Dib had to stay awake.
Well, really, his main priority was to get out of Zim's lair, but until he could do that, he needed to avoid falling asleep.
It had been only an hour, maybe less, since Zim had kidnapped him, and he was honestly still trying to get his bearings. This wasn't exactly the first time he had gotten captured, but it was definitely the strangest. Just thinking about how…handsy Zim had gotten with him made him shiver.
But the weirdness hadn't stopped there. Instead of strapping him to a lab table or throwing him into a giant cage, Zim had dumped him in some sort of containment cell, with walls made of a clear material that probably wasn't glass. Which wasn't much of a step up, but Zim had ordered his Computer to move 'the nest' into the cell.
A bunch of pillows and blankets had been dumped on top of Dib's head, much to Zim's amusement. He had crawled his way out and glared at Zim, who just smirked back.
Zim had given a few more rapid orders to the Computer...Probably something about security. Then he had told Dib to 'make himself comfortable', wandering off and cackling to himself.
Dib had immediately walked around the entire perimeter of the cell, trying to look for a weak point. He couldn't find anything that could help, even after combing the floor's edge with his fingertips and scanning the ceiling. There had to be some way to open the side to get in, but Dib couldn't see what it could be. Seams along the top showed where it could pop open, but it seemed tightly sealed.
He began sorting through the pile Zim had dropped on him. Maybe Zim had accidentally dropped in something actually useful with the pillows and blankets.
…they seemed to be pretty good bedstuffs, actually. A nice variety of both soft and firm pillows, and several thick blankets. But Dib quickly pulled his mind away from that train of thought. Nothing could convince him to sleep, not as Zim's prisoner.
Especially with the…weird dreams he had been having.
For weeks, now, Zim had been showing up in his dreams. Which wasn't entirely new—he had had nightmares featuring Zim as the monster chasing him, and others where he exposed Zim and was finally hailed as a hero. But these most recent dreams were…different.
Every one of them was calm and gentle. Zim would do something like wrap him in a warm blanket and snuggle up to him, or massage the tense muscles all over his body. In every one, his touch was soft and gentle, and he would whisper such sweet things to Dib.
The first time, Dib had shrugged it off as almost painfully realistic (in how it felt, not how likely it was). The next few times had been…worrying, and he would jolt out of bed sweating bullets. After a while, he thought it was a Zim plot—projecting weird dreams into his mind.
He spent some time fortifying his room against mental attacks, using technology to block all sorts of signals and a little magic to boost his mental shields. And the dreams kept happening.
He ended up brushing them off as just a thing that happened as you grew up. Most people didn't have a nemesis, so weirdly nice dreams about them wouldn't exactly be common knowledge. He had hoped to break into Zim's base and come back with some sort of confirmation on whether or not he was causing them.
…which he got, in a way. In hindsight, the cause was pretty obvious. Zim probably had no qualms about doing things to Dib in his sleep to get what he wanted. And he was touchy-feely with Dib when he was awake…
Maybe he should have just put some extra locks on his window instead of messing around with a lot of magic and alien technology.
Oh, well, hindsight was 20/20. He kicked through the last bits of the nest, finding absolutely nothing that could be useful. He sighed, resolving a dozen ways he would actually increase the safety of his room when he got out of here.
The sound of footsteps made Dib's head snap up. Zim was returning, holding some sort of tray in his hands.
Dib narrowed his eyes as a small part of the wall slid open to let Zim into his cell. "Dinner," Zim said, setting the tray down on the floor in front of Dib. "That's the meal you humans eat around this time, right?"
"I already ate dinner before I came here," Dib said, looking at the tray. On it was a sandwich, a soda, and a pear. He didn't trust any of it.
"Well, you can have a second one!" Zim said, looking proud of himself.
"I'm not eating anything you give me." Dib crossed his arms, eyeing the wall behind Zim. If he could just time things right...
"You're not really going to have much of a choice." Zim patted Dib's head, shocking him enough that by the time he registered the action, Zim had pulled back.
