Toxic Sparks || Rick Sanchez x Reader

Chapter 12 - Growing Suspicions

"Beth, I thought we were gonna watch the new Star Wars movie tonight," Jerry whined, pouting like a five-year-old.

Beth rolled her eyes. "Jerry, I have my art class. You know this. It's the same time every week."

"I know, but maybe just this once you could skip it?" Jerry asked, immediately regretting it as Beth's eyes narrowed, ready to explode.

Feeling the tension spike, you awkwardly excused yourself to the kitchen. The rest of the family had already retreated there, clearly seasoned pros at dodging the Jerry-Beth showdowns. You'd caught snippets of their arguments before, but usually from the safety of your bedroom. The last thing you wanted was to get dragged into their drama.

"Eh, don't sweat it. They'll tire themselves out," Summer said, popping her gum while scrolling on her phone, completely unfazed.

Morty sat cross-legged on the kitchen floor, fiddling with some gadget that looked too high-tech to be from Earth. Clearly, one of Rick's weird alien imports.

Rick, rummaging through the fridge, let out a frustrated sigh. "This is bullshit, we should be eatin' dinner, but no, Jerry had to pick now to be an idiot." He yanked out a beer, slammed the fridge door shut, and took a big gulp, punctuating it with a loud belch.

You had originally come down to help Beth with dinner like usual, but Jerry got to her first. Maybe taking a little longer on your lesson plan would've saved you from this mess.

"Uh, I could make something for us instead?" you offered them, trying to diffuse the situation.

"I can help," Summer said, finally putting her phone away.

"And so can you two," she shot a look at Morty and Rick, who groaned in unison.

"Why do I have to help just 'cause your dad's a moron?" Rick grumbled, draining his beer and tossing the can into the trash with a careless flick.

"Because Y/N is still a guest, and she shouldn't have to cook alone, especially since—" Summer's voice trailed off as she squinted at Rick. "Is that glitter on you?"

Your heart skipped a beat. She'd seen the glitter on you earlier before she left, and now it was all over Rick.

Rick glanced down without a care. "Yeah, well, you know, stripper probably got some on me," he said with a smirk aimed directly at you once Summer wasn't looking, clearly enjoying your discomfort. You had to bite back a glare, annoyed he'd unknowingly implied you were the stripper.

"Can't we just go to Grillz and Thrillz?" Morty suggested, clearly desperate to escape both cooking duty and the escalating argument in the next room.

"Finally, a genius idea," Rick said, already pulling out his portal gun. In seconds, the familiar bright green portal appeared, lighting up the kitchen. You couldn't help but feel a little awed, even though you'd seen it before.

"Alright, everyone through. Even you, no need to deal with this Jerry-Beth crap," Rick said, motioning toward you.

Without hesitation, Summer and Morty jumped through. You followed, still slightly on edge about the whole thing, with Rick going in last. Just like that, you found yourself standing in front of Grillz and Thrillz again, the neon lights buzzing overhead. You had just been here last night, and while you loved the food, part of you worried. Summer was sharp, and you couldn't shake the feeling she'd pick up on the strange tension between you and Rick, even if you kept telling yourself it was nothing. Morty, of course, seemed blissfully unaware of everything.

Inside, the place was packed, way more than last night. Summer and Morty snagged the only available booth, sitting across from each other, which left you next to Summer and Rick sliding in beside Morty. As you glanced around, a small pang of guilt hit you—leaving Beth behind with Jerry felt wrong, but there wasn't much you could've done.

"Hey, back so soon!" Larry, your server from last night, approached with a grin. He looked between you and Rick for a second longer than you liked before turning to the kids.

"How's it going, Y/N?" Larry asked, catching you off guard. You froze, unsure what to say, but Rick didn't miss a beat.

"Yeah, Larry, we're good. You gonna get our order or are you just here for chit-chat? 'Cause I got about two minutes of patience left," Rick said, giving Larry a deadpan look as he reached for his flask. "Let's skip the pleasantries and get to the part where I eat."

"Same old Rick," Larry said with a chuckle, clearly unaffected by Rick's rude mannerisms. He then headed towards the kitchen, seeming to know already what everyone liked.

"You've been here before?" Summer asked you with a raised eyebrow.

You felt nervous under Summer's gaze, opening your mouth to respond but unsure what to say. Fortunately, Rick cut in before you had to.

"Your mom's naggin' me to be nicer to Y/N, so, yeah, figured I'd drag us here. Might as well make it tolerable for me while I'm at it," Rick muttered, not even bothering to look up from the menu, sounding as disinterested as ever.

Summer raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Yeah, right, Grandpa. Since when do you do anything just because Mom says so?"

Rick shrugged, not even looking up. "Never, but I was hungry, and if Y/N got a free meal out of it, that's 'nice' enough by my standards." He gave you a quick side-eye before going back to ignoring everyone.

"Right..." Summer responded, and you quickly avoided her gaze, unsure why you were so nervous while Rick looked like he couldn't care less about the conversation.

"You came here without me?" Morty chimed in, sounding offended that Rick had brought someone else without him.

"You were asleep, Morty. Your parents keep bitching about me waking you up, so I didn't. Sue me," Rick said, clearly annoyed by his grandkids' endless questions. "Can we just wait for our food, or do we have to keep playing twenty questions?"

At that perfect moment, Larry returned with four trays, balancing them with ease, which was pretty impressive. He quickly set them down, and once again, you found yourself staring at the same mouthwatering meal you had devoured the night before. Summer and Morty instantly forgot the previous conversation as they dug into their food, and you couldn't help but feel relieved.

You picked up your burger, took a bite, and smiled at the familiar taste. Glancing up, you were surprised to find Rick looking right at you. Startled, you quickly looked away, trying to act natural but failing miserably. You heard a low, amused chuckle from Rick, which only made you suppress the urge to glare at him.

