*not much here today. the scenes in the toxic world will be in italics because it's easier to help separate them. anyways, enjoy! i'm not super proud of this but i was just proud enough to post it lmao. this is edited for grammatical errors btw*
"Everybody fuck off," Rick said, putting his hand on Morty's shoulder. Cas stood behind him, a bright smile on her face towards the three girls Morty stood in front of. She recognized one as Jessica based upon Morty's description of her and from their infamous party months ago. Cas saw the frown on Morty's face as Rick led him away from Jessica and her friends. "Morty, we need your help. W-w-w-we need to go on a quick adventure," Rick told him.
"You said I could go to school today," Morty whined, glancing back at Jessica.
"That was before I needed something, Morty," Rick burped out. "There's a plasma shard in the Abadango Cluster. A princess has it. If I get it, I'll be awesome." Cas rose a brow at Rick, "Cas and I will be awesome," Rick corrected.
"We're a package deal, darlin'," Cas added.
"We've been going non-stop, Rick. It's not healthy," Morty told them. "I can see how tired Cas is. I'm tired too. These are my teenage years. I just found out Jessica is single," Morty said, glancing back at the red head once more.
"Oh, thats - Wow, Morty. Wow. What an exciting life you lead," Rick said sarcastically as he shot a portal. "Let's go. In and out, 20 minutes adventure."
Morty sighed, looking back to Jessica and her friends for one last time before up to Cas, as if asking her opinion on what to do. "I never dated anyone or had any friends in high school and look how great I'm doing," Cas said, motioning to Rick. Morty's face fell at that but he sighed nonetheless, walking through the portal behind Cas.
Rick's supposed '20 minutes' had turned into almost a week of constant and grueling fighting to get this small shard. Cas didn't think she had ever used her abilities more in the span of 6 days than she had those past few days. Morty was right before when he said she was tired but now she was utterly exhausted, over worked and just wanted to lay on her shared futon on never get up. Thankfully, after a brief ceremony of the princess gifting them the shard and some medals, all seemed to point to finally going home. She slumped into the passenger seat of the ship, immediately putting her head on the dash.
Rick and Morty sighed loudly and Cas' body shook slightly from the pain of the current adventure and the pain in leg that still ached from the adventure with Jerry. "Fuck," Rick sighed out, putting his head in his hands. Morty sobbed out loudly as Cas didn't even move from having her head on the dash, even when Rick let out a stressed scream.
"I can't fucking do this anymore," Morty cried.
"I-I'm with him," Cas mumbled out, finally sitting up only to lean against the back of her seat.
"That was seriously fucked up. We almost died," Rick agreed.
"So, you agree?" Morty asked, genuinely surprised that Rick did.
"Fuck yes! That w- T-this was insane! That was pure luck. I was not in control of that situation at all!" Rick cried out as Morty let out another loud sob. Cas sighed deeply, wiping the few tears from her face. "Look at this Morty. Look at my fucking hands. Look at this shit!" Rick said, holding his hands out to see them shake rapidly.
"My body hurts so bad," Cas whimpered, looking down her right thigh which shook with pain.
"Why do you keep doing this to us?!" Morty exclaimed at Rick.
"I don't know, Morty. Maybe I hate myself, maybe I think I deserve to die. I-I-I-I don't - I don't know," Rick said and Morty let out another wail. "We need a vacation," Rick settled, looking over at Cas who nodded slowly.
Cas enjoyed the time spent in the soft green robe, she sipped the beverage given to her as she walked around the alien spa that Rick found. Her hair was brushed neatly as opposed to the mess of tangles it was before. She had only just met up again with Rick and Morty, having gone off on her own to get special treatment for the pain in her leg which was now completely gone. As she walked, she gripped onto the sleeve of Rick's own robe, looping her arm through his. "Complimentary psychological detox?" One of employees asked, motioning to the door behind him with a smile. "Removes all your cognitive toxins and purifies your system," He gurgled out.
"Oof, this guy on commission or something?" Rick asked.
"I don't think they're on commission here," Cas replied. "Are you?" She asked, sipping her drink as she looked up at the alien.
"We're not on commission. There's no incentive really-" He began to gurgle out, messing up the words he spoke.
"Oh my god. Okay, listen. W-w-w-we'll try the machine. But I'd like you to try something. Try swallowing the giant ball of snot that's dangling around in the back of your throat." Rick began and Cas sighed at that, "It's disgusting. Nobody wants to hear that. That's what you do," Rick snapped, clearing his throat multiple times as an example.
