It's been a while! Working on several fics, some freelance stuff, and some personal projects atm so sorry that chapters are slow going across the entire account. I'm not abandoning any of them, I just have to put some stuff on the back burners right now. That said, I'm happy to say I have a portion of the next chapter written out, because I'm excited to update the next few~ I've been wanting to induct Tak to the group for a long time now (as you can probably guess) and I'm so glad she's finally here!

Enjoy! Oh, and for any who celebrate it, Happy Easter!

Part 71: The Dog Park

Zim sat on the couch, arms crossed, and pouting. Dib was just finishing zipping up Gir's disguise, the little robot giggling and squirming in excitement. He'd already packed an entire bag of water bottles, his keys, his tablet, and a few of his usual go-to investigator tools. Just in case, he said. Dib was struggling to get Gir to stay still while he latched the leash onto him.

"Gir, c'mon," Dib begged. Gir squealed, rolling over in Dib's grip easily. Dib looked up at Zim, exasperated. "A little help?"

"I disagree with this venture," Zim says plainly.

"We haven't hung out with the guys in a long time, I want to see them. And they want to see Gir. And you," Dib says. He finally latched the collar and yelled in victory. Gir whined, falling limp on his lap. "We can play that again when we get home."

"Yay!"

"We could have done something else," Zim sighed. He flipped on his disguise and pushed himself off the couch.

"Are you still butt hurt about running into Tak? She didn't try to fight us, I count that as a win," Dib says.

"She is not to be underestimated, Dib-stink."

"She is also not here," Dib says smugly. "So. To the park we go."

"Are we hunting squirrels?!" Gir asks excited, climbing up Dib's side to hang off his shoulder like a green koala.

"Uh, no. We're meeting some friends. So, you can't talk while we're there, okay?" Dib asks. He let Gir remain when they left, until he had to move him to get into the car. Zim grumbled the entire way to the vehicle. Once inside, Gir transferred to sitting in Zim's lap instead. "No talking, Gir."

"Yes, sir!" Gir says, saluting. Dib stared at him a moment. He opted not to worry about that, and instead started driving.

"You remember the sounds that dogs make, right, Gir? No talking. It's barks."

"Woof!"

Dib winced at the high pitch of the bark. He laughed nervously and patted Gir on the head. "A little lower volume, but that works."

Zim sank lower into the chair, groaning.

"Oh, stop it. You'll live," Dib says, ruffling Zim's "hair". Zim swatted his hand away.

"You're the one telling me to "relax" more often!" Zim spat. "That was my plan for the day!"

"This is relaxing," Dib says. Zim shot him an unconvinced look. Dib stuck his tongue out, side-eying him as he drove. "It's relaxing, trust me."

Abed sat on the grass, pulling idly at it. Daren was, at present, pinned to the ground by Eric's dogs. Both were a mix of Australian Shepard and an unknown breed, and both were entirely too cuddly for a Shepard breed in his opinion. Or, well, his experience. He didn't have a lot of it, so really he couldn't say much about it. What he could say was that these were two of the cuddliest dogs he'd ever met.

"Oh, I see them!" Eric announced, pointing towards the dog park gate. Abed and Daren both waved.

Dib was carrying Gir as best as he could like a dog. He waved back, his hand quickly moving down to grab Zim's wrist and drag him along when he turned to leave. Eric snorted, turning back to the dogs. He whistled and they abandoned Daren, rushing over to Eric. Once Dib and Zim had made their way to them, the dogs were laying at Eric's feet.

"Hey, guys!" Eric greeted.

"Hey." Dib set Gir down, patting his head a few times. Gir started forward to the two dogs, actually walking like a real dog this time. Gir showed no fear as he neared the two, comparably, massive dogs. "This is Gir, Zim's dog."

"I remember it," Eric confirmed.

"Hard to forget a green dog," Abed says.

"Dib said this would be good for him," Zim says flatly. He looked down to where Gir was already riding one of the dogs as they trotted around in circles, resting over the dog's head. The group watched them, silent and dumbfounded.

"That's…. I honestly don't know if I should be surprised or not," Abed admitted.

"Roll with it," Dib and Zim both say.

It took less than five minutes before Gir had opted to try something chaotic. Daren had been running with the dogs, leading them around the park, at the time. Dib wasn't even surprised at this point that Gir had managed to find trouble of some kind. It was just the fact he hadn't seen it coming.

