Notes:
Right after the events of Text #3. Be prepared for another update right after this one, much longer and more interesting tbh. We're getting close to the end of this section of the story!
Dib didn't even get to knock before the metal door opened.
He was first struck with the irken's outfit (a bright yellow sun dress and orange leggings, neon green shoes from the kids department most likely), then by his expression.
Even when Zim tried to hide his emotions they remained obvious. The alien's entire demeanor spelled out displeasure.
Dib tried for civility. "Hi."
"Shut up." Zim replied, shoving past the human and stomping his way down the pathway towards the human's car.
Dib sighed,internally and shut the door before following. "I said I was sorry." He reminded.
"I know. And I said, I hate you."
The street lights were just starting to come on. There was a crisp breeze in the air that said autumn was coming.
They sat in silence for about ten minutes. Dib with his hands gripping the steering wheel, Zim glaring out the window at everyone they drove past.
Each second that passed was torment. It was a wall that had built up between, them, the first in a very long time and he was unfamiliar with it. Dib wanted it gone.
"Look, I...don't think you're weak. Like I said-"
"I know what you said!" Zim barked, turning his glare back to his ally. "I do not care for your flimsy excuses, Dib!"
He tightened his hands on the wheel. "They aren't excuses, god damn it."
The human thought back to when he'd read the case file for the first time. And all the flashbacks to their other encounters with spirits, of seeing Zim's entire body tense up, the fear on his face. The look in his eyes that meant he was seeing something not there, something they ghost wanted him to see. From experience, Dib knew when a ghost wanted to show you something...it was most likely god damn awful. They wanted validation, someone else to know what had happened to them.
"It was stupid. I was stupid, okay? I just..." He needed to say it. To make it better and yet, his throat caught around the words and he wondered what was wrong with him.
"I didn't want you to...have to deal with this kind of stuff again. I know it takes big toll on you. That doesn't make you weak or anything, okay? It's just a thing that happens. I...I care about you."
It should've been obvious, right? It was why he'd taken such careful notes about the irken's cycle of denial and regression. It was why whenever he saw some article of clothing that was bright and gaudy, he thought of Zim and bought it. It was why he'd begun to learn how to work around and with someone else, taking their thoughts and feelings into consideration when the whole concept had been foreign to him once. It was why Dib had come back for Zim, to try and convince him his mission was fake, that they didn't need to fight anymore. It was why he'd saved Zim's life before and would continue to do so.
It should have been obvious but, Zim's face read shock and confusion. "You...you do?"
"Of course, I do, you idiot. That's why I didn't tell you. I didn't do it to like...punish you or make you feel like I didn't want you there."
Zim was looking down at his hands. "Oh."
Dib slowed down for a stop light. The irken's body seemed to loosen a bit. "I mean, everyone cares for me. Everyone loves me, so it makes sense." He assured, brushing himself off as if he was getting rid of any thoughts that might have suggested otherwise.
Dib was just glad things weren't tense between them anymore. He felt himself relax. "Well, I wouldn't go that far, you jerk."
"Pfft, what would you know, anyway? Now, let's stop talking about this stupid stuff and tell me all about this," Zim's face twisted up in a show of disgust. "Ghost."
