HOME | DD

Description
Rilzit
By Kitteh and Neofox
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence and intense smooching
Disclaimer: Smeets will eat our souls if we dare claim Invader Zim.  So yeah, Jhonen can keep his smeets of DOOM!  We just want to borrow Zim and Dib for a fic, so calm yourselves.
Summary: ZADR.  'Why didn't I listen to Dad? I could have been safe at home studying science or some stupid shit, but noooo....I had to fall in love with a stupid alien and help him take over the Earth. Real smart Dib. Maybe next time you should just stamp moron on your forehead, much more effective’
Beta: Krimzon

Chapter 3

Dib smiled slightly at Zim, looking back in front of himself to make sure he didn't trip over a dog or something. "It will be better than good Zim, it will be great. I promise you that this plan will succeed, and considering I’m not here to stop you from doing anything, then there is nothing standing in your way. Hey, if anything, you could keep a few people alive as slaves just to toy around with; you always seemed to like that idea." He shrugged a bit at the random idea.

Zim perked at that. He imagined an entire group of people as his own personal slaves, bowing and groveling to his every command. They'd worship him like a God, following his every wish. First he'd make them build a huge statue in his image, then he'd make them build a few creature comforts from home. Oh! And a shooting range where he could sit and peg off humans with a deadly laser of DOOM!

"Yeees. A whole army of slaves.” The Irken rubbed his hands together at the delightful thought. Unfortunately, all of the slaves in his little fantasy had Dib's head. There had to be more than the annoying stink beast to keep "Like... that guy. Tom. And... Billy. And that guy who calls me Paul." Zim blinked as they reached the walk way to his house. There, really weren't many huumuns worth keeping.

"Perhaps I'll just keep whoever survives." He left it at that that and opened the door, keeping it open so Dib could walk in and not explode from front door impact. Although, that would have been amusing.

He had raised a brow at the fact that someone actually called Zim 'Paul', but kept to himself about it, nodding his head in thanks and walking inside cautiously.  Once deeming it safe enough, he walked to the couch and set the box on top of it, sighing in relief because the heavy burden was off his hands. He threw the notebook aside for the moment so he could remove the lid, slipping his hand inside and removing a small, closed vial that contained a light blue liquid, holding it up so Zim could see.

"This stuff that I hold in my hand is strong enough to burn through the strongest steel.  The vial it is in right now was created and made safely just for it. If mixed with a few of the chemicals you have it causes it to have less of a destructive force, but more of a poisonous one, I’m pretty sure. I brought more chemicals than this, but I think this is our star one right here."

"SPOOOOooooooooooooooooooooo-GLK!" Zim caught the flying robot by the little round end of its antenna. "I wanna drink the pretties. I wanna drink the pretties! IWANNADRINKTHEPRETTIES!" Gir made grabby hands as he struggled about while he was held in the air.

"No, Gir. You cannot drink this. It'll melt your entire body into paste." Zim snootily answered, holding the little robot back and away.

"Awwww- but I like paste, Master. I wunna be paaaste." The robot whimpered sniffling.

"So it eats away at the huumun's fleshy insides while it poisons their greasy bodies. I like, I like." The Irk grinned lightly as he considered the vial on closer inspection making sure to hold the robot far away with the other hand.

"Pretty much." Dib quickly put the vial back and closed the box to save it from Gir's wrath.

"We can start mixing it with some of your stuff whenever you want to. We'll need some body protection, because if that stuff hits our skin, we won't be conquering anything, and I also want to be careful with your chemicals as well. As soon as we get everything ready to go, I think we should use a test subject before unleashing the most of it on the people at the hospital, that way we can be sure it works."

Zim tossed the robot to the side once the chemical was safely put away; to which Gir only squealed with delight and landed in the clutter bouncing. The Irken yawned lightly, plucking out one of the contacts to give the large pink eye underneath a thorough rub with his wrist. Damn those contacts; they dried out his eyes and made them so itchy when the day was over.

"There are protective suits down in my lab." He blinked the uncovered eye a few good times before stifling a yawn with the same wrist. "We can use them while mixing."

Dib watched Gir play around in the garbage for a few moments before looking back at Zim, leaning slightly on the box.

"Maybe we should call it a night. We've both had a rough day, and we can always start on this project tomorrow. I see no need to go to Skool if sooner or later it's gonna be no more. Besides," He moved his elbow off the box, stretching both his arms high above his head and letting out a small groan as he did so. "I’m getting pretty tired myself, so it won't do you any good if I’m falling asleep on the job."

A lazy gaze fell onto Dib, though Zim hated to agree with the human, he was indeed feeling beat. The day had been long and filled with too many ironies for comfort.

"We can test the chemical at Skool... on those drewling morons who flock like meaty cattle to...” the alien let out a long moaning yawn letting his tongue loll out with the action. "Cattle." He puffed. "Beh."

Off the alien pulled the wig, taking the other contact out, only to toss it amongst the clutter with the other random floor hazards. There were a few old wigs and contacts littered about as well, if one bothered to look. He once tried to program Gir to clean house, but the robot had taken to wearing a disgusting little maid outfit and took to speaking in French, so that plan was botched from the very start.

"You can sleep on the floor... the ceiling... the couch... wherever it is your kind roosts." Zim waved a dismissive hand to the human as he rubbed his poor sensitive eyes, antennae stretching from relief to be freed from that horrible itchy wig.

Dib actually seemed to be thinking about Zim's comment and looked at ceiling to see if it was physically possible to sleep on it, but quickly shuddered at the thought of being tangled in all those wires for more than need be.

"I'll just sleep on the couch." He leaned down and picked up the box, moving it from his now dubbed sleeping area and set it to the left, hoping that Gir would leave it alone for the night.  As soon as he set it down, he fell back on the couch, his gaze on the alien once again and a smile coming to his lips as he watched his antenna move.

"Come over here..." He tilted his head beside him indicating he wanted Zim to sit next to him for a moment.

"M?" Zim raised a suspicious brow. But the prior mutterings of the human came to mind; if he couldn't trust the dirtball alien now, then he'd never would. But as an Invader, he was to trust no one, but for the subject of science, the mission (and curiosity) he'd listen-- for now.

The alien sidled over to the couch and sat down cautiously keeping his bug like eyes on the other always. "What is it?"

Dib was a bit shocked that Zim had actually sat on the couch next to him. He was so used to the alien throwing a fit that he didn't think Zim would give in so easily.  Not wanting to miss such an opportunity, he leaned over to do what he planned, taking an antenna in each of his hands and rubbing them up and down softly. "I just remember how relaxed you were when I did this earlier... I figured since we aren't on such a schedule anymore, you'd like it if I continued. Unless you don't want me to..."His hands slowed down when he said this, but never stopped.

The antennae twitched at the touch, but went slack as they were ever so gently stroked. Zim seemed to follow suit with his feelers and lowered his head until his chin rested on his own chest, giving Dib better access to the antennae on his head. He mumbled something that could have been considered a 'yea'; that, or a foreign way of saying 'yak'. All fight seemed to drain from the alien; suspicion, paranoia and argument left, leaving Zim quiet and complacent, which was a far more rare a thing than the eclipse of all ten moons of Tweedum.

Dib smiled slightly, his fingers moving to the tips of the antenna so he could twirl them lightly. He watched Zim for a few moments, thinking the alien had fallen asleep before speaking. "It's eerie how similar we are. We both want our own form of recognition, just in a different way."

He let out a small sigh, his fingers loosening slightly as he continued, "I've had so many people calling me insane everyday of my life; it comes to a point where I start to believe it. When I look at you, it's hard to think of you as a real person and not some twisted form of my imagination...I just feel like I’m that fucked up. Maybe that's why I’m really doing this, to make sure it's all real."

Eyes slipped shut when Dib's fingers slipped to the ends of antennae and the alien grew more compliant, eliciting a soft purred moan from deep in his throat. The ends of his antennae were the most sensitive of all. Zim shifted like a slinking cat to rest his head and shoulder against Dib.  There was a warm sound that tumtummed inside the human's chest, a soothing sound, that in his elated state, Zim couldn't recall what it was exactly.

"It's real, Dib...” His voice was soft and far away, though more in awe of the rhythm against his temple. Raising a weak hand he traced curious marks on the boy's chest, questioning the beat inside the other's chest if it itself was real. "It’s all real. S'gotta be. Cuz I'm not fake."

Dib hadn't expected the Irken to hear him, but what surprised him most was his reaction. He told himself it was only because Zim was so relaxed, and continued to stroke the tips of his antenna, smiling sadly as he leaned further against the back of the couch.  His own eyes began closing as he started to drift off, "I suppose so...but without you here I don't know where that would leave me..." His voice became drowsy at the end and his fingers got slower and slower until they stopped altogether, signaling that he had finally fallen asleep.

'Lost' was what Zim meant to murmur, but the 'L' sound of the word was far too effortful a word to be bothered pushing from his mouth. So instead he murmured some mess of syllables with the happy purring coo sounds that slowed and quieted down as Dib's fingers did.  It was just as good an answer.

Zim slunk closer; Dib was warm and soft, comfortable to lay against as he curled closer to the other. Antennae were kept as they were, nestled in Dib's fingers on the alien's head. He let the slow steady beating of the strange organ in the human's chest lull him to sleep, letting it assuage the longing ache that had long set itself in the dead center of his living center.

Gir stirred.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwww~" The robot gushed, running off to grab a pink fluffy blanket with hearts and monkeys. He climbed carefully onto the couch, trying not to wake either he pulled the blanket over both of them. With a happy smile, Gir hopped off the couch to scurry off. "My master luv-eds the milk man."

It was a bit later the next day when Dib woke up; considering he no longer had an alarm clock, he didn't have to wake at dawn for Skool. At first, he was a little confused as to where he was, but then when he looked around, it slowly came back to him and he sighed.  Moving around so he could rub at his eyes, he noticed that he had left his glasses on and scowled.  Because of that, he now had a morning headache. "Damnit..."

His elbow bumped into something and he looked down, surprise on his face when he saw Zim curled up next to him.  A loud gasp came out of his mouth, which he quickly tried to cover up. He barely remembered anything from last night, except trying to get Zim to relax a bit.  He didn't even remember falling asleep, and he hated to see what the Irken’s reaction would when he woke up. “Lovely......"

Antennae immediately bolted up, perking this way and that at the sudden noise and jostle about. "Shut up, Gir. I’m not going today..." Zim murmured groggily. Pulling the fuzzy blanket better over his shoulder he moved to completely take over Dib's lap, thinking nothing of who it was as he rested his cheek on the boy's thigh. His antennae rested against the back of his head as he stretched his legs down the length of the couch with an appreciative noise. "Bed is too good today." The Irken grouched. Without realizing he rested a hand where he really shouldn't have.

"I'm making PANCAKES!" Gir called from the kitchen with utter glee.

A loud noise escaped Dib's mouth that sounded like a strangled gasp, and he quickly bolted off the couch, causing Zim's head to land on the cushion. His face was redder than the face on his shirt. "Ok! That...was weird and uncomfortable. Well, maybe not too uncomfortable."

He slapped a hand on his forehead. "God I need serious help."

The Irken landed on the couch with a started noise, his eyes snapping open as he tumbled off the couch and onto the rubble on the floor with a loud scream. He flailed, and things went flying as he struggled to sit, looking like some sort of green fish out of water as he flopped about.

Groggily he gaped at Dib, one eye more open than the other as he disorientated glared at him. "HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE!?" Zim grabbed a random piece of clutter, which happened to be one of Gir's rubber piggys, and tossed it at Dib.

"BREECH! Gir our security has been breeched!"

Gir marched in with a plate full of pancakes and he pouted. "Awww. Yous two were so kyooooooot~" He smiled, his tongue sticking out from the corner of his mouth.

The piggy bounced off of Dib's forehead the whole while he was giving Zim a blank look. He glanced over at Gir for a split second and raised a brow before looking back at the alien, shaking his head. "Zim, please don't tell me you remember nothing of what happened yesterday. I know sleep can weigh heavily on a person when they first wake up, but that's kind of bad." He walked back over to the couch and sat down propping his feet up on the arm rest. "Now would you calm down and think rationally for at least a few seconds."

"Huh... uh...hm." The Irken rubbed his eyes only to rub his face. "So this alliance wasn't some crazy bad dream from eating the vile slop from the food gathering arena back at skool." Carefully he rose on still tired and aching legs and smoothed down his stripped Irken uniform. He stared long and hard at Dib.

