(A/N: Ahem! Uh, a big "thank you" to those who like the story and stuff!...well, uh...yeah, let's just get on with it...)
When the duo returned home, Tak was able to move her space pod into Zim's storage bay (despite his opposition).
Then they had to do their homework. If you read the second chapter, you would know that Zim is terrible at math. Tak, on the other hand, was proficient with numbers and breezed through her work.
Within minutes, she heard Zim muttering angrily. She looked up and across the table at him. He looked like he was about to explode. Finally, he stood up in frustration. With a shriek, he flipped the kitchen table over.
"RAAAAAAUGH! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!"
Fuming, Zim balled up one of his worksheets and threw it at the wall. GIR happily popped out of the trash can, picked up the worksheet and went back down. He was going to make a hat out of that for sure.
Tak shoved the table off of her. She fixed Zim with a furious glare.
"YOU'RE THE IMPOSSIBLE ONE, YOU...IDIOT!" Tak screamed at him. Zim stared at her for a few seconds before responding.
"ZIM IS IMPOSSIBLY AMAZING!"
"UGH!" Tak facepalmed."You're such...a maniac! You can't do the simplest of math problems, you always talk about how 'amazing' you are when you're just a big JERK! You even ruined my life! My only chance of being an invader was CRUSHED because of YOU! AND YOU DON'T! EVEN! CARE!" she shouted. Her face was burning pink now.
Zim had nothing to say. He set the table back up and went back to his work. He was a little calmer now.
Tak stood for a few seconds just watching him. Finally, she decided to offer some sort of apology, when...
"You're just jealous that the Tallest gave Zim a mission and not you..." she heard Zim utter.
Tak's eye twitched. She put her hands up in that "I'm done" sort of way and walked over to the toilet.
Skoodge popped out of it. He beamed at the sight of her.
"Hiya, Tak!" Skoodge greeted."Headed to the lab?"
Zim scowled just from hearing Skoodge's voice. He REALLY wondered why he hadn't kicked him out...
Tak frowned at the cheerful Irken, but then she nodded. Stepping on top of him like last time, she flushed them both. Zim didn't even glance at them.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Within the elevator, Tak switched off her disguise. She thought about what just happened.
All these years, she could think of nothing and no one but Zim and how much she wanted him to suffer. Although she had many other things to think about now, she still couldn't get over Zim. The total apathy he showed for her suffering was what made it worse. Not to mention the fact that he wouldn't just leave the planet. His mission wasn't even real, but every time someone told him, he would either cut them off or accuse them of lying.
Tak sighed...again.
"So, what were you and Zimmy talking about?" Skoodge asked her. She snapped out of her thoughts.
"Ugh...look, we...'Zimmy'?" she asked. Skoodge just kept smiling at her."...anyway...Skoodge...have you ever told Zim that his mission was a lie and Tallest sent him here to die?"
"Zim's mission is a lie?!" gasped Skoodge.
"You were AT the Great Assigning when he got it!" said Tak, astonished."You're just finding this out NOW? Literally EVERY invader knows that! The Tallest even put it on Spacebook!"
"They denied my friend request..." muttered Skoodge sadly.
"...can't this elevator go any faster?!"
"We're already here..."
"Oh." Tak exited the elevator.
"Dinner's at 3 AM!" Skoodge told her.
"Yeah, okay..."
"And don't tell Zim that I still call him 'Zimmy' like when we were smeets. He doesn't like that... And I won't tell Zim that his mission is a cruel lie!" he finished, winking.
Tak threw up in her mouth a little.
"Uh...sure, whatever," she responded. The grinning Skoodge went up the elevator. Tak proceeded into the lab."MiMi!" she called.
Deeper within the underground lab, MiMi and GIR were watching the Angry Monkey Show. MiMi didn't really get it.
"MIMI!" the SIR unit heard her mistress call. She stood up.
"Aww..." whined GIR."You gotta go?"
MiMi nodded and waved quickly. She then rocketed off to her mistress's aid.
XXXXXXXITSDINNERTIMEXXXXXXX
Dinner time was very, very awkward. Tak was glaring at Zim, Zim (now out of disguise) was acting like nothing had happened, and Skoodge was being his usual smiley self. These three Irkens sat around the table, waiting for their supper.
"What's taking so long?!" Zim shouted across the kitchen.
"One more minute, milord!" replied GIR.
Since it was impossible for her to eat anyway, MiMi was helping GIR make the dinner. She was confused by the concept of putting waffle batter into the nacho cheese, but that was what GIR signaled for her to do, so she did it. GIR poured the waffle cheese onto the nachos and grinned.
"DONE!" he exclaimed, putting the tray of chips on the table. Then he took off his chef hat and sat between Zim and Skoodge. Indifferent, MiMi sat between Tak and Zim.
And so, the quintet of aliens and robots ate the nachos. And the cheese was really tasty. Still, though, it was quite silent and boring. MiMi sat, watching the four eat. She rubbed the space where a mouth was supposed to be. Upset, she continued to remain in silence.
After supper, Zim gave GIR a new rubber piggy for the excellent meal. GIR hugged it excitedly.
"What's this one do?! What's this one DOOOO?!" yelled GIR. You see, recently, Zim had been making actually useful rubber piggies. One could inflate, another had a grappling hook, etcetera. Zim watched GIR hop up and down in distaste before responding.
"THIS one, GIR, I have programmed to FIRE DEATH LASERS FROM ITS TAIL!"
"Ooooh..." GIR flipped it over.
"Test it out on SKOODGE THERE!" ordered Zim, pointing. Skoodge's antennae drooped.
"Waitwaitwait-OW!" cried Skoodge as GIR fired the piggy laser at him. He fled, and GIR continued to chase him, giggling crazily.
"Hmph," snorted Tak, pushing past Zim. He looked at her angrily for a second, but then he remembered something.
"Tak!"
"WHAT?"
"Er...I am..."
"..."
"...uh-"
"WHAT. IS IT?" Tak asked impatiently.
"...er, I realize that some of my previous actions were 'not well taken'..." he quoted, and Tak's frown deepened."So...I apolghmf..."
"...what?"
"I'm...sormmhygh..." Now he was just covering his mouth. Tak moved it out of the way. None too gently, might I add...
"WHAT?!"
"I'M SORRY, OKAY?! I, ZIM, AM APOLOGIZING TO YOU!" he blurted loudly.
Tak was taken aback by this. She stared at him a bit, trying to see if he was sincere. Zim stared back nervously. Eventually, Tak sighed. Her curiosity had officially been peaked, and that wasn't a simple task with someone like her.
"What do you need...?" she asked. Tak knew that Zim probably wouldn't apologize to someone unless he needed their help. Zim NEVER regretted his actions.
"I need you to help me steal something."
(A/N: And...DONE! WHEW! That took a while because I kept having problems saving! But, it's done, and I will appreciate your praise. I'm going to go have a big boy snack. Until next time, my reader, enjoy life. Au revoir.)