A/N: I love those twisted little Kodak moments you have in war-zones.
Future Shock
Zim sat alone in the dark. Not crying, not sobbing, just staring blankly at the floor. Not in all those long months he had spent in Irken territory did it occur to him that he might loose her. That he might never again get to hold her the way he had before.
She had been a strong warrior. Something every Irken would have looked for in a mate had his race done that anymore.
He turned a little burned bracelet over in his hands. His fingers felt over the Irken symbol not for the first time.
The door clanked open. Dib was there, a tall dark figure shown to Zim by bright Earthen light. The alien had taken refuge in the back of a windowless van that had lost its ability to move years ago.
They had been back in the camp less than a day. Gaz's death was being mourned outside, she had been a center of life. A person so many had looked to in these horrible days of war.
"What is it?" Zim croaked letting his eyes stray away from the harsh light.
Dib motioned to someone out of Zims sight to remain where they were and crawled up into the van. "I know it's bad." Dib said. "It hurts me too. But."
"But what?" Zim snapped. Irkens had short tempers when in despair. "Are you going to tell me to hold my head up and keep going in her name? Or were you going to tell me that she would have wanted me to keep fighting no matter my own pain?" He kicked his foot against an old toolbox letting the new pain in his foot force tears out of him. He wanted quite desperately to allow some vague sign of Human emotion out.
"That's not what."
"Really?" Zim interrupted again. "Not going to play the hero between us Dib? I thought I was supposed to be the emotionless alien that battled for humanity that only you could give." His voice became an angry hiss.
"Zim you're not listening!"
"I don't have to listen!" Zim stood up hitting his head accidentally on the ceiling of the van. He winced this time and rubbed his probably bruised head. "I don't want your pity *Dib*."
"I'm not giving you pity, I'm trying to tell you."
Zim growled outright at him.
Dib finally lost his temper. He had gone into this with as much resolve as he could muster. He knew the Irken would be extremely angry but this was getting ridiculous. He hit Zim, slugged him right in the jaw sending him into the wall of the van and into the floor.
Dib flexed his hand. "No matter how badly I've wanted to do that Zim I'm sorry I had to."
Zim glared at him with his brilliant red eyes.
"I came here to tell you that Gaz left you something. She kept it secret and wanted to tell you here."
"Secret?" Zim sounded appalled. "She would have never kept anything from me. What game are you playing Dib? I swear to you if you think that."
Dib feared another tangent and did want to hit Zim again but settled for screaming. "Zim shut up! I'm trying to tell you about your son!"
Zim stopped mid word. "My what?"
Dib stormed as well as one could in a van to the back doors motioning someone closer. A girl from the group appeared holding a small bundle in a coat. She handed it carefully to Dib who cooed down at the thing.
He carried it closer to Zim. He had gotten up on his knees and peered at what Dib held.
A tiny pale green hand waved into the air as Dib pulled the edges of the coat back. Squinty amber eyes peered out under a head of sparse purple hair where two thin antennae stood stiffly out on his small head. The infants' mouth opened in a yawn showing evenly spaced Irken teeth cutting through and a coiled segmented tongue inside.
"He's two months old now. Her pregnancy was only six months." Dib said glancing to Zim.
Zim stared at the child with mixed features of two races. Human eyes with Irken skin, he looked so strange there wrapped in an old brown coat. He reached out silently and was surprised with a tiny hand caught his finger gripping it tightly.
"What's his name?" Zim suddenly asked.
"Zig, people have been calling him Ziggy." Dib said. "Do you want to hold him?"
"I wouldn't know." Zim stuttered as the infant let go of his finger. "I've never held, I mean."
"Here, like this."
Dib handed Zig to his father who held the tiny creature awkwardly.
It was quite for a long time. The girl who had brought the child was shooing others away from the family moment.
"How do they treat him?" Zim asked staying as still as he could lest he disturb his son.
"Like any child. We've done all we can to keep him out of Irken sight. We have no idea what they'd do to him if they got him." Dib said sitting back on the floor of the van.
"He has her eyes." Zim said quietly.
"And your lungs. He can go on for hours if he fells like it."
Zim almost took offense to that.
"Come on, let's get out of this place. It's too hot." Dib said scooting to the double doors of the vehicle. Once of the ground he gently took Zig from Zim and let the alien hold him once he was out in the open.
As they walked a thought struck Zim. "You know, you didn't have to hit me." He said sounding a bit offset from the third bruise he'd acquired inside that van.