"You are here... and still in my base. Wonderful." He spat bitterly, not at all liking the way the human made himself comfortable on his couch. Zim plopped himself on the couch with a loud audible sigh.

"How did I end up here in the living quarters? You were trying to kidnap me!" He glowered at the human baring teeth. "Against your chocolate cow squeezing flavored lipped service of loyalty too!"

Dib just shook his head and sighed, his feet falling to the floor with a loud thud because of his boots. "You fell asleep in here. I was just rubbing your antenna and you just sort of dozed off, I guess.  I was too tired to remember much either, so don't get mad at me." He shot him a glare while moving his hand to scratch at the back of his head.

"I'm getting a bit sick of your mood swings Zim. I can understand you waking up and being in a state of shock, but after realizing what's going on, I was kind of hoping you wouldn't be such an ass again." He got up and walked over to where Gir had been standing, arguing with Zim had given him a small appetite. "Let me have some of those pancakes you made Gir..." He offered the robot a small smile as he said, this not wanting it to think he was mad.

Gir raised the plate up, resting it on his head with a big, bright smile. "They taste so goood!" He was practically pleased as punch to have someone want to eat his waffles; he even did a little dance to prove it.

Zim opened his mouth to complain, to yell something insulting or threatening, but Dib walked away, shrugging him off with an insult before he could really get a word in. He gritted his teeth together and crossed his arms looking away with a pout. "Whatever."

The alien rose. "We have work to do. Eat your pancakes of DOOM, and then come down to the lab." Zim quickly walked over to snatch a pancake of his own. He held Dib in a firm narrow eyed look "... and don't think of touching my lekku again." Zim smoothed a gloved hand possessively over his antennae in question. Giving Dib one last long look the alien turned to tromp off into the kitchen area to go to his lab via trash bin.

Dib just watched him sadly while biting into one of his pancakes, eating it as quickly as he could, which caused him to choke a little. After that little bit he decided one was enough and went to go pick up the box he needed to carry down the elevator, just now realizing he would never fit it down the trash can or the 'toilet'. He looked back at Gir and a grin formed on his face.

"Hey Gir, I need your help. I really need you to show me a way into your master's lab that could fit me and this large box at the same time. If you do this I’ll give you um..." He stopped to think for a moment before remembering the several discs in his pocket, "I'll give you lots of cool movies to watch while your master and I are busy."

The little robot's turquoise eyes went as wide in awe as saucers. "OOooooOOOooooh." Gir beamed at this. "Does it have the Taco Princess in it? I loooooove taco-taco-taco-tacos!" Gir clapped his hands still balancing the pancake plate on his head. He promptly took one and munched on it diligently, stuffing the entire thing in his mouth after one bite. He frowned sadly. "Aww, that wasn't a taco."

Dib stared at him for a few seconds, words seeming to fail him as he struggled with the box before a somewhat coherent sentence came out of him, "Uh, you know what, yeah, it does. You know what else it has, whatever else your mind can come up with, but, you have to look for it. The only way you get the movies is if you help me, though, so I’m keeping them unless you show me a bigger elevator down to the lab."

"UW! I love tangerines and monkeys!" Gir giggled. "OKAY!" He trotted into the kitchen, motioning for Dib to follow him. The little robot hopped onto the kitchen table and sett the pancake plate down before hopping over to the sink. With a squeal, he slipped into the basin, laughing as he got up and took hold of either of the spout's handles, then fiddled with them. With a whir and a click, the cupboard below swung open as the rest of the sink pulled and transformed into a rather large elevator opening.

Gir hopped down and skittered over to Dib with grinning expectations like a young child "Do I get the Taco movie now?" He bounced around by the human's booted feet.

Dib had followed the little robot and was rather impressed that Gir could keep his mind on one thing for so long if he wanted something. He looked down at Gir, remembering what he promised and set the box down for a second, unzipping the pocket that the disks were in counting to make sure they were all there before handing them over and picking the box back up. "One rule though Gir, you can't let anyone but Zim and me see those. It's very important that you leave them here. I'm giving them to you because I trust you with them and because you helped me." After he said this he walked over to the elevator and stepped onto the large pad that would lead him down.

After Gir received the disks he squealed loudly in a hitch pitched voice. Running around a few times he bolted for the living room. Tackling into a pile of junk he shoved the disks in his mouth one after the other for his processor to read and let him watch.

Dib looked over the controls inside and pressed the Irken symbol for down, cringing a bit when the doors closed.  He was half expecting the elevator to start going down at an alarming speed, but was relieved when it went down at a slow speed and finally landing at the bottom a good five minutes later, the doors opening to allow him out into the lab. He looked around making sure it was the right place before calling out, "Zim!"

"Congratulations, Dib-stink. You've found my lab on your own accord." Came the Irken's voice from down the hall in the main area that he'd lead Dib just the other day. There were sounds of idle tinkering. "I'd clap but- why be bothered."

"And I’d throw this box at your head, but that would just ruin everything we've accomplished thus far..." He scowled slightly and walked to where he had heard Zim's voice.  Once making it to the Irken, he set the box down and collapsed on the floor, his hands stretched out behind him to hold him steady.

"At least Gir was helpful, although I had to bribe him slightly, which wasn't so bad." He raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing anyway?"

Zim paused in what he was doing; one hand poised holding some Irken tool. He took hold of the fair sized invention and threw it hard across the room where it shattered imminently into broken parts against the thick coils of maroon made wall.

"Nothing." He answered sharply, crossing his arms. "It's pointless to bother, isn't it." His eyes closed as his head lowered before he opened them again, their pink depths flitting to look at Dib a quick moment.

"I'll get the suits." He turned and walked off.

Dib had flinched at the loud noise the metal had made when it contacted with the wall, his eyes moving back to Zim when he started walking away. He quickly got up from his seat on the floor and followed after him, wanting to know what suddenly invoked the Irken to take his anger out on his machine.

"Zim hold on. What do you mean it's pointless?" He was walking beside Zim, but started to walk backwards so he could look into the alien's red eyes. "I'm starting to wonder if you have any faith in this plan at all. At times you just seem to be humoring me, while other times you just seem to be happy to go along with whatever I say. Which is it Zim, do you want to do this or not? I know both of us are sick of the shit we take, but if you really don't want my help then I’m not gonna waste my time helping you..." He stopped walking and stood in front of the Irken his eyes narrowed but not in anger, it seemed as if he was trying to see what Zim was thinking.

Zim stopped short, his way blocked by the other. He hadn't answered, but as the human stood there making the Irken confront him, he finally raised his dull gaze up to Dib's. The alien almost grimaced in his stoic expression, his antennae wavering only to lower, giving away more than his blank eyes and features gave. Deep eyes glanced away and, for a moment, it seemed as if Zim would say something, he defiantly seemed to consider saying something that was indeed burrowed heavily into his mind.

But at the last minute the Irken gave a nonchalant shrug. "This plan will work." A more determined raise of eyes fell on Dib. "It will."

Dib watched him for a few seconds before finally sighing, a small smile on his lips that was either from relief or just the fact that Zim hadn't told him off for confronting him. He moved aside and walked behind Zim, placing his hands on his shoulders lightly as he spoke. "Then let’s get to it. We have a whole planet of humans that are just begging to be killed and a box full of poison that needs to be tested." He gave Zim a small shove, grinning a bit as he did.

The Irken started walking again, glancing at Dib as he did. No matter how many times he heard Dib talk like an Irken, it still weirded Zim out. It wasn’t out of paranoia, caution, or fear for himself, it was something else. A weird sort of concern for something. Perhaps it was out of worry that Dib had contracted some sort of brain disease and if it was contagious. Yes, that was most likely it.

Zim pressed a few buttons and a wall rushed to its side and out came a closet with a few suits for all hazardous purposes; black suits, with thick material, buckles and buttons embossed in the arms and chest, a round hump set on the back so a Pak would fit comfortably and snuggly behind, but no helmet of any sort did it have. He took one and handed it to Dib. "Here."

He had noticed Zim's looks but didn't pay any mind to them, thinking it was just Zim being his normal self. When the suits were shown, he had taken one look at them and was bit weirded out. He took the one Zim handed to him and looked it up and down, shrugging slightly, figuring he could think of some way to work himself into it.

"This thing has more buttons on it than my pants. Didn't think that was possible." He raised a brow and looked over the suit at Zim. "You don't use helmets?"

A bright pink Irken Elite symbol was blatantly present on the front of the suits front. Zim tapped a button just below the collar which unzipped the front on its own accord so that the wearer could step into it easily.

The alien gave the human a strange look, raising a brow ridge himself. "There's a button that activates the head shield." He scoffed as if it was the most obvious of things. "Idiot."

Dib just rolled his eyes, letting the comment slide like he had many times before as he stepped inside the suit and fitted it on, pressing the button once again so it closed on his body.  His hand then moved to the button that activated the shield, which caused it to form around his face before it disappeared. He had flinched a bit during some of the process, not really used to being fitted with an alien space suit, but once he was sure it was safe he began to move around a bit and grinned slightly as if it were a new toy.

"Aw man! This is so cool! It's so light, you should see the suits we have to work with chemicals, and they’re not half as nice as this." He moved his hands around in front of his face.

A slow grin started on Zim's face only to grow from ear to ear (if Zim had ears), as Dib's enthusiasm was catchy, if not the stroke to his ego that he needed.

"Yes, yes. Our technology is FAR more superior to that of you huumuns." He buffed his 'nails' on his shirt proudly, looking at his pointed fingers encased in the dulling gloss of thick gloves. He walked up to Dib and snapped his fingers in front of the boy's face in gaining his attention and in example.

"They're made from the same material." The clawed hand stretched its talon like fingers out in graceful example, showing the material of the glove that was the same dark shade of the suit Dib wore. "Durable. Strong." He made a fist. "But light enough to wear all the time." He uncurled his hand, wiggling his fingers.

The snapping fingers had caught Dib's attention and he listened with interest to what Zim said, nodding after he was done. "That's a very smart idea. Heh, at times you're right, you're technology is superior to ours."

He walked off back towards the main lab where he left the box; opening it up once again to take out a stand that held a few vials of the chemical he had shown Zim the other night, setting the stand on a small table nearby. "We'll put your chemicals in each of these vials.  The failed attempts we can obviously toss aside, but the ones that look promising we can test out later. I still have more of this stuff in the box. I made sure to get enough of it."

Zim pressed the button on the wall again, putting away the suits. He didn't bother getting one for himself. Instead he turned the head shield of his own person on and walked to stand behind, but near Dib. He gave a nod as he watched, curious about the Earthly chemicals and their reaction with Irken's.

"I've done a few experiments with your world's jooses... But I've never gotten my hands on anything as..." He paused trying to think of a suitable adjective "powerfull" He clenched his fists in emphasis "as the ones here. Your care-giver is... well adept in acquiring the jooses of this dirtball." Zim paused, considering with sudden realization. "...I don't know why I never thought to raid his lab."

Dib only shook his head at this, glancing back at Zim for a split second before his eyes darted over to the tubes that held the alien chemicals. "I suppose it's because I was always there to stop you from doing it, considering it was my house you would have been raiding."

He walked over to the tubes and placed his hand on one of them, looking it up and down before turning towards Zim once again. "What's the safest way you usually take some of this stuff out? I really would rather not take any chances and break the tube...that really would not be pleasant." He cringed slightly at the thought.

"I never actually handle the chemicals." Zim muttered with something closely resembling disgust. He gestured to the pink spotted Pak on his back. The spider legs inside usually did all the work so the Irken never had a moment to burn his hands off. "There are tools... for hands." A handle formed from the side of the counter and he pulled a drawer, revealing eyedroppers and gun-like tools, where the vials would be shoved in and the desired liquid would drop out, or could be fired out. "Though I consider them more weapons myself."

Zim's lips pulled back, proving a sharp grin. True, the computer could assist Dib with its mechanical arms, but the Irken didn't want the huumun messing with his dirty, sticky fingers. What was the safety of Dib's hands in comparison to the perfection of his dear computer?

Dib glanced over at the tools that were laying in the drawer with a small bit of fear and awe in his eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck ,not sure if he should really approach them for fear of something jumping out and biting his precious head off.

"Yeah...well...okay then."

