Dib could feel Zim eyeing him, scrutinizing him. For now, Dib tried to ignore it, feeling worried about what Zim might be judging him for. He focused his attention on the sign in front of him. It was written in Irken, and he was getting better about recognizing the letters…

Zim slowly approached, lifting himself on his PAK legs to hug Dib from behind, resting his chin on Dib's shoulder. "Biological Laboratory Ahead: Stay Aware," he translated, repeating it in Irken. Dib quickly wrote the translation in his notebook, right under where he had drawn the sign.

Zim patted his head. "Irken has never been an easy language for other species to master," he said. "But if anyone could do it, it would be you."

Dib smiled, leaning into his touch. But he could still feel Zim looking down at some part of him in a scrutinizing way. "…something wrong?" he asked.

"No, of course not, but…" Zim clicked his tongue, searching for the right words. "Well. It's been three of your Urth-days, and you've cycled through two sets of clothing, not counting your sleepwear."

"I mean…I only have so many clothes here," Dib said. Maybe he should have grabbed more from his room, but really, he was just glad he remembered to grab a change of clothes at all.

"Yes, and that's not your fault," Zim said. "It's just…a fact. But it's also a fact that if you keep wearing the same things over and over and over, they'll…well…"

Dib gave him a flat look. "Are you trying to say that I smell?" Which didn't seem fair, he had been showering.

"Not right now," Zim said. "But you will, if we don't address this." He brushed a hand down Dib's side, which made him feel a little better.

"Let me guess, you already have a grand plan to fix it," Dib said. His voice had a little bite to it, but not as much as it would have before…before this whole thing.

"I do, actually!" Zim peeled away from Dib, dropping to the floor and puffing out his chest. "And it's not too complex, but its simplicity is what makes it so grand! You and I…" He posed dramatically. "Will go to one of your human 'malls' to retrieve more clothes for you!"

Dib blinked. "So…your grand plan…is to go shopping?"

"Yes!" Zim said. "We'll solve the issue of you running out of clean clothes easily. And this trip should be good for your health, too…since you need air and sunlight every so often and all."

"That…all makes sense. And doesn't sound too bad." Dib rubbed the back of his neck…and in the back of his mind, a tiny voice was rejoicing, whispering about all the chances he would have to slip away. He ignored it. "I'm just surprised…well, never mind."

Zim smiled, taking his hand in his own. "I trust you to not stray too far," he said, bringing Dib's hand up to gently kiss the back of it. Dib's face flushed brightly.

"Besides, I think this could be an interesting experience," Zim continued, nuzzling his hand before lowering it. "Exploring this mall with you, I mean."

Dib hummed and nodded. He didn't have a strong opinion about shopping, at least when it came to clothes. But the mall could be fun…and he wondered how Zim would react to some things there.

"Okay, fine, you convinced me." He shifted his coat, making sure his notes were safely tucked away inside of it. "Are we going to head out now?"

"Yes…well, in a moment," Zim said. "After doing one more little thing to get ready." He reached into his PAK and pulled out a spray can, shaking it up.

Dib looked at it suspiciously as Zim shook it and pointed the nozzle at him. "Um. What are you—" Zim sprayed him, and Dib was engulfed in a lemon-scented cloud.

He sputtered, backing away and trying to wave away the cloud. Zim just took the opportunity to spray him in any of his exposed places. "There!" he said, tossing the can back into his PAK. "That cleaning spray will cover up any stink that's built up on your clothes…and kill the germs."

Dib huffed, shaking out his coat. "Yeah, I think it's weirder to stink like lemons than to for my clothes to smell a little musty," he said. "…heck, once we get outside, I don't think even you could smell how old my clothes are."

"Well, any germs clinging to you are now dead," Zim countered, still seeming proud of himself. "We'd better get going…it'll take a bit of walking to get there." He started heading down the hall, gesturing for Dib to follow.

