It didn't take them long to make it to the spa planet Zim was thinking of—a lush place covered with flowering forests and bubbling hot springs that could be seen even from space. Dib was allowed to take the controls and navigate them to one of the cities Zim pointed him towards. There was a skyscraper-like building in the very center, hollow and filled with ship-sized holes.

A few large, bee-like aliens were buzzing around the tower. A few of them, wearing bright pink vests, flew up to meet them, and began pointing them to a specific hole in the tower. Dib followed their directions, and more aliens waved him further in, pointing out a specific spot for them to take.

"Welcome, welcome," one of the large bees buzzed as they both stepped out of the Voot. They paused to glance at Zim. "It'zzz been a while since we've had someone from Irk. Is thizz vacation or buizzznezzz?"

"Vacation," Dib was quick to say, Zim nodding. "So…there aren't any other Irkens here?"

"No—I mean! I am not allowed to dizzclozze whether or not anyone iz prezzent." They looked around guiltily, only relaxing when it seemed that no one else had noticed their slip-up.

But that slip-up helped both Dib and Zim relax a bit more. No Irkens were here, and they shouldn't tell Irk (or anyone) whether they were there? Sounded fantastic.

"Anywayzz," they hummed. "How long are you planning on ztaying for?"

"Just a few days."

They nodded, pulling out a screen and looking through it. "The Cloverhoney Hotel is clozzezt, and they should have enough rooms available for your stay." Tapping oh a few buttons, two tickets were printed from their device, and they handed them over. "Thizz will cover your firzzt night's stay."

"Ooh, thank you," Dib said, looking over his ticket before pocketing it.

Zim pulled it into his PAK, then hopped into the Voot and began to gather some of their personal items, shoving them all into his PAK.

Once he was satisfied with all he'd grabbed, he hopped back out, holding GIR's hand.

"Ready?" the bee alien said. "If you juzzt head to ground level, you'll find your hotel almost right outzzide. Pleazze remember thiz parking zpot for when you leave, or azk any of uz for help!"

"Yes, yes, thank you," Zim said, already heading towards the elevator. Dib gave a less curt thanks and followed along behind him, and the bee alien flew off, patrolling the garage once more.

At the ground level, there were plenty of other aliens—some more bee-like ones and a few lizard-like ones—who pointed them in the direction of the hotel. They stepped out, and sure enough, across the street was a hotel building. The symbol on their sign matched the one printed on their tickets.

There was very little traffic, so they quickly made their way across. Inside, at the front desk, was yet another lizard-like alien, two sets of hands folded in front of them.

They smiled...but something in their gaze sharpened a little when they saw Zim. If Zim noticed, he didn't react.

"Welcome," they said as they approached. "I assume you have a ticket from the parking garage?"

Zim and Dib handed both of theirs over, and they raised a scaly eyebrow. "The two of you are together?"

"Of course!" Zim said, wrapping his arm around Dib's. "We insist on sharing a room."

They glanced at Dib. When Dib nodded, they shrugged and put the tickets into the machine in front of them. They tapped at a few keys and glanced up. "The tickets give you a few night's stay, but what name should the room be under?"

"Dib," Dib said as Zim was opening his mouth. The clerk typed it in, then handed key cards to both of them.

"You'll have room 520 for two nights," they said. "After that, we'll need to ask for another form of payment…or for your Empire to give you an extension, I suppose." The last bit was said with a faint frown.

Zim grimaced a little at the mention of the Empire, snatching the card out of their hands and stalking towards the elevator. Dib also grabbed his card and hurried after him, placing a hand on his shoulder. By the time the elevator doors closed, Zim appeared to have calmed…

Though he turned and gave Dib a look. "Why did you want the room in your name?"

"Even if they aren't supposed to share records, I wasn't sure if someone could...force them to," Dib explained, after a quick glance to ensure there weren't any audio-recording devices around. "If the Empire got them, I didn't want them to realize you were here."

"Oh." Zim paused, then leaned forward to bonk his forehead against Dib's upper arm affectionately. Dib smiled, rubbing the top of his head, scratching at the base of his antenna.

Not long after that, they were in their room. It reminded Dib exactly of hotel rooms from Earth, though this was a particularly nice one. Two double beds waited for them, with relaxing scented oils on the nightstand between them. The bathroom was huge, mainly taken up by the large tub and the scented soaps surrounding it.

Dib curiously sniffed at a few of the oil bottles, dabbing some of the cloverleaf stuff on his wrists as he glanced out the window and clock. It was just a bit past four o'clock on this planet… "How long are the days here?" he asked.

