The trip to Vort was a long one, taking a little over a week to get there. In that time Dib hardly moved from the side of Zim's cot as the said Irken still slept in a comatose like state. He had learned the Koirbian's name was Rizlie and before taking the job on Yukinzaina he was a technician on his home planet, Koirbiis. Tenn and him had developed somewhat of a friendship as she spent a few months in his shop, assisting him with the building of her voot and odd jobs for him here and there. He was one of the only aliens that she'd allow to even touch her ship, let alone repair it. His race was a favorite at the Battle Arena for their skin colors, and easily managed to find employment on request of Tenn for the mission. Like everyone on the ship, Rizlie couldn't wait to see the Tallest fall. He at one point had a family, but thanks to Red and Purple demanding they supply more than sixty percent of their resources for the ever growing armada. One night while he worked late in his shop, an unknown burglar stumbled upon his home and slaughtered his mate and five children.

Skoodge had been on the brunt of endless torment and mockery since his hatch day. His height and weight were the constant source of amusement for the Tallest and the Armada. He tried his best to live up to the name Invader, even capturing a planet for his leaders in the process it was to his knowledge it would be used as just an embassy for galactic conquest, but he later found out they planned on erasing his existence along with the entire planet in an organic sweep. His size ended helping him survive underground where a couple thousand residents from the planet took shelter. Skoodge eventually managed to help the remaining aliens off the planet and made sure they got to Earth safely where they could relocate to a planet outside of Irk's control. It didn't make up for the deaths of millions the armada inflicted upon the planet, and Skoodge mourned over that fact every day since.

Tenn had made her base on the planet Meekrob, which wasn't too far away from Koirbiis. Although her title was Invader, she actually was sent there as a scout, required to send information about the planets residents and evaluate their potential usefulness to the empire. She was only there for a couple of weeks before realizing the Meekrob themselves were beings made up of pure energy, and it was impossible for Tenn and her SIR unit to successfully blend in. Her SIR unit was destroyed once she was discovered and was captured, forced to months of hard labor. It was actually Zim and Skoodge who infiltrated their planet and rescued her, unleashing hundreds of malfunctioning SIR units onto the populous as a distraction to safely make their escape. If it weren't for Skoodge practically begging for the Elite to help to avoid a now obvious excuse for the Empire to declare war on the unsuspecting species, Tenn would have died on that planet. They took her to Koirbiis and had Rizlie build her a new voot, Skoodge staying with her while Zim returned to the Massive for his next assignment.

Dib also learned there were a few other Irkens, Vortians, Meekrob, Screwheads as well as a few other races on Earth, undercover and disguised as humans as they waited for the rest of the group to to join the resistance. As far as Tenn and Skoodge were aware, there were quite a few willing to join the rebellion, even a few planets offering their support. He tried to listen to the other three talk as often as he could, trying to take his mind off of the fear nagging in the back of his mind about Zim. He knew the wound was serious, and what little supplies they had wasn't enough to wake him up. Tenn tried reassuring him that with injuries like that, the PAK shuts the body down to focus all of its energy into healing, but that still didn't rid him of the gut wrenching filling that Zim would never wake up.

"Hey, human." Tenn's voice called out from the pilot's seat. Dib looked up, giving her a blank stare in reply. "We're getting close to Vort. Make sure your stuff is packed and ready to go. Once we pull Zim away from my ships charging cables we're only going to have ten minutes to get him inside and hooked back up." She returned her gaze to the endless stream of stars, a small, blue planet beginning to come into view.

The human silently gathered up his and his partner's belongings and pulled the straps over his shoulders. He stared down at the Irken on the cot, stroking back his antenna while he braced himself for the landing. Tenn hit a switch above her head, disguising the voot as a delivery vessel before hitting the planets atmosphere. Using his free hand, Dib gripped the cot tightly as the ship began to shake violently. He looked back towards the windshield and couldn't help but stare at the planet in awe. It was a light blue planet that had two moons and one sun. As they got closer to the ground, he could make out beautiful, round buildings that ranged from whites, blues and purples. The bigger buildings were obviously made for work or shopping, while the smaller ones seemed to be housing. The Vortian's resembled much of the buildings, their skin colors different between the three shades.