A dog toy, specifically a stray ball someone must have lost at some point, beamed him right in the back of his head. Zim, of course, started cackling immediately. Eric was laughing, too, and even fell over when Dib turned and a long forgotten, dirt-ridden squeaky toy hit him next. Gir was running around, on all fours as promised, with a third toy still in his mouth. Both dogs were chasing him with vigor, but still unable to actually catch Gir. And of course, Daren was more helpless at catching up. Daren ended up tapping out, literally, before trudging back to the group.

Dib picked up the toys, idly wondering just how they'd managed to beam him in the head, until he looked up and saw Gir mimicking the shaking motion with his head. And right on cue, the third toy was sent soaring in their direction. Dib managed to actually dodge this one and it ended up smacking Daren in the face instead. Eric burst out laughing, rolling in the grass.

"Maybe sit down," Abed offered.

Dib gently tossed the squeaky toy in the air a few times, eyeing Zim up in his peripheral. Dib took a step or two back, getting Zim's attention, and then idly tossed the toy his way. Zim caught it, looking confused, for only a moment before realization donned on him. He tried to throw the toy back, too late, and one of Abed's dogs tackled him. Dib snorted, laughing openly when Zim rolled around on the grass, throwing the toy off in a random direction, and the dog abandoned him completely. The others followed, of course, after the toy. Zim glowered up at Dib as he laughed. He pushed himself up and tackled him, landing on Dib's back.

"ACK! Hey, hey, hey, get off!" Dib shouted, stumbling around, flailing his arms.

"Not until you're on the ground!"

Abed watched as the two stumbled around. The dogs rushed up to them, circling them, tails wagging, barking, as they "played" with the two. It was still a little weird to see the two getting along—somewhat—after so many years of blatant animosity. Abed could still recall when the fighting had largely subsided, though. The school days had grown oddly quiet, and it had taken him a few weeks to realize that it was because they'd been lacking a regular schedule of Dib or Zim picking a fight with one another.

"Hey, Abed, when did Dib stop trying to "expose" Zim as an alien? Do you even remember?" Daren asks suddenly. Frankly, he'd stopped questioning it. He hadn't thought of it much afterward. At the time he'd just been grateful the two weren't going for each other's throats.

"Not exactly. It kind of just… petered out," Abed says. Dib smacked into a tree, finally knocking Zim off him. Regardless of the success, both tumbled to the ground.

"I wonder why," Daren muses, taking a sip of his water, grateful for the break of running down the dogs.

"Oh, they're dating," Eric says nonchalantly. Daren spat out his drink, choking on the water.

Abed looked at him, then at the duo who were still shouting at one another with Zim giving Dib a kick to the shins before laughing. Dib was smiling either way as he stood, and picked Zim up to spin him around, getting cursed out in the process. Abed looked back to Eric.

"Really?"

Eric snorted, downing what was left of his water bottle. "They're definitely dating."

"Is that how you think people date?" Abed asks.

"No, but that's definitely how I think they'd be dating," Eric says.

"Oh. I can see that," Daren admitted.

"No contest."

"Is that weird? Dating your old "nemesis"?" Abed asks. Eric shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm dating this one girl and a dude right now, so."

"Wait, what?"

"When did that happen?"

Dib sighed, rolling onto his stomach. He looked up to where Abed, Daren, and Eric were avidly talking about something. He couldn't quite make it out. Based on Daren's over exaggerated movements, though, it was probably Eric announcing his dating status.

"Ah, I guess he dropped the news on them," Dib laughed. Zim was on his back and tilted his head to look at the trio.

"Is it really that great of a thing to celebrate?" he asks. He could remember the call Dib had gotten, the two of them trying to beat a new game Gaz had recommended, and Dib had cost them the level when he dropped his controller to scream into the phone excitedly.

"Sometimes."

Zim flicked his eyes over to Dib. One of the dogs was laying against him now, breathing heavy, and finally taking a break. They'd probably ask for them to bring Gir out more often, now, just based on the base energy level of the dogs when they'd arrived. He hummed, looking back at the sky. He hated laying down in the grass, with the dirt and germs, and bugs he knew were crawling around. It made his own skin crawl, but he didn't want to get up just yet. Not until Dib was ready, anyway. His clothes were already ruined as it was, anyway, with grass and dirt stains. Zim pursed his lips and looked over to Dib.

