ZaDr ZaDr ZaDr

"I'll let you know." Zim laughed gently, pushing his long hair away from his face. It was hopeless, however; it just fell right back in front of his eyes. Zim slowly pulled Dib's angry-faced shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor. "Why did you take that off!?" he asked nervously.
"You don't want me to feel self conscious, do you?" Zim replied, running his fingers down Dib's bare torso. He trembled, blushing slightly.
"Your ego is too big. It's not possible for you to be self conscious," he snapped. Zim smirked, pressing against him firmly and leaning in to kiss his neck. Dib bit his lip and shut his eyes tight, trying very hard not to utter a sound; he didn't want to give Zim the satisfaction. This task proved to be difficult, however, for Zim continued to press his hips against Dib's, and a small moan escaped his lips.
"I liked that," said Zim softly, looking into Dib's flustered eyes. "Do it again."
"N-no..." said Dib quietly, but Zim had suddenly thrusted his hips hard, and Dib involuntarily let out a fairly loud moan. Zim laughed evilly, seeming to be enjoying himself. "I hate you so much..." Dib growled.
"Let's see if we can change that," said Zim, and he reached down to unbutton Dib's pants. He gasped and grabbed his wrist tightly.
"Too far!" he said desperately. Zim frowned at him.
"Well that's not fair," he said. "I wanted to play, Dib..."
"You're not allowed to go that far," Dib said firmly, forcing Zim's hand back up and away from his pants.
"Maybe you'll change your mind," said Zim softly, yanking his wrist out of Dib's grasp and placing it on his cheek, leaning down to kiss him deeply. This time, however, Dib didn't pull away. As they kissed, Zim continued to press his hips against him, causing him to moan softly. After a few minutes, Dib's trembling arms wrapped around Zim's thin waist, which made Zim smile. He kissed him more pasisonately, and was pleased when Dib actually began to kiss back. He grabbed a handful of Dib's hair, getting even more into it, which made Dib's heart thump loudly in his chest. It was a good half an hour before Zim finally tore his lips away. Dib panted slightly, studying Zim's face, almost as if he was in a daze. He smiled wide. "So how about it, Dib? Do the pants come off?" Dib was silent, and then he seemed to come out of his trance.
"Get off of me," he said, giving Zim a good push. Zim laughed as he got off, and watched as Dib sat up, grabbing his glasses from the nightstand and putting them back on.
"You liked it," he said, ammused. "You were getting so into it. You engaged... you even put your arms around me..." He leaned forward. "And you were moaning."
"Shut up!" said Dib, sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest. "It was an... involuntary reaction..."
"Right," said Zim. "And I'm the President Man." Just then, Gaz's voice called from upstairs.
"Dib! Get down here, dinner's ready!" she shouted. Dib hopped off the bed and retrieved his shirt and trench coat from the floor.
"Go ahead," he said to Zim as he put them on. "I'll be down there in a minute." Zim stared at him for a moment, and then shrugged, getting off the bed and leaving the room without putting his shirt back on. Dib looked down at the floor, seeing Zim's drawing. He picked it up and studied it. It wasn't all the way finished, but the concept was there all the same. Zim had drawn himself placing a bandage over Dib's wounded wrist. The Dib in the picture was crying. The background wasn't done, but it looked like Dib's room. He sighed and set it on the bed, going over to the trash can and looking inside. He saw the polaroid staring back at him, and his heart started to race. He cursed and snatched it out of the trash, staring at it, and then stuffing it inside his pillow case. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to get rid of it, and he definitely didn't want Zim to know he took it back. Finally, he left his room and went downstairs. Gaz had made what looked like some form of pasta, and she and Zim were already seated. Zim, of course, wasn't given any of the food since he couldn't eat it without getting sick.
"I feel bad that you can't eat, Zim," Gaz said softly, admiring his shirtless body. Dib sat down and began to eat, making a conscious effort to not meet Zim's eyes.
"It's fine," said Zim. "I have snacks. Irkens don't necessarily eat because we're hungry, but more for taste. We have very sensitive taste buds..." He looked at Dib as he said this, and Dib blushed, still avoiding his gaze.
"That's fascinating," said Gaz, having not noticed that his comment had been directed towards her brother. Zim nodded, and then looked out the window.
"I didn't realize it had gotten so dark," he said. "I hope Gir is okay by himself. He's been acting really weird lately. I don't think he's functioning properly."
"Zim, your robot is an idiot," said Dib bluntly. Zim looked at him quickly.
"He is not!" he said defensively. "He's... he's just getting a little worn out..."
"Come on, haven't you noticed?" said Dib, putting his fork down. "He's been an idiot since you came to Earth. He's never done anything intelligent... except maybe messing with Tak's robot, and even then we were using his stupidity to our advantage."
"He made me... dance..." said Gaz with a shudder. Zim frowned at Dib, looking distressed.
"You seriously have never noticed? What about the time I was able to get a spy camera in your house just because I asked him to put it somewhere?" said Dib.
"What?" said Zim angrily. "When did you do that!?"
"Long time ago," said Dib. "But don't worry, I didn't get anything... you were eating soapy waffles or something."
"Gir is not an idiot," said Zim in a low voice.
"Zim, think about it. Just really think about it for a moment." Zim went silent, looking at the table top. He didn't want to believe it. He was told Gir was an advanced unit, and expected great things from him... but Gir had never shown signs of greatness or intellectual behavior.
"I'm going back upstairs," he said softly, and he quickly left the kitchen. Dib sighed, standing and running after him. He followed Zim to his room and closed the door. Zim stood in the middle of the room with his back turned to Dib.
"Zim, what's wrong with you?" said Dib, taking a step forward.
"Nothing," he lied.
"You seriously never noticed your robot was stupid?" Zim shrugged silently, and Dib sighed, grabbing his arm and turning him around. "Look, it doesn't matter. Let it go."
"I feel like shit," Zim muttered. "All these years... Gir has been by my side, not to aid me... but to hinder my success... the Tallests accidentally gave me a dud SIR unit..."
"It doesn't matter!"
"It matters to me!" said Zim. "I relied on him! And all those mishaps were because he's a god damn idiot!" Dib went silent, and then he bowed his head.
"I can't believe I'm saying this... but... do you want me to... comfort you...?" he asked in a low voice, and Zim smiled at him.
"You'd actually be willing to do that?" he said softly.
"Sure... yea... whatever..." said Dib, looking away. Zim smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him over to the bed. Dib sat down, and Zim practically sat in his lap again, resting his head on his chest. Dib frowned slightly, hesitating, and then beginning to stroke his hair. "I'm not doing this because I like you, I hope you know that."
