*this chapter has been edited. it also has some angst like the last one so buckle up. enjoy*
The whole demeanor of the house changed after the events of inter-dimensional cable only a few nights ago. Rick was far more irritable than he had ever been, which was saying quite a bit as the man was typically rough around the edges. Cas' personality had totally flipped as well, leaving her own abilities out of control as they often connected themselves to her emotions. It was something the entire house noticed but never said anything of. It was becoming a normal occurrence for Rick to do something and Cas to snap, causing the nearest machine to short out or the nearest metal object to to slowly fold in on itself. The family simply rolled with it like nothing changed because no one wanted to risk anything or upset the two further.
Jerry remained fairly annoyed with the whole ordeal, rightfully disgruntled about already having to replace the stove that was crushed by Cas, but he stayed out of it. Beth was mostly relieved her father turned Cas down but at the same time didn't like seeing Cas become the person she was now. Cas was always a beam of light and optimism in the house and now she rarely talked unless she was snapping at Rick. Whether Beth liked it or not, Cas was a positive influence on Rick before and now that all went down the drain.
It was only after a week that Rick began to realize that and how much he had begun to rely on Cas.
It was the little things he began to miss that he didn't think he'd miss. The pet names she'd call him that he swore he hated. Her never wavering optimism and childish attitude that he previously claimed drove him up a wall. The annoying way she'd sit on his work bench as he tinkered about in the garage. That she'd bring him dinner or other meals when he got so caught up in his work and would make sure he ate. When he fell asleep in his garage, he would be woken up by Cas with a huge, eager smile and a tray of breakfast. Her random questions that rarely had anything to do with the task at hand but he'd always answer them anyways. He became dependent on that stuff and ever since the events of the interdimensional cable, Cas was rarely seen by Rick.
Rick Sanchez began to miss the stupid little things about Cassiopeia Pines that he swore he hated and his grandson's words rang in his head.
"You think I actually care for her?"
"Yeah, actually, I do. I just don't think you've realized it yet."
His mind never left that sentence. He thought about it all the time and it began to effect to his work. The deeply buried emotional part of his brain kept asking himself what if Morty was right and he did care for Cas? While the logical part of his brain kept thinking that it was just him missing the routine of it all. That he just was missing the constants and not Cas herself. He wanted to believe that but deep, deep down he knew that wasn't the case. Because if anyone else started the same thing Cas did, he wouldn't have tolerated it as much. And yet all the genius that was packed into one man, couldn't figure out what was holding him on to Cas.
It wasn't the routine, it was her, and yet, Rick couldn't admit it to himself just yet.
He couldn't surrender the fact that Morty was right and he was wrong. The excuse that it was for her safety still prevented him from listening to the part of him that realized it was always Cas and that she was fully capable of protecting herself. He feared that if they got involved, it would put a bigger target on her back from not only the Galactic Federation but everyone else that he had crossed. He kept her at a distance to prevent her from becoming a target to his enemies but mostly from the Galactic Federation. Stories of Rick's that didn't take precautions when it came to that were heard across the multiverse. Cas' suffered because they got too close and Rick couldn't risk that with his own Cas.
He knew it hurt both of them to be away from each other but it would hurt more to see her being held against him as leverage. She didn't deserve that. Though he knew what Cas was capable of and that she could handle herself, he wasn't sure he could handle the risk of loosing her.
One of the biggest things Rick and the rest of his family noticed though was how Cas' whole demeanor changed, as mentioned before. She was no longer the childish, bubbly person that Rick knew. The person who would insist on eating rainbow, sugary cereal (with her 'special dairy free milk') instead of the fluffy pancakes Beth would make every morning. Cas always told him the colors made her happy compared to the bland color of pancakes and the sugary taste was better than bland pancakes, even with syrup and butter. Now though, Cas' plate had an untouched pancake and a barely touched pile of hash browns. Rick stared at her plate until Morty snapped him out of it.