Zim turned around. "I'll leave that with you for now, then," he said. "I'll be seeing you later tonight, Dib." He cackled, leaving the cell.
Dib lunged forward for the opening...but his hands just smacked into the clear wall. He barely managed to keep himself from slamming face-first into it.
Zim's antennae flicked, and he glanced back at Dib with an amused smirk before leaving. Dib glared at him until he was out of sight...and then stood up and began to pace the edges of the cell.
So, slight change of plans...he needed to get out, avoid sleeping, and not eat stuff Zim brought him. He knew that Zim wasn't above putting poison or insects or nanobots or...anything he felt like in his food.
Dib double-checked every inch of the cell, still not finding any way he could get out. With a sigh, he sat and leaned against the wall, dragging one of the blankets over to himself. Just to keep himself from freezing—the lower levels of Zim's base were always cold.
He closed his eyes. He wouldn't fall asleep, but he could at least save his energy. He needed to be ready for whatever opportunity he could get to escape.
Zim's footsteps were so quiet that he very nearly didn't hear them until Zim was right in front of him. He could feel Zim reaching towards him, just inches away...
Dib's eyes snapped open, and he quickly shoved himself along the wall and away from his nemesis. Zim flinched back, startled, one hand still held in the air.
"You think I'm just going to...to let you do weird things to me?" Dib hissed. "When I know what you've been doing?" Or suspected, really. But it was a strong suspicion, and that was plenty for him to be distrustful!
"...you should be asleep," Zim said. "It's past midnight, you're usually asleep by now."
Dib scooted further away. He knew that Zim was being kind of creepy, but knowing that it was 'memorizing his sleeping patterns' levels of creepy made his skin crawl. "Yeah, well that's when I'm at home, in my room, and not being held in a cage by a cockroach from space!"
Zim looked insulted, then sneered at him. "...this will still work with you awake," he declared, moving forward.
Dib jumped to his feet, taking two steps back. Zim frowned, taking two steps forward to follow him. Dib moved in a circle around him, dodging to the other side of the cell before he could get cornered.
They continued for several minutes, turning in endless circles in the small space. Zim's brow furrowed deeper and deeper as he kept growing more frustrated. Dib hoped that he would give up soon…it was getting tricky to avoid getting cornered, since the alien was moving faster and faster.
Zim lunged at him, and Dib just barely managed to avoid getting tackled. Zim slammed face-first into the wall, then staggered back, stunned. Dib started to move forward, about to attack—
But wait, no, what if this was a trick to make him get closer? He stopped with a twitch. Zim took a few steps back...and placed a hand on the wall. A section opened for him to slip through, but it closed before Dib could even think about following.
Zim shook his head, recovering from being stunned. He then turned to Dib with a determined look. "You can't stay awake forever," he said. "Your human body will give in to sleep eventually."
Dib just glared at him, and Zim walked away and into the shadows. Zim was wrong—he had pulled all-nighters before, sometimes several days in a row when he was investigating something particularly interesting. Staying awake until he could get out would be easy, no matter what Zim thought. Maybe it would be harder without anything to keep him occupied, but still, he could do this.
About every…hour or so, maybe? Dib could hear Zim's footsteps, and he could sometimes see the Irken peering at him from around the corner. Zim would watch him for a bit, then sigh or frown before leaving.
The fifth time he did this, he was holding something, which he held up to a robotic arm before sighing and leaving again. A few seconds later, a small panel opened up above Dib, and a robotic arm dropped a plate of waffles in front of him.
He already didn't trust food from Zim, but he trusted waffles from him even less. There was no telling if that crazy robot had been involved in making them.
So, he lifted up a blanket and shoved them deep under the pile before leaning against the wall.
He did the same thing with the sandwiches Zim brought for lunch and dinner. Occasionally, he would stand up and walk around the cell, looking for a weak spot that he hadn't yet seen. But he was never able to find anything, and he went back to leaning against the wall.
About four hours after Zim had brought him dinner (assuming he was coming back every hour), he actually approached the cell. Dib immediately snapped to attention to glare at him.
