(A/N: Hey, yo! I was reading back through this story, and...I've made Zim kick GIR, like a BUNCH of times! I guess that's a running gag now, wow...

And just for the record, I love GIR, but Zim kicking him is just funny to me. Good luck dealing with your master, GIR! He'll be fine.

Welp! Onto the chapter! I made it long to compensate for the shortness of the last couple chapters, and that's why it took a tad!)

Luckily, today was Saturday, so Zim and Tak did not have to go to Skool that day. But of course, Zim was still going to try and take over the planet.

He was searching the data banks in his computer for some more ideas when he heard the elevator behind him.

As expected, Tak stepped out."Zim, I'm going out for a bit. Need to clear my head, you know?"

"Mm-HMM," Zim grunted in an irritated tone. He didn't even bother turning around.

Tak frowned."Well...bye." She got back to the elevator, switched on her disguise and left Zim's base with MiMi in tow.

She reckoned that that was the best excuse she could come up with. She was barely even looking for her ship anymore, and to be honest, she was getting pretty comfortable living with Zim. Though, he didn't really seem to mind her leaving just now...

Tak smiled.

The little guy really did trust her now.

But then...why was he regarding her so coldly?

XXXXXXXBACKWITHZIMXXXXXXX

Zim continued staring at the elevator where Tak had previously stood. He groaned randomly, then turned back to the monitor.

He glanced at the search bar. Now would be a good time to test out that computer screen voice command...typing...thing.

"Computer! Is the computer screen voice command typing thing fully operational?" asked Zim.

"Yep."

"Hm! I have to find out more about this strange emotion called 'love'!" As Zim spoke the word, "love" was searched."I'm starting to experience symptoms...So, how do I go about it? Search specifically for recent Irken practices!"

A bunch of words popped up on the screen and Computer began to read the information."Love is considered very explicit on Irk. Irkens of age are encouraged to partner with those of similar height. Pledges of affection and adoration can be exchanged between the two- -"

Zim stuck his tongue out."Revolting! Skip that part, just...get to the proclamation."

"Processing..." A new page popped up."Ahem. TELL THE PERSON THAT YOU LOVE THEM."

"That's it?...huh. Sounds simple enough!" Zim shrugged.

"HOWEVER!"

"Aw..."

"Be careful, Master," warned Computer."If the object of your infatuation does not feel the same way, you could ruin your chances. Forever. This may take some time."

"I knew there would a catch!" said Zim, kicking at the floor."Then again...who could resist ME?"

Computer stifled a laugh.

"This is but a side mission for ZIIIM!" He patted a fist into his palm."I must know for sure! Search the database for methods of seduction!"

"Processing..."

Zim cackled as the search results came flooding in...

XXXXXXXELSEWHEREXXXXXXX

Tak sat on a bench at Hurt Park thinking about what to do. She sure was in a sinister mood. But it wasn't like she had any weaponry at the moment. If only she were an invader...

A sigh escaped her unintentionally. She then turned her attention to MiMi, who was scrabbling on the ground close by.

"What are you doing, MiMi?" Tak leaned and tried to peek.

MiMi stepped aside to show her mistress what she had created.

It was a little drawing in the dirt. (A/N: Someone's been hanging out with GIR...) It depicted Zim and Tak (free of disguises) holding hands and looking very happy. Some would say it looked crude, but it WAS MiMi's first picture in the dirt.

Tak's eyebrows shot up.

Her SIR unit was now a ZaTr shipper.

"MiMi...! What have you been thinking...?!" Tak looked away."It's not...like that. It can't be."

A defiant look appeared on MiMi's catty features. Her mistress was shielding feelings for Zim and she KNEW it! It was the only way she would end up truly happy after all, and at least have some closure!

If only she could actually talk and tell her that...

Tak slipped off of the bench and walked past MiMi down the path.

MiMi's tail frizzed and she began running in the opposite direction down the path, which Tak noticed.

"MiMi! Where are you going?!" she asked the robot.

"Tak!"

Oh, no. Dib.

Tak screamed internally. MiMi reluctantly returned to her side.

"Oh, hello, Dib. Is something the matter?"

"Actually...yes, Tak. I've been thinking and evaluating some of my decisions...maybe it would be best if you did stay with Zim."

Tak frowned slowly."...hm? Whatever do you mean?"

"I was just wondering..." Dib hesitated to speak, as he was afraid of what Tak would say."Are you and Zim...together?"

The Irken's eyes grew to the size of saucers. She quickly thought of the best reply.

"Of course not. I likely haven't mentioned it before, but I've been moving around, remote locations, weakening Zim when I can! You know, like when I damaged his fence. That's why you've been seeing us in the same place so often. We're watching each other, waiting for the right times to strike. It's been such fun..."

