Nothing makes a long work day...less long, than my phone email vibrating with reviews. XD Although, then it makes me really want to get home and write which maybe has the opposite effect on my day...I digress! While on the subject, I work a 12 1/2 hour shift Sun-Every other Wed, and a 9-hour shift Thurs-Every other Sat. Unless I take overtime, I have either a Wed or Sat off each week. And intermittent karate classes. And college soon, hopefully. I'll squeeze in writing when I can. XD The shorter work days help, bwaha. I digress, back to the story! Oh, and thank you for the reviews, support, enjoyment, hugs, and the like! They really do brighten my existence! And Holmes, I would happily check out your stuff but I'm thinking FF ate your link cause all I see is '.com'. ;-;

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Overcast skies...check. On schedule...check. Route planned out...check. Umbrella...check! Dib grinned, delighted by his own planning as he all but skipped towards Zim's house. He wasn't sure exactly how Zim would react, but he felt reasonably prepared for all avenues of outcomes. And sure, maybe it wasn't the absolute best plan that he could have come up with, but hey, all roads lead to Rome and all that. Dib had his own 'Trojan Horse' in store.

Dib braced himself as he found himself at Zim's door before long and he fought to keep his grin down as he knocked.

And knocked.

And knocked.

Dib frowned. "Must not be home...I guess?" He hadn't noted any unusual activity and hadn't considered any reason that he might be gone, but nothing was fully predictable he supposed.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Trying to figure out if Zim's home." Dib muttered absently.

"He is!"

"Oh, really? Thanks-hey-wait!" Dib whirled around as the conversation caught up with him and he found himself facing a chipper-Gir with arms full of greasy snacks. Gir shot him a bright, robotic smile as he side-stepped Dib as he managed to open the door and step in. The door was nearly shut when Dib stepped forward. "Say, Gir, you think I could come in again?" he queried with what he hoped was an affable expression.

Gir considered that a moment before a sharp voice came from behind Gir. "Do not allow him entry, Gir!"

Gir's eyes flashed red a moment. "Entry denied." he started to close the door when Dib added hastily.

"Please? With...ice cream sundaes on top?"

"SUNDAES! I lurrrrve sundaes! Come on in!" Gir squealed as he flung open the door and bounced about happily before he darted to the kitchen, apparently to acquire some sundae-goodness.

"GIR!" Zim's outraged voice came from inside and as Dib stepped in, he found the alien standing beside the couch rather than sitting on it and the pink-eyes were locked in a glare. Zim lifted up onto his PAK-legs and advanced towards the other as he spoke lowly. "Dib-filth, you-"

"Wait! Hear me out!" Dib took a few steps back as he held up his hands in surrender and Zim's eyes narrowed although he paused. He wasn't sure whether to consider it a step in the right direction that Zim was more cognizant and less mopey this time, since Zim seemed more angry than anything. "I-uh-brought you something!" he held out the umbrella.

Zim blinked and his brow crinkled a bit as if in confusion before his eyes again settled on Dib in a glare. "Your filthy-Earth device is not wanted." he had seen similar devices with the Skool children, but they hadn't appeared to be weapons so he hadn't much cared to look into then. And then suspicion settled in. "Why are you bringing Zim...things?"

Dib could feel his well-laid plans crumbling around him, but he had anticipated the possibility of a negative reception so he was hardly surprised. "It's an umbrella. It keeps the rain off of you, see?" he let the umbrella open and let it rest over his head.

Zim seemed startled as the umbrella shot open and he eyed it warily before he crossed his arms and glared down from his risen position on the PAK-legs. "I have no use for your stupid umbrella, stupid-Dib-human."

"But-"

"LIES!" Zim shouted as he darted forwardly suddenly and braced a leg in the air in the positiion to strike Dib, and it seemed more ready to run Dib through than to push him down this time. "Explain your true purpose!" he demanded.