"Hey Rick, I have to make a project for the science fair this weekend. You think you could help me out?" Morty entered the dining room, breaking Rick's trance from Cas.
"Whatever," He mumbled and shrugged.
"Well, um, traditionally science fairs are a father-son thing," Jerry spoke up and Rick rolled his eyes. He found himself more irritated by anything and everything now. His tolerance for the rest of the family's problems was lower than it had ever been, especially when it came to Jerry.
"Well, scientifically, traditions are an idiot thing," Rick snapped, twisting the spare parts in his hand together.
"Morty, I think it will be fun for you to work on a science project with your dad," Beth smiles as she looked down at her phone. Rick tuned most of what happened next out as Cas pushed her plate forwards slightly and rested her head on her palm with a blank face. His hands moved without realizing it, pushing the plate back to her without looking away from his own. He didn't miss the glare that Cas gave him but ignored it as he kept eating.
"What is my purpose?" The small little robot on the table uttered as it came to life. Rick could feel Cas' eyes on him.
"Pass the butter," Rick replied. The robot hooked his little arms into the butter tray, pulling it towards him. "Thank you," Rick grinned as he began to spread the butter on his pancake. The feeling of Cas' eyes on him had yet to leave and he only took a short moment to see her staring at him before glancing down at her plate. She scoffed quietly towards him before scooping a bit of her hash browns and eating slowly.
"Dad, I need a ride to work," Summer came in, looking towards Jerry who was focused on his tablet.
"Maybe Rick can give you a ride," Jerry smiled smugly as Rick looked up. His fork was still in his mouth as he rose half a brow at Jerry. "I'm helping Morty with science." Jerry bragged.
"I'm busy," Rick grumbled.
"Doing what?" Summer almost snapped at him in that moment.
Summer and Cas always got a long fairly well and as mentioned before, Summer looked up to Cas. Cas was a positive female role model for her and she couldn't help but hold some anger towards her grandfather for what he did to Cas. Despite her understanding of why he did it.
"Uh, anything else," Rick snapped back and the two glared at each other for a moment.
"What about you, Cas? Could be nice to get out of the house," Beth smiled softly and turned towards Cas who was at the head of the table across from Summer. Usually, she'd take her seat next to Rick but the seat remained empty now and for most meals at the table. Cas shook her head slowly at Beth's suggestion. "Oh come on, Cas. You've been so cooped up in here. I think some fresh air could really help."
"I said no, Beth," Cas snapped back, pushing her plate away and dropping her fork on the table. Cas didn't notice the green wisps licking at her hands as she glared towards Rick. "And I don't need you of all people pushing my plate towards me. When I'm done, I'm done." She said, her tone sharp and bitter before the sound of glass shattering broke her trance of glaring at Rick.
She looked over at Beth again to see the blonde's eyes were wide and staring at Cas' hands, which were clenched into fists, the green energy glowing. The green wisps covered her hands and she slowly unclenched them, looking down at her hands for a brief moment. The metal utensils on the table had conformed to look as if her clenched fists were crushing them and the metal around the windows bent together until the glass panes shattered between the bars. She took in a short breath, her demeanor changing for a brief moment to calm and collected. "I'm sorry," she apologized, standing up quickly and not bothering to fix the chair that fell over as she began to jog up the stairs.
Silence fell over the table before Rick's robot broke the silence.
"What is my purpose?" The robot asked again and Rick looked down at it.
"You pass butter," Rick grumbled again. The tiny robot glanced down at it's 'hands' before back up at Rick.
"Oh my god," it mumbled and slumped down slightly.
"Yeah, welcome to the club, pal," Rick mumbled and shoved another bite in his mouth.
