Revival (Rick Sanchez x Reader)

.i.

[ RICK ]

What time was it at this point? What even is sleep? How far was I from being done with this damn machine? Pointless questions, Rick. Just finish. 

A knock came from the door, and I mumbled out something that resembled a "come in."  The door opened, and in stepped none other than my dipshit of a grandson, Morty. 

"Rick, ha-have you gotten any sleep? It's five in the morning." Well, that answers my first question. 

"To put it simply, grandson of mine, I haven't slept in a week," I lied through my teeth. I've been pushing eleven days and I was feeling the effects. Every muscle and bone in my body was screaming for me to rest, but I couldn't. Not when I was so close to finishing this... Well, I'm calling it a 'reanimation chamber' for now. 

"That's not really healt-" I heard Morty start, but I was quick to cut him off. 

"'Not healthy?' Since when is any-burp-thing I do healthy, Morty?" I glared at him, grabbing my flask and taking a quick swig from it, not bothering to wipe my mouth before slipping it back into my lab coat. "G-g-go back to slee- jus-just go back to bed, Morty. I'll sleep soon." Another lie. When was the last time I actually slept? Two years, three months, and... how many days? I've lost track. If I haven't slept in eleven days, and... Well, twenty-five days? Two years, three months, and twenty-five days. Sounds about right.

I heard him take a breath like he was going to protest, but instead went back inside and shut the door. That's right, kid, don't ask questions. The less you know about this, the better. 

I wrenched in a final bolt and stepped back. Finally. I fished around in an inside pocket and pulled out a small device and froze. I grabbed the wrong thing. I stared at it for a moment, refusing to let those memories come back right now. Those can be saved for later. I stuffed it back in, grabbing at another device and pressing a button. 

"This goddamn thing better work." 

There was nothing for a moment, then it all happened at once. The machine came to life, monitors beeped, and multiple computer voices overlapped, telling me some nonsensical bullshit. This was some of HER technology. Technology that she'd been experimenting for months before... Well, none of that mattered anymore. Everything was about to be back to normal. She was going to be fine. Unless I completely fucked this up. 

I tapped a few buttons before backing away to admire this from afar. I wanted to her to see me as soon as she woke up. Though... Probably not the best idea. She'd probably swing at me, yell at me, curse... But as long as I had her back, I'd let her do anything to me.

I let a smile come to my face as the chamber whirred. This is it. It was happening. And then it didn't happen.

The machine failed. It stopped, lights flashed, and a computer voice essentially told me, "Hey Rick, fuck you. You failed at bringing back the one person that understood you better than you understood yourself, you piece of shit."

I growled at the chamber. Fuck this, I needed to sleep. What's the harm if she was still in the reanimation chamber? She's been in it for the past year and a half already to keep her from continuing her slow decay. 

~

"You know, Rick, you're not a scientist or a genius. You're just a fucking sociopath who figured out that science can be used for your own personal gain!" Her words stung. But there was a bit of lingering truth.

"At least I didn't abandon my own fucking dimension because my life didn't go the way I wanted!" Way to go, me. This is exactly what started it. And ended it. 

"I don't need this. I'm leaving, Sanchez. You can run your damn mission alone tomorrow. I won't be here." No, no, no. Don't say that. Please say anything but that.

"Aries, do-" I was cut off by a slap and a shove that knocked me to the cold floor. The last thing I saw was a light-blue flash and then she was gone. Aries. Nova. Juno. Eclipse. Astrid. None of those names amounted to the person she really was.  

And who she was was (Y/N), the secretly emotionally unstable genius from K-11. The dimension she never really fit in at. The dimension she left eight years before. Abandoned her family: her father, her mother, her two older brothers. 

That night I drank myself into a stupor. I drove her away. I brought her fate upon her. I was the reason the Galactic Federation found her. And I was the reason she called me in the middle of her final chase to give an apology and shitty goodbye. 

I never forgave myself for that moment. She would never forgive me. Maybe it was for the best the reanimation chamber didn't work. I was a little more broken than usual, but no one could really notice. Right?