He swallowed thickly as they hovered over a medium sized, white/grey domed building. The roof opened up, allowing Tenn to land on the inside of the structure. The inside looked almost like an attic, boxes piled in the corner of the room with an elevator on the other end, an ominous purple glow emitting from it. Dib gently scooped the Irken up in his arms while Skoodge unhooked the cables that were attached to his PAK. "Skidge should be waiting for us in the labs below. I'll take you there while Tenn and Rizlie finish up here."

"Y-yeah… Just tell me what to do." Dib replied, unable to hide the uneasiness in his voice as he followed the tiny Invader to the elevator. He held Zim close to his chest as the descended to the bowels of the building. The human began to tap his foot impatiently as precious minutes passed before the doors finally slid open. His eyes fell upon a Vortian standing next to what looked like an operating table, skin a soft shade of lavender with salmon colored eyes.

The Vortian glanced up as the three approached, stepping aside while he motioned to the table. "Lay him there." He said, his voice surprisingly deep for his size. Vortians didn't seem that much shorter than the Irkens Dib noted. The mysterious stranger pushed a cart over to the table while Dib set Zim gently down on his back, hooking a series of cables up to his PAK. "Remove his bandages, I need to access the damage this idiot has done."

The human once again did as he was told, frowning slightly. "What's your problem?" He growled, carefully cutting off the cloth around the Irken's chest.

"This is Skidge, a renowned scientist here on Vort and Irk." Skoodge peeped, stepping between the human and Vortian. "He's been helping our people build weapons and upgrades for our vessels for a number of years now. Him and Zim go waaaaay back." The tiny Invader nodded to himself.

Dib continued to frown. Something about this guy seemed, ioff/i to him. "Go way back huh… I'm sure I'll love this story." He groaned before looking back down at Zim. He watched as Skidge inspected the wound before he pulled down a flat screen with handles on the side that was attached to a flexible rod attached to the ceiling. The Vortian hovered the device over the sewn up hole on his chest, taping his claws against the screen a few times before pulling it away.

"Oh yeah! Before Zim became an Elite he worked with Skidge here for quite a few years designing super weapons for the armada. They even broke into a prison just to-"

"Enough Skoodge." Skidge hissed, pushing the screen back up towards the wall before walking over to his computer that was stationed just a few feet away. "I need to concentrate." Another frown found its way onto Dib's lips; It was obvious the purple skinned alien was hiding something. Skidge grabbed a pair of scissors and carefully began cutting through the stitches. "I suggest you both leave now." He looked up at the human, eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm sure you don't want to see his organs strewn out across my table, do you." It wasn't a question, almost a demand as the Vortian went back to cutting.

Dib quickly looked away as fresh pink blood oozed from the gaping hole in Zim's chest. "I'm not going anywhere." He stated, sitting down at the computer while he kept a close eye on the two. He crossed one leg over the other, twirling his thumbs around one another. Despite the growing resentment he was harboring for the Vortian he couldn't help but ask in a small, worried voice. "Is… Zim going to be alright…?"

There was a long pause while Skidge cut through the last of the wires that kept the singed skin together, the sound of the metal scissors clanking onto the table startling the human a bit. "In short, yes." His low voice rang out. "I was briefed on what happened, how this occurred. If he hadn't have turned around, he'd be dead. It would have hit his PAK and after that there's nothing I or anyone else can do. He's extremely lucky." Skidge walked over to the cart and grabbed a pair of tongs, picking the scissors back up as he began cutting off the already dead flesh inside and out. "The blast didn't go all the way through his organs, which is promising. He has a few broken ribs, on top of internal bleeding. I'm surprised his PAK kept him alive this long without proper treatment."

