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They loved each other. Why couldn’t anyone understand that?
Curled up on the floor, Morty clung to Rick for dear life and sobbed like a baby into his grandfather's chest. Rick remained silent, holding Morty while the boy soaked his shirt in tears and snot, rubbing circles on his back to soothe him. Their family had found out about their relationship and reacted about as well as Rick had expected them to. Which was poorly. Rick could handle the insults directed at himself, ‘pedophile’, ‘pervert’, Rick could easily tune those out. Those were not the worst things he’s been called in his long life.
When Beth and Jerry, mostly Beth, got little reaction from Rick they turned their attention onto the 14 year old boy. Shitty as they could be, Rick really hadn’t expected them to turn on their own son like that...
Beth looked at Morty with such disgust, “He’s your grandfather, Morty,” she slammed her hand on the table, leaning over into Morty’s face, “Are you really that fucking desperate?”
Morty visibly flinched back, away from his mother.
“Morty,” Jerry started, “I think what your mother means is you’re still young, there are plenty of people out there far more age appropriate who, uh,” he paused, turning to glare at Rick, “are not also related to you.” Rick rolled his eyes at Jerry.
Morty sniffled, tears already flowing freely; he was trying so hard to keep his composure.
"M- mom, Dad,” Morty stuttered, “I re- I love him. I really love him! I’ve never been this happy in my life, I--!”
“Ha!” Beth cut him off with a sharp and cruel laugh, “‘Love’, Morty? No, Morty, you’re just disgusting. I can’t believe you’d be stupid enough to think this is love!” Morty hiccuped as he started to cry in earnest.
Rick couldn’t stand this anymore, “Geez, Beth,” Rick stood up from his seat next to Morty, moving to get in between the boy and his mother, “that’s your son.” He glared down at his daughter, she challenged him with a glare of her own.
“Yeah, your grandson,” she sneered, “don’t pretend like you actually care about that, considering how you’re fucking him.”
They stood there, glaring at each other. If looks could kill they’d have both dropped dead by now.
"Beth, honey,” Jerry put his hands on his wife's shoulders, trying to defuse a potentially violent altercation, she shrugged him off.
“Shut up, Jerry.”
“Beth,” Rick began, “you should listen to what Morty says, he doesn’t need you to tell him what to feel.”
“Clearly he does,” she never once took her eyes off her father, “you’ve turned him into such a little freak, Dad.” She practically spat the last word at him.
“Mom!” Morty stood up suddenly, knocking his chair to the floor. “I-I-I know h-how I feel! Please, Mom, I love Rick! H-he never did anything to me,” the boy stood beside Rick, grabbing the older mans hand and squeezing it tightly, staring up at his mother with tears still running down his face, “I fell in love with him, that’s just how it is, I can’t help how I feel about him, Mom.”
Beth looked down at Morty, her expression blank.
“Morty,” she sighed, “Why did I let your father talk me into having you? I never wanted you. If it wasn’t for you, Morty, I might actually be happy.”
All three males in the room stared at her, their mouths open in disbelief. Beth turned on her heel, making her way to the kitchen.
“Beth!” Jerry shot a sympathetic look at Morty, cringing ever so slightly when he noticed he and Rick holding hands. He sighed, following after Beth.
Morty was frozen solid, too stunned to respond to his mothers words. Rick didn’t know what to say to comfort the poor boy. He lightly squeezed Morty’s hand, trying to reassure him that he was still here. Morty fell to his knees, sobbing violently.
Rick gathered the boy in his arms, letting Morty bury his face into his chest and clinging to Rick like a lifeline.
Which is where they found themselves now.
“W- w- why, Rick?!” Morty hiccupped, “Why won’t they understand?!”
Rick let out a long sigh, “M- Morty, some people just can’t,” he knew this wouldn’t comfort the boy at all, “In most cases I’d agree that our relationship isn’t a- appropriate, b- b- but we’re not like most cases, Morty,” he genuinely meant that, “some people are just incapable of understanding love outside of a planetary mindset, babe.”
Morty let out a snort at Rick’s comment about ‘planetary mindset’. It had become a sort of running joke between them by now.
“M- Morty,” Rick grabbed the younger boy’s chin, forcing him to look up at him, “I- I know it hurts, Morty, but no matter what I’m here with you,” Rick smiled down at the love of his life, cupping Morty’s face in his hands, “I love you, Morty, fuck what anyone else thinks! What do they know anyway?”
