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“Dad stop.”
Morty slammed his fingers onto the controls, shooing away the chiding finger beside him.
“B-but you shouldn't be playing these sorts of games! They're… unhealthy!” Jerry rushed out the words in a disapproving tone, trying to sound menacing but failing miserably.
“It's Minecraft, dad.” Morty rolled his eyes, “Now go away, you're ruining my speed run! I-I-If anything you should be bothering Summer.”
Jerry fell back from Morty's side, getting up from the couch. He looked side to side and up and down, hunching his shoulders and raising his arms as if some monster would appear.
“Uhm… Morty…? Why would I be bothering Summer?” Jerry whimpered out the question, bracing himself for the worst.
“She's also playing Minecraft.” Morty moved his headset closer to his face, “Da-dad's on the way.”
Jerry rubbed his temples and snapped his eyes back to Morty in frustration, “Are you communicating with your sister through Rick's… UGH, whatever annoying science invention he graced you with again?”
Morty's blocky avatar passed by a similar avatar, fashioned with full diamond. Morty tapped his controller and dropped a few items. The other avatar took them and dropped back a golden item.
“Gol-golden a-a-a-apple!? HE SAID IT'D BE A TOTEM!” Morty yelled into his mic but everyone seemed to be deafened.
Morty angrily began to type using his controller, but by the time he found the 5th letter he couldn't remember why he was so mad.
“Ok… ok… and that goes there…?” Summer spoke in a hushed tone to herself, “Is this supposed to be fun or something?”
She squinted at the screen as she crafted an iron sword. The moment she stopped crafting, the creeping darkness of the cave set back in.
“Wha… where did my torches go? I just placed them down…” Summer softly uttered the words with disbelief.
It wasn't until she moved that she could hear the sloshing of water.
Summer listened intently, “Water?” Then it clicked, “RICK! I AM GONNA KILL YOU!” She screamed despite the fact Rick probably couldn't hear her.
“NOT TILL I DO FIRST!” Jerry crashed into the room with a shout equally as loud as her’s, if not, louder.
Summer slowly turned her head to Jerry, “You're not.” She grimaced.
“Not what?” Jerry looked around before hesitantly pointing to himself.
Summer turned back to the monitor, “Dad, I swear if you barged in here and yelled just to tell me to get off Minecraft…”
She brought her hand into an enclosed fist, her knuckles popped as her hand shook.
Jerry pressed his back to Summer's wall, fumbling for the knob.
“Uhh— I THINK YOUR… YOUR… MOM! Yes, your mom has something for me!” His voice came out as a high pitched screech.
Jerry eventually realized the door was still open and dashed out.
“B-Beth, I think the kids don't respect me enough!”
Jerry clung to Beth's shoulder with a pout. She sat on the kitchen counter, angled away from Jerry. As the sky darkened, the lights felt colder. He felt so distant and alone.
“Uh-huh. Well, they didn't— ” she raised a shoulder and grunted, “Respect you much to begin with.”
Jerry peeked over Beth's shoulder as she hunched away from his view.
Jerry grabbed Beth's shoulders but she only tried to shake him off. The grabs turned into pushes turned into wrestling.
“I can…! See the… bright…ness! Of your phone…” Jerry wrangled Beth's phone out her hand, “Screen!”
Beth reached out, facing him as he took the phone out of her view.
“Jerry stop!” Beth desperately tried again, “Down!” Stern, “Down…!” Then sad.
“That won't work!...This time.” Jerry whispered the last part lower than he'd want to admit.
Jerry tapped the phone case first, he hadn't realized she bought a new one. It was a sparkly blue one. Jerry belatedly realized it was the one Space Beth had given her.
However, the worst was yet to come. As Jerry actually looked down at the visuals he recognized it all too clearly.
“YOU'RE PLAYING MINECRAFT TOO!?” Jerry couldn't help but raise his voice as his eyes bore down at the respawn button, “What the hell Beth!”
“Jerry stop! You don't know what you're doing!”
“Yes I do!” Jerry tapped the response button.
“Oh, nice, she's finally back on.”
Space Beth typed a simple message into the chat.
I saw u died. Lmk what u need.
She wasn't expecting an immediate response or anything, and radio silence was entirely bad either. It was just that… she kept dying. Even worse, it was from stupid things. Like fall damage or drowning.
Granted, Beth wasn't good at the game, but she also wasn't that bad. Space Beth was beginning to get concerned.
Space Beth got up, stretched her arms, and jumped down from the roof. She dusted herself off and swept her hair back.
“Ugh, I can't believe she let Jerry take the wheel…” Space Beth muttered to herself.
