Love is Weird, But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!!
Chapter Twelve- Dancing to Chick Flick Soundtracks
Oh maaaaan, I can't believe I haven't updated since October! I just. got sidetracked. ^^() Started up on my Beetlejuice story, then started watching X-Men Evolution for the first time, got hooked on it, and HAD to write a story fer that, which I just finished. Yayness and stuff. Alright, that's enough out of me (for now, but be warned I SHALL RETURN!!! *deep maniacal laugh, then stops, confused* Wait..) :P
*~*~*~*~
Prom night. Zim self-consciously studied himself in the mirror, smoothing away an imaginary wrinkle. He wore a black pair of pants with a white, long- sleeved shirt that was partially covered by a hunter green vest. He turned around, studying his back for a long moment before twisting straight again, placing his hands on his hips and tossing his reflection a cocky grin. "Damn, I look gooooood." A check on the clock showed it was 6:56 PM, making the Irken's equivalent to a stomach twist in nervousness. 'He should be here any moment.'
Dib nervously checked his watch for the umpteenth time as he walked up to Zim's house. He chewed on his lip, a silent mantra running through his head as he attempted to take steady steps. 'I am not nervous, I am not nervous, I am not.'
"HI!!!!!!!"
"Ahhh!!" Dib fell backwards, landing on Zim's sidewalk, in the perfect position to allow the person that had gotten him there in the first place to jump on him: Gir.
"Did you bring my mongoose?!" The insane robot screamed, bouncing on Dib's chest.
"No, I."
"WHYYYYY?" Zim's malfunctioning servant wailed painfully, cutting off Dib's words, and began beating his big head against Dib's ribcage.
"Gir! Get off of him!" Zim, who'd come outside upon hearing all the commotion, grabbed his SIR unit by the antennae, snatching him off of Dib and tossing him onto the lawn.
"You alright?" The Irken grabbed a hold of Dib's slender hand, pulling the human to his feet.
"Yeah, I think so." Dib gingerly felt his ribs, then forgot about them as he took in the person that was still holding his hand. "You look.great." He said softly, almost reverently for some odd reason, and reached up to touch Zim's face.
The ex-Invader leaned into the hand, a gentle smile on his face and faintly realizing how much softer the hand was than his own. "You too."
A horn honked suddenly, startling the two out of their tender reverie. They turned to see an old grey Celica parked at the curb, a grinning Lindsey and Amanda seated inside. "You sweethearts ready to go?" Amanda called out from her position in the passenger seat.
"Uh, yeah." Dib looked over at Zim, who nodded to confirm it.
Gir waved enthusiastically to them from atop a lawn gnome as they got into the car, calling out that he'd take good care of the toaster and requests that they bring him back nachos as they drove off.
"My, my, you two look spiffy." Amanda said over her shoulder, grinning widely at the two seated in the back seat.
Dib, who was dressed in an identical outfit to Zim's, except with a black vest, nodded, somewhat uncertain. "Uh, thanks." He watched as she straightened again, flipping through a CD book for a minute before pulling one out and sliding it into the player. A second later, fast-paced techno- notes escaped the speakers and filled the car, spilling out to the world they were passing at the same time, followed by a woman's sharp soprano singing in another language.
Somewhat confused, the boys sat in silence, listening to the music for a long moment before Zim spoke up. "Is this Japanese?"
Amanda shifted in her seat again, wide grin plastered on her face. "Yep, you hit it on the nose."
"I bet we're the only people driving to prom listening to Megumi Hayashibara." Lindsey remarked, amused as she pulled into the parking lot.
"That's for sure."
They parked, climbed out of the tiny, economy-made car and headed inside. Zim took Dib's arm and they walked together a few feet behind the girls, who were laughing and talking too rapidly for him to keep up, but it did give the boys a chance to look over what the girls were wearing. Lindsey wore a Renaissance-style dress in black and purple, while Amanda sported a blue-silk Chinese dress. They ceremoniously held the doors open for the boys to walk through them, and then fell into place on either side of them inside.
"Okay, so we'll meet you at the end of the night and then we'll all head up to the condo, alright?" Lindsey confirmed with Dib, who she was walking next to.
"Yeah, that sounds good. Do you two have a date, or-"
"Yep! And they're right there!" Amanda broke off Dib's question, hurrying up with her best friend to two young men that were standing off to the side with, surprisingly, Gaz.
