Dib froze in place, reaching out to where Zim had been moments ago. He had been too slow to stop Zim from running off.

He had messed up. He hadn't meant to hurt Zim and drive him away like that. Was this how Zim had felt when he walked away?

That just made his heart sink further. He quickly jumped to his feet, though, trying to psyche himself up. This wasn't the time to sit around feeling sorry! He needed to make sure Zim was okay, and that he wasn't doing something crazy.

(Was that love, he wondered? To care so much about how someone was feeling? He quickly filed that thought away for later, now wasn't the time.)

He left the room, looking both ways, but Zim was already long gone. And though Dib had learned his way around for the most part, Zim still knew it better. He bit his lip, fiddling nervously with his hands. "Um…Computer?"

"What."

"Could you…tell me where Zim is right now?"

The Computer sighed, and a few lights started flashing on the wall, lighting a path. "Keep following those, and you'll find him."

"Thank you!" Dib said, jogging to follow the path that had been lit for him.

It wasn't long before he came to the end of the path…a small door tucked away in a corner. Probably a closet of some kind. He pressed his ear against it, but couldn't hear anything.

Still, he pressed his hand against the panel beside it, opening it up. It was pretty dark inside, and looked small…definitely a closet. "Zim?" he said, poking his head inside. "You're in here, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not," Zim moaned from the back. "Go away."

Dib sighed, stepping into the closet and letting the door close behind him. It was dark, but the space was small enough that he made it across without tripping…and once he was close enough, he could see Zim sitting there, hugging his knees to his chest.

He sat beside him, and Zim lifted his head. His magenta eyes had a faint glow in the little light there was. He sighed, resting his chin on his knees. "What do you want."

"…are you…alright?" Dib asked.

Zim scoffed. "I am fine. Leave me be."

"Are you really?" Dib pressed. "You didn't seem very fine back there."

Zim growled. "Do not mention it. It was…not the reaction of a trained soldier. But anyone sane would react poorly to such insanity being spouted, such disrespect about the Empire."

Dib's eyelid twitched. "I am not insane," he hissed. "And…" Zim was watching him carefully, expectantly. "And you're going to have to do better than that to drive me away."

"Drat."

Dib shifted a little closer, stopping only when Zim's antennae flattened in warning. "…I didn't want to hurt you, Zim," he said quietly.

"You'll need to do better than that to hurt me, human," Zim said.

"You haven't called me by my name," Dib pointed out. "I think you're not feeling as fine as you're pretending to be."

Zim growled at him again, and Dib snapped his mouth shut. "…sorry. I'll stop," he mumbled.

"You'd better," Zim hissed. "I don't want to hear another peep from you."

Dib nodded, biting his lip and leaning back against the wall. After a few minutes, he was starting to get antsy, but he…he didn't want to just leave Zim alone like this.

"…why?"

"Hmm?" Dib said, turning to look at him. His eyes had already adjusted to the dim lighting, and he could see Zim had turned his head to look at him a little more.

"Why were you so…" Zim paused. "…determined to speak against the Empire?"

"Um." Dib rubbed the back of his neck. "Are you sure you want to talk about this?"

"If you become too disrespectful, I'll stop you," Zim told him. "…and I should defend the Empire."

"Well." Dib pursed his lips. "First, you giving up your mission would be good for me, because then I wouldn't have to defend Earth from you. Just laying that out there."

"Yes, yes," Zim said, waving for him to go on. "Anything else, besides your desire for petty heroism?"

"Yeah!" Dib said. "If I just wanted you to stop your mission, I would have gotten on your case about that and not just the Empire as a whole."

"Hmph."

"I just…the way you were talking, it just didn't sound like you were happy," Dib said. "Conquering doesn't make you happy, you just want to do it for them. You don't, well…talk like you like them, but that you have to do things for them."

"Of course I do!" Zim said. "Our whole selves are dedicated to the Empire, and that's what makes us so efficient!" He looked smug.

"And do they recognize any of you for that?" Dib said. "You said you wanted to earn their admiration and praise, have they given you any of that?"

Zim wilted a little. "…no," he admitted. "But, that just means I need to work even harder for them! I'll be admired once I do something to deserve it."

Dib rubbed his temples. "…'they're fools for not already seeing your greatness'," he said. "You told me that about my family. That I can do better than people who don't already respect me. Why wouldn't it be the same for you?"

