It took them some time to finally make it to the city—maybe a little over half an hour. Once they were at its edge, Dib realized it wasn't the city itself that was glowing, but all the Meekrob flying around inside of it.

It was covered with what looked like a shimmering bubble, which the Meekrob easily passed through. They glanced at their group, then raised their hands, a hole splitting open, just large enough for them all to pass through.

Tenn stared at it nervously…then turned and tried to run away. But she apparently wasn't looking where she was going, because she crashed right into Dib's chest. Stunned, she took a few wobbling steps back, and Zim quickly took the opportunity to shove her past the barrier before hopping in himself.

Once Dib had also stepped inside, the Meekrob let their hands fall, the barrier closing again. Dib eyed it curiously, reaching out with his pinky finger…

But Zim quickly grabbed his wrist and dragged him away, following the Meekrob, who were pulling a shaking Tenn with them. "Honestly, what would you do without me?" he huffed.

Dib shrugged, attention quickly darting around the city itself. It was filled with metal towers in all sorts of sizes. A few of the tallest spires were around the city's edge, each with glowing tops. If he squinted, he could see groups of very focused Meekrob in the bright glow. Tunnels made of some clear material crossed in various directions over the city, linking different buildings together, several with bright blue glows zipping through them.

Their escorts headed into a slightly smaller building, Zim and Dib right behind them. Inside was a small crowd of Meekrob, some floating above what looked like metal antennae, electricity sparking out and connecting with them. Dib wondered if they were recharging, or making some kind of connection…was this the Collective?

Apparently not, because their escorts weaved through the staring crowd, headed to a tunnel entrance. One waited for Zim and Dib to enter, then came in behind them, and the group headed forward.

"This place is amazing!" Dib gushed. "How many Meekrob are here? Are the other cities on the planet like this? What metal are all these buildings made of? Is that barrier kept up all the time?"

Tenn groaned. "Stop…stop talking…I can't, can't focus…" She was still shaking.

"We would prefer not to share information about ourselves with outsiders," one Meekrob said. "Though your genuine enthusiasm and curiosity are admirable."

Even if that meant his thirst for knowledge was denied, Dib still stood a little taller. Someone (besides Zim) thought he was admirable, and that felt very good. Zim huffed and gave him a little smirk. Tenn seemed less agitated now that they weren't talking, but was still shivering.

As they wove through several of the long clear tunnels (the Meekrob having to levitate them up the vertical sections), Dib settled for scanning the city over, gawking and committing as much as he could to memory…and of course snapping some photos. It was only Zim holding his hand and pulling him along that kept him totally grounded and moving forward.

But finally, after minutes of wandering, they exited the clear tunnels and were standing in front of what was likely the tallest of the metal towers, sitting right in the center of the city. The windows glowed faintly, and Dib could see Meekrob figures gathered inside.

Tenn's shaking grew in intensity, and one of the Meekrob had to lift her telekinetically to keep her from running off…or collapsing. The whole group headed inside the building, and kept moving forward until they were in a giant, circular room with an arched ceiling.

Along the walls and ceiling were at least fifty Meekrob, all packed together and watching them. They all hovered above glowing blue lines that crossed over the entire room, and spread outside of it, out into the rest of the building…maybe even the city. Dib remembered seeing a few similar lines, but just thought it was a neat aesthetic.

Well, if it was all connected, that just made it neater.

"Auro, Ning," one of the Meekrob in front said. "For your work in bringing the invader and outsiders here, you may be part of the Collective for the decision today."

"It would be an honor," the blue-eyed Meekrob said, bowing their head as the other quickly nodded. They both floated forward, stopping on some of the blue lines.

This must he the Collective, then, Dib thought. Most of the Meekrob turned to look directly at him, and his hairs stood on end.

"Not quite yet," one in the front told him. "But in moments, we will be."

