The next morning, Rick and Morty sat in the garage going over all that Morty's "new" job would entail. "So" Rick chimed, fiddling with a small microchip on his desk. "If you're going to be my official assistant, there's go-urp-gonna be some new rules." He said, not looking at Morty. Morty squinted his eyes at Rick suspiciously. "Like what?" he asked hesitantly. He was a bit afraid of what Rick was going to say. Rick suddenly, looked at Morty with a serious expression and he got the since that he wasn't gonna like where this was going. "I'm going to put a tracking chip in you." He stated plainly. "Absolutely not." Morty replied without hesitation.
"Morty-." Rick started, but the boy shook his head, cutting him off.
"Are you crazy Rick-."
"Well you know the answer to that one-."
"You're not putting a tracker in me." Morty finished with a growl and Rick gave an exasperated sigh. Rick was quiet for a moment, trying to figure out the best course of action to convince Morty but in the end, he decided that the truth would be the most convincing of all. "Morty…I can't lose you again." He finally said, looking Morty in the eyes. The anger on Morty's face slowly dissolved into something that Rick couldn't recognize. He was quiet for a while, as if weighing out the options in his head but eventually he sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "Okay…" he mumbled and Rick felt a slight triumph at having won the boy over. "but you can only track me in case of an emergency Rick. Everyone need's their privacy." He said sternly and Rick smiled.
"Don't worry Mor-Morty." He said encouragingly and turned back to the microchip on his desk. "So, if I know you at all-and I do- there's more rules than that." Morty quipped and sat on the edge of Rick's desk. Rick had to resist the urge to back away from the proximity to his grandson. "Corectomundo!" he replied and looked back up at Morty. "You also have to start eating more and sleeping." He said and Morty groaned. "Rick…It's-It's not that simple." He complained and Rick nodded. "I know, but you have to try. I-I can't have your malnourished ass slo-slowing me down." He said and pulled his flask out of his coat pocket. The comment stung a bit but Morty knew he was right. He was more than aware of his current state. He hadn't eaten since they went to In and Out and was running on five hours of sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he saw purple ones staring back at him and every time he tried to eat it ended up coming back up. It was easier to just not try at all but he knew Rick wouldn't accept that as an answer so he lied. "Sure Rick. I'll try." Rick starred at him for a moment before nodding. "Alright then That's pretty much it." He finished and Morty squinted at him suspiciously once again. "Pretty much?" he asked incredulously. Rick waved his hand at him dismissively. "The rest will come later." He explained and stood up. He beckoned for Morty to sit in his chair while he unrolled a bunch of medical instruments.
Morty grimaced and took a seat. This is gonna suck. He thought to himself, and it did. It didn't take Rick long to insert the tracking chip but he had to make a small incision with a scalpel and Morty grit his teeth in pain. The anesthesia did little to quell the pain of Rick shoving the small microchip under his skin. "Sorry…" Rick murmured softly and was much gentler after that. Morty couldn't help but watch him work. It was captivating. Rick may be flighty and unpredictable but when he worked there was a certainty in his gaze that Morty was immediately drawn to. His icy blue eyes were trained on Morty's upper arm as he stitched the small wound closed. He took in the sight of Rick's unruly blue hair and soft wrinkle lines around his eyes and mouth. He was beautiful at least to Morty.
The boy was shaken from his revere when he realized Rick was starring right at him, calling his name. The man had a knowing look on his face and he smirked. Morty blushed and looked away. He realized then that Rick had finished up and his arm was now neatly bandaged up. "Ah…thanks" he muttered and crossed his arms defensively over his chest. Rick snickered under his breath and nodded. "No prob bob."
Later that night, Morty slipped out of the house and into the backyard. It was around two am and the moon was high in the sky. Morty found that on certain nights where his mind wouldn't quiet down on its own, it helped to go out to the roof and watch the stars. He clicked a button on the side of the sneakers that Rick had let him keep after their 'mega seed' fiasco and walked vertically up the side of the house and onto the roof. Sure, he could just drag a ladder out from the shed in the back yard but where was the fun in that? Besides, he didn't want his parents to notice it had been moved in fear that they may take this simple activity away from him and Morty had quickly learned that sometimes the simplest things were the best.