He did so, still trying to shake the excess lemony scent off of himself. But once he realized it was fruitless, he sighed and jogged lightly to catch up with Zim. A few moments after he reached his side, he dared to brush his fingers against Zim's.

Zim entwined their fingers right after that, and Dib was smiling softly as they left the base.


It took a few minutes of walking to make it to the mall, but the weather today was at least nice and sunny. Once inside, Zim let go of Dib's hand, gave him a pat on the side, and walked forward to look over the mall map.

Dib walked up to him, but Zim grabbed him and whirled him around to face another direction. "I'm going to surprise you with the perfect store to get your clothes!" he declared. "No peeking!"

"Fine, fine," Dib said, rolling his eyes with a small laugh. He walked around the giant map, looking over the mall itself. There were a few stores that could have been interesting, but nothing caught his eye right away. He frowned, trying to remember the stores he would usually visit…though it had been a while, so who knew if they were all even open?

"Ah-ha! Found it!" Zim shouted, then quickly jogged into the wall, gesturing for Dib to follow. This time, Dib kept a leisurely pace behind the alien.

After a few corners turned, Zim glanced over his shoulder and slowed down, letting Dib catch up. "Are you tired?"

"No, I just don't feel like running," Dib said. "It's not far, is it?"

"No, no, just a little more," Zim assured, turning left. Dib glanced to the right. When he was here last, there was actually an occult shop right around the corner here…and he could just barely catch a glimpse of crystals. He looked at the store a little longingly.

A tug on his sleeve made his attention snap back to Zim. "I'll take you to another store of your choice and buy whatever you want," he said. "If you pick out enough of a wardrobe and don't try to go running off."

A part of Dib yelled defiantly, wanting to turn and bolt just because he had the chance. But the yelling was quickly quashed with the thought of having nowhere to run to, and that he didn't want to, and so he mumbled something affirmative to Zim.

Zim accepted this with a nod. His hand drifted down Dib's wrist, and he entwined their fingers together. Tingles traveled up Dib's arm, and he followed as Zim carved a path through the mall.

"There!" Zim pointed at a clothing store with a lot of black shirts and graphic tees on display. Dib stopped and gasped for a moment…this was one of the places he would visit if he was ever in the mall. "This should have some clothes suitable for my Dib, yes?"

"I…yeah," Dib said, nodding and giving Zim's hand a squeeze. The alien looked proud of himself and headed into the store, dragging Dib along behind him.

Dib started to drift over to the t-shirts, Zim hovering for a moment before declaring that he would find some pants for Dib. He reached up towards Dib as far as he could without using his PAK legs, grunting a little.

After a moment, Dib bent down a little, letting Zim pat his head and scratch a little at his scalp. "Very good, thank you," Zim said before pulling back and heading toward a display of black jeans near the door.

Dib sorted through the t-shirts, pulling out ones that he liked. There was a Mothman t-shirt he snatched up, a black one with stars printed all over the front…and one that said Aliens believe in me with a UFO.

He had to get that one, of course.

He had found a few other shirts he liked by the time Zim returned with a small harmful of black jeans and slacks. "These should all be to your liking," he boasted, holding them out.

Dib traded him those for the shirts and began to look through them. True, most of these seemed like something he would wear, and they were all in his size…though he frowned at a pair of skinny jeans, setting them on the closest shelf.

"Something wrong with those?" Zim asked, concerned.

"Eh. I just don't like the feel of them," Dib said with a shrug. "They kind of…constrict my movement."

"Ah." Zim nodded in understanding. His eyes suddenly lit up, and he leaned against Dib.

Dib froze, and Zim reached past him…pulling back to show a pair of black lounge pants with skulls that he had just grabbed. He grinned up at Dib. Dib looked at the pants and grinned back, nodding.

They wandered around the store a bit more, Dib grabbing a few more t-shirts and a few socks with alien and ghost designs. Zim looked at a few more items of clothing, but most things, he would just place right back where he had grabbed them from.