Each Meekrob's eyes lit up, their auras brightening and stretching further from beyond their body. Each had one tendril make contact with the nearest line, and they all connected the auras to each other in a way that made Dib think of neurons forming—

And there was a blinding flash from them all that forced Dib to close his eyes. Once he could open them and clear his vision…it was quite a sight.

The whole group of Meekrob was still glowing brightly, brighter than he had seen one glow yet. All were connected to each other, and they all moved in unison, raising their arms in proclamation. "The Collective is again formed," they all said as one, voices echoing through the room, maybe even the building. "Together and one, we choose for all Meekrob…from the thoughts of all Meekrob." They gestured to the blue lines, all now glowing brighter, too.

"First—Irken Tenn, step forward." They looked expectantly at Tenn, and Dib turned to look at her, too.

She looked even more petrified, and was so frozen in place she wasn't even shaking now. Zim tapped his foot impatiently, then tapped her on the shoulder. She yelped and leap a foot forward, which was apparently good enough for the Meekrob.

All of them stared at her, pinning her to the ground. Dib raised his camera and took a quick photo before shoving the item into his trenchcoat. They didn't seem to notice.

"Irken Tenn," they said. "You were sent by your Empire to learn about and conquer our planet. Even when you were discovered, you managed to evade capture, and the Empire has been watching and waiting in their barricade." Their eyes flashed. "But today, you have been brought to us, and your fate will be decided!"

Tenn shook, raising her arms as though to shield herself, closing her eyes. "Wait, wait, no—"

"Irken Tenn…we are going to hand you over to the ships so that they go away and leave us alone!" The Meekrob boomed.

Tenn flinched...and then paused, straightening up. "Wait. Seriously?"

"Yes, really. We just want them to go away already, and they're clearly not doing that unless they have you," they boomed. "So, prepare to be delivered, Irken Tenn!"

Zim scoffed. "That won't work."

All eyes turned to face him, narrowing. "Why is that, Irken Zim?"

"It's not like the Empire would just leave," he said. "You're already marked for conquest! As soon as they get Tenn back, they'll have no reason to hold their fire!"

"Shut up," Tenn hissed at him between her teeth. "You're ruining my chances!"

The Collective made a staticy buzzing sound, the air thrumming with electricity and making the three of them freeze. "…true. But your companion seems to think there might be a solution still."

Zim frowned, and then whirled around to face Dib. "You! What are you doing!?"

"I didn't say anything!" Dib said, holding up his hands in defense. "Just…you can't blame me for thinking of ideas!"

"You and your ideas led us here to this moment!" Zim said, gesturing to Tenn and the Collective. "Would you at least…NOT broadcast your thoughts so loudly to them?"

Dib blinked. "I. Don't know how I'm supposed to do that."

"Silence," the Collective rumbled, making them shut up. "As entertaining as your connection is…human Dib. Announce your thoughts so all here have a full understanding."

Dib cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Zim's right. Just giving the Empire what they want isn't going to make them leave. You should stand up to them, show them that you refuse to submit to their evil wills!"

Zim grumbled something, tugging at the back of his coat. Tenn sneered, antennae flicking back. The Collective glowered at them both for a moment, their attention quickly flicking back to Dib. "Continue."

"Well, you can connect your minds, and you can float..." Dib said. "And can all of you fire bolts of electricity from your hands?"

"We can," they rumbled. "It is usually useful to make others go away."

"It could be in this case, too," Dib said. "If the barricade doesn't leave, maybe some of you could fly up and attack their ships?"

The Irkens in the room scoffed, and the Meekrob all tilted their heads. "...an interesting consideration," they mused. "But the Irkens seem to think it would be futile."

"Because it is," Zim said. "Even with all your firepower, you couldn't take all of them down, and they'd strike back! And even if you could stop enough of them, the Empire would just return with even more ships."

The Meekrob shimmered, and the air hummed around them. "We think it could still be done, with enough force," they declared. "We merely need to choose the right targets."

"What about their snack compartments?" Dib suggested.