He slowly worked up the courage to walk over to the drawer and picked up one of the small guns, a total look of amazement on his face as he handled it, considering for once he was actually holding something of Zim's and not running from him at the same time. He was being extra careful with it as he held it, not wanting it to suddenly shoot for fear of it actually having liquid already inside of it.

"Why did I never see you use this thing?" He set the gun back down in the drawer, figuring it would be nice for later use and picked up a few vials and eye droppers, then walking back over to the tubes.

The Irken gave a light shrug, even if Dib couldn't see the motion; it was most likely heard from the shift of fabric. "A good five years worth of instruments of DOOM, I was just getting to it." Spindly fingers drummed down on the boy's shoulder, the touch of same texture causing a subtle squeak. Zim lurked a step or two closer to the human. "I just didn't expect you to bend to my will so soon, Dib-stink." Came the sly utterance over the boy's shoulder as fingers tightened their curved ends into the smooth texture of the suit.

Dib glanced back at the Irken for a small second, the hand on his shoulder causing him to stop in his tracks. A sad sigh escaped him and he closed his eyes. "I didn't bend to anything Zim, I just gave up. It gets annoying wearing myself out day in and day out for people that don't give two shits about me..."

He shrugged Zim's hand off his shoulder and kept walking to the tubes, stopping in front of one and looking at it for a few seconds before finally finding a way to open it, then using the eyedroppers to place some of the chemicals in each vial.

Zim didn't say anything after that. There was a subtle sound of some machinery and wiry clamps took a vile of its own, another taking one of the Irken chemicals to do the same as Dib did. The Irken stood silently beside the human, hands behind back, to experiment with the deadly array of chemicals as well in cohorts. The mechanical arms from Zim's Pak brought out fresh vials, to mix things, from across the way where the length of arms couldn't reach. He kept in silence as he worked with each alien liquid, seeing how much or how little did. True, it was experimentation for the mission, the great great plan, but it also proved to be a chance to truly have at with some of Earth's most dire jooses... and to work with someone of similar mind in co-existence for once; why was madness so damn catchy?

After getting all he needed, Dib walked back over to the table where he had set down the small vials holding the liquid he got from his dad's lab, setting the vials he just filled in their own stand he had set up as well. He reached over to grab his notebook, flipping it open.  He figured it was best to take notes on everything just in case he forgot what mixture did what, because then all of this would just be useless. He picked up one of the eyedroppers he hadn't used and set it in one of the many Irken liquids, letting it suck up then dropped it into one of the many vials of poison being used as tests.  The mixture caused the blue to turn a dark black and bubble as if it were the cafeteria food back in Skool.

"Well, that's not gonna get us anywhere..."

A pink vile was offered in black fingers.  Zim was actually handling the chemical, handing it to Dib. It was as deep a pink as the walls around, emanating an unnatural glow in the dim lighting of the lab. The Irken, sporting thick goggles to protect his large sensitive eyes, as well as a visor analyzer, looked over to the human with an expression other than contempt he usually had for Dib "... Try this."

Dib was a bit surprised at how Zim was looking at him, but shrugged it off and looked at the chemical, his eyes having to adjust to the light it gave off as he reached for it, handling it carefully. He picked up another eyedropper and used it as he did with the other chemicals, placing this substance in one of the other vials filled with the light blue liquid. When he did this time it did not turn black, nor did it give off any bubbles, it turned a very clear purple, so clear that the color almost couldn't be seen, and the light that used to be in the pink vile seemed to have dimmed slightly when it came into contact with the other poison.

A satisfied grin formed on Dib's face, but just to be sure it wasn't a fluke, he tried it once more on one of the other vials of poison, adding just a drop, his grin never fading when it had the same result. "Perfect! Although it will need to be tested, I really do think this may be what we're looking for."

He turned to look at Zim a questioning look in his eyes. "How did you know?"

"The blue joos has the similar properties as...” The Irken gestured to the vile he handed Dib, "that one. After analyzing it with the computer... I knew it would have the appreciated affect." Zim gave a weak sort of toothy smile before turning back to the litter of chemical experiment he'd been working with and began cleaning up what he wasn't using or didn't needed, just leaving it at that.

Dib looked back and forth between the chemical in his hand and Zim, a slow, sad smile forming on his lips as he set the vial on the stand for later use, placing a cork inside of it so it wouldn't be in danger of spilling. He moved away from the table, walking over to Zim, his hand moving up to press the switch which caused the helmet on his suit to move away and by the time he had stopped behind the Irken, it was gone. His arms moved out lying on Zim's shoulders only to lightly circle around his neck as if he were hugging him from behind, but if anyone were to ask him if he was, he would deny it on the spot.

His head moved down to lay on his right arm, having been a tad bit taller than the alien, even if he had grown since coming to earth, he still had to lean down to do so. "I underestimate you sometimes, Zim. I used to think that you were just this stupid no brain alien, but then there are times like just now when you prove me wrong, and I’m sorry I ever questioned you. If I weren't here, I know damn well you could take over the earth on your own..."

Zim was quiet for a long moment. He didn't jump in surprise, scream, throw a fit, or growl angrily. He just stood there unmoving with the other draped lightly behind him. It was hard to say what was truly going on inside the Irken, though, feeling or otherwise. There was a soft click and a light sound as the alien turned off the head shield, though he made no move to remove his goggles. All that was left was the gentle rise and fall of chest under Dib's arms.

It was a silent moment later that a quiet sort of "Yea." came from Zim. It was as close to a 'thanks' or verbal appreciation as Dib was going to get. A hand rose, slowly, a distant energy to it as it rose to lightly finger the hem of the boy's shirt sleeve.

Dib was more content to just stand there holding the Irken. Why, even he himself didn't know, he had way too many thoughts running through his head to figure even himself out. He watched Zim mess with his shirt for a few moments, his arms tightening for a few seconds but not enough to make him think he was a threat.

His head moved slightly so he could look back at the alien's face, speaking so softly a normal person wouldn't be able to hear him. "I really want this to work out for you, as twisted and screwed up as that sounds after all the time I’ve spent trying to stop you, but the thing is...I’m afraid. Afraid that after all is said and done and you have what you've always wanted I’ll have nothing...everyone will be gone and I’ll be alone. My sanity will be proven and you won't need me anymore, what then...."

Silence.

Zim didn't want to speak, didn't want to move. If physically possible, he would have shut off his breathing organs and stood as stalk still as he could; if it meant he could stay like this. Whatever this vague form of 'this' described. It felt- 'O.K.'

Then Zim's eyes beneath those thick circular goggles with slow skittishness turned to look at Dib's expression. He wasn't sure how to answer back. There were plenty of things he could say, plenty of answers he could give, some egotistical of latter years, some more honest than others and some much more hurtful-- for the Irken.

"It...” Zim's serrated teeth came together to form the hard syllable "isn't so bad." he finished, his voice sounding raspy and loud in comparison to Dib's even though he tried to speak hushedly; a thing he had no practice at. "...Being alone." Unconfrontationally his eyes lowered to the sleeve he'd been toying with, taking his hands back to rest in front of himself.

Dib's eyes watched the Irken's expression the entire time, his ears tuned to listen intently to what he was saying. His expression softened and he buried his head further into his arm, his face close to Zim's neck so that his breath lightly grazed it, "Do you really feel that way? I sure don't. I'm scared to death of loneliness...I suppose it's why I never minded Gaz being cruel to me and Dad ridiculing everything I’ve ever wanted to learn. They were still there, they were still around me. I just couldn't take it anymore...I don't want the feeling of hatred anymore, but once they're all gone, you'll be here so I won't be alone, right?" He sounded like a child for a moment that had just been told Santa Claus wasn't real, his head lifting from his arm to look the alien in the face once again.

It wasn't Dib's breath that made Zim's antennae stand on end; it was the soft tone of words that the human murmured against him. If it hadn't been for the goggles that kept his antennae firmly rested against the back of his head, they would have given away more internal insight than the Irken was comfortable with.

He lightly picked at one glove, marring the already worn texture of its once smooth surface more so. "I'm not going anywhere... anytime soon." Came the quiet raspy reply. "Though... you'll still be left with 'The Feeling of Hatred', Dib...worm... while I am still here."

Zim meant to take reference to their half a decade of world warring rivalry, though a pang of something caused him to regret throwing a usual punch to the Dib. Regret. Regret. Guilt. To Dib. There were things to be said. There were extremely imperative things to be told. And he was kicking the other when he was down, some twisted way of making things right as they used to be. Zim wanted to relate, he wanted to be sincere, but years upon years of building a mask to live into, was something hard to break away from.

The Irken looked away. Honesty was never his forte. Sincerity was a huumun custom, not Irken.

Dib frowned slightly, his head moving back down to rub his cheek across his arm. His hands were clenching tightly in Zim's outfit as if he were afraid to let go. "I don't hate you Zim, and when this is all over, I won't go back to hating you. In all truth I don't think I ever hated you at all. Sure, when I first met you and saw how much of a jerk you could be at times there was a bit of loathing there, but we were so similar in our own ways...you didn't deserve my hatred. You deserved the recognition just like I wanted."

A small, sad smile formed on his lips before he continued. "I'll never get anything but hatred from you, but I’m still glad I can talk to you like this, and I hope that you can continue to trust me like you are now..."

There was a soft sound, a buzzing against Dib's chest. From the round pack slid those long mecha spider legs, pulling from its source, minding the warm body that leaned against the Irken. They slipped loosely around Dib's middle, curling round to cross at the small of his back in a loose 'embrace'.

Zim's shoulders seem to relax, to wilt, as if something else save for the human weighed heavily on them. "Hate and trust.. .that doesn't make any sense." He lightly murmured. Then again, none of this made any sense anyway. So what did it matter? Nothing really did. Nothing at all. There wasn't trust here. Was there? Alluding to truth wasn't trust. It was just the usual cat and mouse game they usually played.

Dib was bearing his heart and soul and the Irken was stepping on it with his thick soled boots, listening to the funny squicksquicksquick noise it made. "Why... -why should you be honest with me? hm?" Zim's voice rose slightly. "Why should I bother to be honest with you? This is just a ... a..." He couldn't thumb down the stupid huumun word. "blah."

Dib was a bit startled when the legs moved around him, but he didn't move away.  If anything, he relaxed more than he was before, a sigh coming out of his mouth. "You know, I really have no idea why I’m telling you all this. I suppose it's because you're the only person I can really consider myself close to, no matter what our past was. It feels good telling you all of this. It doesn't matter if you want to be honest with me, I understand how you work Zim, but I am here...we're gonna be the only people left on this planet when this is over...unless you leave, so I suppose if you would ever want to talk to me I wouldn't mind..."

"I won't be leaving." It was as abrupt as it was practically inaudibly spoken. But that was Zim, so horribly raw and to the point or completely in tangled circles in a deranged run around; yes, that was Zim.

He hadn't bothered to look at Dib.

Dib blinked a bit at how sudden Zim said this, his hands clenching once again, but relaxing as he smiled and nuzzled his face near the alien's neck, his eyes closing, "I'm glad." His eyes opened only a small slit as he continued, "Why are you letting me so close to you Zim? I'm happy you aren't pushing me away, but I’m just concerned about you...”

"You don't get it...” Zim started quietly. A stiff shaking shuddered along either of the alien's arms, and it took the other a moment to realize that the Irken had his fists so tightly clenched at either of his sides that the structures of his arms shivered from the stress.

"I won't be leaving... because I can't leave." His voice drew hushed, the sound scrapping as it petered away. He didn't bother to clear his throat of the raspy tone "I can't leave this stinking shit ball... I can't go back. I can't. I can't." Everything about Zim went rigid, stiff and bitter in taste. The only thing that kept perfect stillness was the wiry arms holding Dib carefully.

Dib's head shot up off his arm as they moved back slightly from the Irken's shoulders, but not completely. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Zim, but not in anger, more in a sad kind of suspicion. "You can't? You mean you can't go back to your planet? But why, that makes no sense..." He noticed how tense Zim was so he moved one of his hands down to the alien's own, clasping both their hands together, trying to calm Zim down and hoping it didn't get him punched.

The touch had Zim reeling, ripping away from Dib's embrace, more out of years of recoiling automation. The Pak’s legs whipped away from Dib to tack against the ground to help the alien sharply turn, balls of feet barely touching the ground thudded against the ground as Zim glared fiercely at Dib. Always blaming Dib. Always blaming him for his problems.