Eventually, they made their way to the checkout counter, Dib's arms filled with a sizable pile of clothing. He dropped the bundle on the small counter, everything barely fitting on it, a pair of socks even tumbling to the floor. The cashier looked at the clothes, then up at them, their expression tired.

"…I don't suppose you want to throw in a poster, too?" they said dryly, nodding at the poster displayed behind them on the wall.

Dib glanced at the selection, but shrugged, as none of it interested him. Mostly ones for bands he had never heard of, or games he only knew from his sister. The cashier sighed and began to scan everything they had grabbed, carefully moving everything they checked into an empty area.

As the numbers on the register went up, Dib thought of something worrying. He leaned over a little, nudging Zim with his elbow.

"Mm?" Zim looked up at him. "Don't tell me you want one of those ugly posters after all."

"No, but…" Dib bit his lip and leaned down to whisper, "You have a way to pay for this, right?" He hadn't even thought of grabbing his wallet before surrendering to Zim.

A wide grin spread on his face, and he reached into his PAK to whip out about five different credit cards. "Take your pick, Dib-beastie," he said smugly. "Zim knows that surviving…that ruling on this world requires wealth. So I acquired plenty of it!"

…Dib highly suspected that Zim had 'acquired' most of it illegally, and probably immorally. But that was something to worry about later. For now, he just wanted to get some clean clothes and not get banned for wasting the cashier's time.

He turned his attention back to the checkout…though it wasn't long before he grew bored of watching the cashier scan through everything. He tapped his foot, gaze wandering and eventually lingering on the store's exit.

Zim leaned over to poke a ticklish spot in his ribs. "Just what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, really," Dib said. "Just…kind of bored." The cashier snorted, grumbling something to themselves.

Zim frowned, glancing between Dib, the doorway, and the dwindling pile of clothes that still needed to be scanned. "…why don't you walk outside a little?" he suggested. "As long as you stay within sight!"

Dib almost asked if he was sure, but decided that he didn't want Zim to change his mind. "Thanks," he said, already heading towards the entrance. "See you in a few minutes?"

"Yes, and remember—within sight!" Zim pointed at his eyes, then at Dib. I'm watching you.

Dib gave a lazy thumbs-up in return, already leaving the store. For a brief moment, he considered wandering—or running—off, but he shook off the idea. Instead, he walked straight forward a few feet until he was next to a large potted fern, and began to scan the mall.

Not much was really catching his interest, other than the occult store he had caught a glimpse of earlier. He started wandering a few feet in that direction, though not so far that he couldn't see Zim through the entrance.

He squinted, trying to see what else was in the store, besides crystals. …maybe, if he stepped a little closer for just a second, he could see some of the book titles. Zim would probably be done soon…but ugh, waiting was still boring…

"Dib!" someone shouted. He yelped, jumping around to face whoever it was.

To his surprise, Gaz was jogging up to him, her brow furrowed. He stared at her in confusion—she rarely came to the mall if there wasn't a new game release or other event to attend. And he was pretty sure there wasn't one, so why would she—

She quickly reached him and punched his shoulder. "Ow!" he cried, reeling back and scowling at her. "Gaz, what—?"

"I've been looking everywhere for you, you moron!" she said. "I started calling you an hour ago, but you never picked up!"

Probably because his phone had been abandoned in his bedroom somewhere, he realized. "Uh…oops?" he said sheepishly. "Sorry."

…wait, no, he wasn't. He didn't really want to talk to his family right now, and if he had taken the phone, Dad probably would have used it to track him or something. He had done the right thing!

"It's fine," she said. "Just don't make me run across town for you again anytime soon, okay?"

"Wait…how'd you know I'd be here?" he asked.

"I didn't," she said. "I was walking to Zim's—because where else would you be—and I saw you and your dorky trenchcoat go around a street corner just before I got there."

"'S not dorky," Dib said, crossing his arms with a pout. "So, what, you followed me all the way here? That's creepy."

