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Rick has had plenty of nightmares. They’re easy to shrug off these days— Rick can easily pick apart all of the things that don’t make sense and all the things he would’ve actually done if in that situation. In no time at all, the tension from the nightmare is gone and Rick either gets up to be productive or goes back to sleep.
Rick would say this works nine times out of ten but it’s more than that. It works ninety nine times out of one hundred. There’s only ever been one outlier, one thing that can actually get to him.
Unfortunately, that one thing has been an actual issue lately. Because Rick knows he can handle plenty of his enemies and has.
But Prime is on another level. A level Rick isn’t on. Meaning when it comes to nightmares starring him, most of them are plausible. They can happen.
Rick has only encountered Prime a handful of times, despite what he has told the rest of the Smith Family. He’s implied that he’s not sure he can take Prime, even now, but they don’t realize it’s not just doubt. It’s a fact— Rick has failed time and time again, and he really doesn’t want to fail again.
After losing Diane and his Beth, he didn’t have much to lose. It didn’t matter if he failed then— either he’d get up and go after Prime again, or he’d be dead.
That’s not really the case anymore. Rick has more people he can lose than before— hell, he thinks he would be upset if Prime killed Jerry at this point. Fucking Jerry. What the hell is wrong with him? He doesn’t even like the guy but the thought of Prime hurting or killing anyone within the walls of his home makes him feel on edge. Like he’s taking more of Rick’s family— the cycle repeating until Rick has no one left.
He should’ve never gotten attached. He should’ve never started hanging around Prime’s dimension. He’s a goddamn idiot.
But he’s attached now. And even if it’s futile, Rick won’t go down without a fight.
It makes for some disturbing dreams however. And when Rick wakes up from one, choking back a cry from watching Prime shoot a laser right through Summer’s head, he can’t rationalize it. Trying to do so would make it worse because it’s possible this time. It’s not like the dreams about the Galactic Federation killing Birdperson (he’s alive) or the Citadel of Ricks taking Morty away (he killed those sons of bitches). It’s not an enemy he’s already defeated or can defeat, it’s one he hasn’t. One he isn’t able to yet.
It makes him jittery. Every nerve shot and making it near impossible to keep his hands still. Rick tries a half-assed attempt at one of the breathing exercises burned into his brain but gives up before long. He can’t lay still and realizing that he’s not going to be able to go back to sleep like this, Rick lets out a quiet, frustrated noise and tosses his blanket off of him.
He stumbles into the hallway, a little off balance from just waking up but silent nonetheless. He glances at the other rooms down the hall and makes his decision.
He knows his security systems are good but Prime— he’s always been better than him. He has to know.
Summer’s room is first. It’s already open a crack so it’s easy enough to run a quick scan. The room is empty besides her, and the steady rise and fall of her chest assures him she’s fine. With a relieved huff, Rick moves on.
Beth and Jerry are asleep as well— sure enough, their room is clear— and after a brief moment of panic, Rick’s sensors find Space Beth on the roof having a late-night drink. He tries not to dwell that she definitely got that from him— they both did— and leaves all of them alone.
Morty’s room is last. They went out on a trip earlier— nothing went wrong but it involved a lot of heavy lifting and Rick knows Morty always sleeps like a rock after a trip like that. He breathes deeply, assuring himself it’s going to be more of the same and softly opens the door to peek in.
The light from the hallway stretches, illuminating a sliver of the room, but that’s all Rick needs. His heart stutters to a stop, icy terror immediately crawling from the depths of his chest and sinking their claws into him. He runs his sensors, praying he’s hallucinating what he’s seeing, but it comes back positive. He’s not imagining it, it’s real.
It’s a nightmare come to life. One who sits on Morty’s desk chair, now pulled up to his bed as he sleeps, and grins toothily when Rick lays eyes on him. Slowly, one hand raises and presses a finger to his lips.
“Shh.” Prime tells him in a whisper. “You don’t want to wake him up— trust me.”
There are a thousand things Rick should be doing, ranging from trying to kill that bastard, to getting Morty out of there as fast as he can, to begging.
Rick can’t seem to do any of them. He can’t move. He can’t even breathe right.
Prime’s hand lowers, instead making a gesture for Rick to come closer. “Step inside.” He whispers still, and beside him, Morty doesn’t even twitch. “Close the door behind you.”
Rick can’t see a visible weapon on Prime but— that’s never mattered. The man is a weapon, every part of him is dangerous. Rick swallows thickly, realizing that the wrong move could easily get Morty killed, and that’s exactly why Prime is doing this. To keep him in check.
