This is another story I did for a challenge. Yay. This one is a ZAMR fic that, I bet you're wondering where the title came from. Well, most of the stories I write are inspired by songs; for example, "Rose Tint My World" is inspired by the RHPS song of the same name. Finding Happiness has one, but…I'm waiting to discuss that at the end of the story. Anyway, this story was inspired by "Inhaler" by Hooverphonic from my CSI soundtrack CD. It's a very pretty song, actually.
Another thing: as the show never says when any of the characters' birthdays are, I decided to make up one for Membrane, or, to be more precise, I used my own. And yes, this story is very sappy, and I personally don't like that, but I had to make it that way; what else could counteract what's going to happen in the next chapter of Finding Happiness? Disclaimer: Zim, Membrane, and the rest of the IZ gang belong to poor Jhonen, whose works we love to degrade with sweet, sweet slashing, and Viacom, who probably doesn't know.
Enjoy!
The first thing Membrane heard when he woke up was giggling, or, to be more specific, Gir giggling. This, of course, irritated Membrane, as he did not particularly enjoy the robot's company, especially when he had been trying to sleep after working for such a long time. He decided to crack an eye open anyway, and was rewarded with the sight of GIR's face inches away. The Professor cursed in surprise and then smacked Gir away, causing the little robot to go crashing onto the blue bedspread below.
GIR blinked after falling over, then screeched in his nerve-gratingly high-pitched voice, "HIII!" a few moments later.
"Hello, GIR," the grumpy-sounding scientist muttered, half sitting up and felt around for his glasses-which he wore en lieu of his goggles when he first woke up- on his nightstand. "Now where are my…?"
"They're right here, Professor," replied the apparent third occupant of the room as they held them up.
"Thank you, Zi-" he began absently, then coherently realized who had spoken. "Zim? Why are you here?" he inquired, squinting for a moment. The little Irken Invader and the Professor had met before, of course, and had become fast friends, and then…even more.
"Don't squint. It makes you look like an old man," the Irken Invader remarked, then leaned over and placed the Professor's glasses on his nose, enabling him to see a bit better.
"Don't change the subject, Zim; why are you here? What if Dib sees you?" demanded the Professor, adjusting his glasses a bit and tucking a stray lock of hair behind his currently visible left ear. He was wearing a long, blacknight shirt and a pair of black socks at the moment rather than his outfit, as he had, of course, just woke up.
"Oh, don't worry about him; he and Gaz left for school already," Zim replied with a wave of his hand. "I made sure of it before I snuck in,"
"Left for school? Zim, don't you have school as well?" Membrane queried, frowning a bit.
"Yes, but that doesn't matter…today is too important to miss," he responded.
After receiving a blank look from Membrane, Zim tilted his head to the side. "You do know what today is, don't you?"
Another blank look. Zim shook his head. "Tsk, tsk, Membrane…such a smart Earth monkey, yet so forgetful…"
"What are you talking about, Zim? Today isn't any anniversary, and Valentine's Day was last week…what am I forgetting, exactly?"
Zim grinned a wicked smile. "Oh, you'll see, Professor…I'll be waiting downstairs for you. Get ready quickly, so we can leave as soon as possible," he said to Membrane before grabbing GIR and sauntering out, dragging GIR by the arm.
Membrane sighed and shook his head. "What is he planning this time?" he wondered to himself out loud before starting to get ready for the day.
When he finally got downstairs, GIR was making breakfast and Zim was currently…screaming at the toaster. "Stupid toaster…you dare to refuse to work for Zim!" he grabbed it and was about to throw it to the floor with a long line of obscenities when he saw that Membrane had entered the room. "…Oh! Professor…I didn't see you there…" he then put down the toaster, but not without throwing a seething glare its way before turning back to the Professor.
"Okay Zim, I'll let the toaster thing slide, but will you please tell me what's so important about today?" Membrane asked.
"Of course not, you silly human. Now go and eat the disgusting earth food GIR has prepared for you before we leave. I'll be waiting for you outside." Zim said as he pointed to the table, which GIR had set up quite nicely. He then grabbed GIR again and departed once again.
Membrane muttered something under his breath, then sat down to eat the breakfast, which actually wasn't half bad, as it seemed that the culinary arts was one of GIR's few fine points.
When he was done, he put his dish in the sink and ambled out of the house where the two were waiting for him.
"Zim, I do have work today, you know…the world needs my help." Membrane remarked as he walked up. "So if this is just an excuse to spend more time with me, I am going to be quite cross with you."
"Zim, steal Membrane from the world for selfish reasons? Of course not." Zim answered in his third-person-esque style before hopping into the cockpit of the newly renovated Cruiser with his robot servant. It was now a lot larger in size, thanks to the help of the Professor, so that they could all fit in the spaceship quite nicely, and it had an invisibility button so that the wouldn't get caught as easily.
"Sorry, but I wouldn't put it past you," commented Membrane before purposely rumpling Zim's wig as he got into the Cruiser as well.
"This coming from the man who doesn't know what today is," retorted Zim as he tossed his wig off before starting up the Cruiser.
