Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/13512426.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Choose_Not_To_Use_Archive_Warnings, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Rick_and_Morty
  Relationship:
      Rick_Sanchez/Morty_Smith
  Character:
      Rick_Sanchez_(Rick_and_Morty), Morty_Smith
  Additional Tags:
      underaged, Explicit_Sexual_Content, but_not_until_the_second_part,
      featuring_an_emotional_and_loving_side_of_rick, also_a_very_sickly_morty,
      poor_bby, oh_my_god_its_a_wedding, Angst, oh_my_god_ive_written_fluff
      now, Established_Relationship, Hurt/Comfort
  Stats:
      Published: 2018-01-29 Chapters: 1/2 Words: 2931
****** Til Death Do Us Part ******
by rosemary_madness
Summary
     “M-Morty… how do-how do you feel about… getting married? I know you
     always said you uh--you wanted that sentimental bullshit, and well…
     It’s supposed to last, right?”
Notes
     Hello fellow shippers! Fluff and feelings isn't really my style
     sometimes, but @sorrymorty from Tumblr had a beautiful piece of
     fanart of them in dresses, and so I had to write something.
     I hope you like this, and if you are here from Awakening, I am sorry
     and will be updating that fic as soon as I can!
     As always, kind comments and kudos are appreciated :D
     ALSO, I have decided to gift this work to the phenomenal @Raindr0p
     not just because they gave me an amazing gift, but because they are
     an amazingly lovely person who deserves it who encouraged me to get
     back to writing some more ♥✿
See the end of the work for more notes
He’s going to die tomorrow.
They’ve tried everything: every antidote, every cure, every method in the
galaxy, but it isn’t enough. The poison won’t stop spreading.
They were on a spur of the moment adventure to the Outer Rim planet
Marwolaeth. It all seemed so simple; land on the planet, grab the perygl
pendants from the abandoned throne room, and get the fuck out. Simple.
But just this once, Rick Sanchez made a mistake.
Like those who ruled over the once flourishing planet, Morty was succumbing to
the poison which crawled from the innocently shimmering jewlry and now
slithered through his veins. It was a well-documented side effect, easily
avoided with protection before selling it off to the next unlucky person, but
with the whispers of curses and fate to be sated, Rick merely scoffed and
brushed the idea off, pulling Morty along onto the desolate tundra planet and
into the shattering ice throne room, letting him pluck it off of its pedestal
before darting back into the ship with the onset of an avalanche. He always had
to prove that beliefs were bullshit.
And they were fine, more than fine actually. As the days passed, Morty grew
stronger, faster, and livelier, things he always wanted to be in his lifetime.
But just as quickly as the abilities came, they were taken away, sapping the
life away from the young boy and terrifying his companion. As the days turned
into months, Morty went from outrunning Rick to being carried away from danger
and now even from room to room.
So here they rested, Morty pallid and shuddering and Rick lip-bitten and red-
eyed, their arms gently intertwined, as the teenager ran soothing hands over
his grandfather’s jawline, doing his best to keep moving and show that he was
still fighting.
“I’m gonna figure this out. You got that, Morty? T-this is all just-just
temporary, promise,” the elder mumbled, resting his chin atop the curly locks
to conceal any signs of worry.
“It’s fine, Rick,” Morty replied with a surprisingly calm demeanor. “What
happens happens… At least--At least I found out I’m not--well, that I’m not
crazy for… liking you--or if I am, then we both are, and that’s okay with me.”
He breathed against the other’s chest, letting his heavy eyes rest as he evaded
sleep.
Rick bit down on his heavily marked lip, running a hand through his hair, and
doing his best to keep a steady heartbeat while listening to Morty speak. The
kid accepted he was going to die, was at peace with it even just because Rick
loved him? He wasn’t one for crying but ever since he’d thrown out the alcohol
to be present for each moment of Morty’s fading life, his emotions were all
over the place and he couldn’t help but let a stray tear fall from time to
time. Feeling was shitty.
“I just wish… maybe that we were gi--that we had more time, y’know?” It came
out a choked whisper, the adolescent’s worry bubbling to the surface with only
a few hours left to voice them.