Morty is fast asleep, unaware that he’s being held hostage within his own room, and Rick desperately wants Prime away from him. For Morty to be safe, at all costs.
He steps inside Morty’s room and softly shuts the door behind him.
Prime’s grin gets wider. “That’s more I like it. Look at you, following directions! Was that so hard?” He leans back in his chair, folding one leg over the other. “You’re a stubborn guy, C-137. It’s been— what, twenty years? Thirty? I haven’t been keeping track. But I knew you weren’t gonna be civil unless I applied some pressure.”
Prime waves a hand over Morty’s sleeping form. Rick’s throat tightens. “Everyone has a pressure point! Finding yours was easy— hell, I could take my pick! But this felt fitting.” His eyes dart over to Morty, chuckling. “After all this time, you’re still dragging my Morty around. You care about him— that’s fucking hilarious, you know that?”
Rick has to swallow down the bile that rises to his throat. He stands stiffly in the doorway and tries to keep his tone from trembling when he finally finds his voice. “What the hell do you want from me?”
Prime looks him over, an open and cocky grin fading into a confident and smug smile. “I wanted to talk, C-137. Is that so bad?”
“You’re threatening my grandson to do it.” His voice cracks a little at that. He hates himself for it.
“My grandson technically.” Prime rolls his eyes. “But whatever, I guess it’s fair. Never got your own Morty, right?”
Fury ignites in Rick’s chest, not just over him mentioning it but how casually he does it. Words don’t quite reach him, both because his rage is indescribable and because he wants to keep Morty safe. Nonetheless, he gives Prime the best glare he has in him and Prime looks at him in interest before it seems to hit him and he bursts out in quiet laughter.
“Oh, don’t tell me!” Prime covers a hand with his mouth and yet, Rick still knows he’s smiling behind it. “You— you’re still mad about that? Fucking hilarious! Goddamn— you can really hold a grudge!”
He can’t hold it in. Not after a reaction like that. “You killed my family.”
“Dude, you have infinite families. Hell, you took mine!” Prime wipes a tear from his eye, shoulders still shaking. “I thought this whole ‘Revenge quest’ was out of pride. To prove to allllll the other Ricks out there that nobody was allowed to touch your shit. But no— this is sentiment. Goddamn that’s hilarious. No wonder you’re so protective over your stolen Morty— you honestly got attached!”
Rick almost surges forward, wanting to wrap his hands around Prime’s neck. The only thing stopping him is the fact that Prime glances over to Morty again— a silent warning— and the pure terror overrides his anger. Rick’s feet stay rooted to where he is, and Prime croons at him mockingly.
“Like a dog on a leash.” Prime murmurs, a laugh leaving him. “You’re so easy, C-137. I won’t lie: it’s one of the things I like about you. It’s not just your pride that can be hurt, you care in a way most Ricks don’t. It’s fun. Keeps things interesting.”
“Am I—” Rick chokes, nails digging into his skin. “Am I fucking entertainment for you?”
Prime raises his brow. “Do you think you would be alive if you weren’t?”
Rick feels like he’s burning from the inside out as white hot shame ignites in his chest. His first family died because of him and he’s entertainment. He has to hold back humiliating tears and just barely croaks out, “What do you want?”
Prime pauses, contemplating something. “I want to know your limits.” He says at last. “I want to know how far I can push you. You know you’re no longer safe from me here. You know I’m able to infiltrate your home anytime I like without alerting you or anyone else. You know what I’m capable of. What I can do. What I can take away. And with that in mind,” Prime unfolds his leg and scoots to the edge of his seat with a sickeningly excited smile, “I want you to kneel.”
All of the air seems to get sucked out of Rick. He stares at Prime, watching his head tilt ever so slightly before his eyes roll. “You don’t have to view it as doing it for me.” He tells him. “Why not view it as something that keeps everyone else in the house alive?”
His heart lurches out of his chest. In an instant, Rick’s legs give out on their own and he’s on his knees in no time. Prime chuckles, shaking his head.
“It’s too fun…” Prime murmurs. “I don’t need to prove anything else to you— you already know to fear me. I got you in the palm of my hand, at my beck and call. I bet if I asked you to, you’d come with me. You’d give yourself up to whatever whims I have in order to protect this little family you got, wouldn’t you?”
Rick doesn’t answer, heart pounding in his chest. He doesn’t need to answer, they both know it. Prime still grins with the silent confirmation all the same.
