I saw it… You were changing… The darkness in your heart was fading and out from that darkness, a beautiful person was starting to emerge.

"What do you call these winged sticks again?"

"They're called butterflies, Zim, and they're not flying sticks."

"Hmm…" he said, as a butterfly landed on his hand. "They are quite delicate…"

"They may be delicate but they have to fight to get into the world."

"Ha! Such light and colorful creatures could never know the hardness of this world. These tiny things are too… pretty to understand."

"Being pretty doesn't-"

A butterfly gingerly landed on Dib's nose, surprising him and surprising Zim. Zim started laughing at him.

You were becoming someone good… Someone kind…

"Would you like me to blast it off so that it does not inconvenience your ugly face anymore?"

"That's a negative."

Someone… special…

"Was any moment of it real, Zim?" Dib asked, the glorious and fond memories fading away as black smoke and destruction took over his sights.

Zim looked at him with slight horror in his red eyes, unable to answer. It would never satisfy him, no matter what he said.

"Was it all just some sick game to you? Did you even think of me when you took my planet? When your leaders came in and abducted my family? When you betrayed me?"

Zim had nothing to say, nothing to right the wrong he knew he had committed against his once-rival. Dib had grown on him like an unwanted fungus but soon, life wasn't the same on Earth without Dib. Toying with his sanity and seeing the interesting ways he would try to defeat him were, true, games, but innocent. Soon, they began to work together and eventually, over time, they began to have a friendship that became strong.

Suddenly, everything changed and Zim had to make a choice he never thought he'd have to make: become the invader he had sought after for so long or forget everything and stay on Earth.

Zim closed his eyes, his choice reflecting in the glasses of the boy he had called a brother and friend. He had chosen the most logical thing to do… It was the most logical thing to do…

"Close your eyes, Dib-beast." He said softly.

"Hurry up!" Zim heard from behind him.

"Get on with it!"

Zim tried to block out the Tallest's taunts. He looked down at his friend, wounded and singed from the fires and the fighting and pointed the gun at him.

Dib couldn't believe where he ended up. After all the efforts he had put into trying to get Zim to become and ally, it came down to this. Zim was faithful to the Irken empire. He was an invader, a capturer of worlds. He had let his guard down and let this horrible creature make it's way into his heart. A butterfly flew past Zim's face and Dib looked up into his best friend's red eyes.

"Do you even feel guilty? Ashamed?" Tears began to prick at his swollen eyes and he felt a tear escape and travel down his cheek. "Are you even heartbroken?"

Zim only stared at him for a moment and then pulled the trigger on the gun. Dib felt something enter into him but not go through him.

"Woo hoo! Alright, the human is dead now!"

"Finally! I thought that execution was going to take forever!"

"Excuse me, my Tallest, but I didn't kill him."

Tallest Red turned a little. "Come again?"

"I said… I said that I didn't kill him, Almighty Tallest." Zim said, kneeling. "I have an explanation."

The consciousness in Dib was fading fast but he could tell that Zim was talking to what looked like his leaders about something. He felt his eyes get heavy when he also felt like he was being lifted up from the ground.

"Sleep now, human." Zim said softly as Dib's consciousness slipped into darkness.

Is a creature like you even capable of such compassion?

hey guys. i know i should be writing on other stuff, but this is actually a request from my sister. she is drawing a fancomic for this show and since she can't write, she kindly asked if i could actually write a story for it. it's the first time she's ever asked to collab with me so i'm doing it for her. either way, i'm new to the invader zim world of fanfics so please be kind. i HAVE watched the show (and movie) but that's it. i know nothing of the comics other than what's mentioned on the wiki. hope yall enjoy