This idea has been running around in my head for years, and I'm finally giving up and sitting down to write it. That being said, it's 11:32PM and I have to be up for work at 3. So, ignore any grammatical errors. Or don't. I don't really care.
TRIGGER WARNING. MENTIONS OF SUICIDE.
Dib rubbed his eyes as he sat back in his seat, his computer screen softly illuminating his face as it waited for him to continue typing. He reached absentmindedly to his right and grabbed a handful of chips, stuffing them in his mouth messily as he glanced over what little of his book report he had typed up so far. One measly paragraph stared back at him, filled almost entirely with filler words and nearly invisible periods to up his word count. This report was due in the morning, and he had barely hit even a quarter of the required word count for it.
He supposed it was his own fault for putting it off for so long, he had known about it for the past two weeks but instead of writing it he had watched the security cameras he had installed in Zim's house. The little alien had been absent from class the last couple weeks, which couldn't bode well for anyone- even him. He hadn't seen a hint of him in his base however, so unless he was hiding for two weeks in a deep underground room that Dib's cameras couldn't access then he wasn't home. Dib was starting to consider risking a laser burn and going to check on the place for any clues on where his nemesis had gone off to.
A quick glance up at the clock told him it was currently two thirteen in the morning, he had just under six hours until skool started. Zim would just have to wait until on his way to skool at the earliest, then. He huffed and took a swig of coffee before getting back to work on the report, spending the next two hours writing and then tweaking it to add more extensive language in order to get the minimum word count he could to pass. When he finally deemed the report finished, he printed it to be safe before sending in the digital copy to his teacher's emailed link. Once he heard the little whoosh that signaled it was sent he stood briefly only to collapse face down on his bed and pass out.
Deep underground, in a deep magenta room filled with various machinery parts and a large TV screen the sound of static could be heard. The screen showed a fuzzy screen that was partially blocked out by a figure standing limply in front of it, head tilted up as if watching it intently. Their eyes were glazed over numbly, as two voices played over and over in their mind, ripping into their character and actions maliciously.
A whirring could be heard faintly at first, but slowly growing closer until a small silver body collided with the figure and knocked them over. The silver body shifted until it was revealed to be a robot looking up with cyan eyes at the figure it had knocked over.
"Masteeerr! You've been down here a reaaal long time, the monkey show and Mr. Piggy is missing you!" the robot whined, before being pushed off of its master as he sat up. He still had a numb look in his eyes, but the glaze was gone.
"Go away, Gir. Zim wants to be alone." He mumbled before standing and staring up at the screen for another brief moment, then slowly reached out to switch it off.
"But Master, Mr. Piggy is hungry and there's no foods left!" The robot, Gir, squealed as he stood and pulled a small pig from his head and held it up to Zim. Zim looked down at the pig with a slightly confused expression, wondering how long the creature had been in Gir's head, before shaking his head and huffing. "Have the computer order you food, go watch the monkey show." He turned and flopped down in a chair that was tucked away in the corner, pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on his knees. The little robot tilted his head as he lowered the pig to the ground, letting it go squealing off into the dark as he stared at Zim. After a few moments of the impromptu stare off, Gir squealed before turning and following the pig.
Zim sighed as he was left alone, and his gaze drifted down to his arm where the self-destruct button was hidden under his gloves. Just one small movement, one push, and all of this would be over. It would be what any self respecting Irken would do in his situation… right? He watched as his glove slid away to reveal the button, and his finger hovered over it He glanced up around him, taking in the room- the TV in which his leaders had finally revealed the truth. He sighed softly and looked back down at the button, their words repeating over and over again in his mind.
A sharp ringing jerked Dib awake, and he groaned as he blindly reached out to knock his alarm clock off of the bedside table. Once the ringing was silenced he stayed down for another few moments before pulling himself up into a sitting position and looking out of his window. It looked gloomy out, even with the sun starting to rise. As he walked to the bathroom he ran a hand through his hair and winced as he hit a tangle, quickly pulling his hand back as he shut the door behind him. He brushed his teeth and stared in the mirror, ignoring the dark circles under his eyes that were a telltale sign of his lack of sleep. After rinsing his mouth he turned the shower on and stepped inside, washing his hair and body quickly before turning the shower off and stepping out to dry off.
Once he was dry and dressed some time later, he sleepily stumbled down the stares and made himself a cup of coffee and toast. Holding the toast in his mouth and coffee in hand, he grabbed his report, book bag and a umbrella just in case before heading out the door. He glanced down at his phone for the time as he swallowed a bite of toast- he had just enough time to detour to Zim's house to see if he could find any signs of the alien. He sipped his coffee and ate his toast as he walked the short distance, finishing both off as he arrived at the little purple house. It was starting to drizzle as he carefully stepped onto the path leading up to the front door, carefully keeping an eye on the gnomes lined along the path. They merely turned to watch him however, so he walked up to the door. He was about to reach out to ring the bell when he realized that the door was ajar, causing him to frown and push it open.
"Zim?" he called out, cautiously stepping inside the dark and quiet house and looking around for any sign of a trap. A sudden squealing caused him to jump before Gir attached himself to his leg seemingly out of nowhere.
"Mary! Master is downstairs, he's worried about Mr. Piggy!" Gir exclaimed, looking up at Dib from his calf. Dib furrowed his eyebrows, wondering who Mr. Piggy was. "The two really tall people on TV upset him, Mr. Piggy said. I tried to get him to watch his favorite show with me, but he won't." Gir pouted, but Dib couldn't help but ignore what he said after mentioning the Tallest.
"Take me to him?" He asked, hoping the little robot wouldn't take him as a threat to his master. If he could catch Zim in the middle of a call with his leaders, maybe he could stop whatever plans he had early.
Gir's eyes momentarily flashed red before he jumped away from Dib and took his hand, pulling him toward the toilet and down to the elevator. He led him through the twisting halls of the base, deep underground to a small room that must have been a recent addition or had been very well hidden. Gir motioned for him to step inside before screaming and running off into the base again.
Dib turned to the door and cautiously opened it, trying to be as quiet as possible while also being prepared to duck out of the way if anything was fired at him. Nothing happened though, and he stepped into the dark room. Once the door was shut behind him, he turned to examine the room. It was dark and silent, a small pallet was pushed into the corner and a set of doors on the opposite wall revealed hanging uniforms and several pieces of machinery spilling out across the room. He almost missed the little green form curled into a chair in the dark corner opposite the pallet, it's hand hovering over it's forearm. Dib raised an eyebrow and stepped closer, "Zim?" He asked quietly before reading the label above the button built into his arm. He would never admit it willingly, but his heart stopped and his blood ran cold, his book report falling to the ground along with his empty coffee cup as he realized what his nemesis was about to attempt.
"Zim, wait." He stepped closer, unsure of what he was even doing. If Zim ended it all now, his life would be easier- Earth would be safe. He would have won.
But… for what? So many years they had spent fighting, he wasn't even sure what life outside of this little relationship would be like. He wasn't sure if he wanted to find out either. Sure, he and Zim were constantly at each other's throats; but as the years had passed along with numerous short-lived truces he had come to realize- Zim was the closest thing to a friend he had. If he actually lost him, he would truly be alone.
His world felt like it was crashing down on him, but despite all of it, despite the war in his mind, he stepped over to Zim and carefully pulled his hand away from his arm. "Don't."