Two Years Later
"Aba," Red cracked open an eye. His room was pitch black. "Aba, up by you." Came a sweet, youthful voice. Red sat straight up in his bed and looked over the side. There stood his smeet. His magenta eyes glowed through the darkness.
"What's the matter, Z?" Red asked, tiredly. He scooped up his son and cradled him. "Scared?" ZIM shook his head. "Of course not. Why would you be scared? You're the almighty ZIM after all."
"I sleep wiv you?" The child gazed up at his father. Red smiled down at him.
"Of course, pup." Red laid ZIM next to him on his big, luxurious bed. "So why'd you pay me a visit this early in the morning if you weren't scared?"
"You scawed."
"I'm scared?" Red chuckled. ZIM nodded, with one of his tiny hand in his mouth to suck on. "So you thought that I was scared and needed to come to my rescue?"
"Aba scawed. ZIM bwave." Red laughed, laying on his side. Everyone found ZIM's speech impediment extremely cute. Sure it was cute now, but Red sure did hope he grew out of it before the age of five. Because as of right now, ZIM would address the Almighty Tallests as Wed and Puhpuh.
"I'm glad you came to protect me, Zimmy. You know how much I hate the dark." ZIM said nothing, continuing to suck on his hand. Red leant down to kiss the boy's head.
"Aba?"
"Yes, pup?"
"Don't be scawed." Red snorted.
"I can't be scared with you here, Z." Red rested his head on his pillow and drew ZIM closer to his body. ZIM pressed his head against his father's chest and closed his eyes. Red smiled, closing his eyes too. His son. His son and himself shared so many traits it was as if it was Red reborn into a different body. The little anklebiter was energetic, innocent, funny, and rather naughty. This wasn't just because of the fact that ZIM was yet a toddler. Oh no. Red was the same way when he was younger and still is to this day. ZIM would no doubt be just like his father.
A short while later, the softest of snores emitted from the tiny creature in Red's arms. The proud father glanced at his son again. It was the way ZIM slept that gave Red the idea for his nickname. His soft baby face looked so peaceful. His antenna slicked back in a passive way. His tongue lolled out of his mouth ever so slightly. When Red first looked upon his sleeping son, the nickname almost came to him instantaneously.
Pup.
Red let out a long sigh. He had a busy day and he needed as much sleep as possible. He shut his eyes once more and slowly drifted into slumber. Son in arms.
...
"We're traveling much too close to a blackhole. We need to change courses." An Irken navigator said.
"Agreed. But first we must to find a different route to the Namchurion galaxy." Another declared.
"We'll set course for the Northern Star Trail." Red told his navigators, pointing to a large holographic map on a table in front of them.
"That way we can travel through the hyper speed current. We'll get to the Namchurion's only one day late." Purple added. "Navigator Oli, tell the pilots to set a new course for-"
"Aba!" All the heads in the command room turned to see little ZIM in the entry way. Red stood straight.
"Yeah, Pup?"
"Aba, it bwoke."
"What bwo- ehm . . . broke." Red corrected himself.
"Umm . . . i-it was . . . umm." ZIM looked about him, not really focusing on the question. His eyes landed on Purple. "Unc-uh Puh!" ZIM ran, clumsily to the other Tallest and and jumped in his arms. Purple chuckled and gave the smeet a hug. Red just groaned.
"I swear the kid has A.D.D."
"He gets it from you, Red." Purple chuckled as ZIM playfully tugged at his antenna. "Zimmy, can you tell me what broke?" The smeet looked gazed up at Purple.
"Gen-atoh."
"Gen-atoh?" Purple echoed, inquiringly. "Generator?" ZIM smiled and nodded.
"It bwoke. No fix." ZIM admitted. The doors to the conference room bursted open and several frantic-looking pilots and mechanics entered.
"My Tallest, the Massive isn't progressing anywhere. The generator and back up malfunctioned. We're suspended in space until we find and fix the problem. It's extremely dangerous to be stationary this close to a blackhole." One mechanic said. Purple and Red shared a glance then both looked accusingly at ZIM.
"Uh oh." The boy squeaked. "Aba mad." Red sighed heavily.
"Take us to the engine room." The mechanics nodded and led their Tallests to a room on the far side of the ship. They came upon a large door. One mechanic slowly opened the door. The Tallest walked past him and into the room. Purple still holding the smeet. Red's eyes narrowed in search for the problem. His sight zeroed in on the generator. He knelt down to inspect it thoroughly. Finally his gaze rested upon something wedged in the belt of the machine. Red cocked a hairless brow and reached for it. He grabbed the object and gave it a powerful yank, releasing it from it's trap. The generator immediately started to sputter and restart.