"Rick," Cas chastised, glaring slightly at him.
"Okay, Rick, come on. Enough," Morty added. Cas pulled Rick into the machine, sitting next to him as Morty sat across from them.
"Man, did you hear me bite that guy's head off?" Rick asked as he sat down.
"It was hard not too," Cas replied, handing him the rest of her drink. "Geez, I really need to chill," Rick commented as the machine began to whir.
"Maybe you should go twice," Morty joked.
"Alright, mister comedy man, you don't have to bust my balls. You're not helping things," Rick commented. The machine began to shake and Cas gripped onto Rick's sleeve once again.
"Rick, is this thing supposed to be making this-" Morty was cut off by a white light and high pitched ringing.
Cas pushed herself up, looking around to see nothing but the world around her looking like melted candle wax. She breathed shakily, looking down at her hands to see vibrant green veins trailing up her arms. Her skin was tinted an ugly shade of green and had the same melted texture as everything around her but the veins still made its way up to her elbow before fading away into her skin. She whimpered at the ringing in her head, pulling her hands up to cover her ears. "Rick?" She whimpered out, looking around for him.
"Morty!" She heard Rick's voice call out. "Cas!" He called out too and Cas instantly stood up from her knees.
"Rick!" She shouted out, seeing him only a few feet from her. He had the same melted texture and green tint as she did. "I thought you left me!" She whimpered, wrapping her arms around him. However, the hug was short lived as Rick ran forward, pulling Morty up from his spot.
"What happened?" Morty asked, looking just as terrified as Cas.
"We blew up, idiot! Are you really that stupid?" Rick snapped, "Obviously the guy I yelled at overloaded the machine. It takes more than that to kill us, motherfucker!" Rick called out only to startle the creatures around them.
"But that might do it," Cas' voice was shaky as she spoke.
"Run!" Rick called out, grabbing Morty's arm, dragging him behind. Cas began to run behind him, Morty crying out that everything hurt. "That's because you're worthless!" Rick snapped.
Rick practically tossed Morty into the small cave they found, pushing Cas in as well. "Jesus, how big was that explosion? I'm a genius. I don't have time for this shit," Rick grumbled.
"W-we're in hell, aren't we, Rick?" Morty pulled his knees to his chest and Cas sat next to him. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him to comfort him like she had many times. Yet, the glowing veins on her skin made her hold back, terrified if she touched him, she'd hurt him. It was fear she always had but she assumed she had buried it so deep it wasn't even there anymore. Now, it was the only thing that crossed her mind. That and the fear of Rick leaving her.
"You're so stupid, Morty! You're an idiot," Rick snapped, turning quickly. "There's no such thing as hell."
"I believe you, but I just want to die." Morty whimpered and Cas went to reach out to comfort him, but stopped as her hands began to glow with green energy. She pulled her hands back, fear in her eyes at the sight.
"You can die when I say so. I control you both. I control the universe!" Rick snapped again and Cas cowered slightly at that. "What am I bragging about that? I have nothing to prove. I'm surrounded by inferior pieces of shit and..." He trailed of as he began to put the dots together. Cas seemed terrified of him and herself but still wanted nothing more than to be around him. Morty was a nervous wreck as he usually was but it was turned up a million times. "... Toxins." Rick finished, looking down at his hands.
Cas cocked her head at that, watching his skin stick together as he pulled his fingers apart like he had glue on his hands. "We're not in hell. We're in the detoxifier," Cas' shaky voice said.
"The machine didn't blow up. It worked normally. It removed our toxins," Rick reached forward, grabbing Morty's head. "We're the toxins. You listening to me, you stupid little garbage person?! We're what got removed!" Rick exclaimed as Morty screamed out in response.
Meanwhile, Cas, Rick and Morty stepped out of the detoxifier, smiles on their faces. "I hope you all found that detox sufficiently relaxing." The employee smiled at them and Cas smiled brightly back. It was like she made a complete 180 and was back to the girl she was when she first joined the Smith Household. Bright, optimistic and rather childish. She was proud of who she had become and how she had grown as she felt more confident in herself and her abilities but it was nice to be back to the way she was before too.
"Hey, man, listen. Those comments I made about your throat?" Rick began.
"It's all good," The alien said as he cleared his throat.
