Were art my forte, this would be a lovely picture for you to enjoy. That would be the goal. But writing is my forte, therefore, excuse the shortness of this piece and focus on the fluff. THE FLUFF, I SAY! For it shall be glorious! I've heard that Dib started the series out at 10, and then ended up at 12? But I'm not sure how that worked out so if anyone knows his canon age as of the end of season 2...I would sure appreciate it! This takes place around five years after that. Enjoy~
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"C-curse your wretchedly cold planet!"
"I told you to bring a jacket..."
"Zim needs n-no jacket!"
"Uh huh...so you like being cold?"
"An Irken does n-not get c-cold!"
"Then why are your teeth chattering?"
The response was an angry glare from a certain Irken and Dib smirked vaguely in reply. After five years, some things had changed and some had remained the same. Certainly, Dib had grown in five years time and come to tower over the little invader. [Much to said invader's chagrin]. The relationship between them had changed as well. The rivalry and angst had become something less volatile and more...comfortable. Which accounted for the pair of them being out near midnight in the dead of winter, the threat of a storm impending, watching for the arrival of their time traveling counter-parts to circumvent utter doom. Just the usual, really.
One thing that had never changed was how dearly Dib loved to get under the little Irken's skin, a mutual feeling on Zim's part towards Dib himself. And another was that, despite himself, he did care about the invader. Even if he did occasionally want to throttle him, or shove a sock in his mouth, either would do.
Dib sighed dramatically as he slipped off his jacket and promptly bundled it around the small mass of pink and green beside him. Zim made a noise of surprised protest, which Dib ignored as he plopped Zim onto his lap and draped an arm around the other's stomach casually.
"D-Dib-filth! Release me at once! Zim commands it-agh!"
Dib clamped his free hand over Zim's mouth while he kept the other around Zim, thus trapping the Irken in his jacket and on his lap. "Relax, Zim...you're warmer now, right?" he murmured.
Zim, who had till that point been squirming in outrage, suddenly stilled and seemed to consider it. Dib waited until the alien had cocked his head thoughtfully before he lowered the hand from Zim's mouth. Zim tilted his head back so that it was leaned against Dib's mid-stomach, and he eyed the human thoughtfully before he finally replied. "I wasn't cold, stupid-Dib. But I suppose that this is...more tolerable." he squirmed for effect as he said. "You make a better chair than the ground."
Dib smiled with a mixture of exasperation and fondness. "Is that right?"
"Yes, yes it is." Zim replied evenly, oblivious to Dib's vague sarcasm. "These time-travelers had best arrive soon. They're late." he grumbled. "It was your fault, obviously."
"My fault? How do you figure that?" Dib lifted a brow down at the invader.
"Well it wouldn't be the fault of Zim, so naturally, it would be the Dib-beast's fault." Zim explained, and Dib rolled his eyes.
"Whatever you say, Zim..."
A moment of silence passed between them before the bundled Irken nuzzled his back into Dib's stomach, and a small, clawed hand found it's way out of the jacket to rest atop Dib's own hand. "Zim forgives you though, you can't help being a worm-baby."
Dib had a feeling that the hand on his had less to do with a gesture of forgiveness and more to do with the stubborn Irken enjoying Dib's proximity, but he didn't mind. He'd already admitted to himself that he preferred the Irken's company too. "Just like you can't help being obnoxious..." he muttered under his breath.
A sharp pair of pink-eyes jerked upwards. "What was that?" An expression suspiciously like a pout had formed on Zim's mouth, and Dib fought back a laugh.
"Just commenting on how...generous you are. Forgiving me and all."
Zim's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and then with a huff, he settled back against Dib again. "Zim is very generous." he agreed. A beat passed before Zim spoke again, and there was a note of hesitation in his tone. "The use of your...jacket-thing is appreciated, as is your...warmth."
Dib lifted a brow in surprise before he smiled and lowered to rest his chin on Zim's head. The Irken made another noise of protest and squirmed, but in the end heaved a heavy sigh and allowed it. Without using his PAK, he couldn't force Dib off anyway. "You're welcome, Zim."
"I didn't say 'thank you'!"
"Not out loud." Dib agreed. Zim pinched Dib's hand in revenge, and Dib winced but kept his smile. "Shorty."
"You agreed you would not call Zim that name again!" The invader sounded horrified. Dib's height advantage was a bee in Zim's bonnet, so to speak, particulary given Irken hierarchy being based on height and all.
"I agreed that sometimes I wouldn't." Dib corrected.
"You are vile, Dib-stink. And your head is big." Zim muttered sullenly.
Dib rolled his eyes again before a flash of light caught his attention and a pair of time-travelers came into view as they crash landed a Vortian cruiser. As Dib and Zim [their younger selves] exited the pod, the Dib of the present time didn't bother to hide his smirk.
"Agh! I told you not to press the hyper-space button before we'd left the atmosphere!"
"Silence, Dib-worm! You do not command Zim!"
"Look at the ship! That's your fault!"
"LIES!"
The younger versions of Dib and Zim squared off, each glaring, and the present Dib took a moment to keep hold of Zim just a little longer as he teased.
"Looks like your fault to me, Zim."
Zim made a noise suspiciously like a groan as he said begrudgingly. "Oh, be silent, Dib-filth."
Dib grinned as he promptly shoved the invader off of him and rose to brush himself off. He plucked up his then-discared jacket and was rewarded by a fierce glare from Zim. Dib narrowly avoided what he was sure would be either a tongue-lashing or a series of curses and threats by starting down the cliffside.
"You stinking human, you-hey! Wait! Do not leave without Zim!" Zim darted off after a smiling Dib, and the pair headed together towards their next adventure.
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So it was supposed to be my first drabble, more of a 'Zim=cold=Dib puts jacket on Zim and holds him=vague protest fluff=end'. [Since I envisioned it as a short comic reel in my head] But this came out. And it's fluffy as Hell, and future!Dib is kind of a badass, and they're too damned cute together. XD Can be viewed as ZADF or ZADR, I love both. And I want to play with this pair more. Bwaha. Enjoy~ and written hugs make my world bright, by the by. XD~ Witchy~