“You can stand up again.” Prime waves an arm at him and Rick takes his chance to before Prime can change his mind. “I’ve made my point, no need to beat a dead man walking. Gotta say— I’m glad I dropped that bomb in your garage all those years ago! I had no idea I would be responsible for creating— all of this.” He gestures to all of him. “All the other Ricks fear you, even if they don’t show it. You’re respected, C-137. Like it or not, I made you better.
“Last time I pushed you— and killed your family or whatever— you got stronger. Faster and smarter too— you gave me a chase. Granted, you never actually caught me and the chase can only be so much fun without any actual threat, but I thought I would fix that. Figured if I gave you another push, the same result would occur. A fun little experiment.”
Panic rises his Rick’s throat at the possibilities. “Don’t.” He chokes on the plea and Prime’s eyes light up in response. “Don’t hurt him— don’t hurt any of them. Please.”
“I won’t.” Prime says easily, like he’s promising not to leave the toilet seat up and not murder his entire family. Again. “Not this time at least. If you don’t disappoint me, I won’t have to resort to that. That’s your push— your incentive. I don’t have to involve them if you just make things interesting. Sound fair?”
Rick nods, weak and frayed at the edges.
“Good. I don’t see a reason to—”
Shifting out of the corner of both their eyes makes them both stop. Rick freezes. Prime waits.
Morty’s eyes crack open, squinting. It takes a few moments for him to process what he’s seeing as he hugs his pillow closer but eventually, his eyes abruptly go wide.
“You— you’re not— you’re—” Morty stammers, quiet but filled with terror. Prime’s grin stretches wider.
“Hey, grandson!” Prime tilts his head at him. “Good to finally meet you!”
Morty’s eyes dart around the room, finally laying eyes on Rick. Rick wants to say something— reassuring or a warning or anything at all— but he can only stare. Frozen and helpless, because Morty is awake and Prime is right there and Rick thinks if he watches another family member die, he’ll break. Especially if said family member is Morty.
Everyone seems to wait with baited breath to see who will make the next move. Then Morty lets out a scream and pulls out a gun from under his pillow and shoots. He shoots a hole straight through Prime’s neck, causing him to gurgle and fall off his chair.
Rick finally lurches forward, kicking Prime further away from Morty and putting himself between them. Morty is panting, still holding the gun, and Rick can feel how tense he is just from the proximity. Neither of them are comforted by the fact that Prime’s wound stitches itself back together right in front of his eyes and he comes back laughing.
“Oh man—” Prime’s whole body shakes from his laughter, like this is the funniest fucking shit in the world. “A neck wound? Like father, like fucking son I guess! What are the odds of that?”
Before anyone can respond to that, there’s a crash of glass breaking, followed by several doors slamming open and rushing footsteps. Space Beth is first to arrive, a gun already in hand, with Summer, Beth, and finally Jerry following in that order. While the other three go rigid with shock, Space Beth immediately aims her gun for Prime, though the shock in her eyes is a mirror image of her domestic counterpart’s.
“Wow— a goddamn family reunion! I feel special.” Prime finally stops laughing but his smile never fades. “Too bad I’m terrible with this family stuff. Gonna have to take my leave— wouldn’t be the first time!”
His gaze flickers to Rick and Morty just before a small portal opens up from seemingly nowhere below him. “Until next time.” He tells them— a promise— and is gone with a pop.
No one moves for a long minute, expecting Prime to return or for there to be a ‘Gottcha’ moment.
It’s only after they realize he’s not going to return that the whole room erupts into noise. Morty is yelling to shake off his nerves, Space Beth is ranting about security as she runs a scan on the room and likely the whole house too, Jerry is asking questions, Beth is rushing to check on Morty, Summer is double checking that Prime is actually gone, and Rick just feels dizzy. He sits down on the bed, breathing deeply and willing himself to stay together.
“What the fuck was he doing here? Rick, why did he—”
“—safest house in the Galaxy my ass, I knew I should’ve set up my own perimeter but no, you said—”
“—the hell was that guy’s problem? What was he doing here? What— what did he want with you and—”
“Morty— Morty, are you okay? Did he do anything? How long was he here? Dad, did he—”
“—if he can just, portal like that out of nowhere, how are we supposed to—”
All the voices overlap and mix, filling the once tense silence with noise and questions. The lights are flipped on, blinding Rick, and his silence just has more questions directed at him and asking what happened why didn’t you stop him I thought we were safe why didn’t you do anything why were you just standing there why why why why—
Why can’t you protect your family, Rick?
