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Chapter 24

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"May I sit next to you, Morty?" Regular-Rick 2 asked after the other two Ricks left the room.

Morty nodded, looking down as he wrapped the lab coat more securely around himself. "Sorry I'm getting that numbing stuff all over this..." He whispered.

"That's okay. It'll wash out." Rick smiled softly, reaching over and helping Morty cover more of himself with the coat as he sat down next to him.

"Th-thanks, Rick..." Morty whispered.

Rick forced a small smile. "I'm sorry all this happened to you..."

"It's okay..." Morty spoke in a tiny voice. "It's not your fault."

"Can you tell me what happened?" Rick swallowed nervously.

Morty shrugged. "I'm not any more hurt besides the welts, Rick. I promise." He whispered, blinking wide eyes up at Rick. "I know what it looked like... W-what you think happened... But it didn't happen. It almost did."

Rick nodded slightly, hoping Morty was telling the truth.

"He kinda did what the soldier who got onto the ship did... D-did Scar-Cheek Rick tell you about that?" Morty whispered.

Rick frowned. "Yes. He did..."

"W-well... He did that... W-with his fingers." Morty looked down. "B-but that's it. He didn't have time to do it for real. You got there in time."

"Morty..." Rick frowned. The guy did 'do it for real.' Being digitally raped was still rape.

"I mean he like was gonna do more... I know... I had this talk with Scar-Cheek Rick already." Morty laughed nervously. "I know what he did was wrong. It was bad and it's okay that I'm upset. I know that... J-just... He was gonna do worse and he didn't... He w-was going to really, really hurt me... L-like actual rape - like the worst kind... But he didn't get that far, b-because you stopped him."

Rick swallowed and nodded, feeling proud of both Morty and Scar-Cheek Rick. Morty was so brave, and Scar-Cheek Rick had clearly had a very heartfelt discussion with Morty last time. Regular-Rick 2 didn't know that. He kind of expected his colleague would feel way too uncomfortable to even discuss this with the kid, or would at best say all the wrong things, but it seemed like he had done a pretty good job validating Morty's feelings and not being at all dismissive.

"Rick took me to the basement of the castle after he snuck into my room at the safe haven... or the dungeon or something. Whatever it was, there were chains and cuffs and he locked my arms up above my head... Th-then The Sultan came down and had this big metal rod he shocked me with." Morty let out a nervous laugh. "I thought... I mean, I didn't know what the metal thing was. He said I had to suffer because his men got killed because of me... And I- And I thought..."

Rick furrowed his brow, allowing Morty to continue as the boy seemed more than willing to tell this story in more detail than Rick had expected him to.

"Y-you know... since he tried to rape me before... I thought th-that's what the rod was for... It was kind of big for that... I was really scared... But I was almost kinda glad when he shocked me instead... But it hurt so bad, Rick." Morty stuck his lower lip out in a pout as tears welled up in his eyes. "I didn't want him t-to rape me... but what he did do hurt so bad."

"I know..." Rick breathed, feeling tears pricking his own eyes as well. Poor Morty had been through hell tonight.

"Then I g-guess I kinda passed out... B-because the next thing I knew, I was being taken up to his room. He put me on his bed, and I could barely move. The shocks he did with the metal thing hurt so bad still. I could barely move. I couldn't really shove him away or fight back. I mean, I seriously like could barely move, Rick. I wasn't tied down or passed out, but I sorta just had to lay there while he did w-whatever he wanted. He made me kiss him." Morty frowned. "A-and he put his hand in my underwear and like grabbed me... I tried to fight back, to p-push him away, but I couldn't."

Rick felt anger bubbling up inside him, but tried not to let it show. He didn't want his reaction to make Morty scared to tell him the rest.

"And then he took my underwear off, and he made me suck on one of his fingers. I told him no, but he grabbed my neck and started choking me." Morty's voice was tiny, shaking slightly with unshed tears. "I had to do what he said, Rick... H-he would have strangled me otherwise."

"I understand... It's okay, Morty... There was nothing you could have done. None of this is your fault." Rick assured him. "Whatever you had to do so he wouldn't hurt you more is still his fault. Even if you feel like you allowed something because you were scared, it's still his fault and only his fault."

"H-he made me suck on his finger... I w-wasn't going to, b-but he choked me and I didn't know w-what else to do... So he shoved it in m-my mouth. I th-think t-to ma-make it slippery..." Rick noticed Morty's nearly always present stutter was becoming worse as he retold the more traumatizing parts of this story. "Th-then he... p-put his hand down..." He nodded down toward his lap as he brought his feet up onto the bed and curled himself into a small ball next to Rick, leaning up against the man's arm.

