Archive of Our Own

It was just a normal day, where Rick was standing in the garage. He was working on some invention again, tools scattered across the table along with scraps of metal. He worked quietly, occasionally taking a sip of his flask while the green liquid slightly dripped from his dry lips. At some point, he heard the door open and he felt a feeling of annoyance. Everyone knew he hated being interrupted while he created.
“ Im- Urgrughh- busy.” Rick grumbled, telling off whoever entered though the door didn’t re-open, meaning the person hadn’t left.
“I-It’s just me, Rick.”
Morty spoke. He quietly walked over to a small stool by Rick’s table, that was placed there specifically for Morty. He just sat, a foot on the stool to lean his cheek on his knee, watching Rick work. This was something they did often, sit in silence. Silentbonding basically, an unsaid agreement of the two. They sat watching TV silently, took late night drives where no one said a word, ate food with no words, and would watch the other work. Usually it would be Morty watching Rick work, but sometimes Rick would silently sit by Morty as he did homework. He’d put his hand on Morty’s head or back when the kid started to get frustrated, though wouldn't speak up and would instead point the answer or a hint to him. The air was calm, Rick not passing a glance to Morty when he felt him staring. He knew he’d probably stay for a while. He would be a little more bothered if it was someone else, like Jerry, but Morty was a tab bit different. He’d been his buddy since birth. In fact, Morty's first word was a poorly pronounced version of Rick’s name. Which Rick would never admit to, but he teared up a little when that happened. He would follow him around everywhere. He had a whole phase where he would cry bloody murder if Rick wasn’t holding him or letting him sit on his knee. He got attached to him fast. More than the rest of his family.
Morty watched, as if trying to sucking in any information from just watching Rick do it. Morty was always better at learning if he got to watch it happen first. Words weren't his thing. Until he broke the silence.

“Rick.” He mumbled.

“Do you think I'm ugly?”

That made Rick freeze entirely. He hadn’t been expecting that, out of all questions Morty could have possibly asked. That was the one he didn't have a prepared answer for. He was genuinely caught off guard, something not a lot of people could do to Rick Sanchez. He was tempted to just tell Morty off, tell him to not ask stupid questions, but the way Morty said it made him second guess himself. How the hell was he even supposed to answer that?? Well, he knew how but why was Morty even asking that? When did Morty even start caring that much over his own looks?
“The fuck is that question, Morty?” Rick scoffed, trying to brush it off but Morty persisted.
“Just answer. And-and be honest.”
Morty insisted, looking at Rick expectantly. He didn’t care how out of nowhere it seemed to come out. He really needed to know. It was weird. He felt so irrationally ugly recently, for a few months actually. He’d never been a vain guy but he couldn’t get the feeling out of his chest. Rick took a look over at Morty. He was short, awkward, looked nervous out of his mind half the time, his hair was a mess. How was he supposed to answer? Fuck sake, he wasn’t really the star of these types of conversations.

“No. You’re not ugly, s-st-stupid.”
Rick grumbled, turning to face Morty, putting down the wrench he had on his hand. “You’re adorable. You were a cute ass kid, and you’re still cute. So stop this weird, insecure crap.”

Morty paused. That wasn’t the answer he thought he’d get. He was fully expecting to hear that he was a bit ugly and was prepared to find ways to fix it. But Rick was just saying that he was cute?? Adorable???
“Rick. I-I said "be honest.” Morty didn’t believe that Rick was telling the truth. He knew Rick was never the type to sugarcoat things for people's feelings, even on matters like these.
“Mo-mo. Do you really think I’m lying? I-I don't lie on that stuff. If you were ugly, I-Urugh-I would tell you.”
Rick didn't appreciate being called a liar. He wasn't lying. Even with Morty’s awkwardness and shyness and difficulty with people, he was cute. Pretty even. The boy wasn't ugly, no way. Rick didn’t think so, and he’d be annoyed as shit if someone else did. Morty was 14, he wasn't gonna be a damn model. But he sure wasn’t ugly. Mory had been a cute ass kid, like really. He was tinier than Summer had been, and he still was pretty small honestly. But Rick was sure that if he said that to Morty’s face, he’d get smacked. No, he knew for a fact that he'd get a hit right to the jaw for saying that.
Morty seemed to be in a pause, having a hard time understanding Rick’s words. He didn't usually hear those types of words from Rick, which was why he went to him in the first place. He knew he’d be honest, but that wasn’t what he thought he’d hear. Beth would either be too busy to answer or would lie to his face. Jerry would probably not answer at all or also lie to be nice. They were his parents, it was basically their job to be encouraging. And Summer, she would've just called him ugly to get him to go away. He needed honesty, and Rick never sugar coated things. He told Morty straight up, even when he wasn't trying to be rude.

