A/N: Only TWO more people reviewed. Come on now. Am I not worthy? To ngrey651; your review made me LOL. Then I thought about it and, you're absolutely right. You make an excellent point. Zim is not worthy of Dib's love, not one bit. But we all love people who don't deserve it, at least once. At least I think so. I know I have. To FireBlossum; Why, yes. Yes it is. I love fucked-up-ness, in the right amounts. I am happy to know that I am doing a good job. :) And as always, to my loyal stalker, here is chapter seven. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim or any of its characters.

Chapter Seven: Set the Fire to the Third Bar (Snow Patrol)

I'm miles from where you are.
I lay down on the cold ground.
I, I pray that something picks me up,
And sets me down in your warm arms.


"When treating Dissociative Identity Disorder, the goal is usually to combine the different personalities when possible. When this treatment is not ideal, the goal remains to find a way for the multiple personalities to co-exist peacefully and maintain a functional relationship while said person goes about his or her daily life. Further more, treatments for Dissociative Identity Disorder primarily consist of psychotherapy and hypnosis, with or without the aid of medication."

Zim reclined in his chair as he listened to his computer drone on, trying to pick out some useful information. They had been researching for over an hour and the Dib remained unconscious on the floor. Zim was in no hurry for him to wake up. He didn't know which Dib would wake.

"Computer, what are psychotherapy and hypnosis?" He asked.

"Psychotherapy is based on verbal communication and the intent to alleviate psychological distress through talking, rather than drugs. Hypnosis is when said person enters a state of sleep-like state of deep relaxation in order to more freely explore mental disturbances."

Zim frowned. He didn't know how to do either of those with the Dib. It would take more time to research and learn how to use either of those methods, that was time that Zim was afraid they didn't have. He leaned over and rested his head in his hands. What could he do?

His head whipped around at the sound of the human stirring. He stood and took a few cautious steps toward the Dibs cage. A hand ran through that messy black hair as his head came up, looking around, squinting. His hands started roaming over the floor for his glasses. Zim breathed a sigh of relief.

"To your right, Dib-worm." He said, cocking his head to the side. Dibs hand immediately started searching to his right and found his glasses. He pushed them up onto his face and peered up at Zim with a confused expression.

"What happened?"


Dib woke up with his hair stuck to his sweaty face. He rand his hand through it, in an attempt to tame it. It just stuck straight up instead. He blinked a few times and lifted himself up, his hands running over the floor searching. At Zim's insistence, he searched to his right and almost immediately found them. Dib asked what happened, but he already knew. He remembered Zim spraying the pheromones, them touching and kissing. He remembered being shoved down into the depths of his own mind as the other Dib surfaced. After that, everything was blank.

Dib watched as Zim seemed to mentally squirm. He seemed almost... guilty.

"Zim tested his newest plan to conquer the earth. And it seems to work just fine." He said, holding his head high.

"You made me slap myself." Dib stated, monotone.

"Eh... so you uh... remember all of that?" Zim asked, not looking directly at Dib.

"Yes. You kissed me, Zim. What was that about?" Dib asked, raising up to standing. He held the bars as he looked down at Zim.

"YOU kissed ME first! And you said that you were already having these... kissing feelings... for Zim. How come you never told me this?" Zim asked, accusingly.

"If you haven't noticed Zim, we're supposed to be enemies. Its weird enough that I... want to kiss you. Not only are we enemies, but you're a different species." Dib left out the part about Zim being a guy, since he wasn't really sure on that one.

"Eh. Yes well... YOU'RE LYING!" He screamed, trying to distract Dib. Dib sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"Look Zim, can we discuss this later? I'm starving. And I need to go home for a while." He said, looking away from Zim and stepping back. Zim stepped forward.

"Why do you need to go home stink beast? You can't go home. You must stay here." Zim said, as though Dib was asking for something completely unreasonable.

"Because I need food. I need to shower. I really need to shave. And I need to check my messages on my phone and email. I can't do all of that here." Dib insisted, looking back at Zim with his arms crossed. Zim just looked at him with his mouth hanging open like he was concentrating really, really hard. Dib waited patiently.

"Fine! Dib can go home." He conceded, finally.

"Wonderful, thank you."

"But Zim is going with you." He said, crossing his arms. Dib uncrossed his and walked towards the bars. Zim backed up a step.

"What?" The human asked.

"You can not just walk around unsupervised. The other Dib could come out and hurt someone." Zim said, as though this was obvious. Dib stared at him.
"That's rich, coming from you." He didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed.

"Hahaha, yes... But seriously. Zim is coming too. Wait, while I prepare."

"Wha- prepare what?" Dib asked, as Zim ignored him and walked away.

"Really Zim. A tazer. Really." Dib said, making it a statement instead of a question. He had waited over an hour as Zim tinkered with some Irken device on the table to find out that he was creating something like a tazer, Irken style. He stood there, disguised and ready to go, waving it proudly.

