Chapter Text
The cold wind stung his cheeks, surrounding him with snow and a comforting atmosphere. Closing his eyes, he could immerse himself in peace and tranquility. Ted lay on the snow, staring up at the endless sky. Ah, if only he could know what was up there. Rolling onto his side, he felt a slight tingling on his cheek.
It was a shame he had to leave. After all, vacations weren't forever, right?
Ted propped himself up on his elbows and lifted his torso, leaning forward. The van was parked in the middle of the road, but hardly any cars ever came through here, so there was nothing to worry about. Getting to his feet, Ted saw something flash across the sky. He didn't believe in aliens, but that had definitely been something unnatural. Whatever. He didn't take it seriously. Ted headed toward the van. His friends were waiting for him.
A neon sign illuminated the road, flickering every now and then. Still, he had missed this place. Ted stepped through the doorway, immediately enveloped by a feeling of warmth and comfort. His eyes met Marjorie's, then Big Mike's, Little Mike's, Antonio's, and Browser's. Everyone was here, but something was off.
Standing beside Marjorie was a figure who looked eerily similar to Ted himself, only more... young. It was just a coincidence.
Marjorie walked over to Ted and started asking him all sorts of questions. Soon, the others joined them, followed by the strange guy. Ted tried not to pay attention to him until Big Mike finally pointed him out.
"We seem to have forgotten to introduce you to this genius!" Mike beckoned with his hand, inviting the stranger to sit down.
The man sat across from Ted, leaning forward and placing his hands on the table. There was something unpleasant about the atmosphere around him, as if the feeling had seeped into his very being. Maybe Ted was just imagining things.
"Well, nice to meet you..."
"Rick. And you're probably Ted, right?"
"Yeah. Well, how about we have a drink to celebrate the new acquaintance or something?"
The group visibly livened up. Marjorie poured beer into their mugs. Some of them played bowling while the others talked. After a while, people began to split off into pairs, and unfortunately for Ted, he ended up stuck with Rick.
An awkward silence hung in the air. Maybe it was only awkward for Ted.
He wanted to get away from this strange version of himself. The guy looked strange, stared strangely, talked strangely. Everything about him was far too strange for an ordinary person.
Ted tried to quietly avoid the conversation, inching a few centimeters away, but Rick interrupted his escape.
"How are you doing, Ted? I heard you're here on vacation. I just got here recently too. It's such a nice place. Beautiful nature, peaceful..."
Rick sat in a completely relaxed position, unlike his conversation partner.
"Yeah, it's really nice here. So, what brings you here? Vacation too?"
"Oh, I actually came here completely by chance. I wanted to visit a friend, but then I remembered he'd moved away recently. Still, I can stay for a while. By the way, do you know anywhere I could spend the night? I don't really have anywhere to go."
He quickly looked away and narrowed his eyes, as if embarrassed to ask. His movements became uncertain, and his voice grew quieter.
This annoyed Ted immensely. How could this weirdo manipulate people so shamelessly?
No. There was no way he was going to fall for it.
"I don't even know. Ask Marjorie. She's really nice."
...
"But I guess you can stay at my place. I've got a house on wheels. It's pretty small for living in, but I'll find some room for you."
It was warm inside, the heaters working perfectly. Prime sat down on the nearest chair and looked around. He was still amused by just how vulnerable Rick was in this situation.
"So... you live here?"
"Yeah, that's right. One person doesn't need much. Well, I can lay out a blanket and a pillow for you on the floor."
"You know, my back really hurts today..."
Ted's expression darkened, becoming visibly displeased. Just a little more and Prime would burst out laughing.
Ted was extremely annoyed by his guest's audacity, but he seemed too innocent compared to the real Rick to refuse him.
"You know, I have back problems too, so if you want, I can share the bed with you. But keep in mind you won't be alone in there! Would you even be comfortable with that? And besides, how does someone that young even have back problems?"
"Back problems can happen at any age!"
"Don't lie to me. You probably don't even have back problems."
"And besides, I just look young. I'm actually around seventy."
"Stop lying. What's next, you're going to tell me you don't age?"
Ted chuckled slightly at the absurdity of what Rick had just said.
Prime sat down on the nearest chair and looked around.
It looked like a completely ordinary, classic Earth travel trailer. Inside was the most ordinary "human" room imaginable, consisting of a modest kitchen, a sleeping area, and various other things. Of course, believing that would be far too naive. This van was probably packed with all kinds of technology and other such junk that poor Ted didn't even know about.
He wasn't entirely sure whether Ted could be considered Rick. On one hand, obviously not. On the other, the personality was the same, the face was the same, the habits were the same... but it still wasn't enough.
Rick wasn't just his personality and habits. He was something more than just a person.
Prime could have killed him immediately, but there was no need for that—and no fun in it either. If he killed Ted, he wouldn't be killing Rick. Besides, when Ted became Rick again, Prime imagined he'd be furious that he'd been here. So Prime would deliberately stay here just to spite him.
—
While Rick stared thoughtfully at one spot, Ted finally found a spare pillow and blanket. He wasn't about to share a blanket with this strange man. It was ridiculous to dislike someone and still let them into your home, but something drew him toward Rick.
He was curious.
"Hey! I've got everything ready. Just so you know, I'll sleep against the wall. I don't want to fall out of bed because of you during the night."
"Huh?"
Rick seemed to snap out of his thoughts, looking confused at first.
"Oh, right. Thanks, Ted. You really saved me. How about we meet up tomorrow? Huh?"
"We haven't even said goodbye yet, and you're already making plans for the future! Let's talk about it tomorrow. I think we should go to sleep now. It's already two in the morning!"
"As you say."
—
Ted headed toward the bed and dropped down onto the pillows, stretching out to his full length. Rick followed Ted's example, hurriedly pulling the blanket over himself.
Ted looked far too relaxed.
Far too relaxed for Rick.
It was deeply unfamiliar. Rick was always dragging his grandson—or, more precisely, HIS grandson—around with him and was constantly tense.
Not that Prime was keeping tabs on Rick, but sometimes it was interesting to see what your enemy was up to.
He also noticed that, in Ted's form, he fell asleep surprisingly quickly. But he did not follow him!
Ted snored softly, his back turned toward Prime, something Rick would never have allowed. He wouldn't have let a stranger into his bed, either. He wouldn't have allowed someone's hands beneath his shirt.
And yet, he had allowed it.
It was a very strange, warm feeling.
He didn't care whether Ted woke up or not. Rick's body was incredibly warm. There was still more human than machine in him, after all. That warmth kept Prime's hands warm.
Prime had no clear understanding of what was morally "right" and what wasn't. So why waste an opportunity to touch Rick's body?
If he had ever touched Rick before, it had only been at the very beginning, when Rick rejected his offer.
The greatest weakness of this Rick was his family.
Prime was certain that if he didn't have a family, Rick would have agreed.
Perhaps he should have killed Diane and Beth before they ever met.
But there was no point thinking about it now.