Zim Can't Have Anything Nice - Chapter 6

CW/TW: SH, SH SCARS, MENTIONS OF SH, VIOLENCE, INJURY

I want to start with apologizing to all the readers here(and elsewhere) for how long this chapter took, as you know, I want to make sure the story is solid and the writing is at least comprehensible. This is a longer chapter, and despite the hangups, I had a lot of fun writing this! And I hope you have fun reading it!

Chapter 1

Prev:Chapter 5

Next: Chapter 7

Chapter 6

It had been a week since Zim had returned to his base. Dib had made sure to message and call the Irken to see if he was alright, and thankfully he seemed to be recovering just fine. The wounds on his hands had completely healed by the time Zim had returned to his home, so he didn't need any further medical attention. Dib was envious of Zim's healing ability. If only he had that luxury.

Besides checking in on Zim, Dib had fallen deep in a research rabbit hole that he had hyperfixated on for three days straight. He hardly slept and only narrowly avoided with his dad. He wasn't too salty about the fight anymore, but he didn't plan on starting another one, and knowing his dad, it was likely to happen if he ever started talking to him again. At least, so soon.

He read through a blog post about the cryptid. A lanky and tall monster that roamed the woods and was told to lure its victims to a mysterious and violent death. All the s were by word, excluding one blurred image, which showed a small bit of what appeared to be flesh, maybe some fur. Dib got an adrenaline rush just imagining catching it on tape. He hardly repressed a squeal of joy as he contemplated what he would need. He would need to pack extra batteries for his flashlight, he would need a spare flashlight, another spare just to be safe, and a few smaller cameras. Yeah, his phone should work, but dib was a sucker for the more nostalgic and validating look a handheld camera gave. For his camera skills however… he definitely needed to practice. Which is why he was also bringing a few small cameras, to plant around the area he would be exploring. Some of his enthusiasm waned, as he thought about how far the drive would be. It was a while away, and his car was in good enough shape, so surely it could survive a road trip. 6 hours of driving though…

Dib considered how early he would have to leave to get there right before sunset, so he could spend the entire night trying to catch it.

He daydreamed about the experience, and was hopelessly lost in thought until his sister knocked on his door, "Hey, can you quit talking so loud?"

"Oh… I was talking to myself again?" He muttered.

"Yeah… You always do."

Dib felt his face flush a tiny bit with embarrassment. He hoped he had moved past his whole, talking to himself phase, but he was starting to realize that it might just be a part of him.

Even though he knew it wouldn't be much use, he still asked, "Hey do you wanna go cryptid hunting with me?"

"When are you going?"

He looked outside. It was late and he still had some stuff he had to get. "Maybe… tomorrow or the next day?"

Gaz was quiet and for a quick moment a flicker of hope rose in his chest but was extinguished by a disinterested, "No."

Dib sighed, "Okay."

Gaz chimed in, her tone hopeful, "You could probably ask Zim to go with you."

Dib chuckled in amusement, at her joke, but noticed her face was serious, “Gaz,” he began, “You cant really think Zim would go with me?”

"Well, you'll never know unless you ask him."

Dib opened his mouth, then shut it. It was true, he never asked Zim to him before. Granted, it was for good reason, they were enemies for years and Dib didn't trust him even half as much as the cryptids he hunted. Things were different now, though. Zim wasn't exactly an enemy, and not an ally either. Yes, they had a bond and connection Dib never had with anyone else, but he didn't know how far it would go.

With a nod of resignation, he made his decision, "Okay I'll ask him."

-

Zim was tending to some laundry he had gathered from around the house, and was tossing it into the wash. It was basic stuff, some couch cushions, seat covers, and Gir's disguise. Gir had decided it was a perfect day to roll around in a meat dumpster and then the furniture in the house. At the very least, Zim had installed some cleaning tools into the base to clean stuff that would normally take him hours on his own. But, these items required a special trip to the washing machine.