Dib and Zim followed them, watching as they threw their arms collectively around the boys and squealed affectionately.
"You two alright?" Gaz asked the ex-enemies as they came up beside her.
"Yeah, thanks, Gaz." Dib smiled at his sister, who was dressed up in a black dress with a pair of long black gloves and a set of black boots.
She stepped closer, leaning towards her brother. "Don't worry about tonight. Just have a good time." Her brother looked surprised, then smiled again.
"Thanks Gaz, for everythi."
"Yeah, yeah... Save it." She said, cutting off the inevitable mushy moment and brushing past the two to head over to where some of her friends were standing.
"So. What do you want to do?" Dib asked, unsure.
Zim shrugged.
"Let's go find a table; Dinner'll be served soon." The human suggested, gently taking his companion's hand and leading him to the table that Amanda and Lindsey had staked out. Gaz joined them after a few minutes and dinner was served shortly after.
Zim picked thoughtfully at his salad, marveling at how colorful it was, with an elaborate mix of vegetables that weren't in normal salads, but his mind was much more focused on the person who was siting next to him, shoveling down his food. Dinner came and as dessert was being finished, the lights dimmed and some soft music began playing, dancers escaping from their confining tables to take to the wooden floor. Zim reached out under the table, his hand resting on Dib's leg and giving it an assertive squeeze.
The boy looked up from where he was polishing off his dessert, brown eyes inquisitive, "Hm?"
"Would you like to dance?" Zim asked, noticing Lindsey and Amanda get up with their dates and head towards the floor out of the corner of his eye.
Dib made quick eye contact with his sister, who merely raised an eyebrow, and met Zim's gaze again, shyly. "Sure."
They stood up and as they were walking, Dib asked, "Do you even know how to dance?"
"Well, it's a lot different from the dancing I usually do, but it doesn't look all that hard. "Zim motioned with a nod of his head towards the people occupying the floor, neglecting to bring up how he'd obsessively searched the Internet for tips on the process, once he's found out how much of a big part of prom that it made up.
"But, what if someone sees us, and." He bit his lip, nervous.
"Your sister said not to worry about tonight, so STOP worrying." They stepped onto the floor and Zim gently placed his arms on Dib's shoulders. "Wrap your arms around my waist, okay?"
The boy complied, silently adoring Zim's firm abdomen and marveling at the feel of the alien's muscles moving under his fingers as they began swaying in time to the song, "My Heart Will Go On."
"See? This isn't so bad." Zim admonished.
"Yeah, but what about when the song ends?" The human pointed out and, as if on cue, the song did just that, the music switching to a fast-paced techno song.
The Irken smiled mischievously, hands moving lower to grip his dancing partner's hips, bravely leading them to follow the beat. "We'll improvise."
Dib laughed.
On the sidelines, a small group of dates stood together, watching the two.
"Holy shit, can you believe that?" One of the guys asked incredulously, his eyes wide.
"Oh stop sounding so negative, Danny. It's none of your business." His girlfriend snapped.
"Doesn't matter, still doesn't make it right." Another guy spoke up.
"Shhh, I think they're cute. I always thought those two had potential." The girl at his side remarked, a little smile on her face.
"But." Danny started to protest, but was cut off when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Gaz, the school's most well known Queen of Darkness and Spooky-type things standing behind him.
One slender hand reached up to fist in his shirt, bringing him down to her eye level. "You leave my brother AND his date alone, or I will make sure to wreak darkness and mayhem on your pathetic, sugar-coated life of sunshine." She growled, "Understand, pretty boy?"
"Okay, okay, I get it!" He yelped, anxious to escape the Goth's iron grip.
"Good." She let him go, eyeing the rest of the group. "And that applied to everyone; make sure to pass it on." She walked off, leaving a sense of gloom and traces of fog in her wake.
Danny's date laughed, smirking at his horror-filled face. "She sure does get her point across, doesn't she?"
* * * * *
Dib had never realized dancing could be so fun. He'd barely got any experience in it, but decided he'd have to arrange time for more of it sometime soon. The fast-paced song ended, and "I've Had the Time of My Life" started up. Automatically, the human slowed down, wrapping his arms around Zim's torso and leaning against his sturdy chest, used to changing dancing styles by now. "Have you noticed how almost every slow song that's come on has been from a chick flick?" He asked, moving in time with the music.