Pressure rises and Rick explodes. “Shut up!” He screams and doesn’t feel any better for it. There’s no relief from the pressure even when they do shut up. It’s still there, a constant, and Rick can feel every muscle in his body tense because of it. He gets up and tries to move around but it doesn’t help “Everyone shut the fuck up! God, just— just open your eyes for five fucking seconds and look around it’s— its goddamn obvious what happen, a— a fucking baby could figure it out—”
Space Beth’s face twists and she’s the first to protest. “Oh my god, stop being an asshole for five minutes so—”
“So you can what?” Rick shoots back, words flowing out of him like he’s a broken dam. “You— you want me to spell it out for you? You need your dad to— to paint the fucking picture? Fine— you were right. You were goddamn right, I should’ve allowed you to install more fucking security because mine wasn’t enough! Are you happy? Does that make you feel good?”
“Rick, c— calm down and—” Morty tries to say but Rick whirls on him.
“Calm down?” He repeats with a laugh that comes out more hysterical then he means it to. “You— you want me to calm down? Oh sure— problem fucking solved! It’s— it’s so easy to calm down after the goddamn living nightmare of a person breaks into your house and— and threatens the lives of not only your grandson but— but the whole fucking house! No need to— to worry about that whole ordeal— water under the fucking bridge, am I right?”
“Dad, it’s—” Beth tries. She doesn’t make it far.
“Okay?” Rick scoffs— or tries too but it doesn’t sound right. Nothing he says or does feels right. “Were you going to say it’s— it's okay? Beth, the fucking— murderer of my first family broke into this house and I— I couldn’t do a single thing to stop him without getting everyone killed. You— you know why he didn’t kill everyone? Because let me tell you, it’s not because he can’t! He fucking chose not to. Because I’m— I’m a goddamn game to him. Entertainment— word from fucking mouth. The guy is fucking bored and apparently I’m the most entertaining thing in his life so— so if he ever gets bored, take a wild fucking guess what happens.”
“Rick—”
“Morty—”
“-shut up and fucking breathe!” Morty shouts and Rick’s retort is halted by the fact that oh fuck he doesn’t have any air left in him.
Rick manages a weak and wheezy, “Fuck—” before his legs give out on him and the next thing he knows, he's is on the ground gasping.
His vision swims and he squeezes his eyes shut. Morty’s voice fills up the room but he doesn’t quite catch what he says. He does, however, notice a change. Particularly that the overhead lights flicker off again and the next time Rick opens his eyes again, Morty and Beth are the only ones in the room, both looking at him with different but still concerned expressions.
Beth gives him a reassuring smile— strained but genuinely trying all the same. “Hey, Dad.” She says weakly. “You… Want to sit down on Morty’s bed and talk?”
His throat is tight when he nods but he gets up anyway. He sways a bit but it’s not that far of a walk and soon enough, he’s sitting on the edge of the bed and putting his head in his hands.
It’s silent for a beat. Rick forces the words out to make sure he actually says them. “S— sorry for that.”
“Rick, I think that was one of the few times that you don’t have to apologize for— for yelling like that.” Morty tells him. He sits on one side, Beth takes the other. “I— I really don’t blame you for freaking out.”
“Still.” Rick mumbles, rubbing his face. “I don’t— I don’t know why it came out like that.”
“Well…” Beth pauses, clearly having no idea how to navigate the conversation. Rick doesn’t blame her— he’s tried to keep his real, honest-to-god breakdowns away from everyone. Morty has caught a few here and there when there’s nowhere for Rick to escape to but usually Morty is going through the same thing. Beth however? Rick never wanted her to see him like this. She’s known enough of his ugly side, she never needed more.
But she’s here. And instead of recoiling and willingly leaving, she’s staying, and she tentatively asks, “Would it help to talk about what happened?”
Rick thinks about that. He’s never been the type to have honest, emotional talks but he’s done a lot of things he thought he never would. He didn’t think he would ever sit down and explain Prime to the whole family but… Morty had talked him into it. Pointed out it affected them too and he couldn’t really argue with that at some point. They needed to know what they’re dealing with.
But he told the watered down version. Enough to let them know he was a serious threat but he didn’t tell them that if Rick was a King then Prime was a God.
Rick closes his eyes, sucks in a breath, and slowly gives a summary. Finding Prime when checking on them all, the thinly veiled threats, a brief gloss over some of the things that make him shiver in order to make sure they understand. By the end of it, the two of them are silent and Rick wonders if they see him differently before.