"Then why are you doing it?" Zim asked quietly. Dib went silent again; he didn't have an answer to that. Zim chuckled softly. "I thought so." They sat quietly for a few more moments, and then Zim lifted his head, kissing Dib gently. Dib frowned, blushing again.
"Don't," he said warningly. Zim smirked.
"Don't tell me what to do..." he muttered, kissing him again, but holding it longer. Dib tried to pull away again, but he gave up. He allowed Zim to push him down again, pressing against him like he did before. He pulled away gently. "Want to have a little fun?" he asked, resting his hand on Dib's hip.
"I told you, no," he replied, his heart starting to pound again.
"Please?" said Zim. "It'll make you feel better, I promise."
"No, Zim..." Dib repeated, his voice sounding a little less confident. Zim caught this and smiled. He firmly pressed his hand down, groping him, and Dib moaned softly.
"You know you want to..." he whispered. "Come on... what could it hurt?" Dib was silent, watching Zim with a worried expression. "Don't you want to feel real pleasure? Don't you want to feel the touch of someone besides you? It'll be exciting Dib... doing something we're not supposed to do... don't you like danger?" He could tell he was wearing him down. Dib closed his eyes and shook his head.
"I can't!" he exclaimed. "It's wrong! Not with you! It can't be with you!"
"And why not?" Zim said softly. "No one else will..."
"Someday someone will want me!"
"But why wait that long when someone wants you right here, right now?" Dib opened his eyes to look at him.
"Why do you want me so bad?" he said angrily. Zim blinked. Of course, he wasn't about to tell him why he was really doing this, but he didn't have a lie prepared. He decided to go with the obvious...
"I don't know," he said. "I just do." He thought of something else. "And what if I've always wanted you, huh?"
"That's why you tried to kill me?"
"Maybe I didn't know I wanted you." They were silent once again. Dib pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Not with you..." he repeated.
"Please..."
"NOT with you..."
"Dib, I know you want to, you're just trying to convince yourself you don't."
"SHUT UP!!" Zim flinched, furrowing his brow.
"Dib..." said Zim after a moment. "What have you got to lose?"
"My dignity," Dib replied.
"And what have you got to gain?"
"I don't know..." Zim carressed his cheek softly, and he brought his face closer.
"Someone to love..." he whispered, and he kissed him very softly. He could almost feel the heat radiating from Dib's flushed cheeks. Zim broke the kiss after a minute or two, and simply watched Dib for a response. Dib sighed, looking away.
"Fine..." he said emotionlessly. "Do what you want... I don't care..."
"Really?" said Zim, but Dib still didn't look at him.
"This doesn't mean I like you," he muttered. "I hate you... more than anything..."
"I'm still trying to change that," said Zim, gently starting to unbutton Dib's pants. He sighed miserably, turning his head and staring at the ceiling as Zim undressed him. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He looked back at Zim and blushed, seeing he had also gotten undressed. He laid back down on him, his bare skin coming in contact with Dib's. His skin crawled suddenly, and he shuddered. "Are you scared?" Zim asked softly.
"That's a stupid question," Dib replied, just as softly. "But I'm just going to shut up about it... it's not like I have any choice..."
"You won't be silent for long," said Zim, holding Dib's thighs. "I've learned a LOT of tricks..."
"Hey wait!" Dib said suddenly. "Are you going ALL the way!?"
"Yes," said Zim, raising his eyebrows. "You said I could do what I wanted." Dib sighed, running his fingers through his hair and closing his eyes.
"Fine..." he said, voice cracking again.
"I'm excited," said Zim, and he truely looked it. "I don't even think Irkens are allowed to engage in such activity..."
"Can we get this over with?" Dib snapped angrily. Zim smiled, gently stroking his hip bone.
"Eager, huh?" he said softly.
"Eager to get this over with so you'll stop bugging me about it..."
"Liar." He began kissing his neck, and Dib felt heat rise into his cheeks as he closed his eyes. He gripped the blankets in fear as Zim spread his legs apart.

It was late in the night; Zim had finished with Dib a few hours ago, and had fallen asleep with his head on his chest. Dib was wide awake and staring at the ceiling, cold from left over sweat. He hadn't even moved an inch from his position since Zim fell asleep. He looked down at Zim slightly, seeing his messy black hair covering most of his face, and his left hand resting lightly on Dib's abdomen. He had a lump in his throat that appeared after they were done, and it hadn't gone away since. Just then, Zim shifted slightly, stuffing his face into Dib's neck. He still didn't move, his stomach lurching painfully. Tears began to silently fall down the sides of his face, and he cried himself to sleep.

The sun rose, and Dib hadn't slept very well. He looked out the window, glaring at a bird sitting on a tree that was chirping loudly. Zim groaned slightly, sitting up and wiping his eyes. He froze and looked at his hands, which now had black smudges on them.
"Aw..." he said disapointedly. He had forgotten he was still wearing makeup. He tried his best to clean it from under his eyes. He winced slightly, looking at Dib. "My head is killing me... does yours hurt too?" Dib frowned, sitting up as well.
"I'm in pain elsewhere," he said hoarsly. Zim smiled and gave a small laugh.
"That's a good pain." He stretched, looked around, and then nuzzled into his chest, cuddling him.
"What are you doing?" said Dib emotionlessly. Zim looked up at him.
"I'm doing this thing called 'cuddling.' That's what humans do, right?"
"Yes..." They were both still unclothed, and Zim was resting his hand on the inside of Dib's thigh.
"Wanna do it again?" he asked.
"No, Zim," Dib replied, voice still lacking emotion. Zim frowned and lifted his head, staring at him. He suddenly noticed the dried tears on his cheeks.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
"No, I'm not okay!" Dib shouted without warning. Zim flinched, backing away slightly. "I was just FUCKED by an alien! HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL!?"
"It sounded like you were enjoying it," said Zim, feeling a little frightened. "You... you even whispered my name once..." Dib shook his head, and then covered his face with his hands.
"I have to live with this for the rest of my life..."
"Why are you acting like this is a bad thing?" said Zim angrily. "Didn't it relax you in the slightest?"
"You know what, it didn't, and I knew it wouldn't," said Dib through his teeth. "But I let you anyway because I thought you'd lay off and stop trying to seduce me! Apparently, I was horribly mistaken!"
"This wasn't some kind of... what do you people call it? Standing up at night?" said Zim.