Rick felt his breath catch in his throat. He still wasn't sure what Morty was going to say. What all the man had had time to do, how long Morty had to suffer, how hurt he might be. When he made it to The Sultan's room, the sick fucker had Morty on the edge of his bed, completely undressed with his legs bent and pushed up. Morty's legs were spread and his ankles were each resting on one of The Sultan's shoulders, giving the bastard full access to do any number of awful things. Rick couldn't tell what The Sultan had been doing, as the man was facing away from him, blocking Rick's view.

"You can tell me, Morty..." Rick spoke in a low voice as he hugged his arm around Morty's shoulders. "Nothing that happened is your fault... You know that, right?"

"Y-yeah..." Morty whispered.

Rick forced a tiny smile as reassurance, even though Morty wasn't even looking at him to see the gesture. "It's okay..." He promised. "You can tell me..."

"He..." Morty hesitated, closing his eyes and shrinking down. "He k-kinda... rubbed... a-and then y-you know... L-like the other guy did... He s-stuck it... h-his finger... He stuck it in... and then g-got s-some kind of oil, and stuck in t-two fingers... And h-he did that f-for a minute, and th-then I think he was gonna do it for real, but he changed his mind, b-because it wouldn't fit, so he went back to using his fingers, and making me rub... um... his... you know... He didn't do it for very long though. You got there then, and killed him. It sorta hurt, but not bad enough that it's like actually an injury... I don't need to go to a hospital or anything. He barely did the worst thing. It wouldn't fit... You showed up and exploded him before he could try that again. Th-then I passed out."

Rick exhaled. That was definitely awful, but it seemed like he'd gotten there pretty much exactly when he needed to to prevent the worst of it. Morty wasn't hurt. The Sultan could ave done a lot worse, and judging by Morty's story, he was very close to using his penis and really hurting the boy. If the Ricks hadn't been alerted that Morty's Rick had taken him The Sultan would have gotten all the time to do whatever he wanted...

Rick didn't want to think about what The Sultan would have done if given more time, but he couldn't keep the thoughts out of his head. He had clearly been preparing to rape Morty, starting with his fingers... Even what he had managed to do was still rape, even if he only barely started... But he would have kept going if he had been allowed to. He would have pushed his fingers all the way in, maybe added a third, a forth. Ubixian hands were fairly large. That alone would have hurt. And then what? He wouldn't have stopped there. Ubixian anatomy was very similar to earth humans. He probably would have used his penis next... which would have hurt a lot, considering Morty was small even for a human... and Ubxians were quite big.

And Morty's Rick had previously made a deal to leave the boy with The Sultan for several days... This wouldn't have been a one-time thing. The Sultan would have assaulted Morty every day. Likely multiple times per day. There was no way Morty wouldn't have sustained significant injuries from it.

"I was really scared..." Morty whispered after a moment.

Rick frowned as he stared back, nodding slightly. Morty had tears in his eyes and his lower lip quivered.

"I know he barely did it... b-but I was really scared." Morty said again.

"That's valid, Morty. It's okay to be upset by that. Just because it could have been worse doesn't mean what happened was fine. He had no right to touch you, to hurt you to the point where you could barely even move, and then touch you when you didn't want him to." Rick agreed, wanting to make sure Morty knew he didn't have to repress this and pretend it didn't bother him. "If you're mad, sad, scared... That's fine. You have a right to be."

Morty sniffed back tears and leaned close against Rick's side, allowing the man to put an arm around his shoulders.

"You're okay now. They're all gone. None of that's going to happen again... But it's fine that you're upset. You don't have to pretend, Morty. This doesn't change who you are. You're not even a tiny bit responsible for this. No matter what, okay?" Rick promised.

Morty sniffed and nodded, blinking back tears.

Rick exhaled and pulled Morty closer. He and Fat-Rick and Scar-Cheek Rick should have prevented this. They should have kept Morty with them, kept him close... He tried to escape twice because they weren't watching close enough. Ubixians boarded the sip and hurt him... again, because they didn't keep an eye on him. And then they passed him off on other Ricks who also let him get taken away.

None of this was Morty's fault, but maybe it was Rick's fault, and the other Ricks. Morty couldn't help that bad people were after him... The Ricks made it their job to look after Mortys... and they failed.

"Morty... I'm so fucking sorry..." Rick breathed.

