Chapter Text
Morty sat at his desk in his bedroom leaning on his right elbow staring down at his history book. He had an exam in two day and this was the first time he actually had bothered to even open the book and start reading - if you could even call it reading. He was just mindlessly staring at the sentences without even prosessing what was actually said. He sighed. What was the use anyway? Most likely he wouldn’t even make it to the exam. It was more likely that Rick would drag him out on some adventure right before he could take the test, or night before, so that Morty would sleep past it. His thoughts started wandering. He thought about all those trips Rick took him. He thought about all the F’s and failed classes which originated from all those adventures. He didn’t know if he would ever graduate. Rick would most likely be happy if he had to drop out, but Morty really didn’t want to. On the other hand, maybe he was already so long gone, that there was no hope for him.
A high beeb sound snapped him out of his thoughts as he realized he had just received a text. He looked at his phone next to him, but there was no text on the screen. Morty understood what that meant and he opened his top drawer which was full of his school papers. He reached down under all those unfinished essays and pulled out a second phone, which on the outside was identical to his other phone on the table. This second phone had indeed received a text and Morty smiled while opening it.
18:32: Hey there, kiddo! Haven’t heard from you for a while, just wanted to see how you’re doing?
There was certain type of enthusiasm in Morty as he typed an answer immediately:
18:32: hi! im fine, i guess… trying to study on my history exam…
18:33: Oh yeah? How’s it going?
18:33: not too well, lol… havent been able to concentrate much… doubt it i can pass it anyway…
18:33: Nah, don’t sweat it, kid. School is a waste of time anyway!
Morty hummed smiling as he read this. Those words were so familiar, yet more comforting than what he had heard before.
18:34: heh, you sound just like my grandpa :P
18:35: What can I say, kiddo? I may be less of an asshole but we’re both Ricks after all ;)
Morty stared at this last message not knowing what to reply. This Rick, Q-2236 certainly was so much different from his grandpa, the infamous C-137. On the outside he was just like an average Rick, but on the inside he was a complete opposite. Kind, caring, empathic… Yet he still had normal Rick-traits: he was extremely smart and had same sense of humour. He had all the traits Morty liked about Rick, and had many others that Morty wished his own grandpa had. Morty really didn’t know if he was an alcoholic, but if he did drink, it was not to excess. He had met Rick Q-2236 only once, but at least at that time he didn’t smell alcohol on his breath. Before Morty had decided what to reply to this Rick, he got another message from him:
18:37: Speaking of the devil; how have things been between you two lately?
Morty sighed as he replied:
18:38: same as usual… that’s one of the reasons why i don’t really care to study on this test: im sure he’s gonna drag me out on some adventure again just as im about to enter the class, and im gonna get an F again…
18:39: You don’t want to go on adventures with him anymore?
Once again, Morty didn’t know what to answer. He wrote something, only to delete it. He tried again, and deleted his text again. Finally, after several minutes, he decided what to say:
18:46: i do… its just… dont know… i kinda wish he would ask my opinion sometimes u know? ask me if i really wanted to go to a class, and not just force me to do what he wants. he always says he knows whats best for me but i kinda think i should get to decide sometimes. he treats me like im a child. but really, im 14 already, shouldnt i get to have my own life already?
Morty felt a little bad for talking like that about his grandpa, but in the reality he meant everything he said. And if he was completely honest with himself, he felt better after ranting about all the things that made him angry about Rick. He received another text:
18:49: Yeah, we Ricks can be really self-centered… Wow, you Mortys are 14 already? Time really flies… I actually agree with you on that: you are a teenager now and should get more independence. Has he taken you to the Boob world already?
18:50: No! Ive asked him many times and he just says ”no time” or something else like that…
18:50: Wow, what a selfish dick…
18:51: I know right!
18:52: Tell you what: if you ever feel brave enough to meet me again, I promise you I’ll personally take you to the Boob world ;) And we can stay as long as you like, no need to rush back!
Morty stared at the text. It was a very tempting suggestion and he really wanted to say ”yes” to that. But deep down he knew it would be too risky. His grandpa had forbidded him to socialize with other Ricks and most likely would kill this Rick if he ever found out that they were even texting with each other. Getting caught was a scary thought, and Morty knew he could never forgive himself if Rick Q-2236 died because of him.
When Morty was quiet for a long time without replying, Rick was quick to send a new text:
19:02: I’m sorry, Morty… It was not my intention to put pressure on you… I know you are scared of your grandpa and I understand that. Let me assure you: I’m not offended even if you never wanted to meet me again. And if you are too scared, we can even stop texting. Just say the word and I’ll never contact you again.
At that Morty panicked and was quickly to reply:
19:03: No! No i dont want to stop texting! please rick…
19:03: Are you sure?
