Hey, chapter three is here! It makes me so happy to see you guys reviewing, and I've had nothing but good reviews so the inspiration is just smothering me almost! I've got another ZaDR fan fic that I'll be posting soon so keep up the good reviewing work!
Beta: Tesgura, my loverly!
No special wranings for this chapter, it's mostly just a get from one part of the story to another development thing, you know?
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except a few DVDs, a box that looks like Zim's house, and a couple of shirts.
Zim took a little longer than three hours to prepare, and, cursing his horrible timing he set off for the asylum, taking some comfort in the fact that there was no clock in Dib's room so the human really couldn't get mad at him because not only did he not know what time Zim had left but he also didn't know how long he took.
That must be agonizing.
Dib was starting to worry.
True he had no idea what time it was but his body was telling him that it was almost time for the nurse to give him his shots, the ten pm ones, due to the fact that it was starting to feel woozy because of not having the chemical constantly in his system; Dib wanted out of this place so badly.
His heart sped up when he heard the sound of something just on the other side of the wall, a mechanical something. It took all of his will power not to move his head to look at the wall for fear that someone would walk by the window on his door and see.
Zim charged up the laser, trying to keep in mind where Dib's bed was and which angle he was firing at, not wanting to hit the boy.
Finally, when he was sure that he would not hit Dib he fired, a large whole being blasted into the wall with a big, red beam of energy.
Satisfied with the mess he'd made he climbed out of the ship and into Dib's room, holding a small laser-pointer looking weapon and quickly making his way over to Dib.
"Zim, your disguise, why aren't you wearing it?" Dib asked worriedly as Zim cut away his restraints with whatever kind of tool he was holding.
"Did, I just blasted a hole into a wall with a laser cannon that's attached to my space ship. I think being seen without my disguise is the least of my worries." He said, picking Dib up bridal style and carried him into his ship.
"Oh, yeah," Dib mumbled, rubbing his wrists which were red and sore.
Zim was surprised at how unbelievably light Dib was and he could feel bone under his fingers, but he decided to worry about that later, as right now he needed to get Dib back to his base.
He set the boy into the seat next to him and closed the dome around them just as doctors and nurses were piling into the room, various medicines in their hands. But those weren't going to help and Zim smirked, sticking his tongue out at the pathetic humans before heading back to his base, feeling very good about this.
The ride to the base was a quiet one and Dib's head was filled with useless little bits of thought that refused to leave him alone. Things he wanted to say to the irken, things he wanted to ask, punches and kicks he so desperately wanted to throw, and crying he wanted to do.
He was finally free!
He watched his own hands curiously as he rubbed his arms, his hands had changed, his fingers were longer. And that touch, he had forgotten what true touch felt like.
When they touched down in Zim's roof Dib felt a small inkling of dread at being alone (well, not counting Gir) with the lien in his base. What did the alien have planned for him? What was going to happen?
He was mildly surprised when Zim got out of the ship, walking over to his side and holding out a hand to help him out. It kind of reminded him of how the nightmare Zim had saved him, so he took the hand and allowed Zim to help him shakily out of the ship.
"You look terrible," Zim commented. And he meant it. Dib, right now, reminded him of those little baby deer that he saw on one of those stupid educational programs Gir had turned on. Like a small baby deer who could barely walk.
"Yeah, well," Dib tried, but it was just too much of an effort to talk right now and he sighed, giving up for the moment and just letting Zim support him for the time being.
Zim frowned deeply. It… bothered him to see Dib looking this way. Week, so week. It unnerved him to have to deal with things like that, he could treat them how he wanted to, he had to be careful with them.
And being careful with Dib was a hard thing to do, especially considering Dib was about a head and neck taller than him.
But, some how he managed to get Dib downstairs and onto the couch with out breaking anything or anyone.
"How are you feeling?" Zim asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Why do you care?" Dib couldn't help but ask a little bitterly.
"Because, human, I went through a lot of trouble to get you out of that institute and I'm not about to go and let you get one of your human germy illnesses or infections or something worse." Zim couldn't help but sound equally bitter.
"Well sorry… for causing you all that trouble then." Dib ground out.
Zim just growled and clenched his hands at his sides. He forgot how utterly inFURIating the Dib-thing could be!
"Should I have just LEFT you there then?" He asked.
Dib instantly calmed down, looking down at his wrists and whimpering a little 'no' little flashes of his nightmare world shining behind his eyes.
