[A/N: Um, here's the "taste" one. Might be just a blurb? Like kinda trails off. Dib is ooc bc he's like super soft domming, but i needed it at the time i started writing it :p
TW/CW: groceries/chores, machine explosion (mentioned), anxiety/upsetedness/self doubt, touching/cuddling, consoling, light kissing, feeding/eating, taste descriptions, light synesthesia?]
Dib mindlessly helped GIR put away the groceries that they just collected. It didn't take him nearly as much energy to reach the wall cabinets or on top of the fridge as it did his tiny robot housemates. For that reason he usually left all of the "fun" things like cake mixes and nacho chips below the counters, and things that at least GIR really shouldn't be getting into; like candy; on the highest shelves. MiniMoose could get up there effortlessly, but he didn't eat nearly as much or often as the puppy.
Dib was refilling one of the jars of Zim's favorite candies when he heard a shrill holler from deep below ground.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Or that's what he thought he heard. Not at all uncommon on any floor of this house. Dib continued to put things away after a pause.
He was about to replace another jar when there was more noise that happened. "Stupid, insolent machine thing! You dare challenge Zi–" and then a loud explosion.
Dib moved his lips on his face as he thought. Explosions weren't uncommon here either. Still, it would probably be appreciated if he went down and checked up on Zim.
He walked through the automatic doors through the house to the machinery lab. Everything was covered with soot, but there wasn't a lot that was still burning. He looked to the wall opposite the hot mass of alien metal. He saw a little figure still recoiling from the blast. He strolled over.
Zim grunted and started to move. He moved his legs and pushed himself to sit up as he opened his eyes. He jumped at the unexpected guest, who was kneeling a couple feet away from him.
"You alright?"
Zim glanced over his full body. "Uh… of course. I just need to–" he groaned in agony as he tried to move.
"Don't exert yourself, Buggy." Zim flinched more from surprise than from pain as he felt a hand on either shoulder. His eyes burst open, and met with Dib's. The soft concern of his voice was mirrored on his face.
Zim turned his head. "I'm fine, Dib." A palm stopped him midway and gently moved him to face Dib again. The other hand softly touched Zim's jaw and brushed away some of the soot on his cheek. There was still just a bit too much there for Dib to see Zim's blush.
Dib leaned in and placed a small kiss on the cleared skin. Zim shrunk a bit and his chest tightened. "What happened, baby?"
He felt embarrassed. He grumbled, "ah, it's been almost two weeks and i can't get the stupid parts to work right. I programmed it properly and i'm putting it in correctly, but it's just not working."
Zim didn't move for a minute, and he stared off at nothing. Dib cocked his head. "Is that all?"
Zim glanced up at him again, then turned away. "N-no…" He finally breathed in. "I… feel like i m not as good at this anymore; at anything anymore. It's all so much harder fo do. I feel like i'm losing my touch and i'm not even doing anything differently…" Dib sat down against the wall right next to him and held Zim's far hip from behind. "I don't know what's wrong."
After a few silent moments, Zim sighed. "No, it's nothing. I must have done something incorrectly. I overlooked a wire or a code or something. I guess i wasn't paying attention." He tried to get up, but Dib leaned against him to keep him there.
"It's okay to feel bad, love."
Zim took a moment to look up at his partner. "There's no use dismissing yourself if you really feel that way. You can't always convince yourself that everything is fine when you know it's not."
Zim blushed and felt ashamed. He regretted being honest, embarrassed that he opened up about his feelings so effortlessly. He should have kept quiet about it, because now Dib knew that Zim had that doubt in himself. He wordlessly turned his head again.
Dib's voice sounded distant, like it was coming from across the room. "You know, it took me forever to find that out." He rubbed his hand gently along Zim's side. "We can be so stubborn about things…" Zim closed his eyes even tighter. "Sometimes taking a step back from a problem to look at the whole picture can show us even small things that we overlooked."
It made sense, but it didn't feel like it applied to him. He looked at the problem every way that he could, and he checked the details time and again whenever he tried working on it. There wasn't anything that he could find that could fix the issue. It felt like empty lies that you'd tell a child when they scraped their knee. Zim was starting to fully believe that he himself was the wrench in the cogs. The air felt heavy again.
Dib heard the difference in his breathing. He pulled Zim close to him and leaned into him. "It's going to be okay, my Little Buggy."
The words didn't mean much. The touch helped less than he wanted it to. Dib could tell that it was the case, so he tugged Zim's hip closer to him and pulled him up onto his lap. He smiled softly when they met eyes, but Zim was still shy and disappointed in himself.
Dib held him close, and Zim emotionlessly returned the hug to be polite. "Ah Buggy," he moved one of his hands; "i brought you something. Maybe it'll help you feel better." Dib revealed a bag of gummy candies he got earlier that day.
Zim looked over the colorful bag. "Thanks." He mumbled and pushed his face a bit into Dib's chest.
He tore the bag open with his teeth so he didn't have to let go of his little alien. "Do you want one? I'll feed it to you…" Dib carefully selected a flavor that he thought would help.
Zim watched as Dib's fishing resulted in a deep electric blue piece being offered to him. Zim considered it, but pulled his body closer to Dib's.
"You don't have to eat it if you don't want to." Dib touched his lips to the top of Zim's head and held him tight against him on his lap. He was still tense, but the pressure felt good around him. Zim clung to Dib's shirt with his fingers, and smothered half of his face against his chest. "I just know that you like this flavor."
Zim breathed for a few seconds. He opened one eye to see the candy still in Dib's hand. He turned his head to face it, accepting the offer. Dib brought it to Zim's mouth and gingerly moved it to be between his teeth. He kept his hand there until it was completely taken up.
Zim could smell the candy as it was inched toward his face. The electricity in the color alone gently stung his senses at the first collision, which made his tongue almost want to reel away. A moment later, the corn syrup and chemical memory of the scent of raspberry ripped his taste to a completely different place. The flavor was a strange web in his maw, forcing a bridge upon his unconscious lips into a tiny smile.
Zim did like the flavor. The color of the candy was synonymous with the flavor, and therefore both brought his mind instinctively to his darling partner. The color WAS Dib, and by extension so was the raspberry flavor. It didn't taste like him; it was almost completely different; but Zim recognized it as Dib as he chewed the candy.
It flooded his skull with endorphins that brightened the world for a moment. Zim breathed in deeply as he chewed, appreciating that Dib allowed him to have their "special" candy now to force a moment to calm down. He squeezed Dib tighter in his arms and rubbed his face against his chest. Dib smiled in response, holding Zim close to him and returning the cuddle.
The two lovers sat like this for a while, both greatly enjoying the pressure around them. Dib kissed the top of Zim's head again. "Feeling better, baby?"
Zim breathed. "Yes. I am." He looked up at Dib. "Thank you, my darling."
"Of course, my Bug." They hugged again. "I love you, Zim."
"I love you so, so much, Dib."
A few moments later, Dib asked another question. "Do you wanna go so we can clean you up? I can help you out with your project if you want."
Zim considered for only a second. He pressed his cheek against Dib's chest. "Not yet. I want to be here with you for a little while longer."
[Post A/N: i've been writing ZaDr as a soft D/S kind of thing, and one of those "aftercare/reward" type things is soda flavored gummies, bc Zim seems to reward himself in the show w soda, and gummies force you to take a moment to actually eat them unlike some other soda flavored candies. I think it's nice :p]