Once he was out of Dib's sight, Zim headed to the closest chair, slumping onto it. Dib was impressively stronger than he appeared, and had really caught him by surprise…his face was still sore. With a grunt, he closed his eyes, relaxing and letting his PAK direct more energy into healing him.
The soreness soon faded, and he opened his eyes and sat forward, ready to plot. He thought while tapping his foot, and eventually stood up.
Zim paced back and forth, gnawing on his lower lip in thought. His brilliant plan was…not going quite as brilliantly as he had hoped. Dib really only surrendered if Zim was in the middle of giving him attention, something that was getting harder to do.
The human was almost constantly on guard, and was starting to get much more aggressive than Zim had anticipated. It was displeasing.
Clearly, Zim needed to do more for his amazing plan. It wasn't enough for Dib's subconscious to surrender to him—he wanted Dib to fully surrender, conscious mind and all.
But what more could he do? Besides continuing to lavish attention on Dib in his sleep, of course. It would be hard to do more when Dib was awake—since the human was ready and willing to attack him if he got too close.
...perhaps, if he could make Dib see him as less of a threat, it would make things easier...
And that's when the idea hit him. "Positive association!" he announced to himself. If he could get the Dib to associate his glorious presence and attention with positive and necessary things, Dib would come to see Zim himself as a positive and necessary thing. Probably.
Until now, he had been leaving Dib alone with his meals, disliking the way the human would glare and snarl at him. And because he wanted to lower Dib's chances of being able to slip out and escape. But getting Dib to associate him with food might just be the place to start.
...that, and he could ensure the human was actually eating. He had a sneaking suspicion that Dib was finding ways to avoid eating the meals Zim had made for him.
Yes, he decided, this was the perfect way to continue his brilliant plan. With an evil grin, he headed up to the kitchen.
Dib was going to face his DOOM through the greatest meals he could ever get.
After a bit of experimenting, Zim had put together a meal he was sure the human couldn't resist. He had put together another sandwich, but this time, had toasted the bread and spread peanut butter and honey over the slices. He knew the Dib liked honey, and the peanut butter would give him protein without a clashing flavor.
He also cut off the crusts, because why not? Dib would surely notice the oft-intimate gesture humans used, and that suspicious shell would start to crack.
He poured the human a glass of chocolate milk, setting it on a tray with the sandwich. He paused, biting his lip…and opened the sandwich, pouring a little more honey before pressing the slices of bread together again. Perfect.
He carried the tray downstairs, resisting the urge to hum cheerfully. That would probably make him seem suspicious, which he wanted to avoid.
Dib was sitting in one corner of his cell, his back pressed against the walls as his head swung back and forth. Zim hung just out of sight, briefly considering taking a longer route to sneak up behind Dib and his paranoia.
But no, he shouldn't. Dib would be startled, and that was what an enemy would do to him. Which Zim was! But he needed the human to stop seeing him as such, at least to a degree.
So, he stepped forward, clearly in Dib's line of sight, fighting to make his smile disarming and not evil-looking.
Dib spotted him right away, since he wasn't making an effort to hide. His eyes narrowed…and then narrowed even further when he saw the tray of food that he was carrying.
Zim stopped just one length-unit from the containment cell, holding up the tray. The Computer plucked it from his hands, moving it through the ceiling tunnel and placing it into Dib's cell via robotic arms. Dib shifted his gaze between Zim and the food.
"It's just a lunch, Dib-human," Zim said. "It's not going to hurt you. And I think you'll actually enjoy what I've brought for you today."
Dib snorted. "Like I'm going to trust anything you give me…or say," he said. "You're probably using it to poison me, or sedate me again, or…something."
Zim fought the VERY STRONG urge to grin evilly. "You know that I don't have to put things in your food to get them into your body," he said in almost a sing-song tone. "Poisoning is only fun if you never expect it. Right now, a more direct method is easier."
Dib considered this…and went a bit pale. He shifted slightly, hunching away from Zim. Zim quickly turned around, aggressively rubbing his face, molding his expression into a more trustworthy one. Stupid, stupid, he didn't need to say all of that to the Dib!
He turned back around. Dib was eyeing the tray, a hand on his stomach. "…I'm…not hungry," he said. "So you might as well just take it back."
His stomach growled loudly.
