Author's Notice:
I've been reading up on the reviews, and thought I'd answer a few questions/concerns.
No, Zim is not going to physically abuse Cyan. It's a little too cliché and it's not really my thing. I'd lean more towards emotionally abusive, but in all honesty, Zim doesn't interact with her enough to do anything that would be abusive aside from apparent neglect of being her father.
Also, her 'defective'-ness will be eventually explained, and Zim's character will eventually deepen.
Cyan does have father-worship. It develops in children neglected by one parent, and despite the love of the other, seem to always pine after the love they aren't receiving instead of rejecting it(when parents live in the same home, not divorced). So, everything Zim does somehow sits him on this golden pedestal where he doesn't deserve to belong.
Okay, anyway. Thanks for all the lovely reviews and I hope to see you all back again soon. Just a few more chapters before Zim's plan fully launches!
"Red Velvet"
'Chapter Six'
They had spent another hour in the lab before Zim declared it time to surface. He had spent most his time mainly working with chemicals, and seemed so completely concentrated that Cyan hadn't bothered him, not once, even when she had to pee.
However, once top level, Zim had taken her to bathe; something her father had never done for her before(aside from the time of her birth). Cyan was overjoyed, and spent longer than necessary getting herself clean in the cleansing gel(she was unable to use water despite the fact that she looked human, and was mainly human, because of her patches of Irken skin).
Zim, though usually impatient, allowed her to take all the time she wanted, and after even dressed her in her favorite pink duck pajamas.
Despite the rough start, this was turning out to be Cyan's favorite day. Zim had never spent this much time with her before, and he never acted so nice. She had yet to make the connection between Zim's request and his behavior; not realizing the Irken merely wanted to win Dib back in his favor and use Cyan to buy time to bring his plot closer to realization.
Too young for the complexities she merely assumed their mutual secret finally created the bond she always wanted; as if it were really so childish and simple.
"This is the best day ever." Cyan murmured to her stuffed Irken as she began to pack for her sleep over. She shoved crayons and a coloring book in the front pocket of the ladybug backpack, "He wasn't going to leave me. He needs me to keep secrets." Cyan said proudly, not understanding the concept of being used, genuinely believing her father needed her and his love spawned from that need, not connecting the grown-up complications of the equation.
Her bedroom door slid open and Zim appeared in the doorway, "Smeet, are you finished?" He asked, his pose casual against the doorframe.
"Yeah." She grinned, shouldering her pack, "Is mama home?" Cyan questioned tentatively, still a little unused to speaking to her father directly.
Zim's antennae flicked, "Not yet. Now, let's go to the kitchen, I'll prepare dinner since you were whining about it earlier."
Cyan flushed, bowing her head dejectedly before Zim swept from the room. She then obediently ran after her father; barely catching the elevator before it transported them back downstairs. Cyan hugged Zen, Zim had never made her dinner before, she was excited but was trying hard to conceal it—to be as stoic and stiff as Zim, trying to impress him.
Zim didn't notice.
She should have been more cautious, more suspicious of Zim's drastic change; but, she had wanted this so badly, she wanted them to be a real loving family like she saw on TV. Her want to have two loving parents blinded her to the danger glaring her right in the face.
Zim had already persuaded her to lie to her mother; he had already begun to corrupt her for his own personal gain. If anything, Cyan was becoming a very important tool, a willing pawn in his galactic conquest. She now had worth, and Zim felt obligated to keep her willing, even if he had to do the basic chores of human child-rearing.
Cyan struggled up on the kitchen chair, slinging Zen up on the tabletop. Her large red-brown eyes followed Zim's every move with fawning adoration.
Zim grinned to himself, this was almost becoming too easy. He was a genius! Why had he never used her before? Dib adored his defective smeet, and Zim was sure that his foolish love would blind him to the corruption festering beneath.
The Earth was in his hands.
"You do understand your mission." It was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes." She had been briefed over three times; she would not fail her father.
Zim glanced over his shoulder, eyeing the determination on the child's pudgy face. Convinced, he nodded, "There is no room for error." Zim popped the pop tarts in the toaster and set a plate in preparation on the counter.
Cyan kicked her feet, both nervous and excited. She didn't grasp the complexity of Zim's plot, but understood the mission he bestowed upon her. She was supposed to keep her mother at her aunt's under late that evening, then, when it was time for bed, she'd ask to sleep over at Gaz's. Dib would then go home, and she'd stay at Gaz's until late the next morning when she'd be picked up. It didn't seem hard, and she loved staying over at her aunt's house.
If it all went well, Zim would have another task for her when she got home.
The toaster snapped and Zim snatched the pastries and tossed them on the plate. Moving toward the kitchen table he placed them in front of the smeet, "Eat quick, you leave when Dib gets home."
This wasn't the type of dinner Dib made, after all, sugary foods were normally eaten in the morning—but Zim made it, and he made it especially for her, she was going to enjoy every bite and ignore the tummy ache she'd get later.
