Zim leaned back when the human reached out to touch the glass, watching him with curious eyes. The human's gaze seemed far away as he looked past him into the abyss of space as he talked, and Zim could tell that the human wasn't with him anymore. He was back on his planet, reliving the years he had spent doing something he had no passion for. He had lived seventeen years of his life stuck in some lab doing something he had never wanted to do in the first place. The Irken couldn't imagine. Zim had always been doing what he loved, save for that short time on Foodcourtia.
The human snapped back and he was suddenly with Zim again.
"I guess that makes sense." Zim finally said slowly. "So...I suppose then Zim is saving you?" He mused with a bit of a smirk. "I guess I'm not so much of a jerk, after all, eh?"
Dib smirked wryly before throwing a glance back at the Irken.
"Heh. Yeah. I guess in a way you are saving me. " A funny thought indeed. It wasn't one he was used to thinking considering the fact that he was pretty independent when it came to this stuff. One way or another he was sure he would've gotten to space. Right? Even if that had meant being the ruler of the Membrane Empire.
And as for the jerk thing… "You're still a jerk though." Pause. "But, less of one." Dib graced the alien with a gentle smile and attempted to wipe the smudge off the window with his elbow.
Zim gleamed. Of course he wasn't a jerk, what was the human creature even saying? Zim was merciful and wonderful; not a jerk at all. He waved a hand through the air. "Ah, what do you know?" He jabbed in an almost playful tone.
The alien sighed a bit, pressing his fingers together. "I suppose we should discuss our plan while we have all this time. Mainly how we plan to present the situation to my leaders.."
Dib nodded, thinking that was a good idea. Come up with their game plan. Leaning back to get a bit more comfortable, he shoved his hands back in his pockets, ignoring all of the satisfaction that Zim was radiating. "Okay. Well, you're the one who might have a better chance of explaining it to them. I want to help in any way possible. Um…"
There was the topic of marriage. How they planned to fix this whole thing. Bring their planets together. The idea was still horribly weird but, it was much better than planning on starting war. He didn't want to fight Zim though the alien was a jerk. Dib fought back a tiny smirk and took a deep breath.
"Well, I guess we need to..ask them for their permission first? Like see if this thing will work. Then if it does…get it over with as quickly as possible." That begged the questions though, how did Irkens get married? Was it like humans in which there was some people and a preacher and rings?
"Yes, well…" Zim began slowly. "They need to feel as though you are important enough to hear out your case. This will be difficult, considering nobody is important to the Tallest but themselves and the control brains. And…well…me, of course. The fact that I risked jeopardizing our galactic rule for your planet should be enough to grab their attention."
The Irken ran a hand over his bruised cheek as he thought. "The fact that you are heir to the most powerful influence on your planet might interest them. But we may need to stretch the truth a bit…."
Dib's own eyes flickered over Zim's bruised cheek, feeling kind of bad now. It was darkening quickly and it looked pretty painful. Blue and purple discolorations on the irken's green skin. It was like a huge blemish and it felt kind of blasphemous that he'd put it there. Dib fought his own urge to reach out and touch it, to investigate.
Stretch the truth? "What do you mean?"
Magenta orbs shifted their attention to the human. "Well, I mean. Look at you; you don't look very powerful at all." He lifted one of the human's arms to inspect the bony appendage. Gloved claws prodded at the muscle that was there, followed by an unimpressed scoff.
"You are lucky you are tall, or they wouldn't even bother with you." He shook his head and let the arm fall. "But even then, they need to believe that your planet is a valuable resource, and that you are the single most important being on it, otherwise they'll destroy you without a second glance." The thought made Zim smile a bit, a small sigh escaping his lips. "They are merciless." He swooned.
"Hey!" Dib sputtered, not knowing whether to be offended or weirded out. So he decided on both. But, he decided just to yank his arm away and shove it down by his side.
Zim shook his head before returning to the matter at hand. "So we glorify Earth and your presence on it, just a tiny bit. Then the rest is history." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone, giving a small shrug.
"You seem a little too…"Well, what was the proper word. "You um, like your Tallest." Obvious. But, the way Zim was saying it all was kind of creepy. Like he admired their mercilessness. Clearing his throat, Dib wished he could scoot away.
"Well, fine. I am, besides my father, the most important person on that planet anyways. If not the most important. I'm saving all of their asses aren't I? Plus, I'm the richest, brightest kid my age." Although that was mainly thanks to the fact that he had been cloned but, whatever. "I was powerful enough to punch you in the face and stop the Almighty Zim's fiendish attack on my person."
Zim sat up straight, his feelers springing forward. "Now, wait! You caught Zim off-guard, that hardly counts! I wouldn't be so proud, if I were you." He grumbled. "I'd like to see you try and do it again."
