Zim sat curled up on the over-stuffed couch, legs drawn up against his faintly trembling chest, his arms clutched tightly around them as though clinging to a life line, head bent over, antenna drooping pitifully as the smaller irken tried unsuccessfully to squelch his sorrow.
Just an hour before he had sent a report to the Tallest, he had finally come up with a fool proof plan and in his eagerness to impress and please the Tallest he had decided to share the information with them, sure they would be as delighted as himself.
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"My Tallest!"
Purple, who was in the background groaned loudly and Zim stiffened uncertainly, he had occasionally heard the Tallest give muffled moans when he reported, which why he tried so frequently and so hard to conquer this miserable planet, he knew he was already behind the other invaders and he didn't want to impose on the Tallest for too long. But this was the first time either Irken had made their displeasure at seeing him so clear.
"Yes Zim, what is it now?" Tallest Red asked in a bored and irritated voice, not even bothering to look at him. In fact the taller alien seemed to be making a specific effort not to look at him.
"I... I have figured out a way to clear away this population in preparation for the Armada..." Zim spoke rather timidly and slower than usual, definitely shook by now, hesitation and more fear than respect dictating his words and actions.
"Zim!" Red suddenly exploded, throwing his claws up in the air, exasperation and unexpected anger tinting his words, "The Armada is not coming to Earth! You've been on that stupid dirtball for four years, haven't you figured that out yet?! The only reason you were sent there was to keep you out of the way so you didn't mess up Impending Doom 2 the same way you did Impending Doom 1!"
Zim couldn't answer, couldn't even breath, instead staring back at Tallest Red with the same expression of a hypnotised rabbit watching an approaching car, caught in the headlights.
In the background Purple seemed to sit up a little straighter, clearly deciding to be the diplomat.
"Look Zim, it's nothing personal, but you were just not meant to be an Invader, it's as simple as that. We have discussed this and we both agree it would be best if you just stayed put and maybe vanished."
"Vanished?" Zim finally managed to croak out past the lump in his throat he was battling desperately to swallow.
"Yes. As in stopped calling us, stop reporting in with these constant silly ideas and just let the Irken population believe you were killed in battle, it's probably the only honourable ending you could possibly hope for," Red added bluntly, but his tone was a little kinder, trying to make the second banishment as gentle as possible, both had seen the disbelief followed by raw anguish in his expression.
Zim blinked uncertainly, as though trying to wake up from a trance and looked down for a moment, his eyes flicking back and forth uncertainly as he contemplated the words.
"But I..... I know I'm a little behind the other invaders b.. but I..."
"No Zim."
"No?"
Purple and Red shook their heads solemnly but determinedly and Zim took a step back from the screen they were displayed on.
"We're going to block this frequency Zim, and while we will inform the planet of your 'death', you may consider yourself officially banished. Try to live out the rest of your life in peace on Earth."
With that the connection was cut off abruptly leaving Zim with a dark despair surrounding him like barbed wire, slicing into him with each breath as it tightened.
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Zim's shoulders hunched in a rhythmic pattern as muffled whimpers emanated from behind his arms and legs, vaguely where his face was, his entire position that of grief and loss. This mission, the second chance he had received had been everything to him, he had no hope now and nothing to live for, he had no biological family of his own, he was a laughing stock and an easy target for other members of his race as he was so easy to bully due to his size and no longer had anyone to consider friend. Even on Foodtopia he'd had dreams of redeeming himself and proving his worth but now not even that was impossible, within hours he would be dead to his people, just an expendable casualty of war who would be formally acknowledged but not really missed.
He paused and lifted his head to breath in rapid breathes, almost hyperventilating as he struggled to breath while simultaneously calm himself down and cry salty tears. So absorbed in unhappiness he didn't even notice Gir enter the room, more focused on the burning tears that were made of the unique liquid that made up most of his body, the same way water made up the majority of human bodies and the hasty sobbing breaths that rasped in his throat, stinging his flesh and shaking his body.
"Aw, what's the matter master?" Gir chirped as he scrambled onto the couch beside Zim, looking at him expectantly while clutching a squeaky rubber pig to his chest.
After a few moments with no response from Zim other than stilted sobbing and ragged breathing Gir blinked big blue eyes at him and looked around rather helplessly, he was sure something was the matter but he didn't know how to get a reaction from Zim if his questions weren't acknowledged. After a second he twisted in his seat and, dropping the pig to the floor and picking up the remote instead, turned the TV on to the Scary Monkey Show, but rather than watched the screen he turned his head to watch Zim hopefully, knowing how much his master hated the show.
When he didn't get a response he frowned and stood up on the couch again, his mind trying to come up with something that would help.
"I think someone needs a hug!!" He declared, his voice bright and gleeful as he approached Zim and threw his tiny metallic arms around the green-skinned alien who was slowly calming down slightly but still seemed unaware of Gir's presence.
At the sound of Gir's cheerful voice and the feel of the cool metallic arms pressed against his skin in a comforting manner Zim burst into further tears and for the first time in his life, turned towards the comfort and support offered unconditionally, no longer caring about the Irken protocol of being independent and unresponsive to weaker emotions and drew the S.I.R unit to him, resting his forehead against the cool shoulder while Gir patted his head and occasionally stroked his antenna.
