VII. Plans
The doorbell rang.
Zim yawned, opening his eyes to the slightly dimmed living room of his home. Tak was still cuddled against his chest, asleep, and when Zim moved even the slightest, she stirred, but wouldn't fully awake. She was peacefully rested against her mate, and Zim admired her briefly, still taking in,- as his eyes landed upon her round belly-the fact that their family was going to expand by one. His lips brushed against her cheek in a soft kiss as he carefully got up, trying not to wake her. Gently, he placed her down on the couch fully, where he had been previously laying a minuet before.
Thinking Dib was at the door, he got up quickly and headed towards the door to greet his human friend and not keep him waiting.
His hand landed on the doorknob a second later, as he had finally made it to his short and quick destination. Groggily, he rubbed at his eyes, letting out another yawn as he turned the doorknob and opened the door. "Hey, Dib," he replied casually, not even getting a look at however was at the door, but had already assumed it was Dib. "You can come in if you want, but Tak's sleeping so we have to be-" Zim opened his eyes and froze, seeing that the person, or better yet people at the door was not Dib.
Instead, who stood before Zim, were two figures cloaked under heavy black attire, and a hood that covered their faces.
He didn't even know who was under the black robes and frankly, he couldn't care less, nor did he even have time to figure out who they were. Zim immediately began screeching at the top of his lungs and ran back inside the supposed safety of his home, not even bothering to shut the door. The screaming startled Tak, who jumped up quickly, and watched as Zim ran out of the living room and into the kitchen, screaming bloody murder. The two figures at the door simply watched the scene, then turned to look at each other, shrugging in confusion.
Thinking they were welcome, they stepped inside the house and shut the door, but Tak quickly stood in front of them, and, even being a month pregnant, was prepared to fight the two cloaked intruders. Her hands were clenched into fists in front of her and aimed at the two figures. "Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" She paused and glanced behind her shoulder at the kitchen, where Zim could still be heard screaming. "And why-?" she sniffed the air briefly. "-Does it smell like corn?"
The much fatter figure quickly held up his hands. "Tak, relax! It's me-" he pulled off his hood to reveal his identity, "-Skoodge! And yes, it smells like corn because our ship landed in a a cornfield..."
Tak lowered her fists, staring at Skoodge and the figure beside him. "Skoodge? What do you mean by 'our' ship?" Her eyes landed on the still cloaked figure beside the chubby male Irken, and she had a feeling who was beside him. "Tenn...?"
"Hey, Tak!" The second figure greeted cheerfully, removing her hood to reveal her identity. It was in fact, Tenn, Skoodge's mate. "How's life treating ya?"
Tak smiled, surprised yet delighted at the unexpected visit by her and Zim's two once-Invader friends. She came up to Tenn and Skoodge and gave them each a warm hug. "This is such a surprise!" Tak exclaimed happily, standing before the pair with a grin. "How are you guys?"
"We're good," Tenn responded, returning the grin. "We..." she paused briefly, glancing over at Skoodge in a moment of nervousness that Tak easily noticed. "...We have some news to tell you, though..."
"So do I," Tak replied, putting her hand over her belly. "But you won't believe mine. It's much more shocking than what you guys have to say, trust me. There's nothing to worry about."
"Well..." Tenn hesitated, glancing at her feet and fidgeting her fingers before glancing back up at Tak, who nodded at her to continue. She hesitated, then let out a breath. "Skoodge and I... We... Became... One," she explained quietly.
"Became one?" Tak didn't understand what her friend meant. "What do you mean?"
"You know..." Tenn stated, scratching the back of her head. "Became one... Eternal... Mates..."
"Eternal mat-?" She nearly forgot for a brief moment what Tenn meant, but Tak's eyes widened, quickly understanding. "You two got married?"
Tenn nodded, without speaking, her hand reaching over and holding onto Skoodge's hand, who squeezed her hand gently. Tak noticed Skoodge's cheeks flare up into a light blush in an adoration for Tenn. Tak could not have been happier for the both of them; they were a great match for each other, and it reminded her of her relationship with Zim.
"That's great news!" Tak stated, beaming for the two. "I'm very happy for you. You two are perfect for each other. But... Why didn't you invite Zim and I to the ceremony?" She felt a twinge of her pregnant hormones hit a part of her much hidden and almost non-existing sensitivity.