"Yes. This is what Irkens use to control those on planet JAIL. It will assure that if the other Dib comes out then Zim will be able to handle him." He stated, matter of fact- like. Dib sighed.

"Whatever. Let me out so we can go." Dib said, standing back from the bars. Zim suddenly looked nervous. He stood in front of the bar, fiddling with his new toy. Dib took a step forward and placed his hands on the bars, looking down at the little green alien.

"Zim. Its me. I'm not going to hurt you." He said, softly.

"That's rich, coming from you." He grumbled. Dib smiled.

"You know I won't. Not now. Not after... Just let me out. Okay?" He almost murmured. Zim looked up at him, his contacts gleaming.

"Do not touch Zim." He commanded. Dib nodded. They both knew that the other Dib reacted to touch. Zim stood back.

"Computer. Release the Dib." Three of the bars were suddenly sucked up into the ceiling, leaving just enough room for Dib to walk through. He stepped through and looked down at Zim from only a few inches away, but didn't touch him.

"Thank you Zim. For everything." He said, his voice quiet and sincere. He wanted to touch Zim, but he didn't.

"Yes, well... who would save these poor pathetic creatures from Zim, if not the Dib?" He joked, turning away. "Come Dib. Lets go shower and stuff so we can come back." Zim commanded while walking away.

Dib's entire body shuddered and heated up at the sudden thought of showering with Zim. Not just the sexual aspect, but the idea of seeing Zim naked intrigued him more than anything ever had. He had always had a perverse scientific interest in Zim's body. The mental image taunted him. Trying to push the thoughts out of his head, he rushed to catch up with Zim.

Only a minute later, they were walking outside towards Dibs car. It was late afternoon. Dib wondered how long he had been here, two days maybe? More? Dib fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the car, opening the door. He turned to look at Zim, who was standing behind him awkwardly.

"Whats wrong? Go get in." Dib said.

"Eh... I don't like these earth machines... they're death traps." He muttered, reluctantly walking around to the other side of the car. Dib just shook his head and tried not to smile.

As they drove to his apartment, Dib fiddled with his stereo and picked through is music. He had missed his car. Zim just sat in the seat, holding tight to it and the door panel. Dib had the urge to cut corners and drive with a little more recklessness, but he didn't want to push their fragile relationship, so he behaved himself.

When they pulled up to the apartment complex, Zim quickly got out of the car. He followed Dib to the stairs, and up them to his door. The apartment was quiet when they walked inside. Dib immediately head to his bedroom and woke up his computer, starting his play list. Once the music started, he began to relax.

"Okay, first I want to shower. Are you okay waiting here?" Dib asked, gesturing towards his private bathroom. Zim stood in the middle of his messy room, staring at the endless pictures of himself on the walls. Distracted, all he did was nod. Dib hesitated, suddenly embarrassed by his obvious obsession with the alien, but shrugged it off as he walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Dib looked at himself in the mirror, disgusted. His hair was a mess and he hadn't shaved in days. He pulled his glasses and set them on the counter. With the alien in mind, he undressed quickly and stepped into the shower.

Zim looked around Dib's room, intrigued. He had been in here before, but never like this. He had always been too distracted to really look. Dib had files full of transmissions of Zim talking to the tallest, ordering parts and supplies from other planets, and piles and piles of pictures. Zim was surprised and though he would never admit it, flattered.

He took advantage of Dib's absence and looked around the room. Dib was messy. Piles of dirty clothes and empty food containers and soda cans, papers and other random junk was everywhere. Zim stepped carefully so as not to crush anything. His computer was on, Zim considered snooping through it but he wasn't sure on how to operate it. He left it alone. Walking out of the bedroom, he inspected Dib's lab, his kitchen and his sitting room. Every room was messy and smelled stale. After wandering back into the bedroom, something caught his attention. Dibs ceiling was completely covered with words, as though the human had written for hours and hours. His amazing eyes could make it all out, scribbles of what looked like poems or random thoughts. He could see his own name everywhere.

He turned sharply as the door opened.

Dib walked out scowling, his glasses still a little foggy. He had forgotten to grab clothes, so he wrapped up in a towel and walked passed Zim to his dresser. Zim watched him as he walked. Having Zim's eyes on him made him nervous. It seemed different now, since they had kissed.

"What are your feelings for Zim now, Dib?" Zim asked. Dib was bent over, digging through the clothes in his dresser when he heard Zim speak. He nearly hit his head when he whipped around to look at Zim.

"Can we talk about that after I have clothes on please?" Dib grumbled. He grabbed his favorite black t-shirt with the blue smiley and a pair of dark jeans. This pair was a little too big, they always hung a little low on his hips. He had been told they looked good on him, sexy even. He tried not to think about why he was getting these jeans.

"Fine, fine. Put on your clothes so that you can talk to Zim. Though why your ability to speak has anything to do with what you are wearing, I don't know." He said, waving his hand around nonchalantly. Dib just shook his head and walked back into the bathroom.

