The doors swung shut with a harsh beep and they were off. The halls were abandoned and eerie. Two sets of feet hitting the tile echoed hauntingly in the dark. Dib's ears were perked for any noise beyond the two of them, knowing they had time but a limited amount. He took a sharp turn towards a stair well and glanced back only to see that Zim was still walking, determined and crazy, with no idea that Dib had turned. The alien must have a blind spot or something, seeing only what was in front of him.

The teen rushed over and grabbed the edge of Zim's sleeve and tugged him back in the right direction. "We have to take these stairwells. The elevators have cameras we didn't de-activate."

Zim leaned against the rails and peered up the stairwell, letting out a small groan. "What was going on in the big head of yours? That will take too long!"

The Irken let out a huff before the pod on his back slid open. The click-whirr of his long, metal legs unfolding into the space behind Zim echoed against the bare walls of the staircase. He was hoisted easily off the ground, his PAK legs being second nature, like an extension of the Irken himself.

"Hang on, Dib-worm." Zim turned Dib around and wrapped his arms around the taller male's ribs, lifting him off the ground without too much trouble. "Arg, you're heavier than you appear." He grunted.

Without wasting any more time, they were launched up the stairs. The four metallic legs carried them swiftly upwards in large strides, tiny pings of metal hitting the wall trailing after them.

Zim kept a tight grip on the human as his feet dangled and swung in the air, though he thought he might drop him a couple times on their ascent. He was grateful when they reached the top floor, and Zim dropped the human to the floor.

"Ok, now where?"

The human's body was frozen, eyes wide behind his glasses. Instinct demanded that he freak out and flail but, fear of being dropped kept him still. Dib whined and took a step back from the irken, brushing himself off. "Did you just…carry me up the stairs and call me fat all at once?" He screwed up his face and crossed his arms, then he shook his head and turned towards the door.

"Come on. It's through here." Dib pushed open said door until they were on the roof with the barley there stars shining on them.

Zim brushed himself off, retracting his PAK legs and landing on his feet with a soft thump. He followed Dib onto the roof with wide strides, eager to meet the night. The cool air brushed over his feelers and he let in a large gulp of welcome freedom. The Earth air, however wretched it was, was still a nice change of scenery compared to being in that box of filth.

He leapt out onto the roof, reaching his hands out towards the sky. Such a wonderful, beautifully wretched sky! Its vastness opened up to Zim once more, and nothing could box him up again. He let out a triumphant laugh, letting it resonate from his chest and into the night air. He leaned over the edge of the building, peering down at the city lights.

Small, insignificant ants marching their way through their dull, uneventful lives. This planet truly was pathetic; undeserving of the life that inhabited it. He took in a deep breath and yelled over the edge to the city.

"You think you can keep Zim locked up! You threw your best my way and I still beat you! ZIM IS UNSTOPPABLE!" He cackled.

Dib breathed a laugh, feeling his lips curl up at the sight Zim made, laughing at the skyline. Being locked up had obviously made him stir crazy. He looked triumphed, a soldier who had defeated his enemy. There was still an niggle of anger at the alien for lying but, Dib couldn't help but be happy for him anyway.

The city was buzzing, the city he'd grown up in and had never really left. From here he could see his neighborhood and the old arcade, the ice cream Shoppe, his skool. His whole life existed here and though it was a part of him, he had also never had as much fun, as much excitement in his life than he'd had standing by Zim.

Dib leaned against the metal wall next to the irken and smirked. "Are you going to call your ship or waste time yelling at inanimate buildings?"

"It is not the buildings Zim is yelling at; but the planet! It tried to keep Zim down but to no avail, unsurprisingly." Zim gleamed, turning back to the human.

The city lights glowed up at them and lit up Dib's face in a way Zim had never seen before. He had only ever seen Dib in the lab, where harsh light shone downward. From here things seemed much more…natural. His face seemed less pale, and surrounded by the night, his amber eyes stood out noticeably. They seemed to glow from a fire that burned internally, somewhere from the very soul of the human. They lit up the night around them, almost as if he was setting the cool air on fire.

Zim cleared his throat and pushed himself away from the edge.

"That's enough of that." He mumbled as his PAK legs deployed once more. "Let's get out of here. The Cruiser is nearby, a short sprint and we'll be home-free. Tuck your legs in this time; I don't need your giant human-legs throwing off my balance."

And once more, Zim was scooping the human up underneath his arms. Not hesitating for a moment, Zim took them over the edge, his PAK legs carefully wedging them against the Membrane Lab building and its neighbor.