"Because, well…" Zim paused. "No one can do better than the Empire! And calling them fools is treason."

"Sounds like propaganda to me," Dib said. Zim grumbled a little, glaring at him. "Look, how about…instead of telling me what makes the Empire so good, tell me what you like about it?"

"We're the greatest military force in the universe—"

"That's still propaganda," Dib cut him off. "What do you, personally, like about it?"

Zim frowned. "I…like being able to find food I can eat and enjoy without worries. I like speaking Irken, because it's more natural than Ein-glish. I enjoy having access to some of the best technology in the universe."

"And…the people of the Empire? Other Irkens?"

Zim jolted. "Eh, of course I like and admire my Tallest! Who wouldn't!?" Dib gave him a skeptical look. "And I've had several good allies! Like Skoodge, and…many others?"

"Allies?" Dib said. "What about friends?"

"We don't need such personal attachments," Zim said. "We're superior to the species that rely on those."

"…sounds lonely," Dib said quietly.

Zim wilted a little. "…we do not feel that. We're better than that."

"But you still wanted to be with me?" Dib pressed.

"That's…that's different. Shut up. Zim is not lonely, you liar." Zim shot him a glare, and though Dib wanted to keep pressing the point, he decided to drop it.

Zim kept giving him that look, so Dib sighed, turning his gaze away. He wasn't sure what to do. He wanted, needed to make Zim see the truth, but he wasn't sure what more he could do.

A quiet chittering made him look back at Zim. He had buried his face in his arms, his shoulders were shaking, and that chittering sound was getting louder.

"Zim?" Dib said. Zim flinched, looking at him before hiding his face again, but even that brief look was enough for Dib to catch a glimpse of the tears in the corner of Zim's eyes.

"Oh, no," Dib muttered. "Zim…" He slowly wrapped one arm around Zim's shoulders. When Zim didn't lash out, he went further, pulling Zim close and wrapping both arms around him. Zim let out a peep, burying his face into Dib's ribs, and continued to make that sad chittering sound.

"Dib," Zim whined. "What did you do to me?"

"Nothing!" Dib protested. "I just said a few things that might have made you think."

"I don't like it," Zim said. "I'm not supposed to feel this way! It's, it's your fault!" He smacked Dib's arm, though it wasn't enough to hurt.

Déjà vu…Dib remembered their conversation in the cave, where Zim had said something similar. It made his heart sink. "Zim," he said, rubbing his back. "Feeling things is…is normal. It's normal. No one should tell you how you're supposed to feel."

"Maybe on Urth," Zim scoffed. "On Irk, we should not…we cannot feel anything that could…be inefficient for our society." His lip wobbled.

"…do you really want to go back to a place like that?" Dib said. "That just…makes you feel rotten, when you're already feeling bad?"

Zim's lip wobbled even more…and he let out a keening sound, burying his face in Dib's coat. Dib winced, Zim's cries hurting his heart…and his ears.

He wrapped his arms around Zim, reaching up with one hand to gently pet his antennae, bending to place a kiss on top of his head. Zim's keening became high-pitched, then turned into rapid, sad chittering. His PAK was whirring and started to make concerning clicking sounds.

"Uh, Zim? Is your PAK—" Metal legs suddenly shot out of Zim's PAK, cutting Dib off. He froze, but the legs just curled around the two of them, trapping him but not quite touching him. Dib swallowed, slowly moving to rub Zim's back again.

He wasn't getting stabbed…and he hadn't been planning on leaving anytime soon, anyway.

Dib kept petting his antennae, using his other hand to rub circles just under Zim's PAK. Zim's chittering slowed down and became a little quieter. Eventually, he rubbed his face against Dib's clothes, then lifted his head to look Dib in the eyes.

"…Zim…appreciates being held," he said.

"You're welcome."

"Your words are much less appreciated, though."

Dib huffed. "Fair enough. I…am trying to be helpful, though. You know that, right?"

"Hmph." Zim gave him a look. "Ridiculous human. You're lucky I like you, or I wouldn't have tolerated your slander as much as I did!" He tapped Dib's nose disapprovingly, and Dib had to bite his lips to keep himself from laughing.

Zim sighed, retracting his PAK legs and pulling back to sit beside Dib again. "Ridiculous," he muttered. "And yet, you…somehow, you keep seeing things no one else can."

