"What's taking so long?" Dib complained. "All you have to do is see if it's broken or not. And it's not broken anymore!" It didn't feel like it was, at least.

"Silence," Zim said, pressing his claws against Dib's lips and preventing him from complaining further. He turned his attention back to Dib's leg, which he continued to just…stare at.

Dib fidgeted impatiently. Zim was taking forever—he hadn't even removed the brace yet. Instead, he was lightly poking the skin around it, muttering to himself. "Surely it's not so bad, staying here?" he asked Dib.

He repressed a shudder and responded, as calmly as he could, "I guess. But it's getting boring, doing nothing but sitting here."

Zim accepted this answer, and he finally started to work at the brace. He pressed on the sides, and after a click and twist, it popped right open. He quickly gripped Dib's ankle, keeping him from moving and/or jumping off of the bed.

He stared at where the break had been for several long seconds, poking and prodding it with his claws. It felt uncomfortable, but not painful, and Dib kept his expression neutral. Didn't need to give Zim any reason to declare it was 'still injured'.

"I suppose the break had sealed up," Zim declared. "But your bone is probably still weak. You might not need the brace, but more rest—"

"Not going to happen," Dib countered. "If I can walk on it, I'm not going to stay in bed longer than I have to. I need to do something."

Zim scowled at him. "Stubborn worm." But after saying that, his expression lightened up, and he gave Dib's cheek a small nuzzle. "But without that, you wouldn't be my Dib."

He hopped off of the bed, holding a hand out to Dib. "You don't need more bedrest…for now," he said. "But if you end up injuring yourself again…!"

Dib snorted, taking Zim's hand as he stood up. His leg was perfectly fine, feeling barely any different than his other leg. Still, Zim hovered at his side as he stretched and took a few steps forward. Everything was fine.

Zim relaxed a little, but still stood right by his side. "So," he said as Dib walked to the computer. "What now? I have quite a few inventions I think you'd be interested in…"

The thought of those was tempting. But Dib stood his head, sending an email to himself with everything he had written down so far. "Later," he said. "Right now, I need to get back home."

Zim's antennae flicked. "Already?"

"It's been a few days," Dib said. "Someone's…probably worried about me. And wondering where I am. Maybe." He couldn't even convince himself fully.

Still, Zim nodded, holding out his hand. Dib took it, and Zim guided him through the base, heading towards an elevator.

"You're sure you have everything you want to bring with you?" he asked as they entered. Dib turned to hide the roll of his eyes and nodded. "Good, good…though we'll be coming back eventually anyway…"

Dib almost didn't like the sound of that. But Zim wasn't exactly trying to trap him here. And it'd be good to come back to look at all the alien technology…

And then, they were standing in Zim's living room, where his couch usually was, the piece of furniture sitting on a platform above them. Zim stepped off, robotic arms dropping from the ceiling and putting on his wigs and contacts. Dib followed after him, blinking spots out of his vision. After days in the base, the sunlight was blindingly bright.

Still, even before his sight had fully cleared, he walked to the front door and threw it open. It was even brighter outside, and he stumbled down the sidewalk. Fortunately, Zim's security system wasn't reacting at all.

Once he finally adjusted to the light and could look around, he felt a sense of relief. He was outside, he was free!

Dib took a deep breath of air, leaning his head back and feeling the sun on his face. He had honestly gotten maybe a little too used to going days without fresh air or sunlight, but there was a difference between staying in his room for too long and being stuck in the depths of Zim's base.

"Eugh, I don't see what you like about this so much," Zim said from behind him. Dib turned and saw him patting down his wig...maybe trying to cover his antennae more fully? "The city always smells disgusting."

...well, he wasn't wrong. "Fresh air is better than days of stale air," Dib said.

"Hmph." Zim crossed his arms. "The air in Zim's base is perfect, thank you very much. Cleaned of any and all impurities!"

Dib wondered if filtering the air was something Invaders always did, or if it was a preference of Zim's. But as curious as he was, he was much more interested in getting back home. He all but broke into a run as he headed down the familiar road to his house.