Dib stammered. "I-that is-we-Ithinkweshouldbefriends." The last bit came out in a rush, but from the stunned expression frozen on Zim's face, he could tell that it was heard loud and clear.

"Excuse me?" Zim's arm was frozen threateningly, but the invader himself seemed aghast.

"Uh...it's tradition...yeah, tradition! When you defeat your greatest enemy...you're supposed to become friends."

Zim's eyes narrowed again. "You didn't defeat me, Dib." he growled.

"You surrended." Dib pointed out. "Same thing."

Zim opened his mouth to object but he must have thought it through in his head because his eyes widened slightly in realization. And then he huffed as he returned to glaring, although he was unwilling to admit outright to the 'surrender' bit. "Zim cares nothing for your filthy human traditions! And Irkens do not have friends!" he said the last word like it was something distasteful.

"Then what's Gir?"

Zim seemed again surprised but he didn't miss a beat as he replied haughtily. "Gir is a servant, you big-headed pig-smelly."

"My head is not big!" Dib protested automatically before he crossed his arms and did his best to look...not afraid. "Come on, Zim. You can't hate me that much." Zim lowered one of his PAK-legs towards Dib a bit as his eyes narrowed again, and Dib swallowed hard. "Okay...maybe you can...but you don't wanna be a sore loser do you?" Dib quickly realized that was the wrong phrasing as soon as he saw Zim flare up and slam a PAK-leg towards him.

Dib barely managed to roll aside as the leg found purchase in the wall, and as Zim jerked it free with a scowl, Dib again lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. "What I meant to say is..." he opened and closed his mouth a moment as he realized that he didn't have something better planned at the moment.

"I am going to enjoy removing your lungs, stink-boy." Zim moved towards Dib again, only to stop with a roll of his eyes as Dib shouted-

"-Wait!"

"Oh, what is it now?" Zim demanded, annoyed.

"I have something to show you! I was going to take you as our first...act of friendship! It's really cool!" he baited the other.

Zim frowned. "What does Zim care for things that possess a low temperature?"

"No!" Dib smacked a hand on his forehead. "Cool is...amazing, yeah, really amazing!"

Zim's curiosity and suspicion got the better of him. "What is it?"

Dib shook his head. "Uh uh, not unless you agree to be friends...and not rip my lungs out." he added with a wince.

"Zim will make no such agreements, human! You will tell me now!"

"Nope. Friends only." Dib announced as he crossed his arms and again attempted to look calm and collected.

Zim gritted his teeth slightly before he shrugged. "Fine. I'll just rip your lungs out anyway, that will be far more cool than whatever ridiculous thing you spoke of."

Dib back-pedaled. "Okay, okay, I see your point. How about this. I'll show you what it is, and if you think I haven't completely wasted your time, you'll be friends with me."

"You are already wasting my time!"

"Oh, come on, like you have anything better to do while you're moping on the couch." Dib retorted before he could stop himself.

"Zim does not mope!" The Irken protested vehemently. "I have much to do!"

"Like what?"

"Like...stuff!"

Dib lifted a brow and Zim squirmed a bit from his lifted position. "Silence, human! Do not question Zim!"

Dib made a placating gesture. "You don't have anything to lose, why not just come? Why not be friends? If you're not taking over Earth, we're not enemies anyway." he pointed out.

Zim seemed exasperated as Dib brought the subject up again. "While it would be an immense honor to be a friend of the great Zim...why do you wish to be Zim's friend?" That had troubled the invader, since he couldn't fathom the sudden change in hostility from the Dib-stink.

Dib thought quickly. "Look, Zim.." he forced himself to sigh dramatically and put on a wistful face. "The truth is...I really do think you're...a great invader. And really smart and stuff...so...I'd be really happy if we could be friends now..." He mentally kicked himself, there was no way Zim would buy-

"-I knew it!" Zim crowed. "Of course you wish to be friends with Zim, who would not? I knew that you would admit my superiority sooner or later, Dib-filth! Bwahaha!" Zim retracted his PAK-legs to stand before Dib and regard him with crossed arms and a smirk. "You've done the right thing. I'm still not going to be your friend though." he said as his smirk twisted evilly, and he seemed quite pleased with himself.

