AN:
Again, Rick and Morty ain't mine (the credit goes to Justin and Dan), but I shall claim the main Rick- and Morty-sonas of this story as my mental property. Let's all just pretend that that's a thing for one moment… thank you.
No warnings for this chapter yet, but rating is for later chapters.
Second Chances AKA The Rick One For Me – Chapter 1: Graduation and a New Home
His name was Morty – well, that was every boys' name here in Morty Academy so better said: his name was Morty A-22β6.
Or, just "Shy Morty" as he had been nicknamed by the other Mortys.
Now of course, since Mortys were generally shy and anxious this nickname probably seemed to be redundant, yet it was so fitting for him because he put those special attributes on a completely new level.
His stutter was about ten times worse and that was something you would only notice if the quiet boy would even speak up.
This Morty's timidity was at its worst though when he was around Ricks.
It was obvious to everyone around that the boy was downright terrified when addressed by his grandfather no matter which version of him.
As such, uncomfortable situations in the classroom were not rare because every time that the Teacher Rick would ask him something the events went down more or less the same.
"Can you answer the question, Shy Morty?" the Rick inquired and towered over the boy from in front of his desk.
The brunet only stared with horrified, wide eyes up at him and his mouth opened and closed to release some stuttered "U-u-uh…"
With a stern expression, the teacher would come even closer and the Morty slid down in his chair, looking like he wanted to hide underneath his desk and probably close to start crying any moment now.
Teacher Rick only sighed and shook his head. "It's gonna be a miracle if you somehow graduate."
Then he went on to pass the question to another Morty in the classroom.
Shy Morty only looked at his desk like a punished child. His lower lip was quivering slightly.
Honestly, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to graduate. Graduation meant that he would get to live with a new Rick and that thought was somehow terrifying.
'Maybe…maybe it's not going to be so bad though.' he tried to tell himself.
Everyone figured that the way he acted could be only thanks to his original Rick. Who knew what kinds of shit the crazy scientist had put his grandson through?
It caused many of the other Mortys to murmur rumors about him yet they all tried to treat him nicely. Mortys were often times enough the victims of bullying already so most of them were above bullying each other.
As it was, he often stood together in a small circle of Mortys and while he barely ever added anything to their conversations, he overheard many things that they went through and experienced with their Ricks.
Of course, many of the stories sounded abhorrent yet he thought while it certainly sounded bad, it wasn't as horrible as what he had been through with his grandfather.
Sometimes they even told stories about fun adventure or trips to Blips and Chitz – things that he had never encountered in the past.
That's why he wanted to believe that getting a new Rick might not be as bad as he feared. If he were lucky, maybe he would get someone that was actually nice and not as much of a monster as his original grandfather was.
After all, this whole thing was a chance that the Council of Ricks graciously gave him.
He couldn't afford to mess it up or he might face a terrible punishment.
Being sent to Morty Academy was a decision that was made out of mercy for him and Morty A-22β6 should never forget that – not that he really ever would after everything that he had been through…
Eventually the day of graduation came around.
He sat together in the big auditorium with his fellow classmates, all of them clad in robes and caps instead of the school uniform.
Looking up at the stage, he could see the line of Ricks that were waiting to pick up their new Mortys.
Some of them looked half-bored to death or even pissed off. They've probably waited in line for a while already.
Well, it was kind of like "first come, first serve" with the graduation event.
The ones who arrived first got the Mortys with the best degree and the ones who came last got the "leftovers". Simple as that.
That's why many of the Ricks were naturally on edge, the little patience that they had already used up from having to wait so long in the line.
The ceremony began and Teacher Rick called upon the first Morty. "Morty Smith O-93."
The Morty stood up and went on the stage. The teacher handed him a certificate, also added some praising words, saying that he was valedictorian and that his new Rick could be proud to have him as his Morty.
Morty O-93 smiled as he took the certificate and then went to his new Rick who grinned down at him, certainly pleased that he got here first.
The duo left the building while the teacher called up the next Morty.
They obviously were called in the order of how good they did, the best Mortys being the first ones to be called up.
Morty A-22β6 waited anxiously, his fingers fidgeting nervously in his lap.
More and more time passed and more and more Mortys and Ricks left.