"W-why?" Morty looked up at him, blinking his huge eyes in confusion.

"We knew they might come after you... We left you alone..." Rick frowned.

"You didn't know he'd find me..." Morty frowned. "They came after me when you had me with you too... R-Rick could have found me here... He could have killed you guys and taken me..."

"I guess." Rick breathed, shaking his head. He supposed Morty was right. He wasn't ever going to truly be safe until his Rick and The Sultan were gone... no matter where they had stashed him in the meantime.

"Rick... Don't feel guilty..." Morty went on, his voice tiny.

Rick shook his head. "We just left you in a bedroom by yourself... We knew your Rick or these pervert Ubixians might try to find you..."

Morty laughed softly. "Well, what could we have done different, Rick? Handcuffed me to one of you? You all did what was reasonable. If I was being guarded like a criminal, it would have scared me..."

Rick exhaled, but nodded. Obviously treating Morty like a prisoner wouldn't have been fair, it it wasn't like they actually knew the other Rick was going to find him.

"It's not your fault either." Morty spoke, leaning close to Rick and closing his eyes. "What happened was scary, but you're right. They're gone. I'm okay now... It was upsetting... B-but I'm alright..." He whispered.

"Are you cold, Morty?" Rick frowned when he felt Morty shivering next to him. Maybe he was still just scared. He was definitely shaking.

"Yeah..." Morty laughed softly.

"Here..." Rick reached back and grabbed up a few blankets off the bed, wrapping them around Morty's shoulders. "I can go find you some clothes-" He started, beginning to stand.

"No!" Morty breathed, reaching a small hand out of his mound of blankets and Rick's coat and grabbing at the man's sleeve. "Don't leave... C-can't you just stay here for a while... J-just sit with me?" He asked.

"I guess..." Rick swallowed, settling back down on the mattress and looking down at Morty with a frown. The kid seemed a lot more at ease now, and his shivering had all but stopped now that he was wrapped up in so many layers.

Morty exhaled and leaned against Rick's arm, closing his eyes. "Thanks for finding me... For saving me from them. Both times." He whispered. "I wasn't sure if anyone w-was gonna save me. The first time, I thought my Rick would... But he didn't... and I didn't think anyone else was out there. Th-then the second time, I j-just thought I was screwed, because the only person who knew I was gone and what happened was the Morty in my room who doesn't really talk much... He's so scared... I wanted him to tell someone... but I wouldn't have been mad at him if he didn't."

Regular-Rick 2 put his arm carefully around Morty's shoulders, frowning as he stared down at the boy who seemed content to fall asleep right here, still wearing nothing, but wrapped up in Rick's coat and a blanket.

Regular-Rick 2 didn't often get this close to other Mortys. Mortys were often pretty quick to want hugs and affection shown to them, but they were also scared and cautious. It was a strange combination - for the various versions of this boy to both be paranoid and scared of the Ricks, and to also trust them so quickly. And for this Morty, who had been physically abused by his Rick, and sexually assaulted by people his Rick allowed access to him, to trust Regular-Rick 2 this much, this quickly, was strange.

Morty felt so small and vulnerable under Rick's arm as Rick hugged him close. It was heartbreaking to know his own Rick could have hugged him like this, could have given him comfort and a sense of safety... But instead saw this same little boy Regular-Rick 2 was holding and observing right now, and chose to hand him over to a sexual abuser instead.

Rick Q-405 had this tiny, loving, sweet, precious little Morty in his care... A disgusting sexual predator asked him if he could pretty much buy Morty... and Rick, knowing the man was going to hurt his little grandson... just let him take him. It was so fucking sickening.

"And Scar-Cheek Rick too." Morty added. "I guess if he shot my Rick, he kinda helped you save me. And all three of you actually... Over and over... W-with the cannibal people... And Fat-Rick helping get the cuffs off and not getting mad when I freaked out... Being nice to me when Scar-Cheek Rick was angry about the navigation panel and he scared me. You guys have all been so nice, so patient... I wish I could stay with you. Traveling through the dimensions in space - doing what my Rick and I always did, only in a way that's fun. Without being constantly mocked and degraded and hit..."

Rick smiled slightly. Morty really could stay now... No one was after him - obviously stowing him at the Safe Haven until those loose ends were tied up wasn't even a good idea.