Dib flinched, looking guilty at being caught, or maybe just pained with hunger. Zim raised a brow to silently express disbelief.
The human scowled at him, glared at the sandwich…and picked it up with a loud sigh, taking a small bite out of it. Zim's expression lit up…as did Dib's, probably when he noticed the honey. That just made Zim's smile widen.
Zim walked around the edge of the cell until he was closer to Dib, then sat down on the floor. Dib took a few more small bites, watching Zim out of the corner of his eye. He slowly turned to face Zim and fully keep an eye on him, nibbling on his sandwich.
Zim kept watching, even shifting a little closer. Dib just glared suspiciously.
"…I'm eating it," Dib said. "So would you stop staring at me?"
"Why?" Zim said, grin widening, looking a little more sinister. He quickly composed himself, trying to look a little more innocent. "Is it bothering you, my Dib?"
The endearment almost made Dib choke on his sandwich, blood rushing to his cheeks. "It's just creepy," he quickly said.
Zim frowned, antennae flicking in thought. 'Creepy' wasn't the way he wanted his presence to be seen. He was hoping for something like 'comforting', or maybe even 'vital'. "And what would make this less 'creepy', exactly?"
"Just…go away," Dib said. "It's weird to just stare at someone while they're eating. You've been on Earth long enough, you should know that…" He grumbled under his breath, probably cursing Zim's guts as he tore bits and pieces from his sandwich, letting them flake away.
Hmm, true. Though humans frequently ate communally, all members of the group would be eating. And this was probably another thing that was perfectly normal for humans, but they couldn't stand having someone watch them doing it.
Or Dib was just being fussy.
Either way…Zim had to do something to make himself seem 'not weird' in Dib's eyes. It only took a little thinking before his antennae perked up with an idea…and then drooped a little as he mulled it over.
...he didn't want to leave Dib when his plot was just barely starting. But his idea would improve this, and he would just need to go right around the corner...
He stood up, dusting himself off. "I'll be back in a moment," he announced. "Enjoy your sandwich."
Dib raised an eyebrow, and Zim saw his eyes narrow in suspicion just before he turned and power-walked down the line of containment units, ducking into the nearest storage room.
He quickly threw open drawers until he found one with extra snacks. He grabbed a licking stick and a few pieces of Urth candy, then dashed back to Dib. The human had only taken a few more bites out of his sandwich, and he quickly pulled his hand out from his nest as Zim approached.
So, he was definitely hiding parts of his meals. But, if Zim continued this plan, that really wouldn't be a problem.
He sat down in the same spot, placing his food in his lap and grinning at Dib. The human raised an eyebrow in response. "…what are you doing."
"Sharing a meal with you!" Zim said, tearing open a chocolate bar. "It's perfectly normal, isn't it?"
Dib hummed, still suspicious, watching as Zim nibbled on his chocolate without eating his own food. About halfway through, Zim said, "I thought watching someone eat was 'creepy', Dib-pet?"
That made Dib's cheeks and ears flush red, and he quickly whipped his head around, taking a big swig of chocolate milk. He slowly ate the rest of his sandwich, while Zim worked through his pile of snacks. They sat in silence, aside from the quiet sounds of their chewing.
Dib finished off his sandwich and milk, leaning back and looking…not content, unfortunately. 'Worried' was a better descriptor. Zim dug through his snacks before pulling out another Urth chocolate bar, which he held up.
The Computer took it and dropped it into Dib's lap. Dib looked at it, then gave Zim a confused look.
"You humans eat desserts after meals, don't you?" Zim said, gesturing for him to go on. Dib frowned, but his stomach let out another gurgle, though much quieter this time.
He grumbled and tore open the packaging, biting into the snack. Zim ate a few more of his own, daring to inch a little closer when Dib wasn't looking directly at him.
It wasn't long before Dib finished, though, balling up the wrapper and flicking it in Zim's direction. It bounced uselessly against the wall, and Zim scoffed as a smaller arm dropped from the ceiling to retrieve and dispose of it.
"I'll see you at dinner," he announced as the Computer grabbed Dib's empty tray.
"…whatever," Dib grumbled. "Can't you make anything besides sandwiches, anyway?"