Tenn shuddered, and Zim turned to squint at Dib, scrutinizing him. "Your idea sounds very…familiar."

"Don't worry about it," Dib said, patting his head. "Anyway. I think aiming for their weapons would also be a good idea, but I don't know how much energy you'll have to spare for the attacks."

The Collective hummed, many of them closing their eyes, and the room buzzed with static whispers. Dib hesitantly took a step back to be at Zim's side, watching the alien congress mull over his idea. After a minute or so, they all opened their eyes again.

"Your plan is viable," they said. "Both Irkens regard your suggested targets as important…even if they think their Empire impossible to drive off."

Their eyes narrowed, and electricity cracked between them all. "But we are not ones to be conquered, as they will learn if they do not LEAVE!"

The force of their shout made the three all step back. Dib raised one hand to get their attention. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to help the Resisty, then?"

The electricity slowed to a stop. "We may consider it," they hummed. "We have little interest in interacting with the wider universe. But if that's what it takes to keep the Irken Empire fully away, then so be it."

They raised their hands into the air, bodies and eyes all glowing brightly. "We have decided. Irken Tenn will be returned to their people. If they do not then leave, we will use the human Dib's plan to make them do so. May all Meekrob agree or come forward."

There was a bright flash that momentarily blinded Dib, forcing him to squint and blink spots out of his eyes even after it had faded. The Meekrob were all still there, of course, but their glows had dimmed, and they were now floating around and forming smaller groups instead of the large, unified cluster. A few were even starting to drift out of the room in different directions.

"…I guess that's it, then?" Dib guessed with a shrug, turning to the Irkens.

"Yes," Tenn said with a sigh. "We survived their judgement, thank Irk."

Zim scoffed. "Don't lump yourself with us. We were barely in trouble here."

She gave him a dirty look. "As though I'd ever want to 'lump myself' with you."

"Anyway!" Dib interjected, clapping his hands together. "Shouldn't we be preparing to get off this planet? All of us?"

"An excellent point," one Meekrob said, hovering over to them as part of one of the groups. "We will escort you back to your ship."

"And we'll bring Irken Tenn with us, too," another said, ignoring Tenn's groan. "To coordinate our efforts."

Dib frowned. "Can't you coordinate your efforts through your psychic links?"

They turned to stare at him, and Dib ignored the prickle on the back of his neck. "…the connections are not as stable over long distances, unless there is a sufficient amount of power put into it," they explained. "It's easier to be close by."

"Huh…interesting," Dib said.

"Anyway. First…Irken Zim. You're holding onto the device?"

"Right, right," Zim said, reaching into his PAK to pull out what the Resisty had given to them. The Meekrob accepted it, levitating it over and setting it down between some of the glowing lines. A few Meekrob floated over to peer at it curiously.

Zim grabbed Dib's elbow and tugged him forward a little. "C'mon, pick your jaw off the floor and let's get out of here."

"Hey, you can't blame me for being impressed," Dib said, turning and walking out of the room with Zim, a gaggle of Meekrob behind them. Tenn trudged along in the middle of the group, and another pair joined carrying some kind of metal pod.

When they stepped outside, Dib looked around the city again. The thought of taking a long way through, to see a few more sites, was tempting…

The Meekrob crackled behind him, making the hairs on his neck and arms stand up. "Be grateful for what we've allowed you to see," two of them said.

"Yep, got it!" Dib said quickly. Guess they were cutting through the city as fast as possible, then.

One Meekrob floated over them, taking the lead to guide them through the tunnels and streets of the city until they could open up the barrier for everyone to pass through. After that, it was up to Dib and Zim…wandering through the wilderness, Zim using the device on his wristband to point out the exact direction to their ship.

The trek again took a while. Fortunately, Dib was able to take a few swigs from his water bottle, and even snapped some photos of the alien planet. He asked the Meekrob some curious questions, but they weren't interested in talking. Neither was Tenn.

But Zim was willing to talk to him about similar planets he'd been on…similar in terms of the area outside the city, at least. No other race was quite like the Meekrob.

