Warning: ZADR.
Disclaimer: I don't own IZ.
_-Hello-_
Dib looked around the room. When he'd been thrown in there, it'd been completely empty, but the computer had been bringing in a few things and there was now a bed, a desk, and a lamp.
"Hey, computer?"
"Yeah?"
"Why is Zim keeping me here?"
"I dunno."
"Well, do you have an idea?"
"Yeah....But you wouldn't like it."
"Why not?"
"Just...Trust me."
Dib shrugged, he just didn't feel like arguing with the computer.
"Could you get me a glass of water?"
The computer sighed.
"Sure, sure."
Dib could swear he heard the computer grumbling about being a complex, state-of-the-art, Irken computer and not a housemaid. Ignoring the strange thing, Dib took the glass that was now sitting on a small protrusion in the wall and drank slowly as he sat down on the bed.
~~~~
When Zim entered the room, it was nearly five in the afternoon. Dib had been alone for over an hour, and was currently curled up on the bed, his shoulders shaking a little. Zim slowly walked over to Dib, stretching one claw towards his shoulder and letting it rest there. When Dib didn't react, Zim took a closer look. The human was crying in his sleep. Zim removed his hand and walked out of the room.
"Computer! Alert me when he wakes."
"Alright. Oh, Zim?"
"What, computer?"
"He's gonna be hungry."
"Then cook something for him, if you're so worried."
"I don't know what he likes."
"Grilled cheese and Tomato soup.......or something."
As Zim walked off, the computer snickered to itself and set about cooking food for Dib.
~~~~
When Dib finally woke, Zim quickly turned the TV off (He'd been watching a documentary on paper making) and headed down to Dib's temporary room.
Dib was practically inhaling his food when Zim arrived, and the alien couldn't keep from smirking just a little.
"Hungry?"
Dib glanced up at Zim.
"No, not really."
Zim rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall as Dib finished eating.
"I didn't know the computer could cook."
"He gets bored, and watches cooking shows."
"Ah."
After a few moments, Dib looked back up at Zim.
"Why are you keeping me here?"
"To make sure you don't do something stupid."
"Why would you care?"
"Because conquering the planet would be boring if you weren't there to make some pitiful attempt at stopping me."
"You....are afraid I'd kill myself?"
Zim ignored the question, finding a crack in the wall extremely fascinating.
"You are! Why?"
Zim glared at Dib.
"I don't want to be bored on such a stoopid planet. I might end up accidentally blowing it up or something just see what it looks like."
Dib studied Zim's face carefully for a moment, before laying down on the bed, facing the wall.
"We have skool in the morning. I need to sleep."
"Zim does not require sleep."
"Good for you."
"Do you eat in the morning?"
"Yeah, why?"
"In case you don't get up on your own, I need to know if I should allow you time to eat."
"Whatever."
Dib moved closer to the wall and Zim turned to leave.
"D'you remember when Gaz saved me from nearly being experimented on by you?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Just wondering. Night."
"Night, Dib."
~~~~~
Zim sat at his computer, going over one of his plans for world domination, when a strange noise drew his attention to the small screen that was monitoring Dib's room. Dib was tossing in his sleep, crying. Zim immediately went to the human's room.
When he got there, Dib was still thrashing about, tears staining his face, as he called out for his sister. Zim grabbed him by the shoulders, holding him down. When Dib still wouldn't stop Zim sat on him, shaking him to wake him up.
"Dib! Wake up, you earth-stink!"
"GAZ! Wha...?"
Dib looked up at Zim, confused.
"What're you....where am I?"
"My lab. Why were you screaming?"
Dib turned his head away from Zim, trying to hide the tears gathering once again in his eyes.
"Gaz....I kept seeing her die.....over and over again, and I couldn't do anything...."
Zim climbed off of the taller boy and sat on the edge of the bed, still looking carefully at Dib.
"How did she die?"
"A drunk driver....He slammed right into her gas tank.....she'd been using dad's 'SuperGas'.....It exploded right away...hot enough to fuse the tires to the road......They couldn't find a trace of her body..."
"Oh....You should go back to sleep, we'll be leaving for skool in five and a half hours.
Dib nodded and laid back down. Zim was almost out the door when Dib spoke again, almost too quiet to hear.
"Thanks."
Zim paused just long enough to nod before walking away.
~~~~
At 5:30 am Zim walked back down to Dib's room, holding some clothes he'd gotten from the human's house. When Zim opened the door Dib was still a sleep, a few tears trickling down his face. Zim was about to wake the boy when he saw Dib's glasses on the desk.
"Computer, repair those."