"Nobody's perfect, Zim; not even you," Membrane reminded the Irken with a waggle of his left pointer finger while he buckled himself into the newly added seats; he knew how much Zim enjoyed using the hyperspeed button, and he didn't feel like crashing into metal that day.
"Of course I am perfect; I am ZIM!" Zim crowed, then slammed his fist on the hyperspeed button, sending the ship soaring through the cloud, breaking the atmosphere, and finally reaching space.
They went through space at a decent rate, with equal amounts of Membrane demanding to where he was taken, Zim ignoring him, and GIR being completely insane.
They finally reached a small planet that was greenish in color, and, when they broke the atmosphere, looked like what a very beautiful and clean countryside would look like on Earth.
"What…what is this place?" Membrane inquired, amazed by the beauty of the world.
"This, Professor, is Gaia, a world similar to your own disgusting little dirtball, only less…dirty." Zim explained bluntly as he landed the ship. Membrane just rolled his eyes at the little alien's idiocy before the three got out.
"Membrane, I need you to go sit by the purple tree...thing right there and close your eyes until I say so. Can you do that for me, my dear hyoooman?" Zim inquired, pretending to bat his eyelashes during the last part of his sentence, though it was hard since…he didn't have eyelashes.
"Fine, Zim, I'll play along with your little game…" sighed Membrane as he did as he was told. "What other choice do I have?"
"None, of course. Now sit still and no peeking until I say so." The small Invader called.
Membrane sat in complete darkness for what seemed like for forever under the purple tree-thing until at last Zim quietly muttered right where his ear was underneath his collar, "Okay, you can open your eyes and now."
And when Membrane did, he was in for a surprise. A little picnic blanket with three plates and three sets of utensils on it was set up, which wasn't really amazing, but what did catch his eye was little details; there were party streamers randomly thrown on the plants, GIR was wearing a ugly, conical party hat that was neon pink with neon green spots and had a red, yellow, and blue striped party blower in his mouth, and, when Zim stepped around from next to him, Membrane noticed that the Irken was wearing one too, only his was red with white stripes.
"Surprised?" Zim queried with a grin. All Membrane could do at first was nod in reply, but he did finally ask, "What- What is this all for, Zim?" "I am getting to that, Professor. Never underestimate the amazing power of Zim!" Zim announced, then GIR suddenly waddled over, holding a very lovely looking cake that had very many lit candles jammed into the top of it.
"Today, dear Membrane, is February 21st, which means it is your 40th birthday today." Zim muttered softly with a smile, then he and GIR began singing a very bizarre sounding version of "Happy Birthday" before Membrane pulled down his collar and blew out the candles, causing GIR to cheer very loudly. While GIR began cutting pieces of cake, (or rather, ripping chunks out of the cake and tossing them onto the plates) Zim and Membrane decided to converse.
"I read that it is custom that when you blow out the candles on a birthday cake, you wish for something. What did you wish for, Membrane?" Zim queried.
The famous scientist, who was now laying on his stomach, propped his head up in his hands and replied, "If I tell you, it might not come true, Zim."
Zim frowned and was about to reply when GIR suddenly decided to screech, "PRESENT TIIIIIIIME!" and ran off. He then returned with a rolled up piece of paper and a gift wrapped up in red wrapping paper with little white bears on it.
"OPEN THE CARD FIRST!" yelled GIR with a giggle. Membrane rolled his eyes again, then unrolled the paper and smoothed it out to reveal a large, rather crudely drawn picture of what appeared to be a bunch of blobs; one white, peach, and black, one pink, black and green, and one silver and cyan. At the top were the words "HAPPEE BIRFDEY MEMBRAIN" in red crayon.
"Whaddya think?" GIR asked with an eager look on his face.
"It's…lovely GIR. I love it." Membrane lied, trying to make the little robot happy.
"YAY!" screamed the little robot, who then began doing a little dance.
"You can open the gift now," muttered Zim, and the Professor nodded before slowly unwrapping the present.
It was a small, quite charming wooden box with the Irken symbol engraved into the top. "Open it," whispered Zim, seeming exciting. Membrane did so, and when he did, the two figures inside popped up, and the present, which was evidently a music box, began playing a very beautiful, haunting melody.
"Oh Zim…it's amazing," Membrane gasped, amazed.
"You see the figures?" Zim pointed at the tiny dancing figurines, which were modeled into the shape of the Irken and the scientist. "I thought they would go good with the music, so you wouldn't forget when you taught me how to waltz on Valentine's Day."
"Zim…this is beautiful. Thank you…what can I ever do to repay you?" Membrane said.
"Flip down your collar again," Zim said with a smile, and when Membrane did, Zim kissed him.
"I think that is payment enough for the almighty Zim."
"Zim? If you really want to know...I wished that this would never end. The two of us together, I mean." Membrane told the little alien, who smiled.
"Well, little wormbaby, I think your wish will still come true."
And so, the two sat in the sunlight, two people bound together by one of the strongest bonds there is: love.
It was 1 AM when I wrote this. I had just read a story where Membrane decided that he wanted kids so he tried MPREG himself and then he became a woman and then he had sex with Simmons. Basically: I was tired and my wits were gone, so this story might be a bit...off. Please tell me if it is so I can fix it.
Hope you liked this!