Warning: ... Don't ask how this happened. I had a dream. I had a weiiirrrd dream... and I just had this urge. Like little pink bunnies that began to dance around me, singing "Wriiite this! Wriiite this! LA LA LA LA LAAAA LAAA!". It wouldn't stop... I couldn't MAKE it stop... so... I wrote it. I wrote this fic. This warning is that this fic is basically Dib/Zim/Gaz... and many others. I assure you, I'll keep them as IC as possible. That's just me; a perfectionist. But I had to write this. I HAD TO for the sake of what little sanity I have left.
Chapter One: Maturity
A loud crash echoed through the house as GIR stared down at the shattered lamp at his feet. The bright green glass was in thousands of pieces, coating the floor.
"Ooops,"
"GIR!" Zim roared, frustrated. He stormed in to the room, wielding a large broom and a dustpan. He cast the S.I.R. a disgusted look, who merely shrugged. "WHAT did I tell you?" Zim snarled.
"About?" GIR blinked.
"Juggling lamps!" Zim hissed.
"... Not to?" GIR tilted his head to the left.
"... And did you?" Zim glared.
"... Yes?" GIR tilted his head to the right.
"Why?" Zim tapped his foot, impatiently. GIR shrugged, helplessly, and jumped up on the couch. Zim sighed as GIR bounced up and down on the cushions, then began to sweep up the glass.
It had been a couple years since Zim had arrived on Earth; A couple years since he got his mission from the Tallest and came to take over the planet. Every day, for those long years, he had attempted to conquer the humans only to end up in failure. Any normal Irken would have been disturbed by such a fact; however, Zim had a particular part of his personality that prevented him from realizing just how bad he was at invading. He was simply too stubborn.
Zim scuffled in to the kitchen, dumping the shards in the trash only to realize that he had just dumped the garbage in his elevator to his underground lab. Cursing violently, Zim proceeded to clean out the elevator of the sharp glass pieces. He knelt down to grab one of the larger pieces, only to hear a loud rip as some of the seams in his invader uniform gave way. He cursed even more violently. He had never dealt with such a problem before; recently, he had experienced an abnormal change in his body. Zim had noticed that the humans at Skool had experienced similar changes, though he didn't quite understand the reason why. He was even more baffled by the thought that he, himself, had changed with them.
Zim had grown taller and more defined; if his uniform didn't look so torn and tattered, people could have considered him handsome. Unfortunately, his ruined clothing veiled his appearances under a mask that fooled even Zim.
"It's probably some sort of nasty contamination," Zim grunted. "This stinkbeast air, stinkbeast surroundings, and stinkbeast germs,"
Zim cleaned up the rest of the glass and sighed. He had recently outgrown his uniform, causing it to become tight and rip easily. He mentally promised himself to request larger uniforms when he made his yearly report to the Tallest.
Zim's heart nearly leapt with excitement as the stray thought reminded him of what day it was.
"YES! I must call the Tallest today!" he squealed. He jumped in to the trash bin and quickly headed down to his lab. The Tallest had made him promise only to report once a year; they said it was for security reasons. He simply didn't grasp the fact that they didn't want anything to do with him.
Zim scampered over to his large network of computers and turned them on, quickly setting up a signal to contact the Tallest. His gloved claws flew across the keyboard, his excitement evident with every movement. He loved reporting to the Tallest, even though he had nothing to report. The simple thrill of being on a mission more than made up for the failures.
A flash surged across the screen, followed by the image of the Tallest. Tallest Red and Tallest Purple looked rather irritated. Zim wondered, briefly, if it was because he was a little late with his report; in actuality, it was because he was alive to make the report at all. Tallest Red sighed and covered his eyes as Tallest Purple fixed Zim with a gaze.
Tallest Purple's jaw immediately dropped.
"ZIM?" Tallest Purple choked. Tallest Red blinked, then moved his claws to see what had startled his cohort. Red's jaw dropped as well, surprise evident all over his face.