“Rick, what?- That’s-that’s so dumb.”
Morty spoke, shaking his head to get himself to think clearer. Rick calling him cute was the last thing he expected to hear from his usually uncaring grandpa. But, despite Morty’s confusion, Rick just shrugged.
“And it’s the truth.” He said, so plainly that Morty couldn’t even assume he was lying. He literally just thought Morty was cute, nothing else behind it. He just was.
“You’re dorky and aw– Urghh–kward and annoying, but you’re cute. Why the he-hell else would I put up with you so much.”
There, more words Morty didn't expect to hear. These words hardly made any sense to him. He thought Rick just let him do whatever most of the time because he knew Morty wouldn’t leave him alone even if he tried. Morty would just bother him no matter what.
“Wh-what the fuck does that even mean!?” Morty complained, not happy with that answer. Well, he was. He just never took compliments well. He got all blushy and awkward whenever he got them. He didn’t know how to take a compliment. Especially not from Rick. Not because of anything weird, he just didn't usually hear that from him. It was weird. Compliments weren’t Rick’s thing, not direct compliments at least. Rick was starting to feel annoyed. He didn't get the big deal about this. He had already said it like a million times, how many more times did Morty wanna hear it??
“It means you’re too cute to say no to half the time. Happy? Or-o-or do I need to write it down a hundred times on paper?”
Rick was grumbling, growing irritated by Morty’s disbelief. He knew Morty wasn’t doing it just to get more compliments but still, sometimes Rick really needed to just shake the kid till his brain worked. Morty just genuinely didn’t know what to say. He didn’t really want Rick to beat his ass for asking questions on repeat. He was just so confused. Since when did Rick not think of Morty as some ugly little kid? That’s what he assumed most of the time. It was probably all just that teenage insecurity but still, it had been bothering him for a good while. But this still wasn’t something he prepared to hear.

You mean it?-”
“For fucks sake, yes!”
Yeah, Rick was tired of him asking over and over. Rick never had a lot of patience for things like this. He could handle a lot of things, but reassuring wasn’t his strong suit. It kinda ruined his whole reputation. He really wasn’t a big fan of that kinda stuff anyway, everyone knew that. Morty was still persistent on it though. He was big with reassurance and emotional stuff, being a pretty emotion front person. It was just how he worked, and Rick just had to deal with it.
Morty was still in disbelief about this, but he felt a weird feeling in his chest. He felt relieved, but also a bit embarrassed. The most compliments he got was from Beth usually, and that was just because she was his mom. She kinda had to be nice to him, so he never really counted it. The embarrassment was obvious on him, even his pale cheeks had grown a bit of color. His eyes avoided Rick, staring at the ground while forcing himself to stay silent. It was really hard to not keep pushing for more answers, but Morty planned on living at least a year or two past fourteen. He stayed on his stool, his knee pressing against the tip of his chin. He could feel Rick glance at him, and his eyes instinctively looked up before he immediately looked down again. If he looked up too much he was sure Rick would see his face, and nervous reaction. Knowing each other for his whole life didn’t change his embarrassment.
Rick figured it was all just some weird shit in Morty’s head, but the idea of someone messing with the kid over his looks was stabbing him. It irritated him. It seemed dumb but it was an annoying thought.
“What, some dickhead at school telling you you’re ugly or something? I told you if someone’s bothering you, ju-just fight them. I give you guns for a reason-"
“No, no one’s saying anything. I-I was just thinking about it..”
Morty wasn’t sure how to explain himself. It sounded so irrational to say ‘Oh, yeah, I just feel super ugly even though no one has said a word to me about it. But it’s been so bad that I don’t like my mirrors anymore either’. That was not easy to say, and it felt so wrong in a way. It wasn’t like he had been bullied for his looks before, only for general things. Like his lack of social skills. But he hadn’t been severely bullied about the way he looked. Not directly.. It just appeared in his head, and it wouldn’t leave. He had even considered changing the way he dressed, which he never did. He had always been content with his outfits, but maybe changing them could help his appearance? He didn’t even know. He wasn’t even used to talking to Rick about these things. It could usually be brushed off as some dumb mention, and then never brought up again.
“Why?” Rick scoffed, his eyes focusing on his half-made invention. His words almost made Morty roll his eyes. How could someone so smart ask something so dumb?

