Morty huffed, running around the house. He had spent all of yesterday introducing AJ, as he had grown to call Avery Jones, to the house. The boy had demanded Morty hold him the entire time, never making a sound save for squeals of protest whenever Morty went to set him down. He'd spent all of yesterday doing everything while Sam went to work, and now the man was sleeping all day. It was nearing three and the man refused to leave the couch. He was wide awake now, after Morty had rudely thrown him from the couch and made AJ smile.
Morty was growing tired of being the only one doing anything around the house, and it was nearing enough for him. He was either going to kick Sam out, move out himself, or blow up in the man's face. They were friends living together. There was no reason why Morty was the only one cleaning, the only one whose money went towards bills while Sam sat on his ass and did nothing. Sure, he sounded like a pissed wife, but it was true.
Now, as he set the house up for guests and borrowed the neighbor's trampoline for a day, he was frustrated. The neighbor's wife had actually come out to help because Sam wouldn't get off his ass, and Morty had thanked her profusely, gaining a wide smile as she explained that he was such a busy man already with the child that he needed some sort of help. He'd thanked Mrs. Addams profusely before she'd gone off to her own house after meeting AJ.
Morty had spent most of yesterday trying to convince AJ to call him dad, to speak at all, and he decided to use what little time he had left to repeat that, watching AJ bounce on his bed as he changed into black shorts and a tight white t-shirt.
"Point," Morty directed, getting AJ to point at him. The little brunet did so adorably and grinned. "Dad," Morty spoke, urging AJ to repeat him. The little boy just shook his head and grinned more, grunting as he jumped on the bed again. "Dad," Morty tried once more, urging AJ to repeat him. He received a small babble and laughed triumphantly. "We're making progress!" he announced, picking AJ up from the bed and carrying him to the living room. He set the toddler on the ground, glad he was fine with it this time, and tried once more. He pointed to himself, getting AJ to do the same.
"'ada," he heard quietly before he even tried. His jaw fell before he grinned, pointing to himself again. "'ada!" AJ announced once more, slightly louder. "Say 'dada'," Morty urged, willing the child to finish the name. The child shook his head, folding his arms and pouting. Morty frowned lightly, sighing as he moved to shove Sam from the couch. "Up, doofus, they're gonna be here soon."
"Don't wanna," Sam protested, sitting up and grabbing a shirt. Morty made his way around the room, cleaning up Sam's mess and handing AJ his small rabbit. He walked through the kitchen, grabbing a cola and AJ's sippy cup.
"Daddy!" he heard, spinning to find AJ in the doorway. "What?" he questioned dumbly. AJ pointed at him, "Daddy!" Morty grinned. He'd spent part of yesterday introducing AJ to every parental term, trying to get the kid to say at least one word. He didn't want him to grow up a mute. "That's right!" Morty laughed, handing AJ his sippy cup after filling it with apple juice. The child laughed, happily gulping down the sweet fluid as Morty urged him to head back to the living room. Light knocks on the front door seemed to scare AJ and he almost dropped his cup. Morty sighed lightly, patting the boy's head in an assuring way before he walked to the door, finding Don and his family to be the first to arrive, with Gary not too far behind.
"Afternoon," Don greeted with a smile. His wife did the same as Morty ushered them in. "Hey, guys! Good to see you!" Morty greeted, glancing over to find Sam still seated on the couch, out of it. Gary hurried up the walkway and Morty picked AJ up carefully, lightly kicking the door shut while the other settled into the area. "So that's the little guy?" Gary questioned. Morty nodded, seeing Don talking to his own son. Connor was almost six now, roughly AJ's age and size. AJ seemed both curious and afraid at the same time, never dropping his cup as he eyed the small boy.
"Yea. This is Avery Jones, or AJ for short. He's almost a mute, and he's so shy. I'll tell you all about it once everybody gets here. Do you guys want anything? There's a bunch of snacks and things lined up on the counter. Sorry it's a mess. It's hard to do on your own," Morty complained, glancing at Sam to find the man sighing and rolling his eyes. Don laughed lightly, his wife, Clara, following behind as their toddler seemed interested in AJ.
"Do you wanna play?" Morty questioned, seeing his son still eyeing Connor almost suspiciously. AJ nodded, still sipping at the apple juice, and Morty almost sighed in relief. He was worried AJ would cry and remain in his arms all day. Carefully, he set AJ on the floor, watching him stare at Connor and wobble over to the slightly older toddler. He ran over and grabbed his toy, dropping his sippy cup, and ran over to the couch, climbing up next to Sam and playing with his new friend. Sure, the kid didn't talk much, but Morty loved hearing him laugh, even if it was quiet and contained.