"One night stand," Dib corrected him, glaring. "You seriously did that because you like me? I don't believe that in the slightest..."
"What would make you believe me?"
"Nothing."
"Dib!" He growled in frustration and got out of the bed, grabbing his pants off of the floor and putting them on. He went over to the printer and picked up the pictures that were taken of him yesterday. He then grabbed the thumb tacs and started angrily stabbing the pictures and pinning them to Dib's "Zim" wall. "I thought we had FUN yesterday!" he shouted, continuing to pin the pictures up more forcefully than was necessary. "And I'm not talking about the sex! I enjoyed listening to your MUSIC!" Stab. "I liked discussing my DRAWINGS!" Stab. "And I liked it when you took PICTURES! OF! ME!!" Stab, stab, stab. He turned to Dib, having finished putting the polaroids up. "You CANNOT tell me you didn't have the least bit of fun! You sure as hell seemed like you were! You were INTERESTED in the fact that I could draw, and you were IMPRESSED that I could use both hands equally well! You want to know more about me, and I don't think it's because you want to destroy me!!" He suddenly punched the wall, and Dib flinched, his eyes wide. "I'M DOING ALL I CAN TO MAKE YOU TRUST ME!!" He panted, giving Dib the most menacing look he had ever given him.
"Z-Zim..." he muttered, terrified. "You're... you're very scary when you're angry..." Zim grinded his teeth, but he relaxed and sat back on the bed, putting his face in his hands.
"I told you, I wanted to start over..." he said softly.
"I... I can't... I can't have sex with you again..." said Dib. "It's wrong... on so many levels."
"Dib, will you please just... listen to me!" said Zim in frustartion. "You don't even know what you want! I think you're trying to convince yourself that you don't want me!"
"I don't want--"
"DON'T TELL ME YOU DON'T WANT ME!!" Dib flinched again, gripping the blankets. Zim came very close to Dib's face. "You're in denial, and it's starting to piss me off."
"I'm... not..." he stuttered, but Zim grabbed him and started kissing him fiercely. Dib didn't pull away this time, but instead actually engaged. They kissed for a few minutes, and then Zim pulled away, gazing intensly into Dib's eyes.
"Now... tell me how you feel about me..." he whispered. Dib looked away, his lip trembling slightly.
"I..." he started. "I... hate you..." Zim blinked, pulling away slowly. "I think you need to go home..."
"What...?" said Zim in disbelief.
"You spent the night," said Dib. "That was the deal. Now go home."
"After all that..." said Zim, shaking his head. "You still hate me..." He stood up and pulled his shirt on, beginning to gather up his things.
"Zim--" said Dib, but Zim flipped him off.
"Have fun being alone, faggot." He slung his bag over his shoulder and left the room, striding out of the house. Dib sat in silence for a minute, and then decided to get dressed. He noticed the drawing was still on the floor, and then he looked at the new pictures of Zim on his wall.
"What if... he really does want to change...?" he said to himself. "But... I'm not gay, I don't want to be with him..." He stared at the carpet. "Right...?" He shook his head, trying not to cry again. He quickly went over to his computer to make a video journal entry.

"Stupid Dib!" Zim shouted, furiously working on some kind of weapon. "Stupid, filthy human! I hate him! I HATE HIM!" He screamed and threw the tool he was using across the room. "Why didn't it work? What went wrong!?" He thought for a moment, panting slightly. "I was sure this plan would work... he's right, I am a failure..." He stared down at the lazer gun he had been working on. He swiped it off the table, and it clattered to the floor. He looked around his lab, thinking hard. "What would a human do...?" He looked over at his computer, hesitated, and then sat at it, starting to do more research.
He stayed at his computer for most of the day, and finally formulated another plan. He began putting together something else now, working through the night.

It was Sunday morning, and Dib, once again, didn't get much sleep. He had spent most of his night staring at his razor blade sitting in his desk drawer, trying to keep from cutting himself. He managed to resist the temptation, but he still felt miserable.
He got out of bed and put his shirt and coat on, leaving the room. He went downstairs and into the kitchen. He jumped, seeing Zim sitting at the kitchen table with Gaz. He looked around as Dib came in, frowning. Dib stared at him, slowly stepping forward.
"What's going on...?" he asked quietly. Zim stood up and walked up to him.
"I think we need to have a talk," he said calmly. "One that... probably doesn't involve shouting..." Dib glared at him.
"What did you tell Gaz...?" he hissed through his teeth.
"Nothing, just that we got in a fight, and that's why I left," Zim whispered. "She wasn't surprised since she knows you still hate me." Dib looked around Zim to see Gaz watching them. He looked back at Zim, looking stern.
"Alright," he agreed. "Let's go back to my room."
"Thank you," said Zim, and he followed Dib back upstairs. They entered the room, Zim closing the door. He spotted Actu laying on the bed, chewing on a CD.
"Actu!" said Dib, lunging forward and taking the CD away. "Argh! Last night it tried to sync up with my hard drive. Nearly crashed my whole computer..."
"Yea, I thought that might happen," said Zim. "You just have to disipline it." He tapped Actu's nose, just like Dib had. "No!" Actu hissed and darted under Dib's desk. Zim sighed, sitting on the bed. "Dib, sit next to me." Dib obeyed, slowly walking over and sitting next to him.
"Zim... I never thought I'd say this about the whole situation... but I'm sor--"
"No," Zim interrupted. "I came here so that I could apologize." He looked at him sencerely. "I've caused you more pain than I fully realize. Irkens aren't taught how to feel, we aren't taught compassion or understanding... we're taught nothing but how to fight, and how to destroy. We're not birthed from our females like you are. DNA is extracted from our best invaders and placed into a tube until we're ready to be born, and then they place these paks on our backs, and we immediately start learning to become invaders ourselves. Being on Earth has taught me a sense of these emotions that Irkens aren't meant to feel, but of course, I still don't fully understand." Dib listened without saying a word, his lip starting to tremble again. "What I'm trying to say is... I had no idea you were in so much pain, because I don't understand emotional pain... and I'm sorry. I know that's why you can't trust me, and I know that's why you can't accept me. But I'll tell you something. Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I felt that pain."
"R-really?" said Dib softly.
"Yes," Zim replied. "And I didn't like it. I know I can't fix what I've done, but I want to try and make up for it... hell, that's what I've been trying to do anyway for the passed few days. I've been trying to get you to trust me, but now I realize that it's going to take some time." He suddenly dug into his bag that he had brought with him. He pulled out what looked like a very old, very worn out plushie made to look like an Irken. He handed it out to Dib.