"It's nice of you to let me off the hook. It's still unacceptable behavior and I do regret it," Rick apologized and Cas smiled up at him.
"Believe me, man, I've been working here a long time. I get it," The alien smiled back at Rick. Rick nodded, apologizing once more before allowing Cas to lead him and Morty off. They got dressed into their clothes and got back into the ship. Cas sat with her legs up on the dash, her hands glowing brightly as the green metal head band floated above her fingers, changing shape with each flick. A pleasant silence filled the ship and they all had bright, relaxed smiles on their faces.
"Hey, uh, you mind if I put on some music?" Morty asked from his spot in the back.
"Not at all," Rick replied with the smile still on his face. Morty reached forward, turning the radio on, a song with a slow tempo filling the ship. Cas moved her foot along to the beat of the song, "What is that?" She asked, looking back at Morty.
"I just hit shuffle," Morty shrugged.
"Are you kidding? This universe," Rick laughed. He burped suddenly, covering his mouth before quickly saying, "Excuse me."
"We should listen to one random song a day, you know?" Morty suggested, "We'd end up hearing more songs we didn't like, but we'd discover a lot more that we did." He pointed out and Cas nodded with a bright smile on her face.
"That is an interesting concept. You know, it makes me wonder if there's an algorithmic expression that could achieved the ideal ratio," Rick said before chuckling at himself. "Listen to me - trying to calculate happiness over here. Especially when I have my main source of happiness right next to me," He grinned over at Cas who let her cheeks flush as Rick leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek.
"If anyone could, Rick," Morty said, smiling at his grandfather and Cas.
"Hey, here's something no science could measure, I'm real proud to be your grandpa, Morty," Rick told Morty. "And Cassie? I really should tell you I love you more often. So, I love you."
"Thanks, Rick. I love you," Morty responded to his part of Rick's statement.
"I love you more, darlin'," Cas smiled.
"Yeah, motherfucker! Yeah! Get it! Get some!" Rick called out as he leaned over a bowl he created out of the wax like material around them. Cas sat next to him on a ledge of the same wax around them she had created, occasionally reaching out to grip his lab coat. Morty sat not far from them, creating more and more pots out of the wax to keep himself busy as Rick mumbled and shouted to himself. Rick used the end of the vial he created to write into the wall next to him, "Right up your fucking bitch ass, you fuck! Guess who just discovered a new element?! You think you could do that, Morty? You think anyone but me could do that ever in a billion years? Do you think if God existed he could do it?"
Morty glanced over to Cas, who sat biting her tongue. Usually, she'd speak up when Rick was too tough on Morty but now, the fear of speaking up and angering Rick just paralyzed her. She was too terrified to say anything that could result in him leaving her behind.
"The answer is no. If God exists, it's fucking me!" Rick shouted and Cas nodded quickly.
"Yes, Rick. I-I agree, Rick," Morty whimpered out.
Rick pulled out two glowing rods, electricity crackling as he split it in half. "While you were flapping your parasitic turd holster and Cas was sitting on her ass, I discovered the toxic equivalent of electricity, Morty. What do you think about that?"
"Uh... I-I think my voice is annoying," Morty replied.
"It is, and it's your best quality," Rick pointed out, an odd moment of at least somewhat caring coming from him. He turned over to Cas, who forced a bright smile on her face. It was like she was back to the way she was before she ever told him she loved him. Following and supporting him like a lost puppy begging for even the smallest scrap of attention.
"Good job, darlin'," She told him with a forced cheery tone.
Cas practically bounced through the school halls, a lollipop in her mouth and her hand in Rick's as they searched for Morty. Rick chuckled at her as he noticed the way she tried her best not to step on the cracks between the tiles. She'd frown every time she stepped on one, a rather adorable scrunched up look on her face as she tried so hard not to get near one. "Look, there's Morty!" Cas said with a wide grin, pulling Rick over to where Morty stood with Jessica.
"Morty, a moment of your time?" Rick asked, his tone suddenly slightly serious.
"Happy to help, Rick," Morty smiled, waving Jessica goodbye and following the couple outside into the parking lot.
"I hate to bug you with this, but after our morning hike, I started receiving very faint, highly unusual transmissions on my sub ether phone," Rick said, pulling his phone from his pocket. He pressed the button, holding the phone out. Cas winced slightly at the sound of screams and other various sounds she was unable to place came through the phone.
