AN: Decided to write a cliché angsty/romancey Christmas fanfiction for you guys. I hope you like it :)

Warnings: Rick/Morty, heartbreak and angst, but Happy Ending

Last Christmas…

Christmas was different this year somehow.
Jerry had been decorating the house on the outside and inside and was more excited about the season than the rest of the family combined. However, that was completely normal.

No, it had nothing to do with the childish and spirited family father. The problematic rather rested with the oldest and the youngest of the household: Rick and Morty.
Though, if Summer was honest, this all had started last year already.

She had no idea what exactly had went down between the two and at first, she had assumed that they had been in a fight. After last year's Christmas Eve, the two had been avoiding each other for a while.
However, even after starting to act normal again a few weeks later, it was undeniable that whatever had happened had changed something permanently in their relationship. So, it must have been something more than just a petty argument.

Summer was the only one who had even noticed this though and she tried to question her brother about it without any success. Getting her grandfather to share any information about it would be an impossible task – especially since this seemed to be some emotional stuff – and so she didn't even try to make the futile attempt.

As such, she could only watch Morty constantly spacing out.
It was obvious that while he had been holding it together the entire year that whatever had happened last Christmas was starting to resurface in his thoughts again.
While the change was less subtle in Rick, he also acted slightly different and probably also couldn't help but be reminded of it again.

If she would just know what had happened, she might have been able to help them, but as things were, the two would just have to deal with their problems themselves.
Summer just hoped that they would get this resolved soon because it seriously bothered her to see them like this…

Again, Morty stared into nothingness as he sat on the couch, only being ripped out of his thoughts as his sister elbowed him gently in the side. He could read worry in her face and gave her a reassuring smile to show that he was fine…even if he didn't feel fine at all.

He couldn't really help but think about last Christmas again, now that the festive days were returning. Last year he had wanted to give Rick a special present…but it was a mistake.
Morty had given his heart to the man and was rejected rather harshly.

"What the fuck, Morty! I'm you grandfather for fuck's sake! What's wrong with you?!"

It had taken him such a long time to muster up the courage to confess his love to Rick and he had honestly thought that his feelings might be returned or he wouldn't even have attempted to do that. For a long time he had been searching for hints that his grandfather maybe loved him, too, and after some more disastrous adventures that they had been through, he had been convinced that his feelings hadn't been entirely one-sided.

However, he had been wrong. And he had ruined their relationship because things weren't the same between them anymore after that.
He wished that he had some sort of invention with which he could just erase last year's Christmas. Not only erasing Rick's memory of it but also his own. Surely, his grandfather had a gadget like that somewhere in the garage, but Morty hadn't really dared to look for it.

He sighed once more as he wallowed in regret and self-hatred for having done something stupid like that and wondered how many years it would take before he would finally not feel like shit on Christmas anymore.
Maybe that would never happen…

For now, he would have to worry getting through this season while trying to act normal in front of the rest of the family. He wasn't doing a very good job though since Summer seemed to notice that something was off with him.
Thankfully, she stopped questioning him about it. There was no way that he could tell his sister that he had confessed his undying love to their grandfather and sulked now because he was shot down.
He couldn't ever tell that to anyone!

Rick was the last one to join the family at the table for Christmas dinner. He threw a quick greeting to their guests – namely Jerry's parents and that one dude that was also there over the last years, though he never got why nor did he care – before taking a seat.
His eyes fell on Morty who sat right next to him and avoided eye contact at all costs, looking like he wanted be anywhere but here right now. Of course, Rick knew that it was solely because of his presence that the boy felt so uncomfortable.
His daughter and the idiot were blissfully unaware of their son's squeamish behavior. It was probably for the better though.

Last year, his grandson had told him that he loved him. And not in the cute way that grandkids love their grandparents. No, he meant in a far more intimate and romantic way.
And Rick had…reacted rather harshly.
Which was the reason why Morty was acting the way that he was now.

The thing was that he hadn't really meant to hurt the boy and he really regretted that he had yelled at him like that. He was sure that it was for the best though, that Morty didn't really know what he asked for and that he needed to see that they couldn't do this. That it is wrong!
However, seeing his grandson suffering through the entire year as he did, even if they still went back to their adventures together, made him think that maybe he was the one in the wrong this time.
They hadn't talked about this since, but Rick thought that they really needed to. He wanted to clear this up properly and he'd do it this Christmas.

Morty wearily followed Rick into the garage. His grandfather had told him that he had a special present for him and needed to show it to him here.
It eerily reminded him of last year, when he was the one who told Rick the same thing and gave him his heart right here only for it to be broken. Yet it was obvious that this was just an excuse to have a talk under four eyes with him.