“I don’t know. Wh-wh-what kind of question even is that?”
Morty asked incredulously, his words showing on his face. He didn’t get what answer Rick was trying to receive from asking something like that. Why did he feel that way? He didn’t know, he just did. It was as simple as that. The idea of trying to figure out why made him nervous.
“It’s no-ugrhh-t a hard question, Morty.” But Morty still didn’t know how to answer. He didn’t know why he did, he just did. It felt like everything on him just looked odd. None of it was in the right place, and it bothered him. Everyone else seemed to look just fine, but he just didn’t
“I don't know, Rick! I-I mean, my hair is always messy, my skin is all bumpy, mm-my arms have like zero muscle—I look weak! M-my nails are a weird shape, and—and my eyes are too big. And! And mmm-my-my legs are short and-”
Morty rambled on and on, like he could just point out a million things that made him ugly. He could probably write a small paragraph of just things he didn’t like. Morty could just go on and on and on– but Rick didn’t let him.

“Okay, okay, okay! Mm-morty, your hair is fine. Messy hair looks cute on you. Your skin is bumpy because you’re fourteen, and all skin is bumpy anyway. Who cares? You’d look s-s-stupid with muscle, you’ve always been a bit scrawny. But you’re not weak. Your nails are perfectly nn-normal. Your big eyes are adorable. And you’re short, and that’s not changing anytime soon, kid. Y-you look cute, stop complaining.”
Rick went piece by piece, de-proving all of Morty’s compliments and issues with himself. Those things were all either normal, or made Morty cute as hell. Rick didn’t get the big deal with all those things. I mean, half of them were just part of the human body. It was stupid in his opinion. He couldn’t get that it was all such a big deal to Morty. And what was wrong with big eyes? Or messy hair? Rick himself had messy hair, Morty never complained about it. It was dumb and irrational.
“You’re not ugly. You’re cute” Rick firmly said after a short silence. He’d repeat it over and over just to drill it into Morty’s brain if he had to. “Rea-urggg-really cute.”
Morty was a little lost, he understood but it was strange to hear from Rick. As Rick reassured him on everything he complained about. Everything he said was an issue, Rick told him he was wrong. It was so confusing, but it felt oddly nice. Morty enjoyed small reassurances, which were usually enough for him. But it felt REALLY good to have Rick say it straight up without changing the topic right after. He didn’t talk things through, but it felt nice to do it for once. He liked it. He didn’t know what to say. Did he thank him? Should he just leave and let Rick get back to his work? He felt like it would be too awkward to not say anything at all. Morty was super bad with social cues and just anything social in general. Sometimes he could muster something up. This was not one of those times. He sat quietly still, eyes on the ground and hand messing with his hair. It was a habit he had that only made his hair more out of place, but it was an automatic response. He wasn’t sure what to even do. His eyes kept darting between the floor and Rick, who had gone back to his work with a huff. He opened his hand towards Morty, and he already knew what tools he needed. He reached over, grabbing a small screwdriver and handing it to Rick without a word. It felt normal, but odd. The conversion still lingered in his mind. He just felt so confused and lost. It was dead silent, and not that comfortable silence they normally had. It was just.. Weird. There was no other way to describe it.
“Rick.”
Morty broke the silence, his voice quiet enough to be missed by anyone. Rick gave a glance his way, no words leaving his mouth as he looked at him and then back to his word. But before he could actually use the screwdriver, he felt something plunge against his chest. It was Morty. It was hardly his chest since Morty was pretty short, and Rick was taller than most. The boy’s face was stuffed, hidden behind Rick’s lab coat and all he could see was his messy brown hair. It looked as soft as always. The impact was so sudden that Rick actually dropped his screwdriver, slipping from his hand with a loud clank to the dirty floor they stood on. Rick froze for a good moment. Hugs weren’t a big thing between the two. Morty was more physically affectionate than Rick showed to be.

“Thank you, grandpa..”

Morty’s voice ran through Rick’s head more than he would’ve liked. Morty didn’t actually call Rick ‘grandpa’ a lot. It was usually just his name. When he did, Rick didn’t have a lot of time to process it. He couldn’t even care enough about the screwdriver on the floor, or his half-made invention that he now had no idea when it would be finished. Morty was interrupting him, but for once, he didn’t mind. Sure, he could say that Morty could have waited till later, till he wasn’t busy with science, But really, when wasn’t he? He stayed still, till his arms slowly came around Morty, letting him rest against him for a moment. That action shocked even Morty, but he accepted it. It felt nice, his muscles relaxing against Rick as the comfort sunk in. Morty was a very touchy person, not in a weird way, he just enjoyed affection. Hugs, holding hands, even cuddling were totally his thing. Even just a hand on his shoulder could silently reassure him. He leaned into the middle area of Rick’s chest and stomach, his face hidden but Rick could actively feel all his muscles relax.

