Zim cleared his throat a bit. "I suppose I should thank you. Even if it was incredibly stupid and reckless."
"Oh uh…" Dib's brows furrowed in concentration, glancing back up at their reflection in the window. "You don't have to thank me." There was no reason to, not when Dib had wanted to do it and when it just seemed like the right thing to do. Sighing, he lay back further and let his eyes fall shut, working on relaxing.
"How far are we from…The Massive?" It was a very impressive name. He would assume the ship fit it perfectly or he would be disappointed.
Zim sighed a bit, not wanting to move from his spot. He had finally been able to take his mind off his leg and nestle himself into a comfortable spot on the human's lap. With a small groan, he leaned over and skimmed his fingers over the control panel, eliciting a few harsh notes along with a section of Irken text. Each Irken ship was built in with a beacon that lead right back to the Massive, though it was usually covered in a thick layer of security codes. Zim was able to breach it, easily.
"Mmm," Zim hummed thoughtfully. "We're lucky; it seems the massive has changed its position since our little adventure on foodcourtia. It should only take us a couple of day to reach them if we don't stop. And if they don't change direction." He returned to his relaxed position, leaning against the human's chest.
"With even more luck, your strange human functions will be kept under tabs until then."
Said human considered this, nodding slowly and starting to think of a routine for himself so he could control said functions. He was a bit hungry and he could eat today but, he didn't necessarily need to eat tomorrow. A little bit of water wouldn't hurt but, he would split the bottle for those two days.
Satisfied, Dib slunk back further in the seat, hesitating only a second before wrapping his arms around the alien's middle. "It's more comfortable. This way my arms aren't hanging everywhere." He murmured as way of explanation. A few moments of silence passed and the stars passed around them instead of just above.
Zim shifted a bit at the human's touch, but decided that even if it was awkward to be comfortable in such a way with another person, they wouldn't be like this for long, anyways. Might as well be comfortable for the short time they'd spend in the cramped cockpit, right? Not that he should care about the human's over all comfort, in the first place. But he sort of owed him, considering he had saved Zim's life.
Actually, it was starting to get way too exhausting to come up with a reason to justify his actions towards Dib. He figured it would be best to just let it happen, from here on out. It might have been a bad decision, but at this point he was probably already in way over his head.
"Do what you need to, Dib-human." Zim mumbled, peering out the window to avoid looking up at his companion.
Gazing past his reflection into the vast cold abyss of space, his eyes caught a distant glowing mass. A nebula, brilliant in its bright pink, blue and green swirls of stars and dust dancing through the endless space.
"Look," Zim pointed, knowing the human will have some sort of interest in the massive clump of dust and gas.
Blinking his eyes open, (Dib hadn't realized they had closed), he glanced over where Zim pointed. A hazy fantastic glow surrounded it, swirling fog and smoke. Several colors, ranging from magenta to black in an infinite scope. Thousands of stars surrounded the area, creating a beacon of illumination. Dib swallowed, in awe of the beauty. In one long whoosh, he lost his breath. "Wow. It's incredible…a real life nebula…"
He gaped a little before chuckling softly and tightening his grip on the Irken. "It's the color of your eyes…" It didn't occur to him until later that maybe that was kind of…a weird thing to say.
Zim's brow furrowed at the comment, and he felt a veil of heat cover his face as his cheeks flushed. Why was that so off-putting to Zim? It was a simple observation, but the fact that Dib was observing him in such a way still made him a bit uncomfortable. Though it was pointless to fight it; observing and dissecting situations was hard-wired into Dib's personality, as obnoxious as it was.
Suddenly, the air between the two seemed almost unbearably warm, regardless of the cold space that surrounded them. Zim tore his eyes away from the spectacle of the nebula to chance a peek up at the human who had his arms draped protectively around the Irken. His face was bright in excitement; lit up with wonder and fascination, along with the lights of the control panel and glow of the far off nebula. It was….a sight, to say the least.