"What is this?" he asked, taking it.
"It was my only toy when I was a smeet," Zim replied.
"A what?" said Dib.
"A baby," said Zim with a laugh. "We had one toy that they gave us... the only act of kindness ever shown to us. When we got older, they were taken away... but I hid mine, and I kept it. Now I want you to have it... to show that my apology actually means something." Zim stared at his doll, looking very pained that he was parting with it, but he tried to shake it off. "It's very important to me."
"I don't know what to say..." said Dib, and Zim moved closer to him, stroking his cheek.
"You could say that you forgive me," he whispered. "You could give me another chance... let me make this right..." Dib placed his hand over Zim's and slowly made him lower it from his cheek.
"You realize that it's still hard for me to believe you," he said.
"I understand," said Zim, pulling his hand away and replacing it on his cheek. "Just give me a chance..."
"Stop flirting with me..." said Dib, trying to push his hand away again. Zim smiled, and suddenly pushed him to lay down.
"I'm not flirting," said Zim, and Dib blushed. "I'm being affectionate."
"That's sort of the same thing..." Dib was silenced as Zim had locked lips with him, kissing him passionately. Almost immediately, Dib wrapped his arms around him, kissing back just as enthusiastically. After a moment, Zim had begun tearing his clothes off, not even breaking the kiss once, except for removing the shirt, and then progressed to undressing himself. He pressed against him, hard, and Dib moaned into his mouth, digging his nails into his upper back. Zim finally broke away, smiling at him.
"You didn't stop me," he breathed, and Dib blinked, looking at Zim's bare chest, and then at his own.
"I... didn't realize what was happening..." he admitted.
"We're going to do this again," said Zim excitedly.
"N-no, Zim..." Dib squeaked. "We... we can't..."
"But we're going to..." he said with a laugh. "What do humans call it? Making sex?"
"Make up sex?" said Dib, furrowing his brow.
"Yea, that."
"Zim, that's a little different than this..."
"No it's not," Zim argued. "We had a fight, and now we're making up. Make up sex."
"Dammit! You aren't getting it!" Dib exclaimed. "I told you we can't have sex again!"
"And since when have I ever listened to you?" And before Dib could say another word, he took him again.

A little while later, Dib and Zim were sitting up in the bed, their backs against the wall, and still completely naked. Dib was rubbing his temple, staring down at the blanket covering his lower body. Zim had grabbed his drawing off the floor and began to finish it. Dib looked over at him.
"How can you act so... normal after that?" he asked, still shaking a little from exhaustion. Zim looked at him, wiping his hair out of his eyes, but once again, failing to keep it there.
"What? Should I be shouting or something?" he said. "Is that what humans do after sex? Because that's not what I read."
"No," said Dib firmly. "It's just... you're an alien, a male, and I hate you... oh yea, and I'm straight! This isn't exactly the most normal thing to do during the weekend!" Zim turned back to his drawing.
"Then pretend I'm a girl," he said calmly. "I have long hair and I wear makeup. It shouldn't be too hard."
"Zim, you're the one taking advantage of me," said Dib, annoyed. "That would mean I'd be the girl..."
"Okay, then pretend you're a girl."
"Zim!"
"What do you want me to say, Dib?" said Zim angrily, putting his pen down forcefully. "Do you want me to tell you I do this because I want to make you feel ashamed? Do you want me to say you are nothing but a toy to me?"
"It'd make more sense..." Dib muttered, looking back down at the blanket.
"I guess this is going to be harder than I thought," said Zim. They were silent as he went back to drawing. Dib spotted the Irken plushie still laying on the bed, and he picked it up, playing with its antennae. He had to admit, he thought it was sort of cute. After a few minutes, there was a ripping sound, and Dib looked over to see Zim tearing the page out of the notebook. He handed it to him. "There, done." Dib took it, looking it over.
"This looks great..." he said softly. He blinked. Zim had made some changes. He had drawn over his own face to make him look sad as he applied the bandage to Dib's wrist. He had also drawn a smiley face on the bandage. The bedroom looked dark, and somewhat depressing, and he had made all of the faces in the posters and on the toys angry and evil. "It's... depressing though..."
"Yea, I guess I sort of drew how I felt," Zim said softly. "I didn't really notice it until I was done." Dib looked at Zim, frowning heavily.
"You really have become more human..." he said. "It's... kind of frightening..." Zim let out a small, sad laugh.
"Yea... it is..." He fell deep in thought, staring down at the blanket. He had been acting human on purpose to make Dib trust him, but he now realized that, at some points, he had involuntarily shown human behavior. The problem was that he hadn't noticed it before, and he was starting to worry that he was losing touch with his own race.
"Are you okay?" Dib asked, and Zim looked at him quickly.
"Yea..." he said, faking a smile. "Are you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, do you still hate me? Are you still upset about me having sex with you?" Dib went silent, and he looked away.
"Yea..." he said, but he didn't sound sure. "I... I don't want to keep doing this..."
"I want you to tell me something truthfully," said Zim, setting the notebook and pen on the nightstand and leaning closer to Dib.
"What...?" said Dib nervously.
"Did you like it?" Dib remained quiet, continuing to stare into Zim's eyes. He sighed a heavy, shakey sigh.
"A little..." he admitted. "But not because it's you. I just... no one has ever been with me, and it sort of feels like I'm... cared about... You're the first person who has ever kissed me."
"I sort of figured that," said Zim with a smile. "And that feeling... that you're cared about... that feeling is true. I wouldn't have come back to apologize if I didn't care."
"There's still a part of me that doesn't believe you," said Dib.
"But at least it's just a small part," said Zim happily. "That just means I'm making progress." He looked down at Dib's wrist, and he gently grabbed it. "I don't want this to happen again."
"It almost did last night," said Dib. "I was really considering it... but I didn't."
"Why not?" said Zim.
"I'm not sure," Dib replied. "Maybe a part of me knew you'd come back." Zim suddenly began kissing him again, and the plushie slipped from Dib's hand, back onto the bed. He placed his hand on the back of Zim's neck, kissing back without restraint. There was no fighting back this time, no struggling, and definitely no holding back. It didn't seem like Dib cared at this point. After a long while, they broke apart. "Stay here tonight..." said Dib without stopping himself. Zim blinked.
"What's with the sudden enthusiasm?" he said with a smirk. Dib blushed.
"I... it's not what you think... I just don't want to be alone," he muttered.
"I have a better idea," said Zim. "If you promise to be good and not bring any spy equipment, you can stay at my base. And then we can walk to skool in the morning."