The human stared in silence as he watched the Vortian rip the Irken apart. A sense of guilt hitting him in the gut. What if it was his fault? If Zim hadn't tried to keep him safe, none of this would have happened. He clenched his fists tightly, knuckles turning white. Hours passed, the sound of silence mixed with the clanking of steel and the squishing and flopping of Zim's insides was beginning to make Dib sick. He felt lightheaded and wanted to stand up to check on his mate, but he feared that if he tried that his legs would give out beneath him.

Just when he began to feel the bile rise in the back of, Skidge spoke. "There, that should do it." He wiped the sweat on his forehead before scratching the base of one of his horns. "I would fix his PAK leg but," He chuckled softly, walking over to what appeared to be a sink and began washing his hands. "I'm not in the mood to be yelled at for messing with it." Once he cleaned himself up, he looked at Dib, gesturing at the Irken on the table. "Skoodge will show you to the spare bedroom. Take Zim there. I'm sure he'll be waking up anytime now."

Dib slowly stood up, making his way metal table, gently scooping Zim up in his arms while Skidge disconnected the cables from his PAK. Honey colored eyes looked down at the Irken's almost peaceful face, letting out a small sigh as he followed the tiny Invader to the room. He gently placed Zim on his back and thanked Skoodge before closing the door. He felt so drained. The human rubbed his hands over his face, the lack of sleep over the duration of his time on the voot finally hit him. Carefully, he laid down next to Zim and stroked back his antenna. He watched as the ex Elite's eyelids seemed to twitch in response. He felt a wave of relief wash over him as a quiet purr bubbled up in Zim's throat. Thank the gods... In the first time in nearly a week, Dib allowed his eyes to flutter shut and sleep to take ahold of him.

It first began with an tickle, then an itch. Zim struggled to force his eyes open as the pain relievers administered from his PAK was still flowing strong in his bloodstream. Black, leathery stalks twtiched atop his head. Zim glanced to the left and was surprised to be met with Dib's sleeping face, his scythe-lock bouncing ever so slightly over his antenna while he breathed. The feelers twitched again and ever so slightly the Irken moved his head away until he could no longer feel the hairs dance across his head. Zim stared at the human for a while, noting the dark heavy circles under his eyes. Letting out a small sigh he looked around the unfamiliar room in slight confusion while he tried sort out the blurred memories of the arena. He tried to sit up, pain immediately shooting through his body. Managing to push himself into a sitting position, Zim let out pained grunt and inspected the bandages across his abdomen and chest.

He remembered running with Dib and feeling his PAK leg get destroyed. He pushed Dib through the doors and turned around to attempt to fend off some of the attackers to buy some time for the others to get to safety, and took a blast right above his spooch. Zim frowned, placing a hand over the wound. What a stupid mistake… worse than a smeet... He thought for a moment before shaking his head. No, if he hadn't turned around… He wouldn't have survived his PAK getting destroyed.

Zim slowly began to swing his legs over the side of the bed, one hand planted firmly on his chest, the other gripping the headboard. He let out another small, pained noise despite his best efforts to remain quite. Irkens weren't supposed to feel pain. Irkens weren't supposed to feel at all. He supposed that didn't matter anymore anyway, seeing as the human was the only one in the room, and he was beyond knocked out. Zim looked around the room once more as the drugs began to wear off, clearing his mind a little. They were in a very small room, cables lining the ceilings and walls. The bed was hardly a bed at all; It was no better than laying on a rock. The room was a faded grey blue and the nightstand next to the bed held a few of Dib's sanitary items and a clean outfit. Zim shuddered, realizing he had been stripped down completely. Whether this was before or after his apparent surgery was lost on him, and he snarled at the idea of a stranger seeing him nude.