He flinched when someone grabbed onto his coat, and he almost lashed out when he saw it was Zim. But the alien wasn't stopping him, or even trying to—he was actually keeping up with Dib's pace, holding on so that they couldn't be separated.

"Be careful, my Dib," he urged. "Irken medicine is superior, but your bones are still fragile and human…even if it's healed."

Dib scowled at him, turning and moving a little faster. "You can't put me into bedrest again. I won't let you."

"I can, and I will if you push yourself too hard," Zim said, giving him a stern look. Dib ignored him, keeping up the same pace as he headed home. Zim kept clinging to his coat.

Fortunately, it didn't take him long to make it back home. Relief filled his chest at the sight, and it was only a light tug from Zim that kept him from sprinting the rest of the way. Still, he hurried forward and threw open the door.

Gaz was sitting on the couch, and glanced up from her game when she heard the door slam open. "Oh, hey, you're not actually dead."

"Gaz!" Dib cried. After several days stuck in Zim's base, and fearing for his life in the beginning, he felt immense relief seeing her, even more than he felt from seeing his house.

So immense that he rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug.

"...Dib, what happened?" she asked, brow furrowing in concern as she patted his back. "You—"

She stopped when another set of arms wrapped around both of them...specifically around her waist. Both of them looked down and saw that Zim had joined the hug.

"What the hell are you doing?" she sneered down at him.

"Zim is also your brother now!" Zim said with a grin, still latched onto her.

Gaz's eyes widened as much as they could, and she turned to Dib. "...wanna explain this?"

"Everything of the Dib's is Zim's, and everything of Zim's is Dib's," Zim said. "You are the Dib-sister, and now, the ZIM-sister!"

"Get off me, Zim." She lightly bopped him once on the head, and Zim wisely let go, dropping onto the couch. She was still staring at Dib, who was starting to sweat.

"...I can explain everything," he said, taking her arm and leading her into the kitchen.

"Oh, boy, this'll be interesting..." she sighed, eyes relaxing back into her usual expression.

"Okay, so it's a bit of a long story," he started. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that Zim was sitting on the couch and looking around the room. Didn't look like he was listening in.

Still, he lowered his voice as much as he could before explaining everything to his sister.

By the time he finished his explanation, Gaz was staring at him with wide eyes, and her jaw had dropped. Dib sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "So...that's what's happened. And...what the last few years have led up to, I guess."

"...you've gotta be kidding me," Gaz groaned, still staring at him in shock. "This is a bad joke from either you or Zim."

"That's what I hoped, at first," Dib said. "But no, he's serious about this. And there are way too many files in his base for this to be something Zim just made up. And his behavior—"

Gaz held up her hands to make an X, sticking out her tongue. "Gross, I don't wanna know what you've been doing when you're by yourselves."

"Hey, it's not like—!" Dib quickly stopped himself, dropping his voice to a whisper before continuing. "It's not like I wanted this, you know."

"...and you haven't told Zim that because...?"

"Well, first of all, I don't want him to kill me after the 'breakup'," Dib said. "Also, this is a perfect opportunity! If I keep playing along, it'll give me the chance to get closer and learn more about him...!"

He grinned, light gleaming off of his glasses. "And if I wait for the right moment, I'll be able to capture and expose him, without him realizing he's in danger before it's already too late..."

He giggled manically at the prospect. Gaz's shocked and disgusted expression relaxed into her regular exasperated one. "…this is going to end horribly," she said. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah, for Zim!"

"No, I mean in general." She crossed her arms, leaning back against the wall. "The longer you keep this up, the more likely it is Zim will have a rare moment of thought and figure out you lied to him. You might be overestimating how stupid he is."

"Pssh, of course not!" Dib said. "I know he can be smart. Just not…that smart." Still, he turned away, mulling over her words as she muttered something else that he ignored.

Keeping up the façade would be difficult…the longer he had to pretend to like Zim, the more likely it was he would lash out at the menace.

It was way too soon to take him out, in his opinion. There was so much more information and technology he could pump out of Zim. But…his gaze wandered to the door to the basement. To his dad's lab.

…if he captured Zim alive, he could still get information out of him. And the threat of dissection might make him less of a smug little jerk.