"You're willing to trust me, even though I don't trust you?" Dib said in surprise.
"Yes," said Zim. "If I trust you, maybe you'll learn to trust me a little more."
"You're not going to do some horrible experiment on me?"
"As long as you trust me." Dib thought for a moment, and then nodded.
"Alright," he agreed. "But if you try anything to hurt me or attempt to destroy me--"
"I won't!" said Zim.
"Okay, okay... let's get dressed then..." They both got out of the bed and retrieved their garments. As Dib pulled his shirt over his head, he stared at Actu. "That cat is going to destroy my computer while I'm gone..."
"Well then, shut it down," said Zim.
"What?" said Dib, and Zim rolled his eyes, coaxing the mechanical cat out from under the desk and holding down the blue button on the back of its head. It curled back into the cantelope sized sphere that it was before. "Why didn't you tell me I could do that?"
"I thought it was obvious," said Zim with a shrug. "Now come on, get some stuff together and let's go." Dib grabbed his backpack, making sure he had stuff for skool, as well as a change of clothes. They went downstairs and were about to leave, when Gaz looked over from the couch.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"I'm going to spend the night at Zim's house," Dib replied.
"What? Really? That's so unlike you," she said in amazement. "What about skool?"
"I got stuff," he said, gesturing to his bag. They left the house and walked to Zim's base.
They walked in to see Gir laying on his back on the floor with what looked like a live octopus on his face. Zim stared for a minute before closing the door and standing over him.
"Gir," he said calmly. "What are you doing?" Dib set his bag on the couch, watching curiously.
"I'm gonna eat this thing!" said Gir, but he didn't move.
"Have you been like this since I left?" said Zim with a frown.
"Yes!" said Gir.
"And so why haven't you eaten it yet?"
"I don't know!" Zim sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Gir, either eat the damn thing or put it back where it came from," he ordered, and Gir stood up, carrying the octopus on his head.
"You're gonna be dinner Mr. Squishy Head!!" he screamed, running into the kitchen. Zim collapsed on the couch, still rubbing his head.
"Okay, you're right," he said to Dib. "He's a fucking moron."
"Told you," said Dib. They stayed silent for a moment, and Zim looked up at him.
"You know, it's kind of boring here," he admitted. "The only reason I asked you to come here instead of me staying at your place is because of Gaz."
"What about Gaz?" said Dib defensively.
"Haven't you noticed?" said Zim, furrowing his brow. "She's in love with me."
"I know she has a crush, but I don't think she's in love with you..." said Dib.
"Do you want to know what she said to me before you came down to the kitchen this morning?" said Zim, standing up. "She told me to stop hanging out with her stupid, depressed brother and to hang out with her. I told her we had nothing in common, but she fought tooth and nail to try and convince me to be with her."
"That doesn't necessarily mean she's in love with you," said Dib.
"I can tell she is," Zim argued. "And it's awkward."
"Why?" Dib asked. Zim smiled, touching his cheek.
"Because I'm with you." Dib stepped back suddenly, his eyes wide.
"Wait, woah!" he exclaimed. "We're not together, Zim! We're not dating, or anything like that!"
"Correct me if I'm wrong," said Zim. "But we've kissed and had sex and stuff. Doesn't that mean we're together? Isn't that what humans do together?"
"Sometimes they don't keep to one person!" said Dib.
"But that's that one night stand thing, isn't it?" said Zim. "That's not what this is, Dib. What would you consider it?"
"I don't know..." said Dib, turning away. "Pity? I only let you because I have nothing else, even though I really don't want you... and you only do it because you feel sorry for me."
"Bull shit!" Zim exclaimed, and Dib jumped, looking at him again. "I don't do it because I pity you! I like it, and I like doing it with you."
"Why?" asked Dib exasperatedly.
"Are we going to spend all night discussing this?" said Zim quickly. "Don't you want to see my labs in full? Last time you were here, you didn't get to see much." Dib was silent, wondering why Zim didn't answer him, but his desire to see his lab was too great.
"Alright, I'll let it go for now," he said. "I want to see your labs." Zim smiled, taking his hand.
"That's what I thought." He led him over to a small table against the living room wall, and it lifted. A tile on the floor shifted back, and a little platform was exposed. They both stood on it and it started to descend.
Dib's eyes brightened in awe as he watched the sides of the elevator, which was lit by a few colored neon lights. Zim watched his face, slightly ammused at his excitement, but in all, he was feeling unnaturally depressed. He had never genuinely felt this sad before, so he didn't understand what was causing it. He looked down at his hand, which was still holding Dib's, and he felt even worse.
The elevator stopped on the main floor of his lab where he usually spent his time. Dib let go of Zim's hand and ran out into the middle of it all, looking as excited as a kid in a candy shop.
"WOW!" he exclaimed, walking passed all of the machines and devices. He saw weird cilindrical chambers made of glass, which were empty, but were big enough to hold a full grown man inside. Dib was also amazed by the computer, which was enourmous. Zim leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and watching Dib with a meloncholy expression. Dib had made a full circle around the lab, taking in every detail. He ran up to Zim, smiling wide. "Look at this place! It's amazing! I can't believe you have all this stuff!!" His smile fell, noticing Zim's expression. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Zim lied. Dib furrowed his brow, grabbing Zim's shoulders and shaking him slightly.
"You're lying," he said firmly. "Tell me, what's the matter?"
"WHY DO YOU CARE!?" Zim shouted, and he pushed Dib aside, striding over to his computer and sitting in the chair. Dib's lips were parted, entirely confused as to what was happening. He walked over and stood behind him.
"What the hell is going on?" he said angrily. "You were fine just a moment ago!"
"I'm not obligated to tell you anything," said Zim menacingly, not turning to look at him. Dib was silent. He had no idea what was going on.
"Are... are you bipolar?" he said softly. Finally, Zim turned to look at him.
"Am I what?" he snapped.
"Bipolar," said Dib. "Where you're extremely happy one moment, and the next you're really depressed for no reason."
"I don't know, and I don't care..." said Zim, turning back around. Dib growled and forced him to face him, grabbing him by the shirt and making him stand.
"Why are you being such an asshole!?" he shouted, and Zim punched him in the stomach, making him let go of his shirt.
"That's just who I am!" Zim shouted back. "You said it yourself! I--" Dib had lunged forward, punching Zim in the face. He shouted in pain, rubbing where his nose would be if he had one, glaring at Dib with intense hatred.