As he was cleaning himself off from everything he had the displeasure of touching, he got a call on his phone. Finishing up, he went over to it and saw that it was Dib. Groaning, he picked it up, "What do you want now?"

"I…" The human went quiet then took a deep breath, "Ok, so, I was wondering if you wanted to me on a paranormal investigation? Well, maybe more of a cryptid hunt... It is a 6 hour drive, so I understand if you aren't up for it, I can go alone."

Zim was surprised, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't a tiny bit intrigued, "Well, when are you going?" His mind wandered to what he had finished. The Voot cruiser was finally repaired and didn't seem to have any glaring problems. He had finished the repairs sooner than normal and he was still skeptical about its functionality. He would have to do a test flight or two. He would like to do that as soon as he could, maybe then he would be just a tiny bit closer to repairing his sweet, dear Minimoose.

"Well, I still have some stuff I need to get, so maybe… tomorrow? I'm planning on leaving later in the day, if that's alright with you. If you do want to come." The human sounded awkward through the phone, and he couldn't help being amused at the human's apprehension.

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't be unbearable.” Zim smiled, “I should be able to finish what I need to before then…" He considered for a moment, and decided it was worth offering, "If you want, we could try out my Voot Cruiser. I'll do some test flights tonight and early tomorrow, so I'll be able to see if we can take it."

"Wait, really?!"

Zim shrugged, "Yeah. It might need some work, though. So, we'll just have to see how the test flights go, and if it's all good, a 6 hour drive should just be a short 30 minute flight. It certainly could go faster but I'm afraid your weak human body would be scrambled if I went that fast."

"Holy shit, really?" Dib stuttered in disbelief, "You're willing to do that?"

Zim huffed in amusement, "Yes, Dib-human. I am willing to do that. Besides, it would give us more time to prepare, and for you to catch me up on… whatever we're looking for."

"Oh, right!" He heard Dib fumble, "I'll send you some posts about the creature and the area! Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, um, meet me at my house at 5 p.m.! I'll catch you up on everything!"

With that, the human hung up. Zim blinked in surprise. Well, that was a short call, filled with rather sudden arrangements. He walked to his room and into his closet, going to check on his new outfits and what he could possibly wear to the outing.

He had made a new wig, much better material, softer and had a gentle shine to it. It was styled in a more natural way and was slightly waved at the ends. The back of the head was longer than the buzzcut that the back of his old wig had, and instead had that pleasant wave to it, curling slightly right at the bottom. It looked more full and natural, as if he had missed a haircut or two. He enjoyed the look and tried it on once more, iring himself in the mirror nearby, fiddling with a handful of strands.

Zim lost himself in the reflection, not necessarily with vanity, but rather with deep thought. It felt odd. He was an Irken, the only hair they could ever grow was “peach fuzz” at most, and their antennae were meant to be their natural crown. Not a head of hair. Yet, the wig he wore felt as if it should be fully attached, a part of him. That anger swelled in him again.

How could he want to be anything but an Irken? Yes, his empire and people had shunned him, but being Irken was a core part of him, not some phase he could move away from. Despite the hesitation that gripped at his limbs, he took the wig off and neatly placed it away. He stood hunched over the case he had placed the wig in.

The longer he stayed on this planet, the less he felt like an Irken. He wasn't human, he never would be, and he never wanted to be one. The longing for his home planet, one of the main ships, anything, pulled at him with a strength he half expected to take him off his feet.

He thought about the arrangement he agreed to with Dib. Maybe, just maybe, being with one of the few humans that saw him as an Irken, not as some sickly human, could help him feel like him again.

-

Dib printed out some documents and a handful of the notes he had taken, writing onto the paper whenever he ed something else, making small summaries here and there, and he sketched out what the people had described the creature as. A long legged quadruped, muscle holding tight to the bones, a sunken stomach, and a triangular head. Many had described it with thin and pointed fur, or possibly feathers or quills. All the other features were marked down in the notes, and he placed them neatly in a folder.