"Is that a bad thing?" Zim wondered.
"Not really. Guess it just means they're perfect romantic songs." Zim took one of Dib's hands, lifting it up and neatly leading Dib in a circle, to come back to him, where he wrapped his arms around the human securely.
Dib took the opportunity to momentarily close his eyes, nestling his head against Zim's chest, until the song ended. The lights came back on, surprising the two. "Is it over already?" His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out how long they'd been dancing, exactly.
"You guys were up here for about three hours!" A female voice said behind them, startling the two. Standing right next to them were Lindsey and Amanda, who grinned at them.
"Hey, listen.How would you guys like to have the condo all to yourselves tonight? A bunch of our friends want to hook up and go someplace." Lindsey asked.
"Plus, it'll be a great opportunity for you two to spend time together." Amanda piped up.
"Really? You don't mind?" Dib asked, blinking in surprise.
Lindsey tossed him the keys to her car. "Nope, just leave the place standing. Here're the car keys, so you guys have a way to get there, with the condo key on it too. We're riding with our dates." She handed a piece of folded up paper to Zim. "Here's the directions."
"So it's settled then. Have fun!" Amanda led her best friend off, linking arms as they pranced off to a corner, where they found Gaz.
"So?" She inquired simply.
"All set." Amanda grinned.
"I wonder if they'll ever figure out we had this planned from the beginning." Lindsey pondered curiously, watching the boys leave together.
* * * *
"Why're you driving?" Dib half-whined as they pulled out of the parking lot.
"Because I want to." The Irken smirked at the other's tone. "Why?"
"She gave the keys to me."
"She didn't tell you to drive. Anyway, I've been driving longer."
"Driving SPACESHIPS, not cars." Dib snapped. "Do you even have a license?"
"Of course." Zim answered, neglecting to add the fact that it'd taken him eight times of re-taking the test to get it.
The human narrowed his eyes. "How many times did you have to take the test to get it?" He asked, as if reading the alien's mind.
They stopped at a stop light, and Zim grabbed for the directions, snatching them out of Dib's hands. "Gimme that."
"Hey!"
"You aren't telling me where to go." Zim pointed out childishly (and neatly changing the subject so he wouldn't have to answer).
Dib snatched it back, clicking on the light on his side of the car. Glaring at Zim for a split second, he looked up at the street sign of the street they had stopped on. "Next light, turn left." He said.
Zim smiled to himself as the light turned green, and he put the blinker on to do so.
They got caught at the light there too and Dib noticed Zim's little grin. "What's so funny?" He said grumpily.
The Irken leaned across the seat, gently kissing him. "You are." He said simply as he sat back in his seat.
"Oh." Dib was still in shock for a moment, then smiled, realizing just how stupid they'd just sounded fighting. "We just sounded like we used to, didn't we?" He commented, a laugh to his words.
"You noticed it too, then?" The light changed and they moved on. "Where next?" The Irken reached out to take Dib's hand, steering with his left easily. "We don't turn until Ocean Breeze Lane, which isn't for another thirty minutes or so." He read off the paper, squeezing the hand gently. "Then we're right there, the condos are named Ocean Breeze Suites."
"Figures." Zim grinned. "Should be too hard to find." He relaxed in his seat. The streets were pretty empty, as it wasn't late enough for anyone to be coming home from the clubs and bars yet.
They sat in companionable silence for a long time, a hand squeeze from one to the other every once in a while to make sure that the other knew that they were thinking of them. Definitely thinking of them
Zim's mind was a jumble as he turned over things in his mind, trying to decide on something very important.
'I really want to ask him, but is he alright with it? What if he isn't? And anyway, how would I ask him?'
His brow furrowed in concentration as he attempted to come up with the right words to put to Dib when he asked him. 'We've been together for a long time now, and I just wanted to know that you mean a lot to me. No, not sincere enough. You've been a light to my darkness, My light at the end of the tunnel. Yeah, that sounds good.'
Dib, on the other side of the car, was having his own inner conversation. 'So we're going to be all alone in the condo together all night. Wait a minute. We're going to be ALL ALONE IN THE CONDO TONIGHT!!!" His eyes widened as the realization sunk in, and he forced himself not to hyperventilate. 'Oh shit, what're we gonna do? Maybe we'll just watch movies again. But I kinda, no I REALLY wanna, well. it'll be the perfect time to. But what if Zim isn't into that! What if he doesn't want to?! Oh shit!!'