Zim had already wandered from view, into the living room to bark orders at Gir who immediately ran somewhere else.
Dib would be home soon.
Her first mission would begin.
Cyan turned slightly in her seat to get a better view of the living room, and Zim, anticipating her mother's home coming.
It only took a few more minutes more before the door unlocked and a tired Dib walked into the living room. Dib was made acutely aware of the sets of eyes on him, the quiet almost unnerving. However, as his brow furrowed and he made to speak, Zim took his cue, instantly sensing Dib's suspicions.
"Dib," Zim nearly cooed, reaching up and fluidly relieving the human of his duffle bag before tossing it unceremoniously in the corner of the room, "The smeet has been asking for you."
Dib noticed Cyan in the kitchen—cleaned, dressed, happy. Normally Cyan was running for his legs the moment he came in the door, especially when left at home with Zim all day.
It unnerved him.
Something was going on.
Putting on his best face he approached the kitchen, "Have a good day?" He asked, setting his hand on her head—and almost instantly recoiling from the dampness, "Did you take a bath by yourself?" He had assumed Zim vacuumed her clean—it seemed like the logical thing he would do, but an actual bath?
"No," Cyan grinned, "Papa bathed me."
"Yes, yes, and fed her, and dressed her," Zim waved his hand dismissively, almost impatient, "Zim is a most amazing parental unit."
Okay, now something was definitely going on.
Dib discreetly lifted pieces of Cyan's hair—checking for probes or brain worms before he set his accusing gaze on Zim, "What are you up to?" The childish accusation transported them back to grade school, standing opposite in a school hallway, Dib pointing dramatically at the smug alien.
Zim laughed easily, only furthering Dib's suspicion, "You wound me Dib." Zim grinned, his expression almost sinister.
The game had been set up while he was at work, but Dib hadn't a clue what angle Zim was playing, or how many pieces he had already set up in his favor.
Zim was terrible at being sneaky—mainly because the alien needed constant praise and attention, even if it meant telling his enemy his plan just so he could gloat about how amazing it was and how ingenious he was for coming up with it.
But, the whole situation was skewed.
They couldn't stand opposite, they couldn't be enemies.
They were supposed to be a family, they had a child. Dib was livid; how dare Zim do this? Trying to destroy the world, trying to enslave humanity, all that was supposed to be a dead hobby—
But, he was a fool for thinking Zim took anything but himself seriously.
Tension held the room, a dull buzz of electricity licked between Zim and Dib—just a few feet apart, but it may have been miles.
Zim thought this would somehow bring them closer, but the anger in Dib's eyes merely rubbed him the right way—the way it did when they were younger, when things were simpler. Zim liked the rivalry he saw there, not grasping the rift he was creating, thinking somehow this was actually better.
He enjoyed fighting, arguing, clawing, biting—
Zim licked his lips but Dib's gaze never faltered, staring him down in that way of his, using his height to irk the alien.
Zim merely folded his arms defensively, raised his chin, and continued to grin defiantly in the face of Dib's outrage.
Cyan looked from one parent to the next; having thought this secret was somehow a game, but Dib's face—
She frowned just slightly, reaching up to grab at her mother's fingers, trying to gain attention.
It took a moment for Dib to compose himself, the hard lines of his face softening as he looked down to his daughter, "What is it?" His tone gentle, sweet.
Zim frowned, feeling a twinge of jealously, his red eyes almost hateful as they looked to the smeet. The child had the ability to dispel all that anger, to make Dib into that mushy mess Zim liked almost as much as Dib's deliciously rebellious side.
"I wanted to go to Auntie's." Cyan said, the quiver in her tone lessening as the tension began to recede, "I packed all my stuff."
"Are you sure?" Dib asked, "It's late, we didn't give her notice."
Cyan tensed, she couldn't fail her mission, "Please, I want to go. Please mama?" She squirmed in her seat, holding tight to Dib's fingers.
However, Dib misinterpreted her request, thinking Cyan answered because she didn't like their fighting earlier, maybe hadn't liked being alone with Zim, and maybe was upset over their minor fight just now. Dib was beginning to think he was a horrible parent and Zim was even worse.
Dib ran his hand through his hair, frowning just slightly, the tiredness returning to his features, "Alright, let's go then." Maybe it was best if she spent a night apart, then he could get to the bottom of Zim's behavior; figure out what to do about their strained situation.
Zim didn't like the expressions on Dib's face, didn't like how he began to avoid his gaze, how he pointedly walked past him without touching despite the choked space of the kitchen archway.
As the duo left the house Zim was left alone with the quiet finality of it.
He nibbled his lower lip harshly as his antennae pulled back. Regret was not a usual emotion of Zim, so obviously this could not be regret, remorse, or any other foolish weak emotion.
He was a genius and his plan was perfect.
Dib would see his way, Dib would surrender to him like he used to, this would all be back to normal come morning.