Um...yeh whatever happened to my readers? Oh my. I fear I have lost them all...(except for Skezic, of course.)
Anyways, I hope that you'll all be back soon! And if you are...well then why are you not reviewing? Much as I hate to say it, the lack of reviews really is quite discouraging.
Zim sat cross-legged in front of the television, eagerly watching the little 'transmitting' bar fill up, excited, believing that he would see his beloved Tallest again. He was attempting this for the
twenty-fifth time, always eager, always hopeful and confident, always waiting. His face fell as the screen flashed 'Transmission cancelled, channel non-existent' once again. His simple, child-like mind could not remember that his Empire, his beloved, had disowned him. Or, perhaps, he did not want to remember.
"I wanna talk to my Tallest, but the stupid computer won't let me!" Zim wailed, confused and hurt.
Dib did what he had had to do for the last twenty-five times. This is getting to be too much, Dib thought, as he put his arm around Zim's shoulder and listened to his complaining.
Whining, so much whining. Crying, why so much crying? Dib thought, I want the old Zim back, the proud one, the stubborn one, the annoying one! I want the Zim from before all of this, the Zim who wanted to rule the world!
A lump formed in the boy's throat. And to think, if I hadn't come here, if I hadn't spilled out my problems and cried, he would never have attempted suicide! If I had let go, and not killed dad, none of this would have happened! I wouldn't be holding Zim, letting him bawl! I would be at home, planning to stop him from taking over the world, watching Mysterious Mysteries, reading Crop Circles magazine... I would be happy. And it's my entire fault. Because of me, Zim's life is ruined. And mine, too.
"You know what Zim, I'm going to go home now, okay?" Dib said slowly, gently, trying to be as patient as possible with the mess that was once a proud 'Invader'.
"No..." Zim managed to squeak out. "You...you stay here. It's not like they'll let you back in your house, anyway. It's a crime scene now, under heavy investigation." Zim's voice grew stronger, memories flooding back into his mind like waves. He really didn't want to be so...emotional in front of Dib, or even have so many emotions at all. But he just couldn't stop crying, and beating himself up as he was now only made matters worse.
Dib was surprised, to say the least. And even happy that Zim hadn't kicked him out yet, for he knew that he would not be let into his house, and would probably be taken to the police station. He had nowhere to go but the base of his enemy. So be it. It's not like he's a threat now, anyways, and it appears as if his rulers no longer want to have anything to do with him; well, I certainly see why; it's not like any of his plans for world domination actually worked.
"Can we try again?" Zim asked, sounding, of all things, like a child.
Dib yawned widely, shaking his head. "No, Zim. I'm tired... It's late, anyway."
"But I wanna try calling again!" Zim whined, pouting.
Dib couldn't help but laugh at the child-like behavior the alien exhibited. He had never seen anything like it, and it began to amuse him. "No, Zim. Time for bed." He said softly, almost like a mother would.
"But...I don't sleep. Irkens don't need sleep." Zim explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe.
Dib sighed audibly, the sound eventually morphing into a groan. "Jeez, Zim," Dib placed his head in his hands. What will I do, he wondered inside.
"Well, instead of sleeping, why don't you be quiet while I sleep? Humans do need to sleep, Zim." Dib was trying his hardest to be patient. It took so much control for him to not just knock Zim out right then and there. But he needed someone now; he did not want to be all alone, running from the law. Even this broken, over-emotional ex-enemy was better than no one.
"Okay, I'll try..." Zim said, giving Dib the look of a wounded puppy. He began to feel really bad, because he knew he annoying Dib. As the human boy lay down on the couch, Zim began to sniffle.
Soon it turned to all-out sobbing, tears of confusion streaming from his eyes. He barely even knew who he was; his Pak held all of his memories, yes, but in his current child-like state of mind, he could not find those memories. He groped in the darkness, looking for something, anything that could be a key to his past, still sobbing. He felt so very inadequate, so very useless. He crawled on all fours, searching. He had been searching for something all his life, and just now those memories seemed to filter back into his mind.
Irk. He remembered his homeland, or at least part of it. Homesickness, a sudden ache in his heart. He was suffocating, choking in this air, choking on his own tears. And there was nothing he could do to help himself. Stumbling, he suddenly ran into something warm and bulky. He heard a groan. It was Dib.
Still sniffling, Zim lay down next to Dib, his own back against Dib's, pressed closely for warmth and comfort.
Dib is my new leader, Zim resolved inwardly. All Irkens needed a leader. It was part of their lives. They couldn't function properly without one; or so they had been raised to believe. Zim began to wiggle a little, trying to get more comfortable on the edge of the couch, which ended up pushing Dib farther into the cushions of the couch.
Dib awoke groggily. "Zim...! Leave me alone! You're already annoying enough when I'm awake..." He yawned. "Can't you just...be quiet? Be good?" Dib did not want to be bothered anymore. It had been a long, long day, and he just wanted to sleep.
Zim whimpered, not wanting to lose another beloved leader. "Yes, master. Anything." He said it so quietly, Dib did not even believe his ears. He thought that he had just imagined the alien's words, or misheard. But before he could ask, Zim slinked off into the darkness. The boy shrugged it off. He could ask in the morning...