'We've gone a long way, Dib, but I want you to know that you are the one for me, and that doing this is for me to show my love to you, because I really do love you.'
'Should I ask him? Wait. how the HELL do you ask something like THAT anyway?!!!'
'You're almost like a rose. Wait, no he isn't.'
The half hour had passed by now and they'd turned onto Ocean Breeze, both keeping an eye out for the condo. Zim began to grow fidgety, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel rapidly, while Dib pulled on his seat belt, pulling it back and forth with his free hand.
"Listen, Dib-human.." Zim finally forced out after an agonizing moment of forcing out the courage to do so in his mind.
"Yes?!" Dib near-squeaked, his voice was unnaturally high. He cleared his throat, attempting to regain his composure. "Yes?" He repeated, trying not to sound like a cheerleader again.
"I, well, that is." Thirty minutes of planning this out in his head and it was certainly running smoothly. The Irken could feel his cheeks beginning to burn up.
Dib turned to his boyfriend, noticing his fidgety nature for the first time. He blinked in confusion. 'What's he so nervous about?' "Yeah?"
Zim saw the condos and pulled into the parking lot, finding a spot before he continued. He closed his eyes momentarily, summing up the courage to say what he wanted and remembering all of the words he'd cooked up in the last half hour. "I wanted to know if. I. Will you. Will you go to bed with me?" He winced, face contorting. 'ARGH! What the hell was that? Thirty minutes and THAT'S what I come up with?!!'
The human's eyes widened in surprise, and he laughed a little, in relief more than anything else and he gripped Zim's hand tightly, leaning across the seats and kissing the Irken, looking into his eyes, nose-to-nose as he answered. "Yes." * * *
And the next chapter's going to be the last!!! I'm really sorry about not having worked on this in FOREVER, and you all have permission to hit me multiple times with heavy objects for it. Just don't hit the hands, I need 'em. ( But yeees, I DID say the last chapter, so that means LEMON LEMON LEMON!!! Make sure to leave me lotsa nice reviews cause. I'm a lil' review whore. :P
Chapter Twelve- Dancing to Chick Flick Soundtracks
Oh maaaaan, I can't believe I haven't updated since October! I just. got sidetracked. ^^() Started up on my Beetlejuice story, then started watching X-Men Evolution for the first time, got hooked on it, and HAD to write a story fer that, which I just finished. Yayness and stuff. Alright, that's enough out of me (for now, but be warned I SHALL RETURN!!! *deep maniacal laugh, then stops, confused* Wait..) :P
*~*~*~*~
Prom night. Zim self-consciously studied himself in the mirror, smoothing away an imaginary wrinkle. He wore a black pair of pants with a white, long- sleeved shirt that was partially covered by a hunter green vest. He turned around, studying his back for a long moment before twisting straight again, placing his hands on his hips and tossing his reflection a cocky grin. "Damn, I look gooooood." A check on the clock showed it was 6:56 PM, making the Irken's equivalent to a stomach twist in nervousness. 'He should be here any moment.'
Dib nervously checked his watch for the umpteenth time as he walked up to Zim's house. He chewed on his lip, a silent mantra running through his head as he attempted to take steady steps. 'I am not nervous, I am not nervous, I am not.'
"HI!!!!!!!"
"Ahhh!!" Dib fell backwards, landing on Zim's sidewalk, in the perfect position to allow the person that had gotten him there in the first place to jump on him: Gir.
"Did you bring my mongoose?!" The insane robot screamed, bouncing on Dib's chest.
"No, I."
"WHYYYYY?" Zim's malfunctioning servant wailed painfully, cutting off Dib's words, and began beating his big head against Dib's ribcage.
"Gir! Get off of him!" Zim, who'd come outside upon hearing all the commotion, grabbed his SIR unit by the antennae, snatching him off of Dib and tossing him onto the lawn.
"You alright?" The Irken grabbed a hold of Dib's slender hand, pulling the human to his feet.
"Yeah, I think so." Dib gingerly felt his ribs, then forgot about them as he took in the person that was still holding his hand. "You look.great." He said softly, almost reverently for some odd reason, and reached up to touch Zim's face.
