Chapter 7.

Chapter 7: A Slice of Life with Morty

The workshop was unusually quiet. It had been a few days since the heated confrontation with P. Diddy, and the team had spent most of their time mulling over their next steps. Even though there was a looming sense of tension, the team found themselves in a rare moment of peace. They were actually getting along. For now.

Hikari leaned back in his chair, spinning his roulette wheel with a casual flick of his wrist. Clara was busy tinkering with one of her gadgets, making adjustments to her latest invention. Gojo, as always, was lounging against the wall, his eyes hidden behind his dark sunglasses as he observed everyone with a smirk. Sans, ever the relaxed one, was leaning against the doorframe, chewing on a toothpick and looking half-asleep.

The quiet was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of a portal opening—a swirling, glowing vortex that appeared out of nowhere.

"Ah, here we go," Rick's voice rang out from the other side of the portal. "C'mon Morty, hurry up!"

The portal expanded with a whoosh, and through it stumbled a very disoriented Morty. The gang watched in silence as he awkwardly tripped over his own feet, tumbling into the room and landing in a heap on the floor.

"Oof—ow! God, Rick, I told you that portal was unstable! What the heck is this place?!" Morty groaned as he pushed himself up, dusting himself off.

Rick stepped through the portal behind him, looking entirely unbothered by Morty's mishap. He glanced around the room, raising an eyebrow when he saw the eclectic group of characters.

"Oh, hey, I didn't expect this many people. What a weird bunch you've got here, Morty. This is gonna be fun." Rick smirked, clearly enjoying the chaos of the situation.

Morty, still trying to shake off his dizziness, took a few steps back and blinked at the team. "W-who are these people, Rick? What is this place? It looks like… like a weird mix of, like, Victorian industrial and futuristic tech? I don't even… ugh."

Clara looked at Morty and gave him a friendly smile. "Hi there! I'm Clara. We're just hanging out. It's not as dangerous as it looks… usually."

Gojo chuckled and uncrossed his arms. "You must be Morty. We've heard a lot about you. You're Rick's sidekick, right? How does that feel?"

Morty blushed slightly at Gojo's attention. "Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that. I mean, it's… it's complicated, y'know?"

"Yeah, I'm Rick's grandson," Morty corrected sheepishly. "But, uh, I'm not sure what I walked into here. Are you all, like, superheroes or something? You look like you could fight anything."

Hikari laughed, leaning forward with a grin. "You could say we're more like super chaotic people. We've been through a lot, Morty."

"Like what?" Morty asked, intrigued now, though his face still showed signs of wariness.

"Well," Rick began, stepping forward and patting Morty on the back, "there's a giant cursed robot that looks like Sukuna, Gojo here is a literal powerhouse, and I think this guy"—he pointed to Hikari—"might just be gambling with fate every time he spins that wheel. You'd think he's addicted to it."

Hikari waved him off with a dismissive hand. "Nah, I'm just lucky. Besides, you gotta live life with a little gamble in it, right?"

Rick rolled his eyes, muttering to himself about how lucky he was for not having to deal with Morty's existential crisis all the time.

Morty looked wide-eyed at the group, his hands raised defensively. "Wait, hold up. You mean this place is, like, super dangerous? Should I be worried?"

"Not really," Gojo said, grinning. "It's just the usual level of chaos. You'll be fine, kid."

"Yeah, don't worry about it!" Clara chimed in. "Just a regular day in the multiverse… you know, fighting weird robots and solving mysteries. The usual."

Sans shrugged with his usual casualness. "For the record, I'm just here for the snacks."

Rick groaned. "And that's what you're known for, huh, Sans? Just... snacks?"

Suddenly, Rick turned to Morty with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Alright, Morty, let's get you caught up. But I warn you, this place is probably going to mess with your brain for a bit. We've got time for some down time, though. Might as well relax for a while. You deserve it."

Morty gave Rick a skeptical look. "Relax? After the stuff you just said? I don't know if I can relax here… this is way too weird."

Just as Morty was about to voice his concerns, Hikari clapped his hands together. "Hey, hey! If you're feeling like too much action, why not just chill with us for a bit? We can show you how we pass the time when we're not battling evil robots or getting into messes."

"Yeah, dude," Sans added with a grin, "we got a good spread of chill activities. I can show you how to nap without ever falling asleep. It's a gift."

Clara stood up, brushing her hands on her pants. "We could all take a break for a bit. Honestly, Morty, it's not all fighting and chaos. Sometimes we just hang out like regular people."

Gojo nodded in agreement, his expression softening a little. "Yeah, sometimes it's nice to take a step back and just… be people. We don't always have to be in battle mode."

With a skeptical glance at Rick, who was already setting up some sort of bizarre contraption, Morty finally sighed and let out a defeated laugh. "Well… if you say so. I guess I could use a break from running for my life all the time."

Rick, setting up what looked like a ridiculous-looking "dimensional game system," grinned widely. "Finally! The first part of the plan worked. Now you'll see, Morty, this is what a real vacation looks like."

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A Slice of Life: The Relaxation Zone

The group spent the rest of the afternoon doing things they usually never got to do—without the looming threat of some cursed sorcerer or murderous robot hanging over their heads.

Clara and Morty hit it off surprisingly well as they discussed their shared love for science and tinkering. Clara even handed Morty a few of her gadgets to play with, and the boy, eager to prove himself, got to work trying to improve them.

Sans made an impromptu game out of teaching Morty how to do absolutely nothing. The idea was simple: he would give Morty the seemingly impossible task of napping, but with a twist—you can't actually fall asleep. Morty, naturally, failed miserably, but they laughed about it anyway.

Hikari set up a "high-stakes" roulette game with some very low-stakes consequences (a.k.a. the loser would have to perform a silly dance, much to Rick's amusement). Morty got roped into the game and lost miserably, which led to him doing the "Robot Chicken Dance" in front of everyone—much to his humiliation and the team's delight.

Gojo, for once, dropped his smug attitude and simply lounged around with everyone. He even indulged in a quiet conversation with Morty about how to handle the stress of being in the "spotlight," though Morty didn't fully understand Gojo's absurd level of power. But Morty appreciated the advice nonetheless.

At some point, as the team gathered around the table to share stories of their respective dimensions, Rick looked over at Morty, who was still chuckling from Hikari's antics. A rare, almost wistful look crossed his face.

"Alright, kid," Rick said, patting Morty's shoulder. "Enjoy it while you can. But remember—this isn't how things always go down."

Morty turned to him, confused. "What do you mean, Rick?"

Rick waved a dismissive hand. "Forget it. Let's just say, even on our best days, things tend to go sideways. So enjoy this while you can."

But for now, the team—strange as they were—were finally at peace, living in a moment of serenity that was rare in their chaotic lives. A brief escape before the next crisis inevitably found them.

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To be continued…