He took out his phone.

D- How were the tests for the Voot?

Z- Worked better than I thought. I'll bring it over soon.

D- Okay

He smiled and bit his lip in joy. Enemy or not, he was excited, and looked forward to sharing everything he could to the Irken. Gaz was the only other person he had ever gone on a paranormal investigation with, and it was only three times. It wasn't much compared to his hundreds of investigations he had been conducting since he was a little kid. And he dragged her along on those.

Zim was willing and even bothered to allow them to use the Voot to get there. It was slightly endearing, but he knew that the Irken just didn't want to be stuck in a car with him for 6 hours. He didn't blame him, Dib wouldn't want to be stuck in a car that long REGARDLESS of who it was with.

He quickly took inventory of his supplies, careful to make sure everything was there. He turned to his hunting knife that he had holstered on his outer thigh, hidden well by his coat. Dib never went to any mission or investigation without it, and this certainly wasn't going to be an exception. If what the people had said was true, then he would need all the protection he could get.

He had considered a gun, but Dib had little experience with them and every time he had gotten a hold of one, he never trusted himself. He was always afraid he would end up shooting someone and then he would have to endure that guilt until he died.

He shook away that scenario from his mind, and heard a faint whirring outside. He turned around and noticed the branches of the tree outside swaying slightly at an invisible force.

“Huh…” Zim must've added a cloaking device to the Voot. He could see the faintest outline of it but otherwise it was alright. Granted Dib couldn't say shit, it wasn't like Tak’s ship had a functioning cloak, and if it did, the ship certainly wouldn't let him use it. Maybe if he asked Zim…

His window swung open and Zim slid in, “Get in loser, we're going monster hunting.” He looked around, “Oh, you cleaned your room.”

He briefly blinked in surprise at the reference and glanced around as well. Zim was right. He did. ittedly, it was because of his comments and also a burst of spite. The usual motivators of Dib's life, apparently.

All of that seemed irrelevant when he realized Zim wasn't wearing his uniform. Instead he was wearing a deep magenta shirt, which covered his throat in a well fitted manner, and a dark grey jacket. He still wore his gloves but they weren't as shiny as his old ones, appearing to be more fabric-like than the leathery vinyl look his old gloves had. The only thing that remained the same, were his black pants and slender boots.

Even his wig had a different look, longer than his old one, and more natural looking. His s also appeared more realistic than before.

It was very surprising.

Zim looked at the human and chuckled, spinning to give Dib a good view of every angle, “I see you noticed my new look.~”

He chuckled, feeling rather stupid at how he ogled at the Irken, “Y-yeah.” He blinked in an attempt to process the new appearance, “W-what made you change it?”

Zim shrugged, “I was getting tired of my old look. And well, Earth is my home now. Might as well indulge more in my presentation on it.”

Dib smiled, glad the Irken was finding something positive to do, “Well, you look good. I like it.”

The Irken seemed to had not been ready for the compliment or praise, despite offering the opportunity to Dib. He adjusted the jacket he wore and swallowed bashfully, “Um yes, Zim wouldn't expect anything different!”

Dib sat in his chair and Zim settled down on the edge of his bed. He swiveled around to his desk and grabbed his papers and files that he had organized to hell and back.

He handed them to Zim, “Did you read the posts I’d sent?”

He nodded, immediately flipping through one of the files that he was given, “Yes, they were rather.. interesting.” he flipped a page back and forth, “So there is no photographic evidence of this creature, at all?”

“Nothing, other than that blurry one.”

The Irken narrowed his eyes, “Hmm. I'll it I'm skeptical of this, but I don't doubt you'll make it interesting even if it is nothing.”

Dib couldn't tell if that was a jab or a compliment, but carried on, “Yeah, but the mostly consistent reports are what made me wonder in the first place. It's not common for people who have never met or interacted to all have the same encounter, similar experience, and same recounting of the incidents.”

