A/N: Whee! Reviews. I luv you guys! You make me so happy! To be
honest, I didn't expect any with that last chapter. Thank you ckret2, you
honour me with your reviews and questions. Thank you Izzy. I believe in
the strength of friendship. To make their relationship anything 'more'
would take from this tale. Thank you CrimsonObsession. You are probably
right in your conclusions about the Neplotn. Dib and Zim beware. Sorry
the chapters are so short. I have to practice extra caution to prevent
mistakes. Otherwise, embarrassingly, my dyslexia shows. (Thank God for
spell-check!)
Apologies to all for the delay in getting this posted. I've been . not well, and didn't have the strength to finish what I started. I'm still sick, but am feeling a tad more 'spunky'.
Disclaimer: Yep, they still own it and I still don't.
Dib. Earth. Zim's Base.
Early Evening.
Dib sighed, bracing himself for what he felt was probably the hardest question he would ever ask in his life. "What I am trying to say is; do you want to be my friend?"
Until recently, he never thought he would ask Zim to be his friend. The mere thought would have sent him into a fit of near hysterical laughter. (Yeah, Zim, the would be conqueror of his planet, his friend. HAH!) Amazing how things can change so quickly. Now his only concern was Zim accepting his offer. He watched Zim with a mixture of hope and anxiety.
He watched as Zim took a deep breath then nodded.
"Look, stink beast." Zim said without malice, "I never thought I'd say this, but yes. I accept your miserable human friendship."
Dib let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Zim said yes. He didn't really know what he would have done if Zim said no.
After a second's reflection, a familiar mischievous glint entered Zim's eye and he added, " Feel honored that you are friends with Zim." He offered a weak smile at Dib. "Could you un-tape me now?"
Dib laughed in relief. It was the first genuine laugh he had in a long time. Even after all he had been through, Zim was still the same old Zim.
"Sure friend." He said grinning at Zim.
Finding the beginning of the tape, (or rather the end as the case may be), Dib started the tedious process of un-taping Zim.
"Dib." Zim started, causing Dib to look up from his work. "Now that we are friends, your not going to go all crazy like on me like the Keef human did are you?"
Dib noticed a small, suppressed shudder run through Zim as he asked the question, and remembered the brief, odd friendship that Zim and the strange boy once had. Obviously, Zim's experience with friends was as limited and difficult as Dib's.
"No." Dib shook his head. Then remembering exactly what happened to Keef after their brief friendship he added, "Uh, your not planning to give me new eyeballs are you?" (That was the last thing he wanted.) "Why did you do that to him anyway?"
It was Zim's turn to laugh. "That was the only way I could get the clingy Keef-monster to leave me alone. He was driving me crazy. He made GIR look sane."
"Oh!" Dib said as he started to unwind the duct tape again.
Zim started squirming and wiggling as Dib neared his boot free feet.
"I wish you would have untied my hands first, Dib-stink." Zim grumbled as he watched Dib unwind the tape from his legs. "Why did you have to use tape to tie me up anyway? You are getting disgusting tapishy sticky residue stuff all over Zim's superior clothing. It is disgusting. Who knows how many horrible Earth germs are clinging to this uniform by this nasty stickiness. I should make you clean this when your done."
Dib looked up at Zim and smirked. "You know Zim, it's not to late for me to tie you up again."
He backed away from Zim and folded his arms across his chest. "Or maybe I'll just sit here and watch. I gave you a good start, lets see if the mighty Zim can un-tie himself with just his feet."
Zim glared at him. "You ask to be a friend of the amazing Zim then leave him tied like some type of Zimmy package?" Zim squealed. "Is this your vaulted human friendship I've recently heard so much about? It's almost as bad as human LUV!"
Zim paused for a moment in reflection before adding. "Only not quite as painful."
Dib laughed at Zim's statement. He remembered Zim's encounter with Luv all too well. Tak really did a number on him, on both of them actually. His thoughts sobered. He had thought Tak was his friend. Her betrayal still stung his soul.
"Geez Zim," He muttered as he began un-taping Zim again. "Settle down. I'm just joking."
He pulled the last of the sticky tape from Zim's foot and started to unwrap Zim's upper body. This went surprisingly quicker.
"How long have I been taped up anyway?" Zim whined. "My arms are starting to ache."
Dib tugged on a stubborn spot of tape. "A few hours I guess." The tape broke off. He picked at the end of the tape for a moment then started the unwrapping process again. "You were unconscious for quite a while."
