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Rick Prime always knew that Morty was different. And the day he found out was a day he would soon rather die than forget.
He had been sprawled out on the couch in the living room, bored out of his mind. Beth and Jerry were out doing God knows what kind of awkward stuff with each other thus leaving him in charge of babysitting duty. And... He... Was... 'Bored'.
Blindly eating lousy handfuls of popcorn, Rick Prime wondered if he could possibly get away with turning Summer's hair purple again using alien urine. Oh, Beth had been so mad at him- Summer too once she found out it was foreign pee- but it was hilarious. Morty had only been a year old then and he didn't want to risk putting him in danger.
However...
Morty was five years old now- the same age Summer had been when he turned her hair purple. Surely he could get away with it again? Right? And if the innocent prank did end up getting him in trouble then, hey, at least no more babysitting duty.
"Grandpa?" Came a nervous, shaky squeak from somewhere behind the couch.
"Grandpas not here. I'm the monster that ate him," Rick Prime lazily answered back, "Your real grandpa is now dissolving in my stomach acid."
"No!" Cried the five year old child, their shyness replaced by bravery as they jumped up and ran around the couch, "I'll save you grandpa! Hey..."
Chuckling around a mouth full of popcorn, Rick Prime planned to tease and poke fun of his grandson- that was... Until he saw what he was wearing, and then his brain went completely blank.
Morty was wearing a vibrant pink, puffy dress that went down to his knees. In his hair was a bizarre assortment of floral clips and colorful pins. The socks he wore had princess emojis on them. Obviously the attire once belonged to Summer. Morty must have resurfaced it from the attic or something.
"Grandpa..." Morty's little fists balled at his sides, his cheeks puffed out and red with both anger and embarrassment, "Y-you lied. Y-you said you were a monster..."
"I am a monster," Rick Prime sat up straight, one leg crossing over the other as he eyed his grandson's unique choice of attire, "I become whatever I eat, an-and I ate your grandpa, so... Tough titties, kid. Now... Why are you dressed in magical barbie princess vomit?"
Rick watched as Morty took in a deep breath, straightened his back and then pushed his legs together as if he were a proud soldier, "Because I'm a girl now."
Rick stopped chewing, officially too shocked to do anything at the moment other than to stare at his grandson. "That so? A girl?" He blinked a couple of times, "Umm... Coolsies. You know, there's a place on another planet where we can get you a set of fake boobs if you're up for it? An-and you can get them as big as you want- bigger than your moms even."
"Bigger than mommies?" Morty gasped in awe, "Ahh, I want some! Grandpa, grandpa, I want boobies! I want boobies! Give me boobies."
Rick couldn't help the laugh of fondness that escaped him as Morty crawled onto the couch beside him and eagerly wiggled around while hugging his arm. "Ha, yeah, we'll get you some boobies, princess," He booped Morty's nose while holding her close against his side, "We'll even get your dad a set as a complimentary gift."
"Really?" Morty looked up at her grandpa curiously, reaching out for some popcorn, "Daddy wants boobies too?"
"I'd assume so, I-I mean he's too much of a pussy not to want some," Rick shrugged and rolled his eyes.
"Wh-what's that mean? 'P-pussy'?" Morty's eyes squinted in confusion.
"It's a deadly world your mom regrets giving Jerry access to," Rick stated the obvious, knowing that Morty wouldn't truly understand him. Plus it was funny to imagine Morty going up to Jerry and either calling him a 'pussy' or asking for better details on what exactly a 'pussy' was. Oh, the irony...
"Hm," Morty nodded although clearly still confused, but then she brightened and squeezed her grandpa's forearm tightly, "Do-do you think momma and daddy w-will buy me dresses? An-and skirts and necklaces and bracelets- oh, and a crown with pretty face-color stuff and smell-good spray- tha-that's what girls wear, right?"
"Seriously Morty? I-it sounds like you're trying to shoot hoops at a Kardashian basketball court," Rick frowned at her a bit, and not because he was against her having any of that kind of stuff, but because he was worried that her 'parents' would be against her having it. "Try starting small. Raid through the attic- or-or wherever you got that princess garbage from- and find some more of Summer's old stuff. Then you can wear that and decide if being a girl is really what you want without your parents complaining about wasting money."
"But being a girl is what I want," Morty said almost bluntly, like she really did want to be taken seriously, "I-I like wearing dresses and skirts. I like boobies and long hair and face-color stuff. I like being a girl."