She gave him a look. "Dib, I don't think you get to call someone out on doing something like that." He huffed. "Anyway, look, I've spent almost my whole morning trying to find you, so could we just get going already?"

"…going?" he asked, posture relaxing.

"Going home," she emphasized. "Dad's already there and waiting for both of us." She held her hand out and jabbed her head back towards the entrance.

"…waiting for…me?" Dib said, fingers twitching. "You…he wants me there?"

"Uh, yeah?" She gave him a look. "He asked me to pick up 'his son', and last I checked, you're the only one he has. Do you have heat stroke or something?"

His dad, Gaz, they…they had wondered where he was. They wanted him there. Dib's heart skipped a beat, and the next thing he knew, he had grabbed onto Gaz's hand and was letting himself be pulled along.

"Whatever spying you were doing on Zim can wait for another day," Gaz said over her shoulder. "If we hurry, we can actually have lunch with Dad before he goes into the home lab."

Zim…Dib thought. Zim wanted him, he couldn't just leave Zim. His grip loosened.

But no! His family wanted him, and weren't they more important? The thought of them caring about him made him feel elated, lighter than air, and he tightened his grip on Gaz's hand again.

But then again…he looked back at the store, still in sight, but several feet away. Could he really just leave without a word? Zim was good to him. Zim accepted him, even if…his family didn't…Dib frowned, thoughts shifting gears. He slowed to a stop.

"No, Dib, we don't have time to visit the creepy stores you like," Gaz said, tugging him forward another few inches.

"…wait," Dib said, stopping and planting his feet. Something wasn't adding up here. Gaz scowled at him and pulled a little harder, but he did his best to stand his ground.

"Dib, c'mon already," she groaned.

"…why do you care so much, now?" he asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You didn't care the first time I went missing. Even though I'd been kidnapped."

She tightly squeezed his hand, and he winced, digging his feet stubbornly into the ground. "Does it matter?"

"Yeah, it does!" he snapped. "To me, at least!"

She stopped and sighed, frowning down at the ground. Her bangs cast a shadow over her eyes. "…okay. I know you can handle yourself, and you can get away and back home by yourself, but…Dad has a big unveiling tomorrow."

Dib frowned, brow furrowing…and then, in a flash, he put the pieces together. "Oh." His mood immediately turned sour, his eyes narrowing further into a glare. "Oh."

"Yeah, he wants us there, at least, and he said he'll move up the family dinner—" Gaz rambled, but was cut off when Dib slapped her wrist with his free hand, quickly pulling himself free and taking a step back.

Her jaw dropped, and she looked at her wrist before looking up at him. She wasn't quite angry yet, more shocked than anything. "…you did not just do that."

Dib himself felt shocked, staring down at his own hand. But he was quick to recover, pulling both his arms back and stepping away from her. "I'm…not going," he said. "If you and Dad only want me around for his 'image' or whatever, you can just go right back home."

Gaz's shock faded away, and she fixed a stern glare on him. "Dib, c'mon, now's not the time…"

"No, of course not, it's never the time. Never the time for what I want to be considered!" Dib snapped, glaring right back.

It was a standoff. Just when Dib debated if he could make a break for it, he heard footsteps from the clothing store. Someone was running towards them.

"Dib?" Zim called as he ran out, his voice a little high-pitched. Oh, right, Dib had started to move away…and then started yelling.

"Zim!" Dib called, not daring to fully take his eyes off of his sister. Still, hearing Zim hurry over to him…he risked a small peek over his shoulder.

The alien had a large paper bag slung over one of his shoulders…shoulders that nearly sagged with relief when he saw Dib. As he approached, Dib saw his expression slowly shift into confusion…until he saw Gaz.

At that point, Zim froze just behind Dib, glancing between him and Gaz. Dib shifted a little closer to him, meeting Gaz's eyes again and glaring. He hoped it would be enough to make her go away.