"Dunno," Zim said. "Never had the chance to come here."

Dib grunted, poking around the room a bit more before flopping onto the bed next to Zim. "So, what should we do first?"

Zim sighed, leaning against his side. "I guess…whatever spa-thing you like best?"

"I've never really been to a spa before," Dib explained. "I've always been curious, though." He grabbed a pamphlet on the nightstand and began to flick through it. "Hmm. Hot sand baths, mud baths, baths with flower petals and calming salts, oatmeal baths…"

"Yes to the first, the rest don't sound that great," Zim said. "Anything besides bathing?"

"Massages, classes on calming meditation-slash-…yoga, I guess?" The translation wasn't that direct. He flipped the pamphlet over. "And restaurants with food and drink…lots of 'calming' and healthy food and drink."

Zim hummed, leaning over his shoulder and grabbing the pamphlet from him, looking over the things himself. "So, where do you want to start?"

Dib shrugged. "Massage or a bath, probably. Want to flip a coin?"

"Don't have any coins," Zim said. He turned to GIR. "GIR, M or B?"

"Ummm, I like bees!" GIR declared, already rooting through the mini-bar in the corner of the room and sorting through chocolate bars.

"Bath it is, then," Zim said, turning back to Dib and tossing the pamphlet aside. "And a place with those can't be hard to find, they're all over the planet."

Dib nodded, standing up and stretching. He patted through his pockets, making sure he had a camera, recording device, and notebook with him, then held his hand out to Zim. Zim took it and stood up, the two of them heading for the doorway.

"Be good while we're out, GIR," Dib said.

"I woooon't!" GIR laughed, chocolate smeared all over his hands and face already.

Dib sighed. "We're so getting banned from the hotel after this, aren't we?"

Zim shrugged, uncaring, as he walked straight out the door with Dib in tow. They headed downstairs and out to the streets, walking until they found a nearby building that offered 'a variety of soothing baths'. Once there, the alien behind the desk asked for a name, and Dib again gave his. Once they'd typed it in, they were given a list of services to choose from.

It took all of two seconds for Zim to pick the hot sand bath, though Dib took a little more time to think about it as his partner headed into the back. Ultimately, he decided on a 'soothing mud bath', and another alien also guided him into the back rooms.

The first room was a locker room, where a light scanned Dib and hummed before dropping a white robe of the appropriate size in front of him. He changed into it behind one of the curtains, putting on a pair of slippers and sticking his clothes into a locker, and the spa worker led him further into the heart of the building.

On the way, they passed a doorway with a giant sand pit inside. A few creatures were in there, but Dib immediately noticed Zim in one corner, having all but his head buried in the sand. His eyes were closed, his antennae limp…tongue even poking out of his mouth.

Dib snickered and continued to follow the other alien.

He was led into a room about the size of the one with the sand pit, filled with several large tubs. He was guided to one currently filled to the brim with bluish mud, green sprigs of some kind of plant sitting on top.

"Now, if you'll just disrobe, you can sit in and relax," the alien encouraged. "You can stay up to an hour in the treatment, or longer if you can have additional payment authorized."

"Sounds good," Dib said, kicking off his slippers and dropping the robe before stepping in. Guess defrauding an evil Empire could really have some perks.

The heat of the mud immediately soaked into him, and he sighed and sank in the rest of the way, closing his eyes. This really was quite soothing…the weight of the mud on him, and the warmth of it, was already making his muscles relax. He was able to doze off, chin sinking into the mud as his thoughts became fuzzy…

Until some alien came and tapped him on the head. Dib flinched and looked up. "It's nearly been an hour," they said. "Do you want to stay longer and address the bill afterward?"

"I think I'm good," Dib said after a moment of thought. He shifted, wriggling against the mud and struggling to pull himself out, eventually succeeding with the mud slorping off his skin and plopping back into the tub.

Well…most of the mud. A good bit of it, now dried at this point, was still clinging to his skin, Dib cringing when he saw it. "…don't suppose you have a way to get this off?"

They pointed to a door in the back. "We have showers, free to use after every mud and sand bath."

Dib sighed, a bit relieved, wrapping his robe loosely around himself and heading in that direction. Through the doors he found many rows of shower cubicles, each with thin curtains. He headed to the nearest available one that was tall enough to conceal him, discarding his robe and slippers outside before turning on the water.

The pressurized jet took off chunks of the mud, wetting the rest and making it slowly run off in rivulets. Still, it was slow going, and Dib fumbled in the shower, looking for some kind of washcloth.