The ride to Summer's work was rather tense. Summer remained silent, arms crossed and staring out the window of Rick's ship. Rick kept his eyes forward, occasionally letting out a small burp or sipping from his flask. Summer had so much she wanted to say and yet, there was no point. She couldn't get answers from Cas earlier so matter how hard she tried and her attempts to convince Cas to stay had failed as well. Summer tried to convince her to show Rick what he was turning down instead of moping around and leaving as well. While it did inspire Cas, the inspiration just didn't last long enough. Cas' mind was set on leaving the Smith household and for the time being, it seemed like Cas wasn't doubting her choice in anyway.
The silence in the ship became almost deafening for Rick. He knew Summer was frustrated with him and he knew why. He took a long sip of his flask before speaking, "Since when did you have a job?" He broke the silence finally.
"Since last week," Summer borderline snapped. "It's part time at this little vintage thrift store. My boss is this really smart eccentric old man that treats me nice and values me." Summer said and Rick could feel the mocking tone in her voice. How she was basically poking at him for not treating Cas right or valuing her when he had the chance too. Instead, he pushed her away and now she was leaving for her own home back in Gravity Falls, Oregon in a few days.
"W-wow, can't wait to meet this fascinating character," Rick grumbled in response.
"Please don't," Summer replied, allowing the silence to fill the ship again for the next few minutes. She remained silent and looked out the passenger window now to avoid snapping at Rick any further as he parked rather poorly. Summer exited the ship, slamming the door a bit too harshly which made Rick huff but get out and follow her anyways. "Sorry, I'm late, Mr. Needful! This is my Grandpa Rick, he was just leaving." She said happily until the last part when it became a rather bitter tone.
Meanwhile, Cas stood in the kitchen with a half eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a glass of water as Beth sat on one of the barstools scrolling through her phone. Occasionally she'd glance up at Cas before looking back at her phone which made Cas raise an eyebrow. Her tolerance for things like this had reached an all time low and Beth's actions began to irritate her. "Can I help you, Beth?" She asked as the blonde looked up at her for 8th time in the span of a few minutes.
"Sorry," Beth mumbled as she began to type away on her phone. "Actually, you can help me with something, Cas." Beth set her phone down and cleared her throat. Cas turned slightly to look more at Beth and took a bite of her sandwich with a look that urged her to continue. "What do see in my dad?"
"What do you mean?" Cas asked with a mouthful.
"My dad isn't a nice guy and don't act like you don't know that. Not to mention he's double your age," Beth pointed out. "I don't understand why some one as once nice and bubbly as you could go for a guy like my dad."
"It's what happens to some people like us, Beth," Cas shrugged. Beth furrowed her brows at that, unsure of what comparison Cas was drawing between them. Cas noticed the confused look and elaborated, "My dad disappeared when I was a few months old and when he came back, I barely spent more than a day total with him because he was more interested in my cousin. Rick left you and now that he's back, he was giving most of his attention to me or to Morty. You feel deprived of that attention so you either seek it else where or you follow him around like a lost puppy. It happens to people with parental issues like ours. We've both tried the latter when it comes to Rick... just in different circumstances."
Beth looked at Cas almost in awe. Cas was always bubbly and gave a slightly airheaded aura off. It was little things for the most part but Beth was now realizing how intelligent Cas was as she hit the nail on the head. Sure, Beth loves that Morty finally had someone in his life as a role model but it took away from her time with Rick. And while Beth liked Cas, the worry of something more happening between her and Rick terrified her for the same reason.
"I guess so," Beth replied, looking back down at her phone.
Cas didn't respond further, just taking a bite of her sandwich once more as an awkward silence filled the room.
It wasn't long before Rick returned from Summer's work, a disgruntled look on his face after the day he had. Much to his surprise, Cas was in the garage, kneeling on the floor with a box in front of her. In Cas' messy hand writing was the word 'miscellaneous' as she grabbed a few things off his desk and placed it in the box. For a moment, Rick said nothing as she turned to look at the ship before turning back to grabbing the things she put all over the garage to 'brighten the place up' in her exact words. It was small things she'd find on their old adventures or little plants she'd try to get Rick to take care of. He never did but he wished he had now.
