As Real as it Gets

The Painful Truth (Chapter 12, Part 3)

Rick was suddenly woken up by a gromflomite who came into his cell and dragged him back to the room in which they interrogate him. He was placed on a slanted table and held tightly in place by metal arms. The insects grabbed a few scary-looking tools with sharp edges and brought them closer to Rick.

"Torture?" Rick looked at them, very unimpressed, "You know that doesn't work on me. Or... you do know, but you fail to come up with anything else so you try the same thing over and over again, even though you're aware that the last 100 times you tried, you failed to get absolutely anything out of me."

The insects murmured something among each other, they sounded angry and annoyed. Rick looked at the machine that had been standing there since yesterday. It was the simulation he was in, where you were.

"What do you want us to do then?" They asked him.

Rick raised an eyebrow, "You're asking me how I would like to be tortured? Brilliant."

"Well, yes- "

"Bring me back." Rick spoke, "I want to go back into the simulation, but unsupervised. Turn off your fancy monitors and give me a few minutes in there... then I'll... I'll tell you everything."

The gromflomites looked at each other as if asking themselves is that was a good idea. They decided that it was fine. What could possibly go wrong? A few of them turned off the monitors, while another turned on the machine. Rick was met with a flash of light that fogged his vision.

-

"I know you'll always be here, but I still can't help but to worry." You spoke softly as you hugged him, "I guess I'm just like that."

Rick took your hands off of him and stepped away, "They made you feel so fucking real... and my dumb ass fell right for it. God, I'm so fucking stupid." He looked at you with an expression you've never seen before. It could only be described as a mix of hurt, anger, disappointment and complete loss of hope.

"What are you talking about?" you questioned.

"I can't believe I fell for this 'true love' bullcrap." He ignored your question and continued, "They knew I couldn't find someone who would love me and care for me like you did. They fucking knew I couldn't find love so they gave it to me to manipulate me. They gave me everything I wanted... everything I needed. It never crossed my mind that it was too good to be true. I let my guard down like an idiot and it bit me in the ass."

"Honey... please explain to me what's happening. I want to help you." You tried to comfort him. His sad eyes broke your heart.

He shook his head, "My best friend fell in love too, he was murdered on their wedding day because that bitch worked for the Feds. Can't believe I fell for the same trick."

You were very confused, "I... I don't work for the Feds. Why would you think that?"

"Drop the fucking act, I know what you are!" He yelled and it scared you, "I know you're a program! Made to love me and care for me so you could use my trust to get info out of me." His voice was shakier the more he spoke.

"What- a program? How can I be a program... I have a body... I had parents, a childhood, a job... a son."

Rick seemed angrier than before. He started walking closer to you, his hands formed into tight fists. You walked backwards, but stopped when your back was against the wall, "I said drop the act! I know what you are and I know what you want. You never loved me it was all a part of the simulation!"

You looked into his eyes full of sorrow, "Rick... I do love you, I always have and you know I would never hurt you. Please... tell me what's happening. We can get through this together."

"You really don't know, huh? Remember the visions and the voices in your head? The weird insects with red eyes? Remember the ones and zeros you mentioned? Ring a bell? You're a program inside a simulation!"

"That can't be..." you whispered, "I have friends and a family... They're not real? Everything I've ever known was just code? Nobody here is real except you? The weird bugs I saw... those were the Feds. That means you're... you're still in prison..."

Rick watched in confusion as your eyes started to water, "Why are you crying? You're not real.... You can't have feelings..."

You whipped away a tear that rolled down your cheek, "But I do, I have feelings for you. I love you, Rick."

"I... I love you too, Y/N... more than anything." He whispered, "But it's not real... none of this is fucking real."

"But we've gone through so much together... don't you remember?" You asked.

"It wasn't real." He spoke like he was trying to convince himself more than you.

"It was real to us." You stepped closer to him, "All the memories we share from the last two years... they're real to us, they happened to us. Every adventure, every Friday movie night, every whimsical alien planet, every dinner date, all of it... the pain, the joy, fears and hopes... it happened to us. We experienced it, we learnt from it..." You placed your hand on his cheek.

Rick took a deep breath, "You're saying that..."

"It doesn't matter that it was all simulated. If I love you and you feel the same way than- "

"That's all that matters." Rick smiled, but his eyes were still sad.

You stepped on your tippy-toes and met your lips with his. That might be the last kiss you would ever give him, so you made it last for a while longer than usual, his hands rested in their usual place, on your hips.

"Promise me you'll escape from there." You looked him in the eyes, "And promise me you won't give them what they want."

"I- " He tried to speak, but was abruptly stopped when he was pulled back to reality. The gray metal walls of the prison were as boring as ever, "No, put me back!" He begged.

"Oh no, Sanchez. You said a few minutes, and we gave you a few minutes." The General hissed, "Now speak."

Rick gave him a stern look and thought about what you made him promise, "Bite me."

"Suit yourself then." The General turned to the guards standing by the door, "Destroy DTF-37."

The guards shot the simulation machine with their plasma guns and it melted into nothing. Rick's heart skipped a beat, "No, no, no... Y/N..." He whispered under his breath.

Note: Part 50!!!! Oh boy that's a lot of parts, I'm impressed I managed to write that many and I'm impressed that you keep reading it! Thank you, you beautiful angel <3

Let's pretend episode 2 of season 4 didn't happen because it made me really sad, okay? Okay.