Rick’s mind jumped into lightspeed when he heard Morty say the word “wish.” He
would do anything to give Morty what he wanted, feeling it was the least he
could do for killing his own grandson and lover like he was.
“We will…! Like I said, it-it’ll all be fine! Yo-You know, I’m still a genius.
I make shit happen.”
Morty nodded his feeble agreement, not wanting to further worry Rick about the
futility of his attempts while Rick burned to his core at the thought of his
supposed genius. It was his genius that made him arrogant, his arrogance that
made him ignorant, and his ignorance that got Morty killed. All those years of
claiming he was a god, and yet, he couldn’t save the one person that mattered
to him.
An idea suddenly came to his mind, nothing that would save his grandson, a weak
attempt at sentiment before everything was stripped away, but it was all the
scientist could think to offer at this point. Fuck getting laughed at for the
irony, or the ineffectiveness of it, he would give anything to make Morty happy
now. He’d spent too long neglecting and abusing the kid over weak shit to throw
this out now.
“M-Morty… how do-how do you feel about… getting married? I know you always said
you uh--you wanted that sentimental bullshit, and well… It’s supposed to last,
right?”
Morty almost flipped out of Rick’s firm hold with the question, his eyes blown
wide as he seemed to realize what exactly his grandpa was offering him. Rick
knew that if it were any other time, he would have called bullshit, told Rick
to leave him alone for being a romantic and let him live believing in love, but
seeing the situation as it was now, he could sense Morty understood the offer
was sincere. The kid had kept his emotions reigned in about the whole situation
relatively well, getting most of his tears and regrets out while Rick was still
drowning his in alcohol, tripping over his feet as he would stumble into the
other’s room and sleep on the tear-stained sheets without a glimmer of
recognition; he knew that now. But in this moment, Morty let the words sink in,
hot tears streaming down his cheeks and collecting on Rick’s shirt.
“Yeah, I-I’d like that, Rick… even if it is tacky, romance bullshit.” He smiled
up at his grandfather then, expending far too much energy wiping tears away
before kissing Rick’s cheek lightly.
“Okay,” Rick whispered into his lips, pecking them tenderly before settling him
back down on the bed, hoping it would buy them even a minute more together.
Morty had made their choice. There was going to be no more worrying about a
cure, no more false promises of another tomorrow, just taking whatever the fuck
they could get with the time they had.
“I’ll just pack awa-pack up our shit, and we can get going. W-Where do you
wanna get married? The planet with the flora-flowers you like, Vensinulon 12
with the-the-the live Beebo, or mayb-” Rick was stopped from his tangent, hands
thoughtlessly gathering up their belongings, or what they had left after
leaving Earth and installing androids of themselves, when he felt small, clammy
ones graze against his arm.
“Blitz and Chitz. Let’s go there. I’m sure-sure they do it there, and we can
play some games afterwards.”
Rick turned back to look at Morty, chide him for getting up and wasting his
energy, but he just couldn’t, not when he saw Morty like this, not only closer
to death with each breath, but so fucking earnest and thoughtful when all he
should care about is taking what he wants and guilting the shit out of his
grandpa for fucking him over like he did. The words caught in his throat and
were automatically replaced by new ones.
“Sounds like fun. I’ll thrash you-your Rager Rick score just like I do every
time,” he jested before turning back to his task and dialing the number for the
Blitz and Chitz manager to get someone there to officiate.
“You’re on, old man! Just cuz it-it’s named after you does-doesn’t mean you’ll
win every time.”
Morty got up to help Rick pack their clothes away, hating feeling useless and
like a burden, when he felt something akin to puncture wounds in his lungs,
forcing him to lie back down and regain his breath, doing his best to be
discreet and not worry Rick.
“Whatever, Morty,” he grumbled with mock annoyance, using every fiber in his
body not to scan over Morty and ask if he was okay. He already knew he wasn’t,
and he hadn’t been for a long while. All he could do now was worry about it or
try and let them have a good time, and he’d done far too much of the prior.