He thought about this as he sat on the highest peak of the roof, smoking another cigarette. He'd started smoking a few months after he…after he came back from that place. He found that it helped to calm his fried nerves. For a short time, he'd considered turning to drugs, but he couldn't do it. It just wasn't who he was, so he settled for the simple pleasure that a nicotine buzz could give him, and the soothing feel of menthol in his lungs. Suddenly, there was a soft shifting sound behind him and he turned to see Rick. He wasn't that surprised to see him. A few times, Rick had caught him sneaking up to the roof but he hadn't tried to stop him and Morty appreciated it. As Rick settled down beside him, he handed over his pack of cigarettes wordlessly and Rick accepted it. They sat in silence for a while, both starring up at the sky.
"Remember that time when we scavenged an abandoned ship near beta 4." Morty said, breaking the silence. Rick grinned and snickered to himself at the memory. "Yeah, you were scared out of your mind cause we ran into that tentacle monster." He laughed and Morty frowned at him. "I don't care what you say Rick, squids are scary." He said sternly but it was all in good fun and Rick laughed once again, eliciting a smile from the boy. "Yeah… well I liked that adventure because you could see the lights of a nearby solar system so clearly. It was beautiful…" he said, trailing off softly to look back up at the night sky. Rick watched him with a soft look on his face. For a moment, Morty looked like the innocent boy he had been a year ago. His deep green eyes twinkled from where they watched the sky and he looked more relaxed than he had in a long time. He felt lucky to be able to observe this, to be the only one who knew this side of him and he selfishly soaked it up like a man drinking water in a desert.
Morty was the one person in his life that he allowed to get in close, to break down his walls and crawl under the barrier he kept up at all times. Sometimes he hated it. The way the boy could so easily get in but other times, other times it was undeniably addicting. His hands ached with the need to reach forward. To pull Morty close and hold him against himself but he resisted it. He knew he couldn't do it for many reasons but one of them was that he didn't want to ruin Morty's peaceful demeanor. He felt a bit of sorrow in that moment, as he watched Morty's relaxed face. He knew that in the course of the next few days he would see this peacefulness disappear. It was a bitter-sweet situation.
On one hand, he would have Morty all to himself as they went about their work and there was a chance that it would help him heal, but on the other hand, was the fear that he would only derail the slight progress that the boy had made. It was too late to change anything now though. He was going to have to be ready for either outcome. "You know Morty." He suddenly said, drawing the boy's attention away from the sky and back to himself. "I've seen a lot of the universe, and it never gets old. No matter how many solar systems I've seen or foreign planets I've traversed, the sky will always call to me." He said quietly. Morty observed him for a moment and then turned away. There was a slight shift in the air and Rick furrowed his brow, wondering what he had said to ruin the mood.
"It must be hard." Morty said quietly and Rick rose an eye brow in confusion but Morty continued. "It must be hard to stay here." He finished and looked back at Rick. Suddenly, the genius was reminded of all the times he'd skipped out on the boy. When things got too hard to deal with, he had found it hard to stay and he knew that in that moment, Morty was afraid. He could see it in the slight twitch of his fingers and the slightly sorrowful look on his face. He was afraid that when things went south, Rick would pick up and leave like the numerous times he had before. The genius hated himself in that moment, more than he usually did anyways. He hated that he had caused that expression on Morty's face and before he even knew what he was doing, he was reaching forward and taking Morty's hand in his own.
"I'm not going anywhere." He said quietly and Morty's eye's widened. Rick started to panic when the boy didn't reply for several seconds and he went to withdraw his hand but Morty gripped it tighter and pulled him slightly closer before smiling softly at the man. "Thanks…" he replied quietly and then looked back up at the sky. Rick felt his heart flutter in his chest softly but he leaned into the touch. His whole being felt touch depraved and he couldn't help but selfishly soak it up. "It's okay if you do though." Morty suddenly added and Rick stared at him in astonishment. "I know who you are Rick. I don't expect you to change for anyone. If you need to leave…If you need to leave it will be okay…" Morty said softly and it was the boldest lie that Rick ever heard, yet the scientist was grateful for his words. He had no intention of running away from this, he couldn't even if he wanted to but the fact that Morty understood, that he knew of Rick's weakness and didn't hate him for it, was almost more than the man could handle. He felt his feelings for the boy dancing on the tip of his tongue, threatening to jump out against his will but instead he simply leaned forward to rest his forehead against Morty's shoulder.
"I told you Morty…I'm not going anywhere."
