chest a bit playfully “C’mon, the coffee pot’s been calling my name-”
“And I still have to upgrade your sh-shitty cable-”
“Sanchez, break my television and I swear-” he pointed an accusing finger at him, watching as Rick rolled his eyes and moved it aside.
“I-I can make you a better one blindfolded w-with my hands and legs tied behind my ass.” he huffed, the imagery quirking Stanley’s brows as he gave a soft hidden smirk “Now come on, y-you’re going to fucking
love
Ball Fondlers-”