chapter nine~

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Normal POV

When Purple came into the room, Red was laying there on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Narrowing an eye in confusion, Purple eased into the room, gazing unsurely at his partner. "Red? Are you okay?"

"...I'm trying to think, Pur..." Red was still in deep thought, his eyes looking somewhere far away.

"About what?"

"How did we become close?"

"Eh?"

"Zim wants to start as friends. How did we become such good friends?"

Purple frowned, his lekku dropping a bit. "Maybe you should start at the beginning,"

"I went to see Zim again...and he...he told me he knows now. He knows I love him,"

Purple went wide-eyed. "What?"

"And then he asked why. Why do I love him, and why didn't I say anything before? And I said I didn't know...And I apologized for wasting time we could have had. He said...that being torn between me and Spork made him feel cheap,"

"Oh, Irk..." Pur kneeled beside the bed, resting his chin on crossed arms as he listened intently.

"And then...I...I kissed him by his lekku and I left, saying that I'd be honored to be his friend and he should come talk to me once he's had time to think..." Red shook his head to himself. "I don't think I lost, though...I've been thinking and I don't think I lost,"

"What do you mean?"

"I thought I did at first...And then I remembered how Zim looked. Like he was so...so sorry and so...so...Irk, what's the word?" Red huffed, sitting up, crossing his legs as he faced Purple. "I know that he cares about Spork. I know that. But, Pur, he said that he...he respects me. That he has for years..."

"Red, respect isn't love," Purple reminded his friend gently.

"I know...but you didn't see his face, Pur," Red smiled softly.

"And how was his face?"

"Like...It was..." Red hummed. "Well, it was like how your face gets when I'm upset,"

"How my face gets?" That wasn't what Pur was expecting.

"It showed that he cared. Just like how you care,"

Pur looked in shock at Red for a moment, stunned. Normally Red was so clueless about other Irkens and their emotions. It was understandable since most Irkens were discouraged against showing affection or emotion. Knowing that Red was so in touch with how Zim responded...He smiled. "Red..."

The other looked at Pur oddly. "Did I...say something weird?"

Pur shook his head, still smiling. "Red...It was because of moments like this,"

"Eh?"

"We became friends because you spoke to me openly like this," Purple replied. "So..? What are you going to do? Now that you know he cares in some way?"

"What else? I'm going to try and make him love me,"

I thought as much...

oooo

Zim groaned when he was woken by a knock at his door. Looking over and seeing Skooge had already left, he grumbled, standing to answer. "Skooge if you forgot the code, I swear to Irk-" When the door opened, however, it was a new face.

Purple. With a beaming smile on his face. "Hey, Zim! Greetings to you!"

Zim groaned, rubbing his hands into his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to talk to you," Purple said. "Do you have training?"

"I'm taking the day off," Zim replied. "I need to sleep-"

"Good!" Purple headed inside, looking around and noting Zim was alone. "Which is your bed?"

Zim glared weakly at Purple, grumbling. "Purple...If this is about Red-"

"Yes, it is," Purple seated himself on Zim's bed, assuming it was his since it was unmade. "Come. Sit,"

Zim frowned but seated himself beside Purple. "Purple, please, I can't do this right now-"

"Do what?"

"I can't...think about Red. I just can't," Zim admitted, grabbing his pillow and clutching it to his chest as he laid back down. "It's too much to think about,"

"He told me you two spoke," Purple commented, trying to be considerate of the worn Irken. "He said you wanted to be friends first,"

"Mmhm..." he sighed, his eyes slipping shut. He never worried too much around Purple. He wasn't as intimidating as Red.

Purple gnawed at his lower lip. "So...Not to pry...But, is there...maybe anything you didn't tell Red? Anything at all?"

"I didn't tell him my favorite color,"

"No, I mean...Something to do with him. Like how you feel about him,"

Zim reluctantly opened his eyes, looking to Purple. "He's serious, isn't he?"

"Of course he is,"

Zim sighed, forcing himself to sit up, still holding his pillow to his chest. He stayed quiet for some time, trying to think of what to say. He knew Purple wasn't the type to broadcast someone's inner thoughts like some Elites were known to do, and that helped him to relax. Still... "You...won't tell him, will you?"