"Yes, my Tallest!" Zim crowed, happily. "It is I, making my report!"
"You've... grown," Tallest Purple blinked.
"Ah-... um, yes," Zim admitted, flushing with embarrassment. "I assure you, I had no choice. It was a side-effect of this forsaken planet...,"
"I like it," Tallest Red purred. Zim stopped short and blinked, uncomprehending, at the screen. "I like it a lot,"
"Huh?" Zim stared. Tallest Red grinned, tapping his fingers together, as Tallest Purple cleared his throat.
"I notice that your outfit... doesn't seem to fit anymore," he began. A sly grin slipped across his face. "It certainly doesn't... accent... your new appearance,"
"No, sirs," Zim replied, looking thoroughly bewildered. He hadn't expected the report to go quite the way it was.
"We have to have that fixed," Purple nodded, sagely. He glanced at Tallest Red, leering. "Don't we?"
Tallest Red chuckled.
"Oh yes, we do,"
----------------------
Dib shuffled through a large pile that coated the floor to his room. He searched, muttering quietly to himself as he examined various paranormal equipment. He sorted through cameras, folders, blueprints, and various 'anti-alien' weapons that he tended to use against Zim.
Dib blinked, suddenly, and gently picked up a picture. He looked at it, thoughtfully. The picture was of Zim, though the alien was in his rather pathetic disguise. Zim looked outraged, shrieking from a perch high in a tree. Dib had chased the alien up the tree when he discovered that Zim had forgotten to take his usual precautions against water.
Dib chuckled. Zim barely escaped the watery dousing Dib had planned, climbing the tree with incredible speed. The two had stood at a stalemate, as Dib couldn't get Zim but refused to let him get down. Eventually, however, Zim was more or less rescued by his odd little robot. The robot had blown up the tree, sending Zim and Dib flying in different directions.
Dib glanced out the window, his eyes searching the stars. A couple years had passed since he first met Zim and set about capturing the rather odd alien. Many people thought he was obsessed with Zim; even when the two had entered highskool, Dib hounded the 'funny green-skinned kid'.
Unfortunately for Zim, there were other teenagers in highskool who shared Dib's interests in the paranormal and actually started to believe him. Everything seemed to be going in Dib's favor until the unthinkable happened: one of the other kids had almost captured Zim. Dib shivered at the memory.
One of the teenagers had set a devious plot; Dib was ashamed that he hadn't thought of it. Using the knowledge that Dib had aquired about Zim, the teenager had tricked Zim into stepping in the center of a large water fountain ring. The second Zim was in the center, gushes of water sprayed upwards around the alien to prevent his escape. Though he had bathed in paste, Zim was so terrified of the water that he was unable to do anything to escape. In the end, the only way Zim had escaped was through pure luck. One of the valves had broken, giving Zim just enough time to escape before the water closed in on him.
Dib felt a growl form in his throat. After the incident, Dib had made it clear to the others that Zim was his responsibility. He had been after Zim for years, despite the ridicule and harassment, and no one but him had the right to capture the alien.
Dib blinked, then tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling.
Dib had practically grown up with Zim; there wasn't much about Zim that Dib didn't know, and vice versa. Though they were constantly at war, Dib was perhaps the first and only person to see Zim grow up in to a dashing young alien.
Dib choked and shook his head. He scowled and glared down at his pictures of the Irken. He quietly arranged them, in chronological order. His eyes burned with an intense fire as he stared at them. When Zim had arrived on Earth, he had been a cute but utterly obnoxious alien with a definite ego problem. After years of living on earth, Zim...
... was still a cute but utterly obnoxious alien with a definite ego problem.
However, the cuteness itself had evolved from childish to a more adult feature. Dib smirked to himself. Perhaps, if Zim had worn something other than his stupid cocktail dress, the other children could have seen past his green skin and realized just how attractive the alien was.
Dib blinked again, then growled.
"He's the enemy," Dib hissed. "He's trying to CONQUER EARTH. Who cares about anything else!?"
