Dib turned over in his bed to face the window, allowing the light that came through to blur his vision. He sat up, stretched his arms, and continued to gaze into the void of light. He wasn't usually a morning person, but he couldn't imagine staying asleep any longer when he considered what was waiting for him in the shed. Memories of last night all came to him at once, and his heart began to beat a little faster.
"I'm harboring an alien." Dib murmured to himself, because he did that a lot. It was all quite twisted, really. The same Irken who had tried to destroy his Earth all those years ago was relying on him for pretty much everything. And in return, she would kill the other alien that also had a grudge against Earth before she left him forever. Dib almost laughed at his previous conundrum about feeling abandoned. What was he thinking? Zim was a plague on his life. It felt wrong to know that the alien took up most of his thoughts and put a halt to any productive hobbies; hobbies like hunting the paranormal. He figured that Zim would have to be dead if he ever wanted to pursue his research to the fullest.
Also, with any luck, the body would remain intact and he would be able to bring it to his dad. Then his dad would talk about how great Dib was around his other science friends and the president would do something really cool in his honor and Gaz would smile at him and he'd be happy. Dib always gave himself credit for thinking realistically, but he couldn't do that right now.
He hopped out of bed and grabbed his glasses in one swift motion. An elated feeling was bouncing around in his head, and it was so unfamiliar to him that he couldn't instantly link it back to hope. It had been a while since Dib was able to look forward to starting the day. He couldn't help but feel cheery when he greeted Gaz in the kitchen after brushing his teeth and whatnot. It was nice; it was like reliving an old memory he wasn't aware he was fond of. She didn't share his enthusiasm.
"Morning." He greeted her. Gaz just grunted in response. She was standing over the stove flipping pancakes and she already had a few made on the plate beside her. Gaz was actually a good cook, but most of the time she was too lazy to make food herself. He noticed that she was still pouring liquid into the pan. She probably made too much batter. It was a more plausible explanation than assuming she made some for him too.
Dib went to the counter opposite to the stove and rested his arms on the surface. He watched Gaz make pancakes for a while with the same vacant expression as someone watching a commercial. "Did uh, did Tak ever come in?" He asked once the silence got boring.
"No." She answered, almost sounding derisive. Dib tapped on the counter for a few seconds.
"Should I go get her? I mean, she might be hungry."
Gaz never faced him. "I really don't care."
Dib brought his hands back to his sides and began to ponder. His mind always seemed to lean to the worst, so that was what it did. What if she left? As in, she fixed her ship overnight and beelined to wherever she was going. Where was she going? Definitely not Irk. He should probably question her a little bit if she was going to stay with them for a few days.Though, he probably couldn't do that if she didn't feel like keeping her part of the deal.
"If you go get her I might spit in her pancakes." Gaz deadpanned, causing Dib's eyes to widen.
"Don't do that, really. There's no telling what's in our saliva that could wack up their immune system." Dib pleaded, causing her to lower her eyelids. Gaz was kidding, but she wouldn't give Dib the relief of a confirmation. She looked back to her craft, unofficially ending their conversation.
He swallowed nervously and let the sound of sizzling butter take over the room.
Dib proceeded towards the door. He opened it, and when a gust of cool air hit him in the face, a wave of guilt did too. What was he thinking? He left Tak, a cold-blooded, ectothermic animal in a metal box with no heating unit. If she wasn't up in space right now she was probably dead. With a new sense of urgency, Dib ran to the shed and flung the metal door upwards.
The looming outline of the ship made him audibly sigh. The Dibship was still there, and Mimi was still dead by the lawnmower. There was no Tak, however. Relaxing a little more, Dib neared the ship and studied the surroundings, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. "Tak?" He called out into the darkness. Nothing.
He went further into the building, but she had just vanished. She wasn't in space, at least. Her ship was a testament to that. He leaned on the windshield of her ship for a moment and pondered over what he would do next. Idly, he turned his head to face the other side of the room when a figure in the ship caught his attention.