Zim scowled at him and began to leave. But as soon as he was further away, he saw Dib lick drops of honey off his lips and fingers. That…was gross, but made him feel a little better.
But now…he headed towards the nearest terminal, plopping into the chair in front of it. Normally, he would research ways to bring about the destruction of humanity, looking for potential weaknesses. But right now, he just needed to find a way to amaze the Dib…which would create a personal weak spot.
"Computer, pull up any human recipes you can find!" he ordered. The Computer whirred loudly, information flashing onto the screen. Zim leaned closer, pouring over it all.
There were quite a few more recipes than he had expected, and all of different varieties…so, there was no way to master them all in time for Dib's dinner.
But! He could at least master one of them. The trick would just be to figure out which one.
He decided against making anything that called for meat, which eliminated quite a few things. Removing beans didn't take out as many, but it still narrowed his search.
He knew the Dib liked honey, so he could make that his core ingredient again. That helped narrow his search down much more, enough that he began to save recipes as he skimmed through them. Eventually, he decided on a "honey cornbread". It was highly rated, seemed simple enough to make, and he was certain he had most of the ingredients in the base.
The Computer noted what he did and didn't have. All he was missing was cornmeal and heavy cream! So he quickly ordered GIR to go to the store and fetch the missing ingredients.
As his robot minion ran off, Zim got out of the chair and stretched. He couldn't really get started until he had those ingredients, but he might be able to throw together everything else needed for the dish.
By the time GIR came back, Zim had preheated the oven, and began to measure and mix the ingredients on hand. Now that he could add the last few things, it didn't take long before he was sliding the batter into the oven.
Now, all he had to do was wait.
He set an alarm in his PAK and wandered into the living room. "Computer, show me a security feed of the Dib," he said. The TV flicked to life, showing the containment cell from a distance, and at a bit of an awkward angle.
"Don't you have any better images?" Zim huffed.
"No, this is the from the closest camera," the Computer huffed back.
Zim crossed his arms, leaning back into the couch. He could still tell what the human was doing, at least. Which, right now, was wandering around the perimeter of the cell, placing his hands along the surface. Probably trying to find some way to open it.
Zim wasn't worried. The containment cell would only open if he ordered it, either verbally or with a command sent from his PAK. There was no way Dib's greasy fingers could find a way out.
He chuckled and continued to watch Dib's futile efforts until he went around the whole cell and eventually slumped into a corner. He only had one blanket with him, ignoring the rest of the nest.
Zim huffed, crossing his arms in irritation. It was a rather nice nest he had put together, and the human was just completely ignoring it!
Still, he kept an eye on the human, even if he wasn't doing anything at the moment. It wasn't long before his PAK alerted him that the cornbread was done. He quickly strange off the couch and rushed into the kitchen, putting on some oven mitts and pulling the pan out of the oven.
The cornbread looked just as described in the recipe. All that was left now was to determine if it tasted good enough. He cut out a tiny forkful from the corner, pulling it out and nodding in satisfaction at the honey-colored inside. He shoved the bite into his mouth…
And quickly screeched, spitting it back out when it burnt the inside of his mouth.
"'puterrrrr!" he whined, letting his poor, sore tongue hang out of his mouth.
"Yes, Master?" the Computer said dryly and innocently.
"Recipe…" Zim groaned. A screen dropped down from the ceiling, showing again the cornbread recipe. Zim glowered at the last step…to let it cool for at least fifteen minutes. It was unfair that he couldn't enjoy what he made right away!
Still, he set another alarm in his PAK, then wandered into the living room and took the elevator directly to his medbay. His mouth was already starting to feel numb from his PAK stepping in and healing him, but he wanted to be fully healed before approaching Dib again.
He needed to appear completely in control, which meant not giving the human ammunition to mock him. Though maybe if it was something a little minor, he could give an illusion of weakness and make the human feel more comfortable…
He debated the idea as tiny robotic arms poked around in his mouth, poking at his injured skin and injecting him with healing chemicals. Unpleasant, but it would be worth it.
The medbay finished with a final spritz of minty topical ointment in his mouth, the robotic arms retreating. Zim smacked his lips, standing up and leaving. His mouth was numb and tingling, and he was certain that Dib wouldn't even notice a thing by the time he brought him dinner.
