Chapter Text
Morty was used to being overlooked and ignored by his family. It wasn't anything new to him. Between his dad thinking he was "special needs" and his mom choosing Summer's life over his with absolutely no hesitation, Morty knew he was far from the family favorite, despite actually being the wanted pregnancy. However, he never expected his family to be so open and brutally honest about their disdain towards him.
He'd supported them unconditionally in their family GoTron adventure, even after they'd kicked him off the team and stuck him on security detail instead. He'd been hurt by that, incredibly hurt, but he'd still gave them unending support. But even that support hadn't been good enough for his family. He'd been abducted at gunpoint by the Gotron's original owners and offered a massive amount of money to betray them, yet he had still refused to double cross them. He could never stab his family in the back like that.
Apparently, they didn't feel the same way about him and were all too willing to blame all their problems on Morty. They actually disowned him because some asshole Rick had launched a surprise attack on their fancy secret nightclub. Even if Morty had been there, what could he have possibly done against a Rick with a GoTron when he had no fucking weapons?
So he'd let them insult and threaten him and, after taking the money his mother offered him, went home with a heavy heart.
It was late at night when he finally got home and he ducked into the garage, collapsing into the rolling chair by the counter. He knew he needed to get the healing salve for his broken leg, but it felt so nice to actually sit down. "Hey, Garage. Where does Rick keep his healing gel?"
"If you are injured, I can contact Rick for you."
"NO!" Morty hadn't meant to shout, but he did not want to interact with his family anymore tonight. They'd probably be pissed if the garage pulled them away to come worry about Morty. Best case scenario, they'd start bitching about him not being able to do anything right again. Worst case scenario, they would actually send someone to break his knees. "Rick and the others are busy fucking off right now. Just tell me where he keeps it. Please."
"Rick keeps the healing gel under the counter. Top shelf, right side."
Morty rolled himself over to said cupboard and rummaged through it until he found the healing gel. He slowly rolled up his pant leg and carefully spread the healing gel across it. He winced every time his finger brushed against the wound, but the pain didn't last long and he let out a sigh of relief once the injury mended itself.
The second Morty walked through the garage door and into the dark house, all his anxiety and loneliness crashed over him. Morty knew he should have been relieved to finally be home, after being away for so long, but it didn't feel like home to him.
Not anymore.
Home was where family was. And Morty's family was currently fucking off with a bunch of dimensional counterparts and their GoTron Ferrets.
Now, the house felt cold and lonely, the dust floating through the dark rooms giving them a creepy appearance. As he passed through the living room, a picture frame on the table behind the couch caught his eye.
It was a family photo.
The longer Morty looked at it, the angrier he got. Before he even realized what he was doing, he'd picked the picture frame up and hurled it at the wall with a shout. Once he started....
....he couldn't stop.
One by one, he picked up each of the frames of their smiling family, photos depicting a happy family that didn't truly exist, and hurled them at the wall. The sound of glass and wood shattering was satisfying, as was watching them splinter to pieces on the floor.
He hated his fucking family.
Even as he thought that, he knew it wasn't true. As unfortunate as it was, he did love them.
Even if they weren't his original family.
Even if they constantly ignored and mistreated him.
Even if they were fucking assholes who'd just disowned him for some stupid GoTron Ferrets.
Morty didn't bother cleaning up the mess he'd made. It's not like anyone was at home to yell at him about it. Instead, he tiredly trudged upstairs to his room and began stripping out of the stupid suit he was wearing, swapping into a pale yellow shirt and white sleep shorts.
He yanked open the nightstand drawer to look for his phone charger and froze at the little black card staring up at him.
It was the MPS card Rick E-28 had given him all those months ago.
He'd honestly forgotten about it.
"If you ever need to get away, no matter the reason, just type in your dimension number and I'll be there."
After everything that had gone down over the last couple of weeks, it was so tempting to take E-28 up on his offer and contact him.
But should Morty use this card?
Rick once told him the MPS was basically CPS, which meant using this card would be like calling CPS on his own family. Did they really deserve that?
"Because it's fun, you little rat. Now go home, and play video games while we clean up these bodies, or your mother and I will hire people to break your knees!"
"I have to turn my back on you now."
He couldn't forget the way they looked at him.
Like he was the enemy.
Like they hated his fucking guts.
Like they would snap and murder him without a second thought if he said or did the wrong thing.
Before he could stop himself, he typed in his dimension number. His eyesight grew blurry as tears welled up and, as the card began flashing green, Morty started sobbing as he realized what he'd just done.
He'd just called the MPS on his family.