After he dressed, he opened the door and walked back into the bedroom to grab the cleaning cloth for his glasses so that he could properly wipe them off. Zim started up again.

"There now, you are dressed. Answer Zim." He commanded, his hands on his narrow hips. Dib's face heated up, and it had nothing to do with the steam from the bathroom. He put his glasses back on his face and walked back in, but leaving the door open. Zim walked up and stood in the doorway while Dib used his towel to wipe the fog off of his mirror.

"I don't know Zim... I don't hate you like I used to. I feel like things are different now. We've just been through too much to turn around and make things the way they used to be." He said, trying to avoid actually answering his question. "What about you? What are your feelings for me?" He deflected, setting the towel on the counter and turning towards Zim.

The smaller alien lowered his head, looking away from Dib and inspecting his fingers instead.

"Zim thinks that Dib would make a good ally. I would not completely hate it if we were not... enemies." He said.

"Is that all?" Dib probed, turning away and grabbing the shaving cream. Maybe if he didn't look at Zim, he wouldn't feel so pressured. Zim looked back up at the human.

"I think that I might like to explore this kissing... when we have fixed your... stupid, weak brain problem." He waved his hand around as he spoke that last part. Dib tried to control the rush of blood to his face. What was wrong with him? He felt like a damn teenager. The thought of kissing Zim again was tempting. Too tempting.

"Well... if you would like to, then I would to." He said, rubbing the shaving cream on his face. Zim didn't answer him, instead he just watched as Dib started to shave his face.

The aliens eyes were wide with fascination as he watched Dib. Dib's eyes were shy and a little embarrassed as he watched Zim in the mirror, who obviously didn't know that Dib could see him. His small body leaned against the door frame as he watched Dib run the razor delicately over his skin. They were silent for the next few minutes as Dib finished, inspecting his face and neck in the mirror to make sure he didn't miss anything. Pleased with his results, he wiped his face and turned back to Zim.

"Are you hungry?" He asked. Zim shook his head. Dib nodded and walked passed him and out of his room to the hallway. He hadn't eaten in days, but he had slept so much that it didn't feel like that much time had passed. He honestly wasn't very hungry right now, but that wasn't a good sign. Walking into the kitchen, he opened his fridge and rummaged around for something as Zim walked in behind him. He settled on a couple of sandwiches and a soda. After putting them together, he walked passed Zim again and into the living room.

Instead of sitting on the couch, he opened the sliding glass door that led to his balcony. It was nearly sunset and it was beautiful outside, if a little cold. He stood to the side and gestured for Zim to walk out with him. The small alien narrowed his eyes at Dib as he walked passed, suspicious. When they were both outside, Dib slid the door shut and balanced his soda on the railing before picking up and sandwich. He ate slowly at first, watching Zim who watched everything else. His greedy eyes roamed from the people walking on the side walk below, to the cars on the distant streets, to the sun setting so, so far away. Dib noted how wonderful that warm light looked on his skin. He had all but healed, the bruise on his neck barely showing.

He finished his sandwiches and felt better than he had thought he would. Setting his plate down on the little patio table, he rested his forearms on the railing and looked out everything.

"What are we going to do Zim?" He asked. He knew Zim would know what he meant. The alien didn't answer right away, but he leaned against the pole right next to Dib, within touching distance. He had let his guard down. Dib knew it wasn't a good idea, but he didn't say anything.

"I don't know yet. I am working on it... I will figure it out soon. Your stupid other Dib will not best Zim. There has to be a way." He said, that last part was so quiet that Dib could barely hear him.

"What if we can't?" Dib asked, reluctantly. He hated the catch in his voice. He didn't want to cease to exist. There was no way that him and the other Dib could co-exist peacefully. The only option was for the two halves of his mind to rejoin, or one would have to, for lack of a better word, die.

"We will. Zim will destroy the other Dib. Then..." His rest of his sentence faded away, holding possibilities of what their future could hold. They stood silent for a minute, looking at the last small pieces of the sun before it disappeared.

"Dib will make an excellent slave." Zim said to himself, nodding. Dib laughed.

"Your slave? Is that what I'll be?" He asked, smiling down at Zim.

"Of course. My love slave." Zim answered, completely sincere. Dib really laughed then. Zim scowled up at him, obviously wondering what was so funny.

"Don't ever lose that." Dib said, still laughing a little.

"Lose what?" Zim asked, cocking his head to the side.

"That... I don't know how to explain it. That ruthlessness. That sense of power. I guess your Irken spirit. I don't know what it is. But don't lose it." He said, softly. They stared at each other, their bodies close. Dib wanted so badly to lean down and kiss those soft green lips. Zim's eyes flickered from his mouth to his eyes. Dib turned away.

"We should start heading back. The sooner we get this figured out, the better." He said, his voice rough. Zim lowered his head and nodded. He marched back to the door and slid it open.

They walked back into the house so Dib could gather his things. The sooner, the better. He thought to himself.