He headed back upstairs and sat on the couch to watch whatever GIR was watching. It wasn't long before his PAK let him know that the cornbread should be cool by now. He waited until the episode was over before getting up and heading into the kitchen.
Just as before, he cut out a tiny forkful to try. This time, he tentatively tapped it with the tip of his tongue. It wasn't burning him, so he shoved it into his mouth.
…nice and sweet, but not overly so. He might have to send this dish to the Empire just to show off one of the rare impressive things Urth had.
But for now, his main concern would be feeding the Dib. He pulled a plate down from the cupboards, and cut out a large slice of the bread to place on top. For a little something extra he drizzled lines of honey on top, then stepped back to admire his work.
Hmm. The meal seemed a bit…plain. Kind of boring. There had to be something he could add to make it more interesting.
After a bit of brainstorming, he remembered that humans would usually add fruit or vegetables to their meals. He began to scour the kitchen, and after searching the snack cupboards, he found packets of Urth fruit snacks. They were basically fruit, it was right in the name!
He tore open two of the little bags, pouring their contents around the cornbread, and even dropping three on top. He smiled and nodded in satisfaction…it was so much more colorful now.
Now that just left the drink. He grabbed a plastic cup with the Urth's solar system printed on the side, something GIR had grabbed once when he was supposed to be getting information. He filled it with chocolate milk, stepped back…and frowned, tapping his chin as he looked down at the plate.
It looked fine, but he felt like there was something else that should be added.
"Ah!" he said aloud as the idea struck him. It was obvious! Even if he was making progress in getting the human to trust him with his stomach, he still needed to carry out his original plan. Something that would prove difficult if Dib refused to actually sleep.
He had the Computer bring up the various human chemicals he kept in the lab for research. After scanning his selection, he found a bottle of sleeping pills. He shook two out into his palm, easily crushing them and letting the powder drop into the glass of chocolate milk.
He hummed to himself as he used a spoon to stir it all in. This was perfect. It wouldn't knock him out immediately, but he would start to nod off afterward. He wouldn't taste the pills at all. He wouldn't suspect a thing!
He slid the plate and glass onto a tray, then fetched a second plate and glass. He wouldn't need energy for a while, so he cut himself a smaller slice of cornbread, and ordered the Computer to pour him a glass of Irken soda. He set his own meal on a separate tray and got in the elevator to head downstairs.
"…you're sure you want to carry both?" The Computer asked.
"Do not question me, I can handle them!" Zim said. "…but descend slowly."
The Computer sighed, and the elevator platform began to inch downward. Zim hummed to himself, tapping a foot on the ground. Dib would enjoy this meal even more than the lunch, he was certain of it. He could picture the human smiling, giving a somewhat reluctant thanks…
The thought of the human's reaction was actually making him feel kind of giddy.
That feeling persisted until the elevator came to a stop, and he was still humming as he walked to Dib's cell. He managed to stop before getting within earshot of Dib, but he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face.
Dib was already glaring at him when he was close enough. "What is it now, huh?" he said. "Gonna start running weird experiments on me? Forcefeed me some bizarre alien dish?"
"There is no experiment lined up for you," Zim said, holding Dib's tray up and letting the Computer move it into Dib's cell. "And tonight's dish is an Urth one, which I expect that you will enjoy."
He walked around the corner of the cell, stopping when he was just a few feet from Dib before sitting down with his own tray in his lap. Dib was looking at his dinner with a raised eyebrow. "…is this cornbread?"
"Honey cornbread," Zim corrected with a smug grin, nibbling on his own.
Dib grunted, using his fork to poke all over the bread…and even giving the fruit snacks a few suspicious pokes, too. Zim resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Honestly, even if he had done something to the meal, what would just poking it reveal?
But eventually, Dib finally ate one fruit snack, chewing slowly before swallowing. He waited a few seconds, and when he figured that it hadn't killed him, he took a tiny forkful off the corner of the cornbread, repeating the process.
Now that he was relaxing a little, Zim actually began to eat more of his dinner.
"…you know that this sort of thing isn't really a 'main course', right?" Dib said. "It's more like a side dish." He nibbled on the bread.
"Does it matter?" Zim asked. "I mean, whether it satisfies your hunger is the important thing, right?" He took a large bite of the bread.
"I guess." Dib poked at his meal. "It's still weird, though."
