Okay, fluffy bit over with, let's get back to some questions and answers! A short one this time, going through some medical stuff rn. But writing calms me down, so aside from personal projects, this fic has kept me calm between doc appointments. Also, I wanted to let everyone know that while I enjoy writing, I also draw. I read the guidelines and since I can link personal accounts I thought I'd share my twitter and Instagram for anyone interested.

Twitter: /ahelm1303

Instagram: camwellarts/

Alright! Enjoy!

Part 37: Banished

Zim clicked his tongue, the sound resembling metal on metal more than tongue on tooth to Dib's ears; and leaned back in the chair. The park was fairly empty for the day, the overcast sky warding off most potential visitors. Gir was still dressed as a dog, running around the playground equipment like a toddler. Zim wasn't that concerned; there were few prying eyes. Dib had suggested saying he was a child in costume had anyone asked. Zim had to admit—he hadn't thought of that. He was embarrassed he hadn't; and he was never letting Dib know.

Dib himself was scouring a new book on magic he'd found at the library. To his disappointment it was on history of magic rather than the real deal. He had thought for a moment to toss it right back into the return bin; but after some skimming, he figured he could find some merit to this.

"Why is Dib-stink interested in magic?" Zim asked. "You are a being of science, you said so yourself."

"Magic still exists, I summoned a demon. And ghosts exist! And Bigfoot! And ALIENS."

"Aliens do not count; but understood." Zim said, falling back to sit at the table. He flicked at a beetle crawling along the wood. "Bigfoot is arguably magic."

"Mmhmm. Besides, if I can explain it with science, I can win a Nobel Prize for it. Imagine, if I can unlock the scientific way of making things levitate! The technology that could spawn! …And I wouldn't be burnt for being a witch…"

"…Dib, it's called a tractor beam, and Zim has several." Zim says. Dib sighed.

"Zim, I can't just produce a tractor beam, I have to have actual research to back it up. Studies, and lab experiments, and prototypes." Dib explained, thumbing through the pages of the book. "And discovering how witches did this in the past is interesting. The theories are fun to read. They didn't have the technology for tractor beams; but they did it. Somehow."

"I could fabricate those things…" Zim mumbles. Dib smirked.

"No… I'm good." Dib said. Zim hummed, watching Gir try to figure out the swings. He tapped his foot impatiently and Dib cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Zim, I have a question." Dib said. Zim ceased the tapping and looked to him. "Can I…. can I know why you got banished?"

Zim's body went rigid. He looked stiffly out to the trees. Dib was beginning to think he'd overstepped his boundaries when Zim sighed, leaning over the table. "Zim supposes that is a justified question. But afterward, Dib must answer a question."

"Deal."

Zim cracked his fingers.

"…I lied when I said I only had one job before becoming an Invader." Zim confessed. Dib blinked at him. He shoved his book away.

"You LIED? But, why?"

"Zim was… embarrassed."

"YOU?" Dib asked. Zim glowered at him. "No, seriously."

"YES. Zim was embarrassed. Zim's impacts on Irken history hasn't always been… beneficial."

"That sounded intentionally vague," Dib prodded. Zim groaned.

"Zim may have… earned several reasons for his banishment by the time it was finally sentenced." Zim said, burying his face in his hand. "Zim contributed to a four-day blackout on Irk after an accident with a security bot, for instance. But in Zim's defense Invader Skoodge was also involved!"

"Shared blame," Dib laughed. "That's why you didn't banished for that!"

"Silence! Zim is well aware!" Zim shouted. It did little to stifle Dib's laughter. Zim resolved to let him just wear himself out. It took a few minutes, but eventually Dib had stopped. Zim sighed.

"What did you do before you were an Invader?"

"Zim recalls, after the robot… that Tallest Miyuki sent Zim to Vort as a scientist." Zim recalls, tapping at his chin. Dib scooted his seat closer, beaming.

"So you WERE a scientist at some point! No wonder you love experiments so much."

"Yes, yes. Another thing we have in common. Zim did well at the job. Weapons are a favored pastime."

"I recall. You equated it to creativity and imagination." Dib says. Zim hummed, satisfied.

"Zim created many weapons for the Irken Empire. However… Zim did make a mistake with an energy blob at one point…" Zim said, his face flushing. Dib almost fell out of his chair. He managed to catch himself as Zim continued. "It escaped containment and… well, it ate Tallest Miyuki. ….And her successor Tallest Spork… after just a day, too…"

Dib snorted, slapping his hand over his face. Zim glared venomously at him. Dib frantically waved his hand, trying to catch his breath and as he tried desperately not to laugh. "N-No—I just—it's funny! It's so morbid but it's funny!"

"It is not funny! Zim was lucky not to be erased!" Zim said. Dib gasped, still not able to breath properly.

"But he didn't even have a DAY!" he said. "Is that what got you banished?!"

"Surprisingly no…" Zim says, dragging his claws absently down the length of the table. "Perhaps because they'd been ruling for such a short time. Spork especially."

"HA!"

"Anyway, Zim was still a weapons designer when Operation Impending Doom I commenced. Zim was in charge of creating Sweeping Bots. Zim's design was… excessive, according to the Control Brains." Zim says. His antennae flattened a little and he groaned. "A large portion of Irk was destroyed in that mishap. Zim is mortified to have destroyed a portion of the Homeworld's Empire. Though, banishment to Foodcourtia is still quite a lenient punishment. To be killed is what Zim had been expecting."

"I would have expected to be killed, too." Dib admitted. He hummed thoughtfully. "So, you failed majorly a few times—"

Zim deflated. "Zim wouldn't say majorly…" he mumbled. Though, he knew he was lying to himself.

"—and your Tallest and the Control Brains consider you a failure because of it, probably." Dib surmised.

Zim's forehead hit the table. Gir looked up at them briefly. He'd become entangled in the swings; but he looked to be enjoying himself; so, Dib let him be. Instead, Dib turned his attention back to Zim. The Irken clearly couldn't care less about Gir's antics at the moment. He smiled, patting Zim on the back.

"Hey, everyone thinks I'm a failure, too. You've got SOME comradery with me." Dib says. "Even being accepted into a prestigious school couldn't sway my dad completely. A complete focus on science is the only thing he'd care about."

"Dib, you chose that school in part because it had mythology and cryptozoology electives…" Zim says, turning his head to look at him.

"Hey, I'm not giving that up. And you already fudged records to join me regardless, and I know it." Dib said. Zim couldn't say he didn't.

He'd even given them almost entirely the same schedule, parring one or two classes that Zim had been interested in himself. There had been an ethics class, a psychology class, histories, and art courses. Zim had figured, if nothing else, it'd help him understand human culture a little more. More than their high school ever had; and more than Dib possibly could. He hadn't spent a major portion of his life specializing in those fields, after all. And Zim had little experience in them on a general basis. Zim sighed, scraping grooves into the table, following the pattern of the wood. The gouges started to blend into the grain of the wood. Zim considered moving a tree into his base to sharpen his claws rather than using the cutting stone he had been. A project for another day, he decided.

Dib leaned against him, flipping open the book again.

"Want to learn about the Chinese equivalent of witches?"

"Your species is strange… but sure."