The shy Morty looked around at the empty seats, noticing that that the auditorium was almost empty. He worried that maybe he hadn't made it.
Looking left and right nervously, he could see that only Rick aka "Tall Morty" was still seated. Everyone else had already left.
He could feel tears brimming at the corners of his eyes, thinking that this was it and he would get in trouble with the Council now because he hadn't managed to graduate.
"Morty A-22β6." Teacher Rick's voice boomed through the empty hall.
With a gasp, he sprang up from his chair and hurried to the stage. He stumbled on the stairs, but caught himself before he fell and nervously came to stop in front of his teacher.
"I've got to admit that I honestly didn't think you would make it, but here you are." He handed him the certificate that Morty accepted with shaking hands. "Even though it was only barely. Good luck with your new Rick– um, Rick P-78, you little turd."
With those words, he made room so that he could walk towards his new Rick.
Morty didn't dare to lift his head as he approached the man still clutching the paper tightly in his sweaty hands.
The only thing of his new Rick that he could see were his brown boots and black slacks with gun holsters attached to them although they were currently empty. He also wore a grey coat instead of the off-white lab coat that most Ricks usually wore and it seemed to be sleeveless.
He was intriguing and at least optically already different from his original Rick. Hopefully, his personality would also be different.
His new Rick didn't say a word to greet him and Morty was too timid to say something either so they just stood awkwardly in front of each other, the Rick probably looking down at him and Morty looking down at Rick's shoes.
"Graduation's over so get the fuck out of here already." Teacher Rick said and clinked impatiently with his key bundle as he waited at the door for the two to finally leave.
Without any commentary, Rick P-78 went off the stage and Morty followed him.
As they exited the building, Tall Morty – who didn't make it and hadn't gotten a new Rick – as well as the teacher also left, the latter locking the door behind them.
Rick P-78 stopped a cab as soon as they reached the main road and both got in.
They would have to drive to the central square where the portal zone was. Morty didn't really know anything about the customs on the Citadel, but apparently Ricks weren't allowed to carry their portal guns with them while they visited (or lived here) and were only allowed to use it within the official portal zone.
As the cab drove through the streets, Morty looked out of the window.
He hadn't seen much of the Citadel. In the time that he had stayed here, he had only ever been at Morty Academy and the only time he had seen any other buildings was when he had been escorted to the school by some Guard Ricks.
The car stopped and Rick paid the driver before they got out.
There were at the main atrium now that was full of live with bustling Ricks and Mortys as usual.
Morty somewhat recognized the plaza that they were at from the time that he was brought to the Citadel. He had been led by two Guard Ricks to the big building in which the Council of Ricks resided in.
His hands had been cuffed back then and he was treated like a criminal. Well, truthfully speaking, he was…
"C'mon. We've got to pick up my stuff first." His new Rick spoke to him for the first time.
They went over to a small building where they had to wait in line for a bit.
As it finally was their turn, Rick filled out the formula that he was handed and then got his portal gun as well as his other weapons back.
While he strapped his handguns in the holsters, Morty dared to look up at Rick P-78 for the first time.
He wore a black long-sleeved turtleneck shirt instead of the typical blue sweater, but that wasn't what the boy focused on.
Rick's left eye was in an unnaturally bright blue color. It looked like it might even glow in the dark.
Morty had no doubt that it was artificial and most likely a cybernetic upgrade.
He wondered if Rick had purposely replaced his eye though or if it had to do with some kind of accident.
After all, over the eye was a long vertical scar. It went all the way from above his eyebrow down to his cheek.
That scar and eye made Rick P-78 look scary and Morty felt terrified again, worrying that he got a bad pick.
Was this guy going to be like his grandfather had been?
Morty squeaked as Rick suddenly looked at him, obviously noticing that the boy had been starring at him.
"C'mon. Let's go home." He only said and pulled out his portal gun to open a portal in the designated zone.
Morty rubbed nervously over the long sleeves of his robe, but followed him obediently.
They arrived in a familiar garage and the boy felt heavy lumps of dread settle in his stomach. He didn't like this place. Too many memories…
He vaguely noticed while it looked distantly the same to the one he knew from his home dimension there were some subtle differences. Even if it was only some gadgets that rested on the shelves that looked different from the ones that his grandfather had owned.