"Like?" Dib pressed, trying not to seem too eager.

"Like…how Zim is feeling. And what the Empire…can sometimes be like." Zim fiddled with his gloves. "…I think Zim was lonely, before. I didn't have a word for it, and I wasn't meant to feel that, but that's what it must have been."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Dib said. "That must have been…hard." It seemed like an understatement, but he wasn't sure what else to say.

Zim sighed and nodded. "Plus, the way others have treated Zim…" he scowled. "They've never given Zim the praise I deserve for the things I've done. I was a great scientist, a great Elite, and our greatest Invader, and they never acknowledged it!"

He huffed, crossing his arms. "Maybe…maybe my plans weren't always perfect, but I was loyal! I was everything an Irken should be—determined, loyal, an unstoppable death machine! But all they ever did was focus on my height, my few failings, the things that made me unique!"

Dib reached out, but Zim whirled around. "But you!" he said, poking Dib in the chest. His expression suddenly softened. "You saw me as a threat. You took me seriously, always."

"Of course I did," Dib said. "…though, um, maybe less of a threat now…"

"Shush." Zim held up a hand to stop him, turning and thinking. "Dib. Do you really…believe I can do better? Or were you just parroting my own words?"

"I think you can," Dib said. "I…you've made me happy, Zim. I think you should be happy, too. And able to make your own choices."

"Hmm." Zim was silent for several minutes. "I think…you're my 'better', Dib. I want to be happy with you."

Dib's heart did a flip, and he felt heat rising in his cheeks. "I…I'd like that, too," he mumbled.

"For you, maybe…maybe I really can be away from them. I can…say I don't need the Empire." Zim shuddered a little, and his gaze was distant, but he didn't try to take back what he said.

"Not just for me." Dib took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Do it for yourself, Zim."

"…for me." Zim wrapped his fingers around Dib's, a thoughtful expression on his face. "…you know, no Irken has been crazy enough to turn their back on the Empire."

"That you know of," Dib pointed out. "They wouldn't want to advertise to everyone that defection is an option, would they? It could give people ideas."

"Huh," Zim said, blinking. "I suppose. But it's still a foolish action. The Empire knows everything about its citizens, including where we all are." His hand drifted to his PAK. "I shouldn't even be able to think about doing something like this…"

"Doesn't that make you amazing, then?" Dib said. "The first to break past the barriers they've set."

"…amazing?" Zim echoed, looking back up at him, staring with wide eyes. "Yes…yes, Zim is quite amazing." He grinned, starting to look more like the Zim that Dib was used to.

But his expression then became a little more somber. "This…it will not be easy," he admitted. "I can't do it alone. Do you promise you'll stay, if I…do go through with this?"

"Zim." Dib grabbed both of his hands, clasping them between his own and looking Zim in the eyes. "You're going to be stuck with me, Zim. No getting rid of me."

Zim stared at him…then beamed, leaning forward to nudge his head against Dib's sternum with a chirp. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, I l-l-l…." He stuttered on the last word.

Dib patted his head. "I know what you mean."

Zim sighed, relaxing and flopping against Dib. "…thank you," he mumbled. "Saying IT the first time was hard enough." Dib patted his head again, and Zim raised his head a bit to nuzzle more into his touch.

Then, Zim quickly jumped to his feet. "Well, there's no time to waste!" he declared.

"Huh…what?" Dib said, stumbling onto his feet and after Zim as he marched determinedly out of the closet. "Zim, what are you doing? Are you okay? Don't you want to take a second to, well, process stuff?"

"I've done my 'processing', and I've made up my mind," Zim said, waving off his concerns as he continued forward. "I'm going to go through with it now. It needs to be taken care of right away."

"Can you at least stop for a second and tell me what you're going to do?" Dib said, jogging and catching up with him.

Zim slowed down a little, looking at Dib over his shoulder. "…the PAK will always make me a part of the Empire," he said. "As I said, the Empire knows everything about its citizens, and it does so by accessing that information through their PAKs."

"…don't you need that to live, too?" Dib said. Zim nodded, and Dib couldn't help but shiver.

"I might not be able to fully break ties with the Empire," Zim continued. "But I have an idea that will…distance me from them. And will keep me from being executed for even daring to consider this treasonous idea."