Zim's face fell and he instantly regretted what he'd said. "Look, just tell me how you're feeling, is there something you need?" He asked firmly, indicating there was not going to be ANY more arguing.
"I'm… a little hungry, and tired…" He paused and shivered a bit, wrapping his arms around himself. "… and cold."
Zim nodded, seemingly pleased. "Alright then, I shall find you something to eat then, you sit here and rest." Zim said as if stating something that was totally fact before nodding once more to himself in confirmation and walked off towards the kitchen. Gir should have restocked the fridge while he was getting ready to go get Dib so he was sure he could find SOMETHING edible in the ice box.
Zim wasn't sure how one was made but he decided to try for a sandwich. Usually Gir just made them for him (the little robot being out that the moment he had to do it himself) and they always looked so neat but when he was done his was sliding apart and he had to press it nearly flat to get it to stay together. With that and a glass of some kind of pale juice in hand he went back out into the living room to find Dib, once more, rubbing his wrists.
"You know you're going to rub your skin raw by doing that, right?" He asked, causing the human to jump.
"Y-yeah, it's just bothering me." Dib said, making himself comfy once more on the couch.
Zim sat next to him, careful not to sit too close and handed Dib the plate, then the juice. "Here. It was all I could recognize from what Gir decided to get." He said before crossing his arms and staring at the blank TV.
Dib smiled at the squished, sorry looking sandwich on his plate and asked with an amused tone, "You made this yourself didn't you?" Though the three fingered hand print had already confirmed the answer.
"Look, I don't make sandwiches very often alright, and if you don't like it I can always take it back and you can go hungry." Zim grumbled, looking away embarrassedly.
"Thanks." Dib said before setting his glass down by his feet, picking up his sandwich and taking large bites of it.
Zim's head snapped towards Dib and he looked at the human in shock. He'd been… thanked. By the Dib. He felt more appreciated in that one moment than he had in his entire life time, and it was Dib that made him feel that way.
The sandwich didn't taste bad. Not at all, but it was a little hard to eat because the bread was a little soggy from what he guessed was pickle juice and that liquidy stuff the collects at that top of condiments. But it was good, and he didn't feel all that hungry any more when he was done.
"Thanks," He said again when he was done, setting his plate down as he went to grab the juice and take a nice, long, cool drink of it.
"You're welcome." Zim said a little dazedly. Still not getting over the fact that he'd been thanked.
"S-so…." Dib tried to start, wanting nothing more than to ask the one question that's been going through his mind.
Zim sensed this and picked the plate up off the ground, asking for Dib, "Why did I save you?"
Dib just shook his head, which made Zim stare at him curiously.
"Why did you leave?"
Zim's eye averted and he put the plate back down before sighing and saying, "I didn't, well, I did, but I had hoped to come back within the month."
"Then why didn't you?" Dib asked, suddenly feeling a lot like the wife that had been cheated on and he didn't know why, all he knew was that it felt a lot like betrayal.
Zim narrowed his eyes, too ashamed of the answer so instead asking, "Why do you care? I thought you wanted me gone so I couldn't take over you pathetic planet."
"I did, but you didn't even say anything, I had no idea what you were planning, where you were hiding, I went crazy trying to find you, to figure out what happened to you." Dib said in a very accusing tone.
"Well I was captured, alright?" Zim was close to shouting, hating having to admit he had been caught unawares to the one person who could ever equal him.
"Captured?" Dib asked curiously, wondering who in the whole universe could hold Zim for more than five minutes much less five years. "By whom?"
"Some idiot resistance called the Resisty. They thought I had some information they could use but I didn't." Zim crossed his arms and sat back down, now noticing this might end up a long conversation.
"And it took them five years to let you go?" Dib asked, turning his whole body so he was leaning against the arm rest and facing Zim.
"No, they STILL think I've got this information." Zim said, trying to give Dib the answers he wanted without saying it.
"So they kept you prisoner?" Dib asked before all the dots connected in his brain and he added, "They, did they, torture you or something?"
Zim just nodded, leaning back as well before changing the subject by asking, "Do you have any other clothes than those or do we need to get you some?"
Dib looked down at the little bit of clothing he was wearing now before saying, "Well, I was supposed to be under that treatment for six years, so I'm thinking I will need some clothes."
"Right," Zim nodded, moving over Dib so he could check the sizes on the shirt and pants before calling Gir with the information, needing to almost yell over the music in the background.
Dib just smiled, somethings never changed.