He knows his reputation. Plays it up really. Untouchable. Godlike. Wrathful. Whoever fucks with him or his family pays.
And now they know that there’s an exception. Someone he can’t touch.
“Rick, you—” Morty says at last once he’s finished. “You’re actually afraid of this guy, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.” Rick admits quietly, not wanting to look at either of them. He thinks about having to tell the rest of the family too— wherever they went— and his stomach twists. “I am. He’s… Something else.”
Rick steels himself the best he can, forming the new plan in his head before he says anything. “Don’t— don’t worry about it.” He says, hands dropping to his sides. “I’ll take care of it. Prime said I needed to keep things interesting so— I’ll stay on the road. I’ll— I’ll put my best effort into it and keep his attention on me and only me. If all goes well, you’ll never hear from that guy again and I’ll— I’ll deal with him somehow. If— if his attention is solely on me, you should all be able to slip under the radar—”
“Whoa— Rick, what are you—”
“Dad, are you saying—”
Both of them suddenly cut in at once and Rick’s mouth snaps shut. Morty takes over, giving him a look. “You— you’re gonna leave? T-take him on alone?”
“He— he wants entertainment, Morty. I’ll give him entertainment.”
“You tried that already!”
“I’ll try harder!” Rick shouts back. “You don’t get it, Morty! If I don’t give him what he wants, he’s gonna fucking— drop a bomb on the fucking house with all of you in it! Dead family two: electric fucking boogaloo. And— and we both know I can’t beat him! Nothings fucking changed."
“But— Dad, we know about him.” Beth says this time, meeting his gaze unflinchingly. “You didn’t know what would happen or what he would do last time. Now… We know to at least expect him.”
Rick’s stomach twists. “There shouldn’t be a ‘We’ here. This is my problem.”
“You tried it alone already!” Morty argues again. “We want to help! Maybe— maybe we’re not ready yet but we can be, Rick! And it’ll be a lot easier to pull off with help then without it.”
“Dad— I think I speak for all of us when I say that we’re terrified but… I know I don’t want you to deal with this alone.” Beth gently lays a hand on top of his. “I know I’m not your Beth but… I’m a version of your daughter. And I’m a version that wants to be a part of your life, warts and all, and wants you to know you can trust me. So if this— this other you is a fucking monster, then let us help you kill him.”
Slowly, Rick’s shifts between the two of them, frowning. “You— you aren’t ready for it. None of you are. I’m not even ready for it.”
“So let’s stop wasting time and get ready.” Morty tells him, sliding off the bed. “Summer, Dad, and Space Mom are all downstairs. Explain it to them and if— if we vote to do this as a family, then we do it as a family, alright?”
Rick doesn’t know why he agrees but Beth and Morty are both looking at him with equally determined looks and he just can’t say no to them. They all head downstairs, gather in the living room, and Rick stares at the floor as previous events are repeated. No one interrupts him.
Morty explains the choices before the vote is made. It’s unanimous— they all want in. Even Jerry seems to think repeating a previously failed idea is bad.
“We’re in, Rick.” Morty tells him. “Let us do this with you.”
Rick feels a hysterical laugh bubble in his throat. It feels crazy to him— he explained his whole nightmare situation to them and told them exactly how much is on the line and they still want to get involved. They’re all idiots. They’re regret it.
They’re all staring at him, waiting for his decision. They won’t leave it alone.
“Fine.” Rick says at last. “Don’t— don’t blame me when you regret it.”
They agree to move forward in the morning seeing as it’s still dark out. One thing leads to another and suddenly, Rick finds himself in a pseudo-sleepover in the living room with the whole family camping out there. Safety in numbers, they tell him. They agree that it’s better to sleep in shifts and divide them up, but leave Rick out. He protests against this but they all tell him just to sleep.
Rick lays down on the couch, arms crossed and trying to protest this whole arrangement even when he finds himself relaxing and finds the idea of sleeping more appealing. He tries not to make it obvious that having them all within his sight is immensely comforting and just tries to think about what he’ll need to do in the morning.
Briefly, he thinks about the fact that if he took his portal gun and left, they wouldn’t be able to stop him. He could track down Prime again and chase him to the ends of the Galaxy on his own, and they wouldn’t be able to keep up.
But he tried that last time. Back when he had nothing to lose and when it didn’t matter if he died. Because now if he dies, he’s leaving people behind and he’s done that enough. He’s through with running. He wants to keep something for once.
Rick stays and tells himself that maybe, just this once, he can try the whole ‘Team’ thing again.