Dib wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at Zim's naivety, he supposed he ought to be counting his lucky stars, and he decided to try his luck at an even more juvenile tactic. "I understand...I mean, it's natural to be scared..."

Zim stopped dead. "Scared?"

"Well, yeah...being friends with a human, checking out something so cool...it's understandable that you'd be scared..." Dib said innocently.

"Zim fears nothing!" Zim shouted.

"Except this, I know." Dib agreed amiably, and Zim looked outraged as he clenched his claws into fists.

"I have no fear for your filthy friendship or 'coolness'! Take me to this 'cool' thing immediately!"

"I don't know..." Dib pretended to think about it.

Zim pointed an angry finger at Dib. "You will take me!"

Dib 'considered' it before he shrugged. "Okay, fine...here you go." he held out the umbrella to Zim who eyed it mistrustfully before he shoved it into his hands before he moved alongside of Zim and wrapped an arm around his shoulder with a grin. "I wouldn't want you to get burned or anything, friend."

Zim seemed uncomfortable and he eyed Dib warily before he shrugged him off and held the umbrella as though it might as well burn him. "Do not use your foolish endearments on me, human-filth. I said I would look-nothing more. We are not friends."

"Whatever you say...pal."

Zim bristled and scowled, but he couldn't back out of seeing the thing without seeming a coward and he couldn't harm Dib before the other had shown him the thing. Zim quickly stepped out of Dib's sight and when he returned, he was in his human disguise. "GIR! Remain here and defend the base in my absence!" he called out, and Gir made an affirmative noise from the kitchen.

"Have fun, Master!" there was a shattering sound and Zim fought the urge to sigh.

Zim then marched to the door and as he stepped outside, he cast a less-confident glance skyward to where rain had begun to sprinkle down. He was certain that the Dib-beast was not leading him into a trap, but he still wasn't certain of what the real motive might be. As obvious a reason as it was, he wasn't certain that Dib was entirely truthful about his admittance of Zim's superiority. And truly, he didn't like to go out when all of the wretched water was raining down from the sky...

"Hold it up like this." Dib instructed as he joined Zim by his side, and he lifted the umbrella up over the Irken's head before he pushed him forward away from the safety of the house.

Zim stumbled a bit and caught himself as he shot Dib a dirty look, and then he glanced up in surprise as he realized that he was not wet. The umbrella had indeed protected him from the wretched element...for now.

"This changes nothing between us." Zim warned as he eyed Dib suspiciously.

Dib walked beside Zim, mindless of the rain as he grinned. "Whatever you say."

...

The trip itself was uneventful and filled mostly with silence. The minds of both Zim and Dib were racing, Dib full of plotting and Zim full of suspicion, but before long they'd made it to their intended destination.

"A...park?" Zim stared doubtfully at the jungle-gym equipment before him, and then he made a noise of protest as Dib steered him towards the stairs. He begrudgingly headed to the top and glanced around the park, unimpressed, before he regarded Dib with a glare. He clutched the umbrella like a lifeline despite the fact the sprinkle of rain had ceased. "This is your 'cool' and 'amazing' thing?"

Dib shook his head and pointed to something that Zim, bundled beneath his umbrella, hadn't been able to see even if he'd been interested.

A rainbow.

Zim tilted his gaze skyward and as he caught sight of it, his eyes widened a moment before he shrieked. "A trap! You lying...liar!" he accused as he advanced on Dib. "You will rue the day-"

"-Wait!" Dib protested. "It's not a trap, it's just a rainbow, Zim!"

