Title: Going Out With A Whimper
Author: Daisy
Fandom: Rick And Morty
Setting: Smith Family Dining Room/Kitchen
Pairing: Rick Sanchez/Morty Smith, Jerry Smith/Beth Smith
Characters: Morty Smith, Jerry Smith, Beth Smith, Rick Sanchez, Summer Smith
Genre: Family/Drama
Rating: K
Chapters: 1/1
Word Count: 600
Type of Work: One-Shot, Part of the Fanfiction-Friends' Weekly Writing Prompts
Status: Complete
Warnings: Slightly Canon Divergent, How Rick Showed Up Fic, Amazed/Starstruck Morty, Jealous Jerry
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Summary: Rick's arrival signals the end of normalcy in the Smith home.
AN: Another piece for the Fanfiction-Friends' Weekly Writing Prompts! This week's prompt is choice. I figured this would definitely work out here, and I'm pretty happy with this. Just a little 'nothing was the same' sort of idea, I guess. Could be taken as shippy or not, it's up to you guys, I suppose. Hope you guys enjoy!
Going Out With A Whimper ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was a sad day in the Smith household when the most exciting decision one could make would be between Fruity Lucky-O's and oatmeal that would never quite reach a proper lumps-to-cream ratio. Jerry hummed happily over his bowl, reading the news on his phone as he bobbed his head to some vapid beat stuck within. Beth sighed, leaning into her hand a little more, sipping absently at her coffee. Summer wasn't even at the breakfast table, yet, probably trying to figure out what outfit to wear. Morty yawned wide, not bothering to hide it behind his hand, even if his honeyed eyes were wide awake and bright.
He sipped his orange juice, slathering his toaster waffles with butter in a way that probably would have made a smart man balk. Syrup was next on his mind, and as he reached across the table, he glanced up at his sister, finally joining them.
"Welcome to th-th-the land of the li-living, Summer." Morty teased with a little chuckle, earning a glare from the redhead as she sat down, grabbing the Fruity Lucky-O's from the center of the table.
"Shut it, Morty, I have a very important presentation today with a very-" She paused for a moment, licking her lips, "Popular friend of mine. I have to look-"
A green portal opened up in the wall behind Jerry and Beth's eyes blew impossibly wide. Before her husband could ask, she rose so fast her chair clattered to the floor, tears pricking her eyes.
"Dad!" Throwing her arms around the man's shoulders, despite Jerry rising and turning to look at the new addition to the dining room, Beth buried her face in the elder's neck.
"Hey, pumpkin." The elder man's smile was easygoing and perhaps a bit practiced. His tone held a fondness of a man that had never run out fourteen years ago, and as he rubbed a hand over the crown of her head, he sighed a little. "Daddy's got a bit of a predicament." He told her softly, and her eyes went wide. The pair excused themselves to the kitchen, with Jerry rubbernecking to try and see and hear the conversation. Summer had excused herself to the bus stop, too much weirdness baring down on her 'vibes'.
Morty turned in his chair, craning his neck to watch the quiet conversation between his estranged grandfather and his tearful mother. Jerry was saying something disparaging, something under his breath that was probably rude, but the fourteen year old's entire attention was focused on the man that had disrupted everything. Coming into their lives again through some weird portal, hell bent on getting something out of Beth, it was like his entire life was split into two. What Happened Before Rick Showed Up, and What Happened After Rick Showed Up separated who he could have been from who he would be, now.
There was no hiding the stars in Morty's eyes as he watched the way those long hands moved, the way Rick quietly spoke to his daughter, his voice a low rumble in his chest. Gulping, Morty found himself having to run out the door for school by the time he finally managed to pull his attention away.
Nobody would know in that first week, that allowing Rick to have a room in their house, to take over the garage, would take away Morty's ability to choose to have a boring, mundane, Rickless life. He was in for a short, desperate claim to his own identity in a sea of hims that weren't quite him.
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