“I'm aware of that.” He still seemed unimpressed at the s Dib had mentioned but the alien lingered over certain parts in the files about the creature itself, “It does seem fascinating…” He shut the file, “When are we planning to leave?”

He looked at the time, roughly an hour or two before sunset, “Let's get going now. I'll discuss more on the way there.”

They both were settled in the voot as Dib rambled on. Zim paid attention to the controls and steering and looked back from time to time. Dib considered something and decided to bring it up, “We should have a secret codeword, to make sure it's us if we get split up.”

Zim turned to him, “Why?”

“Well, sometimes cryptids and other entities tend to mimic people you know, so, just to be safe, let's come up with a word. Nothing too generic, but also nothing too complicated.” Dib thought deeply, “Maybe it could be one where there is a specific reply to a phrase…”

Zim shrugged, “Well, what can you easily? We could always have the code be ‘big’ and ‘head’.”

Dib glared at him, “No, that would be a shitty code, and besides way too many people have said that before, unprompted, so I don't think that's a reliable choice.”

Zim chuckled, “Ah, The Curse of a bigass head.”

Dib bit back a laugh, “Shut up, I'll kill you.” Zim replied to his quick threat with a burst of laughter.

Dib calmed his own quiet laughter, “But, seriously, we need to come up with something.”

Zim sighed and then focused on Dib's face with deep concentration, “You go by Mothman, don't you?”

Dib blushed in embarrassment and turned his face away. “Um.. yeah. Why?”

“I could call you Moth as the code. It's something you and I recognize all too well.”

Dib nodded. That would work and he would notice it easily. “Well, then, what should I call you?”

Zim shrugged, “What codename would you give me?”

Dib felt his face heat up at the memory that returned. Him breaking into Zim’s base and his SOS code, “The Moth is Caught in The Spider's Web”, in case Zim were to catch him. He hadn't thought of it in a while.

He cleared his throat, “How about, Spider?”

Zim thought about the name and he noticed the Irken slightly smiling, “Spider… I can that.”

“Good,” Dib nodded, “then we'll use that.”

Dib looked out the window and saw the familiar forest coming up and started getting his bag ready, reciting their code words and testing Zim on it as well.

The Irken grumbled, “Dib, I get the point. It's an easy code to .”

“Yes, but you can never be too careful.”

“Trust me, I'll be plenty careful. If anything, your feeble human brain would forget it first.”

He glared at him, “I would not.” He's the one that came up with the idea, Dib thought to himself.

“We'll see…” Zim took the controls and eased the ship down onto the earth, hidden in a nearby field to the trail.

Dib got out with his bag, relieved to stretch his legs. He couldn't help but wonder how miserable he would've been if he had to be stuck in a car instead. Zim stepped out, and turned on the cloaking device for the ship.

“So, no one will be coming around here, right?” He turned to Dib and he nodded.

“No one should be coming around here. The trail has been closed for a few weeks, so no one's been able to check it out since.” He grabbed a camera out of his bag and handed it to Zim, “And besides, the nearest town is over 20 miles away.”

“Hm.” Zim looks to the side in thought and then began to take his wig off and his s.

“What are you doing?”

“Well, noone is coming around here so I have no real reason to wear my disguise.” He flicked his antennae up and shook his head, stretching them to the sky, “I can hear and sense things much better without my wig obscuring my antennae. And the s do hinder some of my nightvision. Which I know we'll need.”

Dib held back a “woah”, knowing that Zim would get a big head about his iration, and Zim didn't exactly need more fuel for his superiority complex. “I brought a few flashlights just in case, but I guess it could be helpful if they somehow died, which, again, I prepared for and doubt will happen.”

The Irken waved Dib away, rolling his eyes, “Whatever you say, Dib-meat.”