The Irken crossed his arms over his chest. "And anyway, I doubt the method you used to get the upper-hand is a legitimate military tactic. I don't think the Tallest would be impressed." But he had managed to get in a pretty good hit, as the ugly blue bruise forming on green skin clearly showed. But Zim wasn't about to admit that.
Snorting, Dib wanted to feel shame, really he did. But, all he felt at the current moment was pride despite Zim's rebuttal and a bit of confusion as to why the Irken's 'try and do it again' thing had his heart pounding and teeth grinding. "With my epic kissing ninja move of death? I don't know, Zim. It impressed you enough to make you let go."
Zim grumbled, unimpressed. His tongue clicked and his lips pursed in defiance. "You caught me off guard." The Invader repeated himself. "It was a cheap tactic." But honestly what could he say? He was in an adrenaline-fueled frenzy, and when the human kissed him, instinct drove him to kiss him back.
It was all very rushed, and he couldn't be held accountable for how he acted. He found himself at a loss of words at the human's obvious discomfort, though it made him smirk a bit to see.
Dib raised an eyebrow at that smirk and fought the urge to cover it up with his hand, thinking that might get himself bitten. Get on topic, Dib. Ask your questions and figure out this game plan. Don't waste time (though it seemed like they had a lot of it) messing around with an alien.
"Okay so we get there and we convince them that my planet and I are worthy of saving." The sarcasm might've been too heavy. "And then what? We dress up in our Sunday best and say our I Do's as the wedding bells ring?"
"What? Stop talking nonsense, Dib-worm. We don't have time for your jabbering." Zim waved a hand in front of the human's face, as if to bat away what he had just said. "If you are asking about the union, it's doesn't work like that.
The actual act is very private; only for the two parties and the control brains to witness. Modifications are made to our PAKs, and it's as easy as that." The Irken shrugged. "Oh, but, that's right—you don't have one." A gloved claw tapped Zim's chin as he thought. "Well….we'll have to improvise, then. Something that would be just as permanent…." He trailed off.
Dib wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that. What would be just as permanent as a full blown encoding in a—well a computer of sorts? But, then couldn't data be deleted? Yet, another question. Just how permanent were Irken unions? "Like a scar or a tattoo or a freaking chip in my brain?" He helpfully suggested, crossing his arms.
"And how permanent are these unions for you people anyway? Your pak's are like a computer. Can't any data just be…I don't know, deleted?" Seemed pretty unfair. But, then who was he to even think about himself at a time like this? So what if he had a brand new scar for the rest of his days. At least Earth would be safe.
"'Just deleted'," Zim scoffed. "To delete something from an Irken's PAK would be deleting a part of them. PAKs don't just hold data, not like your Earth computers. There are some aspects that can change and be altered, like an Irken's occupation. But a union, or a marriage as you say. Those are….a bit more complicated. Due to the intimate nature of the thing, it deals with emotions and not just our own—but the other party as well, they are life altering. That's mainly the reason the act is rarely performed, and reasonably so; a union between two Irkens cannot be undone."
It was strange how easily information seemed to flow from Zim, now. He had practiced holding back while he was in that cell back on Earth, but this human had the ability to draw it out of him without a second guess. And yet, Zim found that he wasn't as annoyed as he maybe should have been.
"Wow. That's…" Heavy. Incredible. Fascinating. All of the above? "Crazy." Dib made little noise, like air puffing from between his teeth in awe. Learning about Irkens never got old. His mind soaked it up like a sponge. In an effort to distil the seriousness of the situation, he reached over and grabbed his little bag he'd taken and pulled out one of the bags of chips, popping it open and immediately scooping a few up and chewing on them slightly. Chew, chew and swallow.
It was still hard to believe that Zim was doing this for him. Flattering and insane. Too intense for his young brain to handle. Even if it was pretty advanced (if he did say so himself). "So, emotions, eh? So, like does the Control Brain just do as you tell it to or will you have to go through certain…trials to prove something?" Or was he asking too many questions? Guess he would shut up when Zim told him to.
Zim watched Dib munch on his chips, revolted by the sight of the Earthly food. It didn't help that he could smell the grease off the baked goods, either. He huffed a bit, his hand thoughtlessly returning to his bruised cheek.
"Trials? No, not really. Or at least, none that I've ever heard of. They assist in the PAK encryption and alterations, as is the case for whenever PAK alterations are necessary, and of course they record it for documentation." Zim made a small noise of disapproval once he realized he was fussing with his cheek again, and dropped his hand to his lap.
"Honestly, the fact that you'd voluntarily alter who you are permanently should be trial enough." Brown eyes watched the alien's hand as it moved to his cheek and then down again with a huff. Dib chewed another chip and nodded, trying to understand and thinking that maybe he could with this. Maybe. Hadn't he altered himself for his father? It probably wasn't even close to the same sort of thing. But it was a start.
"Why do you keep touching your face? Did I really get you that good?"