"Are we?" he asks. Dib jumped, turning to look at him.

"HuH?"

"Are we dating?" Zim asks. Dib didn't answer, his face turning red. "That's a genuine question, idiot. Are we, by human standards, dating?"

"UH… I mean… do you want to?" Dib asks, picking at the grass. Zim could hear his heartrate picking up. He was awkwardly tapping his foot up and down against the grass. Zim turned to look at the sky.

"I do."

Dib laughed nervously and breathlessly. "Oh, thank God."

"I thought you didn't believe in a god?"

"HEY! Guys, are you dead?" Eric calls out to them. Dib shot up, startling the dog, who rolled around and knocked against Dib's leg, toppling him back to the ground. Zim barked a laugh until Dib managed to scramble back up again.

"Maybe?" Daren offered.

"We're not dead!" Dib shouted back at them.

"With how your heart rate spiked you could have convinced me you were on the way," Zim teased. Dib shushed him, brushing off his clothes.

"That's not funny."

"It's a little funny."

"I regret letting you learn from Gaz," Dib grumbled.

"Too little, too late, I think is the term."

Dib groaned loudly, trudging off towards the others. Zim stayed put a moment longer before he opted to get up. The second dog was on its way to him, and he could already see the drool from where he was. He had to draw the line somewhere. He scurried back to the group, slumping against Dib's back when he got there.

"You're paying for my clothes," he muttered.

"Just throw them in the wash!"

"You're washing my clothes," Zim corrected, poking him harshly in the side.

Dib snorted, reaching around to ruffle Zim's "hair". Zim swatted at his hand. Abed smirked, shooting Dib a smug look. Dib glanced up at him curiously. Abed raised a brow, nodding towards Zim, and then giving Dib a thumbs up. Dib's face flushed bright red. He looked away, smiling wide. Abed only nodded.

Zim sat down in the grass with a sigh. It wasn't long before Gir started to bring him toys. And of course, the other two dogs started to do the same with whatever they found. He was gifted old balls, a few plushies, some collars, rocks, sticks, an entire branch that was longer than Dib was tall, a spatula (Eric personally took his time laughing until he wheezed when one of the dogs dropped that in Zim's lap), and then they just got stranger. A toilet bowl seat, an old tire, shoes, a phone, pants, shirts, and even money (crumpled in their jaws and arguably unusable in their newer, sorry state)… all scattered among the random rock or branch, or particularly large leaf.

Zim stared at the pile, speechless. The four boys around him were rolling in the grass and wheezing. Zim picked up a ceramic plate that Gir had found and tossed down, leaving just as immediately to find something else. Zim wasn't even sure how far out the dogs must be going to be finding some of these things. Sometimes they would be gone far longer than usual before coming back.

One dog came bounding up, something shiny in its mouth. It dropped car keys next to Zim's knee. Zim looked over to Eric, blinking slow, and looking tired.

"Is this unending?" he asks.

"I think only until they get distracted or find everything that they think you'd like," Eric says unsurely with a shrug.

One of the dogs was making its way to him with another long stick. Zim stared for a moment before standing abruptly. The dog paused in its approach, for only a moment, before setting the stick down gingerly on the pile. Zim shifted uneasily, patting the dog awkwardly on the head. He quickly withdrew his hand when the dog pushed into it, tail wagging. Dib chuckled, giving the dog a proper pet.

"Okay, well, I think it's getting late, anyway," Dib says. He cupped his hands and shouted out to the park at large. "GIIIIR!"

Zim's antennae flinched. He could feel eyes on him. He wasn't sure if it was just the group at large looking around, their eyes passing over him or falling on him, or if it was something else. All he knew was that there was a lingering feeling of being watched.

Gir came zooming out of the woods, a massive rock stuck in his mouth. Zim met him halfway, picking him up and trying to wrench the rock out of his mouth. "Gir, no!"

Dib snorted, turning to the group of boys. "Okay, well, we're going to go before it gets too late. I'll send you guys a message when I get home!"

"Bye, Dib!" Eric shouted, already pinned by the dogs.

"Bye!" Daren waved after them.

"Hey, message me about the next meet up, I'll clear a day!" Abed shouted. Dib shot him a thumbs up, reaching Zim just as he'd managed to throw the rock to the ground, ignoring how hard Gir was whining. The tiny robot made grabbing hands for it and Zim smacked them down.

