violet eclipse

Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim or it's characters.

Chapter 3,

At first Zim had a problem with cleaning because he couldn't touch the soapy water without burning himself. But then Dib mentioned that Zim could use his spider arms, which made the alien vert happy. The work was done quickly and the boys exited the gym and Dib looked at his watch.

"School ends in about 20 minutes. Should we head back to class?" Dib asked and Zim rolled his eyes.

"What for? It's not like we will do anything except piss off Ms. Bitters." Zim said and Dib shrugged.

"You're probably right. I guess I'll just head home and I'll see you when football practice is over." Dib said walking away. Zim lifted his wrist to call Gir, but when he did this, a new smell hit his face. Confused, Zim whiffed at his arm and then the collar of his uniform.

"Odd, I know this scent, but I don't wear any of the humans filthy col-ogne, whatever that is." Zim muttered to himself, but punished his confusion asideand dialed Gir. Soon Gir, in his dog suit, appeared on the screen and Zim blinked at him.

"Gir, where are you?" Zim demanded and Gir laughed.

"I'm out eating a snow cone and running after bugs." Gir answered and Zim sighed.

"Gir, I ordered you to watch the mutated venus fly traps!" Zim shouted and Gir tilted his head.

"Ooh, yeah. I was playing with some bacon grease and the plants ate each other."

Gir said and Zim rose an eyebrow at him.

"Why were you playing with bacon grease, which caused my man-eating plants to kill each other?" Zim asked and Gir was quiet for a minute.

"I like bacon." He said and he licked his snowcone.

"Oooh, did you at least clean up the mess?" Zim asked and Gir tilted his head.

"Ummmmmmmmmmmm, no. Oh, look a bug!" Gir said before running after a butterfly and Zim groaned. He turned off the call and held his own arms. Suddenly Zim longed to be in Dib's arms again.

Wait, what was that device Dib wanted me to buy for myself? A blanket of electricity. Where might one obtain such a device? Zim thought and he looked off into the distance where Dib had walked off and Zim bit his lower lip.

Dib was staring at a spot of black sludge that got on his sleeve. With an annoyed groan he tried to get it off with some spit and two of his fingers. It did fade a little, but it got bigger. So Dib gave up on it, as soon as he did, he heard a noise behind him. He turned around and scanned the area, but he didn't immediately see anything.

Wait? Is that someone stalking me? Dib questioned and he was about to dive into the nearby bushes.

"Dib, Dib?" The person cried, only they weren't a person, it was an alien.

"Zim?" Dib asked and Zim finally caught up to him.

"Hello, Dib. The way I see it, we still have time before our truce is over for today. With that in mind, do you think that you can lead the way to this blanket of electricity that you mentioned earlier?" Zim asked and Dib blinked.

"Well, I don't see a problem with that. You should be able to buy on at the City Center Mall." Dib said and Zim blinked.

"That mall is huge, where in the mall?" Zim asked and Dib twisted his mouth.

"Well, typically a clothing store, but occasionally an electronics store." Dib said.

"Where in the mall?" Zim asked again and Dib's eyes lowered to a bored expression.

"Looks like you still need to learn to listen to others." Dib commented.

"Where in the mall?!" Zim shouted and Dib grabbed Zim's arms to keep them still; and the heat from Dib's hands made the Irken silent as he looked at the human.

"Listen, ok? If you're that confused then I can go to the mall with you, but I want to change my jacket, alright?" Dib said.

"I understand." Zim stiffly stated as confusion rose in him again. Dib nodded and let go of Zim's arms, which trembled with the coldness he now felt.

Dib's house was only around the corner, so they walked there in silence which gave both boys a chance to think. Zim never realized how cold this stupid planet was until he got close to Dib.

At least today isn't as bad as that horrible frozen water season. Of all the more horrible fates this planet has to offer, it's torturous to think the weatther is harmless before getting out in the middle of it and then feel the burning. Zim shuddered silently and Dib glanced at him.

Zim can be so helpless sometimes. Water burns him, he's scares of hamsters and the robots at Bloaty's Pizza, and Gir is adorable but he doesn't protect Zim. Tak said something about trying to steal Zim's mission away from him, but she actually looked like a human. Her plan to destroy earth was actually working, and Zim haf many plans that simply failes on their own. If Zim's leaders 'The Tallest' really wanted to take over the earth, then why did they send someone like Zim? Sure he never gives up, but Tak was smarter, and wasn't given a mission. I wonder what the other Irkens are like.