He smacked his lips. They were dry and felt cracked and he desperately needed a drink. And food. His stomach felt like it was eating itself which caused the Irken to nearly gag. Zim looked back to make sure Dib was still asleep, not wanting to wake him up as it seemed he really could use some rest. Zim wondered how the human reacted after the whole ordeal. He vaguely recalled the look of horror on his face once they were inside Tenn's voot. There was something else mixed in, and he remembered joking about the younger male being in love with him. The thought of Dib actually holding that level of affection made his spooch flop. No one had ever had any feelings for Zim other than contempt, well, maybe a few aliens tolerated him, but nevertheless it was an odd thought. What if Dib did love him? Did Dib even know what love was. Zim was familiar with the term himself, he had seen it in many different races, even some Irkens like Skoodge. Defective Irkens that is. So what did that make Zim? Obviously he wasn't defective. He was ever loyal to his Empire and race. And the Tallest. The real Tallest anyway. Red and Purple were frauds, running their beautiful race into the brink of an all out war the likes their people have never seen. But even still he felt something for Dib. He felt anger, annoyance, but he also felt pride in the human. He felt protective and possessive, and he was obviously attracted to him enough to hold him to the highest honor of affection just below his Tallest. He chose him as a mate, which was rare in itself for an Irken.

But mates were more of a pairing of lust than real affection. Those inconvenient feelings died with Tallest Miyuki, Tallest Spork directing not only the Control Brains but the entire race towards a militant way of life. Feelings other than dominance and hate and pride for the empire were frowned upon. And when Red and Purple came to power anyone who did have more than that were deemed defective. Yet here Zim was, fighting in a constant internal war as he found himself actually caring for Dib. He wanted to fight him, punch him, kick him, claw him. He wanted so badly to hate him and just be rid of the confusion… But he couldn't. He wanted to be near him. He wanted Dib to stroke back his antenna to lull him to sleep at night, to hold him, dominate him, or be dominated. He wanted to continue watching him grow into a stronger and better version of himself, all the while standing by Dib's side, helping guide him along. He wanted to feel those lips against his and to be lost in the world of bliss and desire. But most importantly, he wanted Dib. He wanted the human all to himself and to let the universe know that he belonged to Zim and Zim alone.

Irken's weren't supposed to feel.

Zim shook his head, deciding it was better to focus his attention on filling his belly with something hot and delicious. He furrowed his nonexistent brows and pushed himself off the bed, his legs giving out almost immediately. Throwing out both hands, the Irken managed to catch himself on the nightstand and knocked over the bottles of soap and spare clothes. Slow, uneven pants left his lips as white hot pain erupted throughout his body. He gritted his teeth. Gods how he felt pathetic.

Dib rarely dreamt, and tonight was no exception. For the most part he was a pretty light sleeper. But going almost a whole week with less than ten hours of sleep really did a number on a person. Once he knew Zim was stable and expected to wake sometime soon, he felt an enormous weight lifted off of his shoulders. It felt like he could breathe again. Dib couldn't help but to scootch himself as close to the Irken as possible to make sure when he did stir from his comatose state, he would wake up too. He knew how stubborn the fool was and would probably try and walk as soon as his eyes opened. And he was right.

Golden irises darted around the room as the small commotion made by Zim jolted him back into reality. He shot up from the bed and onto his feet as panic set in. "Wha-!? Zim!" He rushed over hunched over Irken and gently placed his hands on his shoulders. "What in the seven hells do you think you're doing?" He tried to calm his voice down. It didn't take a genius to know that raising your voice to an Irken was the last thing you wanted to do. Especially one as touchy as Zim.

Zim's eyes narrowed as he heard the Dib awaken with a start, clenching the nightstand tightly and causing his knuckles to turn a pale shade of green. His shoulders tensed as the human put gentle hands on them, letting out an irritated snarl as he refused to look back at him. "I'm hungry… And require something to drink. Now let me go."

Dib rolled his eyes. Sometimes Zim really, really pissed him off. He let out a slow sigh, calming his nerves down once again and carefully removing the jade hands off of the steel table. "Look, just- just let me help okay? You're already starting to bleed through your bandages, which means the stitches popped off. I'll get what you whatever food you want, as long as this planet has it… And I'll grab that Skidge guy and have him come fix your stitches. If you don't you're just going to bleed out again and have to suffer recovering for a longer period of time."

Zim's frown worsened, but- the Dib had a point, as much as he hated to admit that to himself, and he certainly wasn't about to admit it to Dib. If there was one thing he hated more than his Tallest, it was being vulnerable and weak. But he wasn't about to give up control of the situation without making it seem like this was all his idea. "Yes… You slaving for Zim does sound more appealing than starving to death." He blinked slowly. Wait, did he say-

"Skidge? We're at Skidge's?"