Unfortunately, nothing could ever be that easy for him. Gaz glanced between him and Zim, one eyebrow shooting up. "Okay, what is this?" she said, gesturing between them. "Is the world ending or something? That's the only reason I know that you could get so close without screaming at each other."

"It's no surprise that your poor, puny human mind can't imagine any other scenario," Zim said a bit flippantly. Dib looked at him in shock, and Gaz's expression was downright murderous.

Zim ignored them both, instead pressing his side against Dib's and wrapping an arm around his waist. "Dib is mine, now," he declared. "You can't have him back."

Dib felt his face turn red, and his heart fluttered a little. Even as Gaz gave first Zim, and then Dib, a shocked and slightly disgusted look, his blush…and tiny smile…didn't fade.

"…you're just going to let him say that?" Gaz said. "No comment? No questioning it?"

"I'm fine with it," Dib said. "I…I chose to go with him, this time. To stay with him. I'm…I'm not going to go with you!"

Gaz growled and ground her teeth, a dark aura appearing around her. Dib gulped and stepped back, feeling a lot more nervous. She stepped forward, looking ready to fight, and he felt like she was about to drag him all the way back to the house.

Zim stepped forward and between the two of them, glaring at Gaz and puffing out his chest. Dib's heart was still hammering, but he felt a little bit better. And brave enough that he shot Gaz a glare, too.

She scowled back, glancing between the two of them. Her posture relaxed, her aura fading even as her expression remained menacing. "...whatever," she said, before staring Dib in the eyes. "We're not done with this, though."

After shooting him another glare, she turned on her heel and stormed off. As soon as she was out of earshot, Dib breathed a sigh of relief, shoulders slumping.

"You did so well, my Dib," Zim said, quickly turning around and patting Dib's shoulders and cheeks. "So, so well, facing off against your scary sister-unit like that."

"Hah…thank you," Dib said. His hands were shaking, and he grabbed Zim's shoulders in an effort to steady them. Zim's patting became faster, which made Dib let out a weak chuckle.

"I think I should probably sit down," he said. It wasn't his first argument with his sister, not by far, but it felt big enough that even his knees were shaking.

Zim quickly grabbed his hands, nearly dragging him over to the nearest bench and pushing him into a sitting position. He dropped the shopping bag on Dib's lap, then sat next to him and leaned against his side, rubbing both of Dib's shoulders.

Dib focused on keeping his breathing calm. Between that and the shoulder rub, his nerves slowly faded away. He felt…proud of standing up to his sister. Still very nervous, as though she would come back at any point with Dad in tow to drag him back, but still proud.

"There we go," Zim purred, rubbing his shoulders a little more. "You did well, you deserve to relax."

"…thank you," Dib said. He had done well back there, hadn't he? He let his head slump back, closing his eyes. He just focused on enjoying the sun on his face and the gentle fingers on his shoulders…

Until his stomach let out a quiet gurgle, making him grunt and sit back up. "It's pretty close to noon…could we grab lunch before going into the other store?" he said, glancing over. Yes, he could definitely see crystals glittering in the storefront, and what looked like some books in a display inside…

"Of course," Zim said, leaning forward to quickly nuzzle his cheek. "I'd say you even deserve 'comfort food', whatever that is. If this place has any…"

Dib laughed, standing up and slinging the bag of clothes over one shoulder. "We'll see what they have. But the last time I was here, I'm pretty sure there was a frozen yogurt place…"

"Eh?" Zim gave him a curious look. Dib grinned widely and headed for the food court, taking Zim's hand in his own. He really hoped that he remembered right, because now he needed to see what Zim's reaction would be to frozen yogurt.


Dib only needed to search the food court for a few minutes before finding the frozen yogurt shop. Zim asked a few times what it was, but Dib just kept promising that it was sweet and that he would love it.

Dib chose a chocolate yogurt, while Zim looked at all the options in awe. After a bit of thinking, Zim started filling a cup with mint yogurt, then poured some strawberry yogurt on top of that. He followed Dib to the toppings counter, and once again stopped to stare at the options.