Zim entered and approached until he was only a foot away. "You've been awake all night and all day," he said. "You're not even a little tired?"
"No," Dib said. He could stay up way longer. Zim didn't need to know that his head felt a little fuzzy, or that his boredom wasn't helping.
Zim groaned and started to pace. "You humans! You have so many needs, and I'm trying to meet them for you, but you just have to be difficult, don't you?"
Dib crossed his arms. "Yeah, because I don't trust you!"
"Couldn't you believe that I'm doing something genuinely nice for you? No nefarious plots attached or anything?"
"…no!" Dib said. "I know you've been doing…stuff to me in my sleep. There's no way that isn't part of some plot."
"It could also be genuinely nice," Zim countered, facing him and making big hand gestures. "Because wouldn't it feel good to get the attention you've always craved? To have fingers run through your hair? To feel wanted for a little bit?"
…a small part of Dib did want those things. But its opinion was easily quashed with the reminder that all of that would come from Zim.
"So…are you finally ready to go to bed yet?" Zim asked.
Dib scoffed in his face. "Like I'd ever—" He felt something sting his arm, and he yelped, pulling back and swatting whatever it was away.
A syringe had been stuck into his arm, one that was being held by a PAK appendage. It hurt even more getting forcefully pulled out, and left a drop of blood where he had been punctured, but Dib still scrambled away from it.
Or tried to. His body was starting to go limp, his senses feeling distant and fuzzy. A glance at the syringe showed about a quarter of a clear liquid left in it. "What did you…do to me…?"
"It's just a mild sedative," Zim said, tucking the syringe into his PAK. "I figured that it would be enough to knock you out, as tired as you are."
"You didn't…get it allin," Dib said. But his mouth was already fuzzy, he knew it was starting to work.
"It was still enough," Zim said. Dib scooted back, but ran into the wall. Zim sat next to him, sticking a blue Band-Aid over the puncture mark on his arm, using a PAK leg to drag over…something. He draped the 'something', a blanket, over Dib.
It was getting hard to focus. "Hateyousomush…" Dib slurred, struggling to keep his eyes open, knowing that it was a futile effort.
"I know, Dib-monkey," Zim said, kissing Dib's temple and running his claws through his hair. "But just relax…you'll only tire yourself out more the more you fight it."
Dib grunted, vision already going black. The last thing he felt before slipping into complete unconsciousness were two small hands gently massaging his shoulders.
Nice and warm, they felt so good…
When Dib woke up, he was in a pleasant half-asleep state. His limbs felt heavy in a good way, and his mouth and head were all fuzzy. He must have been out for hours. He shifted a little, making himself more comfortable and enjoying his current state.
Something…fingers brushed through his hair and along his scalp. The sensation sent tingles down his spine, and he sighed, relaxing even further. "G'morning…" he yawned, greeting whoever was making him feel so good.
"So docile like this," Zim purred into his ear. "It suits you well, Dib-pet."
Dib immediately jolted fully awake, a chill running down his spine as though he had been doused with ice water. His eyes snapped open, and he saw (to his horror) that his head was lying on Zim's lap, face nearly pressed against Zim's torso.
He immediately sat up, shoving Zim as far away from himself as he could. For a moment, he and his nemesis stared at each other, wide-eyed...
Before Dib jumped to his feet and ran in the other direction.
He only made it a few feet before slamming face-first into the clear barrier of the containment unit. He grunted and fell back, stunned.
Zim calmly walked over and looked down at him. "Did that feel good, Diblet?" he mocked. "Did it make you feel accomplished?"
Dib growled, flipping Zim off and standing up. "Let me out of here."
Zim laughed in his face. With another growl, Dib lunged at him, hands aiming for Zim's throat. He actually managed to catch the Irken by surprise, lifting him into the air and throttling him.
He then whirled around and slammed Zim against the clear wall, squeezing tightly. "I'm not going to let you do this," he snarled. "You can't do this to me."
