Chapter Text
Morty was waiting on the other side of the golden pool, impatient and grumpy as usual as his eyes find yours. You gave a weak smile, though the muscles of your face were tired much like the rest of you, and you could feel how little it reached your eyes.
“You look like shit.” Morty commented.
“I know.” You replied, pulling the kid in for a small hug before turning to Zanith. “You should probably go first, you know, just in case anyone catches on.” You explained, glancing down the long, dimly lit hall.
“I’m headed to the caf anyway.” She shrugged. “I’ll see you around.” There was more to her words than you were willing to think about as your body considered giving up on the floor. Instead, you stood straighter as you hurried to her side, pulling her arm with a soft tug before leaning in.
“Please don’t tell anyone about, uh, you know, this.” You reminded her. She chuckled, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear and catching your eyes with soft ones.
“I don’t kiss and tell.” She smiled, pressing her lips softly to yours before turning back down the hall.
You watched as she made her way down, silent and frozen in the hallway. Your boddy was screaming to lay down, to rest, to shut your eyes for longer than a millisecond of a blink, but you still had to deliver the steak, and you were already here.
“You headed to the quarters?” Morty questioned from behind you.
“Yeah.” You nodded, quietly and hoarsely as the exhaustion sunk in further. Fuck I need sleep.
“I’ll walk you there.” He offered.
The two of you walked silently down the hall, making a right, then a left, then down another long hallway of which had much brighter light. It didn’t help wake you. Your feet dragged against the floor with every step, each one weighing more and more on your spine as you attempted to keep your eyes open. You could walk with them closed, right?
For a few moments you did that instead, trusting the ground to be level and your internal sense of direction to be decent enough to keep you in a straight line. Clearly, that had gone sideways at some point as well, as the boy’s hand gripped around your arm and steered you straight again.
“Are you okay?” He questioned. His tone was always the same, and always different, if you knew him well enough to pick it out. Thankfully, you did, and you could tell he was concerned somewhere under his cold mask. You found his eyes with a small nod of reassurance.
“Just really tired.” You promised.
After what felt like years, and was really only ten minutes, you made it to the set of stairs, backlit with red light. Both guards were there, as dinner hadn’t quite started yet, and you said nothing to either of them as you swiped your card, waiting for Morty to join. When you turned to find him, he was heading back down the stairs.
“Where are you going?” You questioned in confusion.
“I have to meet with admin, just text me when you need to get home. I won’t be long, twenty minutes.” He promised.
You nodded, internally groaning at the possibility of him being late, before taking a left down the hall and leaving him to walk the other way. Still, your feet dragged with every step, and your eyes begged to close again. You kept them open, not wanting to smash into the hard metal walls either side of your sore, damaged body.
Everyone was gathered around the table when the doors to 9A slid open. Alec’s eyes lit up the moment they caught your frame in the doorway, making it all worth it as he stood with open arms and a grin. You gave the best smile you could back, pushing yourself forward before falling into his broad chest.
“I can’t believe you made it kid!” He cheered, pulling back with his hands on his shoulders to take a good look at you. You tried not to cringe under his gaze. I know, I know. “What happened to you?” He questioned with a chuckle. The rest of the group had gathered around, watching with smiles as they waited their turn to greet you.
“Long night.” You breathed out. “Oh! I brought you a present though. Sit.” You ordered, pointing to his spot with a stern glance.
“Yes ma’am.” He chuckled. Alec slid into the chair, waiting patiently as the rest of the group watched you turn your back to them. You grabbed a plate from the cabinet and the bag from your backpack, ripping it open and slapping the giant cut of delicious smelling meat onto it before turning with a larger, more realistic smile.
“Happy Birthday.” You spoke, still smiling as you placed the dish in front of him. His eyes went wide, staring down at the meal before catching your eyes again.
“You remembered?” He questioned, almost in disbelief. You nodded, furrowing your brows slightly as you watched the nearly-in-tears man.
“Of course.” You giggled. “You need a fork.” You spoke, mostly to yourself, turning to grab a pair of utensils from the pull out drawer to the left before handing them over to him. He was still staring at the cut of meat as you placed them down. “Well try it.” You urged softly.
The man didn’t need to be told twice, using his massive hands to pick up the knife and fork and cutting into it with vigor before shoving a chunk into his mouth. Again, his eyes widened as he chewed, and he found your expecting glance with tears. He swallowed before speaking.
“It’s fuckin’ good.” He smiled. You gave a soft laugh, the rest of the group giving small cheers before finding their way over to you.
