This was bad. Diabolically bad.

Rick didn't DO feelings. He was fucking Rick, for God's sake. Love was just a chemical reaction that compelled people to breed. Rick had lost his "love" a long time ago, he definitely wasn't getting a new one. At least that was the plan. And Rick was infamous for deviating from the plan.

It started out innocent enough. You were Summer's college roommate, and far smarter. Not that Summer as stupid by any means, but you knocked her out of the park. Rick had dragged you to the garage, bitching and moaning about how he needed someone "with an IQ higher than fuckin' Morty" to help with his work.

And then visits became more frequent. You always came over with Summer when visiting from college, and you always stopped in the garage. You became familiar with Rick's tech. With his lunacy. Rick even found himself attempting to be sober in your presence.

"Are you sure you have to go back to that shithole?" Rick asked, fiddling with the controls of his portal gun. "What could you possibly be learning there that I can't teach you here?"

His tone was icy. Rude. As arrogant as usual. But there was an underlying message of twisted affection. An unspoken STAY WITH ME disguised as disdain.