Zim hadn't come to school for days. Not that Dib was surprised. Neither was anyone else, having gotten used to Zim sometimes disappearing for days or weeks at a time.
What was surprising was the wide berth everyone was still giving him, even with Zim not around. It wasn't quite like the usual berth they gave him, either. No, usually there would be a few insults tossed at his back or to his face, or someone deciding to shove him around.
Now he was being completely avoided. No one said a single word to him, mean or otherwise, and no one wanted to even get close enough to touch him. Chunk still hadn't returned, and even without Zim around, that incident was fresh in everyone's mind.
And he still didn't have any ideas on how to reach out to Zim. The bug's security seemed to have increased tenfold since he was kicked out. Any attempt to break in ended with him getting chased off (or tossed away) before he could make it inside. He tried gifts—leaving flowers in the middle of the yard, and tossing chocolates through Zim's window. But the security just disintegrated them.
He almost considered making GIR take something to Zim for him. But if the robot hadn't turned against him, anything given to him would probably be lost or eaten.
"And?" Gaz said after Dib finished ranting all that to her. "Are you expecting me to do something?"
"No," Dib grumbled, slumping into the couch and continuing to watch her play. "But I'm running out of ideas. And nothing I've tried has come close to working."
Gaz grunted, and he rubbed his eyes. "…did I mess up too much for this to be fixed?"
"Probably," she said. His head snapped up, and he glared at her.
"Well, thanks for the vote of encouragement!"
"Look, if you wanted this sugarcoated, you should talk to somebody else," Gaz said. Her expression softened. "But Zim hasn't tried to actually kill you in revenge yet, so maybe you have a chance. You might be able to get out of this alive, at least."
"Alive and without him."
"Maybe." Gaz turned off the console, grabbed her mobile system, and headed to her room. Dib flopped across the couch, groaning.
He didn't know how much time he had sat like that, moping, when the front door slammed open. "Children, I'm home!" Professor Membrane shouted.
Dib almost felt the urge to run to his dad, to show off something new, or to at least grab his attention for a little bit. But all he had the energy to do right now was groan out a greeting, rolling over on the couch to better face the Professor.
His dad actually seemed to notice the oddity of his behavior, his brow furrowing. "Son…are you alright? You seem more…subdued than usual."
"'m fine, Dad," Dib said unconvincingly.
Professor Membrane stepped forward, pressing a gloved hand behind Dib's ear, cupping over it with his fingers. "You aren't feeling sick, are you?"
"No, Dad."
His dad pulled back and looked at him for a few moments, brow still furrowed. "...I think I'll brew some tea," he said. "Why don't you come join me?"
He headed into the kitchen, and Dib lifted his head, raising an eyebrow. He was hesitant, but it had been a while since he had been able to spend time with Dad, so he rolled off the couch and strolled into the kitchen.
He plopped into his chair just as his dad was finishing getting the kettle ready on the stove. Dib drummed his fingers against the table, while Professor Membrane was occupied with getting down cups and sugar.
Just a few minutes later, he turned back to Dib. His brow furrowed again. "Son, your throat..."
Dib suddenly remembered the bite Zim had left. It had mostly faded now, but he could still feel it twinge with his guilt. Dib covered it with his hand, feeling his face grow warm. "'s just a bruise," he muttered. "And it's almost gone, anyway. It's fine."
"If you say so, son," his dad said. "But remember, sometimes bruising is the only visible sign of worse internal damage."
"Trust me, it's fine," Dib sighed. "I think I would have noticed something wrong with my throat at this point if it was serious."
"Ah, that's true." His dad poured two cups of tea, setting one in front of Dib before taking a seat and sipping from his own cup.
Dib frowned down at the drink, but still took a sip. It was a little too bitter for him, but it filled him with a bit of warmth, and he appreciated that it had been made for him.
Professor Membrane took another sip of his tea, then set his cup down and looked at Dib with a serious expression. "Dib...please. I know that something's bothering you, and I'd like to know what."
Dib flinched, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a bit of a long story. I'm figuring things out..." Trying to, at least.
"I'd still like to understand what you're going through."
