Chapter Text
Rick was taking a shower when it happened.
He put both of his hands on the tile as he tried to breathe. He couldn't. His lungs were burning as the air enters his body. As was his whole flesh. Every fucking part of him hurt, and even the cold water that poured on him didn't make him feel any better. He was on fire!
Breath breath breath...
He put his head between his hands, closed his eyes. He was shaking from head to toe. Rick was sure he never felt that kind of agony before. Even with his high threshold for pain, it was almost excruciating. He was Rick fucking Sanchez, he was a terrorist according to the Galactic Federation. He had fighted against almost the entire universe. He had gotten shot million times, lost his limbs, beaten to death. He might even had come back from the death at some point.
But none of them were even comparable to the pain he was in right now. It was like his soul was taken away from him, broken into million pieces. Like his bones were trying to cut his skin open and let themselves out. Like he was bleeding from inside. Like his head was about to explode.
Just breath you fucker.
He felt he was going to vomit. World was spinning, or was it him? He sat on the floor, pulled his legs to his chest. It was too much. Too much too much too much... Every beat of his heart, every vein in his body, every thought in his mind was hurting him. He was going to die. This was going to be how the smartest man in the universe dies. And then as he was craving for a single breath...
...His heart stopped. All his breath was taken away from him.
Everything went white then red then black.
That one moment was the moment nothing really mattered.
It was the unalterable truth.
When air filled his lungs again, Rick heard a woman speak. "The mark is red Morty, it's red! You have a soulmate. I'm so proud of you." She sounded so excited. Rick opened his eyes to see who was talking.
Diane?
Had he died? Was it his punishment?
But no, that couldn't be her, could it? This woman was so much younger than Rick's ex wife. Yet, their green eyes and blond hair were almost identical. Some of her facial features had that kind of similarity too. Like her little nose and full lips. Rick gulped. It was terrifying to look at her.
Then she smiled and everything became so much worse.
She wasn't Diane but somehow her smile was belong to the only woman Rick ever liked. How?She reached to stroke Rick's hair. Her expression was kind. It was affectionate.
Yet, something felt wrong with her. Rick's stomach twisted when he noticed what.
Yes, her smile was nice. But her eyes was glowing with hunger. It was almost unnoticeable but Rick could see it. Because he knew that glance so damn well, he had seen it millions times before. He had watched it everytime he looked in a mirror. A passionate crave for something... dark.
Apparently, even glances could pass through genes.
Shit, no. No, please no. If she was not an alternative version of Diane, who was she? Rick was afraid of the answer. "Beth?" He asked with a sixteen years old's voice, wishing to be wrong.
The woman's eyes widened. Her glance changed to something so much more twisted. "Dad?" She whispered.
But before Rick could response, he was in his own body again. He was breathing hard. His heart was pounding. He got out off the shower quickly, and stood in front of his mirror. Didn't even bother dry himself off first. He looked at the name that was on the left of his chest.
"Mortimer Smith"
It was red. Shit.
How could it be red? Rick knew how, but didn't understand why? His mark was white. It was always white since his sixteenth birthday. He had thought it was going to stay that way, he had accepted that. He hadn't had a soulmate. He never had had one.
Apparenty, this was no longer the truth.
Rick shivered as he run his hand on the name. "Why?" He thought. After all this years, why now? Not when he was sixteen and actually wanting a soulmate. Not when he was waiting for it. Younger Rick would die to have what old Rick had now. He rolled his eyes. What a ignorant fucker. He knew now soulmates were bullshit. They were nothing but irrational attachments.
They were weaknesses. And Rick Sanchez had refused to be weak. He didn't need some kind perfect fucking half when it was never going to be perfect. He didn't need some teenarger's love and loyalty. He didn't need anyone but himself. No one could save him in the end.
Fuck you Mortimer Smith.
He put his hand on the name, hiding it. As if this would change anything. He knew even he hated to be marked, needed to be rational about this. The mark wasn't something Rick could just ignore. This wasn't how this universe works. He had to see him. He had to go and touch his soulmate at least once if he wanted to live.
Fuck the universe, fuck everything.
Rick left the bathroom, got dressed silently. He sat at his desk, put his head between his hands and took a deep breath. He knew what he should do. He didn't want to do it. "Fuck." He murmured. It was harder than he thought. He was afraid.
He didn't know when was the last time he felt like this but he was so damn terrified. Knowing that he had a soulmate, possibility of seeing him, touching him was too much. He wasn't ready.
How could someone be ready for this? How could someone be okay with this?
Rick didn't know, and he was never going to learn it.