"If you want you can go to your room or whatever. I don't need your help right now." Rick said and gestured to the door. "It-it should be the same as the room you had in your home dimension."
Morty took the hint that Rick wanted him to leave so that he could work in peace without getting bothered and went into the house.
The first room that he came to was obviously the kitchen as it was connected to the garage.
He looked around. It was familiar. The same one that he knew from his home, but something was different.
However, he couldn't tell what it was.
The place was clean, but he did notice a fine sheen of dust that had settled on some of the countertops as if it had been a while since someone had prepared food here.
He left the kitchen through the door that led into the dining room.
This room looked equally untouched.
With furrowed brows, he then entered the parlor.
No one was here and the TV wasn't on.
From looking outside and checking one of the clocks, he could see that it was late afternoon already. Usually someone should have been home at this time.
That was when it finally struck him what seemed so off about the house.
Even though everything was still in place and where it should be – the picture frames, the furniture, all the decorative items – it was too silent, it felt empty… lifeless.
It made him wonder, where the rest of the family was.
Did Rick actually live here alone? For how long was "his" family gone?
It certainly had the feel that it had been some time.
Morty went into the hallway and looked towards the small corridor underneath the steps.
There was also no sound coming from over there and the boy didn't really feel the need to check if it was the same in those rooms. If it was really exactly like his own home then only Jerry's man cave, Rick's room and the first floor bathroom were there and he certainly wouldn't dare to even consider snooping around in Rick's room.
So, instead he opted to walk up the stairs.
Out of curiosity, he did check Summer's room after his ascend, but this one also felt as lifeless as all the other rooms even if her stuff was still all there.
Ignoring the urge to peek inside his parents' bedroom to see the same weird "emptiness", he went past that door and came to a stop at the last one.
This one lead to "his" room.
He opened the door and slowly stepped inside.
It looked exactly like he remembered it.
The round rug with a motif of the solar system, the posters on the walls as well as the green flag with "Science" written on it.
It all looked the same and even though it wasn't his room per say, it still radiated the love that he had for science.
Ever since he was just a little child, he had a fascination for science and everything that had to do with sci-fi. And he could still remember how elated he had been when his grandfather had come into his life. The man was a scientist who had adventures in outer space and build machinery that was beyond imagining.
To Morty, his Grandpa Rick had been the embodiment of everything that he associated with science.
That was also the reason why he had been drawn to the old man like an insect that was lured by the sweet scent of a Venus Fly Trap before it was helplessly caught in its maws where it struggled in vain and then was slowly being digested.
Morty trudged more into the room, his hand gliding over the surface of his desk, which was also slightly covered in dust – the same desk on which he used to do his homework. He looked at his shelves, inspecting all of his action figures and collectibles that still were all accounted for and stood in their proper place.
It felt like it had been so long that he had seen his room. When was the last time that he had been in here?
Lastly, he went over to his bed.
He first sat gently down on it as if he was afraid that it was only an illusion and not really there. After feeling the familiar soft mattress dipping under his weight, he threw himself into his pillow.
He didn't remember when the last time was that he actually got to sleep in his bed.
When Rick came to live with them, he would interrupt Morty's sleep to drag him out of this very bed in the middle of the night. At least that was what he had been doing in the beginning.
At some point, he didn't even let Morty go to his room anymore.
Rick forced him to drop out of school and never let him out of his sight or his lab again.
When Morty slept, he either fell asleep on a stool as he sat beside Rick and was supposed to assist him or the occasional naps in the space car with Rick's drunk voice droning in the background – which was pretty comfy, but since his grandfather would always shake him awake minutely, he didn't really get much sleep – or he had been passing out from exhaustion, strapped naked to a metal table while Rick was busy "experimenting" on him for hours on end.
A shiver ran down Morty's spine at the memories and he buried his face deeper into the pillow.
He wondered how his new Rick was. Would he be as mean as his last one?
This Rick certainly looked scary, but he hadn't yelled or hurt him yet.
Morty would just have to wait and see.
AN:
Kind of short first chapter, but this is just the introduction to our story anyways.
I hope you find it intriguing enough to continue reading it :)