"They price it by weight," Dib warned, eyeing the cup that Zim had filled to the brim. "Just so you know."

"Don't you worry about it," Zim said, piling gummy worms on his treat. "Remember, Zim has acquired plenty of wealth."

…well, no reason to hold back, then, Dib reasoned. He dumped several spoonfuls of cookie dough into his dessert, followed by crushed Oreos and a few pieces of chocolate candy.

Zim grabbed all the same toppings he did, then covered it all with a few gummy worms and multicolored sprinkles. He marched to the register, proudly holding his container.

Dib paused and added a cherry on top of his yogurt before following behind.

Even Dib, who frequently paid for overpriced equipment in the hopes of getting something good, realized that both of their yogurts were an expensive price. But Zim didn't even bat an eye before paying for them, and they were soon sitting in a shady corner of the food court, digging into their lunch.

"Mmm!" Zim said, smiling as he took a large bite. "Dib-thing, this was a great idea."

"Glad you like it," Dib said truthfully, smiling at Zim's happy expression. He dug into his own meal, smiling even more. It had been too long since he'd been able to enjoy a treat like this.

Zim swirled his spoon around, picking up both flavors of his yogurt and one of the gummy worms. He then held the spoon over the table and out to Dib. "Hey, try this."

Dib's heart gave a little flip. He wasn't sure if Zim knew that feeding each other could be an…intimate gesture. Then again, Zim was already pretty intimate, and no one was watching them at all, so who cared?

He quickly leaned forward, biting the yogurt off of Zim's spoon and pulling back. The combination of flavors wasn't one he had tried before, but it was actually pretty good. And the gummy worm was still a nice, chewy texture.

"Mmm." He smiled at Zim, swirled his spoon around in his own yogurt, and held it across the table and over to Zim.

Zim leaned forward, about to take a bite…but then paused, eyeing Dib's spoon, his own spoon, and Dib's mouth. He closed his mouth, and it twisted into a squiggly line as he seemed to debate something.

"…if this is about germs, you've spent so much time curled up by me that I don't think an indirect kiss can do much," Dib said. Not that it would have done much in the first place, but Zim's paranoia could be tough to reason with. Even the times when it was Dib who started that paranoia in the first place!

Zim considered his words…and quickly shot forward, eating the yogurt and pulling back just as quickly, as though contact for too long would burn him.

Dib rolled his eyes and continued to eat…though he did glance up to see just what Zim's reaction would be. The alien seemed pleased, slowly chewing before swallowing.

He picked up his own spoon…then began to debate again. After some thought, he dropped it, reached into his PAK, and pulled out a purple plastic spoon to dig into his meal.

"Do you always carry a spoon with you?" Dib questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course!" Zim said, taking a large bite. "Snacking utensils are some of the most important spare items to store in a PAK. …besides actual snacks. And extra weapons."

Dib let out a small snort of laughter, making Zim smile. After that, Zim just focused on digging into his yogurt…and wrapping his ankles around Dib's, making Dib blush.

He stretched his legs out under the table to make it easier for Zim to reach.

Once they both finished, Zim sat back with a sigh, kicking his feet up to use Dib's knees as a footrest. "That was an excellent choice," he declared. "That's one restaurant that I'll allow to keep living."

"Restaurants don't really 'live'," Dib said. "…how many places do you actually like?"

"Oh, there's a donut shop that's pretty good," Zim said. "I'll get you breakfast from there sometime. There's a nice bakery not too far from here. And of course, I'll spare all the places you and GIR like, even if they serve revolting, filthy MEAT."

Dib smiled. It was…oddly touching. Even if closely related to Zim's desire to wipe out other places and things. Maybe if he could continue to make Zim see the good on Earth, he would come to like it…or at least see how much Dib liked it?

Because the thought of either opposing Zim directly or doing nothing as he was evil both made him feel cold, and a little nauseous.