Zim finally looked back at his partner, expression full of surprise and, if Dib caught it right, excitement. This caused a rush of jealousy to course through Dib's veins. He felt his face twitch in aggravation but forced himself to keep a neutral expression. "Yes, we're on Vort. Tenn and Skoodge are finding us a new ship while Skidge was busy fixing you." He suddenly recalled the conversation between him and Skoodge and something that Skidge was hiding about him and Zim's relationship.

The Irken hummed and nodded, surprisingly letting Dib sit him back in bed. "Well this is, an unexpected turn… But I suppose if Zim were to trust anyone with his, repairs, than Skidge is an optimal candidate." He nodded to himself and slowly leaned back against the headboard, careful not to rip anymore stitches. When he finally looked back at Dib, he was taken aback by the bitter expression on his face. "What?"

Dib hadn't even realized he was scowling until the Irken was giving him a somewhat concerned look. He quickly averted his gaze and started to the door. "Just don't get up again…" He grumbled. "I'll be back soon." With that he left, slamming the door behind him.

Magenta eyes slowly blinked, confusion riddled over Zim's face. "Hey wait! I didn't tell you what I desire to snack on!"

Nearly stomping out of the room, Dib let out a frustrated growl. He knew he was acting like a smeet, but he couldn't help the jealousy taking over him. Just what happened between those two? Zim doesn't care about anyone but himself, well he cared about the human too… But that's besides the point. The Irken doesn't get excited to see others, he prefers to stay far away from them as possible! But seeing his eyes light up at the sound of Skidge, it really, really-

"Pisses me off." Dib growled, making his way back into he labs where Skoodge and Skidge were. They appeared to be going over their plans once they arrived on Earth. It looked like the Vortian would be joining them. The human stopped and listened for a few moments, forcing his frown off of his face before he approached the two aliens. "Zim's awake…" His voice rang out through the labs as he looked at the startled Vortian. "He opened his stitches." Dib turned his attention to Skoodge. "Hey, do you know where I can find something for him to eat and drink?"

Skoodge once again stared up at the human in awe of his height before he registered the question. "Oh yeah, I guess he would be starving about now." The small Invader nodded to himself, walking towards the elevator. "This will probably be your only chance to see Vort once we get to Earth… It'll probably be your only chance to see any planet after that honestly." He said solemnly. "So I'll take you around the markets and help you pick a few things out. We need supplies for the trip anyway."

Dib followed him in silence, shooting Skidge a quick glance as he did. Gods he really wanted to know what was up between those two. He figured he'd get an answer sooner or later, probably sooner if he could get it out of Skoodge. He nodded to himself and followed the Irken out of the lab and onto the streets of Vort.

Skidge watched the human leave with a somewhat amused look. "Zim sure knows how to pick em huh…?" He quietly mumbled to himself before grabbing the medical supplies and making his way to the room. Said Irken was still sitting in the bed, already tearing off the bandages around his chest. "You can't even wait five minutes before trying to do that yourself?" Skidge commented, giving Zim a small smirk. "Glad to see some things never change." He placed the medical box on the nightstand before shooing gloved hands away. "Stop before you tear even more."

Zim hardly looked up when the Vortian walked in, and huffed with an aggravated pout, letting his hands go limp at his sides. "Looks like you're doing well for yourself… Ya know. Since we broke out of that horrible prison." He glanced at the other's arm, seeing the faint tattoo on his skin. 777. Zim took in a sharp breath as Skidge wasted no time in cleaning and stitching the wound. "Nngg-! S-stop you idiot!" Jade hands darted out to smack away Skidge's, hissing in irritation. "I wasn't ready!"