The ex-Invader leaned into the hand, a gentle smile on his face and faintly realizing how much softer the hand was than his own. "You too."
A horn honked suddenly, startling the two out of their tender reverie. They turned to see an old grey Celica parked at the curb, a grinning Lindsey and Amanda seated inside. "You sweethearts ready to go?" Amanda called out from her position in the passenger seat.
"Uh, yeah." Dib looked over at Zim, who nodded to confirm it.
Gir waved enthusiastically to them from atop a lawn gnome as they got into the car, calling out that he'd take good care of the toaster and requests that they bring him back nachos as they drove off.
"My, my, you two look spiffy." Amanda said over her shoulder, grinning widely at the two seated in the back seat.
Dib, who was dressed in an identical outfit to Zim's, except with a black vest, nodded, somewhat uncertain. "Uh, thanks." He watched as she straightened again, flipping through a CD book for a minute before pulling one out and sliding it into the player. A second later, fast-paced techno- notes escaped the speakers and filled the car, spilling out to the world they were passing at the same time, followed by a woman's sharp soprano singing in another language.
Somewhat confused, the boys sat in silence, listening to the music for a long moment before Zim spoke up. "Is this Japanese?"
Amanda shifted in her seat again, wide grin plastered on her face. "Yep, you hit it on the nose."
"I bet we're the only people driving to prom listening to Megumi Hayashibara." Lindsey remarked, amused as she pulled into the parking lot.
"That's for sure."
They parked, climbed out of the tiny, economy-made car and headed inside. Zim took Dib's arm and they walked together a few feet behind the girls, who were laughing and talking too rapidly for him to keep up, but it did give the boys a chance to look over what the girls were wearing. Lindsey wore a Renaissance-style dress in black and purple, while Amanda sported a blue-silk Chinese dress. They ceremoniously held the doors open for the boys to walk through them, and then fell into place on either side of them inside.
"Okay, so we'll meet you at the end of the night and then we'll all head up to the condo, alright?" Lindsey confirmed with Dib, who she was walking next to.
"Yeah, that sounds good. Do you two have a date, or-"
"Yep! And they're right there!" Amanda broke off Dib's question, hurrying up with her best friend to two young men that were standing off to the side with, surprisingly, Gaz.
Dib and Zim followed them, watching as they threw their arms collectively around the boys and squealed affectionately.
"You two alright?" Gaz asked the ex-enemies as they came up beside her.
"Yeah, thanks, Gaz." Dib smiled at his sister, who was dressed up in a black dress with a pair of long black gloves and a set of black boots.
She stepped closer, leaning towards her brother. "Don't worry about tonight. Just have a good time." Her brother looked surprised, then smiled again.
"Thanks Gaz, for everythi."
"Yeah, yeah... Save it." She said, cutting off the inevitable mushy moment and brushing past the two to head over to where some of her friends were standing.
"So. What do you want to do?" Dib asked, unsure.
Zim shrugged.
"Let's go find a table; Dinner'll be served soon." The human suggested, gently taking his companion's hand and leading him to the table that Amanda and Lindsey had staked out. Gaz joined them after a few minutes and dinner was served shortly after.
Zim picked thoughtfully at his salad, marveling at how colorful it was, with an elaborate mix of vegetables that weren't in normal salads, but his mind was much more focused on the person who was siting next to him, shoveling down his food. Dinner came and as dessert was being finished, the lights dimmed and some soft music began playing, dancers escaping from their confining tables to take to the wooden floor. Zim reached out under the table, his hand resting on Dib's leg and giving it an assertive squeeze.
The boy looked up from where he was polishing off his dessert, brown eyes inquisitive, "Hm?"
"Would you like to dance?" Zim asked, noticing Lindsey and Amanda get up with their dates and head towards the floor out of the corner of his eye.
Dib made quick eye contact with his sister, who merely raised an eyebrow, and met Zim's gaze again, shyly. "Sure."
They stood up and as they were walking, Dib asked, "Do you even know how to dance?"
"Well, it's a lot different from the dancing I usually do, but it doesn't look all that hard. "Zim motioned with a nod of his head towards the people occupying the floor, neglecting to bring up how he'd obsessively searched the Internet for tips on the process, once he's found out how much of a big part of prom that it made up.
"But, what if someone sees us, and." He bit his lip, nervous.