He sank to the floor and pulled his legs against his chest, sobbing into his knees. He was crying so hard, he wasn't even aware a portal had opened in his room until someone was kneeling in front of him. He flinched away when a hand brushed against his shoulder, but relaxed under the gentle touch.
"Morty! Hey, are you okay?!"
It was Rick E-28.
"Are you hurt? Come on, kiddo. Talk to me."
Morty would recognize that pink coat anywhere. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around E-28's neck, sobbing even harder when the Rick started rubbing gentle circles into his back.
"Oh, buddy. What happened? Where's your family?"
Morty couldn't answer for several minutes. He was crying too hard, choking on his tears and gasping for air. It was only after several minutes of E-28 gently rocking him and rubbing his back that Morty calmed down enough to explain his situation. "Th-th-they dis..... disowned me. For some s-stupid GoTron Ferrets."
Now that he was saying it aloud, he couldn't believe how despicable his family had been and he despised the fact that he couldn't truly bring himself to hate them.
"They did what?! Are you home alone, Morty?"
"Y-yeah.... I didn't h-have.... have anywhere else t-to go."
It wasn't rare for a Morty's family to treat him like crap, but the fact that everyone in the family was just gone and totally cool with neglecting Morty was unacceptable. E-28 didn't care if they would eventually come back. He wasn't going to let Morty stay here. "Come on. Let's get you out of here."
E-28 lifted Morty from the floor, cradling him close as he stepped back into the green portal he'd arrived through. They arrived at a massive maroon building and it reminded Morty of a mall or a really big school. The glass doors had 'DSLC' printed on them in big black letters.
"Welcome to the Displaced Safety and Living Center, Morty." He set Morty down as they entered through the front doors and led the way over to the front desk, greeting the robot that was built into it. A Morty with a messenger bag and ID badge similar to E-28's ran out front behind the desk and launched himself at the Rick.
"Welcome back, Mama Rick!"
E-28 scooped him into a hug and spun him around, before setting him back on his feet. "Hey, kiddo. This is Morty C-137. He's going to be staying with us for the foreseeable future. Just mark him down as permanent for now, Little Helper, and we'll change it when we know more."
"I'm Morty E-28. Or you can call me Helper Morty."
"Helper Morty? Nice to meet you." While Morty was normally excited to meet his dimensional counterparts, he was too upset to be genuinely excited tonight. He didn't want to seem rude though and offered a tired smile as he shook Helper Morty's hand.
"Yep, this is my Morty, my little Co-Captain. Couldn't run this place without him."
Helper smiled brightly at Morty as he hurried back over to the front desk, grabbing a tablet off it. "Soooo, am I allowed to ask what happened? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Morty looked down at the ground and scrunched his bare feet against the cold floor. "My family disowned me over some GoTron Ferrets."
"Aw geez. That's horrible!" Helper tapped away at the tablet he had, undoubtedly filling information out. When he was done, he gently grabbed Morty's shoulder and offered a smile when he looked up. "Well, you're welcome here. I take it you're going to be staying a while?"
"I.... I don't know." Morty wasn't actually sure just how long he planned to stay. He supposed he'd stay as long as his family remained away from the house or until they returned and realized he was missing. The thought of spending an extended amount of time here by himself filled Morty with a sense of sadness and he shrugged, unable to hide the despair he felt. E-28 knelt down next to him, pulling him in for a hug, and it did make him feel a little better.
"There's nothing wrong with that. Let's get you a badge and then I'll show you around. Desk, please print Morty a 'Resident Badge'."
While E-28 leaned over the counter to grab his badge from the desk robot, Morty took a few steps away to get a good look at the building.
There was a Rick in a suit and a pair of sunglasses standing guard at the front doors and he waved when Morty looked over at him.
Behind the front desk, the room opened up and was decorated with all kinds of couches and armchairs, beanbags and TVs, tables and chairs. There were also a bunch of different Mortys and a few Summers lounging around, watching TV, laughing, and playing games with each other.
It felt warm and safe, like a home, and the thought that this place felt more like home than his own house made Morty a little sad. At the same time, he knew he'd much rather stay here, at the DSLC, then at his family's empty house.
"So what do you think so far?" E-28 stepped up beside him, handing a name sticker over to him.
Resident:
Morty C-137
Morty couldn't help smiling at the fact that E-28 was willing to keep his true dimension a secret. One less thing he had to worry about. "I love it. It's cozy."
E-28 smiled at that and held his hand out for Morty to take, grinning widely when Morty took it with no hesitation. "Come on, I'll show you to your room and then I'll give you the grand tour."