Zim stared at him for a few seconds and Dib stared back, confused but feeling an odd sense of excitement low in his gut. He should ask what he's looking at. But, then he didn't have to because suddenly he was scooped up in Zim's arms, obeying without question and they were scaling the freaking building. A scream of fear, of excitement built up and stuck in his throat. Dib wanted to throw his arms wide.

Zim hoisted them down until the human's feet could touch the ground and then dropped themselves onto the concrete. "There, now let's get out of here."

Zim sprinted, leading the way to his ship, which was maybe a bit too close to the Labs, all things considered. It nested not-so-neatly behind some foliage. "Here. It's a one passenger ship so we'll have to improvise…"

The human followed behind Zim, eyes peeled for any sign of the day shift. They would be showing up soon if his calculations were correct which they were. After making sure it was safe he turned back to Zim and stared. A real life ship. Oh my god.

"Oh my god." Awe. It was compact and a light magenta color that reminded him of Zim's eyes. It shined in the vague lights of the night. Dib's fingers twitched with the urge to touch it. And he found he couldn't deny himself, hands skimming the smooth metal. It gave him shivers. Alien technology that was so far beyond anything he'd ever seen before. Such a tiny vessel and it could take them into space.

"It's…amazing."

"Yes, it is, isn't it. Now stop gawking and hop in." Zim demanded and the cockpit popped open. "We only have so much time and we still need to stop by your residence." Zim ushered the human into the seat before climbing in after him. "Now just…don't move around too much."

Zim swung himself into the cockpit, taking his seat on Dib's lap. Luckily there was still room for him to comfortably navigate the ship as the door closed on them
The foliage rustled violently as the Voot lifted itself off the ground with ease and took off from its hiding spot. They started off low to the ground before Zim brought them up above the city, and once more Zim found himself smirking at the small ants below them. So unaware as to what was coming. So unassuming.

With the Voot's help, it didn't take long for them to reach the Membrane household, with Dib pointing the way from behind the small alien. Zim gracefully lowered the cruiser into the fenced off back yard, and wasted no time popping the cockpit open and hopping out, not wanting to think about the fact that he had been sharing his personal space with the human. Who was oddly soft and warm, regardless of his gargantuan nature.

"Ahem," Zim cleared his throat, looking around the yard. "Let's make this quick; only grab what you need."

Dib struggled out of the cockpit, much less graceful than his alien counterpart, grumbling and finally landing on the grass with a grunt. The ride had been awkward and he had no idea why. Well, it had been so on his part at least. Zim seemed not to care even a bit that they'd been touching pretty much everywhere and that they'd shared heat.

Would they have to ride like that all the way to Zim's planet. The very idea was a bit…discomforting. Dib wasn't claustrophobic, thankfully but being in such close contact with the irken had an effect on him. "I'll do my best."

He cleared his throat and stumbled towards the back door, yanking his key out of the depths of his pocket and pushing it into the lock the same time that he typed in the code. It opened with a whoosh and Dib fled inside, forgoing turning any lights on, lest he wake up Gaz.

It took him only a few seconds to take the stairs two at a time and crash into his room which was as messy as he'd left it this morning. Dib grabbed another bag from his closet and filled it with a change of clothes. That was all he needed, except maybe some food from the kitchen. His fingers went to turn off the light to his room only to pause, biting down on his bottom lip. An idea itched at the back of his mind.

In the corner of his closet, hidden by tons of other boxes and clothes there was something he'd bought on instinct nearly a year ago. It might be too small by now. With a groan, he bounced over to the closet and shoved everything else out of his way until he found what he was looking for; it was dusty but once Dib yanked the smooth fabric from its box he felt a shiver of excitement.

It had been his birthday. Dib had gotten what he'd expected that year; lab equipment, chemicals, books and money. The black trench coat had been in the mall, hanging in the back of one of those stores he never went into. The kind of place where kids had beanies and dark clothes with chains and tons of piercings.

But, he'd gone in with Gaz. And began looking around out of boredom and there it was in the very back, hanging on a rack of clearance stuff. Dib didn't know why he'd bought it as he never wore it. Maybe now was the time. If it even fit.

The fabric slid over his arms effortlessly, smooth and slightly cool. It warmed nearly instantly. Despite been shoved in the back of his closet for nearly a year, it fit like a glove. A smile spread on his face and Dib grabbed his stuff before flying back down the stairs with a glance at his sister's room. He thought of her briefly. She would be okay. Gaz was always okay. Maybe they would see each other again one day.