"Your sister said not to worry about tonight, so STOP worrying." They stepped onto the floor and Zim gently placed his arms on Dib's shoulders. "Wrap your arms around my waist, okay?"
The boy complied, silently adoring Zim's firm abdomen and marveling at the feel of the alien's muscles moving under his fingers as they began swaying in time to the song, "My Heart Will Go On."
"See? This isn't so bad." Zim admonished.
"Yeah, but what about when the song ends?" The human pointed out and, as if on cue, the song did just that, the music switching to a fast-paced techno song.
The Irken smiled mischievously, hands moving lower to grip his dancing partner's hips, bravely leading them to follow the beat. "We'll improvise."
Dib laughed.
On the sidelines, a small group of dates stood together, watching the two.
"Holy shit, can you believe that?" One of the guys asked incredulously, his eyes wide.
"Oh stop sounding so negative, Danny. It's none of your business." His girlfriend snapped.
"Doesn't matter, still doesn't make it right." Another guy spoke up.
"Shhh, I think they're cute. I always thought those two had potential." The girl at his side remarked, a little smile on her face.
"But." Danny started to protest, but was cut off when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Gaz, the school's most well known Queen of Darkness and Spooky-type things standing behind him.
One slender hand reached up to fist in his shirt, bringing him down to her eye level. "You leave my brother AND his date alone, or I will make sure to wreak darkness and mayhem on your pathetic, sugar-coated life of sunshine." She growled, "Understand, pretty boy?"
"Okay, okay, I get it!" He yelped, anxious to escape the Goth's iron grip.
"Good." She let him go, eyeing the rest of the group. "And that applied to everyone; make sure to pass it on." She walked off, leaving a sense of gloom and traces of fog in her wake.
Danny's date laughed, smirking at his horror-filled face. "She sure does get her point across, doesn't she?"
* * * * *
Dib had never realized dancing could be so fun. He'd barely got any experience in it, but decided he'd have to arrange time for more of it sometime soon. The fast-paced song ended, and "I've Had the Time of My Life" started up. Automatically, the human slowed down, wrapping his arms around Zim's torso and leaning against his sturdy chest, used to changing dancing styles by now. "Have you noticed how almost every slow song that's come on has been from a chick flick?" He asked, moving in time with the music.
"Is that a bad thing?" Zim wondered.
"Not really. Guess it just means they're perfect romantic songs." Zim took one of Dib's hands, lifting it up and neatly leading Dib in a circle, to come back to him, where he wrapped his arms around the human securely.
Dib took the opportunity to momentarily close his eyes, nestling his head against Zim's chest, until the song ended. The lights came back on, surprising the two. "Is it over already?" His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out how long they'd been dancing, exactly.
"You guys were up here for about three hours!" A female voice said behind them, startling the two. Standing right next to them were Lindsey and Amanda, who grinned at them.
"Hey, listen.How would you guys like to have the condo all to yourselves tonight? A bunch of our friends want to hook up and go someplace." Lindsey asked.
"Plus, it'll be a great opportunity for you two to spend time together." Amanda piped up.
"Really? You don't mind?" Dib asked, blinking in surprise.
Lindsey tossed him the keys to her car. "Nope, just leave the place standing. Here're the car keys, so you guys have a way to get there, with the condo key on it too. We're riding with our dates." She handed a piece of folded up paper to Zim. "Here's the directions."
"So it's settled then. Have fun!" Amanda led her best friend off, linking arms as they pranced off to a corner, where they found Gaz.
"So?" She inquired simply.
"All set." Amanda grinned.
"I wonder if they'll ever figure out we had this planned from the beginning." Lindsey pondered curiously, watching the boys leave together.
* * * *
"Why're you driving?" Dib half-whined as they pulled out of the parking lot.
"Because I want to." The Irken smirked at the other's tone. "Why?"
"She gave the keys to me."
"She didn't tell you to drive. Anyway, I've been driving longer."
"Driving SPACESHIPS, not cars." Dib snapped. "Do you even have a license?"
"Of course." Zim answered, neglecting to add the fact that it'd taken him eight times of re-taking the test to get it.
The human narrowed his eyes. "How many times did you have to take the test to get it?" He asked, as if reading the alien's mind.
They stopped at a stop light, and Zim grabbed for the directions, snatching them out of Dib's hands. "Gimme that."
"Hey!"