"What's so funny, Grandpa?" Summer asked, noticing his smirk.

"You got a ketchup mustache," Rick said, motioning toward her face. Summer shot him a glare as she snatched a napkin, wiping it off with an annoyed huff.  Rick, of course, deflected the conversation as smoothly as ever, while you just hoped your awkwardness wasn't too obvious.

"So, Summer, Morty, how's school?" you asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from the awkwardness. Luckily, it worked. Summer perked up and dove right into what was happening at school, excitedly spilling gossip about her friends and some people you'd never heard of until now.

Morty, on the other hand, had much less to contribute. "Yeah, uh, not much to say," he mumbled, shrugging. "Kinda hard to keep up with school when, you know, I'm always getting dragged into adventures with Rick."

Rick, of course, was too busy stuffing his face to offer any comment, simply rolling his eyes as if Morty's complaint was more of an afterthought.

"I'm surprised they haven't expelled you, Morty," Summer said with an exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes.

"You're just jealous Rick takes me on most of his adventures and not you," Morty snapped, his tone defensive.

"At least I have a social life outside of Grandpa Rick," Summer shot back, crossing her arms.

"Well, at least my boyfriend didn't leave me for my best friend!" Morty nearly yelled, his voice cracking slightly.

"Oh, please, Jessica barely even knows you exist!" Summer fired back, her voice raising to a full-on shout.

You immediately regretted bringing up school, realizing you'd accidentally set off a sibling war. As the argument escalated, Rick groaned loudly, clearly aggravated, and reluctantly set his burger down.

"Alright, enough! You two are giving me a headache," Rick growled, rubbing his temples. "If I wanted to listen to pointless bickering, I'd stay with your idiot parents. So either shut up or no more adventures for either of you."

That shut them up instantly. Summer and Morty exchanged glares but kept their mouths shut, focusing on their food instead. You looked away, feeling a bit out of place but, at this point, weirdly accustomed to their dysfunctional family dynamic. It was just another typical dinner with Rick and the Smiths.

"And you—like I've said a million times, school is useless. Why you keep teaching is beyond me," Rick sneered, clearly triggered by the mention of school, as usual.

You rolled your eyes, letting out a dramatic sigh. "Yeah, yeah, school is useless, blah blah," you mocked with obvious sarcasm, already tired of hearing this same speech for the hundredth time.

Summer and Morty snickered at your response, clearly amused to see someone snap back at Rick, which was a rare sight. Rick's expression soured further as he shot you a sharp glare, clearly not enjoying being the punchline.

"Oh, real clever," Rick grumbled. "All you do is teach colors and shapes to four-year-olds who can't tell their mouth from their ass."

"Because they're four years old," you fired back, emphasizing his point with a smirk.

"Got you there, Grandpa," Summer chimed in, clearly enjoying the moment. Rick shot her a withering glare, not in the mood for a tag-team situation.

"Yeah, yeah, everyone's a comedian now," he muttered, taking a swig from his flask.

"I am curious though, why preschoolers?" Summer asked, neatly gathering all her trash on her tray, clearly ready to toss it the moment you got up.

You paused, thinking for a second before answering. "Honestly, they're just fun. I mean, sure, they may not know their mouth from their ass," you said, glancing at Rick with a smirk, "but they're curious and honest in a way older kids and adults aren't. Plus, watching them learn something new? It's kind of rewarding."

Summer nodded, seeming to consider your answer. "I guess that makes sense. Kinda like... low-stakes humans."

Rick snorted. "Yeah, low-stakes until one of 'em decides to eat glue or try flying off a jungle gym."

"Only had that happen once," you joked, finally letting out a laugh. No matter how much Rick crapped on your career choice, it wasn't going to change your mind. You loved what you did, and his jabs just rolled off at this point.

Summer chuckled, shaking her head. "Honestly, with the stuff Rick's put us through, that sounds tame."

"You can say that again," Morty chimed in with a snort.

Rick grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. When those kids grow up and join the corporate hamster wheel, we'll see who's really winning." He took another swig from his flask, clearly annoyed but too bored to keep arguing.

"Anyway, do you think Mom and Dad are finally done arguing?" Summer asked, her face twisted in annoyance.

"By this point, your mom's probably drinking in the kitchen, and your dad's off crying somewhere," Rick replied, deadpan.

"I should probably head back and check on your mom," you said, reminding them you were still her friend.

"Alright, everyone, let's get back," Rick said, standing up and nonchalantly opening a portal, completely unconcerned with who might see it.

Rick hadn't tossed out his trash, so Morty handled it while the rest of you disposed of your own. It was no surprise Rick didn't believe in cleaning up after himself in a restaurant, and you couldn't help but shake your head in mild disappointment.

Soon enough, you all stepped through the portal, landing back in the kitchen. The once noisy arguing had been replaced by an almost eerie silence. Walking into the living room, you found Beth alone, sitting on the couch with a glass of wine, while Jerry was nowhere to be seen. You sat next to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she smiled weakly before launching into a rant about Jerry's latest antics.

"I just can't believe him!" Beth exclaimed, exasperation dripping from her words.

You did your best to comfort her, gently taking the glass from her hand and setting it on the coffee table. Glancing at the clock, you noticed that your shared art class would start in half an hour.

"Let's go to class. I know you were excited about today's theme," you reminded her, offering a supportive smile. Beth's mood lifted slightly as she nodded, standing up and grabbing her purse. Within moments, the two of you were out of the house.

Despite everything going on with Rick and the chaos you often found yourself in, you'd always made sure to be a good friend to Beth. You genuinely cared about her and were grateful for all she'd done for you. Even her family couldn't deny the positive impact you'd had on her since moving in temporarily.