"THEY--!" The words wouldn't come. The meaning, the confession, the honesty. All buried under years of bull-shitting and ego. "They- godamn this fucking human language-" Zim growled, his tongue hissing at the air "They BANISHED me--! Expelled, exiled, dismissed- FORSAKE-!" He lashed out with the sudden surge of energy that ran through him, reaching out to latch hands onto the human's throat. Human throats were a weak spot. Yes, he remembered that. Lithe fingers tightened and shook the other. "THEY LEFT ME HERE!"

There. It was out in the open. That horrible, terrifying truth was out and now... now... Now it would end? Zim shook with blind rage, the ends of his spidery Pak legs digging into the ground, keeping him forcefully still as he shut his eyes and continued to pour the wave after wave of years of seething emotion into his hands that clasped the throat of the only one who had ever helped him. The only one who had ever liked him.

Dib had been too surprised to actually defend himself so he was soon struggling on the floor as he listened to Zim speak.  His eyes were wide at either the information or the fact that his wind pipe was being cut off by Zim's hands, or both, whichever. He was desperately trying to grab at the Irken's hands, trying to remove them, but he seemed to have a pretty good hold in all his rage, so he instead reached out for the spider legs on either side of his head, his hands circling around them and trying to knock him off balance as he pleaded with the alien.

"Z-Zim...l-let go....please...c-can't breathe..."

Two new legs unfolded from the Pak and all four slid to wedge themselves deeply into the floor grates as the Irken kept the human pinned while he straddled him, fingers digging tighter, tighter. Human skin was so soft, so pliant, so pathetic, and so weak. Their neck breathing tubes were like straws, easily bent, easily stopped. That's all it would take. That's all was needed. Then it would be over. Then he would win!

"It's your fault I'm stuck here! It's your fault I--" The goggles were slipping and more than anything he wanted to rip them away and chuck them across the room. He was so sick of wearing those damn contacts, hiding his eyes, hiding, hiding. Everything going about in a run around.

But as quickly as the energy came, it left. It died away, causing the Irken to slump hanging from where his back stayed embedded in the air by stiff, unmoving mecha legs on either side. It left Zim gawking, staring in disbelief at his own hands, at Dib, at everything. Impulses taken too far. Everything was too far gone.

As soon as Zim's hands left his throat Dib quickly let in a strong gasp of air.  His face had turned an unhealthy shade of purple and was slowly turning red and back to its pale hue as he took in all the air he could. His hands moved up to his neck to check for any damage as he sat up coughing slightly. Feeling nothing wrong, he glanced up at Zim with more of a timid look on his face than the confident one he had earlier when speaking to him. He had noticed how collapsed and broken the Irken seemed, but he didn't want to address it for fear of being near death again, "Sorry...I had no right to push you like that..."

Each leg yanked itself free from its hold in the grating, one by one, only to settling back on the ground to keep the Irken from falling in a weak heap, adjusting themselves almost like real spider legs. Zim himself didn't move. Like some green and pink skinny rag doll he hung there, completely limp and unmoving from his Pak. There was no fight left in him.

Barely a sound left the Irken, a small destroyed noise that was somewhere between a coo and a mew that keened, muffled from Zim's throat.

Dib frowned a bit at the small noise he heard come from the Irken, his eyes turning sad as he stood up and cautiously walked up to Zim. He hesitated for a few seconds, thinking about what just happened, but reached a hand up anyway, having to stand on his tip toes now, and took the goggles off the alien's face wanting to see his eyes, throwing them aside somewhere in the far corner of the lab.

"Zim, your leaders are jerks for abandoning you like that. You've proven enough times to me that you're someone that needs to be taken seriously." He seemed to flinch a bit as if saying this was going to cause Zim to lash out at him once again. "Fuck your leaders and your planet if they want to treat you that way..."

Dark pink eyes, round and glossy starred at Dib, at his glasses, through his head. Zim didn't seem to notice the toss of goggles; save for the dryness that now hit his eyes which caused him to blink. It was hard to tell if the Irken could see or hear what Dib was doing, if the moral boost was going in one ear spot and out the other. How Dib could go on saying such nice things about someone he'd, at least Zim thought, hated for so many years; someone who was there to foil him at every turn, day after day, night after night, seconds to years. It broke the distant logic that Zim had.

"It...” The Irken's voice was slow and distant at start "seems... we're much... of the same." Lids closed slowly to re-open, more automatic a blink than anything. "Stuck. Here."

A small smile formed on Dib's face, as forced as it was, and he nodded his head slightly. "Yeah, it seems that way doesn't it? We have each other though right? As horrible as that may be..." His hand seemed as if it were going to raise to touch Zim once again but thought better of it, both of his hands moving to shove into his pockets, his gaze moving down to the lab floor.

"Or if worse comes to worse, you could get rid of me in the end as well, it all depends on what you want. I have this strange obsession with just wanting you to be happy, I don't know what's wrong with me anymore..."

There was a metallic thud as Zim stood on the floor on his own power, metallic arms slipping back into the grey Pak once more. The Irken stood there a moment, watching Dib as slow animation took hold of Zim's once limp limbs.

"Don't bother yourself with it, Dib... worm." The alien cleared his throat as he dusted himself off as if both of them had just parted from their usual rough and tumble fights. "I am happy. This plan will work. Humanity will kneel. And either of us will have the righteous victory we've so doomed ourselves into." Zim's eyes narrowed as he straightened.

"Whatever happens in the end doesn't matter. It's the mission that counts now. Completion. Conquering. By all means necessary." He pointed at Dib. "You," then himself "and I, don't matter. That is the Irken soldier way."

He glanced at Zim out the corner of his eyes, sighing, a bit disappointed at how easily the alien could go back to being his normal self. "Does that way really matter though? Why do something for a race that wants nothing to do with you?  Why not just be doing this for your own purposes or amusement? To prove that you can do it."

He walked close to Zim, now able to come face to face with him once again since he was standing on the floor once more, his hands coming out of his pockets and shakily moved up to hold Zim's own scared of the out come that his actions would have like last time, but wanting to get his point across. "And besides, you do matter Zim, no matter what anyone, or any stupid rule says."

Zim was more taken aback this time as his hand was held. He didn't flinch, per say, but blinked and edged away unsurely; perhaps wondering if Dib was going to strike back. Large round eyes blinked, looking over the human, trying to take in exactly what he was saying with flitting antennae.

"It's who I am... I can't go against that." He looked to his thin hand held by contrast of equally thin pale human hands. "I can't go against my Tallest. If I prove to them that I can conquer this-" the Irken actually faltered for an insult "this planet, I'll show them... them that... I am mighty." The hand Dib held tightened into a brief fist to punctuate the last word.

Dib watched the alien's reaction, his head nodding a bit as Zim spoke. After awhile his eyes seemed to stay glued to Zim's face and after the Irken was done speaking, Dib stayed silent, still holding the fisted hand in his own. He appeared to be summoning up a bit of courage but for what reason he wouldn't let Zim know, until finally he leaned down near the other's face.

It seemed as if what happened in the Skool hallway was going to happen again, but instead his forehead just lightly touched the alien's and he left it at that, his breath shaky as he spoke. "Whatever you choose to do I’m with you all the way, but I can't promise I’ll have the up most respect for people that banished you..."

Zim flinched slightly when Dib neared, blinking one eye to see that the other was indeed not going to beat him in retaliation for before, nor 'prove his loyalty'. Slowly he relaxed, letting a calming breath escape him, not really meaning to exhale against the other's close face.

"Y-you... are still loyal to Zim?" The Irken meekly asked, not expecting such a bold statement from the other, considering just moments ago he tried to asphyxiate him. Curiously, he pressed his forehead lightly back against the other, his usual tactile motivations getting the better of him.

Dib shrugged his shoulders lightly, smiling slightly before he answered the question, his eyes moving down, afraid to look Zim in the face when he spoke, "Of course I am. I promised you that I would help you no matter what, right? I have to admit your little bout of anger did kind of scare me, but there are times where we all have to take chances. If you had killed me, then, oh well..."

'Oh well' Zim’s mind echoed. 'Oh well.’ The story of his life.

The Irken would have nodded had the action not cause him to rub his lightly pressed forehead to muss of hair and antennae alike. So instead he quietly murmured a "Good."
So, for the moment, Zim let himself enjoy the littlest of victories, whatever they were named, Zim knew they existed. He stayed quiet, a rarity in itself, appreciating the warm breath, albeit shaky and worried, against his face, and the feel another, just the assuage and knowledge that he wasn't alone; at least for now.

"You'll find whatever you're looking for." Zim quietly murmured, trying his hand at offering some comfort. He raised his free hand, taking the rim of Dib's ear in his hand, wondering if running his fingers along it would give the same as it did when touching antennae, just trying to mimic what the other had done for him, for the most.

Dib flinched slightly, thinking that the hand that was reaching toward him was going to cause him bodily harm, but was surprised at the soft touch against his ear. He sighed in relief and leaned into Zim's hand, a small sound coming out of his mouth that could only be described as a moan since his ears were so sensitive to touch. "The only way that would happen is if someone on this planet actually gives me some form of recognition, but until they all stop calling me crazy and insane that's never going to happen. So to hell with them all..."

Antennae perked at the noise that Dib made, taking it as acceptance that it was alright to touch. Meaty listening satellites weren't the same as lekku; they were round and wrinkly like someone crumpled them up. Zim drew his forefinger and thumb along either side of the rim curiously, letting the pad of thumb draw along the strange ridges and contours of the inner ear.

"I don't think you're insane...” The Irken quietly confessed. "Well... I mean... I know I exist. And others from other dirt and gasey balls exist." A light smirk of Zim's usual teasing expression quirked on his face. "Otherwise, yes, you are quite crazy, Dib-monkey. Intelligent, but quite out of your overly large head case."

Dib was so content to just stand there and let Zim trace his ear.  It was so relaxing, and it also tickled a bit, but he tried not to show it. His eyes narrowed slightly at the large head comment but he let it slide, knowing it wasn't meant as hateful, as it usually would have been. "Thanks, I guess. It feels good to hear someone say. Heh, that's all I’ve ever wanted." A sad look formed on his face, "Too bad the person that had to say it is the one I’ve been called insane over. The irony of it..." His hand tightened a bit over Zim's.

"Yes... well... 'screw them all' eh?" Zim's grin grew a little larger in his attempt to re-iterate Dib's on going motto, though his Dib impression needed work; as foreseen in the class room, which seemed like years ago. "What they think- doesn't matter. You are beneath them now, Dib-worm." Zim raised his head, pressing his temple against Dib's in a half hazard nuzzled nudge to cheer the other up.

"You are high above this shit ball. Far the worthiest. For you will be surviving genocide." The Irken let the last word roll off his tongue and hiss through his teeth. His hand cupped the entirety of Dib's ear only to draw each of his pointed fingertips along the outside letting his hand rest gently at the human's neck. "Be proud and you will conquer."

Dib seemed a bit surprised at the words coming from Zim, not used to hearing what could be considered kindness coming from the alien. He let a small smile slip and let go of his hand, moving his head away only to move his arms up circling them around Zim's shoulders in a small hug, his face near the side of the other's head.

"Thank you Zim...I don't think you realize how much that helped..." He slowly pulled away and looked Zim in the eyes before walking back over to the table where the chemicals were sitting planning on placing them all back in the box except for the few that really mattered.

Zim let himself be hugged, letting his own arms fall, his hands resting at the other's sides in what could be considered a brief reciprocation in the embrace. He watched the other in the moment that Dib paused to look at him before the human cleaned up.

The Irken's eyes fell to the grate and makings of the floor. A light smile of sorts stayed on his lips as he raised his head again. There was no 'you're welcome'.  There didn't need to be. Saying so would damage high egos, and it was Zim's way of returning the favor, of comfort and encouragement.

"We can test the joos at skool, on those .... simpletons." Zim's eyes went half lidded after he spoke. "In the food meeting arena... or the medical room" He twirled a finger in gesture. "Or both." His smirk grew.

Dib scooted the box under the table with his foot, not really wanting to pick it up for such a small distance, glancing back at Zim as he did so. "It would be better if we did both. That way, we would have a larger range of test subjects to work with than just a few people.

“Besides," A smirk grew on his own lips. "I think it would just be fun in general to toy around with their lives." He picked up the small vials that held the clear purple liquid as well as one of the eye droppers walking back over to the Irken. "Here, keep these in your Pak. They're sealed up pretty tight, so don't worry about them leaking, I promise."

Zim mirrored the sadistic look. "Indeed. Agreed."