Rick had to take a moment to think, his eyes drawing all over his grandson-no... His 'granddaughter'. In no way was he against Morty being transgender. Sure it was a bit unexpected but he honestly didn't care. This was her life, not his. She was free to make her own decisions.
But then again- and this goes without saying... Who knew how Jerry and Beth were going to react?
While Beth was significantly more open minded, Jerry was... Jerry was Jerry, and his ideas on sexuality were, as some could say, "a straight line". He wasn't very prone to being easily accepting of those who were different or stood out. And Rick Prime hated that. Oh, did he hate that...
"Oh, oh, I know! You can help me, grandpa," Morty exclaimed with cheerful exasperation as she scooted off the couch and bolted to the hallway, "I'll be right back."
Rick sat there wondering what his little granddaughter could be up to, endearment clouding his heart as he thought about how adorable she was. In the back of his mind he worried though. While he was confident that he could manipulate Jerry into silence all by himself, he couldn't say that the pitiful, control-starved jerkwad wouldn't try to discourage Morty whenever he wasn't around.
Rick Prime went on long adventures, some of which lasted months or even years. One day he planned to take Morty with him, but right now she was just too young. The thought of leaving her alone though... Rick couldn't deny the anguish it was making him feel deep inside.
Perhaps he should just traumatize Jerry enough that he'd be too afraid to say anything negative to Morty about being trans?
"I'm back," Morty came running back into the living room with an old, dusty play bucket in her hands, "I-I-I found these in the attic. There's a bunch of colors inside, an-and I want you to put them on my face. Please, grandpa Rick? Please?"
"What? You mean make-up?" Rick stuck his tongue out in mock repulsion, "Uh, don't you think that's more of a big sister- little sister thing? Go ask Sum-Sum to help you. I-I'm a little busy right now."
"No," Morty pouted, sticking her lip out stubbornly, "I want you to help me, grandpa. You, you, you, you-"
"Say 'you' one more time and I'm sending your ass to a different dimension," Rick leaned forward and poked her on the forehead, saying rightfully, "One where the Rick actually 'wants' to play dress-up."
"So if I don't say it... That means my grandpa 'will' play dress-up with me?" Morty grinned mischievously, already knowing that she had won.
Rick Prime gave her a very flat, very annoyed glare. "You little princess vomit basket..." He snagged the bucket from her and roughly patted the seat next to him, "Better hurry up here. I don't get to be your slave all night, you know?"
Giggling excitedly, Morty crawled back onto the couch and sat down on her knees directly beside her grandpa, facing him with rosy cheeks and an eager grin. "I want red lips and blue eyes," She demanded, "Ooh, and pink cheeks too!"
"One Pennywise paint job comin' right up," Rick's face scrunched up as he fought to sort through all the scattered make-up, "Jesus, who bought these? Y-you could paint a fuckin' whale with all this barbie gunk."
"Quit stalling," Morty grumbled.
Rick snarled at her, "How do you even know what that word means? You're, like, two..."
"I'm five!" Morty immediately protested.
"Yeah, yeah..." Rick Prime sighed dramatically as he opened up a deal of kid's eyeliner, "God, there are so many better things I could be doing right now."
As he leaned forward, grasping Morty's chin to keep her still, he carefully began to apply the eyeliner. Morty was impressively still and patient despite her endless grins and the off and on tremble of excitement.
Rick cleared his throat while focusing on his very non-scientific work, "So... Have you thought about a name yet? 'Cause, no offense bruh, I don't think 'Morty' is very feminine if you catch my drift."
Morty responded so fast that it almost seemed as if she had already thought everything through to the bitter end. "Mortricia. I-it-it's like Patricia but with 'Mort' instead of 'Pat'. See? Mortricia!"
"Well you sure found a way to gun down that name, didn't you?" Rick huffed in slight amusement, "What would Morticia Adams have to say?"
"Mortricia," Morty corrected, crossing her arms and clenching her eyes shut even tighter, trying to look serious, "It's Mortricia!"
Rick Prime laughed, soaking up his granddaughter's expanding personality with loving pride. What a hellbent little thing, adorably stubborn and defensive. She was going to grow up to be a strong, independent person. Maybe even a bit of a trouble maker too. And Rick just couldn't wait to see it.
For the rest of the evening, Rick finished applying eyeliner, eyeshadow, blush and lipstick to his over-energized granddaughter who practically squealed and bounced around like a bunny on caffeine. Mortricia ran to the bathroom to check herself out and then up to Summer's room to show off.