"I should tape you up when you are unconscious sometime, human." Zim smirked wiggling his hand free from its bonds. "Just so you know how it feels." Zim struggled to free his other hand. "And I think I'll force you to watch that monkey show GIR luvs so much." He added. "I think that would be adequate punishment for tying me up."
Dib opened his mouth to reply when the sound of Zim's insane robot's voice interrupted him. They both jumped at the noise and turned to watch GIR as he ran away from them.
"OOOOOOOOOHHH!" GIR squealed with delight as he ran towards the center of the room.
"LEPRECHAUN, YOU CAME BACK! AGAIN!" GIR yelled at the top of his voice, "AND YOU BROUGHT FRIENDS!"
Dib and Zim watched as GIR slid to a stop in the middle of the room. There was a slight zapping sound and then GIR disappeared. For a moment, the lab was eerily silent, then Zim jumped from the chair, knocking Dib out of his way.
"GIR!" He screamed as he ran towards the spot where GIR disappeared.
With visions of Zim disappearing himself, Dib dove towards him.
"Zim." Dib yelled as he tackled him to the ground. "Stop."
Zim glanced at Dib, a mixture of anger, fear, and anxiety crossed his face. "Let go Dib-beast! I need to get GIR."
Looking back to where GIR disappeared, his voice took on a tinge of hysteria. "I MUST GET HIM!"
Dib tightened his grip on Zim as he tried to pull himself away from Him. "Don't make me have to tie you up again ZIM!" Dib warned. "I have sleep cuffs and I'm not afraid to use them."
Zim glared at Dib and continued to crawl, dragging them both to the spot where GIR had disappeared. "LET ME GO! I NEED TO GET GIR!"
Dib saw something like exhaustion cross Zim's features. The nap and the stress of the last few hours had taken a toll on him. Zim struggled against Dib for a few moments longer.
"I NEED GIR!" Zim screamed, blurring the words almost unrecognizably. " I need gir!" he concluded with almost a whisper.
Dib crawled to where Zim sat. Zim's forehead was touching the floor and his shoulders where shaking. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Dib reached out and patted Zim on the shoulder. He had learned a lot about Zim in these past few hours. More than he once thought he would ever know. He was starting to see Zim as less 'alien' than he had thought. In his vulnerability, Zim almost seemed 'human'.
"I know you do, Zim." Dib tried to comfort him. "I know you do."
He looked around Zim's lab. "We'll find out where he went. And we'll get him back."
Apologies to all for the delay in getting this posted. I've been . not well, and didn't have the strength to finish what I started. I'm still sick, but am feeling a tad more 'spunky'.
Disclaimer: Yep, they still own it and I still don't.
Dib. Earth. Zim's Base.
Early Evening.
Dib sighed, bracing himself for what he felt was probably the hardest question he would ever ask in his life. "What I am trying to say is; do you want to be my friend?"
Until recently, he never thought he would ask Zim to be his friend. The mere thought would have sent him into a fit of near hysterical laughter. (Yeah, Zim, the would be conqueror of his planet, his friend. HAH!) Amazing how things can change so quickly. Now his only concern was Zim accepting his offer. He watched Zim with a mixture of hope and anxiety.
He watched as Zim took a deep breath then nodded.
"Look, stink beast." Zim said without malice, "I never thought I'd say this, but yes. I accept your miserable human friendship."
Dib let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Zim said yes. He didn't really know what he would have done if Zim said no.
After a second's reflection, a familiar mischievous glint entered Zim's eye and he added, " Feel honored that you are friends with Zim." He offered a weak smile at Dib. "Could you un-tape me now?"
Dib laughed in relief. It was the first genuine laugh he had in a long time. Even after all he had been through, Zim was still the same old Zim.
"Sure friend." He said grinning at Zim.
Finding the beginning of the tape, (or rather the end as the case may be), Dib started the tedious process of un-taping Zim.
"Dib." Zim started, causing Dib to look up from his work. "Now that we are friends, your not going to go all crazy like on me like the Keef human did are you?"
Dib noticed a small, suppressed shudder run through Zim as he asked the question, and remembered the brief, odd friendship that Zim and the strange boy once had. Obviously, Zim's experience with friends was as limited and difficult as Dib's.
"No." Dib shook his head. Then remembering exactly what happened to Keef after their brief friendship he added, "Uh, your not planning to give me new eyeballs are you?" (That was the last thing he wanted.) "Why did you do that to him anyway?"