There wasn't much food in the house because they hadn't gone grocery shopping recently but, Dib figured he could deal with chips and water for now. There had better be food wherever they were going or he'd throw a bitch-fit. Finally, he slipped back out into the night with the door shutting behind him with a click. "I think that's all I need for now."

"Finally," Zim groaned, kicking a nearby pinecone. "Why you even bothered is beyond me, whatever you grab here on Earth will be completely useless in comparison to the sheer superiority of Irken equipment." He huffed, standing aside for the taller male to hop back into the cruiser and taking note of his wardrobe change. The black fabric was much easier on the eyes, and Zim was thankful for that. Plus Dib stuck out much less, which was always a big help in situations like these. But in the end, Zim figured it wouldn't even matter.

Dib didn't hop back into the cruiser, instead he threw his back in before turning to Zim and glaring. "Um. Arrogance, much? I mean I know humans kind of suck but, I do need thing stuff keep me, Yanno alive, until we can figure out this whole thing."

"We really have no time for your endless whining, Dib-worm." Zim glowered. His feelers fell back as his brow furrowed. It was always one thing or another with the creature. Why did he think it was a good idea to bring him along again? He was suddenly having trouble remembering. "You know, I don't HAVE to take you with me, right? You'd better just be grateful I'm not giving you up to my leaders!"

Dib's jaw clenched and his fists curled. No punching the ally. No punching the ally. "No. We've gone over this. I saved your ass, Invader. And you owe me. You owe me my god damn planet. We could argue about this more. We could wait until it escalates. Or we could get in the damn ship. Because either way, Zim," He poked the irken in the chest, enunciating each word. "I. am. Getting. In ."

And suddenly it was a matter of pride. Never mind that it was Zim's idea for Dib to come along. Never mind the fact that Dib had save Zim's life. It was now about having the last say.

Zim glared up at the human, magenta eyes darkening in newfound anger. He bared his teeth and growled, straightening his back and puffing out his chest. "Zim owes nobody! Zim could have gotten out of that cell just FINE, without your help!" He returned the jabs issued to his chest. "And one life, no matter how great it is, is not worth saving this ball of dirt! And you'd better be more keen on showing me the proper respect, lest I decide to change my mind!"

Dib was easily impressed and having an alien so close was probably the best thing that had ever happened to him. All of that awe, if there was any remaining, was gone in that second and replaced with white hot rage.

"Yo-You…" His fists were balled and clenched so hard he could feel the blood seeping from his knuckles. He'd never punched anyone in his entire life. Had never had much reason to or much want to. Now he wanted to very, very badly and the second 'change my mind' left the irken's mouth….

His fist connected hard to the side of Zim's face and it hurt. Immediately, after doing so he began cursing and holding his hand to his chest. "Fuck. Holy. Your head is freakin—oh my god."

Zim stumbled back, more out of surprise than anything else. Hot, dull pain ebbed through Zim's face and down his neck and caused him to cringe. He cupped the side of his face and looked back at the human, eyes, or rather EYE wide in shock.

He had struck him. The human had the gall to actually strike Zim. After everything the Irken was willing to do. It was obvious that the human had no real background in hand-to-hand combat, but at this point that fact was moot. Zim's surprised melted away, leaving the raw expression of rage behind. A bright bruise already forming on his green cheek.

There was no hesitation as Zim retaliated, no thought going into what he actually planned to do; only raw fighting instinct. He leapt and his tiny claws enclosed around the human's neck, a growl escaping his throat.

Who knew what Dib might've done next. He most likely would've cursed more and apologized. Maybe he would've stolen Zim's ship because that thought had entered his mind. But, none of that happened because suddenly he was suffocating and falling backwards against the vessel with Zim on top of him, growling and squeezing.

The human's eyes narrowed and his own hands went up to grasp at the other's, pulling with all his might. This could not be happening. This was insane. This morning he'd woken up, thinking he could save an innocent being and now he was being choked by the hands of a monster.

It should've been terrifying. Wasn't nearly dying a scary thing? Aliens were supposed to be scary. This whole thing screamed 'cheap horror movie' and yet, all Dib could focus on was Zim's eyes. They were leaping with rage, practically black they were so dark and there would be a nasty bruise on his cheek. Dib felt satisfied about that.

Zim's entire being seethed with beautiful passion and Dib let go of the alien's hands and instead curled his fingers behind Zim's head, yanking him down and pressing their lips together. No thinking. Just the black dots before his eyes and green skin to be marked, by any means.

Zim's fingers unfurled in surprise at the sudden impact. He had imagined something much more forceful, like a head-butt. But their lips mashed together and things suddenly slowed down, his thoughts coming to a screeching halt.