They headed to the trail, Dib giving a quick look at the trail map and snapping a photo before he turned to look at the beginning of it. There were two posts with caution tape stretched in between, and a sign that said, in bold text, “UNSAFE TRAIL: DO NOT PROCEED”. He only felt the smallest bit of apprehension, before it got drowned out with curiosity and a strong determination to explore. He propped his foot atop one of the posts and hopped over to the other side, looking back at Zim who deployed his pak legs and effortlessly crawled over the makeshift fence and the second his feet touched the ground, Dib began to walk the path.

The sun was beginning to go down, turning the sky bright orange with faint whisps of pink. The sunset back at home wasn't awful, but Dib always liked to see it from different places, each one having a slightly different appearance. Zim paused next to him and followed his gaze.

Dib glanced at Zim and he saw a sadness he didn't expect in the Irken's expression. It was bittersweet, and full of a distant longing. He nudged him, “Hey, you okay?”

Zim blinked in surprise and recomposed himself. “Yes, I'm fine.” He looked back at the sky and Dib followed. “It's just that the pink clouds remind me of Irk. Irkens only really stay in Irk to be raised and trained, but the pink sky is always something that will feel like home.” He sighed, “I'm just glad I can see it here too.”

Dib couldn't really imagine what it would be like to live anywhere else but Earth. How much would he miss it? He looked around at the forest and felt a bitter pang for Zim. “I'm sorry.”

Zim furrowed his brow, “Why are you sorry?”

“I… I'm sorry that you miss Irk. I know it can't be easy.”

Zim scowled, “Well, there's nothing to be sorry for. I'll be okay.” He walked past Dib, “Shouldn't we be getting to that area we are meant to find?”

Dib wanted to say more to comfort Zim but knew that it would only make him more upset. “Yeah. Let's go.”

Zim was marching ahead of him and Dib grumbled. “You don't even have the map.”

The Irken huffed proudly, “Zim needs no map! We're walking on a trail after all, it's not like we are just wandering aimlessly.”

“Yes, we have the trail but we also have to reach the old cabin. It's supposed to nest there.”

“Well, based on what I read, this trail will take us right to it. Just relax and enjoy the hike. Isn't this what you humans usually enjoy?”

Dib furrowed his brows and huffed, “It's not about the trail, it's about finding the-” a branch that Zim had held to the side swung back and smacked Dib in the face, throwing his glasses right off. “FUCKING-”

“Whoops.” Zim said in a monotone voice.

“‘Whoops’ my ass.” He squinted, it was getting dark and everything was blurred. He didn't want to show Zim just how blind he was without his glasses.

He could hardly tell a leaf from a rock and could also only see a vague colored silhouette of Zim's body.

“You're glaring just like Gaz.”

“I'm not glaring, I'm trying to find my glasses.” He frowned. Gaz did also need to wear glasses. Her sight was always better than Dib's, so it was easier for her to find lenses. Meanwhile, Dib might as well be legally blind. And he hated lenses.

“Hm.” Zim squeaked in what Dib could only assume was amusement, “Dib, how many fingers am I holding up?”

He turned to the blurred figure, “Oh, wow, how original. Like I didn't hear that a million times in middle school.”

Zim's voice grew more stern, “I'm being serious. How many fingers am I holding up?”

A grumble rose in his throat as he turned to look. Four? No. “Five. Now, can you help me find my glasses?”

He let out a gentle laugh, before growing silent, “... Are you serious?”

“W-what?” Did he do something wrong?

“Dib.” Zim's voice was tame and quiet, “I only have three fingers on each hand….”

Dib's face suddenly burned and grew hot with embarrassment.

“All those years of following my every move, and that's what you ?” A faint bit of laughter rumbled in his throat, “Dear Irk, how havent you got yourself killed yet?”

“I guess I just have good luck, now help me find my-” Zim placed a familiar item in his extended hand. “Glasses…” He looked down at the silhouette. “How long did you have these?”

“You almost stepped on them when you started complaining.”

Dib felt even more embarrassed. Out of all the spares he had… spare glasses weren't one of them.