Something in Zim's chest pounded hard, and the sound of it echoed all through him, making it difficult to focus on anything. What could he say to end this?
"How so?" He hated how unsure and shaky his voice sounded. Like he was hearing himself over a great distance.
It was hard to want to really talk when there was such wonder out there, so close and yet, Dib loved talking so he was at an impasse. Tearing his gaze from the nebula he, glanced down at Zim and tilted his head to the side. There was something there in the Irken's expression. Damned if Dib knew how to go about decoding it. He hardly understood his own emotions. But, it was wide eyed and his voice shook…
"What do you mean? Why the nebula is incredible? Or how it reminds me of your eyes?" Oh. Yeah. That was…weird wasn't it? It screamed crazy. Didn't guys say things like that to girls they liked? 'Your eyes remind me of the blue sky'… or some other bull? But, it was true here though. He'd spoken without thinking (a bad habit, just as thinking too much was).
In any case, suddenly this felt important. Like a test or something. His heart beat too quickly and his palms felt sweaty. What was happening to him?
Did Zim only manage to make the situation worse? Of course he did, because now Dib was peering down at Zim who was hunched up in his arms, and feeling frustratingly small. He could see the human trying to read him, like he always did, and he had to look away. He felt the need to protect something, at least one thing, from Dib's penetrating gaze. He needed to be able to keep some portion of himself from being observed like some sort of exhibit on display.
But of course, looking away didn't disperse any of the heat that had managed to form between them, somehow.
"Both." Not that he was particularly interested in the human's opinion on the nebula.
It had gotten too awkward, too close and personal and that heat was building between them again. The same as it had when they'd kissed before but, different in some nearly imperceptible way that he could feel scrape against his brain. Dib pulled his arms away, one falling to his side and brushing some of the food bags, the other going up to mess with his hair.
"I like space." Dib began, noticing how Zim looked away and thinking that it was probably a good thing since he didn't think he would've been able to. "And nebulas are my favorite thing about it…they're such crazy things. Formations of ice, gas, dust and starlight that aren't that special on their own but, together they make this swirling, incredible…mass."
Yeah, Dib loved to talk. But, up until a few days ago no one had ever been around long enough to listen. Or care to listen anyhow. "And as for your eyes…well, the color is the same. A vivid red constantly shifting to dark purple or light pink depending on your moods or the light source. It glows the same way…and I feel like I could get lost in there. Just walk into the dusty clouds and breathe it all in, space and time, the places where it all came from and die happy."
Dib looked down at his hands. Long, lanky fingers. Pale and clumsy. "I think I could do that with your eyes sometimes. You look so far away on occasions. Like you're remembering a time a billion years ago and I want to know your secrets, know the stories you hold. I want to soak up everything and bask in it." He needed to stop talking. This was stupid.
"I want to know everything about the universe, about you." And suddenly it wasn't about the nebula anymore. But, had it ever really been?
Zim was stunned, to say the least. The Invader found himself speechless at the human's confession. It seemed Dib's fascination with Zim ran deeper than he had anticipated, and the reality of it knocked the Ikren off his equilibrium. But in a good way. Or at least, he thought it was good; everything since knowing Dib just seemed to blend into a horribly wonderful gradient of good and bad. He couldn't pick out the line between the two spectrums.
And what was more—Zim found that these feelings Dib had for him were mutual. After all, that was the reason he had plucked the teen from his planet; because he was interested in him.
He couldn't help but smile, though he wasn't entirely aware that he was.
"You will," Zim assured, reaching up and gently pushing up the lenses that covered those beautiful golden eyes, wanting to be able to peer into the depth of those tawny oceans without the glare of the universe around them. "In time."
Startled by the movement, Dib blinked when he glasses were pushed up into his hair. Everything was blurry now. One big haze of space and Zim, blending together so perfectly it was terrifying. "I…will." They had all the time in the world didn't they? Did they? "Will you stay with me then? We'll actually…"
It sounded more stupid than it had in his head. "Be…married? You'll show me the universe? And…Earth will be safe…" It sounded too good to be true. An alien as his partner, a guide. It wasn't like he'd never thought of getting married before on Earth. Maybe find a nice girl to settle down one day. But, that was years in the future. Not when he was just turning 18 in…however long.