The shower curtain pulled back a bit, Dib barely hearing it over the sound of the water. Still, he yelped and turned around, covering himself with his hands. Fortunately, it was just Zim, chuckling at Dib's reaction.

"A mud bath, really?" he said.

"Hey, you sat in sand for an hour," Dib countered. "And what would you have done if it wasn't me in here?"

"I knew it was you from your shadow," Zim said with a shrug. "You think I don't have the shape of you memorized?"

Dib felt a bit of warmth rising in his cheeks. "Anyway…since you're here, can you grab me a washcloth or something?"

Zim nodded, stepping to the side and returning a minute later with a handful of cloths…stepping into the shower with Dib and tossing his robe behind him. Dib felt his face grow even hotter, and Zim grinned at him, showing off all his teeth.

"Zim will help," he said, starting to rub Dib's chest with a washcloth. "Otherwise I know you'll miss chunks of dirt."

"Gee, thanks," Dib huffed…though he moved closer and bent a little, making it easier for Zim to reach him. He noticed that while Zim already looked pretty clean, there were still grains of sand scattered along his skin. He grabbed another washcloth to begin brushing them off, and Zim's smile softened.

The two of them continued to preen each other…though Dib finished cleaning Zim first, with a lot more mud stuck to his own skin. Zim would toss cloths aside whenever they were dirty, and Dib relaxed, enjoying the heat of the water combined with Zim's touch…even if he did rub at his skin a bit roughly in some places. But in the end, it really didn't take them that long to get themselves cleaned up.

They stepped out, and Dib found that Zim had also brought over a pile of white towels. He dried himself off, sighing happily when he realized they were heated and passing some to Zim. He wrapped one around his shoulders before picking up his robe…frowning at the mud stuck inside. He turned it inside-out before putting it back on, and Zim did the same once he was dry.

On their way back to the entrance, they ran into another alien, who escorted them to the locker room. They two of them pulled on their clothes, tossing towels and robes into a hamper in the corner, then headed out the front door.

The sun was lower in the sky, now, with the horizon fading to a deep purple. "Looks like it's getting late…maybe," Dib said. "Should we grab something to eat?"

"I suppose," Zim said. "Remember anything in particular you wanted to try from that pamphlet?"

Dib just shrugged…and so began their search through the streets for anything that looked appealing. Zim eventually found and pointed out a smoothie-and-juice bar with the menu printed on a board outside, and after a few minutes of consideration, they both found flavors that sounded good. They ordered them in extra-large sizes, Dib using his paything (just to be on the safe side).

They continued wandering down the street, Dib sipping on his blorpberry smoothie with cloverleaf honey, Zim enjoying the chocolate and legume butter one they insisted was a favorite for Irkens. They traded a few sips, and Dib could see why—it was a pretty sweet drink.

This planet was beautiful. The skies were clear, the clouds being painted a kaleidoscope of colors by a lowering sun, and the view was unobstructed—the tallest buildings were where ships were parked, everything else being only a few stories tall. It was all quite nice, and Dib commented as such to Zim.

Zim grinned wryly. "Beautiful, but inefficient," he said. "By leaving so much of the planet 'natural', they lose out on space they could use for guests and clients." He loudly slurped his drink, ignoring a few passing aliens that gave him looks (and a wide berth). "Waitlists can extend for months if you want a stay longer than a few days, sometimes even for the Empire. And even short trips can be expensive if one doesn't have external funding."

"Yeah, well…it's better than what this place would be like if the Empire had more control," Dib said in a low voice, glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

"It would be the same under the Empire, just…more. More buildings, more customers, more profit coming in. Everything streamlined to be as efficient as possible, or else." Zim sighed, looking at the same sky Dib was and taking his hand. "But…they'd be losing something and wouldn't even know it."

Dib smiled and nodded, squeezing his hand. Eventually, they turned around a corner and started walking back to the hotel as the sky grew darker. On the way, though, something caught his eye: a spa he remembered from the pamphlet, one that offered massages.

He pointed it out to Zim. "It's not that late yet. Want to get a massage or something before bed?"

"Hmm." Zim seemed to consider it. "…it doesn't need to be on my back, right? I don't want anyone's hands but yours anywhere near my PAK."

Dib couldn't help but smile fondly at him. "I'm sure they have other options." With that, they headed inside, letting go of each others' hands just before entering.

Thankfully, there was a list of massage offerings printed in a menu above the desk, almost like a restaurant. After some consideration, Dib opted for an 'athlete's' back massage, while Zim picked out a hand-and-foot massage combo. Zim did have to be insistent that Dib be given the service as part of the deal with Irk rather than charging them, but they were eventually taken back into separate rooms.