Skidge sighed and pulled back, giving the Irken a few moments to collect himself before getting back at the task at hand. "Yes… I was doing pretty well for myself. Got myself a nice little house, a steady, SAFE job." He glanced up at Zim's face, giving him a small smirk. "But you just had to come and drag me away from all that didn't you?" The Vortian shrugged before finishing the stitching and set his tools down on the nightstand next to the bed. "But I suppose if it's to bring down the Tallest, I don't really mind giving this all up again…" His voice grew somewhat soft as he spoke the last sentence, his gaze distant as he stared down at his arm.

Taking in a sharp breath as Skidge went back to closing his wound, Zim squeezed his eyes shut. It was odd, seeing as he could operate on himself without batting an eye, but watching someone else tug and stab away at his flesh made his skin crawl and insides queasy. He slowly opened them as the other began to speak, a small frown finding its way across his lips. "I'm not the one who decided to come here." Zim huffed, looking away. "Anyway… The human… did he seem, erm, uninjured?" Mentally he cursed himself for being unable to hide the hint of concern that lingered in his voice.

Salmon colored eyes flickered up to meet Zim's gaze, inwardly frowning at the obvious way the Irken cared for Dib but keeping his expression somewhat neutral. "Physically, I suppose he's fine. Though he could use a little more sleep. But he seems to be somewhat hostile towards me." He shrugged and stood up to stretch, letting out a small sigh as several joints gave a series of audible pops. "Or jealous. Skoodge can't keep his mouth shut to save his life."

Zim frowned once again. "That Skoodge… I'll make sure he pays for this once I'm able to move on my own." He rubbed his temples in aggravation and a quiet huff escaped his lips. "Whatever… I suppose the Dib-Stink was going to find out sooner or later, though I would have preferred later- never even. It's not like it was ever anything serious to begin with."

The Vortian's eyes narrowed slightly at the comment and slowly made his way to the door. "Yeah… Not serious." His voice lowered as he said this, slamming his hand on the panel on the wall a little harder than he needed too. "I have work to do. Don't make me come back in here for something stupid again eh?" With that, he hurried out of the room, leaving Zim alone.

Antenna flattened, Zim glared at the door as Skidge left. "What on Irk is going on..?"

"So yeah, they ended up going on a mission together. A prison breakout or something and when they came back they were… Different." Skoodge casually spoke, doing his best to keep up with the humans large strides as they walked around the town square. "It was kinda obvious after a while they were an item. I honestly don't know why they ended up not working out."

Normally, Dib would be jumping up and down with joy to get a chance to explore a new, alien world, but the more the small Irken talked, the more his blood boiled with rage. He'd be lying to himself if he said he wasn't slightly embarrassed he was acting this way since he never really acted or felt this way before. Logically, there shouldn't be any reason why he should feel angry and jealous, but it started to consume him. Thinking that someone else was treated the same way he was by Zim hurt. And Skoodge definitely wasn't helping. He shot said Irken a glare at his last comment and growled under his breath.

Skoodge tensed and stammered. "N-not that it's a bad thing they split! It's good! Yeah! Because then he wouldn't be with you. And h-honestly if you ask me, he seems waaaaay happier with you than he ever was with Skidge! It's obvious Zim really really loves you!"

Dib felt his cheeks grow hot. Love? Irkens weren't capable of love… Were they? Zim at least knew what it was since he teased Dib for having those same feelings for him- but did that mean that Zim also loved him back? He looked back down at Skoodge, narrowing his eyes slightly. "It's not funny to joke about that Skoodge… Zim doesn't love anyone but himself. No Irken does." He practically spat the words out. There's no way the ex-Elite could reciprocate the human's feelings…

"Well that's not entirely true… It's rare, but Irkens are capable of falling in love and choosing mates. Life long mates anyway. It's not uncommon for us to have flings, relationships that aren't serious. It's more of a physical relationship than anything…" He licked his lips, choosing his words carefully. "I know… that Skidge and Zim never… You know. That's honestly probably why they ended up going their separate ways. But with you…" His chartreuse cheeks burned as he thought about the two and quickly diverted the conversation away from that specific topic. " He's overprotective. Super overprotective. Like the way we are with our tallest. He's always talking about you- mostly complaining but it's all empty words. An act. I see the way he watches you, the way he interacts with you… Which is why I'm sure he loves you… We aren't supposed to hold anyone as high as our leaders and he obviously holds you just as high if not higher…"

"And how do you know that?" Dib asked curiously, mindlessly eyeing down the market stalls, picking up random items and looking them over before setting the back down. "You talk like you've felt that way with someone."