But, suddenly he realized how badly he wanted this; not just to save his planet(that was important) but, to be with Zim and learn everything about him. It felt vital. It felt right. Like the thing he was meant to do. If he had believed in it, he would've called it fate.
"Zim will stay, Dib-human." Zim answered in a soft voice, his gloved claws trailing softly down the teen's cheek to trace his jaw. "I'd like to see you try and get around without me." He chuckled.
The pain in the Irken's leg managed to be pushed into the farthest corner of his mind as the human welcomingly monopolized his thoughts. Dib's scent and warmth filled the space between them, effectively over powering the smell of greasy food and blood. He smelled…like earth. But not the smoggy cities that seemed to dominate the planet, but rather the soil and plant life that they were built over. It was a rich, sweet scent that was still very foreign to Zim, regardless of his time spent on Dib's home world.
Dib's eyes, as always, were bright and smoldering; shining from the very flame of the human's soul. Reflecting all of his desires, and Zim could see himself in them.
Zim's digits ran under Dib's chin, bringing him into his personal space—as though he wasn't already—and tentatively pressed their lips together. Magenta eyes half-lidded, but not closed.
The human's eyelids fluttered but, followed Zim's lead and stayed open as they sat with their lips pressed together, nothing much happening. They were barely touching but, his heart beat triple time, warmth spreading from the connection between them. Dib swallowed and pressed back in the barest of ways, focusing on Zim's bottom lip, nibbling it slightly before sighing. It felt too hot in here. He was too hot, overheating.
"You're actually…staying with me, then. Good. I'll do the, uh the same." It was hard to focus, to speak clearly when their lips brushed every time he spoke and the sharp edges of Zim's claws there, not hurtful on his face but, very, very real. "Y-you do realize that this is…complicated? This t-thing between us. So complicated that it's um, almost…simple." Dib fought the urge to close his eyes. It felt too nice to be this close to someone. To an alien. To…Zim.
'Oh, Dib-thing,' Zim thought. 'Your human mind is only just grasping the very surface of our situation.'
"You have no idea…" Zim whispered against Dib's lips. Dib was in a state of blissful ignorance, and Zim wondered how long he could keep this protective bubble of naivety intact. Zim knew that when it would inevitably be destroyed, the force of it will crush Dib, and Zim would most likely be caught in the middle of it all. But he was too far in, now. He was almost as enveloped in the illusion as the human was.
Zim had to take a step back and look at it from his own mind; not the one the human had taken over. But it was so hard to step back, when he was so comfortable in his spot in Dib's arms. How could he force himself to pull away? To remind himself that this wasn't as romantic as the human was making it out to be.
In the very near future, Dib was going to curse Zim's name—and Zim would have to find a way to cope with this. To be able to turn his back on this loving nature he had become accustomed to in the short time he was exposed to it. How could something so foolish become so addictive?
But in the cockpit of Zim's Voot Cruiser, speeding along in space, Zim found it all too easy to ignore the hard truth. To allow himself to sink into the lie he had created, with Dib pulling him under.
"Things will….become very simple in the future." Zim hoped he wasn't giving too much of himself away. But in the end, he had unwillingly given himself up, entirely.
"They will? Good."The entire answer was confusing and vague but, he wasn't sure if he was up to unraveling the curious nature of Zim. Dib murmured, hazily, feeling himself falling deeper into those incredible eyes that were so much more expressive than a nebula, growing and constantly changing, pulling him further into what he felt was obsession.
But, how could he be obsessed when he hardly knew anything about Zim? Well, there was everything he'd learned in the lab but, that was basic information. But, then again….they had all the time in the universe didn't they? And since time didn't really exist…well, he had forever to learn the Irken.