Dib was encouraged to remove his coat and shirt and lie down on a soft cot, belly-down, while one of the bee aliens hovered over him. "So," he said as they pressed four hands into his back, carefully kneading his flesh. "What species are you? Are you native to the planet?"

"I am a Hivzzoran," they said. "Our true name is actually unpronounceable by most other species, though." She let out a few buzzing syllables. "And yes, we're native, along with the Lizardians."

Dib blinked, then rolled his eyes. Sometimes he expected aliens to have unique and well, 'alien' names…and then they'd be called something like that.

Anyway, though he opened his mouth to ask more questions, the masseuse pressed her hands down into a spot of tense muscle. Dib let out a small gasp, and she let out a buzzing hum, using her hands to tease out the tautness.

Dib closed his eyes, and felt himself relax. But even as the tension left him, he felt…odd. As though the hands on him right now weren't quite right, or something. They had a bit of fuzz on them that tickled, and he couldn't feel the brush of sharp claws against him.

Ah. So that was it. He pictured Zim being the one standing behind him, and though he couldn't clearly feel it wasn't, he sank a bit deeper into the cot.

"And…that'zzz it," the masseuse said after massaging out the rest of his tense and sore muscles. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good," Dib said, standing and stretching. He felt relaxed and ready to rest…though there was also a warm ache in the pit of his belly. He wasn't about to tell a stranger about that, though. "Thank you."

"It'zz no problem," she said, already buzzing towards the doorway. Dib pulled on his shirt and coat and followed her back to the empty lobby. He took a seat and waited for Zim.

A few minutes passed, and just when he was starting to grow worried, Zim marched out from the back, tugging his gloves back into place. "Alright, let's go," he declared.

"Everything alright?"

"Yes, yes," Zim said as they stepped outside. Night had fallen, and thousands of stars stretched overhead. Once they were alone (enough), he stepped closer, pressing himself against Dib's side with a sigh. "It was nice enough. Just…" He frowned, averting his eyes.

Dib felt the warm ache throb, and he found himself smiling at Zim. "I just found myself wanting it to be you," he murmured quietly. "Even if I did enjoy it."

Zim flinched slightly…then nodded, pressing himself further against Dib. Dib's smile grew, and he wrapped an arm around him, placing a hand on top of his head.

They headed back to their hotel, which didn't take much time. They separated when they entered the building and headed upstairs, but once they were in their room, they again found themselves attached at the hip.

The room was…not that bad of a condition, though there were snack wrappers scattered everywhere. GIR was lounging on one of the beds watching TV, wrapped in a fluffy robe with chocolate all over his face.

"GIR! Did anything happen while we were gone?" Zim demanded.

"Mm…nah," GIR answered with a shake of his head. "I found alotta candy though!"

"Yes, that seems obvious," Zim said. He was rubbing circles on Dib's lower back with one hand. "GIR, why don't you…step out for a bit. To…explore!"

"Whyyyy?" GIR asked with a curious head tilt.

"Because you've done a good job!" Dib said. "And I think I saw some kind of jukebox downstairs. Just don't leave the hotel, okay?"

GIR perked up and nodded, jumping off the bed and discarding the robe behind him, giggling as he dashed past them and out of the room. Once the door had closed, Zim was immediately on Dib, his hands snaking under his shirt to rub against his bare skin. "Dib," he sighed. "I want you. I want to see you unwound again, do you want that?"

"Oh, yes," Dib groaned, already tearing off his shirt and coat to toss them aside. They both collapsed onto the bed, lips meeting in a sloppy kiss as they continued to pull each other's clothes off, bodies pressed flush against each other.

The warm ache in Dib nearly roared, knowing it would very soon be satisfied.

They slept in late the next day—a combination of feeling relaxed, having tired themselves out, and simply sinking into the very comfortable mattress. Even after waking up, Dib choose to lay in bed a while longer, enjoying curling up against Zim.

Eventually, though, they began to get dressed. "So, one more day," Dib said. "…anything you particularly want to do?"

Zim shrugged. "First, getting food." Dib could agree with that, feeling his stomach growl with hunger. "After that…I suppose some sightseeing. Doing whatever happens to catch our eye."

"Sounds pretty good to me," Dib said, pulling his coat on. "GIR, are you okay with watching the room again?"

"Mhmm!" GIR said with a nod, giving him a thumbs-up. He was again bundled up in a robe, TV remote in hand. That was probably all he needed for entertainment…Dib hoped so, at least.