Dib grimaced, hesitating before sighing and relenting. "Well...fine. A...'friend' of mine turned out to like me more than as a friend. I went along with it even though I didn't feel the same, and when they found out, they were upset and left. And now I kind of realize that I actually do feel the same."
"I...see..."
"And it's not just about me lying to them, either. Well, sort of. I was kind of leading them on for a few years without even knowing it. And I thought I could…use the situation for my own benefit, taking advantage of them. That's what made them really upset."
He took a sip of tea. "And then, well, it turns out I was one of the few…people he had left. Some…family that he thought was coming weren't coming at all, I think." Dib rubbed his forehead. "So, he put…pretty much everything into me. His attention, his care…and I didn't even see it until it was too late."
He groaned, laying his head in his hands. "I'm been trying to make it up to him, but he refuses to see me, now."
"I see…" Membrane said, sipping his tea. "What have you tried so far?"
"I visited his place, got kicked out," Dib said. "Several times. I tried an apology bouquet, then just flowers in general, chocolates because he likes sweets…he's been throwing everything out."
"Research has shown that once trust is broken, people tend to reject everything associated with the betrayer," Membrane said. "Even if it's something they happen to like."
Dib gave him a dark look. "Oh, so you're just going to tell me that it's hopeless?"
"Of course not!" Membrane said. "You simply haven't found the right solution yet." He nudged Dib's cup forward, and Dib picked it up, taking a small sip.
"If you wish to repair things, you'll need to first repair that trust he had in you," his dad said. "Apologies are fine, but are unlikely to be accepted until you've shown you're telling the truth."
"And how am I supposed to do that?"
His dad thought for a few moments. "Building trust differs from person to person," he said thoughtfully. "But the most common helpful actions are to give someone space…and to perform a truly genuine gesture for them. A gesture that really means something important to them."
"Hmm," Dib said, brow furrowing.
The bracelet on Membrane's wrist buzzed with a notification. He looked at it with a sigh. "One of the labs needs my assistance," he said, standing up and downing the rest of his tea. "I'm going to give your sister the next batch of personality tests before heading out."
"Sure, Dad," Dib said, taking another sip of tea.
"I'll be back for a family dinner sometime in the next few weeks, I promise," his dad continued, already heading upstairs. "Think about what I said!"
"Sure, Dad." Dib slurped down the last of his tea as his dad left.
A part of him wanted to shrug off the fairly generic advice. But...he didn't exactly have anything else to go off of. So he paced back and forth, thinking about it.
Giving Zim space didn't sound like a good idea. Not just because he wanted to be back with Zim! But Zim was clearly in the middle of a depressive episode, and it would continue for as long as he was left alone. No, Dib couldn't wait, he had to act.
What gesture could be genuine enough, though? He had tried apologizing and gift-giving, and Zim had treated it all like a trick. How was he supposed to tell the Irken that he wanted to be with him, for real?
Dib's eyes lit up. Maybe…he had to stop thinking like a human. He had to think of what an Irken, what Zim would do to prove himself.
He looked through the house, seeing that his Dad had already left while he was in the middle of thinking. Which was fine, since he could avoid questions about what he needed the lab for.
He quickly darted downstairs, grabbing spare pieces of machinery and gathering them into a pile on the lab bench. His mind was already racing with ideas, his heart pounding. This would do it, he was sure. This would get his Zim back.
Newly determined, he began to build.
A few hours later, he had finished an Irken-English translator headset. Building the translator had been relatively simple, but programming it had been tricky. Fortunately, he had several files saved on his computer with everything he knew about Zim's language.
The headset had a microphone and an earpiece, and small speakers set along the headband. Dib set it aside, muttering an Irken phrase to himself. He'd been practicing it all while he was working. Most words were difficult to pronounce, but this phrase…
If he wanted to earn Zim's trust, he needed to be able to say it himself, and not through a translator.
A little more practice, and he began to pace around the lab. There were a few more things to do, but he wanted to see Zim as soon as possible…and that required luring him over. Fortunately, he already had an idea for that when he was in the middle of building his translator.
He pulled out his phone, scrolling through his small list of contacts. He had Zim's number, but what he really needed was his minion's. He wasn't sure why GIR had his own phone, but he wouldn't question it for now.