"Bad phone. Chuck it," Morty suggested. "I downgraded to a clamshell for emergencies only. You know, if-if-if something's worth saying, it's worth eye contact."
"Uh, I-I-I traced the source of the call back to the spa we went to, Morty. I thought I could hear a voice in there, so I enhanced it, a-and listen. Cassie, you might wanna plug your ears." Rick said and went to press play, Cas furrowed her brows at that but the moment the screaming came through again, she winced. She could only assume the sound waves were disrupting some sort of electromagnetic field or something to do with that. After the short scream, Rick's voice came through the phone, Morty's whimpering behind him. "Hey, asshole! Remember us? You fucked us, you pieces of garbage! That's right, you're fucking garbage, not us. I'm a fucking genius and a god, right, Cassie?"
"Yes, you are. A genius and a god," Cas' voice whimpered out over the phone.
"You really think this thing can hold me? I'm gonna rip your throat-" Rick stopped the recording after that. Cas rose one eyebrow at that as Morty just stared up at Rick. "What if the toxic parts of us have their own identities, their own will to live? W-What if mine shares my intelligence and devised a way to reach out to us?" Rick said and leaning against the hood of a car. Morty jumped up next to him and Cas stood in front of Rick.
"Sounds like he's a lot of pain. Lot. O. Pain." Morty said, smacking his lips. "But, you know, you shouldn't have to deal with that, man. You know, let's work off your trauma with some urban spin yoga. It's amazing. You do yoga on a bike, but you have an at-risk preteen-"
"Can we do goat yoga instead?! I love goats. They're so cute!" Cas chimed in and Morty nodded quickly at her suggestion.
"I don't think I can just blow this off, guys. If I had known it worked this way, I wouldn't have detoxed. Well, I would have because I was toxic." Rick corrected himself, "Now I'm detoxed and I'm accountable to my toxins, right? It's a dilemma," Rick said, looking between Cas and Morty.
"I think I know what to do," Morty said and grabbed Rick's phone, snapping it in half.
"You know, darlin', the only problem here is a big fat brain that misses all those big problems to solve," Cas smiled and reaching out to pat Rick's head. "Focus on the pros here! I mean, we were on a date before this! When have you ever taken me out on a date? We're doing so good right now," Cas pointed out, cupping his face. She squished his cheeks together with a quiet "boop" and a giggle. Rick sighed slightly at that.
"Trust us, things are good. Taking that away from me... that wouldn't be healthy." Morty trailed off with a chuckle. "Oh, man. World's Greatest Grandpa, for reals. It's not just a coffee cup for you, bud. You're legit!"
"Come on! Let's go to do something to get that brain focusing on something else!" Cas grinned, pulling Rick up.
Cas had managed to drag Rick all over the town in hopes of getting his mind off his toxins. However, after she found herself asleep on the couch, cuddled up to him, he carefully snuck out from her grasp, thankful that Cas could be a fairly heavy sleeper. Cas woke up near the end of the movie they had turned on, seeing the credits rolling and a confused look on her face surfaced when she noticed Rick was gone. "Rick?" She asked and Rick glanced up at her just as Morty pulled up in a taxi behind them.
"Let's ask my Grandpa. He's a scientist," She heard Morty tell the woman that got out of the car with him. "Hey, Rick, are you familiar with 'benoi' technology?"
"Morty, Cassie, great news. I went back to the spa and they let me purchase the containment unit from their detoxifier," Rick told them with a smile and Cas' face dropped. She enjoyed the time with Rick without the lingering fear of him leaving deep in the pit of her stomach. It felt like she finally had her abandonment and parental issues sorted, and now Rick brought them back in the containment unit.
"Why, Rick?" Cas asked, cocking her head like a dog.
"Because we're coming home, bitch!" She saw the toxic version of Rick on the small screen Rick had put on the unit.
Cas could see the entirely green version of herself that was clutching tightly to Rick's coat next to him. It was nervous habit of her and she wasn't surprised it made it's way into toxic version of herself. The version of herself looked utterly terrified, a permanent look of fear on her face and her fingers shaking slightly, veins on her arms glowing. Cas knew exactly what the toxic version of was thinking. Fear of abandonment and lack of control over her own abilities. That's what she viewed as toxic inside her. That one day, she'd make a mistake and Rick would leave here in the dust, not on his own accord but because of her. That one day, her abilities would grow too much and she'd loose control one day, causing nothing but pain and havoc around her, which is why the green veins that crawled up her skin terrified each time it happened. The way the toxic version of herself was clutched to Rick showed that she was utterly terrified he'd leave her one day much like the real Cas was before.