Tak, curled up in the seat of the cockpit fetal-style. She was actually sleeping. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her legs as if they would run away given the chance, and it didn't look very comfortable. Her features didn't even seem too relaxed. How could any creature stay so angry even when they're unconscious? Dib began to smile, but that amusement faded when he realized what was happening.
Irkens don't need to sleep.
He had offered her a blanket last night out of goodwill, but it wasn't like he actually expected her to doze off. He was aware that she looked to be in the process of collapsing, but her Pak should have kept her awake long enough to fix her. With that in mind, he carefully pulled away the windshield and took one step into the ship.
The first thing he noticed was that it was warm. She must have powered the heaters up long enough to take a break. The next thing he noticed was the little whistle coming from Tak herself, and Dib almost laughed when he came to the revelation that she was snoring. He listened to it for a moment just because it was uncharacteristically ridiculous, but his enjoyment was put to a stop when he realized how weird he was being. Like, he was a pretty creepy kid, but this was a whole other level of creep. At this point, he should probably wake her up.
"Tak?" He muttered, but she didn't stir. He said it a little louder, but it was clear that she wasn't about to awaken. Slowly, he brought a hand to her shoulder and gently shook her, "Tak-"
Without warning, an animal-like hiss shot from her mouth and Dib didn't have time to react before three gloved fingers slashed across his face. It didn't leave a mark, she had gloves on after all, but just the notion of Tak resorting to scratching made him back away. After a moment of grogginess, she must have come to a basic understanding of what she had done, for her eyes widened in horror, but that horror was quickly replaced by rage. Dib, still in shock, let out a nervous laugh.
Tak stood up and glowered down at the boy. He had stepped off the ship in the process of escaping her hand, causing him to be a hint shorter than her, and he didn't like it too much.
"Don't touch me, ever." She demanded in a combination of fury and shame. Dib had already forgiven her, but she still seemed mortified. He almost felt satisfaction in seeing her break a little bit. Something about Tak going feral after she wanted it clear that she was a higher being--it brought him a little gratification. He wouldn't tell her that, though. He didn't want to know what her claws could do if she took the gloves off.
"Alright I guess. Do you want breakfast?"
Tak glared down at him and almost looked offended. She needed to eat, she wouldn't get very far on her ship if she starved, but something about going into his house under his rules grated at her pride. She considered it for a moment, mechanically stepped down from the ship, and looked up at him with narrowed eyes. He hoped that was a queue to leave, because he did, and she followed.
They left the shed in broad daylight, causing Tak's antenna to flatten against her head. Even though the sky was still grey and humans were just beginning to stir, she felt unsafe in the open. She was very relieved when they were able to get in the house without a problem. However, when she laid her eyes on Gaz, the tension returned.
"You can sit down." Dib said as he pulled out a chair for her. Tak eyed it for a second before sitting down herself, him sitting in the seat beside her. She felt ridiculous being in the care of the slightly smarter-than-average human beasts, but she didn't receive any food rations in her banishment, and it seemed that Dib did away with the ones in her ship. She would have to cooperate for a while, much to her disgust.
She decided that she wouldn't complain about anything they gave her in case it disclosed weakness; weakness that she had already made known with her ability to sleep and instinctual savagery. Her hiss and his delightfully terrified face kept replaying over and over again in her head, and she was embarrassed by it, but seeing Dib flinch like that gave her a satisfying sense of power. Yeah, she thought, looking over at his fragile figure, I could hurt you. She hoped he would remember that next time he tried to put a hand on her.
Dib habitually began to tap his fingers on the table while Tak remained stoic. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he figured out that he could just get up and get the pancakes Gaz already had made.
About mid-walk, he turned to Tak and unconsciously threw two finger guns, "How many do you want?" He asked casually, internally losing his cool in the process. She only showed mild puzzlement at his hand gestures.