What was he trying to do just moment before? It was suddenly hard to remember what it was that they needed to do. All he could seem to focus on was the heat that emanated from the human's lips pressed against his own. His hands ran up the human's neck and jaw before burying themselves in Dib's hair, grabbing a handful of it before pulling away, leaving only a centimeter of space between their faces. He licked his lips, taking in the strange flavor that the human's mouth left behind, something within him thumping hard and pushing the blood in his body to his face.

"I have to admit….that's a pretty good means of defense…." Zim whispered, reluctantly.

"I-I…uh…" Dib's heart beat double time and so hard he heard it in his ears which felt very hot, everything felt hot, especially the places where they touched. A small, unsure smile curled his lips and he let out a shuddering breath. "Yeah. I'll have to remember it next time." Next time? Some how he just knew there would be one.

The pads of his finger tips brushed smooth skin, sliding down the back of Zim's neck then back up again towards his antenna. He'd barely touched them once and they'd been sensitive. Dib wanted to touch them now and he couldn't break his gaze away from Zim's half lidded eyes. They were so close and he knew there was something they had to do. Very important.

This was his first kiss. Another first Zim had claimed.

"We…we should be…doing something." Zim muttered under his breath as he felt those warm fingers trail up his scalp. He leaned his head back slightly into the touch, his eyes closing as they found their way to his antennae. He hated the human for this. He hated him for being so good at distracting him; for being so warm and…delicious.

A shudder ripped through him and he let out a small gasp as Dib's digits fondled their way up Zim's sensitive stalks. A purr made its way out of Zim's chest, and he didn't even notice that he was pressing himself closer against the body beneath him.

The purr worked its way through to Dib who shivered in response because he'd caused it and it was wonderful. He brushed his fingers over the base of one of Zim's antenna. "Something…" He chastely pressed a kiss to Zim's top lip, trying to think and failing epically. Something…

What was at his back? Something hard. A ship. The ship…oh. Right.

His eyes snapped open and Dib fought the urge to push the irken away, instead doing his best to disentangle himself, beginning the long process of freaking out. "Leaving. Uh. Earth. That's what we're doing."

The antenna twitched softly in Dib's fingers, aching for the soft caress that they promised. "Are you sure," Zim panted softly against the human's lips. He wasn't so sure that was it. He was certain that they needed to stand here and think about it for a long while.

But the more the human's words lingered, the more the haze lifted. What were they doing? They didn't have time for this; they hardly had time for this little stop as it was.
Zim groaned and stood up on his toes, mashing their lips together forcefully, taking in the flavor. He pulled away after a moment, pulling himself from the human. He wiped his mouth, glaring up at the taller male. His golden eyes burned with a deep seeded desire he could easily recognize and relate to. He took in a deep breath of cool air, the night filling the gap between their once tangled bodies and leaving Zim's chest, among other things, feeling chilled.

"Just get in the Cruiser. And don't think your little stunt it going to be enough to make up for this." He reminded, pointing to his bruised cheek.

"Abluh." Dib said not too coherently. It was hard to make any sense at the moment. But, after the haze of…lust? (Oh that's weird) faded he managed to breathe properly and scowl a bit. It wasn't his most effective one but, it was good enough as he climbed into the vessel.

"Y-You started choking me—" He stopped himself. That would get them nowhere but, fighting again and as well as this one had turned out…Dib stopped himself. Again. No more thinking about kissing and fighting. Make peace, Dib.

"I-I'm sorry about punching you. My temper got the best of me. Funny. You're the only person I've ever met that's made me that mad before." And crazed, filled with weird urges. Dib licked his lips because they tingled and he wanted it to go away, only to end up shivering because his lips tasted like Zim. Zim already had a taste; fire, consumption, peppermint and something else unnamable. Dib figured it was something to do with space. He flopped against the chair and waited.

Zim took in a deep breath of the night, one last time, before jumping into the ship after Dib. "Yes, well." The Irken shifted a bit before closing the door on them once again. "I guess my years of combat training got the best of me." He muttered as the Voot roared to life.

For the second time, they took off, only now with a different course in mind. They were flying through the clouds in no time, the city becoming a pinpoint of light in a sea of surrounding cities, and soon states.

They broke through the clouds with minor turbulence, and Zim looked back over his shoulder, first at the planet, then at the human he currently sat on.
"Say goodbye, Dib-worm." He said with a smirk as they burst free from the Earth's atmosphere.

And as the Earth took its global shape behind them, they finally seemed to level out. The darkness of space was the only thing greeting them, ahead. Darkness and a long, awkward journey.