“Thanks.” He cleaned them with his shirt and put them on. The world grew clear again and he saw the remains of Zim's amused smile before he turned back to the trail. Seeing that made him feel strange and he shook it off. Zim embarrassed him enough already.

As they trekked forward, Dib took in the area around them. Even though it was growing dark, he could see the lush trees swaying gently in the breeze, and the moss that climbed them. He could hear the faint sounds of a distant river rushing, and crows that screeched a warning to the rest of the forest about their arrival. He swallowed nervously.

He could see the cabin up ahead, a trailmark for where the cryptid was often spotted. Dib turned to Zim and opened his mouth to tell him, but a sharp pak blade rested against his mouth in a flash of deep purple metal. Zim's antennae were pricked and his eyes were wide as he scanned the area. Dib stared awkwardly at the blade that was only an inch away from his lips. Be quiet. Dib didn't need him to say it and he didn't know what had startled the Irken, but he listened, only hearing the idle rusting of the wind in the trees.

Zim looked back at him and lowered his voice to a whisper, “I heard something up ahead. It sounded like voices…”

Dib couldn't tell if Zim was fucking with him or not and examined his expression carefully. Zim looked suspicious and he realized that the suspicion was pointed towards him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He whispered back.

“You said there was no one for miles.” He glared his eyes at Dib.

Dib took a careful breath.

“There isn't anyone for miles…” He thought deeply for a moment, “Did the voice sound familiar?”

Zim shook his head, “No I didn't recognize it. I couldn't really tell what they were saying.” He perked up his antennae again, “I can't hear anything now.”

“Hm.” He turned on his flashlight and swept the light over the cabin and the surrounding area, careful to find anything out of the ordinary.

And he found it.

On the other side of the trail, away from the cabin, was a slightly worn down trail. The braken seemed to have been broken down and trampled on, twigs and leaves ripped and snapped. It led deeper into the woods, away from the main trail, but looked to be doable, as long as he had a flashlight with him.

“Let's go here.”

Zim stepped back, “What? That's not the direction I heard the voices.”

“Maybe, but this could lead to wherever it is hiding or nesting. It seems too fresh to just ignore it.” He pointed at the bruised leaves, not yet turned brown. “This trail couldn't have been made too long ago.”

The Irken rolled his eyes, “Or it could've been damaged by any other creature. We are in a park, there are going to be wild animals.” He pointed ahead of the main trail, “We should stick to where we can actually see where to step.”

He huffed irritably, “You can stay on this trail if you want, I'm checking this out.”

“Dear Irk, you are stubborn…” Zim grumbled, “Fine, get lost in the woods for all I care, I'm going to actually go where I heard the voices.”

“Fine.” He glared back at the Irken before following the broken trail. Zim made his way uphill on the main trail and he quickly lost sight of him.

Stubborn. If anyone was stubborn it was Zim. Staying on the main trail. As if that would get them anywhere. Dib needed to follow the evidence and clues, he couldn't just walk around and hope for the monster to stumble close. He had to seek it out and hunt it down. That was the true value of a paranormal investigator.

The trail went down the hill, making Dib have to hold onto some branches and gnarled roots to avoid slipping on the mud and clay. When he reached the bottom of the valley, the ground became more even, and the trail seemed to scatter as the undergrowth thinned.

There was some trodden ground he continued to follow but it scattered back into the natural undergrowth. A dead end. A bitter taste was in his mouth as his face heated up in embarrassment. Zim was right, wasn't he?

“Shit.”

He heard the crackling of twigs nearby, and swung around, aiming his light in the direction of the noise. He held his breath, and he called out in a calm voice, “Zim?...”

“Come here.” The familiar voice was a whisper, “I found something.”

It was Zim. But he had to make sure.

“Spider?”

The voice let out an annoyed groan. Dib rolled his eyes. Yeah, sure, he was the stubborn one.

“Can’t you just use the code… word?” He turned his flashlight up.