"Aww, don't cry master, everything'll be okay, you'll see!"
Hearing that Zim had to smile wryly, the corners of his mouth just turning up at the corners and sitting back so he could look the small and loyal companion in the eye, he regarded him thoughtfully. He had known, at least subconsciously, if not consciously every time he did something wrong or stupid, that the little unit was not an advanced S.I.R. Was barely functional as a information retrieval unit in fact, but regardless he had come to care for the small metallic ball of energy and life. And at this point in time he was glad he had recieved Gir and not some conventional S.I.R unit which would have been obedient and intelligent but wouldn't have had half the personality or love of Gir, any other robot would have been impersonal and cool but Gir had, with his own unique manner, wriggled his way into Zim's former impenetrable heart and become like a kid brother to the Irken, which was why he got away with so much and hadn't yet been dismantled or permantly shut down.
"Gir..." Zim hesitated, unsure of how to explain the situation to Gir, "The mission has been cancelled. We... we need to stay here now.... forever."
Gir looked back at the still red-rimmed and concerned eyes of his master and blinked.
"YAAAAYYYY!!!!! Now we can watch the Scary Monkey Show forever! Can I have ice-cream?"
Zim looked back at him, startled, then suddenly burst into laughter, prompting the tiny robot to join in instantly and Zim gently replaced him on the ground.
"Yes Gir, you can have ice-cream, in fact, bring me back some chocolate ice-cream too."
Gir nodded rapidly and darted off into the kitchen.
Trust Gir to figure out all his priorities in under a minute. Zim thought fondly, standing and walking to the ground floor bathroom, eyeing his reflection contemplatively. He hadn't been wearing his disguise to contact the Tallest so at least he didn't look too dishevelled. His eyes were a little puffy around the edges maybe and the crimson surface gleamed wetly with tears, making them particularly reflective. His skin was a little pale and damp but in even a few hours he suspected it would look completely normal. He brushed his hands over his twin antenna, straightening them back against his head, feeling them flutter slightly against his hand in response as they were as useful a sense as any other, they were exceptionally sensitive, far more so than his skin or human skin and with them he could even feel slight vibrations and swirling air currents in the air, which was reason he hated wearing a wig so much, he felt near crippled with it on.
"MASSSTTERRR!!!" He head Gir sing from the living room and turned slightly to watch the robot's progress in the mirror as he came in carrying two tubs of ice-cream and what looked like seven or eight spoons.
"I'll be there in a moment Gir!" he yelled back, grabbing a handful of tissue and gently drying his skin and eyes, gingerly dabbing the red surface of his eyes to dry it but not to damage himself, he didn't have any feeling in either eye so it wasn't particularly uncomfortable but he didn't want to accidentally jab himself around such a delicate area.
Walking back into the living room he sat beside Gir, twisting as he sat so he half faced the dysfunctional S.I.R unit and half faced the television which was still showing the Scary Monkey Show. Accepting the offered tub of ice-cream and three spoons he watched the tv without protest, not really concentrating on the show at all.
Maybe this is for the best. After all I did make a few.... big mistakes under Irken rule, but where to go from here?
Zim winced slightly as the cold food melted over his smooth reptilian tongue, the taste wasn't particularly pleasant to his unique tastebuds but it was acceptable when compared to some other Earth foods. Casually spooning in mouthful after mouthful he was startled to find he had eaten half of the tub and blinked rather lazily at it, smiling suddenly as Gir, who had noticed his pause stuck his own spoon into the chocolate frozen dessert leaving a pale coloured stripe over it as the vanilla ice-cream from his own spoon brushed off onto the chocolate ice-cream. He watched with further amusement as Gir ate the chocolate ice-cream and, without missing a beat, began eating his own ice-cream again but with a different spoon. He had been so busy in the last year that he had barely spent any time in the company of his metallic companion and he suddenly realised with a pang how much he had missed his often ludicrous yet interesting quirks and how much he had neglected him.
Without even thinking about it he reached out and placed his gloved hand on Gir's head, lightly stroking the cooler surface, even scratching just the area where his ears would be if he had any of his own or was wearing his dog costume. Gir's head swivelled immediately to look at his master and he sighed in pure bliss at the attention, closing his eyes to fully appreciate every moment and Zim winced as he realised how much this sort of thing meant to Gir, even something as simple as being allowed to stay in his company for more than a few seconds was a delight for the simple unit.
Even without my people, I still have Gir, and he probably likes me than most of my own people. This isn't really the end, it's just the beginning of a new part of my life.
After a moment he hugged Gir, who returned it in full, managing to cover both of them in cream and brown coloured ice-cream before wriggling close to Zim, snuggling up against his side.
"I love this show!" he offered brightly and Zim grinned.
"I know Gir, I know....."
On that he watched the once-despised show quietly with Gir leaning against his side, head resting against his ribcage and smiled in pleased contentment, himself, the rubber piggy and Gir. His family. And he was home.