You still needed to talk to Phirin, but now was not the time, and she understood that, thankfully, as she approached to give you a small hug. Her hand found your cheek for a moment, staring into your eyes like she had many times before, but she said nothing. Tally asked for Morty, and you explained he’d gone to admin, which satisfied her as she returned to her chatting with Alec. Taz pulled you in for a hug, asking a few questions about where you’d been, how long you were staying, and when you’d be back, after you told him you were only staying for a few minutes. Tyler had many words, none of which registered in your ears. Jace said nothing, and didn’t approach. Smart move.
When Alec had finished the steak, and you’d greeted and said goodbye to everyone, you texted Morty to let him know you had to head back. He messaged back, asking to meet outside the quarter doors, and you said another quick goodbye to everyone before making your way back down the hall.
The socialization had only made the exhaustion more noticeable. Now, rather than it only being your body that couldn’t function, your brain had given up as well. The last of the adrenaline left your system the moment you stepped out of the quarter doors, noticing that Morty hadn’t arrived yet, and there was only one guard. You pulled your body to the steps before sinking down on the top one.
“You doing okay?” You heard it from behind you, quiet but there, as Chester shifted in his stance. His boots squeaked, the plates of his armor shifting between fabric as he stepped forward.
“I’m… so tired.” You mumbled back. You could close your eyes for a minute. Just a minute, until Morty arrived. With your head in your knees and your backpack between your thighs and stomach, you closed them, finally giving into the draining, sinking feeling for a moment. The hum of the air conditioning and oxygen pumps slowly faded away, your world falling from black into nothingness as your breathing slowed.
It was nothingness until you were being shaken, softly at first, then much harder and more enthusiastically by small warm hands. You groaned, attempting to swat them away, only to be shaken again a moment later.
“Come on, you’re going home.” You heard Morty’s voice, though it seemed much farther away than his hands were as you whined out again.
“Just let me sleep.” You whined out, nearly on the verge of tears. Everything was too much. Breathing. Talking. Sitting, even.
“I’m trying to get you back to your bed, come on. Get up.” He spoke again, tugging now as you were pulled forward.
Before you could really register what was going on you were falling, much farther of a length than your normal height to the floor, and your eyes flew open just in time as a large, hard arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you back into another hard, large surface. You turned, looking up only to see your own reflection mirrored in the mask over Chester’s face.
“Careful.” He warned, his voice low and deep, the same way Rick’s was when he was mildly angry, before the arm was removed, and the man took his place back at the door. Morty stood in front, his eyes wide as he watched the interaction before they caught yours and narrowed.
“Come on.” He spoke, sterner and colder now as he turned. Why is everyone so pissy?
The first ten minutes of the walk was too fast paced and too silent for your liking. Morty was obviously angry, but why you couldn’t understand. You hadn’t intended to fall asleep, and even if you had, you were only out for a few minutes at most. You wouldn’t get in trouble for it, and frankly, it was better than staying awake and going loopy from the exhaustion. At least now you could walk back to the portaling spot in one piece. Still, the kid was angry, and it nipped at your heels in uncomfortable ways as you followed him.
“What’d I do?” You questioned.
The two of you rounded a corner to head down another long, dim hallway, your feet slightly harsher against the metal below as you begged your legs to keep up with his shorter, faster ones. Morty didn’t respond, and it was unlike him. You reached out, grabbing his arm with your hand and tugging the kid to a stop.
“Don’t ignore me. What’d I do wrong? Why are you mad?” You repeated. Morty found your eyes with an angry one, throwing you off footing a little as you watched him struggle to get the words out. Instead, he turned, tugging his arm from your grasp and continuing the walk. You jogged to catch back up.
“You don’t have to fuck everyone you know.” He snarled in your direction. In shock, you faltered in your step, nearly tripping again before reaching out to grab his arm again. For the second time you tugged, and he stopped in his movements before turning to you again.
“What the fuck are you on about?” You questioned back, unsure of where it was coming from, or what he was referring to. He seemed to have no issue with Zanith an hour before, and the change in tone was jarring, to say the least.
“I’m talking about that poor fucking guard you clearly slept with.” The kid growled. You furrowed your eyebrows together as you stared down at the boy. Part of you wondered if this was some weird prank your exhausted mind wasn’t picking up on.
“Chester?” You questioned, somewhere from your haze of thoughts.
“If that’s his fucking name then yes, Chester.” He spat. You shook your head, rubbing your hands over your face as you tried to piece together whatever the boy was upset about.
“I didn’t… I’ve never fucked Chester.” You managed out, still keeping eye contact as you worked through the walls between your mouth and words coming out of it. “The only person on the ship I’ve fucked is Zanith.” You clarified.