Description
Rilzit
By Kitteh and Neofox
Rating: R
Warnings: Violence and intense smooching
Disclaimer: Smeets will eat our souls if we dare claim Invader Zim.  So yeah, Jhonen can keep his smeets of DOOM!  We just want to borrow Zim and Dib for a fic, so calm yourselves.
Summary: ZADR.  'Why didn't I listen to Dad? I could have been safe at home studying science or some stupid shit, but noooo....I had to fall in love with a stupid alien and help him take over the Earth. Real smart Dib. Maybe next time you should just stamp moron on your forehead, much more effective’
Beta: Krimzon

Chapter 3

Dib smiled slightly at Zim, looking back in front of himself to make sure he didn't trip over a dog or something. "It will be better than good Zim, it will be great. I promise you that this plan will succeed, and considering I’m not here to stop you from doing anything, then there is nothing standing in your way. Hey, if anything, you could keep a few people alive as slaves just to toy around with; you always seemed to like that idea." He shrugged a bit at the random idea.

Zim perked at that. He imagined an entire group of people as his own personal slaves, bowing and groveling to his every command. They'd worship him like a God, following his every wish. First he'd make them build a huge statue in his image, then he'd make them build a few creature comforts from home. Oh! And a shooting range where he could sit and peg off humans with a deadly laser of DOOM!

"Yeees. A whole army of slaves.” The Irken rubbed his hands together at the delightful thought. Unfortunately, all of the slaves in his little fantasy had Dib's head. There had to be more than the annoying stink beast to keep "Like... that guy. Tom. And... Billy. And that guy who calls me Paul." Zim blinked as they reached the walk way to his house. There, really weren't many huumuns worth keeping.

"Perhaps I'll just keep whoever survives." He left it at that that and opened the door, keeping it open so Dib could walk in and not explode from front door impact. Although, that would have been amusing.

He had raised a brow at the fact that someone actually called Zim 'Paul', but kept to himself about it, nodding his head in thanks and walking inside cautiously.  Once deeming it safe enough, he walked to the couch and set the box on top of it, sighing in relief because the heavy burden was off his hands. He threw the notebook aside for the moment so he could remove the lid, slipping his hand inside and removing a small, closed vial that contained a light blue liquid, holding it up so Zim could see.

"This stuff that I hold in my hand is strong enough to burn through the strongest steel.  The vial it is in right now was created and made safely just for it. If mixed with a few of the chemicals you have it causes it to have less of a destructive force, but more of a poisonous one, I’m pretty sure. I brought more chemicals than this, but I think this is our star one right here."

"SPOOOOooooooooooooooooooooo-GLK!" Zim caught the flying robot by the little round end of its antenna. "I wanna drink the pretties. I wanna drink the pretties! IWANNADRINKTHEPRETTIES!" Gir made grabby hands as he struggled about while he was held in the air.

"No, Gir. You cannot drink this. It'll melt your entire body into paste." Zim snootily answered, holding the little robot back and away.

"Awwww- but I like paste, Master. I wunna be paaaste." The robot whimpered sniffling.

"So it eats away at the huumun's fleshy insides while it poisons their greasy bodies. I like, I like." The Irk grinned lightly as he considered the vial on closer inspection making sure to hold the robot far away with the other hand.

"Pretty much." Dib quickly put the vial back and closed the box to save it from Gir's wrath.

"We can start mixing it with some of your stuff whenever you want to. We'll need some body protection, because if that stuff hits our skin, we won't be conquering anything, and I also want to be careful with your chemicals as well. As soon as we get everything ready to go, I think we should use a test subject before unleashing the most of it on the people at the hospital, that way we can be sure it works."

Zim tossed the robot to the side once the chemical was safely put away; to which Gir only squealed with delight and landed in the clutter bouncing. The Irken yawned lightly, plucking out one of the contacts to give the large pink eye underneath a thorough rub with his wrist. Damn those contacts; they dried out his eyes and made them so itchy when the day was over.

"There are protective suits down in my lab." He blinked the uncovered eye a few good times before stifling a yawn with the same wrist. "We can use them while mixing."

Dib watched Gir play around in the garbage for a few moments before looking back at Zim, leaning slightly on the box.

"Maybe we should call it a night. We've both had a rough day, and we can always start on this project tomorrow. I see no need to go to Skool if sooner or later it's gonna be no more. Besides," He moved his elbow off the box, stretching both his arms high above his head and letting out a small groan as he did so. "I’m getting pretty tired myself, so it won't do you any good if I’m falling asleep on the job."

A lazy gaze fell onto Dib, though Zim hated to agree with the human, he was indeed feeling beat. The day had been long and filled with too many ironies for comfort.

"We can test the chemical at Skool... on those drewling morons who flock like meaty cattle to...” the alien let out a long moaning yawn letting his tongue loll out with the action. "Cattle." He puffed. "Beh."

Off the alien pulled the wig, taking the other contact out, only to toss it amongst the clutter with the other random floor hazards. There were a few old wigs and contacts littered about as well, if one bothered to look. He once tried to program Gir to clean house, but the robot had taken to wearing a disgusting little maid outfit and took to speaking in French, so that plan was botched from the very start.

"You can sleep on the floor... the ceiling... the couch... wherever it is your kind roosts." Zim waved a dismissive hand to the human as he rubbed his poor sensitive eyes, antennae stretching from relief to be freed from that horrible itchy wig.

Dib actually seemed to be thinking about Zim's comment and looked at ceiling to see if it was physically possible to sleep on it, but quickly shuddered at the thought of being tangled in all those wires for more than need be.

"I'll just sleep on the couch." He leaned down and picked up the box, moving it from his now dubbed sleeping area and set it to the left, hoping that Gir would leave it alone for the night.  As soon as he set it down, he fell back on the couch, his gaze on the alien once again and a smile coming to his lips as he watched his antenna move.

"Come over here..." He tilted his head beside him indicating he wanted Zim to sit next to him for a moment.

"M?" Zim raised a suspicious brow. But the prior mutterings of the human came to mind; if he couldn't trust the dirtball alien now, then he'd never would. But as an Invader, he was to trust no one, but for the subject of science, the mission (and curiosity) he'd listen-- for now.

The alien sidled over to the couch and sat down cautiously keeping his bug like eyes on the other always. "What is it?"

Dib was a bit shocked that Zim had actually sat on the couch next to him. He was so used to the alien throwing a fit that he didn't think Zim would give in so easily.  Not wanting to miss such an opportunity, he leaned over to do what he planned, taking an antenna in each of his hands and rubbing them up and down softly. "I just remember how relaxed you were when I did this earlier... I figured since we aren't on such a schedule anymore, you'd like it if I continued. Unless you don't want me to..."His hands slowed down when he said this, but never stopped.

The antennae twitched at the touch, but went slack as they were ever so gently stroked. Zim seemed to follow suit with his feelers and lowered his head until his chin rested on his own chest, giving Dib better access to the antennae on his head. He mumbled something that could have been considered a 'yea'; that, or a foreign way of saying 'yak'. All fight seemed to drain from the alien; suspicion, paranoia and argument left, leaving Zim quiet and complacent, which was a far more rare a thing than the eclipse of all ten moons of Tweedum.

Dib smiled slightly, his fingers moving to the tips of the antenna so he could twirl them lightly. He watched Zim for a few moments, thinking the alien had fallen asleep before speaking. "It's eerie how similar we are. We both want our own form of recognition, just in a different way."

He let out a small sigh, his fingers loosening slightly as he continued, "I've had so many people calling me insane everyday of my life; it comes to a point where I start to believe it. When I look at you, it's hard to think of you as a real person and not some twisted form of my imagination...I just feel like I’m that fucked up. Maybe that's why I’m really doing this, to make sure it's all real."

Eyes slipped shut when Dib's fingers slipped to the ends of antennae and the alien grew more compliant, eliciting a soft purred moan from deep in his throat. The ends of his antennae were the most sensitive of all. Zim shifted like a slinking cat to rest his head and shoulder against Dib.  There was a warm sound that tumtummed inside the human's chest, a soothing sound, that in his elated state, Zim couldn't recall what it was exactly.

"It's real, Dib...” His voice was soft and far away, though more in awe of the rhythm against his temple. Raising a weak hand he traced curious marks on the boy's chest, questioning the beat inside the other's chest if it itself was real. "It’s all real. S'gotta be. Cuz I'm not fake."

Dib hadn't expected the Irken to hear him, but what surprised him most was his reaction. He told himself it was only because Zim was so relaxed, and continued to stroke the tips of his antenna, smiling sadly as he leaned further against the back of the couch.  His own eyes began closing as he started to drift off, "I suppose so...but without you here I don't know where that would leave me..." His voice became drowsy at the end and his fingers got slower and slower until they stopped altogether, signaling that he had finally fallen asleep.

'Lost' was what Zim meant to murmur, but the 'L' sound of the word was far too effortful a word to be bothered pushing from his mouth. So instead he murmured some mess of syllables with the happy purring coo sounds that slowed and quieted down as Dib's fingers did.  It was just as good an answer.

Zim slunk closer; Dib was warm and soft, comfortable to lay against as he curled closer to the other. Antennae were kept as they were, nestled in Dib's fingers on the alien's head. He let the slow steady beating of the strange organ in the human's chest lull him to sleep, letting it assuage the longing ache that had long set itself in the dead center of his living center.

Gir stirred.

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwww~" The robot gushed, running off to grab a pink fluffy blanket with hearts and monkeys. He climbed carefully onto the couch, trying not to wake either he pulled the blanket over both of them. With a happy smile, Gir hopped off the couch to scurry off. "My master luv-eds the milk man."

It was a bit later the next day when Dib woke up; considering he no longer had an alarm clock, he didn't have to wake at dawn for Skool. At first, he was a little confused as to where he was, but then when he looked around, it slowly came back to him and he sighed.  Moving around so he could rub at his eyes, he noticed that he had left his glasses on and scowled.  Because of that, he now had a morning headache. "Damnit..."

His elbow bumped into something and he looked down, surprise on his face when he saw Zim curled up next to him.  A loud gasp came out of his mouth, which he quickly tried to cover up. He barely remembered anything from last night, except trying to get Zim to relax a bit.  He didn't even remember falling asleep, and he hated to see what the Irken’s reaction would when he woke up. “Lovely......"

Antennae immediately bolted up, perking this way and that at the sudden noise and jostle about. "Shut up, Gir. I’m not going today..." Zim murmured groggily. Pulling the fuzzy blanket better over his shoulder he moved to completely take over Dib's lap, thinking nothing of who it was as he rested his cheek on the boy's thigh. His antennae rested against the back of his head as he stretched his legs down the length of the couch with an appreciative noise. "Bed is too good today." The Irken grouched. Without realizing he rested a hand where he really shouldn't have.

"I'm making PANCAKES!" Gir called from the kitchen with utter glee.

A loud noise escaped Dib's mouth that sounded like a strangled gasp, and he quickly bolted off the couch, causing Zim's head to land on the cushion. His face was redder than the face on his shirt. "Ok! That...was weird and uncomfortable. Well, maybe not too uncomfortable."

He slapped a hand on his forehead. "God I need serious help."

The Irken landed on the couch with a started noise, his eyes snapping open as he tumbled off the couch and onto the rubble on the floor with a loud scream. He flailed, and things went flying as he struggled to sit, looking like some sort of green fish out of water as he flopped about.

Groggily he gaped at Dib, one eye more open than the other as he disorientated glared at him. "HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE!?" Zim grabbed a random piece of clutter, which happened to be one of Gir's rubber piggys, and tossed it at Dib.

"BREECH! Gir our security has been breeched!"

Gir marched in with a plate full of pancakes and he pouted. "Awww. Yous two were so kyooooooot~" He smiled, his tongue sticking out from the corner of his mouth.

The piggy bounced off of Dib's forehead the whole while he was giving Zim a blank look. He glanced over at Gir for a split second and raised a brow before looking back at the alien, shaking his head. "Zim, please don't tell me you remember nothing of what happened yesterday. I know sleep can weigh heavily on a person when they first wake up, but that's kind of bad." He walked back over to the couch and sat down propping his feet up on the arm rest. "Now would you calm down and think rationally for at least a few seconds."

"Huh... uh...hm." The Irken rubbed his eyes only to rub his face. "So this alliance wasn't some crazy bad dream from eating the vile slop from the food gathering arena back at skool." Carefully he rose on still tired and aching legs and smoothed down his stripped Irken uniform. He stared long and hard at Dib.