Rick quickly finished packing and walked into the other room to make the call,
offering that asshole Qrark whatever shit or payment he wanted to get them an
officiator and an all-access pass to the arcade before calling in reservations
at Zinnia Resort, making sure to secure the suite with the lake view of the
florally dominated planet. Maybe Morty could see a clear sunrise, one last
time...
“Alright, let’s go,” he shouted, running over to swing Morty in his arms, bag
and portal gun in both hands.
Morty lightly pushed Rick away, panting with the effort before he was put down
on the bed.
“Wha-what’s up, kiddo? Got cold dick no-now that you realize what a gem yo-
you’ll get forever?” His heart almost beat out of his chest with the thought.
If Morty rejected him, he would break internally just a bit more, despite
knowing he had no right to, everything considered.
“Ye-yeah right, Rick!” he giggled and blushed slightly. “You just… you’re not
supposed to carry the-the bride until  after  the wedding.”
Rick breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn’t getting rejected, but it was soon
clouded over with worries of Morty having to make it to the ship by himself,
him getting hurt, or passing out like he had once before. He didn’t want to go
against tradition and the visions Morty had for his wedding, but he didn’t want
him hurt either. He had to make a decision.
“Huh… I’m not one to-to-to put up with traditions, but I suppose I have to
agree to your commands. I’ve gotta-gotta real bridezilla on my hands now.” He
tried to sound irritated, like he really didn’t care about repercussions and
just about tacky practices, but he knew Morty probably saw through it and any
other attempts he’d made and moved to wrap an arm about his bride-to-be to walk
him out of the door and into the ship.
“A real-real prince charming, aren’t you?” Morty retorted as Rick started the
engine, chuckling a little to himself before coughing and trying to cover it up
by clearing his throat.
Rick scoffed at the joke, grumbling that he was better than any prince Morty
could find, but it made him stop and wonder if he should tone down the jokes
and general Rick-ness for Morty. It would be difficult for sure, and he would
probably slip up, but he figured that if he could give up alcohol for this kid
then he could probably stop being a git… for their last hours together.
He looked over at Morty, who remained silent as they drove into the ocean of
space and glided past glittering stars or collisions of color, passing asteroid
fields like a school of fish.
“I’m really gonna miss this,” Morty near whispered, tracing a finger along the
cool glass, a drawn star cutting through the condescension.
Rick’s knuckles paled as he gripped the wheel. He ached to rebuttal, to promise
Morty that he could come back and see the stars with him every day following if
he wanted to, that there was nothing to miss, but it was time that he cut the
shit and just let the kid live his last day without anymore lies.
“I’ve heard… I’ve heard that people turn in-into stars when they die…” Morty
continued, filling the silence for Rick. “But that’s just bullshit. I’m sure-
sure it’s a dumb lie to-to-to soften things…”
Hearing Morty try to wrestle with the belief, likely for his condescending,
back-talking sake, Rick looked over to him and gently squeezed his shoulder.
“I don-don’t think that’s bullshit at all, actually. I mean… why the hell not?
People are made of shit like stardust, so there you go.” Rick hoped to whatever
god there was that it was true, that there would be a part of Morty still
tangible and available to him afterwards, but he supposed even if it wasn’t,
the human mind would now have the connection and perceive something no matter
the truth.
“R-really?” Morty stammered, gaping at Rick for a moment as he heard him
continually knock down each of the hedonistic beliefs he’d previously held like
a safety blanket from uncertainty.
Rick grumbled an affirmation before landing on a planet he’d never taken Morty
to before and hurrying out of the ship to help Morty out and get as close to
carrying him without being called out.
“Welcome to Healadandix, turd! A shopping planet pure-just for wedding outfits.
Of course, i-it’s accommodating to over one th-a thousand species, so only one
sho-store has human fashion, but still! Pretty damn cool, huh?”
Morty gaped with wide eyes, trying to look at each flower and candle-adorned
facade from where they stood, giggling at the knife and battle displays of
others. “Holy shit! How did--what--”
Rick put a hand out to pause what Morty was saying before he spoke again.