That conversation kept them occupied until they came across the cave they'd hidden their ship in. Zim entered first, bringing the ship out into the open and opening up the cockpit.

"I messaged the Resisty already," Zim announced. "Just a quick one that we achieved our mission and are waiting for them to do their part to get us out of here."

"Excellent," the Meekrob said, setting down the metal pod they'd been carrying. There was a clear hatch with a visible chair inside…just big enough to fit one Irken.

"Ooh, shiny-shiny!" GIR said, poking out his head to stare at the Meekrob, then hopping out of the ship. The Meekrob gave him a wary, disdainful look, and Tenn…squeaked and froze up, eyes locked on the little robot.

"Y-You, ah...have a SIR unit with you, I see," Tenn said, voice wavering a little.

"Of course! And he's very advanced," Zim said smugly, patting GIR's head. Dib turned away and bit his tongue.

"I...see..." Tenn said, eyeing GIR warily.

GIR beamed up at her, then darted up to her, holding out his hand. Tenn yelped and jumped about a foot back away from him.

"Aw," GIR said, lowering his hand in disappointment. Zim narrowed his eyes at her.

"Oh...right, you mentioned SIR units attacked your base, right?" Dib said, eyes widening in realization.

"Yes, but...that has nothing to do with this!" Tenn said quickly. "SIR units are useful tools! Good for the Empire! I just...don't want Zim's technology specifically near me, that's all!"

"Uh-huh," Dib said, giving her a flat look. "...GIR, can you come back here?"

GIR looked back and forth between Dib and Tenn before trotting over to Dib's side. "Why don't you just give Invader Tenn some space, maybe a wave?" he suggested, patting the robot's head.

"Why?"

"Um..." Dib looked to Zim for help, but Zim just shrugged and turned to look over their ship. Rude. "Because...the three of us should stick together for these last few minutes?"

GIR blinked...and then nodded, turning and waving eagerly at Tenn. She shivered, raising one hand to tentatively wave back, eyes flicking between the three of them.

Zim grumbled, tapping a foot on the ground. "Ugh, are we going to be able to get started anytime soon?"

"Hey, it's going to take time for the Resisty to get ready," Dib pointed out.

"It's not like they have anything better to do. I just know they're hovering nearby, waiting with bated breath for whatever the outcome of this grand mission of theirs will be...provided they weren't planning on leaving us stranded here after all."

Dib opened his mouth to protest…only for the ship's comms to ping. Zim's antennae perked up, and he pounced to answer the call.

"Dib and Zim," the silhouette onscreen said. "We're preparing to do the flyby in fifteen minutes. Be ready at that point!"

Zim glanced at Dib, giving a slightly smug look. "We're ready whenever you are," he said, hanging up and gesturing for Dib and GIR to enter.

"We'll take Irken Tenn up there in…oh, ten minutes, then," one of the Meekrob said, gesturing to the small metal pod. Tenn frowned at it reluctantly, but after a glance between it and the group around her, she sighed and climbed in. Dib noticed the way her antennae kept nervously twitching, though, and how she fidgeted and tugged at the hems of her gloves.

Zim reached over and tugged on Dib's sleeve. "Let's get ready for takeoff. I don't want to miss a second of that window."

"Right." Dib turned his attention away from the Meekrob and did a quick check of the ship. Everything was secured, and they got GIR to sit still in the recharging port before they both took their seats and buckled in.

Zim fiddled with the controls, glancing between the fleet overhead and the navigation panel, making tweaks until he was finally satisfied.

Just a few minutes after that, the Meekrob closed the door of the metal pod, several connecting into one group and using a glowing aura to lift the pod. They turned it so the window revealing Tenn faced the ships overhead, then floated up to them, the pod bobbing in the air between them.

Dib grabbed his telescope from beside him and lifted it to watch, while Zim grabbed onto the controls and got them hovering in place, their cloaking device on.