It was Zim's turn to laugh. "That was the only way I could get the clingy Keef-monster to leave me alone. He was driving me crazy. He made GIR look sane."
"Oh!" Dib said as he started to unwind the duct tape again.
Zim started squirming and wiggling as Dib neared his boot free feet.
"I wish you would have untied my hands first, Dib-stink." Zim grumbled as he watched Dib unwind the tape from his legs. "Why did you have to use tape to tie me up anyway? You are getting disgusting tapishy sticky residue stuff all over Zim's superior clothing. It is disgusting. Who knows how many horrible Earth germs are clinging to this uniform by this nasty stickiness. I should make you clean this when your done."
Dib looked up at Zim and smirked. "You know Zim, it's not to late for me to tie you up again."
He backed away from Zim and folded his arms across his chest. "Or maybe I'll just sit here and watch. I gave you a good start, lets see if the mighty Zim can un-tie himself with just his feet."
Zim glared at him. "You ask to be a friend of the amazing Zim then leave him tied like some type of Zimmy package?" Zim squealed. "Is this your vaulted human friendship I've recently heard so much about? It's almost as bad as human LUV!"
Zim paused for a moment in reflection before adding. "Only not quite as painful."
Dib laughed at Zim's statement. He remembered Zim's encounter with Luv all too well. Tak really did a number on him, on both of them actually. His thoughts sobered. He had thought Tak was his friend. Her betrayal still stung his soul.
"Geez Zim," He muttered as he began un-taping Zim again. "Settle down. I'm just joking."
He pulled the last of the sticky tape from Zim's foot and started to unwrap Zim's upper body. This went surprisingly quicker.
"How long have I been taped up anyway?" Zim whined. "My arms are starting to ache."
Dib tugged on a stubborn spot of tape. "A few hours I guess." The tape broke off. He picked at the end of the tape for a moment then started the unwrapping process again. "You were unconscious for quite a while."
"I should tape you up when you are unconscious sometime, human." Zim smirked wiggling his hand free from its bonds. "Just so you know how it feels." Zim struggled to free his other hand. "And I think I'll force you to watch that monkey show GIR luvs so much." He added. "I think that would be adequate punishment for tying me up."
Dib opened his mouth to reply when the sound of Zim's insane robot's voice interrupted him. They both jumped at the noise and turned to watch GIR as he ran away from them.
"OOOOOOOOOHHH!" GIR squealed with delight as he ran towards the center of the room.
"LEPRECHAUN, YOU CAME BACK! AGAIN!" GIR yelled at the top of his voice, "AND YOU BROUGHT FRIENDS!"
Dib and Zim watched as GIR slid to a stop in the middle of the room. There was a slight zapping sound and then GIR disappeared. For a moment, the lab was eerily silent, then Zim jumped from the chair, knocking Dib out of his way.
"GIR!" He screamed as he ran towards the spot where GIR disappeared.
With visions of Zim disappearing himself, Dib dove towards him.
"Zim." Dib yelled as he tackled him to the ground. "Stop."
Zim glanced at Dib, a mixture of anger, fear, and anxiety crossed his face. "Let go Dib-beast! I need to get GIR."
Looking back to where GIR disappeared, his voice took on a tinge of hysteria. "I MUST GET HIM!"
Dib tightened his grip on Zim as he tried to pull himself away from Him. "Don't make me have to tie you up again ZIM!" Dib warned. "I have sleep cuffs and I'm not afraid to use them."
Zim glared at Dib and continued to crawl, dragging them both to the spot where GIR had disappeared. "LET ME GO! I NEED TO GET GIR!"
Dib saw something like exhaustion cross Zim's features. The nap and the stress of the last few hours had taken a toll on him. Zim struggled against Dib for a few moments longer.
"I NEED GIR!" Zim screamed, blurring the words almost unrecognizably. " I need gir!" he concluded with almost a whisper.
Dib crawled to where Zim sat. Zim's forehead was touching the floor and his shoulders where shaking. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Dib reached out and patted Zim on the shoulder. He had learned a lot about Zim in these past few hours. More than he once thought he would ever know. He was starting to see Zim as less 'alien' than he had thought. In his vulnerability, Zim almost seemed 'human'.
"I know you do, Zim." Dib tried to comfort him. "I know you do."
He looked around Zim's lab. "We'll find out where he went. And we'll get him back."