"NO." Zim said sternly. Gir looked up at him, eyes wide. "No speaking yet."

There was a shrill whine as Dib approached them. He hooked his arm in Zim's and guided them towards the entrance gate. He waved at the trio of boys one last time until they turned the corner and were out of sight. Once clear, Dib sighed, releasing Zim's arm.

"Okay, did you feel it, too?" Dib asks quietly. Zim nodded, humming. He dropped Gir, the tiny bot still walking on all fours behind them like a true dog. Dib wouldn't be surprised if he kept the act up until they were at the house.

"I am not sure wh—"

Zim suddenly stopped, screeching, jumping up and away, right into Dib. He scrambled up Dib's shoulders, his knees digging painfully into Dib's shoulder and neck. Dib stumbled, shouting himself as he tried to catch his balance. He vaguely registered the sound of water hitting the concrete. Zim finally settled on him, his knees digging into Dib's back and his claws digging into his shoulders. He was so grateful his gloves were so durable. He could hear Zim hissing, loudly, like he's never heard before.

Dib looked up, focusing on the figure that was standing not far from them, the bucket still in their hands. Dib blinked. Gir was stood next to the puddle of water, head tilted at them, dumbly.

"Tak?" Dib asks incredulously. Tak huffed, tossing the bucket away with hardly a glance where it went. She was still in her old disguise, albeit she looked about as old as they did, but the style was an exact copy. "You didn't bother to change the clothes?"

"This idiot managed to make a decent hologram?" Tak shot back, pointed at Zim. Zim growled, dropping from Dib's shoulders (to his relief).

"You followed us back?!" Zim screeched. He turned to Dib. "That's a stalking charge, yes?"

"Do you want to try pressing charges for that?" Dib asks flatly. He turned his attention back to Tak. She didn't have anything else with her, that he could see. It could be hidden by the cloaking, of course. But, that aside, he didn't see Mimi anywhere. Or any SIR unit, that is. Then, a feeling of dread settled in his stomach. "Tell me you didn't land anywhere anyone can see."

"Of course, I didn't, I'm not a smeet," Tak spat.

"Where did you land? In the park?!" Dib asks frantically.

"The location of my ship is not your business, flesh bag!" Tak shouted. Dib recoiled a little, disgusted.

"Why that term?" he mumbled. He pinched his brow and ran his hand through his hair. "You didn't come here just to throw one bucket of water at us—"

"That was a small indulgence," Tak admitted, throwing a smirk Zim's way.

Dib took the moment that afforded him to glance around. He couldn't find any indication of a SIR unit, still, but he did catch sight of a lawn not far from them that looked as if it was having quite the renovation of the gardens. He wouldn't be surprised to learn she'd simply snatched the bucket up from there. But, more importantly, he felt stuck.

We can't leave her here… definitely not… Dib thought. He tried to glance around them again, only for Zim to scoff.

"Where's your SIR unit, hm? You didn't have it at the Market, either. Was it confiscated?" Zim asks. Tak growled, her shoulders bristling. Zim seemed to perk up a little, emboldened. "Really? That's quite the punishment. Was it because you spectacularly failed?"

"I never fail as often as you do, Defect!" Tak snapped. Dib stepped forward, raising his hands off the two of them.

"Please, don't get into some sort of feral frenzy, I can't clean up a mess that big…"

Tak and Zim each reared back, both screeching at him now. "Feral?!"

"How dare you suggest she's even worth that!" Zim shouts.

"I'm not some feral—" Tak snapped her neck to glare at Zim. "WHAT?!"

"Alright, I regret saying it, just stop yelling, already!" Dib pleads, covering his ears. Gir started waddling forward and Dib quickly snatched him up. "No."

"But, Mary—"

"No. I am not cleaning up any messes made by any of you! Do you want a government agency to come knocking at my door?" Dib asks, shooting Zim a look.

Zim huffed, crossing his arms. He wasn't about to resort to that again and lose another base. He turned to Tak. "Why are you here?"

Tak was silent. She clenched at the fabric of her sleeve and her brow twitched. Zim paused, waiting for an answer. Dib glanced uncertainly between them. It started to don on him much like it was donning on Zim. Zim laughed.