A slender, skeletal face with six eyes and a pointed, beak-like upper lip greeted him. It slowly crawled forward, revealing more of its skeletal, slender body. The skin held tight to its bones, and there was a patchy mix of feathers and fur, as if draped and sewn into the skin, a desperate attempt to make it blend in with the other creatures. Even hunched over, on all fours, it stood at least 10 feet tall, towering over the human and crawling closer, dwarfing him in comparison.

Dib stumbled back, not daring to take his wide eyes off the creature. It let out a deranged and muddled mess of laughter, many voices blending together to make a demented symphony.

Where was Zim? Was he okay? He took his eyes off the creature for a second to glance around for the Irken and was immediately slammed into the embankment with strong limbs. His glasses almost slipped off from the impact and he cursed, both from pain, and from the fact he could be blinded so quickly. The muddy wall behind him was slippery and he was able to press back and slip right out of its grasp right as its jaws snapped where his neck once was. The rattle of its teeth above him made him sick. A brief image of those teeth clashing into Zim entered his head. Did it kill him?

With adrenaline pumping wildly in his veins, he ran out from under it and leapt up the hill. He had to get out of there, he had to find Zim.

“ZIM!!!” He screeched desperately. He couldn't see the trail, and the flashlight he had clutched in his hand didn't help, with him having to use it to help hoist him up through the trees. “ZIIIIMM-”

He was slammed to the ground, his flashlight rolling away. He turned himself around and swiftly raised an arm as the creature lunged forward towards his face. Jagged teeth pierced through his jacket sleeve and into his flesh. The sting and ache of pain only increased as the creature bit harder, its empty eyes turned his blood cold and he screamed in agony from the pain. The creature was blocking him from grabbing his knife and his coat was pinned closed on that side with a gnarled limb holding him down on the stomach. He looked around and saw a fist-sized rock within arm’s reach.

He grabbed it and slammed it into the side of its head, and thankfully, its jaws released his arm, leaving a bloody mess of gashes and a ripped sleeve. The creature was stiff for a moment, claws digging slightly deeper as it held his body down with a strength he wouldn't have expected from something that appeared to be hardly more than flesh and bone.

It slowly turned its head back to him, with what felt like an uncanny sentience. It's empty eyes burned into his own and he realized that he definitely fucked up.

It reared its head back with a demented screech of rage and he shut his eyes as it lunged forward.

In that same breath, a large thunk slammed the creature off of him. He opened his eyes to see the creature slide on the ground with a large log pinning it, but only for a moment until its blind rage was let out against it, shredding the wood ravenously.

Booted feet landed between him and the creature and he looked up to see Zim, pak legs extended, antennae pinned back and shaking and from what he could see, Zim's face was contorted in what Dib could only assume was anger. One of Zim's hands was facing Dib, splayed out back to him. A gesture of protection and comfort.

He took shaky breaths as the monster swiftly finished its work with the log, and swallowed, knowing that could've been him.

It turned back and snarled in defiance, and Zim returned it. It took a step closer and the end of one pak leg morphed and a laser shot out, hitting it in the chest. It stumbled back, the wound burnt and smoking but not grave enough to kill it. Thankfully, it was bad enough for it to let out one last angry screech before running away into the woods.

Zim turned to Dib, eyes betraying his disbelief and worry.

Dib was lost for words. He was happy, scared, relieved, and in quite a bit of pain. Maybe it was that pain that made his head haze towards a strange affection for the Irken. Maybe that was why he wanted nothing more than to be close to him as the Irken helped lift him up, draping the human's good arm over his shoulders and lifting him up.

“We need to get back to the ship.” He glanced at where the creature had run off to with suspicion, “I don't know how many shots it can take but I don't care enough to find out.” Zim used his pak legs to rush back to the ship, the Irken glancing rapidly around, to keep an eye out for the monster, and the occasional glance down at Dib's arm.