Satisfied, Red looked down at the object in hand. It was one of ZIM's toys. A rubber plasma laser. The crimson tallest shook his head disapprovingly.
"Aba!" Red looked over his shoulder to his smeet. "Sowwy." Red chuckled.
"It's fine, Pup." Red reassured the boy. He then turned his attention to one of the pilots. "We need to make up for lost time. Double time speed. We have a quota for planet visitations to reach." The pilot gave Red a curt nod and went on his way. Purple smirked.
"Being a father really softens the heart, doesn't it?" He asked. Red bowed his head.
"It sure does." Red took his son out of Purple's care. "You're a mischievous, little child, Pup."
...
"My Tallest," Red and Purple looked up from their paper work sprawled across their desk to their advisor. ZIM was in his arms squirming around. The boy was covered from head to toe in what appeared to be a variety of foods.
"Oh no." Red groaned.
"We found him in the industrial kitchen feeding tonight's dinner to his pet Kurunge Dai." The advisor informed them. Red tilted his head confused.
"ZIM does not have a dog." Urii thrusted the young boy into Red's arms.
"With all do respect, My Tallest, I do believe ZIM has a sense of . . . loneliness. I mean, considering the fact that he's the only smeet on board." Urii said. "He's making up imaginary friends for his own amusement and in a way it's making him a bit . . . rambunctious."
"What are you proposing, Urii?" Red looked back down at his notes.
"Well sir, I'm suggesting you get him a pet. So he can be preoccupied with a friend. In also doing this, ZIM will stay out of the way and cause less messes."
"Are you saying my boy is a hindrance?" Red shifted his eyes up, glaring at the advisor.
"Of course not, sir! He's a blessing!" Urii saved himself. "He's just young and curious, therefore, a natural troublemaker." Red shook his head.
"We're not getting a Kurunge Dai." Red muttered. Purple frowned at his younger brother.
"Red, think about it. Getting ZIM a companion would probably be good for him. And the armada." Purple said.
"No."
"Aba!" ZIM stood in Red's lap wrapping his tiny arms around his father's neck.
"What, Pup?"
"I make food!" ZIM presented his messy body to Red. The stressed father sighed. Red stood up with his son cradled in his arms.
"I'm going to clean him. Purple, will you finish?" The violet Tallest grunted for having even more work dumped on him.
"I suppose." He muttered as Red left. As soon as Purple was sure his brother was out of hearing range he looked to Urii. "We're gonna get that kid a dog, Urii. Set course to Irken owned planet, Optra."
...
"Why has the Massive stopped moving?" Red demanded, bursting into the control centre. The pilots jumped at Red's loud voice. "Why did we turn starboard in the dead of night? We're supposed to be going to Aiery for planetary protocol!"
"Calm yourself, Red." Purple's quiet voice came from behind him. A hand rested on Red's shoulder. "I told them to do that."
"Why? Are you forgetting that we have an empire to run?" Red exclaimed. Purple craned his head to the mass of Irken soldiers behind him. He gave them a curt nod, holding ZIM in his arms. The soldiers all parted revealing a tall, four-legged creature, ears perked, head held high with pride. Red's jaw dropped.
"Is that a-"
"Doggy!" ZIM squealed. "Aba, doggy!" ZIM wriggled out of Purple's grasp and ran straight towards the big animal.
"ZIM no!" Red shouted.
"Relax. She's well trained and good with kids." Purple said. "That mutt costed me a heavy expense, however. You owe me fifteen hundred monies."
"You spent fifteen hundred on a Kurunge Dai?" Red snapped. Purple put his hands up in defense.
"What can I say? I love my nephew." Red's face twisted with anger until he saw his son's beaming smile as he ran his dainty little hands across the tan, short-furred dog's coat. Red's features softened. He turned back to his brother.
"If that dog so much as nips my ZIM, she's going out of the airlock."
A Kurunge Dai is an Irken equivalent of a dog, but it has wings! I did not create this marvelous beast. Kazehana23 did. (Go to her profile and you'll find a link to her deviantart account. There you'll find the Irken dog! Go now! It looks sooo cool!) Thanks for letting me use it Kaze! (Haha, I abbreviated your name.)
Thanks for reading! Sorry it took awhile to update.
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