Wow! Slow updates! I'm sooo sorry... I was gonna post this on Valentine's Day but- yeah, that didn't happen. SO happy late V Day everyone!
Q&A is still up, if anyone has questions. Thank you all for reading!
The Irken tapped his foot- irritated. The three sat in Blin's study in an uncomfortable silence. Narrowed eyes wandered to Blin's smirking face then to Dwicky's . Closing his eyes, Zim let out a long sigh. "You do realize this is illegal. Yes?"
Chuckling, Blin stared at the ex-Elite from the corner of his eye. "do you think I care? Besides, are you jumping out of your seat to stop me?"
A small smirk found a place on Zim's lips. "Heh, well played…" He shrugged and opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling as he forced himself to cease his gaze from the eerily spunky human. "I'm telling you Blin, there's something off about this one. He's too- carefree."
Blin chuckled once more. "I'm not complaining. He'll be more willing to do my bidding."
"I don't trust him, and neither should you."
"I don't need to trust him." Blin said simply. "I just need him to follow my every command."
Zim sighed and looked back at the other Irken. "How long do you think that carefree attitude will ask before he begins to rebel? Unlike the Dib, you haven't forced this one to be your Sklavus from birth. His mind is more mature, his primal instinct more intact."
Blin shrugged. "You obviously don't give my training enough credit."
"Training?" Zim almost shouted. "You call beating that human into submission training?" He shook his head in disgust. "If I weren't a fugitive, I wouldn't hesitate to turn you over to the Empire…"
"Oh don't act so high and mighty Zim!" Blin spat. "You know just as well as I that we are the same." He leaned forward, grasping the smaller male's chin with his tri-fingered hand. "You gladly took my human from me, knowing full well that you could abuse him to follow your petty commands. I saw it," he ran his thumb under the other's eye. "In these infuriating proud eyes of yours, the small twinkle of sadism. It's in our blood- our souls. We are gruesome, deadly, and evil."
Zim tore away from the other's hand and hissed. "I am nothing like you." He spat. "There are other ways, more tormenting ways to control that human without laying a single finger upon his pale skin!"
Before Blin could retort, a small voice interrupted their tirade. "I don't mind it…"
Blin's head snapped in the human's direction. "What did you just say?"
Dwicky immediately looked down. "I'm sorry for speaking out of turn…"
The taller Irken smirked and leaned back in his seat. "There's a good Sklavus…" He looked at Zim with glossy eyes. "You should learn from this one- he understands."
Zim shook his head with disbelief. "Why have me as your guard if all you're going to do is refuse my warnings?"
Looking at Zim with a scowl, Blin pondered over the question for a moment. Finally he let out a small sigh as he pinched the space between his eyes. "You're right… You're far too annoying to take seriously, so you'll be reassigned…"
The Sklavus's antenna's perked forwards in an obvious show of excitement. "Really?"
Blin nodded. "Yes."
"So what am I to do now?"
The green eyed Irken shrugged and shooed the other away with his hand. "I'll have to think about it…"
Zim's eyes narrowed as he stood up. "What do I do until then?"
"I don't care- as long as you don't pester me with petty drabbles."
Letting out a long sigh, Zim shrugged as he made his way to the door. "Your blatant disregard for others will get you killed." He said with a snicker. "I just hope to Irk that I'm there to see it…" With that, he walked out of the room, another snicker brushing past his lips as he could practically feel the other's glare burning into his back.
The walk back to his room felt like forever- his thoughts seeming to wander back to the new human. As Zim approached his door, he shook his head in aggravation. Why should he care if Blin refused his help? It would only benefit him in the long run, so why be bothered. He let out a small growl, knowing full well why it bothered him. Blin hadn't ignored his warning, but had ignored him, which angered him to no end.
He shook his head once more and entered his room, eyes widening slightly as they rested upon the human's sleeping form crouched over the desk he'd been sitting at for hours. Using his arms as a makeshift pillow, Dib slumbered quietly- his back rising and falling in a steady rhythm as he slept. Frowning, Zim marched over to the desk, hand raised in the air- ready to smack the teen for being lazy, but a small glittering caught his eye. Slowly lowering his hand onto the object, Zim let out a soft hum. It was his gun he had made only hours before. He picked it up, running a gloved finger over the surface before he picked up a small tool from the desk and began disassembling his weapon. His antenna perked forward as he inspected the construction. Aside from a few misplaced wires and small portion of the acid missing, it completely mimicked his original design. Setting the gun down, Dib's figure with a newfound respect, his eyes fell over the small burns on the teen's exposed fingers. "Clever…" He mumbled, knowing full well that the other had learned from his painful mistakes, and only made those mistakes once.
