Gaz laid in bed, trying to remain awake as she waited for Zim to leave the bathroom. She had something she wanted to talk to him about, and she was gonna do it now. She turned her head when she heard the bathroom door opening, and Zim passed through it wearing his usual sleepwear. They stared at each other in awkward silence for a moment until that Zim took some action and proceeded to lay on his side of the bed to sleep. Gaz sat up as Zim was getting under the sheets, and he paused when he saw her moving. He had a feeling that she wanted to talk.

"Zim…" Gaz trailed off, trying to find the right words. "Thank you."

That sentence caught Zim off-guard.

"For what?" He asked, perplexed.

"For what you said before." Gaz said awkwardly. "You're right… I don't need to act tough all the time… also, I'd like your help when I need it, if that's okay…"

"Of course it is." Zim said tenderly. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Gaz shrugged, then turned back to him. "Also… There was something I've been meaning to ask you…" Zim looked up at her curiously. She continued. "How come you became the new leader of your planet?"

Zim looked at her surprised. "You mean the new 'Tallest'?"

"Yeah, that." Gaz narrowed her eyes.

"Well, it's a long story, but I guess we've got all night, after all." Zim cleaned his throat and prepared to explain everything to her. "It all started six Earth years ago… My calls with the previous Tallests have died down with time, and I still wasn't able to destroy this planet… I thought I could get in contact with them again and ask for more time, but they ordered all the others in the room to leave, seeing how much I have grown during my stay on Earth… Then they finally told me the truth: that my 'mission' on Earth was just a scam to get me out of their backs. Afraid that I could go back to my home planet, and maybe be selected as the next Tallest by the Control Brains, considering my new tall stature, they threatened to throw me back in Foodcourtia, a fast food-service planet to serve fast food for the rest of my life… But I wouldn't leave it like that, of course. For one year, I plotted a secret plan to go back to my planet and kill the Tallests… I was successful. The control brains did what they so feared and selected me as the new Tallest, and here we are."

Gaz listened in silence with something hovering above her head. She needed to ask…

"Okay, but there's something I still don't understand…" Zim looked up at her questioningly as she said that. "You said you're a defect, right?"

Zim paused, not really wanting to touch on the subject. "Right."

"So, how did those 'Control Brains' select a defect as the new leader?" Gaz asked.

Zim sighed. "That's another long story…" Zim said, and Gaz went silent, as if waiting for him to continue. "Alright." He sighed again, giving in to her insistence. "Truth is, I shouldn't even be alive. In my planet, when a defect's PAK can't be fixed or replaced, they should be put to death… And that's exactly what would have happened to me. I should've been deactivated years ago but, when I was working as a scientist at Vort Research Station 9, I created an Infinite Energy Absorbing Blob, that ate both Tallests Miyuki and her successor, Spork as well as a great amount of our kind. It was a complete accident but, after that, the Control Brains accepted me as the greatest invader alive… And… That was how I became an invader. Now, when I got back to Irk to kill Spork's successors, the Control Brains selected me as the new Tallest because of my height."

Gaz looked confused. "Why does your species judge everyone by their height?"

Zim shrugged. "It's a thing from my planet. If someone's tall enough, their seen as someone powerful. Kind of like that one superstition you humans used to have in the past, that royalty had blue blood."

Zim smiled as he said that, and Gaz smiled back. She didn't know he had paid attention to anything in history class. Suddenly, her smile fell as she wondered about something. There was something else she needed to ask…

"Look, Zim…" She sighed. "I've been meaning to ask you… Can I have a room of my own?"

Zim sighed. "I'm sorry, but no."

"Why not?" Gaz asked, trying to control her tone. "I thought you said you would give me anything I want!"

"Look… I know what I said, but I can't do that." Zim looked up at her. "I'm sorry, but you almost got killed because I left your side for only a few hours. Who knows what could happen next? You must have someone else behind you, and I wouldn't know…" Gaz listened perplexed as Zim trailed off. "I could never forgive myself if something happened to you again…" He whispered.

A moment of silence fell upon them before Gaz crawled closer to him and Zim watched her confused, then she opened her mouth to speak.

"Look…" She closed her eyes briefly. "I really appreciate what you're doing for me, but don't you get it? This is not what I want for me, Zim… I know I can't stand up for myself all the time, someone just proved that theory… But I don't wanna feel like a prisoner, either."