Morty smiled up at his grandfather, he sniffled, tears finally stopping.
“G-grandpa Rick,” Morty threw his arms around Rick’s neck, “I l-love you too! One hundred years, right?”
Rick chuckled at their private joke, “One hundred years, baby.”
“Oh how fucking sweet.”
They snapped their attention to the door connecting to the kitchen where Beth stood, glass of wine in one hand, bottle in the other.
“Get out,” she said, “I don’t want to see either of you two ever again,” she downed the wine in her glass, immediately refilling it with more, “you can pack your shit and say your goodbyes, but I want you both out of my house. You’ve already fucked over my son, Rick,” she snorted, “I’m not going to let you fuck over my daughter too.”
Rick feels Morty shake in his arms.
“You know what? We are leaving, Beth.” He stood up, taking Morty with him as the teen wrapped his legs around Rick’s waist.
Rick smirked, grabbing Morty by the scruff of his hair and planted their lips together. Morty hesitated for a moment, but moaned into the kiss. Rick heard Beth growl but didn’t give her any mind until he heard the cracking of glass. He looked to see Beth had crushed her glass in her hand, she was fuming at her son and father, blood and wine running down her hand and dripping onto the floor.
“Yeah, I think leaving is for the best,” he gave Beth a warning look as he left the dining room, leaving Beth on her own.
Summer poked her head out of her room when she heard her brother and grandfather come up the stairs. She wasn’t sure what to say to either of them.
“Grandpa Rick, Morty, I--”
What could she possibly say? Their relationship disgusted her. She didn’t want to believe Rick was awful enough to hurt her baby brother this way, she didn’t get how Morty seemed happy with him either. A part of her wanted to believe this was love between them but everything she’s ever known is telling her it’s not. Still, she didn’t want to lose either of them. She could hear everything that was said downstairs and knew Beth had kicked them out.
“I’m sorry.” Was all she could manage.
She turned back into her room, leaving the pair to pack their belongings. It didn’t take long for either to pack, just gathering their essentials. Wherever they went, Morty knew Rick would find a way to provide for them.
When they arrived in the garage, everything they needed in tow, they found Summer, Jerry, and Beth waiting on them. Rick got to loading everything into the ship while Morty said his goodbyes.
Morty hugged his father, telling him he still loved him. Jerry could only smile sadly down at his son. He didn’t like this, but didn’t have the nerve to stand up to Beth about this.
Summer had tears in her eyes, she grabbed her baby brother and held him against her chest. She made him promise to call her if anything ever happened. Told him that she loved him and hoped that he’d be happy with Rick. Morty held his sister tightly, they’d never been affectionate with each other but knowing he might not see her again made him not want to let go.
Beth. Morty almost didn’t want to think of her as ‘Mom’ anymore. He looked at her hand, it was bandaged up. She seemed less furious now and in spite of everything Morty hugged her. She didn’t hug him back.
“Morty,” Beth started, her voice low. She knelt down to look him in the eye, her face serious, “He’s old, Morty, he’s going to die one day and leave you. When that day comes, don’t come crawling back.”
Morty heard Summer gasp before he processed what Beth had said. He held it together, he couldn't break down crying again, he turned to get into the ship.
Rick wasn’t much for goodbyes himself, but…
“Sum-Sum,” he placed a hand on her shoulder, “you’re a smart girl, be better than the rest of your family.” She smiled at him. Beth scoffed.
“Beth,” he turned to his daughter, “I n- never expected you to accept this relationship, but I really never expected you to go this far. N- n- not that you give a shit, but I do love him.” She said nothing. Rick walked past Jerry with barely a glance. He never liked Jerry but figured the man would have had the spine to stand up for his son. Rick now realizes he was too optimistic about how the family would react.
Morty, that little shit, was rubbing off on him. He smiled to himself at the thought as he took his spot in the ship.
As soon as they were clear of Earth, Morty began sobbing again. He told Rick what Beth’s parting words had been and truth be told, Rick didn’t know what to say because she was right. He would die sooner rather than later and now, after Rick was gone, she twisted the knife in Morty’s heart further by telling him to never come home.
Rick knew Beth could be cruel, but damn.
He felt Morty grasp his hand for the second time that night, Rick laced their fingers together as they drove in relative silence, Morty’s sobs finally quieting down. Family is a sinkhole, but they’d found each other in that sinkhole and neither would trade it for anything else.
No matter what happens, they’d get through it together.