Purple's lekku perked, his eyes widening a bit. He eagerly moved closer, wanting to hear what Zim had to say. "No! No, I'm just curious is all. He's my friend and I'm worried about his happiness,"

Zim nodded, still not looking at Purple. "Okay...W-well...I told him...that I respected him..." Purple nodded to show he was listening. Zim still didn't look directly at the violet-eyed Irken, but he caught the movement. "But...I'm lost. I feel so lost...I've wanted Red to pay attention to me for so long and now..."

"...So, you do like his attention?"

"When he's not scolding me..." Finally pink eyes met violet and Purple felt nearly crushed by the pain and confusion he saw hidden there. "I thought he hated me. For years I thought he hated me. And I tried not to be weak whenever I thought that all I wanted from him was a single kind word or gesture. I've nearly broken because even though he didn't torment me like some of the Elites, he never seemed to be on my side either. It took someone else being kind to me for him to say he feels something," Zim blinked back his tears and looked back to the floor, unwilling to let Purple see him cry.

Purple didn't know what to say at first. It was tense for so long before he pulled Zim to him for a comforting hug. He felt Zim tense at the contact but still he held tight to the smaller Irken. "I know," he replied quietly. "I know that...Red is stupid sometimes. And he doesn't know how to...how to be close to others. And I'm sorry that he hurt you,"

Zim let out a shuddering breath, leaning into the contact. Eventually he let go of the pillow he was using as a life line and clung to Purple instead, greatful for the comfort. "I just don't want to feel like..like some cheap toy! Spork makes me so happy. I know what he's feeling and how he thinks about me. And Red..I don't have a clue! I hate not knowing..."

Purple nodded against Zim's shoulder, rubbing soothing circles under Zim's PAK. "Zim, I can assure you that Red does not think of you as some toy. He really loves you. In fact sometimes he drives me nuts with how he talks about you,"

Zim's lekku twitched at the information. "H-how...do you mean?"

"Well...Like before this whole thing with Spork, he'd go on and on about 'oh, Zim's smile' and 'Zim's laugh' and 'today Zim did this'," Purple laughed lightly at the memories flooding in. "The way he lights up talking about you...it's the only thing that makes it bearable to sit through,"

Zim gently pulled back, wiping at his eyes. He hadn't shed any tears, but he could still feel them lurking behind his lids. Blushing with embarrassment, Zim looked up at Purple, hoping he didn't look too pathetic. "He really said all that?"

Purple smiled and nodded, happy he was able to lift Zim's mood a little. "He did. For years. At first he tried to play it off as casual but then I found that he loved you. He was a little reluctant to admit it, but I about beat it out of him. And then he just spoke more and more. About how beautiful he thinks you are and...And when the whole thing with Spork began and he just got upset. Because he saw that you were happy with someone else. And he wanted to be the one you laughed with and...let hold you and..." Purple trailed off, shrugging. "He's kinda a hopeless romantic once you get to know him,"

Zim bit his lower lip to hold back a smile. "Red? Romantic?" He hummed in thought. "I guess he...does try,"

"He does," Pur agreed. "Even if his attempts are kinda clumsy,"

Zim smiled softly, running a hand lightly over the spot by his right lekku where Red had kissed him. Despite being happy with Spork, he couldn't help but fixate on Red. The way his lips rested on Zim's skin, the way he smiled so brightly after firing that weapon...the way he...looked amost broken when Zim spoke to him before...

Zim's smiled left him. Spork had told him that no one could make him feel things he just didn't feel. Zim felt it was the same the other way, too. He had wanted Red's affection for so long that he couldn't just forget about it now that he had it. Even if Spork made him happy...So did Red...

He looked back to Purple, frowning. "Doesn't it make me horrible?"

Purple didn't have to ask what Zim meant. He smiled kindly as he always had a way of doing and shook his head softly. "Look...You don't have to do anything. But...I hope you will,"

"...Don't you have training today?"

"Oh, Irk!" Purple leapt up, eyes wide and lekku at attention. "I'm late!" Without another word, Purple ran out, leaving Zim alone with a thoughtul expression as he absorbed what just happened.