"You are here... and still in my base. Wonderful." He spat bitterly, not at all liking the way the human made himself comfortable on his couch. Zim plopped himself on the couch with a loud audible sigh.

"How did I end up here in the living quarters? You were trying to kidnap me!" He glowered at the human baring teeth. "Against your chocolate cow squeezing flavored lipped service of loyalty too!"

Dib just shook his head and sighed, his feet falling to the floor with a loud thud because of his boots. "You fell asleep in here. I was just rubbing your antenna and you just sort of dozed off, I guess.  I was too tired to remember much either, so don't get mad at me." He shot him a glare while moving his hand to scratch at the back of his head.

"I'm getting a bit sick of your mood swings Zim. I can understand you waking up and being in a state of shock, but after realizing what's going on, I was kind of hoping you wouldn't be such an ass again." He got up and walked over to where Gir had been standing, arguing with Zim had given him a small appetite. "Let me have some of those pancakes you made Gir..." He offered the robot a small smile as he said, this not wanting it to think he was mad.

Gir raised the plate up, resting it on his head with a big, bright smile. "They taste so goood!" He was practically pleased as punch to have someone want to eat his waffles; he even did a little dance to prove it.

Zim opened his mouth to complain, to yell something insulting or threatening, but Dib walked away, shrugging him off with an insult before he could really get a word in. He gritted his teeth together and crossed his arms looking away with a pout. "Whatever."

The alien rose. "We have work to do. Eat your pancakes of DOOM, and then come down to the lab." Zim quickly walked over to snatch a pancake of his own. He held Dib in a firm narrow eyed look "... and don't think of touching my lekku again." Zim smoothed a gloved hand possessively over his antennae in question. Giving Dib one last long look the alien turned to tromp off into the kitchen area to go to his lab via trash bin.

Dib just watched him sadly while biting into one of his pancakes, eating it as quickly as he could, which caused him to choke a little. After that little bit he decided one was enough and went to go pick up the box he needed to carry down the elevator, just now realizing he would never fit it down the trash can or the 'toilet'. He looked back at Gir and a grin formed on his face.

"Hey Gir, I need your help. I really need you to show me a way into your master's lab that could fit me and this large box at the same time. If you do this I’ll give you um..." He stopped to think for a moment before remembering the several discs in his pocket, "I'll give you lots of cool movies to watch while your master and I are busy."

The little robot's turquoise eyes went as wide in awe as saucers. "OOooooOOOooooh." Gir beamed at this. "Does it have the Taco Princess in it? I loooooove taco-taco-taco-tacos!" Gir clapped his hands still balancing the pancake plate on his head. He promptly took one and munched on it diligently, stuffing the entire thing in his mouth after one bite. He frowned sadly. "Aww, that wasn't a taco."

Dib stared at him for a few seconds, words seeming to fail him as he struggled with the box before a somewhat coherent sentence came out of him, "Uh, you know what, yeah, it does. You know what else it has, whatever else your mind can come up with, but, you have to look for it. The only way you get the movies is if you help me, though, so I’m keeping them unless you show me a bigger elevator down to the lab."

"UW! I love tangerines and monkeys!" Gir giggled. "OKAY!" He trotted into the kitchen, motioning for Dib to follow him. The little robot hopped onto the kitchen table and sett the pancake plate down before hopping over to the sink. With a squeal, he slipped into the basin, laughing as he got up and took hold of either of the spout's handles, then fiddled with them. With a whir and a click, the cupboard below swung open as the rest of the sink pulled and transformed into a rather large elevator opening.

Gir hopped down and skittered over to Dib with grinning expectations like a young child "Do I get the Taco movie now?" He bounced around by the human's booted feet.

Dib had followed the little robot and was rather impressed that Gir could keep his mind on one thing for so long if he wanted something. He looked down at Gir, remembering what he promised and set the box down for a second, unzipping the pocket that the disks were in counting to make sure they were all there before handing them over and picking the box back up. "One rule though Gir, you can't let anyone but Zim and me see those. It's very important that you leave them here. I'm giving them to you because I trust you with them and because you helped me." After he said this he walked over to the elevator and stepped onto the large pad that would lead him down.

After Gir received the disks he squealed loudly in a hitch pitched voice. Running around a few times he bolted for the living room. Tackling into a pile of junk he shoved the disks in his mouth one after the other for his processor to read and let him watch.

Dib looked over the controls inside and pressed the Irken symbol for down, cringing a bit when the doors closed.  He was half expecting the elevator to start going down at an alarming speed, but was relieved when it went down at a slow speed and finally landing at the bottom a good five minutes later, the doors opening to allow him out into the lab. He looked around making sure it was the right place before calling out, "Zim!"

"Congratulations, Dib-stink. You've found my lab on your own accord." Came the Irken's voice from down the hall in the main area that he'd lead Dib just the other day. There were sounds of idle tinkering. "I'd clap but- why be bothered."

"And I’d throw this box at your head, but that would just ruin everything we've accomplished thus far..." He scowled slightly and walked to where he had heard Zim's voice.  Once making it to the Irken, he set the box down and collapsed on the floor, his hands stretched out behind him to hold him steady.

"At least Gir was helpful, although I had to bribe him slightly, which wasn't so bad." He raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing anyway?"

Zim paused in what he was doing; one hand poised holding some Irken tool. He took hold of the fair sized invention and threw it hard across the room where it shattered imminently into broken parts against the thick coils of maroon made wall.

"Nothing." He answered sharply, crossing his arms. "It's pointless to bother, isn't it." His eyes closed as his head lowered before he opened them again, their pink depths flitting to look at Dib a quick moment.

"I'll get the suits." He turned and walked off.

Dib had flinched at the loud noise the metal had made when it contacted with the wall, his eyes moving back to Zim when he started walking away. He quickly got up from his seat on the floor and followed after him, wanting to know what suddenly invoked the Irken to take his anger out on his machine.

"Zim hold on. What do you mean it's pointless?" He was walking beside Zim, but started to walk backwards so he could look into the alien's red eyes. "I'm starting to wonder if you have any faith in this plan at all. At times you just seem to be humoring me, while other times you just seem to be happy to go along with whatever I say. Which is it Zim, do you want to do this or not? I know both of us are sick of the shit we take, but if you really don't want my help then I’m not gonna waste my time helping you..." He stopped walking and stood in front of the Irken his eyes narrowed but not in anger, it seemed as if he was trying to see what Zim was thinking.

Zim stopped short, his way blocked by the other. He hadn't answered, but as the human stood there making the Irken confront him, he finally raised his dull gaze up to Dib's. The alien almost grimaced in his stoic expression, his antennae wavering only to lower, giving away more than his blank eyes and features gave. Deep eyes glanced away and, for a moment, it seemed as if Zim would say something, he defiantly seemed to consider saying something that was indeed burrowed heavily into his mind.

But at the last minute the Irken gave a nonchalant shrug. "This plan will work." A more determined raise of eyes fell on Dib. "It will."

Dib watched him for a few seconds before finally sighing, a small smile on his lips that was either from relief or just the fact that Zim hadn't told him off for confronting him. He moved aside and walked behind Zim, placing his hands on his shoulders lightly as he spoke. "Then let’s get to it. We have a whole planet of humans that are just begging to be killed and a box full of poison that needs to be tested." He gave Zim a small shove, grinning a bit as he did.

The Irken started walking again, glancing at Dib as he did. No matter how many times he heard Dib talk like an Irken, it still weirded Zim out. It wasn’t out of paranoia, caution, or fear for himself, it was something else. A weird sort of concern for something. Perhaps it was out of worry that Dib had contracted some sort of brain disease and if it was contagious. Yes, that was most likely it.

Zim pressed a few buttons and a wall rushed to its side and out came a closet with a few suits for all hazardous purposes; black suits, with thick material, buckles and buttons embossed in the arms and chest, a round hump set on the back so a Pak would fit comfortably and snuggly behind, but no helmet of any sort did it have. He took one and handed it to Dib. "Here."

He had noticed Zim's looks but didn't pay any mind to them, thinking it was just Zim being his normal self. When the suits were shown, he had taken one look at them and was bit weirded out. He took the one Zim handed to him and looked it up and down, shrugging slightly, figuring he could think of some way to work himself into it.

"This thing has more buttons on it than my pants. Didn't think that was possible." He raised a brow and looked over the suit at Zim. "You don't use helmets?"

A bright pink Irken Elite symbol was blatantly present on the front of the suits front. Zim tapped a button just below the collar which unzipped the front on its own accord so that the wearer could step into it easily.

The alien gave the human a strange look, raising a brow ridge himself. "There's a button that activates the head shield." He scoffed as if it was the most obvious of things. "Idiot."

Dib just rolled his eyes, letting the comment slide like he had many times before as he stepped inside the suit and fitted it on, pressing the button once again so it closed on his body.  His hand then moved to the button that activated the shield, which caused it to form around his face before it disappeared. He had flinched a bit during some of the process, not really used to being fitted with an alien space suit, but once he was sure it was safe he began to move around a bit and grinned slightly as if it were a new toy.

"Aw man! This is so cool! It's so light, you should see the suits we have to work with chemicals, and they’re not half as nice as this." He moved his hands around in front of his face.

A slow grin started on Zim's face only to grow from ear to ear (if Zim had ears), as Dib's enthusiasm was catchy, if not the stroke to his ego that he needed.

"Yes, yes. Our technology is FAR more superior to that of you huumuns." He buffed his 'nails' on his shirt proudly, looking at his pointed fingers encased in the dulling gloss of thick gloves. He walked up to Dib and snapped his fingers in front of the boy's face in gaining his attention and in example.

"They're made from the same material." The clawed hand stretched its talon like fingers out in graceful example, showing the material of the glove that was the same dark shade of the suit Dib wore. "Durable. Strong." He made a fist. "But light enough to wear all the time." He uncurled his hand, wiggling his fingers.

The snapping fingers had caught Dib's attention and he listened with interest to what Zim said, nodding after he was done. "That's a very smart idea. Heh, at times you're right, you're technology is superior to ours."

He walked off back towards the main lab where he left the box; opening it up once again to take out a stand that held a few vials of the chemical he had shown Zim the other night, setting the stand on a small table nearby. "We'll put your chemicals in each of these vials.  The failed attempts we can obviously toss aside, but the ones that look promising we can test out later. I still have more of this stuff in the box. I made sure to get enough of it."

Zim pressed the button on the wall again, putting away the suits. He didn't bother getting one for himself. Instead he turned the head shield of his own person on and walked to stand behind, but near Dib. He gave a nod as he watched, curious about the Earthly chemicals and their reaction with Irken's.

"I've done a few experiments with your world's jooses... But I've never gotten my hands on anything as..." He paused trying to think of a suitable adjective "powerfull" He clenched his fists in emphasis "as the ones here. Your care-giver is... well adept in acquiring the jooses of this dirtball." Zim paused, considering with sudden realization. "...I don't know why I never thought to raid his lab."

Dib only shook his head at this, glancing back at Zim for a split second before his eyes darted over to the tubes that held the alien chemicals. "I suppose it's because I was always there to stop you from doing it, considering it was my house you would have been raiding."

He walked over to the tubes and placed his hand on one of them, looking it up and down before turning towards Zim once again. "What's the safest way you usually take some of this stuff out? I really would rather not take any chances and break the tube...that really would not be pleasant." He cringed slightly at the thought.

"I never actually handle the chemicals." Zim muttered with something closely resembling disgust. He gestured to the pink spotted Pak on his back. The spider legs inside usually did all the work so the Irken never had a moment to burn his hands off. "There are tools... for hands." A handle formed from the side of the counter and he pulled a drawer, revealing eyedroppers and gun-like tools, where the vials would be shoved in and the desired liquid would drop out, or could be fired out. "Though I consider them more weapons myself."

Zim's lips pulled back, proving a sharp grin. True, the computer could assist Dib with its mechanical arms, but the Irken didn't want the huumun messing with his dirty, sticky fingers. What was the safety of Dib's hands in comparison to the perfection of his dear computer?

Dib glanced over at the tools that were laying in the drawer with a small bit of fear and awe in his eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck ,not sure if he should really approach them for fear of something jumping out and biting his precious head off.

"Yeah...well...okay then."