Meanwhile, Cas also knew exactly what was going through Rick's toxic brain. All of Rick's attachments where there except for the attachment to Cas. Because deep down, the fear of hurting Cas was much more prevalent than his hatred of showing his emotions. He was open with Cas and they both knew it. The only thought that ran through Toxic Rick's head about Cas was the need to push her away so she wasn't hurt by him or get caught in his crossfire. Which is exactly why he smacked her hand off his lab coat, causing her to whimper at the sensation.
"What is this?" Morty said, furrowing his eyebrows at Rick.
"This is the parts of your pussy grandpa that keeps it real. Oh, oh, and I think you dropped something, too!" Toxic Rick snapped, pulling the Toxic Morty onto the screen too. "I don't want to be on camera. I'm ugly and gross, please," The Toxic Morty whined before Toxic Rick dropped him.
"Should I go?" The woman next to Morty asked.
"You're your own person, Stacy," Morty replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. Stacy announced she'd like to stay before Morty turned back to Rick. "Rick, please tell me you're not trying to put that stuff back inside of us."
"Yeah, I like not having all my anxieties," Cas said quietly and Rick gave her a sympathetic look.
"I'm sorry. That stuff is alive and it belongs with us," Rick told them. "We yanked them from their homes and locked them in a can." Rick hit his hand against the can, causing Toxic Rick to swear as the can shook. "See? They're living in pain."
"That's what they do, Rick, they live in pain," Morty argued. "They are pain, you know? They're all the bad parts of us, which, by the way, includes our dishonesty, so how do you know this isn't all some sort of crazy trick?" Rick's face fell slightly as he noticed Cas agree with Morty.
"Oh, so now because I'm made entirely of toxins I'm also a liar? Fuck you, you little sociopath. You hear this, Cas?" Toxic Rick snapped, pulling Toxic Cas back on to the screen. She whimpered slightly as Cas almost gave in, allowing Rick to help them again. "I-I don't wanna, I don't wanna hurt anybody, please." Toxic Cas whined, looking down at her hands that flowed with green energy. Cas looked down at her own, frowning slightly again. She hated that fear and she thought for sure she buried it, but seems the evolution of her abilities seemed to allow the fear to surface in the toxic version of herself. She wouldn't wish that fear on anyone.
"Healthy Rick, are we doing this or what?" Toxic Rick snapped, pushing Cas from the screen.
"Yep," Rick said and opened the door. Cas hesitated for a brief moment before following after him. "Sorry, Morty. I need you to step into the booth. Even Cas understands now," Rick said, looking at Morty.
"Don't negotiate with that little turd, dummy! You're the Rick. You need to show dominance," Toxic Rick angrily said before ordering his Morty and Cas into the booth.
"Come on, Morty," Rick tried, putting his hand on Morty's shoulder.
"Don't touch me!" Morty snapped, slapping Rick's hand away.
"Morty, do the healthy thing and voluntarily retoxify yourself," Rick urged and Morty glared up at him. "Come on, Morty. I know it's worrying but Rick's kind of right. We stuck them with all of our pain and anger and just left. We are kind of responsible for them." Cas attempted and Morty's glare shifted to her.
"No!" Morty shouted out as Rick tried to wrestle Morty into the booth. Cas stood on the threshold of the door to the booth, ready to move so Rick could push Morty in.
"Is it wrong if I think this is kind of hot?" Stacy asked out loud and Cas glared at her. "Hey, the old one's mine and the other's a child." Cas snapped as Rick finally pulled Morty into the booth, Morty slamming his hands on the booth door and beg Stacy to help him.
"Let me out of here! Stacy, help! Open the door!" Morty begged as the yellow-green lights began to turn on.
"I need to hear our safe word, Morty," Stacy told him. Cas grimaced as Morty began to shout, "Sea Cucumber!" In the blink of an eye, Stacy opened the door and shoved herself into the booth. She pushed the three out and Cas watched as the booth lit up and green gas began to spray. As it began to dissipate though, the Toxic versions of Rick, Cas and Morty stepped out.