Skoodge twirled his thumbs around each other, worrying his bottom lip. "Well, I have… Frankly I still do… but-" His voice trailed off, letting out a small sigh. "Irkens who end up having these kinds of feelings- We're defective." The last bit came out in a quiet, defeated voice, antenna going limp against his scalp. "We aren't suppposed to feel these things but some of us do, and the Control Brains label us as defective and we're killed off… Not only that but it's degrading to be called that, let alone live with that for the rest of your life. Zim… Probably doesn't even realize it himself just how deep he feels for you, or if he does he's doing all he can to fight it…"

Dib fell silent as he listened intently to the words the Irken next to him was saying, eyes widening slightly. He heard Blin talk of defectives and even Zim has mentioned his disgust with them, but to think that Zim himself could be one was- well it explained a lot… Like why his attitude constantly shifted. One minute he was cold and reserved, the next he was crawling into Dib's bed and taking whatever affection the human had to offer. Or why he constantly tried starting arguments just to end them with a simple hug or kiss or how quick he was to avoid answering the human when questioned about what they are and what Dib is to him. Dib let out a small sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "And I suppose bringing up the subject won't get me anywhere… And I'll just have to wait until he accepts his feelings…" He looked down at Skoodge. "Is it really so bad to be defective? I mean it's not like having feelings or caring for someone other than yourself is a bad thing."

Skoodge shrugged and began looking over the strange food in one of the stalls as he started gathering supplies for their trip, eyeballing different fruits and snacks. "Depends on who you ask I suppose. Some defective Irkens live normal lives outside the empire… Like me. But others, they don't. Being defective is more than just feeling things you aren't supposed to feel. We have billions of codes in our PAK's that tell us who we are, what to do, and who we serve as well as other things. Being defective means that certain codes somewhere, somehow down the line became corrupted, which hinders us from following the Tallest and Control Brains blindly without question, feeling, thinking and doing whatever they say when they say it. Sometimes those corruptions are superficial and most Irkens live their lives without even knowing. Sometimes, like with me and probably Zim, it makes us question our empire and we make our own choices based off what we want and feel. But then there are those whose corruption are too much- they can't function or live and slip into an everlasting nightmare of madness. We need our PAK's to survive. We need those codes to be correct so the machinery can continue to keep our bodies and minds functioning…" Skoodge handed the merchant change before making his way to the next stall. "I've tinkered with my PAK enough I got rid of nonessential codes so I can live without the fear of the corrupted data completely destroying me from the inside out… Eventually Zim will have to as well." He glanced up at Dib and smiled, handing him the bag before picking out more items.

Worry washed over Dib as he contemplated Zim's seemingly inevitable future. Is Zim truly defective? If he was should Dib even bring up the subject or wait until Zim realized it himself? If Zim couldn't handle the fact that there's something wrong with his PAK would he become another statistic and go insane? He gripped the bag tightly in his hand as he stared at the ground, thoughts quickly becoming cloudy with a hundred 'what if' scenarios. "Is- If he's defective… Am I the reason for that..?" He asked Skoodge quietly, unable to bring himself to look at the Invader.

Skoodge gave Dib a quick glance before filling up another bag and handing it to him. "I wouldn't worry about it Dib… You don't randomly become a defect. It happens from the moment the PAK is created. In all honesty, there's more defective Irkens than there are 'perfect' ones. When Zim realizes he is," He gave the human a reassuring smile. "He'll have you by his side. Sure he might be upset but you're his mate. The one he's chosen for the rest of his life. He wouldn't let those codes corrupt more data and risk dying over it. He'll be fine."