Dib wondered as they walked up to Dib's door and suddenly the uneasiness Dib felt earlier had returned.

"So, uh, did you want to wait out here or inside?" Dib asked and Zim looked into the sky.

"I suppose inside. I don't like to stay under your decrepit sun for too long, if I can help it." Zim said and Dib shrugged and opened the door for him.

Zim glanced around, not much has changed since he shared a drink with Dib's father. The only noticeable change was the massive 'gaming central' attached to the tv.

"Oh, yeah, that's Gaz's. She wants all this to be in her room, but Dad says that she would never sleep if he did that. It's fine by me, though, the only show I watch nowadays is Mysterious Mysteries and Dib let's me watch it while she takes a small break from playing." Dib said and Zim blinked.

"O-kay." Zim stated and Dib glanced at the stairs.

"Um, I'll be right back, so... If you see something in the fridge then you can snack on it." Dib said, trying to sound hospitable, and then he went upstairs. Zim looked around and he comfortably sat at the table in the kitchen. And that's whenit hit him, for the second time that day. He was comfortable around Dib and his home. It may even be possible that he felt more comfortable here then at home.

No, Zim, you shouldn't think that. You are in enemy territory and you must... Must... Why is Dib continuing to help me? Ther have been several times when he has asked me for help and I denied him. I know that I refused to help him with his sister Gaz when she had the pig curse. He didn't care about my evil schemes until she was better, which was annoying. Everyday, reading, reading, reading to help find a cure. He didn't look at me in class, or at gym, or in the cafeteria. Once I even took a book out of his hands and he quickly grabbed another book. So I took all the books and he ran to the library. Being ignored by him is so frustrating, since normally he gives me such attention. Zim thought and he blinked at his own words.

Not that I care about Dib or where his attention goes. He quickly thought to mentally erase some of the things he thought. With a sigh, he called Gir again to check on him.

"HEllo?" Gir asked and Zim rose an eyebrow on him.

"Gir, it's me." Zim said and Gir clapped his hands.

"Yay, how are you master?" Gir asked and Zim took a deep breath.

"Gir, I want you to go back to base and clean up the mess. " Zim said and Gir tilted his head in confusion.

"Uh, what mess?" Gir asked and Zim facepalmed.

"The venus fly traps ate themselves remember?" Zim asked, stressing the last word.

"Oh, yeah." Gir said and Zim shuddered in annoyance.

"I have got to delete that phrase." Zim muttered and he straightened his back before looking at Gir.

"Gir! I order you to go home and clean the mess." Zim said strictly and Gir's eyes turned red.

"Sir, yes, sir." Gir said before running off, but Zim heard a tiny squeel as he hung up, which made him wonder if Gir would do as he was told. Then the door swung open and Gaz entered, staring at Zim.

"You know, I thought I heard an idiot in this house, but I didn't expect that idiot to be you." Gaz said and the invader instantly remembered the things he had said on the playground earlier.

"Heh, uh, hello, Gaz. Why I haven't seen a filthy human look as pretty as you do, today." Zim said nervously and Gaz calmly walkes to the fridge and pulled out two sodas.

"Do you have any idea how annoying it is to want to be left alone, but people keep coming up to talk to you?" Gaz said and she shook up the first can of soda and sprayed Zim with it's contents, making the Irken scream out in pain.

"They sent me to the guidance counselor's office right as I was about to beat the final level of Gameslave 2. And they threatened to call my dad." Gaz said and she grabbed the creature, who was now rolling around on the ground, and she straddled him to keep him still.

She took the second can and she opened it slightly, making it hiss, but appearing to be sealed. She shook up the can making foam appear and she turned it upside down to make it drip on Zim.

"Do you... Have any idea... How pissed dad would have been? He might have put me in another isolation unit, and then I might have never been able to play Gameslave 2 again! You have no idea how badly I want to beat that game." Gaz said, shaking up the can which made the soda drop faster.

"Ah!" Zim screamed some more.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"