"Morty, we need to talk." Rick started. "About last year."

Oh no! Morty didn't want to talk about that. He just wanted to forget that it had ever happened.
Why did Rick have to rip open that old wound?

"Please, Rick. Just don't…"

"No, Morty. We are gonna talk about this and we're gonna talk about it now." Rick interrupted him.

He quickly took a gulp from his flask before he began. "Listen, Morty. Grandpa doesn't give much of a crap about morals. Heck, I keep preaching to you how those are only stupid social constructs. But that doesn't change that there's laws on this planet and you're my grandson so this—" he was gesturing between them "—is not accepted. And—"

"Yeah, I get it, Rick!" Now it was Morty's turn to break through his grandfather's monologue. "It's wrong and I'm gross. I know that! You're not telling me anything new here, Rick. And I'm sorry, okay? But I just can't help how I feel!"

The boy turned away and was angry with himself for feeling tears welling up in his eyes. Great time to get emotional like this and then right in front of Rick on top of it!

Even if Morty tried to suppress it, Rick could hear a sob. Seeing his grandson cry was always something that he felt bad about, but this was just heartbreaking.
It wasn't his intention to hurt Morty, he just wanted what was best for him and felt like he needed to get this clear. He needed to bring his point across that this wasn't just okay, that it wasn't accepted on this version of earth and that being together wasn't simple and wouldn't be all rainbows and sunshine like he thought Morty was probably expecting.

However, it was a dumb assumption that the teen wasn't grasping the full impact that this sort of relationship between them would have. Rick knew that Morty valued morals and was always intent on acting "righteous" or behaving in accordance to the social norms that he grew up with, but he was aware of the consequences that being together with his grandfather would have. And despite knowing and even despite being given the cold shoulder by Rick one year ago, Morty still loved him.

And that knowledge moved something inside Rick.
Even if he had always kept telling himself that he didn't care about the boy, tried to drink himself into oblivion every time when his thoughts about his grandson wandered south, even if he lived in denial about his emotions towards him, he couldn't deny anymore that he liked having Morty around.
He wanted the boy to be around him.
He needed Morty.
Fuck it, he loved him! And he was done with pretending that he wasn't and holding back any longer!

"Morty, look at me."

The boy only shook his head and refused the request, his shoulders trembling slightly as he still tried to hold back anymore sobs from escaping.
Growing slightly frustrated, Rick grabbed his arm and made him turn around to face him.
However, Morty still didn't look at him, head held low and his eyes clenched shut tight as tears were streaming down his cheeks.

Rick's fingers covered the wet tracks as he grabbed the soft round cheeks and angled Morty's face upwards.
Whatever the brunet had expected would happen, this wasn't on his list. His eyes snapped open in shock as he felt something touch his lips and saw Rick's face right in front of him.

After they parted again seconds later, Morty's brain was still short-circuiting. "Wha-wha…?"

"W-well, M-Mo-Morty…" A slight flush appeared on Rick's cheeks as he became flustered over the emotional "crap" that he was about to say. "L-last year you gave me a-a very special present and I'm sorry that I reacted rather-that I was being an ass about it. So anyways, th-this year it's my turn make up for it and to-uh to give you a special present in return…i-if you still want me that is."

Morty looked at him stunned and it took a while until what Rick had said was fully processed by his brain and finally reached home. When it did, a bright smile broke out on his face that made Rick's heart skip a beat and he flung his arms around his grandfather's neck, pulling him down in another kiss.
Without hesitation, it was returned.

Their lips slid together, moving in massaging motions, pressing so tightly together as if they never wanted to part again, as if they wanted to fuse together and become one.

The teen was sure that he had never been as happy as this in his life. This was the best Christmas gift that he could have ever wished for.
Everything that had happened last year was forgotten and he was sure that every Christmas to come he would remember this wonderful moment – he was going to cherish this precious memory for all eternity.

After few minutes of making out, they pulled apart again, but Morty still held onto Rick.

"I love you." He whispered dreamily, despite having to catch his breath again.

He was so glad that he could finally say these words without feeling ashamed.
However, what came next was an even better present.

"I love you, too, Morty." Rick replied without stutter, hesitation or making an awkward face while saying it.

It was honest. He really meant what he said and Morty could clearly see that in Rick's eyes.

This year's Christmas was truly the best!

AN: This was a byproduct of being tortured by my coworkers with having to listen to 20 different versions of WAM's "Last Christmas" for several hours over the course of several days. And please don't feel offended if you like that song, but I have to say that I was so overexposed to it the last years that I started to develop feelings of aggression for it -_-

Also sorry, that the story is so short. I still hope that you liked this little gift.
Wish you all a Merry Rickmas!