As Rick expected, Summer was only a bit thrown off but otherwise warmed right up to the idea of her little brother being trans. The two of them ended up going back to the attic to dig through old clothes and belongings. Everything seemed to be going well.
That was... Until the parents came home.
After Beth and Jerry entered the house, it only took a minute for both kids to come sprinting down the steps, eagerly calling for their parents and welcoming them home with delight.
"Hey you two- oh my gosh, Morty, what're you wearing? Is that a dress?" Jerry was immediate upon saying as soon as he saw what his former-son was wearing.
"Yeah! I-it was Summers but now it's mine." Mortricia exclaimed and twirled around to better show off her new style, "Do you like it? Am I pretty?"
"Isn't it great? Morty's a girl now!" Summer jumped in on the excitement, obviously happy about the change.
"A girl? You mean... You're trans now?" Beth tilted her head, one eye squinted as she gazed around the room in search for her conniving father, "And this is your decision? I mean no one's pushing you to do this, right?"
"Mhm. I decided I'm a girl now. My names Mortricia," Mortricia responded with confidence.
"Ok, ok. I think this has gone far enough. Everyone just take a step back and breathe for a moment," Jerry butted in, his tone filled with suppressed discontent. He crossed his arms and glared down his nose at his former-son, "Morty, I want you to go to your room and take that stuff off right now. You're not a girl, you're a boy."
"W-w-w-w-what!" Mortricia practically squeaked, "B-but I am a girl. That's why I'm wearing a dress an-and face-colors. I'm a girl, daddy."
"Oh, now you're just being stupid," Jerry bent down to grab Mortricia's arm in a tight grip, "Come on. We're washing that crap off right now, and getting you out of this dress. Who even told you it was a good idea to wear this?"
"Um, I did, ass hole," Rick Prime roughly answered, stomping his way up to Jerry and roughly shoving him back by the shoulder, "Touch my granddaughter again and I'll kill you."
"I knew it," Jerry spat, pointing an accusing finger at him, "You're the one who put this idea in his head. I should have known. Beth? Help me out here."
"What do you expect me to do about it?" Beth shrugged, seemingly unaffected by the situation.
"Help me out," Jerry pouted, wincing at her for support, "Our son is humiliating himself trying to be something he's not, and it's your father's fault."
"Grandpa didn't make me be a girl. I turned into a girl by myself," Mortricia stated angrily, her little feet stomping firmly on the ground, "You're just being a-a-a... A pussy!"
"Oh-ho! Now that's my granddaughter," Rick laughed loud and proud, kneeling down to lift his hand out, "Gimme five. Yes!"
"Hey, I'm not a pussy-wait... Are you serious? First you brainwash our son into thinking he's a female, and now you're putting illusive language in his mouth? That's it, I'm done. No more babysitting from you ever again," Jerry reached down and grabbed his former-son again, "Come on Morty, we're going upstairs now."
"Noooo!" Mortricia cried, pawing at Jerry's hand, "Stop it, daddy! I'm a girl! Girl, girl, girl, girl-"
"Shut up!"
As Jerry lifted a clear hand in the air, obviously with the intention to slap Mortricia, Rick Prime pulled out a small 'phantom' gun and shot the other man directly in the butt. This caused Jerry to scream out in horrid pain as the non-existent gunfire tore an invisible hole of agony through him. The shot itself did no physical harm- it only made the person believe that they were harmed.
"Grandpa!" Mortricia cried, quickly running over to her grandpa.
Kneeling down to scoop her into his arms, Rick hauled her against his hip and hid her crying face against his shoulder, "Only I'm allowed to hit people around here. You wanna judge someone for their personality then go look in the mirror, pal. Mortricias trans now, an-and if you don't wanna accept that then have fun going through me."
As he began walking off with a shivering Mortricia in his arms, Summer blew loud raspberries at Jerry and then followed after him. Beth lingered behind, staring flatly at her husband who still writhed around holding his booty in invisible pain.
"Please... Will you see if it's bleeding?" Jerry cried, sticking his uninjured butt up in the air, "I think it is."
"You're an embarrassment, Jerry," Beth sighed and walked away.
As time went on, Mortricia grew on as a bright, young girl, expanding her collection of all things feminine and fun. Beth nor Summer ever expressed the slightest negativity towards her decisions- in fact they loved taking her shopping and going on girls-only trips together.
The only person who remained openly against Mortricia being trans was Jerry, but he never got a chance to complain because Rick was always there to give him a good slap should he ever tread out of line.