Dib looked around, thinking again."Well, then...what was he saying yesterday about you not siding with me? I thought you didn't want Earth anymore."

Tak chuckled as she continued to lie."Oh, Zim insists that as an Irken, I have to conquer 24/7! You know how he is. That's also why I don't have his head on a silver platter; Irken code of conduct."

"Why do you hate Zim so much anyway? I mean, yeah, there are a LOT of reasons to hate him, but what did he do to you?"

"Long story," Tak replied nonchalantly."Let's just say...he ruined my life."

Dib eyed her suspiciously, still not fully convinced."Alright, well...okay. Make sure you let me know when you've made up your mind. It's really important."

"Heh-heh. Yes, Dib, certainly. Bye..." She gave him a quick peck on his cheek, then hurried past him down the path with MiMi.

The little cat looked at her mistress with concerned curiosity. OR curious concern. Whichever.

"MiMi, you'll understand soon enough," Tak said as she walked."Dib has been good to me so far, and now he's becoming useful. All it'll take is a little more time and some coddling..."

Dib stared after Tak until she exited the park, touching the tingling part of his face where she had kissed him.

Was this all true? Had he really figured Tak all wrong? It all seemed so farfetched...

But the boy walked on and tried not to let his emotions cloud his judgement.

"Now...to find those rabid squirrel-duck hybrids..." Dib pulled out his binoculars."They'll be especially vicious at this hour..."

As he began his search, he stepped close to the bench where Tak had been sitting. The human noticed a little drawing in the dirt next to it. When he looked at it, he gasped.

It was ZaTr fan art...

XXXXXXXBACKATZIMSXXXXXXX

"Zim? I'm back! We need to talk!" Tak called when she and MiMi got inside. She got no response and continued into the kitchen.

"...hurry up, GIR! The tub must be full before- -!" Zim jumped and turned to Tak, just noticing her arrival.

Before him sat a large bath tub, which GIR was filling with paste from a jar. Zim was wearing nothing but a white towel around his waist, and he and GIR were standing on a couple of stools.

Tak and MiMi stared at Zim.

Zim stared back.

GIR kept pouring the glue.

Then, in one swift, decisive motion, Zim flung off the towel, drop kicked GIR into the toilet (GIR Kicked Count: 4), and landed smugly in the bath tub. The sticky, white liquid flowed over the sides. (A/N: OH GOD THAT SOUNDED WRONG.)

So, yeah, Zim looked like a boss.

"Ah, greetings, Tak, didn't see you there. Did you have a nice time out in the vomit-inducing fresh air?" Zim said casually.

"Um...sure. I- -" Tak froze when stuck one of his legs up.

"Ahh..." he sighed, lowering it."You want something to eat?"

"O-Okay..."

"Good! Make yourself comfortable, I'll prepare the food!" Zim hopped out of the paste.

Tak's eye twitched. Nudity wasn't a big deal to Irkens, considering they had nothing on their bodies to hide, but it was still awkward. Like seeing your twin naked.

But, doing as Zim said, she and MiMi switched off their disguises and sat at the kitchen table, the latter remaining on the floor beside the former's chair.

Zim donned a fancy apron over his nude (besides his PAK, of course) body and got to work with the meal.

Because, as we all know, chicks dig a guy who can cook.

Unfortunately, Zim is no such guy. He had no idea what to prepare, so he put some water in a pan on the stove and heated it up until it boiled. So far, so good.

He still had a bunch of bottles of wine left over from that creepy, drunk Santa last year (don't ask) and it was all he could find that might have an interesting taste to it. He hadn't tried before. Zim poured a whole bunch into the pan.

He tossed in some salt to look professional, and fire went shooting up into his face.

"Ready..." he coughed.

Zim poured the stuff into a couple of bowls, strutted over to Tak and put one down in front of her.

She made a face."What is it supposed be?"

"Er..." Zim glanced at it."It's blood!...soup..."

XXXXXXLETSHURRYTHISUPXXXXXXX

Minutes later, Zim and Tak were still sipping up the "blood soup". Boy, was it gross.

And Zim wasn't helping. Every now and then, he'd say something like "Nice weather we're having" or "Seen any good movies lately?"

Tak wondered what the heck happened to him. What happened to his sophisticated vocabulary, his overflowing confidence, his endearing lack of reasoning? His CLOTHES?!

What happened to Zim?

Well, he certainly wasn't being himself, and Tak didn't like it one bit.

But Zim wasn't going to give up on his seduction methods. He just had to know whether Tak liked him or not! And so far, it wasn't looking good, only making him feel worse...