He called the manic little robot, biting his lip and looking through the lab. He still had quite a few things to do…he made a note of where all the lab's cameras were.
GIR finally picked up, squealing into the phone. "Who izzit!?"
"It's Dib, GIR," Dib said, wincing and pulling his phone a little further from his ear. "…Where's Zim?"
"In the mopey pile," GIR said sadly. "He misses you so much! You wanna talk with him!?"
"Not right now, but in a little bit. I need your help with something, but is Zim listening to you right now?" He just needed the alien to be in the dark a little longer.
"Mm-mm," GIR said with a rattling sound, probably from shaking his head. Dib smirked.
"GIR, how soon can you come over to my house?"
GIR hummed loudly in thought. "I dunno…I can ask Master!"
"No!" Dib said. "No, no, don't do that. Because you'd be coming over to, um…throw a surprise party for him!"
GIR gasped. "REALLY!?"
Dib winced, pulling the phone away from his ear. "Y-Yep! So, how quickly can you come?"
"Right now!" There were a few crashing sounds, and a cat yowled.
"Grab Minimoose, too!" Dib said right as GIR hung up. Hopefully, the little robot would follow his instructions…but as long as at least one of them showed up, this would work.
He took a deep breath and started to take down all the cameras he could find. The most important piece of equipment was ready, but there was still more he needed to prepare. And there was no telling how long it would be before Zim noticed his robots were missing.
He got to work, rushing through the lab.
Fortunately, GIR actually came…maybe the idea of a party was enough to keep him focused. Dib dropped the last disassembled lab camera into a cardboard box and ushered GIR and Minimoose into a corner of the lab.
"You two have a really important role, okay?" Dib said. He pointed to a cage that his Dad used to store live specimens, currently empty. "You're going to stay in here and wait until Zim shows up. And you're going to wait in here while he's here, too."
"Aww, we're not gonna party with 'im?" GIR whined.
"You will," Dib said. "But part of the surprise is that Zim is going to be the one to let you out. So, you have to wait until then, okay?"
GIR seemed to think about it for a few moments before shrieking and diving headfirst into the cage, colliding with the other side with a loud clang. Minimoose turned and gave Dib a dead-eyed stare that made him feel extremely judged. He fidgeted, uncomfortable with being pinned by the gaze.
"…I promise I don't want to really hurt Zim," he whispered. "I just want to make things right with him."
Minimoose's stare was still dead-eyed, but something in their gaze lightened, becoming much more approving. "Nyeh," they said, bobbing their way over to the cage.
When both of them were inside, Dib closed the door and locked it. Hopefully, Zim would notice his minions' absence soon and he wouldn't need to wait long. But to be safe… "GIR, do you have any kind of distress beacon or something?"
"Mhmm!" GIR nodded. "It's for emergencies only, though!"
"Well, this is a…pretend emergency," Dib said. "It'll be like Zim's invite to the party!"
GIR gasped, opening up a panel on his chest and pressing a red button on the inside. His eyes flashed, and he beamed at Dib, giving him a thumbs-up.
Dib grinned and returned the gesture, looking around the lab. He walked through the whole area, making sure that it wasn't too dangerous or threatening.
He really, really hoped that this would work.
Zim finally arrived about fifteen minutes later. Dib was pacing through the lab, making sure that he had taken down every security camera and trying to memorize the layout, when he heard the front door slam open upstairs, a familiar angry screech echoing through the house. "DIB!"
His heart jumped, and he turned to face the stairwell. This was it.
"Remember, you two, stay in the cage," he instructed the two robots. At the same time, he grabbed the headpiece he had made and put it on, the earpiece fitting snugly in his ear and the mic resting beside his mouth.
All the while, his eyes stayed glued to the lab's door. Zim was tearing through the house, he could hear it. It wouldn't take long before he noticed the lab door had been 'accidentally' left open a crack.
Just as he planned, Zim soon slammed the lab door open and came running down the stairs, an angry expression on his face. He was in his disguise, though his wig and contacts looked a lot more loose than usual.
His eyes landed on Dib, and his expression became even angrier. "YOU! YOU ROTTEN HUMAN MONSTER!" He skidded to a halt only a few feet away from Dib, growling and twitching. "Where are my minions!?"