"You don't have an excuse!" Zim declared. Dib sucked in a breath, stepping back to Zim again awkwardly. Zim hooked their arms together. Tak zeroed in on the action, narrowing her eyes at their arms. "We'll be going back to my base, with my labs, and my Voot."

Dib stood his ground, forcing Zim to be yanked back into place when he tried to leave. Zim stumbled and shot him a look of his own but Dib ignored it. He readjusted Gir in his arm. "Tak," he says deliberately. "You're not going to try killing anyone, right? Or risk being hunted down by multiple government agencies at once, right?"

When he puts it like that, Tak thought tiredly.

"No," Tak growled.

"Or destroy my planet?" Dib asks, sounding as tired as Tak felt. She clicked her tongue, forcing her arms to her sides.

"No…" she says deliberately. Dib stared deadpan at her. Tak's eye twitched again and she groaned loudly. "I will not destroy your planet or kill any humans."

Dib fought back a sigh at Tak's monotone. "Yeah, that sounded entirely sincere."

"You're pushing it, runt—"

"You tried to destroy my planet!"

"How is that different from him?" Tak spat, stomping forward to poke Zim roughly in the chest. Zim hissed and smacked her hand away. Dib faltered, cleared his throat, and tried to retain some dignity.

"He changed—"

"Are you seriously—"

"And he hasn't tried to destroy my planet—or me—in years."

"Neither have I."

"You haven't been here," Dib says flatly. He clapped his hands together. "How about this? You can stay at the house, but only the first floor, for at least tonight. After that, we're kicking you off planet, and if you behave we won't kick you out by force."

Tak scoffed. "And what would that entail, exactly? You're easy to kill."

"I might be, but Zim isn't," Dib says nonchalantly, pointing proudly at Zim. "And neither is the base. Or Gir," Dib continues, hefting Gir higher. His head lolled to the side, and he waved. "We might not get a chance in with him around, actually."

Tak looked at the SIR unit, unimpressed. But she'd heard… stories… about the things Gir got up to just during calls with the Tallest, so she wasn't entirely in the dark about the robots… tendencies. On more than one occasion it'd been the gossip of the Invader Comms channels, and various others, just what the robot had been doing to destroy Zim's base during the latest call. She wondered if the betting pool for when Gir would cause Zim's death was still ongoing or not.

She doubted it.

Tak took a deep breath, pressing her hands together to try and calm herself down. "How about," she began carefully, "I just stay out of your way while I'm there?"

"…You want to stay… for a while…?" Dib cautioned. Tak gave a strained nod. Dib blinked at her. "Oh, shit, you really don't have a base set up, do you?"

"Pathetic," Zim muttered. Tak rounded on him. "Mine was set up in the first five minutes!"

"Girls, you're both pretty," Dib droned. "Okay. You can stay… for… A few days, I guess?"

"That's all I will need."

"And you're not going to kill, maim, kidnap, torture, or frighten anyone while you're here. And you're not destroying the planet; or carrying out any planet destroying schemes. AND. If you guys do get into a fight, at least keep it out of my room, and don't kill each other, alright?" Dib offers. Zim choked, shooting him an incredulous look. Dib shot him a side eye. "What? Would you rather I bring the hose inside to break you two up?"

"NO!" Zim roared. Tak flinched back at the sudden shout. Dib turned to her, expectant.

"…Fine."

"No. It's a deal. Deal?"

Tak bit her tongue. "Deal."

"Okay. Great. Gir?" Dib looked down at the robot. Gir looked up at him expectantly. "If she breaks this agreement, you're good to go, ok?"

"WHAT?!" Tak screeched.

"YAY!" Gir cheered. Dib set him down and Gir tried to clamor to Tak immediately. She quickly back stepped, trying to ignore Zim's laughing at her as she put as much distance between her and Gir until the SIR unit stopped trying to get closer to her. "AW! New friend, let's play!"

"Only if she doesn't follow the rules, Gir," Dib reminded him. "Like if she tries to get into the labs without permission, for example."

Gir nodded enthusiastically, skipping back to Dib and climbing up him to rest on his shoulders, like a toddler. Dib and Zim were smiling smugly at her. She gaped at them.

"You're devious," she said.

"Only when the planet is at stake," Dib corrected. He turned, motioning them to follow. "C'mon, my car is this way."

Tak trudged after them, hunched in defeat. She just had to deal with this for a few days. That was it. Observation, nothing more, and she could leave.

Just a few days.