"It worked! That idiot believed every word. Now let's see how he enjoys living in that shit tank," The Toxic Rick cheered. However, the looks on Toxic Cas and Morty's face made him stop. "He's right behind me, isn't he?"
"He's in front of you, darlin'," Toxic Cas said quickly as Toxic Morty pointed towards the trio.
"After 60 years of being bottled up inside a *burp* sentimental jackass, I finally get to live my own life," Toxic Rick said after wiping his eyes as they adjusted. Cas noticed the way Toxic Rick once again removed Toxic Cas' hand from his coat. It was battle between the two, one trying to gain affection and the other trying to stop the affection from hurting her. A part of Cas wanted to find out why the Toxic version of Rick would have that trait but she didn't question it.
"You said we were merging," Rick said with a worried look.
"I lied, dumbass! I lied about everything!" Toxic Rick said, crossing his arms with a smirk. "Why would I ever re-merge with a pussy like you?"
"That's kind of a mean move," Cas spoke up, a scrunched up angry look on her face. "Yeah, you were just going to trap us in that tank? That was your plan?" Rick added, cocking his head slightly.
"Not was, motherfucker - still is," Toxic Rick said before punching Rick in the face. Cas jumped back at the sudden movement. Yet, before she could do anything, her own fists were covered in the green wisps of the Toxic version of herself. She swore under her breath at that. Granted, it would be rather easy to take out the part of her that was terrified of her own abilities, she also knew that no matter what, all versions of herself, toxic or not, would do anything for Rick.
"Fuck," She mumbled, sending a blast towards herself.
Morty jumped back as Toxic Rick and Rick began to fight throughout the garage while both Cas' threw the same blasts of green energy towards each other. He honestly wasn't sure what to do, but followed after both fights as best he could. Cas was clearly winning over her toxic self as it seemed the toxic version of her spent less time truly controlling every aspect. Cas was able to conjure much larger balls of energy around her hands while Toxic Cas' were only the size of her palms. Yet, Toxic Cas had a rather good defensive strategy leaving them almost entirely evenly matched.
Cas managed to finally get the Toxic version of herself down after using the brief moment of distraction when Toxic Rick fell to the ground, a growing version of Rick crawling out of him. With both hands to her temples and Cas' much more advanced abilities, the Toxic version of her fell to the ground unconscious after a small wave of green energy came from Cas' fingertips.
Leaving Toxic Cas in her spot on the dining room table, Cas ran into the living room. "Hands off," She called out as Toxic Rick kicked him in the face and went to grab Rick while he was down. Cas was quick to send a blast his way, knocking Toxic Rick back with a huge groan. Cas went to send another attack, only quickly turning the energy into a force field around her and Rick as his ship crashed through the ceiling. "I-I did it, Rick! I got the tank! I-I'm a piece of shit but I got the tank!" Toxic Morty cried out.
"You're both going in that tank, motherfuckers!" Toxic Rick snapped, "You're gonna live in that toxic shit wasteland like I had to do!"
Cas remained crouched next to her Rick, her glowing green hands up in defense. She was fully ready to attack before Morty jumped into the ship, biting Toxic Morty. The ship wildly flew around the room, crashing into everything. Cas pulled Rick out of the way of the crash, Toxic Rick following behind him as the ship stopped and Beth entered the room.
"Dads...?" She asked awkwardly as both versions of her dad stood in front of her, stark naked.
"Okay, just - just leave her out of it," Rick pleaded.
"Alright, fuck this. Time for plan B," Toxic Rick snapped, pulling Morty out of the ship. Cas caught him with a blast of green energy, preventing him from any injury. "If I can't trap you in a toxic world, I'll just make the whole world toxic," He jumped into the ship, flipping them off before flying away.
"Is wrong he's kind of hot?" Cas asked, looking up at her Rick, who rose half his brow at her.
Yet, he ignored Cas' comment and turned to Beth and Summer, "I'm so sorry, girls. I-I'm so sorry I put us in danger with some of my behavior." He apologized, "If you'd like, I can go out in the g-garden, pick some fresh basil and make us a nice Scallopini." Rick offered with a smile and Cas perked up at that, the previous events completely leaving her mind before she remembered the Toxic version of herself still laid on the half broken dining room table.
"What did the booger version of you mean when he said he was going to make the whole world toxic? And why is Cas carrying the booger version of herself?" Beth asked and Rick looked behind him to see Cas was carrying herself bridal style.
