Beth stood, her shoulders fallen, her eyes straining to keep locked on yours, "I'm sorry Rick..you need to... I can't" her idiot, Jerry took her weight as Beth couldn't keep her composure, the look Jerry gave you was enough you knew you weren't welcome here. "Jerry I just got him back..Jerry.." Beth blubbered. Jerry whispered words, painful yet entirely too real to Beth who quietly excused herself from the room.
Little footsteps, footsteps that tried to be unheard but In the deafening silence were the fat stumps an elephant calls feet.
"Dad let me talk to him." He's thought a lot about this, about defying his parents, Morty's stutter not fueled by anxiety but hidden behind his determination you'd almost be proud if it wasn't for the situation at hand. As if Morty could just talk this all away.
"Morty, listen…listen to your father…" You hold up your portal gun to the wall facing you, your items already packed into a space-defying cube you had nabbed from another galaxy. You shoot and make your way through the shining green portal. You can't bring yourself to look back.
It doesn't matter what universe you go to, Morty is the only constant, or maybe you two are linked by some horrible fate. You're his grandfather. You throw your cube at the floor and the room around you loads piece by piece. It's not so bad here, a replica of the garage you and Morty used to work in, if you stay here you might be able to make it. Make it…where? You don't know, at least you can't make any mistakes if you just lie here…maybe forever, moving didn't help.
It seemed like years when your eyelids fluttered open. Food. Water. Your mouth is dry. Water. Your stomach is screaming. Food. You sit up, the lack of nutrients taking a toll on your old bones, you rustle through your lab coat for the cure to all your ailments, your alcohol. And then you stab the cure for everything else into your bloodstream, all your sickness washes away as the serum passes through your veins and your mind numbs with the alcohol.
"You've really got this all worked out huh Rick".
Wait…that wasn't you speaking, You hold your ray gun hazily out at the direction of the voice. You don't remember programing a Morty simulation into the replica of the garage. You really are a pervert.
"I'm not a hologram Rick, I followed you here."
You look displeased at him, the gun drops to your lap, you take another swig, "Sure you aren't fake Morty, I probably made you in my sleep or *hic* something." You humor fake Morty, "Okay fake*belch*real Morty, tell me something real-not-fake Morty would know."
"I can't," fake Morty looks down at his feet, "You're..you…you're really smart Rick…you-you-you probably could know everything already and I don't know pr-program a me who knows everything Rick."
You take another swig, "You're right Morty, I can't even trust myself."
You feel your hands shaking…."Wubba lubba dub dub Morty."
You hide your face as cold tears hit your fingers, your shoulders shudder, you're so ugly when you cry.
"Don't cry Rick," fake-Morty says that but you can hear tears in his voice too.
"I really fucked up huh Morty, you might as well be Morty, Fake-Morty, It doesn't really matter does it Morty…Morty Morty Morty!" Your voice gets more strained the more you say it. Each Morty is a prayer that you could perhaps just hold him in your arms. You walk up to fake Morty and give him a hug, well you would have. Your arms glitch right through him.
"Wubba lubba dub dub Morty."