“I figured if we-we’re gonna make this official, might as well do it right.”
His pulse flipped at the sight of Morty’s admiring smile before he could cloak
it by walking briskly over to a store five down from the entrance. He didn’t
deserve Morty, and Morty didn’t deserve the shit he’d put him through. Yet, he
acted like Rick was the sun and stars, or whatever romantics say, not even
seeming to care he was the reason Morty couldn’t make it to adulthood.
It was a nicely decorated store, small but sophisticated with crystal
chandeliers, cream colored loveseats, and pastel flower arrangements dotted
about the room. Rick immediately took Morty over to a seat closest to the
fitting rooms and only agreed to get started if the manager of the store
himself would come to assist them. He informed him about needed health
accomodations and the blaster that would be placed between his eyes if they
didn’t get it before bringing him over to Morty to discuss designs.
Rick sat pressed against Morty, his long legs tangling on themselves as he
struggled to fit comfortably on the small seat. He watched Morty as the manager
went over ideas and asked about what he wanted, noting the blush that flitted
across his face as he turned to look back at him.
“Uh… We don’t have to do-go with it, bu-but it’s tradition for you not to see
it before we, y’know?” Morty mumbled, trying to be nonchalant about whether or
not he’d get to have this part of his fantasy.
“Okay, but who’s gonna--” he stopped mid-question and glared back at the
manager. “If you even think of fucking trying anything… well, you’re gonna-
you’ll have a whole different kind of-of bridezilla on your hands,” he growled
before going over to a different seat, another human-looking employee running
over to assist him.
She asked questions, went over guidelines, and made suggestions for a few
minutes, Rick barely caring about what was being said until he thought of how
to pick an outfit at least Morty would like rather than throwing his shit tux
on.
“I need to know what kind of-of outfit my bride is buying. Don’t need details,
just some basics.” Hearing the warnings given to her menager, the woman quickly
looked over a datapad before breaking the tense silence.
“Um… he’s looking at some nice gowns… sir! Is that what you meant?”
“Yeah, yeah whatever,” he mumbled before smiling to himself with the thought of
Morty adorably dolled up in a nice dress. Going over what would work best, he
told the woman what he was after before trying a few outfits on and paying
whatever surprisingly discounted prices needed before grabbing both covered
hangers in one hand and his nearly-bride Morty in the other, whisking them off
planet and over to Blitz and Chits.
“Are you alright?” he stuttered, feeling Morty shivering as they made their way
into the arcade. If some cruel god was trying to take Morty any sooner than he
calculated, they were going to have to wrangle the kid from his ravenous,
selfish grasp.
“Yeah, ‘course! Just real-real excited,” he replied with a weak smile. Only the
bright glimmer in the boy’s eyes convinced Rick that that may be the truth.
They went into two separate rooms to change, and Rick stared with a wide grin
as he examined himself in the mirror. It was a sleek dress, fitted to his body
and highlighting his ass the way Morty liked it and pooled at his feet, colored
in a somehow muted white that stood perfectly against his skin tone, not that
he noticed or cared... After taking one last calming breath, he closed the door
and made his way to the makeshift podium to marry his Morty, surprisingly only
stumbling once.
He specified that the best employee had the privilege of walking Morty down the
aisle (of games) and was shocked when he saw him walking out by himself.
Rick nearly ran over to him to walk with him to the Rager Rick alter when a
ghost white palm shot out to halt him, the brunet keeping his face peaceful
despite the sheen of sweat along his temples and veins burning an angry black
through his body. To Rick, the sight of him was breathtakingly beautiful. The
strength his Morty showed, despite it all, was gorgeous, and the way he swayed
gracefully in his pearl kissed ball gown like he owned the universe stunned
him. In that moment, Rick knew it was the best decision he ever made to marry
Morty Smith. In that moment he knew, just this once, Rick Sanchez made a right
choice.
End Notes
     So... did you like it do far? No, yes? Lemme know in the comments or
     whatever lol
     Thanks for stopping by ♥♥♥
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!