He slowly worked up the courage to walk over to the drawer and picked up one of the small guns, a total look of amazement on his face as he handled it, considering for once he was actually holding something of Zim's and not running from him at the same time. He was being extra careful with it as he held it, not wanting it to suddenly shoot for fear of it actually having liquid already inside of it.

"Why did I never see you use this thing?" He set the gun back down in the drawer, figuring it would be nice for later use and picked up a few vials and eye droppers, then walking back over to the tubes.

The Irken gave a light shrug, even if Dib couldn't see the motion; it was most likely heard from the shift of fabric. "A good five years worth of instruments of DOOM, I was just getting to it." Spindly fingers drummed down on the boy's shoulder, the touch of same texture causing a subtle squeak. Zim lurked a step or two closer to the human. "I just didn't expect you to bend to my will so soon, Dib-stink." Came the sly utterance over the boy's shoulder as fingers tightened their curved ends into the smooth texture of the suit.

Dib glanced back at the Irken for a small second, the hand on his shoulder causing him to stop in his tracks. A sad sigh escaped him and he closed his eyes. "I didn't bend to anything Zim, I just gave up. It gets annoying wearing myself out day in and day out for people that don't give two shits about me..."

He shrugged Zim's hand off his shoulder and kept walking to the tubes, stopping in front of one and looking at it for a few seconds before finally finding a way to open it, then using the eyedroppers to place some of the chemicals in each vial.

Zim didn't say anything after that. There was a subtle sound of some machinery and wiry clamps took a vile of its own, another taking one of the Irken chemicals to do the same as Dib did. The Irken stood silently beside the human, hands behind back, to experiment with the deadly array of chemicals as well in cohorts. The mechanical arms from Zim's Pak brought out fresh vials, to mix things, from across the way where the length of arms couldn't reach. He kept in silence as he worked with each alien liquid, seeing how much or how little did. True, it was experimentation for the mission, the great great plan, but it also proved to be a chance to truly have at with some of Earth's most dire jooses... and to work with someone of similar mind in co-existence for once; why was madness so damn catchy?

After getting all he needed, Dib walked back over to the table where he had set down the small vials holding the liquid he got from his dad's lab, setting the vials he just filled in their own stand he had set up as well. He reached over to grab his notebook, flipping it open.  He figured it was best to take notes on everything just in case he forgot what mixture did what, because then all of this would just be useless. He picked up one of the eyedroppers he hadn't used and set it in one of the many Irken liquids, letting it suck up then dropped it into one of the many vials of poison being used as tests.  The mixture caused the blue to turn a dark black and bubble as if it were the cafeteria food back in Skool.

"Well, that's not gonna get us anywhere..."

A pink vile was offered in black fingers.  Zim was actually handling the chemical, handing it to Dib. It was as deep a pink as the walls around, emanating an unnatural glow in the dim lighting of the lab. The Irken, sporting thick goggles to protect his large sensitive eyes, as well as a visor analyzer, looked over to the human with an expression other than contempt he usually had for Dib "... Try this."

Dib was a bit surprised at how Zim was looking at him, but shrugged it off and looked at the chemical, his eyes having to adjust to the light it gave off as he reached for it, handling it carefully. He picked up another eyedropper and used it as he did with the other chemicals, placing this substance in one of the other vials filled with the light blue liquid. When he did this time it did not turn black, nor did it give off any bubbles, it turned a very clear purple, so clear that the color almost couldn't be seen, and the light that used to be in the pink vile seemed to have dimmed slightly when it came into contact with the other poison.

A satisfied grin formed on Dib's face, but just to be sure it wasn't a fluke, he tried it once more on one of the other vials of poison, adding just a drop, his grin never fading when it had the same result. "Perfect! Although it will need to be tested, I really do think this may be what we're looking for."

He turned to look at Zim a questioning look in his eyes. "How did you know?"

"The blue joos has the similar properties as...” The Irken gestured to the vile he handed Dib, "that one. After analyzing it with the computer... I knew it would have the appreciated affect." Zim gave a weak sort of toothy smile before turning back to the litter of chemical experiment he'd been working with and began cleaning up what he wasn't using or didn't needed, just leaving it at that.

Dib looked back and forth between the chemical in his hand and Zim, a slow, sad smile forming on his lips as he set the vial on the stand for later use, placing a cork inside of it so it wouldn't be in danger of spilling. He moved away from the table, walking over to Zim, his hand moving up to press the switch which caused the helmet on his suit to move away and by the time he had stopped behind the Irken, it was gone. His arms moved out lying on Zim's shoulders only to lightly circle around his neck as if he were hugging him from behind, but if anyone were to ask him if he was, he would deny it on the spot.

His head moved down to lay on his right arm, having been a tad bit taller than the alien, even if he had grown since coming to earth, he still had to lean down to do so. "I underestimate you sometimes, Zim. I used to think that you were just this stupid no brain alien, but then there are times like just now when you prove me wrong, and I’m sorry I ever questioned you. If I weren't here, I know damn well you could take over the earth on your own..."

Zim was quiet for a long moment. He didn't jump in surprise, scream, throw a fit, or growl angrily. He just stood there unmoving with the other draped lightly behind him. It was hard to say what was truly going on inside the Irken, though, feeling or otherwise. There was a soft click and a light sound as the alien turned off the head shield, though he made no move to remove his goggles. All that was left was the gentle rise and fall of chest under Dib's arms.

It was a silent moment later that a quiet sort of "Yea." came from Zim. It was as close to a 'thanks' or verbal appreciation as Dib was going to get. A hand rose, slowly, a distant energy to it as it rose to lightly finger the hem of the boy's shirt sleeve.

Dib was more content to just stand there holding the Irken. Why, even he himself didn't know, he had way too many thoughts running through his head to figure even himself out. He watched Zim mess with his shirt for a few moments, his arms tightening for a few seconds but not enough to make him think he was a threat.

His head moved slightly so he could look back at the alien's face, speaking so softly a normal person wouldn't be able to hear him. "I really want this to work out for you, as twisted and screwed up as that sounds after all the time I’ve spent trying to stop you, but the thing is...I’m afraid. Afraid that after all is said and done and you have what you've always wanted I’ll have nothing...everyone will be gone and I’ll be alone. My sanity will be proven and you won't need me anymore, what then...."

Silence.

Zim didn't want to speak, didn't want to move. If physically possible, he would have shut off his breathing organs and stood as stalk still as he could; if it meant he could stay like this. Whatever this vague form of 'this' described. It felt- 'O.K.'

Then Zim's eyes beneath those thick circular goggles with slow skittishness turned to look at Dib's expression. He wasn't sure how to answer back. There were plenty of things he could say, plenty of answers he could give, some egotistical of latter years, some more honest than others and some much more hurtful-- for the Irken.

"It...” Zim's serrated teeth came together to form the hard syllable "isn't so bad." he finished, his voice sounding raspy and loud in comparison to Dib's even though he tried to speak hushedly; a thing he had no practice at. "...Being alone." Unconfrontationally his eyes lowered to the sleeve he'd been toying with, taking his hands back to rest in front of himself.

Dib's eyes watched the Irken's expression the entire time, his ears tuned to listen intently to what he was saying. His expression softened and he buried his head further into his arm, his face close to Zim's neck so that his breath lightly grazed it, "Do you really feel that way? I sure don't. I'm scared to death of loneliness...I suppose it's why I never minded Gaz being cruel to me and Dad ridiculing everything I’ve ever wanted to learn. They were still there, they were still around me. I just couldn't take it anymore...I don't want the feeling of hatred anymore, but once they're all gone, you'll be here so I won't be alone, right?" He sounded like a child for a moment that had just been told Santa Claus wasn't real, his head lifting from his arm to look the alien in the face once again.

It wasn't Dib's breath that made Zim's antennae stand on end; it was the soft tone of words that the human murmured against him. If it hadn't been for the goggles that kept his antennae firmly rested against the back of his head, they would have given away more internal insight than the Irken was comfortable with.

He lightly picked at one glove, marring the already worn texture of its once smooth surface more so. "I'm not going anywhere... anytime soon." Came the quiet raspy reply. "Though... you'll still be left with 'The Feeling of Hatred', Dib...worm... while I am still here."

Zim meant to take reference to their half a decade of world warring rivalry, though a pang of something caused him to regret throwing a usual punch to the Dib. Regret. Regret. Guilt. To Dib. There were things to be said. There were extremely imperative things to be told. And he was kicking the other when he was down, some twisted way of making things right as they used to be. Zim wanted to relate, he wanted to be sincere, but years upon years of building a mask to live into, was something hard to break away from.

The Irken looked away. Honesty was never his forte. Sincerity was a huumun custom, not Irken.

Dib frowned slightly, his head moving back down to rub his cheek across his arm. His hands were clenching tightly in Zim's outfit as if he were afraid to let go. "I don't hate you Zim, and when this is all over, I won't go back to hating you. In all truth I don't think I ever hated you at all. Sure, when I first met you and saw how much of a jerk you could be at times there was a bit of loathing there, but we were so similar in our own ways...you didn't deserve my hatred. You deserved the recognition just like I wanted."

A small, sad smile formed on his lips before he continued. "I'll never get anything but hatred from you, but I’m still glad I can talk to you like this, and I hope that you can continue to trust me like you are now..."

There was a soft sound, a buzzing against Dib's chest. From the round pack slid those long mecha spider legs, pulling from its source, minding the warm body that leaned against the Irken. They slipped loosely around Dib's middle, curling round to cross at the small of his back in a loose 'embrace'.

Zim's shoulders seem to relax, to wilt, as if something else save for the human weighed heavily on them. "Hate and trust.. .that doesn't make any sense." He lightly murmured. Then again, none of this made any sense anyway. So what did it matter? Nothing really did. Nothing at all. There wasn't trust here. Was there? Alluding to truth wasn't trust. It was just the usual cat and mouse game they usually played.

Dib was bearing his heart and soul and the Irken was stepping on it with his thick soled boots, listening to the funny squicksquicksquick noise it made. "Why... -why should you be honest with me? hm?" Zim's voice rose slightly. "Why should I bother to be honest with you? This is just a ... a..." He couldn't thumb down the stupid huumun word. "blah."

Dib was a bit startled when the legs moved around him, but he didn't move away.  If anything, he relaxed more than he was before, a sigh coming out of his mouth. "You know, I really have no idea why I’m telling you all this. I suppose it's because you're the only person I can really consider myself close to, no matter what our past was. It feels good telling you all of this. It doesn't matter if you want to be honest with me, I understand how you work Zim, but I am here...we're gonna be the only people left on this planet when this is over...unless you leave, so I suppose if you would ever want to talk to me I wouldn't mind..."

"I won't be leaving." It was as abrupt as it was practically inaudibly spoken. But that was Zim, so horribly raw and to the point or completely in tangled circles in a deranged run around; yes, that was Zim.

He hadn't bothered to look at Dib.

Dib blinked a bit at how sudden Zim said this, his hands clenching once again, but relaxing as he smiled and nuzzled his face near the alien's neck, his eyes closing, "I'm glad." His eyes opened only a small slit as he continued, "Why are you letting me so close to you Zim? I'm happy you aren't pushing me away, but I’m just concerned about you...”

"You don't get it...” Zim started quietly. A stiff shaking shuddered along either of the alien's arms, and it took the other a moment to realize that the Irken had his fists so tightly clenched at either of his sides that the structures of his arms shivered from the stress.

"I won't be leaving... because I can't leave." His voice drew hushed, the sound scrapping as it petered away. He didn't bother to clear his throat of the raspy tone "I can't leave this stinking shit ball... I can't go back. I can't. I can't." Everything about Zim went rigid, stiff and bitter in taste. The only thing that kept perfect stillness was the wiry arms holding Dib carefully.

Dib's head shot up off his arm as they moved back slightly from the Irken's shoulders, but not completely. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Zim, but not in anger, more in a sad kind of suspicion. "You can't? You mean you can't go back to your planet? But why, that makes no sense..." He noticed how tense Zim was so he moved one of his hands down to the alien's own, clasping both their hands together, trying to calm Zim down and hoping it didn't get him punched.

The touch had Zim reeling, ripping away from Dib's embrace, more out of years of recoiling automation. The Pak’s legs whipped away from Dib to tack against the ground to help the alien sharply turn, balls of feet barely touching the ground thudded against the ground as Zim glared fiercely at Dib. Always blaming Dib. Always blaming him for his problems.