“You’re the best.”
Morty mumbled, almost wanting to close his eyes due to the calmness around them.
“Best grandpa ever.”

It was a rare feeling for that garage. The garage, and house in general, was always full of chaos. For once, it was quiet and calm. Morty felt like he could really relax, like Rick was not letting go anytime soon. And he wasn’t . It was quiet, quieter than Rick and Morty really ever remembered it being. Silence wasn’t a common thing in the Smith household. Someone was always doing something, usually Rick. Even through the silence, they could hear the faint noises of the TV, and the soft sounds of clacking from the kitchen. The smell of metal, and whatever else had mixed into the air was strong, but they were used to it by now. It wasn’t anything new. Rick let one of his hands drag up to Morty’s hair, long fingers tossing his brown hair around. The brown hair was the main part of Morty that reminded him that this was in fact Jerry’s son. He felt like his own- I mean, he definitely hung around him more than Jerry did. He hardly considered Jerry to be Morty’s father. It was almost annoying that that guy got to be around his grandson all the time. He hardly deserved it in his opinion. Or maybe Rick just didn’t like Jerry.
“You’re too em-emootional sometimes.”
Rick spoke in a guff tone, but he didn’t try to sound cruel. He only tightened his arms around Morty. ‘Y’know, you used to call me ‘papa’ when you were little?” Rick mentioned, purely only to embarrass Morty-and to try and get away from the solemn topic at hand. It definitely worked, as Morty felt a rush of embarrassment and light annoyance at the reminder. He hated remembering the name he used to call Rick, because of how insanely dumb it was. He was really young and couldn’t get the right sounds for ‘Grandpa’ out so he said ‘Papa’ instead. It was so dumb and embarrassing, something he tried to ignore when people brought it up. It wasn’t something bad, just embarrassing to think about.
“Ew.. I-I-I said don’t talk about that, Rick.” Morty mumbled, moving his arms as if to push Rick away but the way he was held against him prevented him from doing so.
“Shut up, you were little. It was cu-urggh-ute.” Rick rolled his eyes at Morty’s embarrassment. He just thought it was one of those cute and dumb things kids did. After he spoke, a smile went on Rick's face, his amusement showing.
“It was especially funny cause you didn’t call Jerry dad. You just called him Jerry.”
Rick snickered, thinking it was hilarious that Rick was the one who got a ‘dad’-like nickname from little Morty and not Jerry. It made him feel insanely smug. He loved to hold that over Jerry’s head. It was hilarious in his opinion.
“Shut uppp.. That's embarrassing.” Morty just groaned, annoyed-though not enough-by Rick’s words of reminder. He hated when he brought that up. It was super dumb. It only fueled Summer’s accusation of him being a grandpa's boy too. He’d rather die than let Summer win in literally any way. She was older and held that over him, he could not let her hold another thing over him for the rest of his life. No way. Morty was a little too stubborn and competitive for that. He didn’t get like crazy, but he definitely enjoyed winning. Rick’s snickering wasn't deterred by Morty’s complaints, it only amused him more. Though he didn’t say anything more, just twirled the short brown locks between his lanky fingers. His other arm was holding the kid close, as if keeping him from getting upset again. He didn’t like dealing with an upset Morty. It was a lot of work, and it kinda hurt his heart to see the kid so upset and on the verge of tears but that was besides the point. He had hugged him many times in his life, but there was always something different in the air when he did it for Morty's comfort instead of just a passing thought. It was nice, and Morty could've sworn that Rick’s usual roughness softened for just a moment. If not more.

“You okay now?”
Rick spoke up, looking down to Morty, trying to scan his face and expression. Morty was quiet for a moment, the feelings from the whole nickname situation temporarily wearing off for that moment. He had processed more, and while the feelings of dread about his appearance weren't fully gone and wouldn’t be for awhile. It did feel better. He didn’t feel amazing, but it was better. “Yeah-yeah, I'm better.” Morty nodded with a breath, looking up at Rick after a moment, who felt a sense of almost relief at Morty’s words. At least he didn’t have to worry about him breaking out into tears at random for a while now. Rick wasn’t sure where to even take the conversion, but he knew something Morty would like and it came out with a smile. “Wanna go blow shit up on a random planet?” “Yes!” And with smiles on their faces, Rick grabbed some extra guns as Morty happily ran to the car, yelling for Rick to hurry up. Usually, Rick would be annoyed by Morty trying to rush him but he didn't mind this time. Morty being happy was a better feeling than he remembered. The excitement on his face when he was allowed to let go of something and just revisit it later was priceless. The headache was 100% worth it. It was every single time.