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Hello, readers! Welcome back. I have to say, our last chapter was a bit weak for me. It's so difficult writing for events that happen after big revelations because...you don't usually see that in movies or books. They use time skips and I know you guys would not be happy if I did that- hell, I wouldn't even be happy if I did that! But, we're out of that awkward territory now and I hope this installment makes up for what the last lacked. Onward!


Dib and Gaz walked in silence down the road. The only sounds that could be heard were the scraping of their shoes against the pavement and the occasional passing car. Though their house was a few blocks away, they all technically lived in the same neighborhood. Dib was grateful for that; it saved him a lot of time not having to look for outside transportation. He spared a quick glance over to his sister, taking in her pinched expression. That, in itself, was nothing new, however the thoughtfulness beneath it left him wondering.

"Was that really dad calling us for dinner?" he asked.

"Dib, if there's one thing you should know by now, it's that I don't lie when it comes to food."

"Then what's-"

"Something's wrong with him."

He paused, taken aback. He hadn't been expecting that, but...he supposed she was right. The Zim he knew would never have backed down from a fight and he sure as anything wouldn't be caught dead being spoken down to. Yet tonight he'd folded like paper in the rain. Sure, he'd gotten off to a good start- a little flimsy for his reputation- but even that had sounded wrong. They had an almost pleading undertone, as though he didn't know the answers to the questions he was being asked. Like he was unsure of himself, of his own reasoning- looking for someone to overshadow his voice so that he didn't have to deal with the attention.

He offered a mumbled response, "Yeah...I know. Maybe it's just jet-lag?"

"Irkens don't sleep, Dib."

"I know that," he made a frustrated sound, "...what are we gonna do?"

She scoffed, "What do we always do? We fix it."

"Well...yeah, but..." he trailed off, shrugging uncomfortably.

"Do me a favor and stop being so useless, alright? We aren't going to get anywhere if you're just going to pick a fight every time you see him. Funny how you were ragging on Zim for being a one trick pony while also beating a dead horse. We get it, Dib. The best thing is to move on so we can deal with our new problems."

Dib felt his face heat up, a new wave a guilt creeping up on him. How could he have just let himself go like that? Stupid...Zim probably hated him now...

"Sorry..."

She side-eyed him, "Don't apologize to me, I'm not the one you were yelling at. As evidenced by you still being alive."

"Ah, geez...What am I going to do now? Our first meeting and I screwed it up!"

"Yeah, you kind of did," she chuckled, "but I'm pretty sure he's come to expect that from you by now. If you really wanna waste time on clearing your karma, though, maybe you should buy him some new plants since you let the old ones die."

"I didn't 'let them die', they're just out of season!"

"I'm telling you right now that orchid is dead!"

Their laughter echoed through the streets, the sound causing a few nearby dogs to start barking before it died out. Their home slowly came into view.

Gaz was the first to break the quiet, "Look, Zim's a tough cookie, but he's also a mess on his own. He's going to need us for...whatever all this is. No one's saying we have to rush it, we just need to get back into the swing of things. I can't believe I'm saying it, but we have to UN-normalize ourselves."

They stopped at the front door as Dib considered her words. Sighing, he offered her a small smile and said, "It's not like we were really any good at it anyway."

They went inside and the night crept on.


In the darkness of the house, Zim lie restless.

He'd moved from his position, coming to lie on his back with his head resting against the arm of his couch. Gir was long gone, curled up on his stomach and dead to the world as loud snores fell passed his lips. Dull beams of moonlight flooded in from the kitchen window, reflecting off of the floor just enough for his eyes to make out the basic shapes around him. The cool light left him feeling...comfortable, though another part of him was anxious at how early it was. He didn't have to look at the clock to know his region was just peaking through the early morning hours. He knew he was going to be tired tomor-today and he tried to tune in to that small part of his nature that didn't need sleep. On Noxisis, he'd gotten into the habit by mistake. Being confined to his room during the night, it wasn't long before he exhausted his entertainment outlets. He'd read all the books, done enough stargazing and idle watching to paint it from memory, drew, daydreamed...sleep was inevitable, really.

He recalled certain instances when he'd shared hushed conversation with Siké. The door was always locked between them and he would just sit, pressed against it as they giggled and regaled stories. Sometimes they were real, sometimes they went back and forth for hours ad-libbing mesmerizing fantasies. He frowned...no doubt she was dead, imprisoned at the very least. It made him even more regretful that she'd chosen to stay behind. She would have moved heaven and earth for him, but even at his direct order she wouldn't go. Pity...she'd rather liked the idea of Earth.

Earth.

He was really here. He'd really done it, hadn't he? This wasn't some sort of sick reality he'd fooled himself into believing? He'd really done it...if only it could last. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that his husband was aware of his absence. He could only hope that his precautions were enough to divert him until he could make a decision...until they could make a decision. He couldn't afford to leave Dib and Gaz out of it again. He supposed it was selfish of him to think of their friendship over their safety, but he knew they would too. If he knew them, and he did, there was no way they'd let him leave again without a fight. That was one thing he admired about them.

He'd be lying if he said he knew where they stood now. They had every right to be furious with him and he was more than willing to take it. He mulled over the words Dib had spat at him earlier that night...

"...this wasn't your fight!"

He was wrong. Or was he...right? It had been his fight from the moment he'd been hatched...hadn't it?

"I would never allow myself to become some PAWN..!"

Was he a pawn? Is that why it...stung so harshly to hear? He'd gone along with the arrangement for the good of his civilization, but...had he ever really had a choice? Was this his whole...purpose?

Of course, the only person who could truly answer these questions was dead. Swallowed up by his blob experiment all those decades ago...the news of his connection to Miyuki was still surprisingly fresh to him. He'd spent many a night reflecting on all of his interactions with her and...how coldly she'd treated him through them all. She seemed to actively avoid him, offering only what was expected of her in formal events. The most notable instance being before his encoding as a scientist, when he'd been qualified as a service drone for the Tallest. It was the best of a pitiful position...an honor to serve Irk's finest, but a mere servant nonetheless. Miyuki had seemed almost stunned to see him among the candidates and had made a point of turning him away before even examining his adequacy. He'd been a laughing stock later in his ranks...

Two thoughts ran through his mind. One being that it made sense...of course she couldn't have risked being seen treating him differently. Cloning was forbidden among Tallests- if anyone found out, it would be mean their deactivation!

But...

But she had treated him differently- worse. She inadvertently singled him out through her attempts to keep him in the background, turned him away and offered as little as she could to him. Maybe she wasn't trying to protect them...maybe she had truly hated him. Created him for the sole purpose of being one more notch, one more superficial jewel in the crown of Noxisis. Felt nothing for the fact that she created him from her own blood...more than happy to use him as an easy out. A quick fix, a band-aid on the wound-

A pawn.

He hated to consider what she'd think of him now.


Here, have more angst! I plan on making the next chapter aaaaaaall about our villain, so...there's that. Not a lot happened in this one, but I figured I should probably get something out since I have no idea when the next will be available. Thank you for reading! See you all next time!