Dib wasn't shocked, at this point, that treason could lead to death, not it was still an unpleasant thought. He followed Zim into a room with several large computer screens on the wall and wires hanging from the ceiling.

Zim sat down…and pulled his PAK from his back.

"Zim!?" Dib cried out in alarm.

"Hmm?" Zim turned to look at him, setting the PAK on a workbench in front of him. "What?"

Dib sputtered, pointing at his PAK. "Whu…what are you doing!?"

"Making changes to my PAK," Zim said calmly. Dib was about to freak out again…but two wires dropped from the ceiling, connecting to the ports on Zim's back with a loud electrical crack. Zim flinched, shivered, then tilted his head at Dib.

"Are you…are those…you're going to be okay?" Dib asked, eyeing the wires.

"Yes, of course," Zim said. "The base has backup programs to keep my organic shell working, and plenty of power to sustain me. My mobility may be restricted, but I'll need to work with my PAK's hardware, and I can't exactly see what I'm doing if it's still attached."

"Okay…okay." Dib leaned against the doorframe, taking a few deep breaths. "Can you maybe…not spontaneously take off the thing keeping you alive without warning me?"

Zim blinked…then laughed. "Oh! Oh, you were worried that…" He gestured for Dib to come closer. Once he did so, Zim lifted his hands and kissed his knuckles. "I'm fine, I promise. This isn't the first time I've done maintenance on my PAK. …though I'll be doing something very new."

"And that's not going to mess anything up in your PAK?" Dib asked, still a bit worried.

"I know what I'm doing," Zim said, kissing his knuckles again.

Dib was still a little worried, so he held onto Zim's hands for a few more seconds before he let go. Zim looked him in the eyes for a few seconds before turning around, back to his PAK. He tapped on its side, and it folded open.

…even if he was worried, Dib was admittedly very curious about Zim's PAK. He inched closer to peer over Zim's shoulder and into the PAK, where there were coiled metal wires. If he looked closely enough, he could see lines and circles marked in the inner side of the metal shell, with a few chips and ports sticking out…like a giant motherboard.

Zim reached in, sorting through a few of the wires before finding a specific one tucked deeper into the PAK, which he unplugged and then attached to a different part of the PAK. Dib made a curious noise, making Zim's antennae twitched.

He turned to look back at Dib. "This is going to take a while," he said. "I'll be fine, really. You don't have to worry."

"…can I watch anyway?" Dib asked. "Or would that be weird?"

"Mmm. It's a little weird, but I don't mind." Zim pressed a few buttons on a nearby panel, and another chair was pulled up through the floor. "I can't let you touch anything, though. Watching only!"

"Yeah, that's fair," Dib said, sitting and leaning forward. He wouldn't exactly be comfortable with someone poking around in his brain, especially if they didn't know anything about it.

Zim got back to working on his PAK. He rearranged a few more wires, then grabbed what looked like a metal pen and started to press it to specific spots in the circuitry of his PAK, creating small flashes of pink light each time.

It looked like he was soldering closed very specific pathways, then forming new ones in slightly different ways. To Dib, the differences seemed incredibly subtle…but then again, even human brains were a delicate thing. Whatever Zim was doing, he must have been ensuring that it would be completed with ideally little other change to his PAK's functioning.

Eventually, Zim seemed satisfied with that section and closed the panel. He grabbed a nearby wire and plugged it into a port on the PAK, making the screen in front of him turn on. Lines of code and data sped across it, making Zim hum in thought. He turned his PAK, opening another panel and revealing the metal spider leg folded up inside.

Zim nudged it aside and fumbled around until he pulled out a small, silver chip. He looked back at the screen and nodded, then closed the panel and moved to the next leg.

All of it was fascinating to Dib. He never knew there was so much tucked away in Zim's PAK, seemingly more than there should have been room for. And yet, when he got a closer look, every possible inch of space was used in some way, with compartments filled with weapons and devices, and any empty part of metal engraved with something or embedded with a small chip.

Dib could have watched him for hours, the only thing making him realize that time was passing being that he was growing hungrier. Still, he could ignore that for as long as possible to get a close-up look at Zim's PAK…and give him emotional support! That was also a thing he was doing.

Dib's stomach growled, and he lowered a hand to rest it over his stomach. It growled again, and Zim glanced over, making him look away in embarrassment.

