Tonight, old man, you did it,
you did it, you did it!
You said that you would do it
and indeed you did!
I thought that you would rue it.
I doubted you'd do it,
but now I must admit it that succeed you did!
You should get a medal
or be even made a knight!
Oh, it was nothing.
Really nothing!
All alone you hurdled every obstacle in sight!
Now wait, now wait.
Give credit where it's due.
A lot of the glory goes to you!
You Did It-My Fair Lady OST

The Earth was burning. Everything in sight was engulfed in bright yellow flames that grew higher and higher until they seemed to lick the sky itself. Finally, after so many years of failure and disappointment, the pitiful planet belonged to Zim! All it took was the nuking of one continent for the humans to turn on themselves, leaving them weak to Zim's evil plans. He'd become the voice in every ear, whispering that every one was plotting against each other. The paranoia set in rather quickly and it took less than a month for the world to fall. Victory! Victory for Zim and the mighty Irken Empire!

At present, he and Tak were sharing a maniacal laugh atop the smoking ruins of some capitol building (it didn't matter what country it once belonged to; all of them were garbage now), GIR, Minimoose, and MiMi bouncing and playing in the rubble below. Tak had been instrumental in crippling the puny planet (though he'd never admit it aloud); she was the one altering minds and choices made by the human filthies while Zim gained control of his global communications hacker device...thingy. She didn't really care what it was; she never thought it would work anyway. But it did! That was the most surprising part. He'd used it to tap into the subconscious brainwaves of anyone within earshot, using very vague, general language so as to apply to anyone and make them into makeshift puppets. It only had to be used a handful of times before the last bombs were detonated and the human race had fallen.

They laughed at the mayhem and carnage they created, feeling as close to gods as any creature ever could. Their very existences were validated! They had purpose! If they could bring this planet to its knees so quickly, perhaps they could do the same on others without much effort! Further glory for the Empire! They'd be hailed as heroes when they returned to Irk! They'd formally be made true Invaders. That would be neat! Thinking of the rewards awaiting them back home, Tak looked to the still-laughing Zim. She was so full of giddiness at their conquest that she did something thoroughly unexpected: she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

That was enough to stop his laugh in mid 'ha'. This was...different. Normally the only kind of physical contact he had with Tak was when she hit him. His first thought was that she may have contracted brainworms at some point. Even if that were the case, this hug felt...nice.

She froze as she seemed to realize what exactly she was doing. Her head flung up to meet his eyes, as surprised as her own probably were, before she shoved him away and stared at a pebble. Anything to distract herself from what she'd felt during the embrace. It was so...un-Irken. She didn't dare look at him again just yet.

He seemed to have other ideas, though. She felt his fingers close around her wrist in a most gentle way; so unlike his usual self. She only realized that she was looking back into his eyes when it was too late. He was smiling at her. Not the standard evil smile that either meant he was plotting something (stupid) or imagining how his life as a hero on Irk would be (which he did on an almost-daily basis anyway). This smile was genuine. It was...sweet. That couldn't be good.

"Hey, Tak," he said without malice or arrogance. "I wanna give you something. Just because, err, you might sorta kinda deserve it. But don't forget it came from me! ZIIIM!" She just glared at him. He quieted down. "So anyway, here it is. But the moon still belongs to GIR." He led her to the edge of the building and gestured grandly at the wasteland before them. At first she was about to punch him for being so stupid, but then she realized just what he was presenting her with: the very Earth itself. The fires would die out in time, leaving a fresh, new planet ripe for cultivating and building something awesome. He wasn't giving it to the Empire, to the Tallest, or keeping it for himself. He was giving it to her, the one who had tried to kill him for ruining her chances of becoming an Invader, the one he'd sworn to annihilate if he ever saw her again.

She was overcome with some unknown emotion. It wasn't pride or smug satisfaction or greed for more. What was the right word for it? Happiness? Was that it? Yeah, yeah, that sounded about right. She was happy. Wait, she was happy? That was a human emotion! So...why did that not bother her as much as it should have? When she looked back at Zim, he was gazing out across the smoldering field. A quiet tingling deep in her gut began to spread until it reached her fingertips. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling if she were honest with herself. Just foreign.

The kiss began and ended before either of them could think. A simple peck on the cheek in a very human manner that left both blushing. Tak didn't let Zim ponder it too long, however. "C'mon, Zim," she said softly. "Let's enjoy the view. Our new empire." She pulled him down to sit on the edge of the building. With their minions still playing in the background, they surveyed their handiwork with pride, their fingers still intwined.

This contentment may not last long, but it was enjoyable for the moment. She looked forward to being able to give him his own planet one day. But MiMi would get the moon of the next one.


Note: Reviews are love! My next couple are both weird as all get-out (chapter 8) and rather serious yet different (chapter 9). Yeah, that tells a whole lot, doesn't it xD