She had a trip to make, and it involved beating Jerry and convincing Beth to respect herself more than to allow Jerry to be included in everything she does. Beth's codependency really irked her, or well, her own codependency irked herself.
Rick was a mad scientist, an enemy to all and then some. He was hailed as a god by some, and cursed as a demon by others. He was elusive and dangerous.
Yet, as the light of a laptop shone on his face, he had to take out his reading glasses just to read the chat.
“Maybe I should undefen? Eh, they'll just start yelling at me.” Rick grumbled to himself, “Can't even catch a break in Minecraft anymore…”
Despite his annoyed testimony, he refused to leave the server.
He clicked a few more things.
He would never admit it, but that Minecraft server was the most fun he had with his family in far too long. Maybe it was because there was a wall between them, or the fact that he always muted them. Either way, he enjoyed Minecraft.
He had actually based a few of his newest inventions off of things from Minecraft. Like a diamond sword, an actual totem of undying, and a golden apple, among other things. They were basic, but it took him back to his roots.
It was a peaceful, serene, tranquil, even, afternoon. Then the garage door exploded and the other door got kicked off its hinges.
“BAN JERRY!”
Space Beth threw Jerry onto the floor. Beth filed in behind her, awkwardly staring at the destroyed garage door.
“Like in general…?” Jerry meekly spoke underneath her.
He covered his face with his arms, curled up on the floor. Space Beth didn't seem to care about what he had to say.
“I can stand up to Jerry.” Space Beth pointed to Beth, “She can't! And if Jerry ruins our horse stable, SO HELP ME GOD—” Space Beth threw her hands up.
Beth grabbed her shoulder and hurriedly tried to diffuse the situation, “Rick don't listen to her, she's just mad Jerry lost all the experience I was saving up to enchant something.” Beth turned to herself with a lower tone, “It's just a game, it's not that serious.”
“Oh, but it is.” Summer leaned against the doorway and checked her nails, voice cool.
“Yeah, Rick.” Morty chimed in from behind her, he dramatically threw his headset, “After all, you were able to make those golden apples and totems of undying in real life…”
Summer gasped on que.
“But… they're missing on hotbar, Rick. Almost as if someone… didn't give what they were supposed to and took more than he needed.”
Morty stepped forward to Rick. Summer trailed behind before eventually moving past him with hurried steps.
“Kinda like how I found water in the cave I was in… removing all my torches I worked so hard to put down. How did that water appear in a cave that had no water previous to my crafting? Where I had been looking away from my surroundings?” Summer tapped her chin thoughtfully.
“Any of this… strike a bell?” Morty followed up.
“Yeah, yeah, Rick deal with that after you destroy Jerry.” Space Beth snarled and picked up Jerry by the collar of his shirt.
“PLEASE DON'T RICK!” Jerry sniffled and rushed out various pleas.
Morty just stood by Summer's side and glared at Rick as Summer just used her practiced glare. The type that she knew had to get Rick's attention.
Rick strangled out a sigh from his throat but it sounded more like a gargle. He exasperatedly spun around in his chair, his head to the ceiling as he wrapped his hands around his face, muffling a set of curses. He kicked his feet for a moment before going limp.
He took a deep breath in and exhaled out all the air from his body before sitting up normally. Too normally. The room went silent at the motion.
“I work hard, day and night, saving this family, like, every other week.” Rick gesticulated in the air, “But for once, FOR ONCE, I actually get to enjoy a game, and sometimes use it to connect to this family for once. But nooo, that'd be too nice to do, too simple.” Rick pinched the bridge of his nose, “Morty. I'll give you your totems. Summer. It was an accident. Beths, and… Jerry… deal with your marital issues yourself, I'm your dad, and dad in law, not your therapist.”
The silence persisted longer than Rick appreciated, especially considering the fact he had finally just helped them all. Like they had been asking him to do all their miserable lives.
“...Wow. We can still play Minecraft with you, I'm not, ya’ know, like, that upset about the water thing.” Summer's voice wavered between sentimental and uncaring.
Morty scratched his arm, “Y-y-yeah Rick, it's not, like… serious or w-whatever.”
Space Beth dropped Jerry again, he groaned on the ground as the thud echoed.
“Fine. I'll let these two sort it out themselves then.” Space Beth stormed off but she didn't seem mad.
Beth helped Jerry up, “Sorry about… me.”
Jerry rubbed his head, “You better be…”
Beth smacked his head. Jerry followed it with a plethora of apologies.
Rick looked around and sighed, “I fucking hate it here…”
The lights in the sub-basement hummed louder than any voice could. Yet…
“I really wish I were playing with Morty and Summer…” Rick numbly admitted it in the confines of his work.