"I know I said I'd stay here, but…I'm going to get some lunch," he said, stomach gurgling again.

"I understand," Zim said, waving him on. "Go take care of your human need. I'll be here awhile."

"I can bring something for you, too," Dib said. Zim just hummed to let him know he was heard. Dib stood up, turning to the door…

…but first leaned forward and pecked Zim's cheek.

Zim's antennae perked straight up, and Dib saw his face turning a little darker as he headed out the door, grinning to himself. He headed up to the kitchen and fixed himself a sandwich…then leaned against the counter and tried to think of what he should make Zim.

It couldn't be anything that would make a mess…anything unnecessary getting stuck in the PAK wouldn't have been comfortable. But what could he make that wasn't likely to mess anything up?

He eventually decided to unwrap a few candy bars for Zim…they weren't melted, and shouldn't cause a mess if they were careful. He also sliced up an apple, munching on a few of the slices. Then, he looked in the fridge and poured a cup of soda, asking the Computer for a lid and straw.

Maybe it wasn't perfect, but he did have an idea for Zim to be able to eat and work on his PAK.

He headed back downstairs, tray with both their lunches in hand. He was able to remember the path back to where Zim was working, and found him exactly where he left him—hunched over and utterly focused on his work, the two wires still plugged into his back.

Zim's antennae twitched as he approached. For a second, Zim lifted his head, sitting up and stretching with a small grimace.

"You okay?" Dib asked, sitting down and setting the tray on his lap. The desk Zim was working on had been filled with tools and chips.

"Perfectly fine," Zim assured him. "…better once I've completed this, though." He opened another panel of the PAK.

"I brought you lunch," Dib said. Zim glanced over, and Dib held up one of the candy bars. In a few moments, Zim started to nibble on it, shifting his attention back to his PAK.

Dib adjusted his grip so that he could keep feeding Zim without Zim needing to look up from what he was doing. Zim kept eating, working on rewiring the PAK in still-subtle ways. Dib shifted, using his other hand to pick up his sandwich and eat it.

When Zim finished the candy bar, Dib held up the cup of soda for him to drink from, and then offered an apple slice. He kept doing this until Zim had eaten everything Dib had brought for him, and then held the soda up again for him to finish it off. All the while, Zim kept working.

Dib was quick to polish off his own lunch, then leaned forward to observe Zim as closely as possible. Along with physically changing his PAK, Zim occasionally stopped to type something into a keypad, adding and removing information from the wall of Irken text in front of him. The lunch seemed to have perked him up a little, and he was stopping to nod in approval of his results more and more often.

After changing more circuits and shifting more wires, Zim picked up a different stylus. He flicked a knob on the side, and a thin wire shot out. He flicked the knob again to retract the wire, then carefully stuck his arm into his PAK, wedging the new tool between what looked like two filters.

He flicked the knob, and there was a soft click when the wire shot out. On the screen, whole blocks of text blanked out, but were replaced with new, totally different text, with lower numbers.

Zim let out a breath, sheathing the wire and pulling the tool back out. He closed the panel, his hands ghosting over the outer shell of his PAK as he looked over the information on the screen.

He picked it up, and the wires detached from his back. Dib shifted in his seat, clenching and unclenching his hands, unsure if he should do something.

Zim glanced over at him, then held his PAK over his back. Thin wires shot out, burrowing into his ports and retracting his PAK, and…nothing else happened. Zim nodded, seeming pleased.

"Computer," he said. "Using the main database, report coordinates of Invader Zim."

"Uh…"

"Just do it!"

"Alright…scanning for Irken Zim, who is standing right here…" the Computer said. If an eye roll could have a sound, Dib was certain he heard one.

"Scanning…scanning…Zim is NOT FOUND." the Computer reported. "…wait, that can't be right."

"It is right!" Zim declared, holding his arms up in victory. "Victory for Zim!"

"What did you just do?" Dib asked.

Zim turned to look at him smugly. "Each PAK is designed to be connected to the Empire. The Empire knows where each PAK is, and in some cases, they may be able to access data from the PAK even without a wired connection." He reached over his shoulder to brush his fingers over his PAK. "I…disabled that link from my end. The Empire does not know where I am, and they cannot access my thoughts."

"…that seemed like a lot of work just to sever one thing," Dib said.