"They're safe, I swear. So glad that you made it, Zim," Dib said. The headset he built took his words, translated them into Irken, and repeated the translation through small speakers.
He ignored Zim's look of disgust and continued on. "This is going to be it, Zim," he said. "I can't just let you walk out of my life. So—I challenge you to one final battle!" He posed dramatically, coat whipping behind him.
"How dare you," Zim spat in English. "You take my robots, you defile my beautiful language…after what you did to me!? And now you…want…to fight…" His voice trailed off, something seeming to slowly click.
Zim's eyes widened. He looked over his minions, taken hostage but unharmed. Around the lab, cleared of any and all cameras or anything that could be used to fully pin him down or cut him. To Dib, who fought to keep his grin steady, praying that Zim understood what he was trying to do.
Zim stood still for a few more moments, drinking it all in…before grinning, showing all his teeth off to Dib. Appendages came out of his PAK to pull off his disguise. "So, the human thinks he can handle Zim?" he hissed in Irken, sauntering forward. Dib's headset translated the words for him.
"Of course I can," Dib taunted, circling just out of his reach. Zim's face scrunched in disgust at the electronic voice from his translator. "You've never managed to fully stop me before, now have you?"
Zim reared back with a hiss. Dib saw his muscles twitch—which was all the warning he got before Zim ran at him, jumping up to punch him. Dib grabbed his wrist just in time, holding him up and several feet above the floor.
His PAK legs shot out, and Dib quickly let go and stumbled back before he was skewered. Zim fell on his feet, then retracted his PAK legs and leapt forward to attack again. He slashed at Dib with his claws, forcing Dib to bend over backward to prevent his face from getting gouged. He tried to kick at Zim's head as he dropped back down, but the Irken quickly rolled out of the way.
"This is a fool's errand, Dib!" he yelled. "I was Irk's greatest Elite soldier before I was our greatest Invader! You don't have a hope of defeating me!"
"For being so great an Invader, I've always managed to stop you before," Dib countered, throwing a punch and connecting with Zim's cheek.
Zim hissed at him, leaping forward and placing his hands on Dib's shoulders and shoving him back. "Don't insult me!" he snarled. "Haven't you done that enough already? You mock my beautiful and glorious language with that...that flimsy Urth device!"
"I literally cannot pronounce at least a quarter of the sounds in your language!"
"So, you decided to get inferior human technology to make them all for you?" Zim sneered. "Disgusting. Disgraceful. I can't believe you'd dare treat my superior language like this."
Dib smirked, stretching out his arms and leaving himself open to attack. "Why don't you try and stop me, then?"
Zim snarled, leaping forward and slashing at Dib's face. Dib sidestepped out of the way, watching as Zim stumbled and quickly tried to correct his balance.
He wasn't quick enough to keep Dib from kicking him right under his PAK, though.
The alien hissed loudly, the assault almost sending him to the ground. But he managed to stay on his feet, turning on his heel and glaring. "You'll pay."
"You wish."
The two of them leapt at each other and began exchanging blows, rolling across the ground. GIR and Minimoose cheered loudly from their vantage point.
Dib barely paid a thought to them, though, mind caught in the haze of battle. He was throwing any trick and gadget he could think of at Zim…and failing that, whatever item was close enough for him to grab. But Zim was only slowed down at best by his attacks, and was pulling out PAK weapons that seared holes in the floor.
Even with the Irken's predatory grin, Dib noticed that his most dangerous attacks only grazed him, even when he failed to dodge.
It wasn't long before one of them would slip up, though. And though he had hoped it would be Zim…
He ran into a counter while dodging a swipe of Zim's claws.
It wasn't much, but it distracted him just enough for Zim to pounce! The Irken tackled Dib to the floor, gripping his shoulders and pressing his weight against Dib's torso. "Oh, yes, this is much better," he said. "There's just one thing to change…"
Though Dib struggled and tried to push the alien off of him, Zim reached up and pulled the translator off of Dib's head. He shook it tauntingly once before crushing it easily. "What are you going to do, now that the mockery machine is destroyed?" he asked, leaning in and grinning inches from Dib's nose.
