Chapter Text
You’re 19, you’re crashing at a close friend's house due to your parents kicking you out. You were friends (you guess) with Summer, you were lucky you even got her to talk to you since you’re also close friends with Nancy; Lord bless Nancy’s soul. Nancy was always there for you like a younger sister and you were so happy when she introduced you to Summer. You got a borderline therapist (and you mean that lightheartedly) and a house all at once? God has to exist now, at least until a cynical old fuck walks out of his garage. You’ve lived here for almost a year now, why aren’t you used to him yet?
You gave Rick the nickname ”Satan Rickarnate”. It fit him perfectly to you, and it pissed him off. Him being pissed off was the best entertainment in the house besides T.V. and that’s saying a lot due to the intergalactic T.V. thing they got going on.
“Sunshine, can you help me with something?” Jerry’s voice piped up over Satan Rickarnates bitching about the nickname, whatever is on T.V., and Summers obnoxiously fake giggles at everything. Turning your head around, you smiled a bit. Jerry has always been a slight father figure to you, he was smart at being a father and definitely nothing else.
“Yeah! Gladly,” you glared at Rick as you got up and headed towards the kitchen as he called you something along the lines of a “motherfucking idiot”, but you didn’t get to hear it all due to walking away from him, and the music Jerry was playing lowly in the kitchen; it was “Do You Feel It?” by Chaos Chaos.
“Thank you for helping me, hun. Now, considering how it’s almost New Years…” Jerry paused and did a slight drum roll with the wooden spoons he had in front of him on the counter, you chuckled lightly in response. “I want help from you with baking the New Year's Pie!” he threw his hands up similar to jazz hands, spoons flailing.
“Really?” you gawked, usually the “New Year’s Pie” was strictly a Jerry and Morty thing (Rick's words at least), shifting your stance you wondered if Morty even knew that Jerry chose you instead of him. You deduced that any rational father would probably talk about this sorta thing with their close son, especially because it’s a change of pace.
“Yeah! I feel like there needs to be a change of pace ‘round here! Morty’ll be fine, Sunshine, don’t worry.” he smiles and turns around with gusto reaching for the bowls and needed stuff for the pie. You make your way around towards the counters to wait as Morty seemingly walks in on cue.
“Dad? Oh, hey y/n.” Morty waved at you with familiar timidness, he’s always been so sweet to you it’s almost sickening.
“Hey, Morty…” You trailed off scratching the back of your neck, you hesitated to tell him about what was going on, if he didn’t know already.
“Do, uh, you know I’m helping Jerry with the pie this year, right?” You walked over to him so he could hear you more, you could sense the change in his body position that he wasn’t happy at all.
“Wait, what? Dad, yo-you didn’t tell me that!” Morty quite literally made the frowny sad text emoticon face (D:) in response, maybe it was better off left unsaid.
“What? Beth was supposed to tell you yesterday!” Jerry groaned and furrowed his eyebrows, pinching the bridge of his nose; you tensed up from the commotion.
“Hey-hey, uhm, I mean…” you stammered around trying to find a solution, the only thing really coming to mind was letting Morty do it instead of you. “Can’t Morty just do it like normal? I mean, I’m not even a part of this family…” trailing off you felt your heart sank, you really didn’t feel like a part of this family when you put thought into it, it was almost depressing.
“You’re a part of this family!” Jerry exclaimed, setting down a glass bowl on the counter nearer towards Morty and you, putting his hands on his hips in a very “matter-of-fact” manner, you were unsure if one's eyebrows could furrow any harder.
“If there’s anythi- iiiiii -ng me and Sna- aaaaaa -ppy can agree on, it’s that they aren’t family.” Rick piped up from behind you, making you jump slightly,
“Motherfucker- scaring me…” you huff rolling your eyes pointing up at him. “But yeah, what Fart Ass said.” you chuckle to yourself a little at the nickname, you could always crack yourself up. “I’m not.” pausing as you wave your hands up and down in front of you palm up trying to figure out what to say. ”I’m not blood related, nor do I personally count myself as family anyways.” The look on both Morty and Jerry’s face left you hanging your arms and hands T-Rex style, probably shouldn't have said that.
“You don’t count yourself family?” Jerry started tearing up and you put your face in your hands and groaned.
“No, I.” you scoff, closing your eyes and mimicking Jerry’s previous position of nose-bridge-pinching. “I have a very-” you paused, being uncertain how to continue,”Very, bad experience with family. I just-” you pause again, feeling embarrassed from being put on the spot, you get cut off from explaining from Beth slamming the front door.
“Home.” Beth’s introduction to coming home sounded exhausted, you rubbed your temples.
“Whatever.” you gave Jerry a very lighthearted stare as you left the kitchen to go greet Beth, you usually made her day better.
“Oh, hello baby. Ah-” she paused and hugged you. ”I missed you so much.” she paused, making sure to release the hug with a soft rub on the back of the head. ”It’s quiet, everything okay?” she started it with a sigh-chuckle mix.
“Yes, Beth, everything is alright…although I may or may not have given Jerry an epiphany tonight…” you hitch your breath rubbing the back of your neck,
“Yeah, the-they told Jerry they aren’t a part of this family — which they aren’t. For on- nnnnnccc -ce they’re correct on something.” Satan Rickarnate decided to speak for you as Beth kinda gawked back,
“You don’t think you’re family, Y/n?” her voice was heavy with something, you knew it was negative but unsure of what emotion. You scoff and look towards where Jerry and Morty are supposed to be, this isn’t how you wanted your night to go.