"Maybe you're right, Gaz," he said, turning back to her…and seeing an empty wall. He poked his head out the door and saw she was heading upstairs. Apparently, she had gotten bored of watching him plot.

Zim was still sitting on the couch, flipping through one of his dad's science journals. He perked up when Dib fully stepped into the room, and he looked up with a smile.

"…did everything go well with the Dib-sister?" he asked, smile drooping at the corners. "Your brow is scrunched-ugly."

Dib glanced at his reflection on the TV screen. His brow was furrowed in thought. "I'm fine. It's fine," he said, forcing himself to relax. He practiced an innocent grin on his reflection, then turned back to Zim. "Just…had a lot to explain to her, you know?"

"She was not too upset we completed the bond without her present, was she?" Zim asked. "I briefly considered having her and your father-unit as a part of it, but I didn't want other humans in my base."

"…how…would they have been involved?" Dib asked. From what he had read, most 'ceremonies' only involved the two interested parties, and were often private.

"Oh, it's common in some instances for the instigator to take friends as hostages," Zim answered casually. "Just so they have a good view of the bond being formed. It's a great honor to be considered that close to one of the bond-members!"

Dib's skin prickled, and he was very grateful that Zim had wanted something private. He tried to keep his expression natural, though. Innocent. The sort of face one had when they didn't have any sort of devious plan.

"Well…I guess I should show you the house," he said, holding out his hand. Zim immediately jumped up and latched onto it. "You've already seen the living room…the kitchen is this way."

He led Zim through the doorway, noting that Zim's interest was piqued as he looked around. That made sense, considering how snack-obsessed his race was.

As Dib led him closer to the basement door, Zim wandered to the counter, grabbing a large chocolate bar and unwrapping it with his teeth before taking a bite. Dib felt his eyelid twitch—but took a deep breath. If Zim was going to act right at home, like he owned the place, it'd get his guard down. Make him easier to subdue.

"And this is my dad's personal lab," he said, tucking Zim to the door. "If he's ever home, this is where he usually is."

He reached for the keypad next to the door…and felt Zim's hand slip out of his. He looked back and saw that the alien had taken a few steps back, eyeing the door nervously.

"Eh...um..." Zim scuffed a foot against the ground.

"What?" Dib said, turning and crossing his arms. "What is it?"

"...I'd rather not go into your parental unit's lab," Zim muttered. "I trust you fully, but...the thought of being in a human lab, surrounded by all those...TOOLS..." His entire body shuddered.

Dib's image of Zim on an autopsy table or in a preservation tank was moving further from becoming a reality. "C'mon, it'll be safe," he lied.

"Zim said no." Zim turned his head away, crossing his arms. "And I'M the K'nemi, so I'M the one who gets to make the decision."

Dib opened his mouth, about to demand a rematch to flip their roles. But he turned away, quickly stopping himself. He was still regaining his energy from the first fight, and he really wanted to fight somewhere he could record it with Zim out of his disguise...

The right time would come, both for the fight and ushering Zim to his doom. He just had to wait and watch.

"Alright," he said, turning back around and forcing a smile. "We won't go into the lab right now. I'd still like to show you the things we have stored down there, though." Like a stasis tube with Zim's name on it...

Zim immediately dropped his stubborn posture, returning Dib's smile with one of his own. "Perhaps someday soon," he said. "I'd love to see what you want to show me."

(Dib immediately decided that the way his heart fluttered was a symptom of eating alien food Zim had been feeding him.)

"Well…I think the only other thing I have to show you is my bedroom," he said.

"Very well. Lead the way, my human," Zim said, nibbling on his snack again. He still seemed content to make himself at home anywhere that wasn't the lab.

Dib headed upstairs, Zim latching onto his hand once they had entered the living room. Gaz's room was shut, and somehow radiated an aura that warned others to stay away. Not that Dib had been planning on bothering her, anyway…

He entered his bedroom, closing the door behind him and Zim. "Well…you've seen all this before, I'm pretty sure." Zim had broken into his room plenty of times in the past, usually to plant devices or taunt Dib when he was barely awake.

Still, Zim smiled at being in the room, wandering and looking around. The poster of Professor Membrane just got a glance, the cryptid posters an amused smile. He stopped longest at all the evidence and information about Zim that Dib had pinned to the wall.