Rolling his eyes, Zim kicked Dib's calf in a rude attempt to wake him. "How long do you intend to keep me standing here to look at your ugly face?" He asked with false irritation to hide the small pride he held for the boy.
Dib woke with a start, his eyes snapping open and hands shooting out in front of his face as he tried to determine reality from his dreams. "Wha-?"
Zim sighed and looked down at the teen's drowsy face. "Wake up!"
Slowly blinking his tired eyes, Dib looked up at the scowling face of Zim. "Where'd you go?" He asked in a weary voice, unaware that he'd asked a question out of turn.
Zim paid no mind to it and walked over to the bed. Sitting down, he crossed on leg over the other as he looked off to the side. "Oh a bit of this and that… that hideous creature you once called master sent me off to pick up a delivery." He said smoothly, not entirely comfortable with sharing the whole truth- knowing full well that his human would nag him about Blin's new one.
Dib stared into the other's burning gaze with confusion. "Delivery? What do you mean?"
Zim inwardly groaned. He should have known the boy would ask questions. He mad a shooing motion with his wrist, eyes fixated on the wall furthest away from Dib. "Oh, another pig smelly from Earth, nothing important."
The teen nearly jumped out of his seat. "You mean there's another human here?!" He asked, his amber eyes locked onto Zim's. "Can I see them…?"
Zim's face immediately scrunched up in rage. "No! You are to never associate yourself with that, Dwicky creature."
Dib's eyes widened slightly, his bottom lip sticking out in a small pout he hadn't noticed. "Why not?"
The Irken's antenna twitched slightly at the boy's tone, but he ignored it. "He's- different…. Zim does not trust him." he looked up and glared at the other with intense passion. "You are never to go near him, do you understand?"
Eyes cast down, Dib nodded slowly, knowing that even if he did object, it would only make things worse. "Yes…"
Zim 'tsk'd at the quick submission. "I'm tired of looking at your face." He looked away and uncrossed his legs. "I'll be sure to consult Blin about giving you your own room." He sighed. "Knowing him, your room was a small one that was close to his, or even in his." He shook his head. "No, you will have a new one- a bigger one. One that is closer to me."
Dib sat there, completely baffled. Never had he'd been given the opportunity for complete privacy, yet here his new master was- serving it on a silver platter.
Rolling his eyes at the brief silence, Zim quickly changed the subject. "Your work- it was impressive." he commented as he gestured towards the gun. "I do not give out compliments freely or often, so don't get accustomed to it. But I digress, it was impressive and you shall help me serve me in my boredom." He sighed and flopped onto his back. "I will test your knowledge and process with your weapon making." He closed his eyes. "Might as well show you how a real Irken warrior fights while I'm at it…"
Dib gave Zim another confused look. "Why do you need me to help."
"Look," Zim said with another sigh. "If you are to be my rival, you must learn the art of battle. I will not tolerate weakness." He looked at Dib. "I'm tired." He said as he crawled further onto the bed, kicking off his boots.
Dib looked around shyly. "Where do I go then…?"
Zim shrugged and scooted to one side of the bed. "I suppose I can withstand your presence this one time…"
Hazel eyes widened slightly. Dib's pale cheeks flushed scarlet as he looked at Zim. "You mean-"
Zim curled into a ball as the cables from the ceiling attached themselves to his PAK. "Yes… There is enough room for two…" He said in a tired voice.
Dib slowly rose to his feet, unsure of whether the Irken was serious. But upon looking at Zim's weary body and the welcoming sight of the pink bed, he slowly crawled next to the Irken, mimicking his movements and curling up in a tight ball.
As his eyes slowly fluttered shut, Zim scooted closer to the boy for warmth- his slender arms wrapping around the teen's waist as he drifted off into a deep sleep.