“It’s really hard to explain, I.. I’m not sure if I can…explain it.” you trailed off, the lump in your throat — you rationalized — from traumatic experiences with confrontation and parent talk. You have both in severity. “I just- the family thing is hard for me. I can’t-” you paused and played with your hoodie sleeves, the lump in your throat and emotions getting a little harder to swallow. Groaning you rub your temples and toss your hands in the air. ”What-the-fuck-ever. I’m going to take a shit.” you stormed off angry and bitter, pushing the Fart Ass out of the way.
“Hey, watch it!” Rick glared at you, almost surprised at this outburst.
You and Rick are very similar, although your ego would never admit you and Rick are equals in a literal sense. You both put up a front of “I don’t care, fuck off.” and Nihilism. You both drown out your issues in addictions (yours being more ‘hideable’ than Ricks), the outburst of emotions like now and hiding your true emotions due to judgment. You splash water on your face as you stand in front of the bathroom sink, the embarrassment of your actions blaring in your head. You scoff to yourself and take off your hoodie, your arms being covered shoulder and almost-to-wrist in scars and cuts. You were sweaty and anxious, the bathroom feeling more humid than a normal bathroom should be. “I hate to love him and love to hate him, huh?” you take off your pants and sit on the toilet, messing with your white tank top from under your hoodie.
“Jerry, please stop crying. I'm 100% sure Y/n doesn’t hate us. They said they had issues with family, let’s just take it easy.” Beth patted Jerry on the back as he wept over the glass of wine in hand. For once Beth was empathetic with him, she also felt quite defeated at this.
“Don’t-Don’t take it pers- ssssonn -nal you two, I barely con-consider myself a pa- aarrrttt -art of this family myself.” Rick took a swig of his flask, trucking his way back towards his garage. The swaying of his walk was alarmingly drunk,
“Ah, Ri-Rick!” Morty rushed over to Rick making sure to follow close behind if he fell or passed out, his heart raced at the situation. ‘I hope Y/n’s alright, I’m not that surprised they don’t consider themselves family, but it has been a year already.’ Morty’s thoughts raced as he watched his grandfather drunkenly waltz into the garage, he hoped for a better year next year.
Throwing on your hoodie you left the bathroom feeling a bit better, the burn on your thigh was very loud, but nothing you haven't done before. You said curses to yourself wishing you wore darker pants instead of regular light jeans hoping it wouldn't bleed through since you didn’t have any gauze or bandages for the mess you made.
“Hey, uh.” you made your way into the living room where everyone was except Rick and Morty,”I wanna apologize for, uh, back there.” the T.V. almost drowned you out as Jerry cut it up, did really admitting that you didn’t think you’re family affected them that much?
“Ah.” pausing, you grabbed your shoes from beside the door, slipping them on. ‘Might as well go for a walk I guess. I’d get out of their hair.’ you thought to yourself, trying to push back the thoughts of running away to see if they’d care.
Morty walked into the living room as soon as you were leaving,”He-Hey, where’s Y/n going?” Morty cocked his eyebrows, it wasn’t like you to head out and walk this late.
“Unsure, they said something along the lines of a sorry then left.” Summer nonchalantly typed away on her phone only for another phone to bling from the bathroom,”That’s weird.” she got up, opening the bathroom door,”They literally never forget their phone, this is weird.” scoffing, she picked up the phone off the sink counter to feel a weird bump in the back of the casing,”wuh?” pulling off the case in confusion a single small sized blade fell out of it. “What. The. Fuck?” bending down, Jerry walked near,
“Everything alright there?” Jerry gawked at summer holding the blade,”Su-Summer!” Jerry borderline lunged for her as he slightly paused at her stammering,
“It-It’s not mine! It’s.” trailing off she showed her dad your phone facing screen up, the screen lighting up at Morty texting you, your phone’s lockscreen being a selfie of yourself and Nancy shit-faced at your prom after-party.
“Y/n’s…” Jerry finished Summers' sentence as he put his hand out for the blade and phone,”I’m gonna go searching for them. Beth, let Morty know where I’m at.” Jerry called from the bathroom, making his way out the door,
“You’re insane if you think I’m not going too!” Beth stood in front of the door and grabbed her jacket and scarf,”Morty, Summer, get dressed we’re finding them.” the look on Beth’s face was far from okay and the Bastard that walked through the door noticed it,
“Woah, woah, what family tr-trip are we going on at this hour?” from Rick's speech everyone assumed he wasn’t as drunk as before,”Dad! Y/n’s took a walk, but apparently left their phone and…” Beth stared at the phone Jerry had in his hand and gestured to Jerry to show it too Rick with her head, tears welling in her eyes,
Rick had an obviously confused look, some might have mistaken it for worry. ”Jee-Jeez, didn’t expect that.” the phone and phone casing he held in his hand was a fucked up “first aid” kit for self destruction and worry, one singular blade, and a small sticky note of affirmations that read,”I’m fine, I’m alive, and I’m okay.” written on the back and front, the other containing a repeating of a phrase he couldn't read in German. “Well, good luck with that.” he took a swig of his flask as he walked into the kitchen shoving the items back into Jerry’s chest,
“Is that all you have to say?” Beth scoffed and rolled her eyes, trying to push her anger aside and focus on you. “Al-Alright, uh. Morty, Summer, you ready?” the tears streaming down her face smudged her eyeliner and mascara,
“Beth, they’re alive and okay. We’re all gonna be fine.” Jerry put his hands on his wife's shoulders and traced it down to her hands, kissing them,”I’m going to drive, everyone…” trailing off realizing that not everyone gave a shit,”You all get in the car, hurry!”
Everyone besides Rick piled into the car they had, Morty’s face contorted into a multitude of expressions, the biggest being a mix of annoyance and frustration. He glared at his poor excuse of a grandfather as they drove out of the driveway, what an end of the year this would be.