Rick Prime himself was completely accepting of his granddaughter's chosen path, and he was always there in the background making sure that she was treated exactly how she deserved to be treated. Sure the change had been sudden to get used to, but he adapted.
If anything it felt like Rick Prime became more protective.
Kids were vulnerable no matter what gender they were, easy prey for the greedy, foul hands of adult predators to snag. And Rick wasn't sure why, but ever since Mortricia came out as trans, it felt like there were so many other people looking at her. Every adult they passed on the street Rick had to keep from glaring at or freaking out with one of his psychopathic grins.
And while he never admitted it aloud, Rick loved seeing Mortricia this happy. Ever since her self-discovery, it was like a new light emitted from her usual shy and anxious bubble, and she was more feisty, more vocal and outgoing. Like her grandfather. And it made him proud.
Having been one of her biggest inspirations, Mortricia often took after Rick Prime, wearing purple and/or maroon dresses, skirts and shirts. One of her favorite outfits to wear as of late was a pair of black jeans, a yellow shirt, a purple jacket and white shoes- added to it some bracelets and necklaces.
Again, and of course he wouldn't say it, Rick Prime loved his granddaughter taking after him. It made him feel a great sense of accomplishment and gratification. A brush to his ego. Yes siree, he was definitely the universe's greatest grandpa.
But then...
Then there came the day that Rick Prime had to leave.
Mortricia was ten years old and had begged either for her grandpa to stay or to take her with him. But Rick couldn't, it was too dangerous out there. Plus this was going to be a long mission for him to complete. As tempting as it was to show his granddaughter the universe, he just couldn't afford to put her life in danger.
And so he left without her.
Around four years later just before Mortricia's fourteenth birthday was when Rick Prime finally got to return home. It took so long because, for some reason, he got locked outside of his own dimension and had to find a way back in- a seriously difficult freakin' task right there.
But now that he was back he planned to make the most of it. He was excited too. Mortricia was fixing to turn fourteen; that was the perfect age to begin taking her on adventures. Oh, he was going to get them into so much trouble, he couldn't wait to see the look on his granddaughter's face.
As soon as he portalled himself home to his own dimension, Rick Prime quickly greeted the family and immediately sought out Mortricia. She was hiding in her bedroom, apparently, so Rick marched up there and politely knocked on her door.
"Come in," Came a high-pitched call from the other side.
Rick Prime opened the door with too much enthusiasm, grinning big as he entered the room, practically singing, "Guess who?"
"R-Rick?" A figure stood from the computer desk on the other side of the room. A figure with short hair and boy's clothing.
Rick blinked in a double-take, not sure if what he was seeing was really real. "Mort... tricia?"
"I-I-I can't believe you're back," Morty ran up to his long-missed grandpa and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug, "I missed you. We-we couldn't get a hold of you, so-so we thought you might be- we thought you were dead."
"Hmp, some faith you have," Rick went to lightly push Morty away, brushing his own chin in deep thought as he checked him over, "A-am I in the right dimension? Why are you... Morty?"
"Oh Geez, ha... Well, see, I..." Morty grabbed his own arm and turned away, frowning in shame, "A-after you left, dad wouldn't let me be Mortricia anymore so... Guess I'm Morty from now on."
Atomic bombs went off inside Rick Prime's head causing his forced smile to become tight and psychotic. He had to fight to keep from making the images of murdering Jerry come true. "All this time since I've been gone..." He looked Morty in the eye, "You've been Morty instead of Mortricia?"
"Y-y-yeah..." Morty shrugged multiple times, alternating between frowning and smiling. Obviously he was trying to hide his true emotions on the topic. "But it's fine. I'm fine. Y-you know being Morty isn't so bad, I... I get to... Well dad doesn't hate it as much so that's-that's something, right?"
Inside of Rick's body was an exploding thermostat. He was practically fumigating with anger, hatred and the nerve-wracking urge to torture someone. "And you're 'happy' with this?" He asked, hoping to get some form of permission to help release all the rage he was feeling.
"Um, yes? Well, yu-you know, i-i-its complicated. On one side dad isn't as mean to me but on the other, I... I... Oh Rick-" Morty cried and ran to his bed, plopping down on the edge and burying his face in the covers, "I hate it. I hate being Morty. I... I hate dad for being transphobic. I... I miss you, Rick. I can't be Mortricia unless I'm with you, and it's not fair. I-it's not fair because you're-you'll leave again, an-and I'll have no choice but to..."
