Something Toxic

The green portal opened up in the living room of Morty's house. The teen boy jumped with the quickness he didn't know he had into the safety of his common ground. After him, calmer and smoother, was his grandpa Rick. "Thanks for the ac-accompaniment eeRRUGGHHMMorty." the older man belched, closing the portal behind them, tapping the side of the vial full of what they went to the dimension to find. Morty sat curled on the shag carpet, breathing ever so heavily. "R-R-Ri-Rick.." the boy stammered his words like he and his granddad both commonly did. "I know Morty. But I needed this serum for m-my reseeURRGHHaarch. V-very valuable. And you needed to w-w-win the bet." Rick examined the vial closely again, squinting at it before tucking it in his lab coat inside pocket. "Rick! He h-ha-had me so vulnerable!" Morty yelled, attracting the attention of his parents coming from the kitchen. They were relatively calm for seeing their 14 year old son, shaking and wide eyed in the fetal position on the floor. But everyone knows Jerry and Beth aren't the best parents. "What'd you do now Rick?" Jerry crossed his arms over his broad chest in a way to look like a concerned and tough parent, which everyone in the room knew he wasn't. "Oh look at JeeeUURRGHHrry, big tough guy all of the sudden," Rick scoffed, raising his brow at the man. Jerry's expression didn't change a bit. Beth was already bent down, stroking her son's brown hair, feeling him shake in her grip. "What happened hun?" she cooed, kissing his forehead softly. It didn't ease his tremors or the wide eyed look he had. "Morty got into a bit of trouble in the next dimension. He'll be fine in a day or so." Rick said bluntly. Jerry noticed the quick glance Rick gave Morty. It was pity. Sympathy. Something Rick was surely not known for. Seeing this, he realized it meant that him and Beth wouldn't understand. He kneeled down, coughing and put his hand on Beth's shoulder. "Rick said he'll fine in a day or so. We should leave him alone." he nodded, looking at Rick as Beth did the same. She stood, clinging onto Jerry's side, him rubbing circles on her back as they continued to stare down at their son. "Come on Morty, geeeUURGGHHHeet up now." Rick nudged his foot into the kid's side gently, not expecting the outburst that followed. "You know what Rick? No! I can't take these damn adventures anymore Rick! I was almost raped! RAPED! Do you even care? You don't care about anyone but yourself, he would've taken me in every way possible and you still wouldn't give a damn about me!" The teenager yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking in different pitches as tears rolled down his soft cheeks. Rick's eyes budged and started to fill with tears. He quickly wiped them, nobody noticing the tears. "M-Morty..." he didn't even let him finish before he was saying something else. It was fine. Rick couldn't gather anymore words to say anyways. "I-I hate you Rick. I hate you. I never w-want to see you again." The words stung, yet flowed so smoothly out of the younger's mouth. He gagged on the spit that would usually dribble down his chin. Beth and Jerry helped Morty up, and up to his bed as Rick was left alone with his thoughts. It was something horrible. Something mean. Something toxic. Something just like Rick would say.

NEXT DAY:

Morty was never one to pay attention in class. Especially not math. Actually, it wasn't that he didn't pay attention, he just wasn't as fast as the other kids. His father had told him numerous times he had a disability "or something", but his grandpa always hushed that up quick. He would always tell his parents that Morty had a special mind. That he didn't need school. And boring days like this, with complicated tests, Morty was starting to believe him. His teacher's words and often screaming just faded to a soft humming in the background of the teen's thoughts. He stared at the door, then the window, then anywhere a green, glowing portal could be opened up. He then glanced his brown, tired eyes up at the slowly ticking classroom clock. 12:25. Usually about this time(or any time, really) his grandpa Rick would burst through the classroom in any way but the entrance in a portal. He'd be clutching his portal gun and spit would be dripping out of his mouth, dribbling on his chin. Morty never really liked that part. He would clutch Morty by the shoulders, dragging him on some sci-fi adventure. And he would scream, and freak out, like any kid would. But he would love it. After all this thinking and reminiscing of the daily details, he glanced up at the clock again. 12:38. And no Rick. Morty tapped his stubby fingers against the wood desk. He never thought he'd be actually WAITING for Rick to take him out of school. To take him in the wobbly, busted old spaceship that looked like it'd collapse any second. To take him to another world or dimension entirely. With creeps and monsters and death at every turn. But here he was..waiting. He found himself staring up at the clock every few minutes, wondering why Rick hadn't come. He racked his brain for reasons why Rick didn't show. He remembered suddenly why. The rehashing of the fight and words that were said the night before stung the back of his mind. He suddenly didn't want Rick to come anymore, he knew that what he said wasn't true though. He could never bring himself to hate his grandfather, but he certainly could stay clear of him for a long while. The classroom got duller and duller as the minutes went on, eventually leading to Morty putting his head down, buried in his arms as he drifted off to sleep. As soon as he slipped off to sleep, he began to dream. He saw a road. It was a familiar road, the one he walked when he needed time alone or when he walked home from a place. He saw a house in the close distance that stuck out to him. It was his own. Once the dream finally allowed him to reach his house, he walked in. Nothing was out of the ordinary, his father looked just as real as he sat in his recliner, turning pages of a newspaper. "Hello Morty. Wonderful day, quiet too. It's so nice now." his father sighed, shaking his head blissfully. Morty cocked an eyebrow, not knowing what the man meant, but brushed it off, walking into the kitchen. Hos other was there, where she spent a majority of her time in dreams and reality. "H-Hey mom." he mumbled, watching her grin from ear to ear. It wasn't unlike her to smile this way when she saw her beloved son. "Hello sweetheart," she cooed, kissing his forehead like she always did, making his eyes shut and reopen once her lips were pulled away. "W-where's Rick?" he found himself already asking about Rick. Even in his dreams where he was pissed and tried to escape him, he was asking about him. "Oh you don't have to worry about him anymore, dear." she grinned sweetly, turning her back to him to take something out of the oven. He felt his heart stop. At least for a second or two. "Uh..m-m-mom? W-wh-what do you mean?" he gulped, the spit scratching down his throat like claws. She didn't answer, blissfully ignoring the boy now. Morty shook his head and took it upon himself to make his way upstairs to Rick's "room." He knocked on the door slowly, opening it slightly once he reached it. He saw no trace of the man, only a small note with tiny drops of red on it. He picked it up in shaky fingers as tears flowed to his eyes.

I should've never came back into your life Beth. I shouldn't of disrupted your family the way I have. I love you far too much to keep this on.

You married an idiot.

You raised a fine, intelligent daughter. She's gonna do great science stuff later on in life. I can tell.

And your son--Morty. He's gonna do more than great things. He's gonna make you the proudest parent alive. He is the greatest kid any parent could ask for. And I pushed him to a limit no one should be pushed to. I wasn't surprised he said he hated me, just surprised it took him that long to realize my ways. He was truly the best friend I had ever had.

So this is goodbye, sorry for the mess I've made.

- Rick Sanchez, Dimension C-137

Morty gripped the note tightly in his small, soft hand. The tears took no time to roll down his cheeks as his knees hit the ground with a loud thud. It didn't attract his dream parent's attention though. "Why Rick? You...y-you bastard!" he pounded his fist on the hardwood floor, the other clenching the note. "R-Rick...I-I'm sorry. I love you." his voice trembled and shook along with his body as his whole being hit the floor. As he did, he felt his head jolt up. He looked around quickly, wiping the tears that must have shown through from the dream. He was still in class, but people were packing their bags, symbolizing it was time to leave. Morty wasted no time in strapping his bag on and bolting out of the classroom door. He didn't slow down as he left the school and then the school campus. He kept running and running, determined to get home before it was too late. He didn't know why he felt this was a sign of some sort, he just knew he couldn't live with himself for taking the chance. He soon hit the road that was in his dream, not slowing down until reaching the house. "Rick? Where's Rick?" he asked, panting heavily in the doorway. Jerry looked at his out-of-breath son and simply pointed upstairs, not being able to get a word in as he ran up the stairs. He pushed past the door to see the older, drunken man sitting on the floor, back leaned up against the bed. He looked like he was beginning to fall asleep, murmuring some nonsense as Morty's eyes filled with tears again. He lifted his head, blinking slowly as he smiled. "M-MoEEUURRGGHHtty?" he belched quietly at the sight of the boy. He smiled wider than ever before, dropping to his knees terribly quick and wrapping the man in a tight hug. "Shut up Rick..I love you." he laughed in tears as he felt the man unexpectedly hug him back. "I love you too kid, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I promise you'll never be without me." he sighed, patting the younger soothingly on the back in the hug. "You're my best friend Rick." he couldn't stop the tears. "You're mine too, Morty. You're mine too."