"Believe me, sweetie, that man's motivations are a mystery," Rick replied.
"Screw that, Rick. We have the bad version of Cas. We need to use her to stop him," Morty said confidently. "What's the last thing you'd think about doing with that tank thing?" Morty asked and Rick crouched down to his height.
"Morty, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it's not our place, you know, to pick and choose which world gets saved from what apocalypse. Our - Our toxins have as much as right to their worldview as-" Rick was cut off by Morty slapping him. "Morty, how is it healthy to slap me?"
"Obviously, my version of health is a hell of a lot different from yours, you useless old turd," Morty snapped.
It was as if a lightbulb went off in Rick and Cas' brains. They shared a glance and Rick stood up, "Wait. That's it," Rick mumbled. "How could that detox machine know the difference between healthy and sick for everything that goes through it? It can't! It must be by the individuals own definition of toxicity. That means..." Rick trailed off, slapping Morty.
"Dad!" Beth shouted.
"What the - What the hell, Rick?" Morty exclaimed, holding his cheek.
"I'll explain on the way. Cas bring yourself!"
Cas jumped down, a small burst of energy below her feet as she stabilized before landing on the platform. Behind her, landed the Toxic Cas, who was still passed out but with a burst of green energy, she was delicately placed on the landing. "Remember me?" Rick asked as he landed just after Cas.
"Didn't you learn last time that you can't beat me?" Toxic Rick snapped.
"Yeah, I did. And then I learned something else. This," Rick reached into his coat, pulling out a small gun. He shot into Toxic Morty's knee and Toxic Morty fell to the ground with a loud shout of pain. "That bullet is laced with an encrypted nanobotic virus that will disintegrate your Morty in about, ah, 20 minutes." Rick shrugged and Toxic Rick's face morphed into anger.
"You think I give a shit?"
"I know you give a shit, dummy. Because I know I don't. Here's another thing I know," Rick pointed to himself. "The description key that neutralizes the virus. You want it? Come and get it. Your Cas already agreed to it, just as long as you and I merge as well." Rick motioned to Cas, who stood next to him with a slight smirk. "Merge with me, and you'll know how to save him."
"Pfft. Come on, man. I've been trapped in your pussy brain for 60 years of delusions, but this is the all-time weakest bluff that I've ever-" Toxic Rick was cut off by Cas using her abilities to pull the gun from Rick's hand and point it towards Toxic Cas next to her. She hesitated for a brief moment but pulled the trigger, hitting the Toxic Cas in the stomach. It woke her up with a start and she started crying out in pain. The sound of her pain made Toxic Rick flinch for a brief moment. "Jesus Christ! What are you doing?!"
"She upping the stakes. 20 minutes for each of them," Morty stated.
"What is your problem?" Toxic Rick snapped.
"Oh, I had all my problems removed. My entitlement, my narcissism, my fear of hurting Cas, my 'irrational attachments'." Rick mocked, "They must be somewhere. They ain't over here, bro."
"I'm not going back in there!"
"Honestly, I don't care either way," Rick shrugged. "I hate having you in me. And when I say honestly, you can believe it, because we both know I'm too healthy to lie. Watch," Rick pulled the gun back from Cas, shooting the Toxic Morty and Toxic Cas twice each, cutting their time to five minutes each.
"Alright! Knock it off! You're not impressing anyone," Toxic Rick crouched next to Morty, assuring he was okay. "Morty, Cas, not that I give a shit, but are you okay?" The toxic Morty wailed out in pain and Toxic Rick looked over as Toxic Cas who was whimpering in pain and reaching out for him.
"It hurts," Toxic Cas whimpered out. "Jesus Christ, it hurts," Morty whined out at the same time.
"Relax, quit your bitching," Toxic Rick snapped. "You're gone be fine. Grandpa's here. I'm here, Cassie," Toxic Rick assured as he let Cas' hand grip his empty one. Rick, however, laughed at that. "You think that's funny?"
"Y-you gotta have a sense of humor about these things." Rick chuckled, "Oh wait, you can't. You're literally incapable of seeing the bigger picture. I guess it's just funny because you've never done anything but complain about me being in charge, but if I ever gave you the wheel we'd be dead in five minutes You poor, dumb, sick animal," Rick taunted, hands on his hips.
"Rick?" Toxic Cas whimpered out, her tight grip in his hand loosening.