By now, he had spent the whole day trying to take Summer's boss down that he hadn't been around the see Cas had emptied the house of her things. The small decor she got and placed around, any pictures of her around the house, even her room was clean of everything but the small cot like bed she slept on and a few cardboard boxes. Everything had been shipped back to Gravity Falls the day after Rick had turned her down. Cas was just grabbing the final few things before she could find a day to actually leave. She didn't think it would be this hard to leave Rick after what he said.
But everyday she found a new reason to stay instead of leave. Despite that, her mind was made up and she pushed those reasons away.
"Hey," Rick broke the awkward silence that was filling the garage like air in a balloon. The tension was thick between the two of them and Rick could feel Cas' anger radiating off of her. Cas didn't respond or even look back at him, just grabbed the last thing off his desk and began her way out. "Hey, Cas, come on." He tried again, reaching to grab her wrist.
"Don't touch me," She snapped, pulling her wrist back. Her previous depressed mood had completely left after the events of breakfast and was quickly replaced with anger. The windows were still broken and Beth had left to get new utensils not long ago. Cas took a short breath to calm herself as she noticed the look on Rick's face. "You don't get to pick and choose when you care for me, Rick. I'm not some toy you can play around with like this is all a game. You care for me or you don't." He wasn't scared of her but she could see that in his brown iris', he was hurting. Though, she didn't really care at this moment. She was hurting not even days ago and he did nothing but rub salt in the wound by avoiding her and for weeks he had only cared when it benefited him. She wasn't sure if she could take being around Rick anymore and let herself drown in all his bad qualities.
"C-cas," Rick started, his voice strained as if holding back from showing emotion. Rick went to speak again but her annoyed glare made him stop.
"Just stop, Rick." Cas turned once more to leave the room but stopped at the threshold of the door. "Consider my father's debt fully paid," She mumbled and left the garage the quiet noise of the door shutting. It was then Rick realized how serious Cas was about this. Cas felt that her father's debt was paid long ago and she was only still here because of her feelings for Rick and the friends she had made. Now, she didn't have Rick and there was no reason to stay. She wasn't sure if she'd go back home to Gravity Falls where her stuff was or just jump through a random portal she'd make with Rick's portal gun and just leave without a trace. Maybe she could even join her father and uncle on their adventures. Cas didn't care where she went at this point, she just knew she couldn't stay much longer.
Cas cared for Rick and she didn't want to leave the Smith household but in her mind, she couldn't find an easier option. Rick was complicated and Cas began to feel like she bit off way more than she could chew when it came to Rick. He was her polar opposite and it was hard for them to find common ground. Sure, she saw the side of him that was far nicer and he was more gentle with her than everyone else, but he was still Rick at the end of the day. The man who belittled everyone around him and shoved them away until they couldn't take being around him anymore.
Cas wasn't sure if that was the life she wanted. A relationship with a man in his 60s who wouldn't let her get close. It wasn't how Cas worked. She was a verbal person, which is why she used pet names a lot. That was how she showed her love and Rick couldn't comprehend that yet. Sure, he knew, he just wasn't ready for that kind of love or any form of love. He was so set in stone that love was just chemicals in his brain compelling him to breed, not a feeling. Cas tried so hard to try and show him it wasn't but in the end, it became too much.
Rick stared off for a moment before his gaze turned to the only thing Cas left on his desk. The photo of them from only a few days ago. Rick had tacked it to his corkboard after Cas printed it out that day, only hours before every happened. Rick was grumpy the whole trip to the dimension with the hamsters in human butts until that picture was taken. Somehow, Cas was always able to pull the better side of him out. The side that didn't push blame on others or push people away with the false excuse it was safer for them that way. It never was in the end.
"Fuck," He whispered and sat on the stool in front of the bench. He put his fingers through his mess of hair and sighed.