Dib picked up the pictures and stuffed them in a folder, then bit his lower lip.
"Well, he's not THE enemy," Dib corrected himself. Such a general assessment had nearly cost Dib his alien. The truth was much more possessive; far more personal than the world. A sly grin crossed Dib face. "He's MY enemy,"
Chapter One: Maturity
A loud crash echoed through the house as GIR stared down at the shattered lamp at his feet. The bright green glass was in thousands of pieces, coating the floor.
"Ooops,"
"GIR!" Zim roared, frustrated. He stormed in to the room, wielding a large broom and a dustpan. He cast the S.I.R. a disgusted look, who merely shrugged. "WHAT did I tell you?" Zim snarled.
"About?" GIR blinked.
"Juggling lamps!" Zim hissed.
"... Not to?" GIR tilted his head to the left.
"... And did you?" Zim glared.
"... Yes?" GIR tilted his head to the right.
"Why?" Zim tapped his foot, impatiently. GIR shrugged, helplessly, and jumped up on the couch. Zim sighed as GIR bounced up and down on the cushions, then began to sweep up the glass.
It had been a couple years since Zim had arrived on Earth; A couple years since he got his mission from the Tallest and came to take over the planet. Every day, for those long years, he had attempted to conquer the humans only to end up in failure. Any normal Irken would have been disturbed by such a fact; however, Zim had a particular part of his personality that prevented him from realizing just how bad he was at invading. He was simply too stubborn.
Zim scuffled in to the kitchen, dumping the shards in the trash only to realize that he had just dumped the garbage in his elevator to his underground lab. Cursing violently, Zim proceeded to clean out the elevator of the sharp glass pieces. He knelt down to grab one of the larger pieces, only to hear a loud rip as some of the seams in his invader uniform gave way. He cursed even more violently. He had never dealt with such a problem before; recently, he had experienced an abnormal change in his body. Zim had noticed that the humans at Skool had experienced similar changes, though he didn't quite understand the reason why. He was even more baffled by the thought that he, himself, had changed with them.
Zim had grown taller and more defined; if his uniform didn't look so torn and tattered, people could have considered him handsome. Unfortunately, his ruined clothing veiled his appearances under a mask that fooled even Zim.
"It's probably some sort of nasty contamination," Zim grunted. "This stinkbeast air, stinkbeast surroundings, and stinkbeast germs,"
Zim cleaned up the rest of the glass and sighed. He had recently outgrown his uniform, causing it to become tight and rip easily. He mentally promised himself to request larger uniforms when he made his yearly report to the Tallest.
Zim's heart nearly leapt with excitement as the stray thought reminded him of what day it was.
"YES! I must call the Tallest today!" he squealed. He jumped in to the trash bin and quickly headed down to his lab. The Tallest had made him promise only to report once a year; they said it was for security reasons. He simply didn't grasp the fact that they didn't want anything to do with him.
Zim scampered over to his large network of computers and turned them on, quickly setting up a signal to contact the Tallest. His gloved claws flew across the keyboard, his excitement evident with every movement. He loved reporting to the Tallest, even though he had nothing to report. The simple thrill of being on a mission more than made up for the failures.
A flash surged across the screen, followed by the image of the Tallest. Tallest Red and Tallest Purple looked rather irritated. Zim wondered, briefly, if it was because he was a little late with his report; in actuality, it was because he was alive to make the report at all. Tallest Red sighed and covered his eyes as Tallest Purple fixed Zim with a gaze.
Tallest Purple's jaw immediately dropped.
"ZIM?" Tallest Purple choked. Tallest Red blinked, then moved his claws to see what had startled his cohort. Red's jaw dropped as well, surprise evident all over his face.
"Yes, my Tallest!" Zim crowed, happily. "It is I, making my report!"
"You've... grown," Tallest Purple blinked.