Zim and Dib headed out, and downstairs to the lobby for breakfast. Once they'd eaten their fill, they headed outside once more to wander the streets, looking for anything in particular that caught their eyes.

Zim decided to have another hot sand bath at a different spa, and though Dib teasingly said they'd have to make a sand pit at home for him, he decided to join Zim this time. The heat and pressure of the sand was pretty relaxing, even if he wasn't a fan of having his limbs so pressed down, leaving him unable to move.

After that they stopped by a meditation class in a rock garden, which…okay, Dib found the rock garden very cool, with sandy paths and carefully-stacked towers of giant rocks, but the meditation itself was boring. Zim seemed to agree, yawning and leaving when there were still a few minutes left. Dib followed him a minute later, only to find him climbing up one of the rock towers.

"What are you doing!?" he hissed, trying not to draw attention to Zim.

"I'm going to look at everything from a higher vantage point!" Zim declared. "It's perfectly stable." As he said that, his grip loosened and sent him sliding down a few feet before he caught himself…Dib swore he saw one of the rocks shift a little. Or was that just his imagination?

Zim let go and dropped down, Dib rushing forward to catch him in his arms. They both looked up at the tower, but it appeared still the same.

"…let's go check out the rest of town. Maybe the outside of it?" Dib suggested. Zim quickly nodded, and they left, Dib carrying Zim on his shoulders.

The outskirts of town were surrounded by thick forest, though a river kept them from entering it. Simple ferries drifted along, being carried downstream, and a convenient sign nearby explained this was how they often traveled between towns and cities. Dib snapped some photos of the river and that sign, and they walked along the river's edge after that.

The rest of the day passed without much incident. Dib saw a few people giving Zim looks, but they were more likely to turn away or walk away whenever he or Zim looked directly at them. So, at least there weren't any direct confrontations.

They kept trying a few more spa things, and even attended a space-yoga class that both of them both more entertaining than the meditation. They visited the hot springs just outside the town, grabbing lunch there after their soak. Dib tried a hot stone massage while Zim had his claws buffed and polished, they both tried an oatmeal bath (which Zim disliked, finding it too messy)…

But eventually, after sunset, they felt that they were running out of things to do, so headed to their hotel room, ordering a dinner delivery for GIR and themselves. They all lounged in bed together as they ate, Zim flicking through TV channels and seeming to find nothing that interested him.

"This was nice," Dib declared. "…but I don't really feel up for more spa stuff after this. I want to do something."

"I agree," Zim said, burying his claws in Dib's hair and scratching at his scalp. "We can head out tomorrow…head right for Dark Space, maybe." Dib nodded eagerly, nestling against Zim.

As soon as they finished dinner, GIR headed out to go party downstairs again…that's what they suspected he was up to, at least. Soon after that, Dib and Zim were again entwined with each other, both of them tugging off each other's clothes, Dib placing sloppy kisses all over Zim's smooth skin…

The next morning, the attendant at the desk stopped them on their way to breakfast. "Would you like to extend your stay another night?" they offered.

"Nahhh," Zim said, waving them off. "We'll head out pretty soon, anyway." Dib nodded in agreement.

And indeed, after breakfast (and grabbing GIR from the room), they checked out, handing their keys back over. They headed outside, making their way back to the parking area, specifically to the spot where they parked their ship.

Once inside, Zim turned on their radar, checking for any active ships above, then scanning specifically for Irken tech. While he did that, Dib combed through the back rooms, finding everything just as they'd left it.

Including the AI, which lit up as soon as it detected him. "Oh, you're actually back," it said. "I was thinking you and Zim had been captured, and I'd just been forgotten here."

"No, we've just been having a nice vacation," Dib said. "Since it doesn't seem like anyone noticed what we did."

The AI was quiet for several long seconds. "…you're trying to tell me…Zim succeeded in a stealth mission?"

"Of course I did!" Zim said proudly as he walked into the room, wrapping his arms around Dib. "No Irken ships nearby. Want to be in the cockpit for takeoff?"

"Sure!" Dib said, standing up. "I can tell you more details later, Ship."

"I…you…you'd better!"

Zim snickered a little as they headed back up to the front. They both took their seats, and Zim navigated them carefully out of the parking garage before letting Dib take over on getting them through the atmosphere and back into space. Once they were out of orbit, they set the autopilot to navigate them to the edge of the known map.

Dib grinned. Relaxation had been a nice reward…but now, the chance to explore the unknown again had excitement flooding through his veins