"How did you know I was there?" Morty wondered, looking up at Rick with wide eyes and a furrowed brow. "Your timing was like... really good. I mean, I know he shocked me and did some other stuff, but he like... had my legs bent, with his fingers in my butt... He was pushing them in and out, and said he had like butt dilators..." Morty shivered and closed his eyes. "Fuck, Rick... Like ten minutes later and he'd have probably shoved all sorts of stuff in my butt. Y-you know... L-like to stretch it, so his... p-penis would fit... Fuck..." He grimaced, probably just now really letting it sink in how awful things could have gotten for him if he had been left alone with The Sultan for much longer.

Rick shook his head. "None of that matters, Morty. He didn't get the chance to do worse, and he won't. No one will. You're not getting into that kind of situation ever again."

"I hope you're right, Rick." Morty agreed. "But how did you find me so fast?"

Rick exhaled. "Probably exactly the way you'd guess, Morty. We got a call from the Morty Safe Haven... Your room mate told them your Rick came and stole you. He had a lot to say considering he hadn't spoken in weeks..."

"I got him to talk to me." Morty shrugged. "I mean, he didn't say much, but I felt like we were getting there."

"How?" Regular-Rick 2 frowned. "He was so skittish... None of us could get him to say a damn word."

"I don't know... I just talked to him. Told him it was okay that he was scared and upset... that I was too... I told him some stuff about what happened to me." Morty whispered. "Then he told me thank you for talking to him, but he stayed hidden in the closet. He was still in there when Rick came and took me. He saw it happen."

Rick nodded. "Morty... That's significant... That you got him to talk. You know that, right?"

Morty shrugged and continued looking down.

"It is." Rick persisted. "He was so scared, so traumatized. You helped him just by sitting with him and talking to him. He hadn't said shit since we found him, and you got him to talk just by being there for one night."

"Well..." Morty breathed. "I just thought... Like maybe he wouldn't feel so alone if he knew what happened to me... if he knew my life was shit too..."

Rick laughed softly. "Your life's gonna be better from here, Morty. But what you did for Morty XB-4 was awesome. I want you to know that... You could be a big help around here, or around the Safe Haven. The Mortys we rescue could use someone like you to calm them down right when we find them. I think it would be far less frightening to them to hear it coming from a Morty than a Rick."

"So..." Morty frowned. "W-what are you saying?"

"That we could use your help. We've got three Morty rooms... Usually only rescue one or two at a time, and you seem like you'd do a good job in areas maybe we Ricks couldn't." Rick explained.

Morty smiled and looked up at him. "D-do you... Are you saying I can stay?" He breathed. "Like stay and help you guys, and like... You guys would adopt me? It would be like long-term? I can stay here?"

Rick shrugged. "If the others agree... which I know they will... and if you still want to."

"I do." Morty whispered, wrapping his arms around Rick and hugging him. "I do want to stay."

"I want you to stay too." Rick's voice was small as well, just barely shaking with unshed tears. He couldn't let himself get choked up... He couldn't cry in front of Morty.

"Thank you, Rick... For all of this... What you and the other Ricks do is amazing... I was so scared of all three of you at first..." Morty frowned.

"I know..." Regular-Rick 2 agreed. Morty was more scared of them than almost any other Morty they'd rescued. He came from a very cruel Rick though, so it made sense. He also seemed to bond with them a lot faster, and in a lot stronger a way than most Mortys.

"But you guys are saving Mortys and you don't have to. You do it anyway. I guess Mortys tend to be magnet to danger and misfortune, and you help them. None of you get mad in a scary way... even when I did things that were really destructive and dumb. That's really cool." Morty smiled. "I know Ricks don't like to get mushy and emotional... but I feel like you and Fat-Rick and Scar-Cheek Rick and me... We could be a family."

Regular-Rick 2 smiled and hugged Morty securely around his shoulders, allowing the boy to lean into him. He couldn't replace the Mortys each of them lost, but Rick felt like a little corner of his heart he didn't know he had might have maybe stayed dormant just so this Morty could have it. Maybe the other Ricks felt the same way.

Each of the Ricks on this ship had their own Morty once, with a personality all his own. This Morty seemed to share a mixed bag of traits with each of the ones they lost. He was by no means a replacement, but those small things, reminders of the Mortys that were gone, were precious. They helped each of these Ricks bond so closely with this specific Morty. He was their second chance. Their opportunity to be protective and nurturing and not make the same mistakes they made with their original Mortys.

"I think you're right, Morty..." Rick agreed, pulling Morty close and closing his eyes as he rested his chin on Morty's hair. "We all lost someone or none of us would be here... But we are all here now, and it works. We really could be a family."

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THE END

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