"THEY--!" The words wouldn't come. The meaning, the confession, the honesty. All buried under years of bull-shitting and ego. "They- godamn this fucking human language-" Zim growled, his tongue hissing at the air "They BANISHED me--! Expelled, exiled, dismissed- FORSAKE-!" He lashed out with the sudden surge of energy that ran through him, reaching out to latch hands onto the human's throat. Human throats were a weak spot. Yes, he remembered that. Lithe fingers tightened and shook the other. "THEY LEFT ME HERE!"

There. It was out in the open. That horrible, terrifying truth was out and now... now... Now it would end? Zim shook with blind rage, the ends of his spidery Pak legs digging into the ground, keeping him forcefully still as he shut his eyes and continued to pour the wave after wave of years of seething emotion into his hands that clasped the throat of the only one who had ever helped him. The only one who had ever liked him.

Dib had been too surprised to actually defend himself so he was soon struggling on the floor as he listened to Zim speak.  His eyes were wide at either the information or the fact that his wind pipe was being cut off by Zim's hands, or both, whichever. He was desperately trying to grab at the Irken's hands, trying to remove them, but he seemed to have a pretty good hold in all his rage, so he instead reached out for the spider legs on either side of his head, his hands circling around them and trying to knock him off balance as he pleaded with the alien.

"Z-Zim...l-let go....please...c-can't breathe..."

Two new legs unfolded from the Pak and all four slid to wedge themselves deeply into the floor grates as the Irken kept the human pinned while he straddled him, fingers digging tighter, tighter. Human skin was so soft, so pliant, so pathetic, and so weak. Their neck breathing tubes were like straws, easily bent, easily stopped. That's all it would take. That's all was needed. Then it would be over. Then he would win!

"It's your fault I'm stuck here! It's your fault I--" The goggles were slipping and more than anything he wanted to rip them away and chuck them across the room. He was so sick of wearing those damn contacts, hiding his eyes, hiding, hiding. Everything going about in a run around.

But as quickly as the energy came, it left. It died away, causing the Irken to slump hanging from where his back stayed embedded in the air by stiff, unmoving mecha legs on either side. It left Zim gawking, staring in disbelief at his own hands, at Dib, at everything. Impulses taken too far. Everything was too far gone.

As soon as Zim's hands left his throat Dib quickly let in a strong gasp of air.  His face had turned an unhealthy shade of purple and was slowly turning red and back to its pale hue as he took in all the air he could. His hands moved up to his neck to check for any damage as he sat up coughing slightly. Feeling nothing wrong, he glanced up at Zim with more of a timid look on his face than the confident one he had earlier when speaking to him. He had noticed how collapsed and broken the Irken seemed, but he didn't want to address it for fear of being near death again, "Sorry...I had no right to push you like that..."

Each leg yanked itself free from its hold in the grating, one by one, only to settling back on the ground to keep the Irken from falling in a weak heap, adjusting themselves almost like real spider legs. Zim himself didn't move. Like some green and pink skinny rag doll he hung there, completely limp and unmoving from his Pak. There was no fight left in him.

Barely a sound left the Irken, a small destroyed noise that was somewhere between a coo and a mew that keened, muffled from Zim's throat.

Dib frowned a bit at the small noise he heard come from the Irken, his eyes turning sad as he stood up and cautiously walked up to Zim. He hesitated for a few seconds, thinking about what just happened, but reached a hand up anyway, having to stand on his tip toes now, and took the goggles off the alien's face wanting to see his eyes, throwing them aside somewhere in the far corner of the lab.

"Zim, your leaders are jerks for abandoning you like that. You've proven enough times to me that you're someone that needs to be taken seriously." He seemed to flinch a bit as if saying this was going to cause Zim to lash out at him once again. "Fuck your leaders and your planet if they want to treat you that way..."

Dark pink eyes, round and glossy starred at Dib, at his glasses, through his head. Zim didn't seem to notice the toss of goggles; save for the dryness that now hit his eyes which caused him to blink. It was hard to tell if the Irken could see or hear what Dib was doing, if the moral boost was going in one ear spot and out the other. How Dib could go on saying such nice things about someone he'd, at least Zim thought, hated for so many years; someone who was there to foil him at every turn, day after day, night after night, seconds to years. It broke the distant logic that Zim had.

"It...” The Irken's voice was slow and distant at start "seems... we're much... of the same." Lids closed slowly to re-open, more automatic a blink than anything. "Stuck. Here."

A small smile formed on Dib's face, as forced as it was, and he nodded his head slightly. "Yeah, it seems that way doesn't it? We have each other though right? As horrible as that may be..." His hand seemed as if it were going to raise to touch Zim once again but thought better of it, both of his hands moving to shove into his pockets, his gaze moving down to the lab floor.

"Or if worse comes to worse, you could get rid of me in the end as well, it all depends on what you want. I have this strange obsession with just wanting you to be happy, I don't know what's wrong with me anymore..."

There was a metallic thud as Zim stood on the floor on his own power, metallic arms slipping back into the grey Pak once more. The Irken stood there a moment, watching Dib as slow animation took hold of Zim's once limp limbs.

"Don't bother yourself with it, Dib... worm." The alien cleared his throat as he dusted himself off as if both of them had just parted from their usual rough and tumble fights. "I am happy. This plan will work. Humanity will kneel. And either of us will have the righteous victory we've so doomed ourselves into." Zim's eyes narrowed as he straightened.

"Whatever happens in the end doesn't matter. It's the mission that counts now. Completion. Conquering. By all means necessary." He pointed at Dib. "You," then himself "and I, don't matter. That is the Irken soldier way."

He glanced at Zim out the corner of his eyes, sighing, a bit disappointed at how easily the alien could go back to being his normal self. "Does that way really matter though? Why do something for a race that wants nothing to do with you?  Why not just be doing this for your own purposes or amusement? To prove that you can do it."

He walked close to Zim, now able to come face to face with him once again since he was standing on the floor once more, his hands coming out of his pockets and shakily moved up to hold Zim's own scared of the out come that his actions would have like last time, but wanting to get his point across. "And besides, you do matter Zim, no matter what anyone, or any stupid rule says."

Zim was more taken aback this time as his hand was held. He didn't flinch, per say, but blinked and edged away unsurely; perhaps wondering if Dib was going to strike back. Large round eyes blinked, looking over the human, trying to take in exactly what he was saying with flitting antennae.

"It's who I am... I can't go against that." He looked to his thin hand held by contrast of equally thin pale human hands. "I can't go against my Tallest. If I prove to them that I can conquer this-" the Irken actually faltered for an insult "this planet, I'll show them... them that... I am mighty." The hand Dib held tightened into a brief fist to punctuate the last word.

Dib watched the alien's reaction, his head nodding a bit as Zim spoke. After awhile his eyes seemed to stay glued to Zim's face and after the Irken was done speaking, Dib stayed silent, still holding the fisted hand in his own. He appeared to be summoning up a bit of courage but for what reason he wouldn't let Zim know, until finally he leaned down near the other's face.

It seemed as if what happened in the Skool hallway was going to happen again, but instead his forehead just lightly touched the alien's and he left it at that, his breath shaky as he spoke. "Whatever you choose to do I’m with you all the way, but I can't promise I’ll have the up most respect for people that banished you..."

Zim flinched slightly when Dib neared, blinking one eye to see that the other was indeed not going to beat him in retaliation for before, nor 'prove his loyalty'. Slowly he relaxed, letting a calming breath escape him, not really meaning to exhale against the other's close face.

"Y-you... are still loyal to Zim?" The Irken meekly asked, not expecting such a bold statement from the other, considering just moments ago he tried to asphyxiate him. Curiously, he pressed his forehead lightly back against the other, his usual tactile motivations getting the better of him.

Dib shrugged his shoulders lightly, smiling slightly before he answered the question, his eyes moving down, afraid to look Zim in the face when he spoke, "Of course I am. I promised you that I would help you no matter what, right? I have to admit your little bout of anger did kind of scare me, but there are times where we all have to take chances. If you had killed me, then, oh well..."

'Oh well' Zim’s mind echoed. 'Oh well.’ The story of his life.

The Irken would have nodded had the action not cause him to rub his lightly pressed forehead to muss of hair and antennae alike. So instead he quietly murmured a "Good."
So, for the moment, Zim let himself enjoy the littlest of victories, whatever they were named, Zim knew they existed. He stayed quiet, a rarity in itself, appreciating the warm breath, albeit shaky and worried, against his face, and the feel another, just the assuage and knowledge that he wasn't alone; at least for now.

"You'll find whatever you're looking for." Zim quietly murmured, trying his hand at offering some comfort. He raised his free hand, taking the rim of Dib's ear in his hand, wondering if running his fingers along it would give the same as it did when touching antennae, just trying to mimic what the other had done for him, for the most.

Dib flinched slightly, thinking that the hand that was reaching toward him was going to cause him bodily harm, but was surprised at the soft touch against his ear. He sighed in relief and leaned into Zim's hand, a small sound coming out of his mouth that could only be described as a moan since his ears were so sensitive to touch. "The only way that would happen is if someone on this planet actually gives me some form of recognition, but until they all stop calling me crazy and insane that's never going to happen. So to hell with them all..."

Antennae perked at the noise that Dib made, taking it as acceptance that it was alright to touch. Meaty listening satellites weren't the same as lekku; they were round and wrinkly like someone crumpled them up. Zim drew his forefinger and thumb along either side of the rim curiously, letting the pad of thumb draw along the strange ridges and contours of the inner ear.

"I don't think you're insane...” The Irken quietly confessed. "Well... I mean... I know I exist. And others from other dirt and gasey balls exist." A light smirk of Zim's usual teasing expression quirked on his face. "Otherwise, yes, you are quite crazy, Dib-monkey. Intelligent, but quite out of your overly large head case."

Dib was so content to just stand there and let Zim trace his ear.  It was so relaxing, and it also tickled a bit, but he tried not to show it. His eyes narrowed slightly at the large head comment but he let it slide, knowing it wasn't meant as hateful, as it usually would have been. "Thanks, I guess. It feels good to hear someone say. Heh, that's all I’ve ever wanted." A sad look formed on his face, "Too bad the person that had to say it is the one I’ve been called insane over. The irony of it..." His hand tightened a bit over Zim's.

"Yes... well... 'screw them all' eh?" Zim's grin grew a little larger in his attempt to re-iterate Dib's on going motto, though his Dib impression needed work; as foreseen in the class room, which seemed like years ago. "What they think- doesn't matter. You are beneath them now, Dib-worm." Zim raised his head, pressing his temple against Dib's in a half hazard nuzzled nudge to cheer the other up.

"You are high above this shit ball. Far the worthiest. For you will be surviving genocide." The Irken let the last word roll off his tongue and hiss through his teeth. His hand cupped the entirety of Dib's ear only to draw each of his pointed fingertips along the outside letting his hand rest gently at the human's neck. "Be proud and you will conquer."

Dib seemed a bit surprised at the words coming from Zim, not used to hearing what could be considered kindness coming from the alien. He let a small smile slip and let go of his hand, moving his head away only to move his arms up circling them around Zim's shoulders in a small hug, his face near the side of the other's head.

"Thank you Zim...I don't think you realize how much that helped..." He slowly pulled away and looked Zim in the eyes before walking back over to the table where the chemicals were sitting planning on placing them all back in the box except for the few that really mattered.

Zim let himself be hugged, letting his own arms fall, his hands resting at the other's sides in what could be considered a brief reciprocation in the embrace. He watched the other in the moment that Dib paused to look at him before the human cleaned up.

The Irken's eyes fell to the grate and makings of the floor. A light smile of sorts stayed on his lips as he raised his head again. There was no 'you're welcome'.  There didn't need to be. Saying so would damage high egos, and it was Zim's way of returning the favor, of comfort and encouragement.

"We can test the joos at skool, on those .... simpletons." Zim's eyes went half lidded after he spoke. "In the food meeting arena... or the medical room" He twirled a finger in gesture. "Or both." His smirk grew.

Dib scooted the box under the table with his foot, not really wanting to pick it up for such a small distance, glancing back at Zim as he did so. "It would be better if we did both. That way, we would have a larger range of test subjects to work with than just a few people.

“Besides," A smirk grew on his own lips. "I think it would just be fun in general to toy around with their lives." He picked up the small vials that held the clear purple liquid as well as one of the eye droppers walking back over to the Irken. "Here, keep these in your Pak. They're sealed up pretty tight, so don't worry about them leaking, I promise."

Zim mirrored the sadistic look. "Indeed. Agreed."