Zim gasped, flailing and scratching at Dib's wrists. His PAK whirred loudly, and something shot out and jabbed into Dib's side.
It wasn't a PAK leg, since Dib wasn't skewered, but whatever it was caught him off-guard enough to flinch. That gave Zim enough time to wriggle out of the chokehold, dash around, and jump onto Dib's back.
"Get off!" Dib yelled, trying to grab him. But Zim wrapped his leg around his hips, resting his elbows on Dib's shoulders.
Before Dib could stop him, Zim buried his claws in his hair and began to gently rub his scalp. His skin tingled in the wake of his touch, shivers traveling through him. He tried to grab at Zim to throw him off, but his muscles felt like they were turning to jelly, and his hands wouldn't stop shaking.
"That's it, Dib," Zim said, scratching behind his ear and making Dib gasp. "Surrender to Zim."
"N-Never." Dib managed to get a grip on Zim's ankles…but metal tendrils popped out of Zim's PAK and coiled loosely around his wrists. He couldn't throw Zim off.
The tentacles stretched on, pressing at certain points on Dib's torso. Whenever Zim found a particularly taut muscle, he pressed down harder, rubbing a small circle. Dib grunted, feeling his legs wobble and his grip loosen…though he quickly managed to tighten it.
But Zim kept stroking his hair, and massaging sore spots on his torso, and making little cooing sounds in Dib's ear…before he knew it, Dib's arms had fallen limp, his hands slipping off of Zim's ankles. Only the metal tendrils were still holding them up.
"There we go," Zim whispered, pulling the tentacles off his wrists, but still keeping them close. He wrapped his arms around Dib's neck, letting go of his grip on Dib's waist to swing around to Dib's front, their bellies pressed together. Once he had moved, he wrapped his legs back around Dib's hips, using PAK legs to push himself forward, shoving Dib's back against the wall.
Dib grunted and pushed back, but Zim just...kept him pinned against the wall. He then placed his hands on Dib's shoulders, pushing down. Eventually, as much as he pushed back and tried to squirm away from Zim, Dib was shoved into a sitting position.
"There we go, good human," Zim said, relaxing his grip and sitting down in Dib's lap. He started to stroke Dib's hair again, making him go limp before he could begin to fight back. "Very good."
He kissed Dib's cheek, and Dib quickly bit his tongue, scrunching his eyes closed. He could almost feel a whimper building up in the back of his throat, but he wouldn't ever let Zim hear that. He wouldn't let Zim see him weak.
Zim nuzzled his face into the crook of Dib's neck, then peppered kisses up along his cheek. "The cell is only a temporary thing, Dib-beast," Zim whispered into his ear. "You and your nest will be moved when I find a better location."
Dib's heart rate picked up, fearful shivers traveling down his spine. "W-What's that supposed to mean!?" He hated how Zim made him sound so weak.
Zim just chuckled, brushing aside Dib's bands and cupping his cheek. "You'll find out," he said, an evil grin spreading across his face.
Naturally, this didn't make Dib feel any better. He quickly closed his eyes, took a deep, slightly shaky breath…
And lunged forward, headbutting Zim right in the center of his face.
Zim cried out in shock, falling back, one hand clutching at his face. Free from…whatever Zim's touch was doing to him, Dib started to get back up on his feet. But his muscles still felt like jelly, his legs shakier than he wanted them to be.
He stumbled forward as Zim fled the cell, but he was too slow. The wall closed before him long before his palm smacked into it. Zim looked at him with worry for a moment…and then smiled smugly.
He stepped forward and pressed his hand to the glass, his palm lining up with Dib's, stretching his fingers to line up with Dib's, too. "Everything will be fine," he said. "Just relax, and Zim can give you everything you could ever want."
Dib snatched his hand away, glaring at him. Zim blinked, then shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said. "There'll be plenty of time for you to change your mind."
He walked off, cackling, leaving Dib alone. Dib moved to one of the corners of his cell, closing his eyes. He had to focus, he had to stay strong, he couldn't surrender to Zim. No matter what he did.