Zim gave him a look. "A connection of that magnitude isn't just printed on one random chip," he said. "It's written in every inch of our PAK, carved between other essential functions. And, as with most other essential functions, as long as some of it is functional somewhere in the PAK, a connection can still be made, even if weak.

"I had to change my PAK to break every single thing that transmitted that link, without breaking the functions that allow me to live in the process!"

"…oh." Dib rubbed the back of his neck. "…that…that couldn't have been easy."

"Well, it did take some work, as you saw, but Zim is victorious, as always!"

"I meant…it couldn't have been easy to. Make that choice."

Zim blinked. "Ah. Yes. Something like this is…unprecedented, of course. But I think that…" He took a deep breath and looked Div in the eyes. "I think the choice was worth it."

Dib's heart flipped in his chest, and he averted his eyes. Zim chuckled and turned back to the screen, still showing that his current location was 'not found'. "Still, that's just the first step," he said. "That keeps them from knowing where I am, but it doesn't stop the Armada."

He started rapidly typing something into the nearest keyboard. "Computer! Access the Armada's flight path…and delete Urth and its coordinates from it!"

Dib stared at him, his jaw dropping. Zim…he was…

"Pulling up the official Armada flight path…" the Computer announced. A starmap appeared on one of the screens, with several red icons marking the position of the Armada…a straight line flashing across the screen to show their path.

"And the Urth?" Zim said, squinting with one eye.

Red Irken text flashed across the map. "Translate to English." The text changed…

URTH: NOT FOUND

Dib stared at the screen, wide-eyed, then turned to face Zim. "That means…the Armada…they won't find Earth?"

"Exactly," Zim said with a nod. "Even when they realize a planet has been removed from their list, space, especially here, is too vast to just randomly search for the right planet. Now, the only Irken who knows the Urth's exact location is me!"

"And they can't learn it from you, because they can't find you, either!" Dib said excitedly. "Zim, this…this is…"

He surged forward, wrapping his arms around Zim and pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank you," he said, burying his face into Zim's shoulder. "Thank you, thank you…"

Zim was frozen for a second before hugging him back. "…you're welcome," he said, reaching up to bury a hand in Dib's hair. "Really, you should take the credit…Protector of Urth. I wouldn't have done that if not for you."

Dib squeezed him even more tightly. He was so, so happy. This was amazing, Zim was amazing, he—

Without thinking, he grabbed Zim's cheeks between his hands and kissed him, trying to convey how wonderful he felt because of Zim.

"Mmph," Zim said, returning the kiss, his antennae wrapping around Dib's hair scythe. Dib kept kissing him until he ran out of breath, and even then, he held onto Zim.

"You're amazing," he huffed, tapping his forehead against Zim's. "Amazing."

"Yes, I know," Zim said with a little smirk, cupping his cheek. "…you're amazing, too. You know that, don't you?"

Dib gave a little nod, looking back at the screen. Urth not found…not found! Reading it made him grin all over again.

Though…maybe Zim wasn't the only Irken who knew about Earth. "Tak," he said, smile falling. "She's been here. Wouldn't she know where Earth is?"

"Eh, I'm sure she just tracked my coordinates, which she can't get now," Zim said. "Anyway, she's no real Invader. After abandoning her post like that, the…Empire will not listen to her." His eyes narrowed, his hands balling into fists. "I guarantee it."

Dib nodded in understanding, pushing the worry out of his mind. He placed a hand on Zim's shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine," Zim said. "And proud of the feat I pulled off, of course."

"Are you actually fine, or are you just saying that because you're 'supposed to' be fine?" Dib asked.

"…I am fine right now," Zim said. "But an…odd kind of fine?" He patted his chest. "It feels numb."

"You might be in shock," Dib guessed. "…if that's a thing in Irkens. Though I guess you're pretty unique compared to others, so even if they can't—" He stopped when Zim's antennae wilted a little, turning and smacking his fist against his forehead.

"Either way, want me to hold you?" he offered.

"Yes," Zim quickly said, stretching his arms up. Dib scooped him up, and pressed him against his chest, using one arm to support Zim's legs. Zim buried his face into Dib's chest, wrapping his arms and legs around his torso to cling to him.

Dib sat down in the chair Zim had just been using, rubbing at Zim's back. He turned to again stare at the message on the screen. They couldn't find Earth…the Earth was safe.