Dib just smirked in return, jerking up and headbutting Zim where his nose would be. Zim cried out, eyes closing in pain, and Dib used the opportunity to flip them over, using his greater body weight to pin Zim to the ground.
"Give up yet?" he asked.
Zim scowled up at him. "Never."
His PAK legs shot out, bending and wrapping around Dib. They gripped onto his sides and began to lift him off of Zim, whose face was scrunched up in concentration. Dib dug his fingers into Zim's sides, but it wasn't enough. Zim's face scrunched further in concentration, and he ripped Dib off of him, tossing him to the side.
Dib rolled along the floor, tucking his head under his arms and dodging the PAK legs Zim tried to stab him with. He rolled behind a counter and jumped to his feet, eyes darting through the lab, trying to find something that could still be useful.
He didn't have long to think, as Zim vaulted over the counter, hissing at him and sending pieces of equipment tumbling. Dib dodged another swipe of his PAK legs, running to a still-untouched corner of the lab.
"There's nowhere to run, puny Dib!" Zim yelled, giving chase. "You can't escape me!"
"What makes you think I'm trying to!?" Dib shoved several beakers of chemicals to the floor, the contents and glass puddling over the floor. A glance over his shoulder, and he saw that Zim was just paranoid enough to hesitate in front of it. He grinned. "You're going down today, space boy. You're going to be mine!"
"Never!" Zim snarled, vaulting over the spill. "You are going to be Zim's, you horrid stinking beast!"
Dib continued to run, dodging swipes of PAK legs…and for the last few feet, dropping and sliding across the floor. Zim continued to taunt him, asking where he thought he was going.
Tucked into the corner, in the shadows, Dib found his alien-hunting briefcase still undisturbed, exactly where he had left it. He worked quickly, unlatching it and pulling something out without letting it enter Zim's line of sight.
Boots tapped against the floor. Dib whirled around, putting his back against the wall and keeping his secret weapon behind him. Zim grinned wickedly as he panted for breath.
"You knew that Zim would win, didn't you?" he taunted. "And yet, such a valiant effort. Almost impressive, for a human."
His grin widened, and he grabbed Dib's collar, pulling him closer. "Now…to end this." He leaned close enough that his lips were nearly pressed against Dib's throat, and he began to mutter in Irken.
But before he could get far, Dib smirked…and latched the alien sleep cuffs he had grabbed onto Zim's wrist.
Zim flinched and stared down at them in shock…then screeched, trying to pull the chain.
"Shh," Dib said, grabbing the Irken's waist and turning him around, pulling him onto his lap. Zim continued to struggle, now biting the cuffs. "Zim, c'mon, you're caught. I win. Just let me…"
He tried to reach for Zim's throat, but he glared at him, scrunching his head and neck to block Dib's access to his throat. "No," he huffed. "I'll get out of this. You'll see. I can still fight!"
"Wanna bet?" Dib shifted his hand, his thumb lingering over a button on the cuffs. "I've modified these, you know. One press, and they'll inject a sedative I'm sure can knock even you out."
Zim suddenly stopped thrashing, staring at the button…and shifting his gaze to Dib's face, narrowing his eyes. "And why haven't you done it, yet?"
"Because I want you awake for this part." Dib nestled his chin in the crook of Zim's neck. "But if you don't surrender, I guess I can sedate you and wait for you to wake up…"
Zim hissed, bearing his teeth at Dib and snapping at the air. "Oh, c'mon, it's not that bad!" Dib said.
"Mmyes it is. Don't like it." Zim's head hunched further.
Dib sighed. "Then…I guess I can just wait for you to wake up and try another time…maybe another day..."
"Huh?" Zim said. "But…our battle! I will never submit, but you're going to be min—!"
Dib patted his cheek, making him suddenly quiet down. He let his hand linger there, and Zim slowly, hesitatingly, leaned into his touch.
"You can't just dictate how everything in our…'relationship' is," Dib said. "I just…if we're really going to be serious about this, I want to know we can compromise on things. That neither of us is really going to take over or hurt the other. That we can meet in the middle, that we'll make this work.
"I know I broke your trust, and I'm not really in a position to say things like that, but…I really do want to be with you. If you put your trust in me, I promise that I'll prove it. ...please."