"Ah-... um, yes," Zim admitted, flushing with embarrassment. "I assure you, I had no choice. It was a side-effect of this forsaken planet...,"
"I like it," Tallest Red purred. Zim stopped short and blinked, uncomprehending, at the screen. "I like it a lot,"
"Huh?" Zim stared. Tallest Red grinned, tapping his fingers together, as Tallest Purple cleared his throat.
"I notice that your outfit... doesn't seem to fit anymore," he began. A sly grin slipped across his face. "It certainly doesn't... accent... your new appearance,"
"No, sirs," Zim replied, looking thoroughly bewildered. He hadn't expected the report to go quite the way it was.
"We have to have that fixed," Purple nodded, sagely. He glanced at Tallest Red, leering. "Don't we?"
Tallest Red chuckled.
"Oh yes, we do,"
----------------------
Dib shuffled through a large pile that coated the floor to his room. He searched, muttering quietly to himself as he examined various paranormal equipment. He sorted through cameras, folders, blueprints, and various 'anti-alien' weapons that he tended to use against Zim.
Dib blinked, suddenly, and gently picked up a picture. He looked at it, thoughtfully. The picture was of Zim, though the alien was in his rather pathetic disguise. Zim looked outraged, shrieking from a perch high in a tree. Dib had chased the alien up the tree when he discovered that Zim had forgotten to take his usual precautions against water.
Dib chuckled. Zim barely escaped the watery dousing Dib had planned, climbing the tree with incredible speed. The two had stood at a stalemate, as Dib couldn't get Zim but refused to let him get down. Eventually, however, Zim was more or less rescued by his odd little robot. The robot had blown up the tree, sending Zim and Dib flying in different directions.
Dib glanced out the window, his eyes searching the stars. A couple years had passed since he first met Zim and set about capturing the rather odd alien. Many people thought he was obsessed with Zim; even when the two had entered highskool, Dib hounded the 'funny green-skinned kid'.
Unfortunately for Zim, there were other teenagers in highskool who shared Dib's interests in the paranormal and actually started to believe him. Everything seemed to be going in Dib's favor until the unthinkable happened: one of the other kids had almost captured Zim. Dib shivered at the memory.
One of the teenagers had set a devious plot; Dib was ashamed that he hadn't thought of it. Using the knowledge that Dib had aquired about Zim, the teenager had tricked Zim into stepping in the center of a large water fountain ring. The second Zim was in the center, gushes of water sprayed upwards around the alien to prevent his escape. Though he had bathed in paste, Zim was so terrified of the water that he was unable to do anything to escape. In the end, the only way Zim had escaped was through pure luck. One of the valves had broken, giving Zim just enough time to escape before the water closed in on him.
Dib felt a growl form in his throat. After the incident, Dib had made it clear to the others that Zim was his responsibility. He had been after Zim for years, despite the ridicule and harassment, and no one but him had the right to capture the alien.
Dib blinked, then tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling.
Dib had practically grown up with Zim; there wasn't much about Zim that Dib didn't know, and vice versa. Though they were constantly at war, Dib was perhaps the first and only person to see Zim grow up in to a dashing young alien.
Dib choked and shook his head. He scowled and glared down at his pictures of the Irken. He quietly arranged them, in chronological order. His eyes burned with an intense fire as he stared at them. When Zim had arrived on Earth, he had been a cute but utterly obnoxious alien with a definite ego problem. After years of living on earth, Zim...
... was still a cute but utterly obnoxious alien with a definite ego problem.
However, the cuteness itself had evolved from childish to a more adult feature. Dib smirked to himself. Perhaps, if Zim had worn something other than his stupid cocktail dress, the other children could have seen past his green skin and realized just how attractive the alien was.
Dib blinked again, then growled.
"He's the enemy," Dib hissed. "He's trying to CONQUER EARTH. Who cares about anything else!?"
Dib picked up the pictures and stuffed them in a folder, then bit his lower lip.
"Well, he's not THE enemy," Dib corrected himself. Such a general assessment had nearly cost Dib his alien. The truth was much more possessive; far more personal than the world. A sly grin crossed Dib face. "He's MY enemy,"