“He broke protocol to catch you, Y/n, and you know his fucking name. Clearly there’s something going on.” He accused. You took a step back, hurt by his assumptions and implication that you were just sleeping your way around the ship.
“Do you not believe me or something?” You questioned, letting go of your grip fully. He rolled his eye.
“No, I don’t believe you.” He shook his own head now as he watched you grow angrier by the second. The exhaustion was mixing with it in a way that made you sick.
“Fuck you, Morty. I tell you fucking everything, why would I lie to you about this?” You questioned. The boy said nothing, unable to respond to your logic with his lack thereof. “Even if I was fucking Chester, since when do you care?” You added on, crossing your arms over your chest.
“I don’t.” He shrugged. His attempt to return to his nonchalant state was failing miserably under your glare.
“You do. You clearly fucking do.” You countered angrily.
“Well sor-ry for not knowing where your line is, I mean, I did just drop off and pick up your weekend hook-up.” He growled. You furthered your glare, narrowing your eyes a little more as you watched him grow angrier himself.
“You’re jealous!” You observed, your jaw slack as you eyed the boy with wide eyes.
“I’m not jealous.” He growled back, his fists curling at his sides. But his eye avoided yours, and he was shifting in his spot with something deeper than guilt. Fucking liar.
“You were fine like eight hours ago! You promised nothing would change between us!” You yelled back, a mixture of anger and hurt swirling in your words as you threw your arms out at your sides.
“Nothing has!” He shouted back. He was heaving, his chest rising and falling quickly as he sucked and expelled air from his lungs, his cheeks painted red with the uncomfortable encounter.
“Obviously it has if you’re accusing me of sleeping with fucking Chester, of all people.” You scoffed.
“Of all people? Who was next on the list then? Alec? Taz?” He spat back.
“What the fuck dude! No! I only came here in the first place because you asked me to!” You shouted back.
“Well how am I supposed to know who, w-who’s next on your roster?” He questioned, his volume louder than yours now and echoing off the cold metal walls.
“My roster? Are you fucking kidding me right now? There’s no way you’re actually slut shaming me Morty.” You growled. It was unlike him in every way, and the conversation had clear implications that undermined the pact you’d made to keep your friendship the same. He was burning it, page by page, and you watched in horror as he did so, pieces of your heart tearing off in the process.
“Well you’re not exactly celibate.” He scoffed, motioning to the bump on your abdomen. “Real classy by the way, hooking up with strangers when you’re pregnant with another guy’s kid.” He sneered. Low fucking blow.
“Is this what you’ve thought of me the whole time? You were just waiting around, hoping I was sleezy enough to finally pick you?” You shot back, willing to burn in the same fire. The look that crossed his face was unrecognizable. You’d never seen it from him before, not from anyone, as he pulled out his portal gun and shot it at the wall.
For a moment, you stared into the swirling pool of yellow. You took a step forward, and then a step back. Something didn’t feel right, whether it was the exhaustion, or the conversation, or the lack of trust you now had in your only and best friend.
“Go home.” He spat.
“Where does that go?” You questioned, finding his eye in the now brighter light.
“What?” He asked back, his brow furrowing just below the string of the eyepatch. You tried not to show that you were afraid, tried to stuff it down deep enough to conceal it, but you were tired, and the lighting was much better with the glow of the liquid illuminating the hall.
“Where does that go?” You repeated. You took another step back.
“Y/n…” The boy trailed off, taking a deep breath and letting out a small sigh as he ran a hand along his forehead. He looked hurt, and if he hadn’t been so venomous just a few moments before, you might have believed it. “It takes you home. I’m not… I’m not gonna hurt you.” He breathed out. Still, you didn’t trust it. You eyed him cautiously before watching the pool again.
“I don’t believe you.” You whispered, shaking your head as you took another step back towards the opposing wall. Morty frowned, reaching forward to grab your arm before tugging you behind him.
When you walked into the garage, still slightly panicked with the kid at your side, Rick was waiting in his chair. He eyed over the two of you with a furrowed brow, clearly picking up on the awkward situation playing out in front of him. You shook the kid’s grip from you before taking another step back.
“Go to sleep. I’ll… I’ll text you later.” He grumbled. Before you could respond he turned in his spot and headed back through the still open portal. Fuck.
Rick was silent in his spot. Tears pooled in your eyes as you watched the portal disappear, the sick, moldy, crushing feeling in your chest returning for the first time in a few days as you stared into the now empty air. You didn’t want to turn to face him, to explain, to acknowledge that it was partially your fault, and that you should have treated the friendship differently despite the promise you both made. Instead, you stood, letting tears roll down your cheeks with no plan to stop them. I fucked up.