When they reached the ship, Zim gently set Dib down on the grass. He hissed as another spike of pain shot up his arm. The spread of pain made his chest and teeth ache. He could feel the pulsing and heartbeat in the wound as it continued to slowly bleed. The Irken opened the ship and placed him inside, carefully. For being a heartless Invader, Dib couldn't help but notice how sensitive the Irken was with him.

Zim opened a compartment and took out some medical equipment, “I need you to take off your coat so I can clean the wound. We have no idea what that thing could be carrying.”

His skin went cold. “It-Its okay I can take care of myself when we get back.”

Zim looked at him with disbelief, “Your arm looks like a crime scene in a horror film, we can't wait that long. And again, we don't know how unsanitary it might be. So I'd rather clean it now so you don't end up armless.”

“I can do it myself!” He tried giving a lighthearted chuckle to lighten the mood, but it just sounded like he was scared. And he was. If Zim patched up his wound, there was no way in hell he wouldn't notice the neatly lined scars marking his wrist and forearm. And that would lead to questions. Questions Dib really didn't want to answer.

“Ah, yes, because you feeble humans are so talented at bandaging up a wound with one arm and hand.” He rolled his eyes and leaned forward, grabbing the edge of his tattered sleeve, “Let me just–”

“NO-” He pulled his arm away with a jolt and immediately regretted it as a shockwave of pain shot through his body, and he hissed, “FffuCK.”

Zim looked into Dib's eyes, searching through him as if he were some kind of code to break. Dib gingerly lowered his arm, and broke eye , looking aside.

Zim's voice was soft but stern, “Dib… Why won't you take off your coat?”

The icy heat of shame burned his face. There was no hiding it, nothing he could see to do to avoid it, as much as he looked. Zim wasn't the type to give up, Dib knew that much too well. If he made any more excuses Zim would just get more suspicious.

He took a shaky breath and grabbed the tattered sleeve, pulling his coat off, one arm after the other. He held his arm out for Zim, the fresh wound ragged and bloody, but the neat and purposeful scars that marked his wrist and forearms were what he had dreaded to show him.

Dib waited to hear what Zim would say. But the only thing that came were gentle hands sliding past his scars to the wound. He felt him wiping the wound clean, the sting and ache nothing compared to the cloying feeling in his chest.

Dib turned to him, the deep fear in him turning into a spark of anger. “So? Not going to say anything?”

Zim paused, eyes locked on the fresh wound, “I don't really know what to say.” His antennae drooped, “I don't understand why, but this is obviously something you don't want to talk about. So-”

The Irken used what Dib assumed was alcohol, both from the scent and the way he blacked out a bit from the scalding burn, “OHFUCKHCGH-”

Zim leaned back, “Sorry- But unless you decide to talk about it, I won't push you for it.” He placed some gauze onto the wound, still focused on his task, despite the subject at hand.

He took shaky and hissy breaths from the pain, but ired Zim as he worked. He expected to be shamed, insulted, anything other than what Zim said. Years ago, Zim would have definitely teased him, throwing whatever cruel and unique insults he could, hoping to hit a nerve, anything really, to leave Dib miserable. Now? He could see how much Zim had grown and changed. How they both had changed. Their life experiences shaped them, and forced them to grow, and they both ended up growing closer because of it. Their relationship had evolved from an intense yet petty rivalry into something Dib could almost see as friendship, a bond he couldn't describe.

That was, until he felt it. That familiar warmth in his chest, the calm comfort mixed with his heartbeat. The way the pain seemed to fade as Zim's touch ran across his arm.

‘No. Not him… Please.’ he silently pleaded to himself. But he knew the feelings all too well. They were the same ones he had felt for Zita, yet different. It was Zim, after all. Couldn't get much more different than that. These were stranger, deeply rooted in him as if it had been there all along. Maybe it has, his own feelings were always so difficult to read, but now he saw them clear as day. Dib internally groaned in agony, holding back a whine of disappointment as Zim turned away to start heading back home, feeling like a fool. Zita was right.

Dib was in love with Zim.