The Meekrob moved fairly quickly, but he was able to spot them approaching one of the bigger ships, coming to a halt in front of the giant windows. The group of Meekrob gestured in unison, shifting into what looked like Irkens as they pointed at the pod…

"Finally!" Zim exclaimed, making Dib flinch and fumble with his scope. Zim jabbed a finger up at the sky, and Dib quickly swiveled his scope that way just in time to see the Resisty's ship.

And it was evident the barricade saw them, too, the smaller ships already swiveling in their direction. They zigged and zagged all over the place, ships already firing at them—and activated the EMP pulse as they buzzed near a line of the bigger ships.

Zim punched forward on the controls, sending them rocketing into the air as the Resisty turned and zipped away, the few smaller ships unaffected by the blast tailing them.

Of course, Zim veered away from all the action and aimed for the patch of empty sky…though neither he or Dib could help but glance back between them to see what was going on. The Resisty were weaving around, seeming to set off their EMP a few more times, evidenced by the ships that came to a sudden halt behind them. One Voot was hovering near Tenn's pod, pulling it in with a tractor beam, while the Meekrob flashed and sparked in warning.

With all that going on, no one seemed to notice their ship as they passed through the large gap between ships, making it out into open space. After getting further from the planet, Zim slowed down, though kept the cloaking device on with a few wary glances over his shoulder.

Dib whirled to the communications system, calling the Resisty. They picked up, only one silhouette appearing on screen. "We made it out!"

They nodded and turned to shout something to the others, and in the distance, the Resisty broke away from the few ships still chasing them, speeding away from the system. The Irken ships, rather than tail after them, headed back to the barricade, hovering near the group of Meekrob.

Before Dib could try and swivel his scope to see what was going on, Zim ducked the ship behind one of the smaller planetoids, obscuring them from view.

"I don't think they noticed us," he said. "But I'm going to give it a minute." One of his hands hovered near some of the weapons' triggers.

Dib nodded, turning to look out at space, keeping one eye on their radar. Once it was clear no one was around them, Zim turned on the Scary-Fast Drive, and they rocketed away. It only needed to be on for a few moments for them to make it several systems away.

They came to a sudden stop, looking around. They were surrounded by empty planets and moons…no one else around. No one coming after them. Even when Zim slowly turned off their cloaking device, nothing happened.

Slowly, they turned to face each other…and grinned widely. "We did it," Dib said. "We did it, I told you we could do it, Zim!"

"Yes, we did!" Zim laughed. "Your plan worked, it really worked, I knew it!" He leapt forward and into Dib's lap, mashing their lips together in a kiss that Dib eagerly returned.

They made out for a few minutes more…until their comms started pinging them. Zim sighed as he pulled away, a trail of saliva between himself and Dib as he reached out to answer the call.

Unsurprisingly, it was the Resisty. "You made it out safely, then? No incidents?" Lard Nar asked.

"Yep," Dib said, reaching up to wipe Irken saliva from his lips. "We dropped off the device, but…the Meekrob may not be interested in working with anyone. Though they have a plan to drive off the barricade."

"Yes, they were already getting some good blows in, from what we saw," Ixane mentioned with a nod.

"Still…they'd prefer us over the Empire, right?" Lard Nar asked, tapping his claws together.

"Oh, definitely," Zim said. "They even said as much. Well, in their own aloof way."

Lard Nar let out a soft sigh of relief. "Well. No matter their choice, you two performed admirably today. I hope—I think Meekrob will be better off today because of your actions."

Zim smirked, puffing out his chest, and Dib grinned and kicked his feet.

"We don't have much, but we'll forward some credits to you," Lard Nar continued. "…I don't think it's quite enough to convey how grateful we are, but. Well. We hope it's sufficient."

"Hey, and we could keep hiring you for more things!" Shloonktapooxis said cheerfully, Spleenk nodding in agreement beside him.

Dib frowned in thought, glancing over at Zim, who tugged on the hem of his gloves. They made brief eye contact, then looked back at the screen.