Morty sighed again. He really didn’t know what to say. He really wanted to keep Rick Q-2236 in his life, but didn’t know how to prove it to him. Meeting was simply too risky, but he knew that upkeeping a friendship required more than just texting, since he was too afraid to even make a phone call.
19:05: i really like talking to you, rick. you dont make fun of me or judge me the same way my grandpa does. i consider you my friend. my only friend. i really dont want to loose it. so please rick, can i still text you even if im too scared to meet?
Morty waited. He saw Rick typing for a long time. There was a little fear in his stomach as he imagined Rick telling him that this wasn’t good enough and it would be better if they went their separate ways. Rick Q-2236 had become very important to him. Whenever his own grandpa made him mad or upset, Rick Q-2236 was always there to listen to him. As a Rick he understood why his grandpa did or said things the way he did, but he also said that it wasn’t okay and that Morty didn’t deserve it. He was very emphatic towards Morty and comforted him when he truly needed it. He even apologized on behalf of the other Rick. At those moments Morty could almost pretend that it was his actual grandpa Rick that was apologizing and it made him feel better. He didn’t want to imagine how lonely he would feel if he wasn’t allowed to talk to his friend ever again. Just then a new text came:
19:11: I’m glad to hear that, Morty. I like talking to you as well, kid :) I’m getting a little emotional here but I just want to say that you coming in to my life has really made everything better. I miss my own grandson every day and texting you always makes me feel like he never left me… You have no idea how much you have helped me.
Morty eyes filled up with tears. He remembered how Rick told him how his own grandson lost his battle to leukemia many years ago. Morty had asked why he didn’t adopt another Morty but Rick had said that he could never replace his own grandson. To Morty that had been very touching to hear, specially since his grandpa still had the coupon to one replacement Morty that the Council of Ricks had given him. Another text came:
19:12: So of course you can still text me, kid :) You can always contact me if you need me, I promise you I’ll always answer. I’m here for you, Morty.
Morty sighed of relief and smiled.
19:12: ok… thank u rick
19:13: No problem, kid ;) Hey I tell you what, why don’t you read a little bit for your test, and I’ll reward you with pictures of this cool dimension I visited last week? You’re gonna love it, I assure you...
19:13: really?? what kind of dimension?
19:13: No spoilers ;)
19:13: arg… ok fine! ill read couple of chapters…
19:14: That’s my good boy ;) I’ll text you in an hour then!
That’s my good boy… Morty couldn’t help but smile as he read this. His Rick never said that to him. Of course it felt little weird to hear some other Rick say this, but yet it made him so happy. The longer he associated with Rick Q-2236, the more he started to feel like a grandpa that Morty was longing for. It felt unfair that they weren’t really related even when they had this good connection.
Before Morty turned his attention back to his history book, he started to recall his first meeting with Rick Q-2236. He and his Rick were forced to make a trip at the Citadel because of one of Rick’s business meetings. The streets had been very crowded that day and all of a sudden Morty realized he had lost Rick. For a while he had wondered aimlessly on the streets when he finally bumped into a Lost-N-Found office. Morty had entered the building to ask for help and was surprised to learn that this practice wasn’t just for lost belongings, it was also for lost Mortys. Rick Q-2236 was running the place there and he took all Morty’s information and made an announcement through his microphone letting Rick C-137 know where his Morty was waiting for him. Morty had been very anxious as he sat there waiting. Rick had been in a bad mood all day and Morty knew he would only get yelled at once they would be reunited. Getting lost at the Citadel was distressing enough and facing his Rick again after this made him almost scared. Rick Q-2236 noticed how stressed out Morty looked and started talking to him to lighten up the mood. At first it was weird for Morty to see a Rick being so caring and considerate but at the end of the day it was exactly what he needed. Rick shared him stories about his life and slowly Morty started trusting him. He even got encouraged enough to tell him about his own adventures with his grandpa. Very soon it became clear to Rick Q-2236 that Morty wasn’t very happy with their dynamics and longed for a little more normal grandfather-grandson relationship.
By the time Rick C-137 finally marched in to pick up Morty, the young boy had calmed down and didn’t even flinch when Rick started shouting at him, just like Morty had predicted. Before they exited the building, Rick Q-2236 slipped a small card to Morty’s hand without his grandpa seeing. When Morty looked at the card at home, he realized it was Rick Q-2236’s number with a text: If you ever need somebody to talk to. At first Morty was creeped out by this. He knew perfectly well grown men didn’t hand young boys their phone numbers without ulterior motives, and the last thing Morty wanted was to relive his Mr. Jellybean experience. Besides, Rick would look through his phone at some point and then Morty would be in trouble. So his first instinct was to ignore the card and throw it away, but then things went from bad to worse with his grandpa. Because Morty got lost at the Citadel, Rick didn’t make it to his business meeting and lost the deal. Morty didn’t even remember what the meeting was all about, but Rick made sure the kid knew it was all his fault. All day, evening and night he kept shouting at his grandson calling him many different degrading names ultimately making him cry. And when that happened, Rick started making fun of him for that. His family heard everything but nobody defended him. Morty felt more alone than ever. So the first thing in the morning he went and bought himself a second phone, identical to his first one, and sent a text to Rick Q-2236. Having two similar looking phones made it possible for Morty to sometimes use his second phone while Rick was nearby, and since his mom was the one taking care of all the bills, Rick wouldn’t even see that Morty had two phone bills. He just needed to make up some excuse for his mom.