Zim's eyes remained narrowed, but he slowly relaxed. "I'm keeping an eye on you," he warned. "And if you set a toenail out of line, you'll regret it."
"I know, I know. You're more than capable of taking me down." Dib pressed his nose to Zim's cheek, lips barely ghosting against his neck. "And if I had any plans to hurt you, you'd see through them right away."
More and more tension left Zim's body. He sighed and went limp, sinking his weight into Dib's chest. His head rolled back, leaving his neck fully exposed. Dib sighed in relief, then cleared his throat and began to speak.
"From now on, you are mine," Dib hissed in Irken. "No matter where we are in the universe, you will be mine. I will keep you, and keep you safe."
Zim's eyes widened when he heard the binding phrase, but he quickly relaxed, giving Dib a pleased smile with half-lidded eyes. It had taken Dib a while to figure out how to say the proper phrase, but seeing Zim look at him like that made it worth it.
He pressed his lips against Zim's throat...and quickly bit down.
He bit Zim a lot harder than Zim had originally bit him, but only because he knew Zim would easily heal from it. When he tasted blood in his mouth (surprisingly sweet, with an acidic tang), he pulled back, trailing his tongue over the wound to lap up the pink liquid. He took his time, licking every drop before finally pulling back and smiling at Zim.
Zim's eyes had closed, but they fluttered open when Dib pulled away. "...not bad," he said. "Not too bad."
"Glad you approve," Dib said, kissing the bite on Zim's throat, making the alien shiver. "I hope that the bite isn't too deep..." Even as sure as he felt, a part of him still worried.
Zim scoffed, waving him off. "I can take more damage than you can," he boasted. "It's already healing, and soon, there'll just be a simple mark left." True to his word, while there were a few beads of blood on his skin, the wound wasn't actively bleeding now.
"Good," Dib said, peppering kisses along his throat and just under his chin. His tongue snaked out, lapping up the last bits of sweet blood. "I love you. I know I haven't said it before, but I love you."
"Because you hated me not long ago," Zim said, nuzzling up against Dib's chest. "Foolish, foolish human. If you had realized that a few months or weeks ago, you would have saved me quite a bit of grief."
"I…yeah." Dib rubbed a gentle circle on his back, a few inches above his PAK. He looked at Zim expectantly.
The light in Zim's eyes shifted…oh, he was rolling them. "Don't give me that pathetic look," he said. "I love you, too. Obviously."
"It wasn't that pathetic," Dib muttered. "…but thank you."
"It was pathetic," Zim said, sitting up and kissing Dib on the lips. His tongue snaked out, and he lapped up the blood dripping around his mouth. "You can be a pathetic mess…but you're my pathetic mess, now."
Dib felt a blush form on his cheeks, making Zim grin in satisfaction. Zim continued to lap up the blood around Dib's mouth…at least until Dib started to lean in for another kiss.
"…what in the name of SCIENCE happened in here!?"
Dib's blood ran cold, and his head snapped up. His dad was standing in the doorframe at the top of the stairs, staring at his lab in utter shock. Dib didn't even need to look around to know that nearly everything was completely destroyed.
Though he did notice GIR and Minimoose had broken out and were splashing in some of the spilled solutions.
Zim squeaked and burrowed under Dib's coat to hide. Dib looked back up at his dad, who was still shocked and frozen in place. Dib offered a nervous grin, a cold sweat on his skin.
"…experiment got out of hand?" he weakly offered.
It wasn't enough to get them out of a very stern lecture about lab safety, the importance of respecting others' work and property, and inappropriate times and places to be affectionate (the last part made Dib blush bright red). But Zim managed to hide behind Dib and put on his disguise without his dad noticing anything off about him.
Then, they were tasked with getting the lab back in shape. Well, technically just Dib was, but Zim stayed to help. Mostly by standing and ordering his minions to do things as he fiddled with equipment, but Dib wasn't going to turn down any help.
And once they finished…well, Dib didn't have any big plans, but he knew Zim would somehow be involved. He smiled and stuck his tongue out at the alien from across the room. Zim laughed and made a face back.
Finally, everything felt right again.
Author's Note: I hope that you all enjoyed this story, and that you'll stick around for the brief epilogue next chapter!