"One." She stated flatly. Tak was certain that the grain-based cakes wouldn't hurt her, but she still had to be cautious around Earthling food. She couldn't risk getting sick and being even more of a problem.
Dib accepted this. He took two paper plates from the cabinet overhead and set them on the counter. With his hands, he grabbed two pancakes from the stack--causing Tak to cringe--but after that, he got a fork from the drawer below, and used it to get another pancake for her. That was slightly relieving. He went and put the plates on the table, but then turned back around to get himself a fork. Tak was left wondering why he didn't just get it in the first place.
Tak poked at her food with uncertainty as Dib came to sit down beside her. Her focus shifted to him when he took a bottle of brown sludge and began to drench his pancakes. She raised her eyebrows quizzically, and Dib noticed her mild interest.
"It's syrup. It's like really sweet sauce. You want some?" He asked, holding out the bottle for her. Tak took some and dribbled it over her pancakes as if she were handling chemicals. Gaz ignored both of them as she sat across from her.
Dib began slicing at his pancakes immediately while Tak was a bit more hesitant. She cut off one bite, set it in her mouth, and began to chew.
Dib watched from the corner of his eye as she swallowed. The suspense was killing him. "You like it?" He asked as she cut off another piece.
"It hasn't killed me." She confirmed as she took another bite. That was good enough for Dib. They all ate their food without conflict.
Tak was the first to finish, mainly because she only got one cake. Out of pure pride and stubbornness, she wanted to be as low-maintenance as possible, so she wouldn't admit to the humans that she wanted another. Without anything else to do, she put her hands on her lap and gazed to the window. They had all their curtains closed, making their house as dark as a cavern, but she could still see the light creeping in from under the fabric. She wanted to get back to her ship before the sun could fully rise in order to avoid any eyes. Before she could bid the two a disdainful goodbye, Dib felt the need to make conversation.
"So," he began, pausing for her attention, "How'd you get to Earth?"
It was like him to get to the point. Tak sighed, recalling everything that led up to this moment. Preparing for a monologue, Dib leaned in.
"I was sent here on the account of exile in a ship that was set to self-destruct once it reached its destination. Since Earth isn't any use to them, it's a perfect place for those they want disposed of. Like Zim, for example."
Dib let that run through his head, but he was quick to pick up on what she meant.
"Zim is an exile? As in, not an invader?" He asked with a bit of hurt in his tone. For a moment he turned to Gaz to see how she was reacting, only to be met with a blank stare.
"Correct. They can't kill him, not since he corrupted the control brains, so they're just setting him aside for a while until he destroys himself."
Dib frowned and his eyebrows turned upwards in distress. Much to his chagrin, he was faced with the reality that he couldn't even stop an exile from invading Earth. He would have to save that information for his late-night moping, because now he had even more questions.
"Control brains? Aren't those like the supervisors or something? Or do they just help out the Tallests?" He asked. Tak scowled, but not at him.
"The Tallests are their puppets. They can override decisions if they wish, but other than that, they're just something for Irkens to look up to. Literally."
Dib wished he could have taken notes. Tak seemed eager to speak out against her people, and he was glad that she decided to get help from him. But, with that in mind, a new question formed, and it made him frown.
"So where are you going? Once you leave here, I mean." Irk definitely wouldn't have her back, and a small part of him wanted her to stay. But he knew that she would leave Earth with any chance she got. She squinted; considering whether or not Dib could be trusted with information so precious. Before she could give him any intel, her eyes met Gaz's, and she shut her mouth again. She looked back to Dib with an irritated expression.
"It wouldn't be very wise to talk about it around your sister. There's no telling where the details could end up." Tak said, still looking Dib in the eye and intentionally ignoring Gaz's dirty look. Tak being passive aggressive was kind of funny, but now he was craving an answer.
"Come on, Gaz, promise you won't tell him." Dib adjured, facing a now annoyed Gaz. She was a bit insulted. Tak huffed.
"I will tell you that it's for defects like Zim," she paused for an added effect, "and your sister, for that matter."