Skoodge opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted when Zim leaped from the kitchen, landing beside Tak, brandishing a broom and a bicycle helmet on his hand. His eyes were shut tightly, not wanting to see the two cloaked figures he had opened the door to. "Alright intruders," he called out loudly, swinging the broom around wildly about the through the air, thinking he'd strike Skoodge and Tenn (who he obviously thought were simply just two 'intruders'). "Prepare to meet your wretched fates at the Zim hands of ZIIIIM! For behold my mighty broom of power and unbelievable chaos!"
He continued to swing the broom wildly, as Tak only put her hand over her face in embarrassment and as Skoodge and Tenn only watched with confusion and a slight whip of amusement. It seemed to the pair that Zim was getting crazier with every passing year.
Zim only continued to babble on, "-As I prepare to destroy your disgusting lives and feed your brains and liver to my mighty-" he opened his eyes, seeing Skoodge and Tenn stand before him, whom waved nervously at him. "...and... Eh..." He lowered the broom and glanced over at Tak, who shook her head at him. He blinked, confused. "Uhh... What just happened?"
An hour later, after calming down and greeting each other, friends from the past reuniting with each other after a few years of being apart, the four sat on the couch, Skoodge and Tenn, having finished their seven-year long story of their journey together after leaving Zim's base to live together on their own, Tak was now about to tell them the news of what was lying inside her belly:
"I'm pregnant."
Like Zim's previous reaction when Tak had first told him, Skoodge and Tenn stared at Tak in a state of curiosity and confusion. Being Irken, the word 'pregnancy' was not a word they knew in the slightest. "What do you mean 'pregnant'?" Skoodge asked, rising a non-existing eyebrow. "What does that word mean? I know I've never heard it..."
"Oh, you will in a sec," Zim mumbled to himself.
Tak sighed, annoyed at having to explain her pregnancy again. "See this?" She pointed at her rounded stomach.
Skoodge and Tenn nodded slowly, almost warily, not sure where Tak was headed.
"Well," Tak continued carefully, "There's a smeet in there. I'm having a smeet... There is a smeet growing inside me."
Tenn's eyes widened in shock while Skoodge's jaw dropped open. "WHAT?" They screamed together in unison, causing Tak to cringe from the loudness of their combined voices. "How is that possible?"
"That's exactly what I said," Zim stated jokingly, sipping on some Irken poop cola. Tak turned to glare at him briefly, and he chuckled nervously, taking the cue to keep his mouth shut.
Tenn took a deep breath, composing herself quickly in a calm manner, while Skoodge tried to follow her lead, but still couldn't get the concept down that easy. He simply sat and listened. "We're very happy for you," she explained quickly, "but we just don't get how that's possible..."
"WELL," Zim started, rather loudly, startling Tak, "If you want to know, Tak and I had sex!"
Tak buried her face in her hands, her face turning a deep green color in embarrassment.
"You can have a smeet by doing that?" Skoodge asked, astonished. Sure, he had heard that rumor, simply as a rumor and only so much as a rumor. Traded gossip on the planet where he and Tenn had lived peacefully for some time. Who knew a rumor that questioned could be true?
"Very much so," Zim answered, nodding. "I wish someone would have told me that sooner when it happened... Though, I did enjoy it greatly," he added, smirking.
"Thank you sir-tell-all," Tak groaned loudly, annoyed at the fact that Zim was giving out personal information about their sex life. It was private, and even if Skoodge and Tenn were close friends, she didn't think it was appropriate for them to know about it. "Yes, as a matter of fact, a smeet can in fact be produced from mating."
Everyone fell into awkward silence.
"Um..." Skoodge wanted to break the dreaded silence after a few minuets. Silence never did fit well with him. "Congrats...?"
Tak felt her eyes bore into Skoodge's eyes, staring at his face with a sense of shock at his answer. With her newly adapted hormones, she expected every worst possible answer, an angry or disappointed response that would hurt her literally to the point of tears. "You're not..." she began quietly, almost with awe, "...Disappointed?"