Dib tensed up, praying Zim wasn't going to destroy what little he had. But no, Zim was…smiling. In a pleased, fond way, not an evil one.

"You kept so much from our encounters," he said. "I knew, of course! But it feels so different, actually getting to see it."

"Yeah…guess I'm sentimental…" Dib chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Though…" Zim reached out and pried a piece of paper from the wall. It was a short list, one of many that covered Dib's theories on Irkens. This one was something about their biology. "You're very incorrect with most of these guesses. I thought you would know more about me after this many years."

Dib felt a stab of panic, cold sweat prickling on his forehead. "L-like you said, they're guesses!" he said. "I guess I was really focused on capturing…er, 'capturing' you before I confirmed anything." He quickly added the air quotes to sound innocent.

Zim's expression brightened…though he hadn't looked that disappointed or suspicious in the first place. "That's…oh, there's an inferior human word that's actually good for this," he said. "'Sweet' of you. Am I saying that right?"

"…yeah, I guess," Dib said, sitting on the edge of his mattress. "So, now that we're…" He gestured between the two of them.

"Bonded."

"That…could you tell me more about Irkens?" He tried to smile brightly, innocently. He felt his jaw twitch from the effort of keeping his smile from becoming satisfied or victorious.

"Of course!" Zim said. Dib fought even more to keep his grin innocent. "Zim cannot allow his mate to be so…ignorant of my superior species." He sat next to Dib on the bed, handing him one of his notebooks and pens. "Where do you want to start?"

Dib almost began to drool. This was too perfect. All the information he could ever want, and Zim none the wiser about his intentions. He hardly knew where to begin.

Still, he clicked his pen and looked intently at Zim. "How many planets have you been to?"

Dib managed to fill almost his entire notebook with things Zim told him. Zim was answering each question truthfully, as far as Dib could tell…and he absolutely loved to talk. Especially about himself. Something that Dib already knew, but had doubly confirmed for him after listening to the alien for hours.

Before he could prod with more questions about the Armada, Gaz stepped in, only knocking on his wall afterward to get his attention. Both he and Zim turned to look at her.

"I don't know what you've been doing together up here, and I don't want to know," she said. "But I'm only here to say dinner's ready."

Dib's stomach growled, and he set his notebook aside. "Thanks, Gaz."

She rolled her eyes. "I'd never hear the end of it if I didn't try to make you eat. But I've done my part…keep interviewing the alien if you want."

"…is Dad home?" Dib asked, a little hopeful. He followed Gaz downstairs, with Zim behind him. If she felt obligated to tell him about dinner, that usually meant—

"No," she sighed. He frowned, shoulders dropping. "Guess I could've just kept quiet and let you and Zim keep doing weird stuff. Is it too late for that?"

"Yep," he said, grin slightly smug. "…and hey, there was nothing weird about that interview!"

She gave him a doubtful look. "Mhmm."

They entered the kitchen before Dib could defend himself. It wasn't surprising that Gaz made Foodio cook a pizza…though there was a saucepan of broccoli, too. Probably that bit of programming that Dad added so that their meals were healthy was starting to kick in.

Dib took some broccoli, since Gaz, of course, got first choice of what pizza slices to get. He opened his mouth, still ready to counter the idea that he was doing anything 'weird'…

But the sound of a chair sliding against the floor made him pause, head whipping around.

He had nearly forgotten that Zim had followed right behind him. Now, the alien had taken a seat at the table—the one usually saved for their Dad. He sat up straight, like he belonged there, hands folded on the table as he gave Dib an expectant look.

Gaz glanced back and shot him a small glower. "…can't you avoid meals for months, like a lizard or something?"

"Yes…but like a clearly superior life form, not like one of your slimy Urth reptiles!" Zim said. He gave Dib a toothy grin. "Bring me a plate, my Dib?"

Gaz's eyes popped open, eyebrows raising. "'My' Dib?" she mouthed at her brother. Dib grimaced, choosing to turn around and grab a second plate. Zim got a small slice of pizza, and several of the slimier-looking pieces of broccoli.