"You've been fine for the passed few days!" said Dib, but Zim had kicked under his feet, sending him crashing to the floor. Dib yelled in frustration, grabbing Zim's ankle and taking him down as well. He hit the floor, but he immediately retaliated by tackling Dib and trying sock him in the face. Dib deflected most of his attempts, and finally grabbed Zim's wrists, flipping him onto his back, but Zim had kneed him in the stomach, and rolled him back over again. They continued to fight, violently throwing attacks at eachother like never before. Finally, Zim's metal spider legs emerged from his pak, lifting him up and leeping backwards, away from Dib's reach. "Coward!"
"Don't you DARE call me a coward!!" Zim shouted, and he rushed forward with incredible speed. Dib threw out his hands, and miraculously was able to grab Zim by the throat, slamming him against the nearest wall and pinning him there. The spider legs retracted, and they stared at eachother, panting. Zim had many scratches on his face, and the corner of his mouth was bleeding, whereas Dib had gotten a bloody nose. One of the lenses of his glasses had a large crack in it as well.
"Why are we fighting?" Dib hissed, and Zim tried to pry his hands off of his neck.
"Get away... from... me...!" he choked. Dib loosened his grip, and Zim gasped for air, rubbing at his neck.
"Why are we fighting?" Dib asked again, a little softer than before. Zim glared at him, wiping the blood from his mouth. He didn't answer, and Dib furrowed his brow in distress. "I didn't come over to fight with you! I didn't even expect it! I honestly thought I would enjoy being here with you, but I suppose I was wrong. Maybe you really don't want me here. You keep saying how much you want to start over, but now I'm not so sure! And you wonder why I can't trust you!" Zim stared at him quielty, his eyes full of hurt. He slowly lifted his hands and wrapped them around Dib, who blinked in surprise.
"Forgive me..." he wispered, burrying his face in Dib's shirt, which was stained with blood from his nose. He hesitated, and then gently embraced him, stroking his hair soothingly.
"You are a strange creature..." he muttered. "I don't understand you at all..."
"I'm sorry..." said Zim, starting to tremble. He suddenly felt frightened; he had never cried in his entire life, and yet, here it was. He began to sob uncontrollably, and Dib pulled away so that he could look at him.
"You're... crying...?" he said, shocked that Zim was even capable of such a thing. Zim tried to wipe his eyes, smearing his makeup.
"No!" he said, his voice cracking. "Not... nothing! Not crying!" Dib didn't know what to do; he was always the one who was depressed, so he didn't know how to be strong enough to pull somebody else out of it.
"Zim... just tell me what's bugging you..." he pleaded. Zim looked up at him, trembling violently.
"I'm a terrible person!" he exclaimed. "I'm heartless, and I don't deserve you!"
"Heartless?" Dib repeated. "Is that why you're curled up in my arms, sobbing?"
"You won't even admit that you like me..." Zim continued, looking away. "You keep telling me that you don't like me because you're straight, and this and that, and bullshit! If you like having sex with a guy, then you're NOT FUCKING STRAIGHT! I've done enough research to figure that one out on my own! Why are you so in denial!?"
"I... I'm not..." said Dib softly. "I'm not gay..." Zim looked back at him, eyes filled with anger.
"Look me in the eyes and say it!"
"I... I'm not... I'm..." Dib closed his eyes tight, grinding his teeth. "I can't be! I just CAN'T!!" Zim growled, grabbing him and kissing him violently. Dib moaned softly, hugging him tightly as he kissed back. They ended up laying on the floor, Dib laying on top of Zim, his trench coat draped over them. After awhile, they broke apart. Dib stared at the black stains under Zim's eyes, and then he laughed weakly.
"What?" he asked sternly.
"Your makeup..." said Dib softly. "You look like a raccoon... it's all smeared."
"Well, your glasses are broken," Zim pointed out.
"That's because you socked me in the face." Zim smiled, wrapping his arms around Dib tightly and holding him close. Dib sighed, resting his head on his shoulder and staring into nothingness. They layed there together on the hard, cold floor of the lab for a few hours, not saying a word to eachother.
Finally, Zim spoke.
"Do you forgive me...?" he whispered, and Dib met his gaze.
"Yea..." he said softly. "I don't know why though... I must be losing my mind..."
"You're not losing your mind..."
"Zim, I'm laying on top of you. We've been laying here for god knows how long, after making out. You're a male, and an alien, and you're my worst enemy... and I made out with you..."
"And had sex with me..."
"Thank you, Zim," said Dib firmly. "Thank you for reminding me, how could I have forgotten?"
"None of that sounds crazy to me," said Zim. "Actually, it sounds just fine."
"This whole thing has gotten me very confused," Dib admitted.
"Then stop thinking about it and just do what you want," Zim replied.
"Okay," said Dib. "I want to get off of the floor. It's starting to hurt."
"Hey, you're the one laying on top of me," said Zim with a laugh. "You can get off of me at any time."
"Oh yea..." said Dib, sitting up and getting off of him. They stood up, and Zim dusted off his pants. They stared at eachother for a moment, before Zim smiled. Dib tilted his head. "What?"
"You're pathetic," Zim replied, going back to the elevator. Dib followed closely behind.
"What!?" he exclaimed. "Why the hell did you say that!?"
"You're just a hypocrite, that's all." They entered the elevator and it descended even further.
"Why am I a hypocrite!?" said Dib angrily, leaning against the elevator wall and wiping dried blood off of his face.
"'Hi, I'm Dib, and I don't like kissing guys, especially not Zim, but I'll kiss him anyways,'" Zim said in a mocking voice.
"I don't sound like th--"
"'My name's Dib and I'm gonna keep telling myself I don't like making out with Zim, but in reality I love it...'"
"Zim," said Dib warningly. "I swear to god..."
"What? What will you do?" Zim laughed. "You gonna hit me again? We gonna fight? Is that what you want?"
"No..." said Dib, hanging his head. "I don't want to fight anymore..."
"Want to fuck?" said Zim, and Dib looked back up so quickly, he groaned in pain, having twinged his neck.
"W-what?" he croaked, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Do you want to fuck?" Zim repeated, and Dib blushed, covering is face.
"Why would you ask that!?" he exclaimed in slight panic.
"You're not answering the question."
"What am I supposed to answer with!?"
"A yes or a no," said Zim.
"It's not that simple!"
"You're stalling..."
"I AM NOT STALLING!" Dib was trying his best to hide his face, for he was as red as a cherry. Zim reached over and pulled his hands away, smirking at him. Dib met his eyes and bit his lip. They were silent, not looking away from eachother's eyes.