"Why would we be?" Tenn responded, smiling widely. "After all, we're all no longer part of the Empire-"
Zim flinched slightly at that, feeling a hard sock in his squeedly-spooch at the memory of his banishment.
"-so we have nothing to fear," Tenn continued.
"Lucky for us," Tak agreed, nodding. "I feel better about that... At least Zim and I can start our family without any worry about execution or whatnot."
"Have you planned where you're going to have the little one?" Skoodge asked.
"Not really," Tak answered, rather nervously. "We obviously can't go to a human hospital, that's been out of the question from the beginning, and we can't deliver the smeet here..."
"Why not?"
"Because Zim would drop dead at the sight of a smeet being delivered," Tak explained.
"That's for sure," Zim mumbled, earning another glare from his mate.
Skoodge and Tenn didn't respond, but quietly thought amongst themselves, coming up with a similar solution for Zim and Tak's dilemma. They glanced at each other, smiled knowingly, and nodded. Tenn turned back towards Tak. "We think we have a solution to your problem," she stated.
Interested, Tak leaned in closer. "What would that be?"
"Well," Tenn began, "When Skoodge and I went to find somewhere to live, we found a planet that allowed Irkens who left the Empire, to live peacefully, without a monarchy or dictator. Without certain rules to follow, where marriage and having smeets naturally are allowed..." Even though the having smeets naturally thing was just a rumor Skoodge and I heard, Tenn thought to herself, waiting for a response from her mother-to-be friend.
This caught Tak's interest, and sparked a small light of hope inside herself. After a moment, her curiosity from the past of her smeethood came forward in an anticipating-sounding tone as she asked, "What's the name?"
"Planet Zeynxia," Skoodge blurted out, grinning to himself in pride for having possibly solving his two friends' problems.
Tak and Zim glanced at each other, hopeful. Could this be the answer they were looking for? Tak turned back to Skoodge. "Do you have the coordinates?"
"Well..." he began, chuckling nervously.
"Well what?" Tak demanded.
"Well, I told you our ship crashed in a cornfield, remember?" He reminded her. "We had to run off before the human who lived there caught us...So... The coordinates were left behind and... We're kinda shipless. But we have monies on Planet Zeynxia, lots, so we can buy a new one when we return."
"Okay, and your point is...?"
"Tenn and I can come with you if you both decide to have your smeet there," he bargained, "That way, we can get home, and you two can have somewhere safe to... Uhh... birth your smeet. We can come with you and give you the directions along the way. We know the place by heart. That way we all get something out of this."
Tak turned away briefly, deep in thought. It wasn't like Skoodge and Tenn were asking for alot, and they were all friends after all... This could be beneficial for them all. She glanced over at Zim, and stared at him, mouthing the words 'do you want to?' Zim understood, much to Tak's shock, what she meant, and nodded. He just wanted his smeet to be born in a safe and stable environment without the risk of harm, and they were out of options.
Zim got up off the couch, and headed over towards where Skoodge and Tenn sat. He held his hand out towards his old friend from his past days in the Academy. "You have yourself a deal, my old friend," Zim replied, smiling.
Skoodge grinned wildly, enthusiastic that his friend agreed with his offer. "Aww, anything for my friend!" He cried happily, shaking Zim's hand.
Tak watched the scene, feeling a warmth and comfort inside her, a panic that now cooled down, like a fire being put out. The smeet kicked inside her, almost like it was sensing Tak's peace. Tak felt like her unborn little one was comforted by her inner harmony, and she put a hand over her belly, feeling her smeet kick.
At least you'll be born in a safe place, little kicker, she thought, smiling as she rubbed her belly. I can't wait until you get here...
A/N: Sorry for the long update! I couldn't figure out what to do next. But I did, and here you go! And for all Skoodge/Tenn fans, here is some nice SaTnR for you.
Anyway, I have a little voting idea game thing for you all; I have two ideas for want to do for the next chapter: One, Zim and Tak think of names, or two, Gir throws a baby shower for Tak... Two options, and I'm letting you decide. Leave your vote along with your review, and the idea that gets the most votes will be the idea for the next chapter. If you want to give little ideas on what to add for the idea you vote for, feel free to let me know!
Only a few more chapters before the smeet arrives! :) Stay tuned. ;)