"We'll think about it," Dib said, at the same time Zim said, "It'll be considered." They glanced at each other again and laughed a little.

"Well, even if we don't work together again, we won't forget what you've done for us," Lard Nar said. "Take some time to celebrate—you've both earned it, really."

"We will!" Dib said.

"And—Zim, would you mind if I called at some point?" Lard Nar asked. "Not as part of the Resisty, but just to…check how you're doing?"

Zim blinked, antennae perking up. "That…would be acceptable," he said. Still, there was a wide grin on his face.

"Great, thank you! For, well, everything at this point." Lard Nar fidgeted a little. "Well, we'll allow you two to get back to…your general explorations. Though take some time to relax after all of that!"

"But watch your backs," Ixane said. "Same for the rest of you, too! No attention-drawing parties!" At least two or three Resisty members groaned in disappointment.

"Thank you, we'll talk to you again, eventually," Zim said. "Goodbye!" With that, he turned off the call, then leaned back in his seat.

Dib clicked his tongue. "So. Just pulled off a seemingly impossible mission. What do you do to celebrate something like that?"

Zim frowned in thought. "Well…first, let's put a few more systems between us and them. Then, maybe we can enjoy a fancy foodening together with whatever credits they send to us."

"A fancy 'foodening', huh?" Dib said. "Sounds good to me. Then, maybe we could…" He shuffled and tugged at the bottom hem of his shirt, blushing a little. "You know. Do other stuff. In bed."

"Yes, of course, later," Zim said, pushing down on the controls…though he did glance over at Dib with a grin, tongue wetting his lips. "After getting enough systems away."

"Right, got it." Dib swiveled in his chair to keep an eye on their radar, hands close to their weapons systems. But, even as they zipped away, there wasn't anyone chasing them.

Still, the Empire was powerful—there was a reason everyone (even Zim, sometimes) feared them. It wouldn't do any good to let their guard down, no matter how successful they were.

They were about a hour away from Meekrob, after traveling in a serpentine path, before Zim figured it was safe enough to stop and (briefly) celebrate. He landed the ship on a planet crowded with aliens—most a fluffy bird-like species, though there were many other species wandering around.

As always, his human's eyes glittered with fascination. At least this time he remembered on his own to whip out his camera and snap some photos as they left the ship.

There was a slight chill in the air, many of the trees and buildings around covered in dew or flecks of frost. It was comfortable for Zim, though Dib adjusted his coat, but still followed without issue.

Zim pulled a tablet out of his PAK to check his plaything transactions, frowning a little when he saw the newest amount. "Hmph. You'd think doing the impossible would be worth a little more."

"How much is it?" Dib said, looking over his shoulder.

"Not much. Not nearly enough for a fancy dinner celebration…" Zim tilted the tablet so he could see. "Unless you count cheap speedy food restaurants as 'fancy'."

"Mm." Dib frowned. "…well, they probably gave as much as they were able to. You can't give more than what you have, and sometimes giving everything is worth more than someone with a lot giving you just a fraction of what they have."

Another of his human philosophies, Zim was sure. He didn't feel like debating it, so he just sighed and waved the tablet at Dib. "Still, it's either cheap celebratory food, or dipping into our savings to get something actually fancy," he said.

Dib frowned further, looking at their savings. "I mean…if we don't go too fancy and expensive, we should be fine, right?"

"I suppose." Zim tucked the tablet away, rubbing his hands together. "Let's try and find what some of our options are."

Dib took his hand, and they wandered down the street, glancing into the different buildings. There were clothing boutiques and stores selling trinkets and figurines, but with some searching, they did find some places selling food.

There was a cake shop that particularly caught Zim's eye, with beautiful frosted desserts perched in the window to lure in shoppers. He licked his lips, then shook his head and was about to keep searching for what Dib considered 'real food'…except that Dib gave his hand a squeeze and headed to the shop.