"Troublemakers," Clara commented, walking back over with Don. Gary seemed to nod in agreement with her while Don enjoyed some of the chips Morty had laid out. He heard more knocks, walking over curiously while Don and Clara kept an eye on the two playing near a very non-observant Sam.
"Oh, hey," Don called over while Morty made his way to the door, "I brought something for him. I dunno where to put it."
"Aw, you didn't have to," Morty called back, pausing just before the door. "I guess just set it near the counter. I'll figure something out."
Morty answered the door with a smile, finding Andrew standing with his daughter, along with the rest of the bouncers and their children Morty had yet to see. Sal, Andrew's daughter, was around AJ's age, though Morty couldn't remember the exact number. "Hi!" Morty greeted, ushering them inside. He smiled warmly, seeing that they also brought something for AJ. Morty was about to close the door when he saw the baby blue mustang parking on the curb in front of his house. He almost laughed, seeing Rick walking across his yard, lazily carrying a teddy bear for AJ, obviously.
"You actually came," Morty commented, shutting the door behind the man. Rick nodded with a subtle shrug, drawing his lips to one side and looking around. "Where do I put the bear?" he asked almost awkwardly. Morty pointed to the pile he hadn't expected with a laugh, hearing what he hoped to be the last set of knocks on his door. He found Jo waiting on his doorstep with a grin and a few Ty animals. "Jo-Jo!" Morty greeted, drawing his friend into a hug before he shut the door. "Ey, Mo-Jo," he replied. "You can put that over there," Morty directed, having Jo set the toys with the rest. "I guess I didn't count on people bringing him things." Morty found Jo returning after a moment, seeing Rick holding conversation with Gary. "Hope I wasn't too late. Miami is the worst place to drive at 3PM."
"Yea, it sure is," Morty agreed. "Hey kid!" he found Gary waving him over, excusing himself from Jo. The man nodded, going off to talk to Don.
"Alright, little guy. Where's the toddler? You always have cute kids." Morty laughed, shaking his head as he looked around. "He's around here somewhere. You gotta be real careful, though. He didn't come from a good home, so he's really nervous." Morty looked around for his kid, finding everybody else's toddler other than his own. "Huh," he muttered, looking around. "I'll be right back," Morty announced, wandering down the halls and looking for his kid. AJ wasn't in his room, or hiding near his dresser. Morty sighed, walking into his own room as he found the door cracked open, wondering how hard it was for AJ to open that door. He shook his head, finding AJ standing near his bed, his thumb in his mouth and ready to cry. "Aw, baby, c'mere," Morty cooed, walking towards AJ. The toddler ran over to him, pulling his thumb from his mouth and reaching up for Morty. The brunet scooped him up quickly, walking to his bathroom and cleaning the drool from AJ's hand. He made his way back to the group, making his way back to Gary. Several men, and the wives he didn't know, cooed at AJ, smiling as he shyly hid away.
"I present to you," he grabbed Gary's attention, "AJ Smith." Morty laughed as Gary pulled a face of both awe and utter adoration. "It's another baby-face!" he exclaimed, watching AJ hide himself away. "And he's shy, too. You're raising yourself all over again," Gary remarked, trying to get AJ to look at him. "He's more than shy. He's practically a mute. AJ," Morty grabbed his attention. "Wave." Morty watched AJ give a shy wave, opening and closing his fingers, before he wrapped them around Morty's necklace.
"So he don't talk?" Gary questioned. Morty nodded, smiling at Rick as the man eyed the child curiously. "The most he's done is called me 'ada and daddy, but that's all I can get out of him." Morty adjusted the toddler, "AJ, who am I?"
"Daddy," the toddler replied, hiding his face in Morty's shoulder. "See? He's got a pretty odd story, but I'm just glad I got him. I was worried because they asked what I did for a living. I guess I just freaked out over nothing, but it's hard saying you work four to two and you're gonna raise a child like that. But it worked out. The judge looking over the files said he'd never seen somebody more fit to raise a child before, and I couldn't believe it when the lady in charge of inspections walked him out and they asked if I was changing his last name. It used to be Kodelman. Avery Jones Kodelman. And now it's Smith, and I'm a proud papa." Morty laughed, rubbing AJ's back to calm him down. He was very easily scared and there were a lot of strangers he didn't know.
"Well, shit," Gary laughed. "You're definitely worthy of being a dad. You're oddly patient and you just take your time with everything. And you're just a dad. I'm still papa bear. Gotta keep y'all in line."