"If you don't answer, I'm gonna assume it's a 'yes,'" said Zim softly. Dib was still silent, trying to pull away from Zim's grasp. "Well?"
"Let go of my wrists," said Dib. "You're hurting the one with the cuts." Zim frowned and released him.
"Okay, there. Now answer me," he demanded. Dib whimpered slightly, but just then, the elevator stopped. Zim sighed, walking out and into a new part of the lab. It was much darker in here and had less machinery. Dib followed him quietly, looking around and trying to distinguish things through the darkness. The place had a red glow, almost like being inside a darkroom.
"Where are we?" said Dib, almost whispering. The entire place was very eery and gave him the creeps.
"This is my... what you would call a bedroom," said Zim. "It's where I sleep."
"You sleep in this creepy place?" Dib exclaimed. "Where is your bed?"
"We're almost there," said Zim. "I don't know if you would consider it a bed... it's a lot different than yours."
"I admit, I never actually imagined you sleeping," said Dib with a nervous laugh. "When you spent the night, it was weird watching you sleep. You seemed so... human."
"Wait, you watched me sleep?" said Zim, stopping so quickly, Dib almost ran right into him.
"Well... sort of..." said Dib nervously. "I didn't actually sleep much that night..."
"We need to figure out what's causing your insomnia," said Zim, continuing to walk.
"It's mostly caused by you," said Dib coldly. "The whole take over the world thing, the hate, the stress... and then the complete one-eighty turn around..."
"Hey, I'm trying to fix all that," said Zim. "Here we are." Dib stopped, seeing what looked like some kind of squishy, mishapen lump.
"What is that?" asked Dib. "Some kind of giant marshmallow?" Zim glared at him.
"No," he said. "I sleep on that." He flopped onto it, grabbing the one blanket he had thrown on the thing. "Come here."
"I'm scared it's going to eat me," said Dib.
"It's not a creature!" said Zim with a laugh. Dib frowned and cautiously tried to climb onto the weird squishy thing. He lost his balance and rolled into it. The thing was so soft and lumpy, it formed a depression wherever you went. It practically pushed Dib to the center of it, and he had difficulty trying to sit up.
"How... the hell...?" he grunted, trying his hardest to stay upright.
"Stop struggling," said Zim. "It senses fear."
"I thought you said it wasn't a creature!!" said Dib with fright.
"It's not," said Zim. "It's a plant."
"What!?" Dib stared at the thing he was laying on, and he felt it lightly. It was sort of fuzzy, like a peach. "What kind of plant is able to support us without getting damaged?"
"This kind," said Zim. "Now relax, or it's going to try and push you out." Dib frowned, but he stayed still, not saying a word. After a few minutes, the plant became slightly less squishy, feeling more like a normal bed as opposed to a giant wad of silly puddy.
"So... what the hell is this thing?" said Dib, poking at it lightly.
"It's a Slubby Plant," Zim replied. "Quite some time ago, an Irken called Invader Slubby was conquering a planet, and he found these plants growing deep in underground caves. There was no sunlight or large water source down there, and he started to study them to figure out what they were for. He found out that light will make them shrivel up and die, and their roots dig deep into the planet's mantle, somehow getting its nutrients from there.
"After he successfully took the planet, the Tallests turned it into a furniture store planet, and the Slubby Plants, named after Invader Slubby, were sold as beds and stuff. They obviously couldn't move the ones already growing there, so they harvested seeds so that those who bought them could grow them themselves. They live for hundreds of years, and they're very durable. I'm actually quite fond of this one." The Slubby Plant seemed to have taken Zim's words as a compliment, for it had shuddered for a second, as if it had purred.
"So, if it dies if exposed to light, how can you have this red light on in the room?" asked Dib.
"Well, it doesn't seem to mind a dim red light," said Zim. "Another thing Invader Slubby found out."
"Oh, kind of like when you develope pictures," said Dib.
"What?" said Zim curiously.
"A long time ago, before we used all this digital stuff, people used to develope photograghs in a darkroom, which only had red light. Any other light would expose the pictures and ruin them. In fact, my polaroid camera is one of the only ones that still exist. The difference between that camera and film cameras is, the pictures develope automatically, no matter what the light is."
"Interesting," said Zim. "We've never had technology so primitive."
"Oh come on," said Dib incredulously. "All societies had a primitive stage."
"You're right," said Zim. "And ours involved space ships that ran on AA batteries." Dib laughed, and Zim chuckled as well.
"That was a joke, right?" asked Dib, holding his stomach and trying to subside his laughter.
"Yes," said Zim with a smile. "Honestly, I don't really know that part of Irken history. I didn't pay attention in skool."
"What is with you and history?"
"It's boring." Dib rolled his eyes, grabbing the blanket and pulling it away from Zim. "Hey, give that back!"
"I want it," said Dib with a smile. "I'm your guest. On Earth, guests get whatever they want."
"Well, on Irk, the owner of the house gets whatever they want," argued Zim, pulling the blanket back.
"You're not on Irk," said Dib, tugging it to his side again. Zim smiled, narrowing his eyes.
"We'll share..." he said softly, and he moved much closer to Dib, pulling the blanket over both of them. Dib looked at him, and then sighed, laying on his back.
"Why?" he said softly.
"Because there's only one blanket," said Zim.
"No, I mean... why this? Why now?"
"I'm not following."
"Why do you like me all of a sudden?" Dib reiterated. "It happened immediately after you changed your appearance. Forgive me, but that seems highly suspicious." Zim was silent for a moment, and then he thought of an answer.
"The change of appearance and attitude gave me confidence," he replied. "Not just the confidence to stand up to the other students, but to get to you as well."
"So how long did you like me before you gained that confidence?" asked Dib, and Zim had to think again.
"A little while," said Zim. "Remember when I put that little bomb in your room a few weeks back?"
"Yea," said Dib. "The one that looked sort of like a plum with eyeballs."
"Yea well..." said Zim slowly. "As you noticed, the explosion was small and weak, not enough to kill you. That's because my intention wasn't to destroy you, but to annoy you." Dib laughed.
"Well, it worked," he said. "That was some time ago."
"Yea, that's when it sort of started." Dib stared up at the very high ceiling, holding the blanket to his chest. Zim looked at him for a moment, and then he kissed him briefly. Dib frowned, placing his hands on Zim's chest, pushing him away slightly.
"Stop it," he murmered.
"Come on, aren't you over this yet?" said Zim.
"There's nothing to get over," said Dib firmly. "I'm not going to kiss you again."
