(This takes place between the end scene of "Auto Erotic Assimilation" and the after credits scene...just something I did after getting Rick and Morty feels...)
He swung open the cupboard door to reveal a frozen abomination, every time he saw the thing he couldn't find it in himself to kill it, it had been sitting there for a few months now…it proved to Rick sometimes that he was still…. What was he, human? Yeah, that sounded right. But now, he needed someone (anyone) to just be here for him, to travel to the lonely place he wanted to go. He placed his new friend on the counter, taking a serum to bring him to life, to pain. The creature squealed helplessly as he poured the serum, pleading for his death. Rick could feel what that creature was feeling so bad, he comforted the creature, but really he was comforting himself.
This was getting heavy.
He took a sip of the serum. Side effects like drowsiness and vomiting he brushed aside as always, like nothing. He could fix anything.
But not this time.
He set the machine… consoled the creature and…hesitantly put the creature out of its misery, it was better this way he thought, as it crumbles like the sands of time through his old fingers.
Not missing a beat, he changed the bulb on the machine ready for his own turn.
To be put out of his misery.
He puts his head in line with the laser that would see to his doom.
He hesitated.
His head falling like a lead weight onto the workbench.
The machine without a subject short-circuits.
Rick remained on that workbench for the night.
Not really sleeping, not really…anything. His brain numb to the suffering, the confusion, the burden of wisdom and the sacrifice of putting others before yourself.
Because really, being human is this animalistic drive to help only yourself…
Yet only finding happiness by helping others…
This cycle of self-hatred, madness and mistrust.
Because everyone else is in it for themselves too right?... emotional…clingy… humans…
Emotional…clingy…..Rick.
Suddenly and violently the serum had him spilling his guts on his shoes, everything came back to hurt him, he once again rested his head on the workbench. He couldn't do much else right now.
Rick didn't move when he herd Jerry tending to the grass noisily in the mid-afternoon. He didn't move when Beth sighed at him mumbling about her drunken father, yet still cleaning up her father's filth from the night before. He didn't move when Summer snuck out later in the evening when Beth and Jerry began arguing.
He especially didn't move when Morty came in after several minutes after nervously knocking on the open door to the garage. He carefully navigated his way around potentially dangerous spills and stains as well as a few scattered pieces of glass that Beth had missed. Except he didn't miss them all.
Morty screeched shrilly as one of the glass shards pierced his bare foot. Morty covered his mouth quickly as he tried to remain quiet in front of his sleeping Grandfather.
He steadies himself, carefully lifting his foot to inspect the damage. It was pretty bad, but after all the stuff he'd been through, Morty pulled the glass shard out of his foot, hissing through his teeth as he extracted it smoothly, yet jumping around to maintain balance. There was a lot of Blood but Morty knew where the first aid kit was by now. He knew where a lot of Ricks things were, the basement was his second home.
And being his second home, he knew when Rick was upset. And this wasn't upset, and this wasn't the time to be worried about a glass shard. After haphazardly wrapping his foot in a bandage he-
"Go away" Rick's voice was hoarse, humorless.
Morty, a little conflicted, stayed put.
"whatever" Rick mumbled, not even bothering to lift his bleary gaze from the workbench.
Morty hesitated, "So-o Rick I though.. I thought maybe we could go see uh..we could go see Ball Fondlers the m-movie." "I saw it on infinite TV and I th- I thought we could go see it… together?"
Rick didn't move.
Morty took a shaky breath, " You're scaring me Rick…You scare me a lot, when you use civilians as meat shields…use me! As a meat shield… when you open a portal and you get this look…of-of… like you know every p-possible outcome! Like everything is boring and dumb!"
"And I k-know you think I'M boring and dumb…but I like those adventures! They're exciting and fun! I mean compared to that-" Morty motions to the sound of parents arguing "- anything is exciting and fun." "I…" "What I'm trying to say, Rick is…. For you to be like this…something is finally scary for you… I know I probably can't begin to understand but I want to tell you…from someone with experience about being scared about life is… you're only scared because you're scared of losing something…. an arm…a leg…an experience…a-and that means you still have a reason… it means you still have a reason to care…" "Think about what you're scared of the most…. It helps m-me"
Rick remained silent for a long time.
Morty started to head out the door.
Not moving his head, Rick used his arm to pull Morty into a weak hug as the scientist began to sob weakly into the table.
Morty remained stiff but gradually he loosened up… a hesitant hand rests on the old man's back, attempting to soothe him. "Want to go see Ball Fondlers?"
Rick nodded numbly, head against the table.