If the Irken noticed, he didn't show it as the plate was set in front of him. "That's…our dad's spot, actually," Dib said.

"And?" Zim asked. "It's not like he's here. Or going to show up."

Gaz grimaced and sent a glare in his direction, but neither of the siblings could deny that he was right. So, they both took their respective seats and began to eat in awkward silence. Zim scooted his chair a little closer to Dib before turning his attention to his plate.

Zim poked the vegetables with his fork before nudging them away to the side of his plate, sticking his tongue out. He carefully picked up the slice of pizza with the tips of his claws, eyeing it warily before taking a small bite of the very tip.

"What's with you?" Gaz asked, raising an eyebrow at him as she took a large bite out of her own pizza.

"It's so...greasy," Zim said, slowly chewing. "Not as bad as what Gir usually orders, at least."

"Well, if you don't like it, don't eat it."

"It's…fine," Zim said, taking another bite and wiping his fingers on the tabletop. Even with his reaction to the grease, he did seem to like the pizza. His antennae and gaze flicked over to Dib, who realized that he had started to stare.

Dib looked away, taking a large bite of pizza and pretending that the tension in the air was just his imagination. He kept his gaze firmly focused on his plate…or tried to, at least. He couldn't help but glance up at Zim and Gaz every so often.

Zim was keeping most of his attention on Dib, slowly nibbling on his pizza. Gaz quickly finished off her plate and got up to grab more food. No one said anything.

Dib stood up as soon as he finished his plate, placing it in the sink. "I'm going to look up some stuff upstairs," he said, heading for the door.

"But…dessert!" Zim said.

"I'm full. You can eat without me," Dib said. Any excuse to get out of the tense room. Zim made a displeased sound in response, but headed to the counter and started helping himself to cookies.

Dib went to his room and began to type and organize what Zim had just told him. It took a bit, and he found himself surprised that Zim hadn't come barging in. He stepped out and peered down into the living room.

He was surprised to see Gaz and Zim sitting on the couch, playing a game together. "Burn, fools, burn!" Zim cackled, screams coming from the television.

"Keep it up," Gaz said. "I'm going for the mission marker." The two of them were absorbed in their game and hardly noticed Dib.

Hmm. He hadn't predicted them getting along, but…it would give him some precious Zim-free moments. A part of him was worried for Gaz's safety, but experience taught him that Gaz could handle herself. Besides, Zim was convinced that he was part of the family now.

He watched for a few more moments before heading back to his bedroom. Without Zim over his shoulder, he could start making more concrete plans for how to deal with him…and after doing that, he came up with a few backup plans, and then backup plans for those.

But it wasn't long after that when he caught himself yawning. He could usually stay up much later than this…his body was probably still sapping his energy to heal him. Grumbling a little to himself, he got ready for bed…

…though not before peeking downstairs again. The two of them were still focused on their game, and Dib wouldn't turn down the chance to get a chance to rest without needy claws digging into his skin.

He slipped under the covers of his bed, tossing and turning until he was comfortable enough to fall asleep.

Perhaps an hour or so later, Dib stirred awake when he felt his mattress shift. Immediately, he sat up and flailed out, trying to grab whatever the disturbance was.

"AAAACK!" Zim said, slapping his hand away. "It's me! It's just Zim, flesh-beast!"

"Zim...?" Dib squinted at the alien, now perched on the edge of his mattress and giving him a sour look. He was about to push him to the floor...

But his brain quickly caught up, and he let his arm drop. "You startled me."

Zim huffed. "At least your fighting instincts are good. Now move."

Dib blinked in confusion...and then, slowly shifted over. Zim hummed in satisfaction, lifting up the blankets and sliding under them, then shifting and pressing himself against Dib.

"Mmm, you're warm," he purred, closing his arms. "Sleep well, my human. You need it."

"Uh, sure." Dib laid back down. "You, too."

Zim chuckled, and Dib closed his eyes. It was...getting easier to relax, right next to his greatest enemy. But his heart still raced, and it was tricky to stay calm without the fog of medicine helping.

But Zim was warm, and fit snugly against him. It took awhile, but Dib couldn't deny that he was actually pretty cozy...and eventually, he fell asleep.