Morty grinned, shifting AJ to have him face the two he was closest with. He stared at the two and hid away again, leading Gary to laugh and step back. "He looks like he's gonna cry," Rick commented now, still watching AJ almost curiously. Morty glanced down and sighed, though there wasn't much he could do. AJ looked up at the sound of Rick's voice, staring at the man. He pointed as best a child could and stared at Morty with innocent green eyes. "'ada'," he babbled. Morty laughed, turning AJ so he could see Rick now. "You wanna see him?" Morty questioned. "'ada!" AJ repeated. Morty shook his head and sighed, facing Rick now. "Well now you gotta hold him," he commented. Rick shook his head with a short laugh, "I think he's good where he is."
"Nope," Morty countered, walking towards Rick. AJ was still reaching towards him. "He's curious. You gotta let him meet you. Maybe it's a good thing. He's not too shy." Morty stood directly next to Rick, between him and Gary now. AJ was practically crawling out of Morty's arms, forcing Rick to essentially catch him. The man sighed, pulling the toddler to himself. "Hi," he mumbled. AJ, Morty, and Gary each laughed, leading Rick to look around almost in disbelief. "Don't laugh at me," he grumbled, shifting the toddler. AJ laughed again, grabbing Rick's top button. "You sure he isn't actually yours?" Rick questioned with a laugh, watching the toddler play with his buttons. Morty shrugged, "I mean, unless somebody did something while I was sleeping. Maybe I'm just rubbin' off on him pretty good."
"'ada!" AJ said again, leading Morty to laugh. "Now we gotta get him used to you," he pointed to Gary, seeing the bouncer smiling at the toddler. Morty watched as AJ poked Rick's face, his hand being lightly swatted away before he did it again. He grabbed the shades Rick had tucked into his shirt, toying with them. Morty and Gary both watched Rick smile and take the shades, placing them carefully on the toddler once he opened them. "I feel like he wouldn't notice if we walked away right now," Gary commented. Morty nodded in agreement, "I don't think either of them would, honestly. Since Sam's a lazy ass, wanna help me set the front yard up real quick? I feel like it's getting really crowded in here, plus the kids could run around. I borrowed my neighbors trampoline and everything."
"Sure, kid. Honestly, they're gonna be fine for a while." Morty nodded, walking away with Gary while Rick was occupied with the child wearing his shades.
"You make a great parent," Gary commented, helping Morty set up a few folding tables and move the snacks to it. "It's great that you're putting yourself out there, taking the responsibility like that." Morty grinned, carrying the last little bit of drinks outside. "Well, thanks Gary. I've just always really wanted a kid of my own, one to influence in a good way."
"Well you're doing all the right things with this one. Somehow, he preferred Rick, but eh." Gary laughed as the two rounded the house, relocating the trampoline as Morty waved politely to his neighbor. "You got a nice home to raise him in. I just hope you can juggle a kid and all your work. Just don't let the wrong folks know you have something so valuable. Kids are always a target in our line of work. You want something, go for something or somebody they value most. AJ could be dangerous for you."
Morty sighed, setting the trampoline down with Gary and making his way back to the house. "I know. I'm gonna do everything I can to avoid something happening to that kid." Gary nodded in approval while Morty went around, telling everybody there was a trampoline to tire the toddlers out. All of the parents looked thankful, gathering their kids and throwing them towards the trampoline. Only one did so literally. Don tossed his son onto the trampoline with a grin and walked away.
Morty and Gary both laughed, finding Rick wandering towards them with AJ. "You left me with your child," he commented. "And he keeps calling me 'ada or whatever." Morty laughed, holding his arms out and taking AJ back. "He's calling you dada, which it what I couldn't get from his yesterday." Morty grinned at AJ, finding the toddler still staring at Rick. "You have another fan," he remarked. Rick nodded, staring at AJ with a grin before he took his shades back. "Got some style, that one." He tucked his shades away while Morty laughed, setting AJ down and letting him wander towards the other toddlers curiously. "I'll be by my car. Got a nasty habit," Rick commented, holding up a pack of cigarettes and walking towards his car. Morty looked over after nodding and found AJ running after Rick. "Uh-oh," Gary commented, trying to corral the kid while Morty worked to pick him back up. "Better hurry. He misses you already." Morty worked at calming the tantrum-ready toddler while Rick laughed and stood by his car, quickly lighting a cigarette and waving at AJ from across the yard. The toddler had officially begun to cry and Morty sighed, trying to shush AJ.