"That is a poor name for a laser, but it matters not! You will pay for-" Dib interrupted again and Zim seemed slightly miffed about that.

"It's not a weapon!" Dib saw the problem at once. "It's just a trick of the light. When it rains, the light catches it in a certain way and it makes those colors. It can't hurt you."

Zim seemed doubtful and he eyed Dib suspiciously before he glanced back at the rainbow. Indeed, it did not seem to be moving or fluctuating, and he had not been burnt to a crisp... "This is what you wished to show me?"

"Well...yeah."

Zim tilted his gaze back to Dib and gave him a blank look. "Why?"

Dib hadn't been expecting that question. "Why? Uh...because...you don't have them on Irk, right?"

"We don't have filthy humans on Irk either." Zim pointed out dryly.

Dib slumped a bit. The rainbow had been his trump-card after all. "I didn't think this one through." he muttered, mostly to himself, but Zim apparently heard because he replied.

"I suppose it is mildly intriguing."

Dib's head jerked up. "Really?

"Mildly." Zim had tilted his gaze away from Dib as he spoke boredly, but even that was a clear concession on the alien's part. "Enough that I won't tear your lungs out, for now...but-" he whirled back around to face Dib. "We are not friends."

"We can try to be though, right?"

"No." Zim said simply.

"Why not?"

Zim's eyes narrowed as his annoyance started to flare again. "Because..." he seemed like he would continue but cut off for lack of an appropriate finishing phrase, and after a moment, Dib lifted a brow.

"Because...?"

"Because!" Zim snapped back.

"That's a terrible reason."

"LIES!" Zim shouted and Dib shook his head before he held out his hand to shake Zim's.

"Just give it a try. Give me one week. If you don't want to be friends after that, I'll go away and never bother you again." he promised, although obviously he would be lying. He would simply have to try a new, more devious and probably more forceful tactic at that point.

"Zim will give nothing a try!" he swatted Dib's hand away but he stubbornly brought it back up.

"One week."

"No."

"One week, Zim."

"No!"

"Just one week."

"Never!"

"If you're scared-"

"Zim fears nothing!"

"I won't hold it against you-"

"-Fine! One week, and only one week, you annoying little worm!" Zim seethed and he angrily grasped a claw around Dib's hand and gave it an over-zealous shake.

Dib grinned as he grasped Zim's hand back. He tried not to laugh at the sight of the grumpy alien who gasped dramatically and almost comically snatched the umbrella back up with a glare towards the sky, as if it might rain right then just to spite him.

Zim gripped the umbrella as his currently blue-eyes met Dib's. "If you do anything to betray our 'friendship'...you will rue the very day you ever heard of the almighty Invader Zim. And I still despise you. And your head is gargantuan." he added for good measure.

Dib ignored the head comment [no small feat] as he patted Zim's shoulder and Zim recoiled with a scowl. "Hey, a week is a long time. Maybe you'll change your mind about that."

"I doubt that highly, Dib-worm."

Dib shrugged as he glanced towards the rainbow, and Zim followed his gaze with a frown.

We'll see about that, Zim!

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I almost stopped after Zim agreed to leave the house, but I wanted to finish up the rainbow scene. In the end, Zim was rather unimpressed but sort of intrigued despise himself. XD I feel that this is not the last we shall see of rainbows being important in this story, if only because Zim blows little things out of proportion, but anyway! No spoilers! XD I think this was my longest chapter yet, we'll see. It's also my last day on my shorter job so I make no promises as to any more nightly posts for a bit. I have a short attention span. XD Also, apparently The Tallest being brothers isn't canon. I was shocked. Not as much as when I found out that Blues Clues was a girl, but anyway, I digress. And there was something else important about the Zim-verse but I can't recall it now...well, leave me written hugs and such! ZIM DEMANDS IT! Or my soul. They're about the same at this point. XD~Witchy~ P.S. To ye who thought they guessed what was going to happen...were you right? o-O~