Maybe he wasn't being sexy enough...?

"Tak..." Zim licked his bowl lustfully."You want seconds?"

"Zim, I'm going to be honest with you," Tak pushed her bowl away in disgust."This 'blood soup' is truly disgusting, I certainly would NOT like any seconds."

"Oh." Zim put his bowl down."...you...like my apron?"

"A little girly for you, wouldn't you say?"

Zim blushed at her remark.

Tak began smirking."Though, you're always wearing a pink dress and stockings, now aren't you?"

"Woman, don't test me!" Zim banged on the table.

"THAT'S more like the Zim I know!" Tak leaned back and snickered at MiMi."What is going on?"

"What do you mean...?" Zim had settled back his seat, a rose was between his teeth.

Tak looked angry again."Are you trying to irritate me?"

"I don't- -GACK! THORNS!" Zim sputtered out the rose.

"Zim, I'm being serious. Be serious with ME. What exactly are you trying to accomplish here? And don't tell me it's nothing."

"It's not anything!"

"ZIM!" Tak pushed out her chair and stood."Stop messing around! You're acting really strange!"

"Zim is not strange! Zim only wishes to spend, you know, time with you!"

Tak was taken aback, but continued."This isn't the time for that! I'm telling you, something is going to happen, Dib is on my case!"

"Dib?!" Zim stood as well."What has he told you?"

"Now you're intrigued..." Tak stepped closer to Zim."I was able to let Dib on about me living here, but that doesn't make things much better. He's doing some digging, and I'm afraid he's sending some doom our way. He seems to want to try and protect me...but you're still not safe."

"Wait...why would it matter to you?"

"Because I care about you, Zim!" Tak blurted out. She covered her mouth as soon as she realized what she had let slip.

But it was too late.

The two Irkens blushed profusely.

"Oh, this should be good," commented Computer. MiMi nodded in agreement.

"Really...?" Zim stepped closer to Tak."You don't hate me with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns?"

"O-Of course not...!" Tak struggled to say. There was no use denying it now.

Zim took her face in his hands. None too gently, might I add."You LIKE me?!"

He felt himself be flung backwards before he felt the sting of pain in his cheek. Tak had slapped him.

I know, you're probably either straight-up screaming at your screen or just wondering "WHAT THE HECK? WHY DID SHE DO THAT?!"

Well, let's take a look into Tak's mindset.

She came back to this planet after fifty years of hating Zim. When she returned, Zim trapped her with him by inserting the lifeclock bombs, and she sort of trapped herself with him as well. Again, lack of planning. Over time, she and Zim went through crap together, Tak became interested in Zim, and saw him as more of a person than the moron she had been led to believe he was. She spent all this time in self-conflict over whether she actually may like Zim or not, he's suddenly the biggest dick on the planet, Dib is getting intrusive, Skoodge is stalking, her own robot ships her, and NOW Zim spends a whole hour trying to WOO her or something, at the most crucial moment to take action, and he's asking about AFFECTION?

It was like one day, all your friends turned into agitating jerks, and the next they're kissing up to you! It was just plain cruel!

Has he changed AT ALL?

Did he even consider how Tak felt dealing with this?

Apparently not!

And Tak was about ready to puke her guts out. But it wasn't right to just hit somebody and leave it unjustified, so she did the logical thing.

"Zim...I'm sorry."

...

...and that's apparently all she needed to say.

"I..."

Zim was unable to finish his sentence when Tak hopped into the elevator, leaving he and MiMi standing awkwardly in the kitchen.

He scoffed, then grabbed his clothing and put it back on, along with his boots and gloves.

He almost felt remorse, he almost felt regret, he almost felt bad for what he did. And he probably shouldn't have.

But if Tak had taken time to care about Zim, then Zim should have taken time to care about Tak.

Computer whistled."Wow. That was dramatic."

MiMi nodded again.

Zim growled at them.

"SILENCE!"

(A/N: Longest. Freaking. Chapter.

Ugh, and I had to go all fudging Cake Boss-dramatic on you at the end, now it's gonna go on even longer!

OH! Before I forget! I was thinking of putting in a "GIR Kicked Count", sort of like the "Krillin Owned Count" from DBZ Abridged. Since I'm making it an official running joke, I think it'd be cool. I just have to go back to all the chapters and mark whenever Zim kicks GIR. I'm not going to make a poll on this, since no one seems to answer those unless they have to do with Adventure Time, but you can send me a PM or put it in your review which you should give me. Anything to let me know!

But, as you may have guessed, YES, I'm taking a break from this story! My other stories need love too!

So check those out if you haven't already, and I shall see you next time.

Please review, fave and follow. Au revoir.)