At his confession, Rick Prime began to understand a lot. The only reason Morty got to be Mortricia so easily was because Rick was around to fight anyone who tried to degrade his decisions. But he had been gone these past four years, and Jerry had taken full advantage of that.
And it pissed him off to unimaginable extremes.
"No choice, huh?" Rick Prime walked up to his grandson, grabbed him by the shoulders and guided him upright so that they could properly face each other, "Answer me this: Do you like being trans?"
Morty's lips wobbled and he looked away, embarrassed, sad and ashamed.
Rick shook him, saying loudly, "Well do you?"
"Yes!" Morty snapped, finally caving and looking him in the eyes, "Yes, I like being trans. It's who I am."
"And are you seriously gonna let some pitiful, transphobic pussy like Jerry get in the way of your happiness?" Rick asked earnestly, his voice still loud and passionate.
Morty winced, gazing off again, his voice a whiney murmur, "But... He's my dad-"
"Screw that," Rick cut him off, "Just because he's your dad doesn't mean you have to listen to him. If anything, he's the one who should be listening to you, but he's not. And you're seriously going to tell me that you- the granddaughter to the smartest person in the universe- are just gonna let some low life pussy bring you down? Is that who you are now? Huh? Is that it?"
"No," Morty cried out, grasping his head and anxiously gazing around, overwhelmed, "I-I don't know. I wanna be Mortricia, but o-only if you're around, Rick."
"Then stop being a pussy like your dad and stand up for yourself. Being Mortricia is your choice whether I'm around or not," Rick turned on his heel and headed for the door, "Now you've got five minutes to decide who you're gonna be; Morty or Mortricia. Better hurry 'cause I've got a spicy portal with 'adventure' written on it waiting for us."
Once the door to his room clattered shut, Morty sniffed and wiped his eye. For five years Rick had been, in a sense, his bodyguard, always watching out for him and protecting him while he had been Mortricia. Not even Jerry could get in the way of the happiness he had felt.
'Do you like being trans?'
'Are you seriously gonna let some pitiful, transphobic pussy like Jerry get in the way of your happiness?'
'Just because he's your dad doesn't mean you have to listen to him.'
'Being Mortricia is your choice whether I'm around or not.'
Morty stared at the door, the hope in his heart expanding with a layer of insecurities on top. With Rick being back now, he had planned to sneak around as Mortricia without his dad knowing, but for some reason he didn't want to stoop that low.
Because he was tired.
Morty was tired of hiding who he was. He was tired of not being appreciated, respected or accepted. He was tired of pretending to be something he wasn't. And he was tired of not being happy.
'Stop being a pussy like your dad and stand up for yourself.'
Morty glared in determination, stood up and ran to his closet where a hidden tub lay filled with all his trans clothing. Secretly, when no one was looking, he would dress up and sneak out in them. They were like a guiltily pleasure. Well...
They weren't a guilty pleasure anymore.
Morty dug through the clothes in search for his favorite purple dress, black jacket and converse. He slapped in some earrings and put a headband on- his hair was still short but it would grow back eventually. And then he looked at himself in the mirror, his chest puffing with pride and determination.
No longer would he ever be Morty.
No.
She was Mortricia.
Rick Prime was downstairs in the dining room talking to Beth and Summer whenever he noticed a figure shyly walking down the stairs. One peek over confirmed that it was... Mortricia. Rick smirked, pride and love coursing through him. He knew his granddaughter would pull through. He just knew she would.
"Morty- oh my God, again?" Jerry angrily barked as he brought food to the table, "No. No, we are not going through this again. Go back upstairs and take that stuff-"
"Shut up, dad," Mortricia shouted, taking a bold step up to Jerry and causing him to flinch, "You don't control me. You don't control any part of my life. Being Mortricia is who I am, it's me, it's 'my' choice. And I'm not gonna let you keep bringing me down, so why don't you just shut up and get out of my way."
"Morty..." Beth breathed out in awe, "Oh- I meant 'Mortricia'."
"Wow Mortricia, you go girl," Summer looped an arm around her sister's shoulder and pulled her close, "It's like so cool that you're back now. I've been waiting."
As Jerry stammered in disbelief, fret and irritation, Rick Prime just stood there soaking it all up. Words alone couldn't describe how proud he was, nor how amused and humored. He always knew that Mortricia was the type to bite back. Sure she needed a little push, but hey, it all worked out in the end.
And Rick couldn't be happier to have her as his granddaughter.