Morty knew perfectly well that it was not normal for a young boy to be friends with an old man, but he really needed someone to talk to. And he knew as long as he kept his distance with this other Rick, he would be fine. And this Rick clearly felt like he needed him too, he even told Morty he was the first Morty he made a connection with after loosing his own grandson. It made Morty feel special and important. He had always thought that his purpose was to provide his brainwaves to Rick’s cover, but Rick Q-2236 was the first one to make him feel that there was more to him than just that.
Morty woke up from his thoughts as his phone beebed again. At first he thought Rick forgot to say something to him but when he looked at his phone, he realized an hour had already passed.
20:23: Managed to read for your test?
20:23: i did try, but i still dont think i can pass it…
20:24: Don’t stress too much about it, Morty. Just do your best and it’s enough! Is that little crush of yours in the same class?
20:24: jessica? no, just math.
20:25: Well, one distraction less, hehe!
20:26: i guess, lol… but it doesnt matter anyway, shes back with brad again… i dont know what to do, im never gonna get her…
20:27: Aww come on, kid. You don’t know that! I’m sure she’ll eventually realize what a great guy you are.
20:28: dont know about that... she’s way too out of my league… actually, every girl is… oh jeez, sometimes i think im gonna die as a virgin…
As soon as Morty had sent that text, he regretted it. That was way too much information, even for Rick. God he was embarrassing… His phone beebed again.
20:29: Jesus, Morty, you’re only 14! No need to be worrying about something like that! And believe me: there’s lots of people out there waiting for you.
Before Morty could protest, Rick changed the subject:
20:30: Now then, you wanna see the pictures I was talking about?
20:30: yeah sure rick!
Couple of minutes later Morty received several pictures from Rick. They were all taken from different surroundings, some from a busy street and others from park or a bar. But it was not the backgrounds that caught Morty’s attention; it was all the people in the pictures. They were all extremely attractive and beautiful women, all redheads. Morty always thought that Jessica was as beautiful as a model, but these women where Jessica times thousand. Morty couldn’t help but get arroused.
20:35: What do you think?
20:35: holy shit rick what is that place??!!
20:36: It’s a dimension where all the women are redheads. Well okay, ALL people there are redheads but I figured that you don’t give a shit about the men. Almost all of them were pretty good-looking too, as you can see.
20:36: omg rick i wanna go there so bad!!!
20:36: I knew you would like it, kid ;D
For the rest of the evening Morty forgot all about his history book and instead browsed through all the pictures Rick sent him. They even gave ratings for some of the single women in the pictures and compared their preferences. It seemed to be one of those things all Ricks had in common: they all liked redheads. And that had clearly descended to Mortys. Before Rick came to his life, Morty had always wondered why he found girls with redhead so attractive. Since meeting his grandfather and getting to know him, it finally made sense to him. Of course this topic was something Morty should have been discussing with someone at his own age, but when he was talking to Rick Q-2236, he always forgot that he was his elder. And Rick never forgot to tell Morty that he was very mature for his age.
Morty finally put his phone down as he heard footsteps walking up the stairs. He pushed the phone under his book before Rick opened his door without knocking. The older man glared at the boy and stated coldly:
”Hey, dipshit. Get yoUURPr-get your ass down the garage, I need-I need your help.”
Rick didn’t even bother to wait Morty to answer as he already turned around and marched back down. Morty sighed, pulled his phone out again and typed his last texts for the night:
21:44: gotta go, grandpa needs me. have to hide my phone again.
21:45: Gotcha. Hope he doesn’t keep you awake all night again... Try to get some sleep later, kid.
21:45: hope so too. i will text you later, ok?
22:46: Awesome. I’ll be here waiting ;) sleep well, my special little guy!
Morty smiled so wide that he almost blushed. He read the final message couple times more and then muted his phone before putting it back in the drawer under his papers. He then got up and walked down towards the garage. He had no idea if Rick planned to keep him up all night or not, and he couldn’t help but wonder how nice it would be to actually have a grandpa who made sure that he slept enough. He was sure Rick Q-2236 would be like that.