He quickly stood up, shaking those thoughts away as he took both of their paper cups and threw them away. Zim slipped his spoon into a small baggie before sticking it back into his PAK, then walked over and entwined his fingers with Dib's.

"Wasn't there a store here that caught your eye?" he said.

Dib remembered the glimpse of crystals he had gotten, and nodded, quickly heading in the direction he remembered it being. Zim jogged behind him, holding tightly onto his hand so they wouldn't be separated.

Once they made it to the occult store, Dib was…not entirely impressed. The books he could find were all either popular fictional stories about magic, or basic field guides to herbs and mushrooms without any mention of real magic. None of the crystals were enchanted yet, and all of the herbs sold were put in tea bags for brewing.

The whole place seemed designed to give people a false experience of magic and the occult, without actually delving into it.

Still, he grabbed a few foraging guides, and read through the meanings of each crystal before picking out a few he liked. Even without enchantment, they'd make for nice decorations.

At the counter, Zim surprised him by tossing a Mothman patch onto the counter. Dib smiled, and Zim leaned over, nudging his side.

They left the store with a small bag, which was easily tucked into their larger bag of clothes. "Now, is there anywhere else you'd like to visit?" Zim asked.

"Not really," Dib said with a shrug. "I don't really come here too often, and I don't think many places here sell things I'd be interested in. I'd rather just head…out."

"You don't even want to swing by…there?" Zim said, pointing a little further down the hallway. Dib followed his gaze and saw a fudge store.

"You just want fudge," Dib teased. "…hey, we just ate. Don't tell me you're still hungry."

"Of course not!" Zim said. "I've eaten enough to sustain myself for quite a while. No, that wonderful-smelling stuff is something I would save for later."

Mmm. Well, Dib could also smell it from where they were standing, and it was pretty good. He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten fudge, either. "…alright, one more stop," he said. "But then we're going to leave, right?"

"I swear," Zim said, lifting his hand and placing a kiss on the back of it. Dib shivered and allowed himself to be pulled along into the store.

The warm, sweet smell enveloped both of them as they entered. Zim froze in his tracks, seemingly stunned by it…before rushing up to the counter, pressing up against the glass and staring at all the options hidden behind it.

Dib could almost swear he was drooling. He bit back a laugh, walking over to stand by Zim's side and look over the choices himself.

"…could we get everything?" Zim said. Dib wasn't sure who he was talking to.

"If you can afford it!" the clerk said perkily.

"If you eat too much at once, you'll get a stomachache," Dib pointed out. "…actually, can Irkens have stomachaches?"

"Not for long," Zim muttered. "But I am a normal human, and normal humans are feeble and have limitations…"

Dib glanced up at the clerk, but she was too busy making another batch of fudge to pay attention to what they were saying. Good.

"Zim has decided on getting the sugar cookie and chocolate with chocolatey bits fudges," Zim said after a lot more staring. "What would the Dib like?"

"…the rocky road looks pretty good," Dib said. He was pretty sure he had tried that one before, back when he was a kid. Zim looked up at him expectantly. "And…I guess the butterscotch?"

"Then those are the four flavors we want, service drone!" Zim told the clerk. "The biggest pieces of them you can give us!"

The clerk nodded, setting aside the fudge they were working on making to grab four large, fresh…well, Dib could only describe them as bricks of fudge. Zim grinned widely, eyes sparkling as the four of them were rung up, eagerly paying for them and accepting the small bag of them.

Zim then turned to Dib, holding up all their purchases and grinning. "Zim is ready to go home, if you still are."

"Yeah," Dib said. Zim held the bags out to him, and he rolled his eyes playfully, setting the straps on his arms to carry them before grabbing Zim's hand.

"How kind of you, my Dib," Zim cooed, bringing up his hand so that he could kiss Dib's knuckles.

"'s nothing," Dib mumbled, trying and failing to not feel embarrassed.

"And so strong," Zim continued, grinning and clearly enjoying Dib squirming.