"Ahh! Just do it! Just do it, you piece of-" Toxic Rick shouted but was cut off by Rick sticking the device into his forehead and then into his own neck, sucking the toxins back into himself. "I'm back, baby! Regular Rick! Master of both worlds! Check it out," Rick grinned, leaning over to let out a quick fart. "Excuse me," He mocked his earlier mannerisms.
"My turn?" Cas asked and Rick nodded, leaning down to inject a small syringe into Toxic Cas' neck to stop to virus before plugging the device into her neck. Cas shoved the other end into her arm, winced momentarily as the toxins went into her body once more. "Fuck yeah! I didn't realize how much I'd miss those toxins." She cheered, throwing herself forwards to placing a quick kiss on Rick's lips.
"Now, we'll just reverse this hack toxicity beam," Rick said and stepped forward to push the lever up. However, Cas smiled as she gripped the sleeve of his coat and he smiled back at her as the green filter left the world and it was all back to normal. "Man, I really over think shit when I'm angry," Rick mumbled, looking around.
"That's why you have me," Cas grinned.
"Exactly," Rick agreed. "Alright, Morty. Now it's time we re-merge your little ass," Rick said and turned to Morty only to see him flying off on the jet pack. Cas leaned down, putting and arm around the whimpering Toxic Morty. She tried to help him sit up as much as possible as she watched Morty fly off.
"You're a better man than me, Rick. I'm healthy enough to admit that!" Morty called out before he disappeared from an eyeshot.
"That kid is a real piece of shit," Rick commented before crouching next to Cas and Toxic Morty.
"Y-Y-You're gonna save me, right?" Toxic Morty stuttered out in pain.
"A part of me wanted to, Toxic Morty. Part of me really wanted too," Rick said with a concerned look as he pulled an extraction device from his coat.
It had been weeks since they had seen Morty. They tried everything to track him down but nothing seemed to work. He had blocked their numbers and even trying to have Jessica call him was a dead end. Rick wouldn't admit it to Cas, or even Jessica, but Cas could see how the lack of having Morty around effected him. He'd drunk dial any number, some of which happened to be Cas' even though she was usually sitting next to him when he did. Finally, after a long time of convincing and 20 dollars later, Cas was able to get Jessica to attempt to call Morty once more. And thankfully, Morty answered, leading them to an apartment complex in Seattle, ironically not far from where they lived.
Rick sent the small little flying drones in first, grabbing Morty and the woman he was with. "Sorry, tiny American Psycho," Rick said as him, Cas and Jessica jumped down from the portal. "Time to take the opposite of your medicine," Rick burped out.
"Do what you gotta do," Morty said and Rick reached forward, pushing the toxins inside Morty with the extraction device he used on Toxic Morty. Morty let out a pained scream at the feeling and failed on the ground for a moment before he stood up, rubbing his head.
"So, how do you feel, Morty?" Jessica asked carefully.
"Ah, geez. I'm miserable," Morty replied.
"Am I good or what?" Rick grinned, placing his hands back on his hips proudly.
"I guess it's worth it, though, to know how much you care," Morty said to Jessica. Cas cringed slightly at that, knowing she was the one to pay Jessica to come with them in the first place.
"Care? Me? Morty, I'm fine with you. I only did this for him," Jessica said and pointed towards Rick.
"You lying bitch," Rick denied. "She kept coming to our house, Morty, and kept asking me 'did-did-did you get a new Morty yet?'"Rick partially lied and Cas rose an eyebrow. "Because you kept drunk dialing me and her to cry about it," Cas pointed out and Rick scrunched his face up at that.
"Yeah! Cas paid me 20 bucks for this!" Jessica argued.
Morty watched the three bicker for a moment, Cas switching sides between the other two as if she was a mediator. After a brief moment, he stepped aside, most likely to tell the woman what was happening and that he had to leave. "Don't try to pin this on me, darlin'. You're the one who cuddled up to me all night and whined about it.," Cas argued.
"Oh, cause you were any better," Rick pointed out.
"... You can keep the apartment. And- and- and uh, the drones," Morty said, making Rick stop his argument and cross his arms.
"She can't keep the drones," Rick snapped, motioning to the drones that hovered above him and Cas. "They turn into a little Voltron robot. They're awesome," Rick said as the drones did exactly what he said they did. "You can't keep the drones," Rick glared slightly.
"Yeah, and they called me the childish one," Cas rolled her eyes with a slight smile.