"Ha. You think you could actually hurt Zim?" The alien chuckled dryly, but there was a small hitch in his voice that Zim wasn't able to catch, and he feared it might have given him away. He shrugged and peered out the window, his fingers curling into the fabric of his uniform.
There was no shame in it; the human had caught him off guard, after all.
But the seemingly smug air that surrounded Dib put Zim off. He knew from the get-go that Dib wasn't a creature of strength, or he at least didn't have any background in fighting; to think that Zim was his first fighting experience both tickled and infuriated Zim. He was mostly surprised by the act of it, but Zim would be lying if he said it didn't hurt. But Zim was a very good liar. Or at least he liked to think so.
Dib's lips stopped around a chip, frozen as he listened intently. There had been something wrong. A hitch in Zim's voice and a vulnerability. He wasn't exactly an expert on human body language, let alone an alien's…but, there were some things that were universal it seemed; knowing that you'd really hurt someone and the guilt that just wouldn't go away. He put the chip down.
"Holy crap. I did." He'd been joking before. Maybe when he'd hit Zim that had…violated some sort of fragile trust. Eh-no. That would not be good. Not good at all.
Dib glanced down at his hand where the knuckles were a bit red. They would be bruised too. But, gosh not like it was his face or anything. Zim seemed pretty prideful and kind of arrogant and from what he'd said about his race, they weren't push overs. Sighing, he dropped the chip back in the bag and brushed his hand off on his pants.
"Look. Sorry about…hitting you. In the face. I should've like…aimed lower or something. Or not hit as hard. Or done it at all. I've never…done anything like that before. You'd just…made me so mad." He'd never been that mad before. "It won't happen again. You did put a few small scratches in my neck," And it was kind of wheezy to breathe now. "But, when we get to foocourt-uh…whatever. You can punch me back if you like? No hold backs?"
The proposition was an interesting one. But Zim couldn't help but wonder what the human's angle was. He'd let Zim punch him in the face? All because he had given Zim a good smack on the cheek? It must have been a human thing, he figured.
He looked the human over, his head tilted to the side as he tried to read Dib's expression. What he saw there was hard to name; a mixture of guilt and sincerity. Whatever it was, it sent a crack to shoot up through Zim's defenses and he found his posture sagging.
"I might have to take you up on that offer at a later time. I'm sure that by the time we get there, food will be our first priority." He grumbled.
Dib glanced down at the chips, realizing he should probably save them. The bag rustled as he curled it into a ball and shoved it back into his bag. "I suppose." He sideways glanced at Zim and saw his slanted posture wondering what caused it and figuring that was enough questions for the day, er night? Whatever.
With a drawn out groan, he slunk down and let the stars have him. They really were beautiful. Strange to be looking at them now, so close and still so far but at least he wasn't stuck to the ground. It stayed silent for a while and Dib just stared out the window, occasionally glancing over at the alien who sat between his legs. He often found his attention diverted, caught between both.
Of course the stars and planets they passes were gorgeous. He nearly swooned when they finally flew past Neptune. But, there was just something hypnotic about Zim's face, the swoop of his neck and how the dim lights from the control panel, it played out the different tones of green and those eyes—
Well, finally Dib managed to fall asleep, blinking slower and slower until his lids fell shut.
Dib was hopelessly enchanting in his sleep. While those burning golden eyes hid behind thin lids, his face took on its true nature, revealing the finer details that were lost in his excitement. Zim's eyes trailed the human's features, taking note of every crease and imperfection in his traveling companion's face.
Long, dark eyelashes extended forward over pale cheeks, pink lips that parted softly. Lips with captivating curves. They were slightly chapped from being chewed excessively, and it didn't help that they never got a rest; always moving with new questions and endless jabbering. Jet black hair remained untamed atop Dib's head, sticking out in all directions with the exception of that ever present cow-lick.
Yes, Dib was fascinating, and Zim couldn't deny it. He had risked everything for this creature, after all. Zim knew that even though he wasn't planning on giving up his mission, just talking about it as if he were going to keep his word was risky.
But, Zim had always been selfish; he took what he wanted and almost never truly needed a reason behind his actions other than he just simply wanted it. He had gotten by on this policy, and it hadn't steered him wrong, yet. Only on rare occasions did he do something for somebody other than himself, and that was mostly for his Tallest, of course.
And he tossed every explanation around in his mind, and they all made sense to him; Dib was the only being on his planet worth saving, the only one that seemed to challenge him. He was interesting to Zim in a petty sort of way, and he showed potential to Irken Armada. With some proper training, of course. Or maybe it was much simpler than all that; maybe he just wanted a slave. Dib had proven naïve enough to hang on to every one of Zim's words as if it was law, and in a way naivety was just a glorified form of obedience.
But Zim decided not to question himself too much, he had never led himself astray or let himself down before. He thought it best just to trust his instincts, and felt a bit better when he did, finally allowing himself to relax and slump down into a more comfortable position. He rested his head against the human's soft belly and allowed himself a nap.