author's note: hey hey hey y'all, did ya miss me? sorry for the literal years its taken for me to update. i was living at home during fall semester but now im back at my university (thank fucking god) and i've been enjoying having like. a normal social life again. i never forgot about this story though. i do plan on finishing it, and i'm getting a better idea of zim/dib's characters and the plotline. although i will say, i am iching to write a zagr fic. would you guys read that? let me know
anyway, i just want to thank everyone for their continued support! it was such a good feeling to come back to this story and see some new reviews, favorites, and follows. you guys are what motivated me to get off my ass and write the next chapter. hope everyone enjoys :)
Zim originally planned on being fully recharged by 6am. He'd told the Dib that while he was permitted to sleep in his base for the night, he had a strict curfew. If Dib wasn't gone by 8am sharp, Zim would unleash all his failed lawn gnome experiments on him. Or at least, that was what he told Dib.
Until he started thinking about how normal that was to him. That 6am 'wakeup' he endured day after day, the schedule he was in on Earth. It wasn't that this was much different from his routine before coming to Earth, Zim had always been early to rise. It gave him time to work. It was the principle behind his Earth-schedule that irked him. Zim let himself spend enough of his life on Earth to develop habits, understand their timezones, get acquainted with human culture.
He was an invader, wasn't he? So why had he spent several years of his life on Earth? Learning from Earth, changing himself for Earth, Earth had become his home, hadn't it? Zim was no closer to conquering the rock than he was when he first arrived. In fact, he was closer to being an earthling than he was to posing any real threat to humanity. For fuck's sake, his goddamn arch enemy was sleeping on his couch and Zim had no intention of murdering him like a real invader would.
For the first time in years, Zim skipped recharging his PAC. He trudged back to the holo-chamber and pulled up the Tallest's flight plans. They took forever to finally render, and once again Zim stole power from his neighbors in the most obvious fashion. But he didn't care. Fuck the humans, he decided. If they take their miserable heads out of their asses long enough to notice me I'll just splatter their brains over the walls.
That was when Zim noticed his eyes were leaking.
It was well past 8am. After the Tallest's flight plans displayed themselves across the chamber, Zim sat cross legged in the exact middle of the room, eyes wide. The leaking didn't stop. In fact it persisted the entire time Zim was awake, sitting and staring. Seer emotional exhaustion allowed him to pass out around 3am. Zim woke up at noon, body sprawled on the floor, stars and comets and galaxies twinkling around him. The stench of eggs and bacon wafted in the air.
It was Dib. Stupid fucking Dib, overstaying his welcome. Did he go out and buy breakfast foods? Zim trashed the fridge long ago to prevent GIR from filling it with toxic stinky foods.
"Computer, why does it smell of human food?" Zim knew the answer, but he needed it confirmed.
"Human Being Dib Membrane is on the main floor."
Zim frowned. "That doesn't explain the smell."
"I can't detect if he's eating."
"Great. You're absolutely useless, you know that right?"
The Computer paused before letting out a loud, exasperated sigh. "Okay."
Despite the absolute nightmare he was living in currently, Zim smirked. Sometimes he missed the days when his Computer would challenge him. But after their first three years on Earth, Zim singlehandedly managed to break its spirit. Nowadays the Computer mindlessly agreed with him, only offering sarcasm or blatant refusal on days Zim was especially passionate. Oddly, it filled Zim with a weird sense of pride.
Zim tussled his wig in place and slapped his contacts on before entering the elevator. The smell was even stronger as he got closer to the main floor. For the second time that week, bile rose to his throat. He swallowed it bitterly, clutching his temples. "I shouldn't have skipped the energize," Zim muttered. On days that Zim didn't refresh his PAC, his senses were more affected by externalities.
When he reached the top floor, Zim fully expected to see Dib binging. Stress eating was a term Zim knew, but had never understood. Why indulge in sadness when you could fix the problem? Humans were horrible at coping. Although presently, Zim was a bit more empathic to bad coping skills.