Zim's expression softened as he heard that. "I don't want you to feel like that… I just want you to be safe."

"And you still can't see it…?" Gaz laughed indignantly, her eyes tearing up. "I won't be safe if you stay… I won't be safe if you're all still here… None of us will… So why don't you just gather your troops and go back to your planet and leave us alone?"

Tears were already streaming down Gaz's face by now, and it gave Zim a bad feeling in his spooch.

He shook his head. "I can't…"

"Why not…?" Gaz whispered.

"You still don't get it…?" Zim shook his head. "I just want to have you by my side."

Gaz looked surprised by the sudden confession, so much she didn't notice Zim's hand reaching out and caressing her hair. He moved his hand from her hair to her face and started approaching his face to hers, but Gaz didn't react. But then, Zim's thoughts began to race. Was it wrong to do that? Was it wrong to take advantage of her vulnerable state like that? The answer to both those questions was obvious: yes… yes it was. Struck by sudden realization, Zim backed off a little bit, staring right into her confused eyes. He removed his hand from her face and backed off even more, his face holding an expression of sorrow. It was a moment until he finally spoke up.

"I'm…" He trailed off. "I'm sorry…" He looked into her eyes as he said that. "I shouldn't-"

Zim tried turning his face away from her, but couldn't do so, for she grabbed it, forcing him to look back at her determined eyes. He was about to say something when she took the lead and kissed his lips, surprising him, softly at first, until that he pushed more deeply into it. They hugged and kissed as things started heating up. Gaz started licking his sharp teeth, and he opened them, allowing her entrance as he too stuck out his thin, snake-like tongue in her mouth. Their tongues fought for dominance in each other's mouths as Zim laid Gaz on the bed and placed himself on top of her as he continued kissing her, but it wasn't enough. He wanted to be closer to her. Zim hugged her as he pressed his body against hers, but that was when he heard her protest.

"Ah!" Gaz cried out in pain. "Ow…"

Zim looked up at her confused, then he looked down to his hips, which she was trying to push away from her, and noticed the stitched fresh cut lining from under her belly button to the left side of her hip, then he remembered…

"Oh!" Zim exclaimed as he quickly got up from her. "Sorry…" He said awkwardly. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… I guess so…" Gaz said grumpily.

"Sorry…" Zim repeated.

"Whatever." Gaz said as she rolled on her side. "Good night, Zim."

Zim watched her figure for a moment before rolling on his side and trying to get some sleep as well. Was she feeling regretful of doing that? Was she blaming it on him that they just kissed? Would she ever want to do that again…? Those were questions he didn't have the answer to, and it sure would be hard to ask her directly, even though he craved for the answers. He knew he should give her time and space to put her feelings back in place, she was needing it after all, but it just felt so good that he felt even disappointed that it had to end like that. Maybe if it wasn't for that stupid bitch who attacked her… No. It was his fault for playing with her feelings when she was in such a vulnerable state. But it wasn't like he did that on purpose, either… Did he?

It was a few hours into the night, and Zim couldn't get any sleep from the memory of Gaz's lips on his. She was just so soft and tasty… Zim looked over to Gaz on her side as she had her back turned to him.

"Gaz? Are you awake?" He called, but she didn't reply, nor move an inch. Zim took a deep breath and got up from the bed, going into the bathroom.

He locked the door on his way in and directed himself to the toilet, staring into it as he lifted the lid, then he slowly reached in his pants, pulling out his member and began working on it. It felt so wrong to do that, but he couldn't take it, anymore. That memory of Gaz kissing and hugging him… Her soft lips and skin, her silky hair, her taste, her scent… It was all driving him crazy. He wanted to do all of that again, and he wanted to do more of that, but he knew he wouldn't be getting any of that so soon. He groaned as he came to a release, panting as he stared down at his work. He put his member back in his pants and flushed the toilet before heading to the sink to wash his hands, staring at himself in the mirror and clutching the sink when he was done.

He sighed before saying aloud. "Get a hold of yourself."

Zim closed his eyes briefly then stared at the bathroom door, unlocking it and peering into the bedroom to see if Gaz had woken up. She had not. Zim sighed relieved and closed the bathroom door behind him, going back to the bed and getting under the sheets next to Gaz, rolling on his side with his back turned to her and kept his eyes open for a moment before closing them and trying to get some sleep, at last.