"You aren't telling me where to go." Zim pointed out childishly (and neatly changing the subject so he wouldn't have to answer).
Dib snatched it back, clicking on the light on his side of the car. Glaring at Zim for a split second, he looked up at the street sign of the street they had stopped on. "Next light, turn left." He said.
Zim smiled to himself as the light turned green, and he put the blinker on to do so.
They got caught at the light there too and Dib noticed Zim's little grin. "What's so funny?" He said grumpily.
The Irken leaned across the seat, gently kissing him. "You are." He said simply as he sat back in his seat.
"Oh." Dib was still in shock for a moment, then smiled, realizing just how stupid they'd just sounded fighting. "We just sounded like we used to, didn't we?" He commented, a laugh to his words.
"You noticed it too, then?" The light changed and they moved on. "Where next?" The Irken reached out to take Dib's hand, steering with his left easily. "We don't turn until Ocean Breeze Lane, which isn't for another thirty minutes or so." He read off the paper, squeezing the hand gently. "Then we're right there, the condos are named Ocean Breeze Suites."
"Figures." Zim grinned. "Should be too hard to find." He relaxed in his seat. The streets were pretty empty, as it wasn't late enough for anyone to be coming home from the clubs and bars yet.
They sat in companionable silence for a long time, a hand squeeze from one to the other every once in a while to make sure that the other knew that they were thinking of them. Definitely thinking of them
Zim's mind was a jumble as he turned over things in his mind, trying to decide on something very important.
'I really want to ask him, but is he alright with it? What if he isn't? And anyway, how would I ask him?'
His brow furrowed in concentration as he attempted to come up with the right words to put to Dib when he asked him. 'We've been together for a long time now, and I just wanted to know that you mean a lot to me. No, not sincere enough. You've been a light to my darkness, My light at the end of the tunnel. Yeah, that sounds good.'
Dib, on the other side of the car, was having his own inner conversation. 'So we're going to be all alone in the condo together all night. Wait a minute. We're going to be ALL ALONE IN THE CONDO TONIGHT!!!" His eyes widened as the realization sunk in, and he forced himself not to hyperventilate. 'Oh shit, what're we gonna do? Maybe we'll just watch movies again. But I kinda, no I REALLY wanna, well. it'll be the perfect time to. But what if Zim isn't into that! What if he doesn't want to?! Oh shit!!'
'We've gone a long way, Dib, but I want you to know that you are the one for me, and that doing this is for me to show my love to you, because I really do love you.'
'Should I ask him? Wait. how the HELL do you ask something like THAT anyway?!!!'
'You're almost like a rose. Wait, no he isn't.'
The half hour had passed by now and they'd turned onto Ocean Breeze, both keeping an eye out for the condo. Zim began to grow fidgety, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel rapidly, while Dib pulled on his seat belt, pulling it back and forth with his free hand.
"Listen, Dib-human.." Zim finally forced out after an agonizing moment of forcing out the courage to do so in his mind.
"Yes?!" Dib near-squeaked, his voice was unnaturally high. He cleared his throat, attempting to regain his composure. "Yes?" He repeated, trying not to sound like a cheerleader again.
"I, well, that is." Thirty minutes of planning this out in his head and it was certainly running smoothly. The Irken could feel his cheeks beginning to burn up.
Dib turned to his boyfriend, noticing his fidgety nature for the first time. He blinked in confusion. 'What's he so nervous about?' "Yeah?"
Zim saw the condos and pulled into the parking lot, finding a spot before he continued. He closed his eyes momentarily, summing up the courage to say what he wanted and remembering all of the words he'd cooked up in the last half hour. "I wanted to know if. I. Will you. Will you go to bed with me?" He winced, face contorting. 'ARGH! What the hell was that? Thirty minutes and THAT'S what I come up with?!!'
The human's eyes widened in surprise, and he laughed a little, in relief more than anything else and he gripped Zim's hand tightly, leaning across the seats and kissing the Irken, looking into his eyes, nose-to-nose as he answered. "Yes." * * *
And the next chapter's going to be the last!!! I'm really sorry about not having worked on this in FOREVER, and you all have permission to hit me multiple times with heavy objects for it. Just don't hit the hands, I need 'em. ( But yeees, I DID say the last chapter, so that means LEMON LEMON LEMON!!! Make sure to leave me lotsa nice reviews cause. I'm a lil' review whore. :P