Dib looked worlds better than he had the day before. His skin was a rosy warm color and his hair was wet and freshly clean. What startled Zim however was that Dib had taken off his trench coat, revealing a plain blue t-shirt. Zim had never really seen Dib's body shape, but he could get a decent idea of it now that it was out of the frumpy coat. Dib was by no means bulky, but his frame still looked durable. His shoulders were slim yet taut with muscle, his solid chest pushed out slightly from his tee. Zim twitched, uncomfortable.
Dib had yet to notice Zim. He seemed entranced, scribbling frantically on what looked to be a small notepad. On the couch beside him was the source of the human food smells—a sandwich of some sorts. Zim could feel his heart pounding in his chest, enraged. This is fucking ridiculous. Does he think he lives here or something? Zim cleared his throat haughtily, ready for Dib to cower and apologize for staying so late. Dib jolted from his place on the couch, before realizing it was only Zim.
"Jesus. Don't scare me like that," Dib grimaced, immediately going back to his scrawling. Zim crossed his arms, tapping his pointed boot rapidly, roughly. It took Dib a minute to catch on to what Zim was doing.
"Are you okay?" It appeared that Dib hadn't the slightest idea as to why Zim was angry. Which only served to heat Zim up more.
"You pus-filled, filthy, stupid fucking human. Why are you in my base, hmm Dib? Did I not tell you to get your ass OUT of my base by 8am?" Zim snapped, venom coating every word. Slowly, Dib's face spread into a wide smile.
"I thought that was more of a recommendation than anything," Dib whistled, grabbing a paper bag from the couch. "Besides, I got us breakfast. I know you don't really like eating human food, but I bought you some junk from CVS that I've seen you eat before." He extended the bag to Zim, to which Zim responded by yanking it from Dib's grasp and throwing it violently on the floor. Dib raised his eyebrows.
"Dib," Zim breathed, barely containing his rage. "I'm not… As lonely as you may be, I am not your… bosom buddy. You are not, nor have you ever been, welcome in my base—"
"Aw, but I got you like three Hi-Chews, I know you like those."
"DON'T INTERRUPT ME. I need you to take your sickening foodstuff and your smooth brain far away from me."
To Zim's surprise, Dib started laughing. Not his sarcastic chuckle, or his evil mwah-ha-ha noise that he made after beating Zim off. Laughing. His nose snorted and his frame bent forward slightly. His teeth gleamed.
"What? You think something is funny?!" Zim's face felt hot. Dib kept his gleeful smile even after his laughter was done.
"Smooth brain? Zim, are you taking lingo from Brent Angelino?"
"NO!" Zim stomped his foot, face aflame. "I don't even know who that is!"
Despite Zim's growing tantrum, Dib was completely unfazed. In fact, it seemed like he was enjoying himself. "Oh yeah? Cuz I've seen you guys sitting together at lunch. That guy is so fucking weird. You know he only hangs out with you because he thinks you confirm his conspiracy theory about lizard people, right?"
"That's not true! He told me I'm smarter than all the other human teens and that he can only stand to be around me."
Dib leaned forward. "I thought you didn't know him?"
"WHATEVER!" Zim screamed. He quickly turned around, acting as if he needed something from the kitchen. His face was hot, burning, and his insides were squirming. However, Zim's anger had dissipated some time ago. His feelings made him feel like doing something, but he couldn't understand what. Should've fucking recharged.
"Hey, I'm sorry, smooth brain is a fine insult. Anyway, I'm not trying to get you all worked up," While Zim couldn't see Dib, he could picture what expression he was making due to his voice. It was a softer emotion, like the face he made when Gaz brought him lunch at school. Zim, again, had trouble placing the meaning of it. "I actually have a proposition for you."
Zim snorted. "A proposition? For me?"
"Yeah, I do." Dib's voice lowered. "This video.. It made me realize something. And Zim, I think I know a way to solve both of our problems."