A small laser shot out of the wall, mending the cracks in the lenses. Zim picked them up as he woke Dib, handing the glasses to him as he did.
"You have an hour and a half to get ready. Tell the computer what you want to eat. Your clothes are on the desk. I'll see you upstairs."
Zim quickly turned and left, the door closing swiftly behind him. Dib looked at the clothes the alien had left for him and nearly laughed. Zim had managed to grab his favorite shirt, the one with a small laser burn in the middle of the forehead of the not-so-happy face. He still had a scar on his chest from that incident. As he changed, he thought of something.
"Computer, is there anything Zim likes to eat that wouldn't kill me?"
"Irkens have a dish very similar to Crumb Cake."
"Can you make that?"
"Of course."
"Good."
Dib came up to the kitchen as soon as he was done changing, to find Zim looking suspiciously at him.
"What?"
"How did you find out about Kektac?"
"Kektac?"
"This!"
Zim pointed at the food on the table. It really did look like crumb cake, but the colors were switched.
"Oh, that. I asked the computer for crumb cake. Looks like he was a bit off. Is it any good?"
Zim sighed.
"Yes. You should eat quickly, before Gir gets up."
Dib nodded and sat across from Zim, carefully trying a piece of the cake. He soon found himself on his fifth piece, with Zim looking strangely at him.
"Do you like this...crumb cake you mentioned?"
Dib nodded as he swallowed.
"Love it. My mom used to make it all the time. After she died, I learned to make it myself, but Gaz hated the smell, because it reminded her too much of mom, so I could only make it when she wasn't home..."
Dib trailed off into silence, looking sadly at his food as the memories took hold of him again. Zim sighed quietly as he saw tears well up in Dib's eyes again.
"Kektac is only good warm. Eat it quickly."
Dib nodded and began eating again, but much more slowly. Zim just watched him, trying to figure out what was going through the human's head.
Not long after they'd finished the cake Gir came running into the kitchen, and Zim and Dib spent the rest of their free time that morning trying to get waffle batter out of their clothes and hair.
~~~~~
The walk to skool was strangely quiet with neither one trying to attack or insult the other. They made it to skool on time, if just barely because of how long it'd taken to get the batter out of his wig. They slipped into their first class just as the teacher began taking attendance. As he sat, Zim almost grinned, sort of glad that Dib hacked into the skool computers at the beginning of every year to make sure that they were in all the same classes. Skool was relatively normal, their junior year was hardly different from their last two years in Hi Skool, though their classmates seemed no more intelligent than they had in elementary skool. In fact, they were quite possibly dumber, considering Zim had only grown approximately three inches since he'd arrived, wore the exact same disguise, and they still didn't realize something was wrong. Even Dib had given up trying to get them to believe it.
~~~~~
At lunch Zim sat with Dib in case he began crying again. He noticed that as soon as he did, the overcast sky outside cleared a little.
Neither talked the entire time, but Zim could tell that Dib was slightly more relaxed than he had been since Gaz had died.
After skool, Zim waited at the doors for Dib.
"Are you going back to your house today?"
Dib looked oddly at Zim.
"I thought you were keeping me at your house?"
Zim just shrugged, and Dib grew thoughtful.
"Well, I would like to get a few things....If you'd....maybe come with?"
Zim nodded, though he rolled his eyes a little.
~~~~
As they entered the house, Zim could tell Dib was having a hard time. The alien walked a little closer to him.
"Well, what did you want to get?"
"Oh, just...some clothes, my laptop...A few pictures..."
Zim nodded and began walking upstairs, leaving Dib behind.
"Hey! Where are you going?"
"You didn't seem to be moving, and I'd like to get back to the base soon, so I was going to get your things."
"I'm not letting you loose in my house."
Dib immediately ran up to his room to get his stuff, pushing Zim out of the way. The alien watched him go, deciding not to point out that he'd already been alone in the human's house before.
Dib ended up taking as many of his belongings as he could fit in his duffel bag. As he packed he talked to Zim, just saying things like where he'd gotten this, or who'd given him that, eventually taking a small box out of his dresser. He opened it, showing Zim a small, hand-carved UFO.
"My mom made this for me when I was four. She'd been planning the one she'd make for Gaz when she died...."
Zim looked carefully at the UFO. It had been carved from a smooth black stone, probably obsidian, with spots of metallic paint for lights. It was well done, if terribly inaccurate. Zim grinned a little as he handed it back to Dib, who packed it carefully.
~~~~
And there's the end of the second chapter. Hope you liked it. I know the whole mom thing may seem kinda tacked on and unnecessary, but it will end up helping Dib cope, so just hush. Please review!