Time Travel Is A Hoax

Metal Arm With A Colder Heart

Michael stood up, dusting his pant legs off, dirt going everywhere. He looked at Rick, him seeing where his nails dug into his neck and the red skin where he pressed the fake arm against his neck too tight. When he had tried to put it back on, it just fell out of socket, him having to jam it back on. Rick watched in confusion, the flesh looking limb soon turning to metal, and shitty metal at that. "So..." Rick trailed off.

"It was lost in a 'controlled experiment'." Rick looked confused. "I'll explain it later when we get home." Both agreed, Rick still intrigued by the left arm being made of metal.

After a few hours of plucking mega fruit from the trees and cracking them open to get the mega seeds, they decided they had enough when their shirts were filled with them. Rick opened a portal in the rock of the cliff side to go home, a loud buzz coming from the cat creature. "Looks like he wants to come with," Michael told rick, the blue haired man shaking his head.

"No way in hell I'm letting that th--iiiurp--ng in the house." Rick told him, the animal buzzing like a puppy's whimper. Michael gave him the 'puppy fave'--ya know, big gentle eyes, small pout with the little lip bite to and a small sad noise. Rick rolled his eyes and looked at Michael for a minute, crossing his arm with a scowl. Rick knew that Michael would get him to cave in, him always saying yes when Michael gave him that look. "Fine." He spoke through gritted teeth and Michael smiled, picking it up.

"What should I name it?" Michael asked, Rick shrugging.

"Dipshit." Rick suggested, Michael laughing.

"I said a name for it, not you." Rick huffed at the insult, Michael giving a smug grin. "I'll name it... Dancer." It buzzed loudly. "Okay the, what about...Bumble!" It seemed happy with that name, Rick rolling his eyes. They walked through the portal, quickly inside the garage once more.

"Place the mega seeds over on the table." Rick told him, Michael doing as he was told as setting them on one of his work desks.

"What do you need these for anyways?" Michael asked, Rick walking over and picking one of the pointly, thorn covered brown seeds. He put it in a device that looked like one of those you use to crush cans. He pressed the yellow button and the seed was turned into a juice, it filling a tiny glass bottle at the bottom. "This cam get you buzzed really qu--uuuorgh--ick."

Michael blinked before scowling. "We risked our asses--just so you could get drunk quicker?" Michael asked, Rick nodding. "What the fuck." He mumbled with a tone of bitterness.

"You don't want to take more than a drop though," Rick told him. "Tried it on Jerry and woah was he acting weird."

"Huh?" Michael asked.

"Nevermind, just don't take too much if you ever drink these." He warned him, Michael nodding.

After a while, the two sat there in silence, Michael playing with Bumble and rick working on some new gadget. Michael was playing tug-a-war with Bumble, the little creature pulling too hard and ripping his fake arm out again. Bumble acted guilty but Michael laughed. "It's okay." He reassured.

"Need help putting your arm back on?" Rick paused, never thinking he would have to say that. Michael shrugged, taking off his coat. He rolled up his sleeve, only for a few wires to be hanging out.

"Damn it..." Michael mumbled. It was worse than he thought. He removed his shirt to get a good look at the port, him turned away from rick. It was bent and a lot of the wires were ripped out--them having to be trashed. "Do you have some tools?" He asked.

"Yea. Over in that box," Rick said, getting up and almost picking up the box for him. Michael refused, standing up and getting the box from the ground, dragging it over to where he had been sitting before plopping on the floor again. Rick rolled his eyes--Michael was always the kind of person to do everything without help, no matter if he needed it or not.

Rick watched as Michael tried to fix his arm, only making it worse. He found it amusing for the first five minutes--then around then minutes he got bored--around thirty he got fed up. Rick walked over, Michael jumping as Rick rested a hand in his shoulder. "The only thing you're doing is making it wor--uurp--se." Rick stated.

"I got this." Michael replied, Rick yanking the pliers out of his hand. Rick sat next to him, working on the port joint for a while, bending it back to its normal shape. Rick would have offered to make a new arm for him, this one looking like it was made from junk yard parts--it had rusted pipes, and even graffiti on it--but he knew he would of said no. After fixing the port and replacing some wires, Michael making noises of pain and discomfort, he was finished.

He locked the arm into place, Michael giving a loud painful gasp before gritting his teeth. "Motherfucker." He spat, Rick confused. "Oh, not you, just this damned arm." He explained, Rick seeing Michael get flustered when he thought he had insulted him. Rick chuckled.

"I know," He replied. Rick watched Michael's arm twitch and jerk, not able to move his hand until he slammed the metal on the ground, him able to move it after that.

"Sorry, it gets stuck a lot." He gave a nervous laugh as Rick just smiled, almost finding it funny at how Michael was nervous.

"That's okay, it's better than having nothing." Rick didn't make any smart ass comments, it suprising michael. He cleared his throat as Rick stood up, Michael soon standing up as well.

Rick dug something out of his pocket and handed it to Michael. "Since you won the bet, you get to see my equations on demension travel. But read it when you're alone."

Michael nodded like an excited child, Rick smiling at this. "Sure, er--can i--" Michael was trying to ask something but couldn't find the words. "Do you think they would get mad if I stayed here? I-I mean not foreve--nevermind."

Rick nodded with a sigh and a laugh. "They don't give a rats ass, and if they d--ooorgp--o, then they'll get over it." They looked at each other for a moment, Michael nodding as a sign of thanks. Michael cleared his throat again, him able to feel Rick looking at him when he turned to put his shirt and jacket back on. "I'm going to go--a-and sleep." Rick nodded.

He showed Michael to the guest room, opening the door at the end of the hall up the stairs. "You take the room." Rick told him. Michael looked around and spoke.

"Where will you sleep?"

"On the couch," Rick responded calmly, it was where he always slept. Michael frowned at this.

"No. You take the room." Michael demanded, Rick shaking his head. "I'm not asking, I'm telling you, Rick." Rick gave in and nodded.

"Fine, you stubborn bastard." Michael smiled, patting him on the back. Michael quickly left, going down stairs and into the living room. He plopped down on the cough with a soft thud, laying there for a moment. With the little amount of light still seeping through the window, he unfolded the paper and read it.

"I do what I want."
-Rick

Michael chuckled and with that, he closed his eyes.