Dib smirked. "No problem. It was my pleasure."
Future Shock
Zim sat alone in the dark. Not crying, not sobbing, just staring blankly at the floor. Not in all those long months he had spent in Irken territory did it occur to him that he might loose her. That he might never again get to hold her the way he had before.
She had been a strong warrior. Something every Irken would have looked for in a mate had his race done that anymore.
He turned a little burned bracelet over in his hands. His fingers felt over the Irken symbol not for the first time.
The door clanked open. Dib was there, a tall dark figure shown to Zim by bright Earthen light. The alien had taken refuge in the back of a windowless van that had lost its ability to move years ago.
They had been back in the camp less than a day. Gaz's death was being mourned outside, she had been a center of life. A person so many had looked to in these horrible days of war.
"What is it?" Zim croaked letting his eyes stray away from the harsh light.
Dib motioned to someone out of Zims sight to remain where they were and crawled up into the van. "I know it's bad." Dib said. "It hurts me too. But."
"But what?" Zim snapped. Irkens had short tempers when in despair. "Are you going to tell me to hold my head up and keep going in her name? Or were you going to tell me that she would have wanted me to keep fighting no matter my own pain?" He kicked his foot against an old toolbox letting the new pain in his foot force tears out of him. He wanted quite desperately to allow some vague sign of Human emotion out.
"That's not what."
"Really?" Zim interrupted again. "Not going to play the hero between us Dib? I thought I was supposed to be the emotionless alien that battled for humanity that only you could give." His voice became an angry hiss.
"Zim you're not listening!"
"I don't have to listen!" Zim stood up hitting his head accidentally on the ceiling of the van. He winced this time and rubbed his probably bruised head. "I don't want your pity *Dib*."
"I'm not giving you pity, I'm trying to tell you."
Zim growled outright at him.
Dib finally lost his temper. He had gone into this with as much resolve as he could muster. He knew the Irken would be extremely angry but this was getting ridiculous. He hit Zim, slugged him right in the jaw sending him into the wall of the van and into the floor.
Dib flexed his hand. "No matter how badly I've wanted to do that Zim I'm sorry I had to."
Zim glared at him with his brilliant red eyes.
"I came here to tell you that Gaz left you something. She kept it secret and wanted to tell you here."
"Secret?" Zim sounded appalled. "She would have never kept anything from me. What game are you playing Dib? I swear to you if you think that."
Dib feared another tangent and did want to hit Zim again but settled for screaming. "Zim shut up! I'm trying to tell you about your son!"
Zim stopped mid word. "My what?"
Dib stormed as well as one could in a van to the back doors motioning someone closer. A girl from the group appeared holding a small bundle in a coat. She handed it carefully to Dib who cooed down at the thing.
He carried it closer to Zim. He had gotten up on his knees and peered at what Dib held.
A tiny pale green hand waved into the air as Dib pulled the edges of the coat back. Squinty amber eyes peered out under a head of sparse purple hair where two thin antennae stood stiffly out on his small head. The infants' mouth opened in a yawn showing evenly spaced Irken teeth cutting through and a coiled segmented tongue inside.
"He's two months old now. Her pregnancy was only six months." Dib said glancing to Zim.
Zim stared at the child with mixed features of two races. Human eyes with Irken skin, he looked so strange there wrapped in an old brown coat. He reached out silently and was surprised with a tiny hand caught his finger gripping it tightly.
"What's his name?" Zim suddenly asked.
"Zig, people have been calling him Ziggy." Dib said. "Do you want to hold him?"
"I wouldn't know." Zim stuttered as the infant let go of his finger. "I've never held, I mean."
"Here, like this."
Dib handed Zig to his father who held the tiny creature awkwardly.
It was quite for a long time. The girl who had brought the child was shooing others away from the family moment.
"How do they treat him?" Zim asked staying as still as he could lest he disturb his son.
"Like any child. We've done all we can to keep him out of Irken sight. We have no idea what they'd do to him if they got him." Dib said sitting back on the floor of the van.
"He has her eyes." Zim said quietly.
"And your lungs. He can go on for hours if he fells like it."
Zim almost took offense to that.
"Come on, let's get out of this place. It's too hot." Dib said scooting to the double doors of the vehicle. Once of the ground he gently took Zig from Zim and let the alien hold him once he was out in the open.
As they walked a thought struck Zim. "You know, you didn't have to hit me." He said sounding a bit offset from the third bruise he'd acquired inside that van.
Dib smirked. "No problem. It was my pleasure."