"Alright, that's enough," Dib said, giving his hand a squeeze and pulling him forward a couple of steps. Zim knocked it off with his exaggerated compliments, but he was still grinning smugly up at Dib. Dib gave his hand another light squeeze, and they walked back to Zim's base in peaceful silence…aside from Zim's pleased whistling.


Once they made it back, Zim ordered the Computer to put everything away. They groaned loudly, but dropped several robotic arms to grab the bags away from Dib. The fudge was dropped onto the kitchen counter, while the rest was (hopefully) moved into Dib's room.

The two of them headed downstairs. Zim followed Dib to his room, which surprised him a little. He had expected the alien to head to one of his labs or begin working on some sort of project.

But no, Zim started pulling out some of the clothes he had just bought. "Want some help putting everything where you want it?"

"Sure," Dib said, plucking out a few crystals and arranging them by color on the lowest shelf. Zim worked slowly, carefully folding each shirt before setting them into a pile in the corner.

Dib reached into the bag of clothing…but his fingers bumped into something that wasn't cloth. He frowned, peeling away the shirt draped over it and revealing the mystery object.

It was a notebook with Mothman printed on the blue cover. Flipping through it, he saw that all of the pages were blank, perfect to sketch on. He dug a little more and found a small set of pencils at the bottom of the bag, each black with a different planet painted at the very end near the eraser.

"You like it?" Zim said, appearing beside him with a grin.

"Yes!" Dib said, beaming and propping the notebook on his shelf so the cover was facing forward, the pencils tucked behind it. "When did you…oh, you grabbed it while I was outside the first store, didn't you?"

"Actually, I grabbed it and hid it in some pants I picked out for you," Zim said, looking proud of himself. "But you stepping out meant that the service drone could ring it up while keeping it a surprise to you."

Dib leaned down and, without thinking about it, gave Zim a hug. The alien stiffened for a few moments…but then slowly returned the gesture, lightly squeezing Dib's torso and brushing his antennae along his forehead. Even though Dib was the one to start this hug, he still felt jittery and shivery.

He squeezed a little tighter before finally letting go and pulling back.

"Thank you," he said. "I…thank you." What else could he say? What else was he supposed to say? He wasn't used to getting support for his hobbies, even the most mundane of them.

"It's nothing, really," Zim said. "…but do continue to praise me."

"Can I praise you while we unpack?" Dib said half-jokingly. Zim actually seemed to be considering it as Dib reached in for the next piece of clothing…before declaring that Dib's proposition was 'acceptable'.

Dib laughed, thanked him again for the notebook, and started to compliment Zim exaggeratedly on his skills in putting things away. Zim soaked up each word, laughing the longer Dib went on with the drawn-out compliments.

Once everything was put away, Dib was left to his own devices, with Zim rushing out to find out where GIR was. Dib sat at the edge of his nest, his new notebook and a new pencil in hand, and thought about what to draw.

It was an easy question to answer. He placed his pencil to paper and began to draw a smiling Zim.

He showed the picture to Zim just as the Irken came to bring him to dinner. Even though it was unfinished, the alien seemed delighted, and there was a skip in his step as they headed upstairs to the kitchen.

After dinner, they both stuffed themselves with pieces of fudge, putting what was left into the fridge. They ended up on the couch, Dib resting his head in Zim's lap while the alien was playing some sort of fighting game, using his free hand to brush his claws through Dib's hair when it wasn't busy.

Between his full stomach, the tiredness from walking around for a good part of the day, and how content he felt, Dib felt himself drifting off to sleep. He only realized how out of it he was when he felt Zim scooping him up.

"Buh?" he groaned eloquently.

"I'm just taking you back to your room," Zim cooed, pulling Dib close to peck his cheek. "Just rest."

Dib mumbled, shifting a little to rest his head against Zim's shoulder. Zim chirped, and Dib closed his eyes, going limp.

As soon as he was tucked into his nest, he started to fully slip into unconsciousness…the last thing he felt was Zim crawling in beside him and curling close.