"…because it goes against human traditions?" Zim guessed, and got a small nod in response. "Ridiculous human. You're better than those."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're better than other humans," Zim said. "Smarter. You see the truth that they refuse to. Stronger, since you've been able to keep up with an Irken elite since both of us were young. You're even taller than the average human your age.
"Shouldn't clear superiority allow you to eschew traditions you are above?"
Dib stared silently at his meal…before taking a larger bite of cornbread, scooping up some fruit snacks with it. "I won't fall for your tricks," he muttered with his head lowered. But Zim could still see his ears, which were flushed pink with embarrassment.
"And I don't think cornbread is actually that filling…even if you give me a big piece," Dib continued, still eating slowly, but taking bigger bites. He grabbed his glass and drank the milk without hesitation. Zim turned his head a little, taking a bite out of the cornbread to hide his smile. He couldn't let Dib feel suspicious.
The human kept nibbling at his meal, his hesitation fading away the more of it he ate. He still didn't show any signs of noticing anything 'off' about his drink.
Zim ate slowly, keeping pace with the human. "If you need more, I can get you more," he said. "And since you haven't caused trouble today, you get dessert, too."
Dib snorted. "Choking you isn't causing trouble?"
"It's not like it did anything to me," Zim said casually. Even if it had hurt a lot, and his spooch had twisted in fright at the moment. "Besides! You've been eating your meals today, and you haven't broken out. A full day of good behavior is worth more than one little…accident."
"Wasn't one," Dib muttered under his breath, so quietly that Zim needed his superior sense to even hear it.
That made him grin, feeling closer to winning. Either the human wanted to avoid a fuss to get dessert, or he was directly avoiding an argument with Zim. Zim considered either a success.
The human didn't say anything else, even as Zim prodded him with questions, trying to get the human to talk to him about his interests. But Dib would just ignore him and continue eating. Zim huffed a little, chomping down on his bread and balling his hands into fists.
But at least Dib was eating, and actually finished off his dinner pretty quickly. Zim quickly finished his own bread, and with a quick order to the Computer, both of them received a chocolate bar.
Dib looked over the candy bar, huffing a little when he saw the writing was in English. Still, he tore it open and took a bite. Zim broke off a few pieces off of his bar and popped them into his mouth one at a time.
The dessert didn't last long, and the Computer took the tray and dishes when Dib finished off the last of his milk. "…I don't suppose you want to just sit and talk?" Zim said, polishing off his own chocolate.
A sneer was the only response he got, so he just shrugged and began to walk away. "Good night, my Dib-worm!" he called behind him.
"Go to hell!" Dib yelled back at him, probably making a rude gesture at the same time. Zim smiled. So stubborn, it was almost endearing.
He came back an hour later. Dib was slumped against the wall, fast asleep with drool dribbling down his chin.
Zim smirked, entering the cell and approaching carefully. The human didn't stir at all…excellent.
He used a damp cloth to wipe the drool off of Dib's face, first, then scratched just behind his ear. The human grunted and flopped his head towards Zim's hand.
After a few minutes of scratching his scalp, making the human smile and ensuring that he was unconscious, Zim pulled his hand back. He placed one arm under Dib's knees and the other behind his back, easily lifting him up.
He carried Dib over to the nest, kicking a few blankets aside and setting the human in it. He positioned a few of the pillows underneath him, then draped the blankets back over him, bundling him up. Dib shifted a little, snuggling into the pillow under his head, but remained fast asleep.
"Doesn't that feel much better?" Zim said, stroking his hair. "I understand you're feeling wary, but you can trust Zim. You can trust me…"
Dib snorted softly. Zim poked his nose, chuckling when the human scrunched it up.
He kept petting his human, eventually worming into the nest properly so he could sit comfortably by him. Not long after that, Dib rolled over to use Zim's lap as a pillow.
"Good Dib," Zim cooed, pecking his forehead and hugging Dib's head. "This is nice, isn't it?"
He was already feeling better, having the Dib clearly, willingly (if unconsciously) wanting to be close to him. And if he just kept it up, he knew Dib could act just like this when he was conscious, too…without Zim having to worry about getting attacked.
The thought was enough to make him start humming. A soft, quiet tune, to soothe the Dib and hopefully make his sleep last a little longer.