AN: Took a little freedom with this one even though it feels a little lame after I wrote this idea down…

Warnings: none, but it's a little angsty/sad and (probably) OOC

Summary: Smol Rick is so different from old grumpy Rick…


Finally Ricktober, Bitches! – Chapter 9: Tiny Rick – A nice and forgotten side of Rick

Rick walked home from school together with his grandson, Morty. Well, he was called Tiny Rick now to not confuse him with his older counterpart who was currently busy trying to merge them again.

It all had started with Rick trying out his new project – Project Phoenix 2.0 –, which didn't require the use of a clone body anymore and was supposed to be foolproof.
Well, "supposed to be" didn't mean that it went like Rick had hoped for it to go at all.

While the potion that he had developed was supposed to work like the fountain of youth, it didn't really make him younger. Instead, this younger version of him was somehow extracted out of his body.
And not only was this Rick younger than the old scientist, but he also only carried the memories of his past-self. Ironically, his older counterpart seemed to have lost those exact same memories.

So, at the moment, Tiny Rick and Old Rick were one Rick who just happened to be separated into two persons.

In order to keep some sense of normalcy in this weird situation, Tiny Rick had asked if he could actually visit school with Morty together while the other half of him would work on a solution to put them back together again.
Now, the small brunet hadn't been so sure about the idea of going to school together at first, being quite suspicious of his grandfather's younger counterpart after what had happened the last time that a Tiny Rick was around.

However, it seemed that Morty quickly warmed up to him and actually enjoyed spending more time with Tiny Rick than the grumpy old bastard that was tinkering around in the garage. And Tiny Rick was glad for it because back in his old school, he didn't had a single friend and actually used to get bullied a lot. Something that Morty found hard to believe.

"Wow, you're so different from the Rick that I know, Tiny Rick." Morty said. "It's like you're a completely different person. But I mean that in a good way."

Tiny Rick laughed at that. "Really?"

It was hard for him to believe, but the boy had told him everything about how old he was. Not that there wasn't the living proof for that around so he could witness it firsthand.
He just couldn't believe that he would be turning into such a mean man once he got older.

Tiny Rick was actually barely any different from Morty – he was pretty shy and socially awkward, stuttering a lot when he was talking with other people other than his grandson. He was also an easy target for bullies – probably because he didn't fight back and had the reputation to be a complete nerd even if he didn't study at all. It all just came naturally to him since he was a genius.
He was also trying to be polite and friendly whenever he could – especially towards Morty who he actually saw more as his best friend than family.

According to Morty, the Rick that he knew was barely this nice to him and usually just talked him down. Tiny Rick didn't know why though. In his opinion, his grandson was amazing and if he would be as old as he was supposed to be now, he'd probably think of him as adorable and not as a nuisance or whatever Old Rick saw in him.
Morty was such a great companion to have around and he made him feel not so lonely anymore – he had always been wondering why no one liked him, but the brunet did. And his daughter Beth and her family were great, too. She was so kind to him, nothing like his own parents had ever been.

Now in another contrast to him, it also seemed that no one wanted to mess with older him. Which was actually pretty cool. However, what he didn't think was cool was that Old Rick was more like a bully now – something that he certainly would have never wanted to turn into – and was also pretty indifferent to the fate of others.
He had no trouble killing aliens to get what he wanted and also left an entire tribe to their fate after they made an errand on a different planet together.

Tiny Rick couldn't believe that one person could change so much – especially since that person was himself.
Where was all his compassion gone? The respect that he had for other living beings? Or, that wide-eyed wonder that he had for space?
Because he did notice that, his other seemed pretty unimpressed and mostly uninterested in most wondrous things that they encountered in their adventures.

He guessed that he should at least be glad that his descendant still seemed to hold onto those same values that he still had. Though it was sad that this was the only thing that he had to look forward to – not that he really would get to live his life out.
As soon as he merged with the other Rick again, it would be over and as if he already lived it – which was basically what had happened even if he had no memory of it and was inside this younger body right now.

He just wondered what could have happened to him that he would become the person that he was watching tinkering at his workbench when they were back at home. What kind of event might have happened that turned him into that?
It probably didn't matter if he knew or not because it still wouldn't change anything, but he still wondered about that every so often.

He had heard that he would drop out of high school and would leave earth altogether to travel through space in a self-built space ship. Thinking about it for a while, he realized that it did sound like something that he would do.
School was actually pretty boring to him since he didn't learn anything new there and seeing how he was constantly bullied, he probably would drop out because it became too much for him.
And leaving planet earth just so he could get away from his awful parents, also didn't sound that unbelievable to him.
Maybe it was something that had happened out on his adventures that forever changed him as the person that he was, but until he merged with his older self again, he wouldn't know that for sure…

Tiny Rick laughed at a joke that Morty made as they arrived at home – though technically the home of his daughter, but since he also lived in that house, he was trying to think of it as his own home, too.
Not soon after they passed through the front door, they were already intercepted by the other Rick.

"Okay, dipshit. I finally found the solution. Get your ass to the garage so we can merge again." He said gruffly.

Tiny Rick's face fell at that and he could see the expression mirrored on Morty.
However, he knew that it was for the best. Aside from the fact that they shouldn't exist as two separate entities, according to what he had heard from Morty, the older Rick was also not acting quite like himself.

He wasn't sure if it was solely because he had lost all of his childhood memories – while memories were certainly a big part of determining and creating someone's personality that alone surely couldn't have made such a big impact. That older version of him was a lot meaner and rougher than the actual Rick was usually like.
If Tiny Rick didn't know any better, he'd think that not only their bodies and memories have been separated, but also parts of their personality. As if all the kindness and compassion and shyness was solely inside him and completely absent in the other.

Oh well, if they merged again that would all be resolved as well. So, it didn't really matter if that's really how it was or not…

"Here. Drink this, Dumb-dumb." The older Rick ordered as he handed him a test tube with a purple liquid in it.

Tiny Rick saw that his other held a vial with a similar substance, which he quickly downed. Then he looked expectantly (and impatiently) at him, urging him to do the same.

"Well then, Morty. It was nice meeting you. I really enjoyed the time that we spent together." He said his goodbyes to the boy that he had really grown attached to in the short amount of time that he got to know him.

Older Rick rolled his eyes. "Save the sentimental crap and hurry up already!"

Tiny Rick emptied the vial and made a face at the disgusting taste.

"I'll be missing you, Tiny Rick." Morty said.

The boy looked really sad and his face was the last thing that Tiny Rick was able to see as everything suddenly became blurry and then turned black as his body became one with the Original Rick again…