Dib's eyes widened while Gaz's scowl only deepened. "What's that supposed to mean?" Gaz retaliated, but Tak was already making her way to the door.
"I have a ship to fix." She stated simply, making eye contact with Dib before leaving the both of them. Dib looked to Gaz for a moment, and then bolted out the door after Tak.
Tak was waiting for Dib by the time he got to the shed. She was standing by the door, actually. She narrowed her eyes and shut the sliding door herself, because he was about to start talking without even making sure the coast was clear. After that, she turned to him and put her hands behind her back. He figured that meant they were about to have a serious discussion, so for once, he shut up and left the talking to her.
"There's a planet not very far from this solar system under the name of Scarper. It's for Irken rebels, or more realistically anyone against the empire. Hybrids, defects, anything that the control brains would consider unclean."
Dib almost couldn't believe it, "There's good Irkens out there? I kinda thought they were all pawns or something." He quickly drew a breath when he realized that he had said the wrong thing, but Tak didn't seem too keen on correcting him. She gave him a glare and continued.
"It's the main base of operations for the Resisty, and I plan on joining their forces." When she finished her speech, she eyed him strangely. He had his hand to his chin in contemplation. When he looked back down at her, she raised her eyelids expectantly.
"That's a dumb name. What is it?"
"There's not much known about it, but from what I can gather is that they're against the empire, and that's good enough for me." She answered. Dib was amazed. He didn't know that anything stood a chance against the empire.
"So there's a whole resistance that I didn't know about?" He asked with a hint of frustration. Tak again squinted at him. She seemed to know what he was thinking.
"A life form as fragile as you wouldn't make it in a war. You would be better off staying here." She didn't mean to offend him at all; she merely stated it as a fact. Dib was used to his skills being downplayed, so he brushed it off, but it still hurt that she would just shut him down like that. He didn't even mind that the other aliens might underestimate him, because he would rather be unappreciated during a war than be unappreciated on Earth.
"Yeah, I know, but I feel like I'm meant for something bigger than chasing vampire bees, y'know? I want to make a difference. Do something cool before I die I guess."
Tak sighed, figuring that Dib wouldn't listen to anything she had to say about his well-being. Besides, her curiosity over his reactions was fulfilled for now, so she turned away and went back to her ship. There was still work to be done.
"So how is that going?" She asked as she opened up a panel on the exterior of the ship.
"What?"
"The bees." She answered, referring to his comment about chasing them.
Dib's eyes lit up and Tak almost regretted asking. He approached her without the former meekness and she got defensive out of habit. He didn't seem to notice.
"You see this?" Dib said before pulling up the sleeve of his coat to reveal two perfect circles below his wrist. Tak looked back up at him expectantly. "Dad said they were spider bites, but I have the stingers! They came loose when it bit me. Dad said it was just a freak accident involving two bees, but I know what's really going on. You know they can only bite once? Like, once they lose their stingers from biting down on you they go back to the hive, puke up your juices, and die just like that. There has to be tons of them out there if they can afford to lose a few bees like that every time they need blood. They make honey from blood, too, isn't that weird?"
He ended his tangent with a deep inhale and exhale like he had forgotten to breathe. Tak raised her eyebrows and slightly opened her mouth, a bit taken aback by his change in demeanor. "That's… strange." She commented, going to touch the scars only to draw back once she realized what she was about to do.
"Do you… want to see my notes?" He asked, pulling his sleeve back down and bringing his arm to the side. Tak considered this for a moment.
"Yes."
Dib's pupils dilated and he was out of the shed in an instant. This was the Dib she remembered. She turned her back to the shed door to continue tinkering with the ship, and a sad smile appeared on her face.
《Thanks for making it to the end!! Also, HUGE thanks to Katra21 and c00kiemonster2000 for beta reading!! C00kiemonster2000 has an ao3 too by the name of Cookiemonster2000 and she's way more active on there so please go visit her account!! If you don't I will cry.》