The scientist raised his head. "Nothing matters." He reminded himself. "I don't have to stay. with him" He knew a simple touch would be enough. It didn't even need to be affectionate or shit. He could just hold his arm for five seconds then left. They were never going to see each other ever again anyway.
Nothing really mattered to Rick Sanchez. Not even his soulmate.
He opened his computer and quickly searched the name. This soulmate shit was a really big deal in the earth. Governments would keep records for every person who turned sixteen. They would document everything about them from the name of their soulmates to their home addresses. They would search the data, try to find the matching names. Rick had hacked that documents long time ago. The times he still had had hope. Whatever.
He looked at the results. There were three Mortimer Smith that turned sixteen today. The first one wasn't marked. So, he was off.
The second one was marked. But his soulmate was a girl named Jessica. Okay, he wasn't the one eihter.
So the last one should...
Rick didn't even need to look who was the boy's soulmate to know. His eyes laid on an another name first, Morty's mother's.
Beth Smith.
Oh. Everything fell into place perfectly. And Rick fell into the darkest part of his mind. His eyes became blank.
Rick Sanchez was a man who didn't give a shit about anything. He was a selfish bastard, a terrible husband and worse father. He was killer, a terrorist, a runaway. The smartest man in the universe, the most twisted mind in the multiverse.
He was Rick fucking Sanchez. And apparently, he was a pervert now. If not why the universe wanted him to fuck his own grandson? There must be something wrong with him.
Rick stood there for a while, reconsidering his previous plan. He had learned where was his soulmate lived, he could just portal himself there. But he wasn't sure if he should go. Had it changed anything to know who Mortimer Smith was? Rick was already a terrible father. He hadn't even seen his daughter for years. Hell, he had even forgotten he had a daughter time to time. So what if he was also a terrible grandfather? Of course, it hadn't changed anything. Nothing mattered.
Especially Mortimer Smith.
Rick stretched his arms. The plan was on. He had a year to touch his soulmate after he got marked. So, there was plenty of time. He wasn't in rush. He had a lot more time than he needed to invent little robots to monitorize Mortimer Smith.
Not that the scientist wanted to see him. He didn't. He just wanted to make sure he was alive, just to keep himself safe. But still... a little peek wouldn't hurt, would it?
Even if it would, Rick wasn't afraid of getting hurt.
Inventing the robot took half an hour, sending it to earth was harder but after three hour and forty five minutes Rick did it.
He opened a screen on his computer, took a deep breath.
Nothing mattered.
Nothing mattered.
Nothing fucking mattered.
But when Rick Sanchez saw his soulmate for the first time, something mattered, just a little. His heart was beating so hard. It was unexpected. Fuck. He didn't expected Mortimer Smith to have such a beautiful eyes. A perfect combination of green and blue. They were breathtaking. Rick couldn't stop staring at them.
The scientist groaned as Morty licked his lips. The younger one was sitting on his bed, looking something at his computer. He wasn't wearing any shirts. His naked chest was there for Rick to watch and enjoy. Shit. Rick gulped. Without even realizing, he came a litter closer to the screen. To Morty.
Now the brunet was biting his lower lip like he was trying to hide... Oh. Morty let a shaky breath out. He closed his eyes, threw his head back. There was a little smirk on his lips. Was Rick sweating?
Morty put his one hand on his chest, drawing small circles with his fingers. Rick wanted to be the one doing it, but with his tongue. He wanted lick Morty's skin till the younger scream for more. He wanted to make him moan, make him lose his control until he was all Rick's and Rick's only.
Morty slipped his other hand under his blanket, slowly moving up and down and the other one was on his nipples. The scientist opened his mouth."Fuck." Morty moaned with pleasure. Then he whispered. "Rick."
Fuck! Rick got up as fast as he could when he realized what was happening. What was he doing. He closed the screen. Shit, he was hard. He clenched his fists like he wanted to puch something. Himself. He groaned. Morty's image was still there, in front of Rick's eyes and it was playing the same scene, with Morty's needy voice.
Rick closed his eyes. He had made mistake, he should have never watched. But he had thought he was better than that. Better than this pervert who wants, needs, his own grandson. It was sick even for him.
The scientist sat on his bed. He didn't know what he should do know. He wished he could say the plan was still ongoing. That he could just go, touch Mortimer Smith once and leave. But he wasn't so sure about that anymore.
Rick laid down as he thought about Morty's eyes. Blue and green, a perfect combination of the two. Like Rick's ice blue ones and Beth's burning greens...
He made his mind up. He didn't like it but Rick felt like it was right thing to do.
...
Mortimer Smith waited for his soulmate for 360 days. But Rick Sanchez never showed up. Morty had already lost his hope anyway.