"But you want to," said Zim, raising his eyebrows.
"No... I don't..." said Dib, but he didn't sound convincing. Zim chuckled, and he leaned in to kiss him again. Despite his words, Dib didn't fight back. Zim slowly moved on top of him, holding the kiss. After a moment, he moved to kissing his neck. Dib exhaled sharply, gripping a handfull of Zim's shirt. "Quit it..." he breathed.
"No," said Zim. "You like it..."
"If you're so worried about me getting sleep, you'll stop," said Dib firmly, and Zim sat up, tilting his head at him.
"I don't think leaving you alone will help," he said with a laugh. "In fact, I think the thing that would help is if you finally accept that you like me."
"I don't--!"
"Bullshit," Zim whispered, and he gently removed his broken glasses, setting them on the floor.
"Zim--" He started to pull Dib's clothes off, and then his own. As he pulled his pants off, Dib tried to stop him by grabbing his wrist. "Zim..." he said again, but Zim ignored him, pulling his hand away and throwing their clothes off the Slubby Plant.
"You never answered my question," said Zim, straddling him and running his fingers down Dib's chest. "So, like I said, I assumed the answer was 'yes.'"
"Please d--" said Dib, but he was cut off by Zim pressing his lips to his once more. Dib couldn't help wrapping his arms around him again; it seemed automatic at this point. Zim pressed against him, carressing his cheek lightly, letting their tongues touch. Dib pulled away suddenly, laughing slightly. "Your tongue feels weird..." he said.
"Well, yea," said Zim. "To you it does. It's different than yours. Almost everything about my anatomy is different... except for the part that counts, it seems. What a strange twist of fate, huh?" Dib looked into his face, and he reached up to push his hair out of his eyes. Again, it fell right back into place. "Don't bother, it doesn't want to move."
"It's... sexy..." Dib muttered, and Zim smirked.
"You're going to sleep very well tonight." They kissed again, more passionately than before, and Dib let him take advantage of him for the third time.

Dib woke up slowly, rubbing his eyes and looking around. Since it was still dark in the room, he had no idea what time it was. He bent over the edge of the Slubby Plant, feeling around for his pants and pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. He gasped, seeing that it was already eight in the morning.
"ZIM!" he shouted, and Zim woke with a start.
"I didn't do it!" he gasped, and Dib shook his shoulders firmly.
"Shut up, we're late for skool!" It took a minute for this to register, but when it did, Zim's eyes widened.
"Mrs. Sours is going to kill us!" he exclaimed, and they hurridly got dressed, running through the dark room and into the elevator. As they ascended, Zim tried to tidy his hair, and Dib stared at his face.
"Your makeup looks terrible," he panted. Zim growled, wiping some black off his face with his forefinger.
"Dib, what if we arrived at skool in time for second period?" he proposed. "Then Sours wouldn't be able to give us detention."
"It's risky, but I guess we could do that," said Dib, looking down and noticing he had put his shirt on backwards. "That'd actually give us time to... look decent..." They were quiet, and then the elevator brought them up to the house. Zim started trying to wipe his makeup off, using the turned off television as a mirror. Dib exhaled slowly, collapsing on the couch. He suddenly remembered what had happened last night. He blushed, and then also remembered he brought a change of clothes. He silently pulled them out of his bag, and began to change. Zim had managed to clean up his face, and then he walked back into the kitchen.
"I'll be right back," he called. Dib put his trench coat on and sat back down, not being able to take his mind off of the previous night's events. He looked over at his dirty shirt, which he had set on the couch next to him, observing the bloodstains that were left on it. He pulled back the sleeve of his left arm and saw a few bruises from when they were fighting. Then he pulled back his coat and shirt collar, looking at his shoulder and seeing a much more intense bruise that Zim had caused by biting him while they were being intimate.
Zim came back up, wearing different clothes and having his makeup redone. He was wearing faded black jeans and a baggy black shirt that said "BAD" on it in big red letters. He was also wearing his jacket and boots he'd been wearing.
"Where do you get these clothes?" said Dib, mainly gesturing to the shirt.
"It's whatever the computer comes up with, based on the pictures I was studying," Zim replied.
"The computer dresses you?" said Dib, raising an eyebrow.
"It's how we get our disguises!" said Zim angrily. "It's the same way I came up with that old disguise."
"Does it zap your makeup on too?"
"Yes," said Zim. "Do you really think I know how to do makeup?"
"I wasn't sure about that one," said Dib. He stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. Zim grabbed his bag as well, and they left the house.
"Your glasses are still broken," said Zim as they hurried down the sidewalk.
"Yea, well, I'm just gonna have to deal until I can get a new pair," said Dib. "By the way, thanks for breaking my fucking glasses!"
"Jesus christ!" said Zim angrily. "I said I was sorry!"
"Glasses are expensive, Zim!"
"You're dad's a TV star and a worldly known scientist, you don't have money issues." Dib groaned, stuffing his hands in his pockets. After a minute, Zim smirked at him. "How did you sleep?" Dib opened his mouth, but he closed it almost immediately. He hadn't even thought about it...
"I... slept... really well..." he said, a little surprised. "I think it was the first real sleep I've had in years..."
"I told you," Zim laughed. "You just needed to relax."
"We had sex again--"
"You needed. To. Relax." They continued walking and finally came up to the skool. "Is first period over?"
"Only one way to find out..." said Dib. They went inside and quietly walked up to Mrs. Sours' class, looking inside. She was still teaching her class. They moved away from the window, pressing against the wall. Mrs. Sours had looked over, almost like she had sensed their pressence. Just then, the bell rang, and they darted out of the way as the class started to file out.
"Hey! Zim! Where've you been?" said Brian, slapping him on the back. Zim laughed weakly.
"Just woke up late," said Zim. "No big deal."
"Sours was looking pretty pissed when you didn't show up," said Brian.
"Yea, well she can kiss my ass," he replied. Dib laughed slightly, and Brian glared at him.
"No one noticed you weren't there," he hissed.
"Then how did you notice?" said Dib angrily. Brian scowled, walking away. Dib furrowed his brow at Zim. "You didn't stand up for me."
"I... what am I supposed to say?" said Zim.
"You could say, 'leave him alone,'" said Dib. "Or are you afraid they won't like you anymore?"
"I... I don't know..." said Zim, and Dib shoved him slightly.
"I knew it!" he shouted. "You don't care about me as much as you say you do!"
"Dib--" said Zim, but Dib stormed away.
"Leave me alone!" Zim sighed, rubbing his temple and heading to his class.