Zim squinted at him. "What ever happened to desserts not being dinner?"

Dib blinked, then shrugged and grinned. "I think exceptions can be made for big celebrations." He gestured to one of the cakes. "And that one has berries on it! That can be healthy."

Well, Zim certainly wasn't going to complain. They both entered the shop, pouring over the options and both ordering a small cake for themselves, plus a cupcake for GIR for later. They wandered back outside and found a bench to sit on, where they both sat and dug into their meals with plastic forks.

Zim was feeding Dib a small bite of his cake when brightly flashing lights caught his attention. He glanced across the street, where a screen floating above a bar suddenly switched from the sportsball game it was showing to a news channel.

The Grand Announcer, an Irken with a metal head covering with a red eye at the very center, was prominent on the screen. Zim froze and ducked behind Dib for cover on instinct.

"New developments in Operation Impending Doom II!" he declared. "Today, Invader Tenn successfully escaped from Planet Meekrob!" An image of Tenn appeared on screen, looking much more confident than she had ever seemed in person.

The Announcer continued, and Zim slowly inched out from behind Dib, feeling embarrassed. "After her retrieval and a brief altercation, the barricade of ships left Meekrob, as they had fulfilled their objective," he said. "But! With the information Tenn has gathered, we will be able to quickly strike back, and continue to make Operation Impending Doom II our greatest operation yet!

"Glory to the Irken Empire!"

With that, the feed switched back to another news station, with aliens who nervously discussed the broadcast. Apparently, that announcement had been a few hours ago…it wasn't even live. Zim felt even more embarrassed.

Dib placed a hand on his cheek, turning Zim to face him. "Did you hear that?" he whispered. "They left! We did it, Zim!"

"…only because they got Tenn," Zim pointed out.

"Still, they're gone from Meekrob! And you said they might wipe Meekrob out once they had her, but they didn't! Or they would have announced it."

"That's…true."

"You know?" Dib said with a grin. "I think the Meekrob managed to chase them off, but they don't just want to say that. So, they're trying to make it sound like they chose to leave first."

Zim blinked, opened his mouth to protest…but couldn't. The Empire never lost, of course, but if they did, they certainly wouldn't tell any other species…why, it could give them ridiculous ideas, like that they might have some chance of winning!

He turned away and frowned, fingers placed under his chin. His PAK whirred as he mulled over what Dib was suggesting. It seemed so impossible, but maybe…

Dib placed a hand on his back, right above his PAK. "That's my thought, at least," he said. "But I have a pretty good feeling that I'm right."

"Heh…" Zim let out a small chuckle at the sight of Dib's smug expression. He shifted closer and leaned his weight against Dib, while Dib wrapped an arm around him. Dib fed him a small bite of the cake he'd picked out, and the two of them continued eating until they were satisfied.

They headed back to the ship, tucking their leftovers in the pantry and giving the cupcake to GIR. Of course that meant frosting started to get everywhere, and Zim ordered Dib to keep track of GIR and his snack while he cleaned the stuff in the cockpit.

After everything was clean—including GIR, thanks to Dib convincing him to let a few wet wipes be used on him—Dib sank against the bed's mattress with a sigh. Zim laid on top of him with a sigh of his own, eyes drifting shut.

"So. You two aren't dead…did you flee? Or did you manage to get out just before your plan blew up?" Tak's AI asked.

"Tell you tomorrow…" Dib mumbled, exhaustion from the day's adventure making him already half-asleep. Zim reached up to stroke his hair, and with a sigh, Dib relaxed and slipped fully into slumber.

The AI huffed. "Humans and their need for sleep."

"He looks so peaceful when he does, though," Zim said fondly, caressing Dib's cheek.

The AI made a gagging sound. Zim smirked a little, tugging Dib so his feet weren't dangling off the bed and positioning his head on top of a pillow. With that, he curled up against Dib's side, under his arm. He was content enough that he was able to ignore the AI trying to get his attention, falling asleep as he pressed himself against Dib.