"I gotta go over there," Morty commented with a grimace. "Second hand smoke's bad, I know, but he's already attached." Gary nodded, frowning lightly. "I guess, yea. You sure he can't wait five minutes?" Morty nodded, trying to calm AJ down before he cried any harder. Gary sighed, "Alright. I'll be over here. But I wanna hear the kid's story, so be ready to spin a tale after." Morty gave a slight thumbs up, crossing the yard. Rick glanced over quizzically, drawing the cigarette from his mouth and exhaling quickly. "Not good for him, bein' over here." Morty nodded with a sigh, shifting AJ. "He was throwing a fit because you walked away from him." Rick sighed, nodding before he took a long drag. Morty sidestepped so the smoke wouldn't blow in either his or AJ's faces, sighing as the toddler reached towards Rick. The brunet wiped his teary face and sighed again. "Jesus, he's really into you for some reason," Morty commented, fighting to hold the toddler still. Rick laughed, choking slightly as he'd been in the process of taking another drag. AJ laughed hard at that, furthering Rick's own laughter as the child babbled nonsensically. "How the hell am I supposed to leave if he's like this?"
"Right?" Morty laughed, swaying AJ while Rick hurried and finished his cigarette, stepping on the butt once he dropped it to the concrete. "Hurry before he throws another fit," Morty laughed, handing the toddler to Rick and wandering back to the group. "He won't play with the others," Morty commented, "but he'll play with you."
"Alright, kid, we're all waiting for a story." Gary commented, trapping Morty and bringing him towards the large group of individuals cooing at AJ as Rick followed behind. "Alright," Morty sighed, playing with AJ for a quick moment before he left Rick to keep him distracted.
"So, this is Avery Jones, for those that didn't know what AJ stood for. His last name was Kodelman, and he came from a town just a few hours from here. His mom was pretty alright, from what I heard, but his dad was a different story. He had four siblings, and he was the youngest. His mom wasn't home as much, and his dad was a very heavy drinker, so he was left home with his dad and his siblings. He actually spent an insane amount of time locked in a closet and he wasn't allowed to make much noise. Always quiet, always left alone. His siblings were mean and his parents weren't responsible. When they actually found him, you could count every single one of his ribs and he wasn't doing too well. His parents were, obviously, charged with child abuse, neglect, etcetera. They're in prison now, and his other siblings were adopted long before he was. He's almost a mute, very shy, and he's afraid of small spaces. I'm hoping I can give him that normal childhood he needs from this point on, but it's a little difficult right now. He's very special. He also hates loud noises, but we were working on that yesterday. I finally got him to call me 'daddy', so we're making some headway with the whole mute thing." Morty grinned, facing AJ. "Now several people pointed out that he looked like he was my actual, biological, son. How many of you see that?" Everybody raised their hand after a moment and Morty laughed. "Now, the best part is we actually have the same birthday."
There was a lot of laughter from the group now as Morty grinned, watching people walk over and carefully greet AJ. The toddler, obviously, hid away, but, somehow, Rick managed to keep him calm.
AJ laughed when Gary walked over, the bouncer being ecstatic as the child finally recognized his existence, at least. "Eee," AJ babbled, laughing at Gary. The man gave a triumphant laugh, tickling AJ while Rick suffered flailing limbs with a grin.
"Yo, Morty!" The brunet spun to find Al calling over to him, the man approaching Morty while he waited expectantly. "You got a good kid. We're all wonderin' if you got somebody lined up to act as his other parental unity." Morty laughed, shaking his head. "Nope, not at the moment. Why's it so important to y'all?"
"Well," Al began, pointing to AJ, "a kid like that needs two parents. We all know how Sam is. But, now that we know, expect us to try and set you up."
"Oh, no," Morty complained. "Don't you start playing dating guru or some dream daddy shit. I think he's perfectly find with one parent."
"Dream daddy..." Al trailed off, wriggling his brows with a laugh. "We gotta get you one of those. And one for the kid, too."
"Al!" Morty laughed, shooing the man away. Morty spun when he felt his arm poked, finding Clara standing beside him. "Hi, Morty," she greeted with a smile. "Hey." Morty returned the grin, waiting expectantly. "They're kinda right. A special kid like that needs two parents. I'm not saying you can't handle it, and neither are the rest of them, but he's very special. He needs two role models in his life, and I guarantee Sam isn't the best for that."
Morty sighed, glancing over at AJ and watching him laugh with Rick and Gary. "What're you suggesting, then?"
"I'm just saying you should start looking for somebody to share your life with," Clara clarified. She walked away with a smile, gathering her child and heading towards Don. Morty sighed and made his way back to Rick and Gary, smiling down at AJ as the toddler babbled happily up at him.
Maybe he did need a second role model.
YOU ARE READING
Our Love is God | C137cest AU
Fanfiction{BOOK TWO} To the world, Morty Smith is dead. John Schelan, a Lutheran pastor from Miami, resumed his post. But secrets can only be kept for so long before it all unravels.