Dib slowly nodded, taking in a small breath before following Skoodge to the next stall. "Speaking of Zim…" He rolled his eyes with a sigh. "He wanted something to eat. I'm not even going to pretend I know what any of this stuff around here is, so can I trust you to pick something out that'll get him off my back?"

Skoodge laughed lightly as he continued to shop. "Yeah, yeah. I know what Zim will eat and enjoy from here. Just tell him you picked it out." He said, giving the human a playful wink. "Trust me."

Zim groaned, staring at the door with a scowl. Nearly three hours had passed since Dib stormed out and Skidge left him alone. He was used to spending most of his time alone. He always had. But despite his best efforts to deny the sickening feeling in the pit of his spooch, he felt lonely. The Irken hated the fact that he had grown so accustomed to Dib's presence over the years and he hated just how much he wanted the human to come back. Even if they went several hours or days without speaking Dib's company filled whatever void unspoken words left and Zim found comfort just being near him. He sighed, looking away from the door and focused his gaze on his bandaged torso.

The pain had long since faded, replaced by a dull ache, though the wound itself was still tender to the touch. The longer he sat alone in the room the more he tried to remember what Dib had been saying while he lay unconscious. His non-existent brow furrowed the harder he thought. It seemed like something important had been said between them… more than once. Whether it was the Dib human or, much to Zim' s dismay, himself, he couldn't recall. Maybe nothing really had been said and he simply imagined the whole thing. He nodded to himself. Yes. He had a tendency to over imagine and this was one of those times.

But why could he vividly remember his human hunched over him- tears steadily streaming down his cheeks as he sobbed like a little smeet? The thought of Dib making that face caused Zim' s spooch to tighten. While it was somewhat flattering to have someone look at him with such raw emotions like that the Irken never wanted to make Dib feel like that again. The mere thought caused pain in his own chest, a grimace settling on his face. (Did he tell the human he loved him? Or did the human confess to him?) He felt his cheeks grow warm at the thought and quickly shook his head. No. Irken's don't feel love.

Irkens don't feel anything.

Yet here he was, thinking more and more about what may or may not have been said and getting himself flustered. Zim sighed, petting back his antenna with a frustrated groan.

Dib looked down at the brown bag filled with- well he wasn't quite sure what the contents actually were. Skoodge had taken the liberty to pick out mulitple forms of food and drinks for the injured Irken and honestly, Dib wasn't sure if he wanted to know what he was carrying in his arms. He was pretty sure something in there was squirming and alive and he'd be lying if he said it didn't make his skin crawl.

As he approached the door, a wave of hesitation filled him. Since Zim woke up, he'd been nothing but short and curt with him. He honestly hated himself for it- acting like such a child over unjustified jealousy. Dib had been briefly filled in on Skidge's role in Zim's past. They were colleagues and somewhat friends. They went on some kind of mission to infiltrate a high security prison to break out Skoodge. (As unlikely as that seemed.) Something happened between them, only Zim and Skidge knew what that was to be exact… thinking about that bothered Dib to no end… obviously Zim had a past before meeting him… But he had just assumed that he had been the Irkens first- well anything.

Dib shook his head with a heavy sigh. Why should any of that matter anyway? No matter his past Zim was with him now and he was pretty sure he loved that stupid little insect… and he was pretty sure Zim loved him back. Looking back down at the (oh God's something is moving in there isn't it?) bag and took in a deep breath. As much as he hated to admit it, he owed Zim and Skidge an apology.

He knocked once before opening up the door, carefully closing it behind him before shooting the annoyed ex-Elite a small smile. "Hey… sorry it took so long. Skoodge likes to-"

"Take his time doing ANYTHING? Yes, yes… I'm aware." He outstretched his slender arms making a "gimme" motion with his hands as he eyeballs the brown sack. "Zim demands the foodening."

Dib rolled his eyes, a small smile still tugging on the corner of his lips as he approached the bed. Setting the bag on the nightstand he looked down at the nearly drooling mess that was Zim. "Well you seem to be feeling better hmm?" The human grabbed a nearby chair and drug it over to the side of the bed, nearly collapsing onto it with a small sigh. "... I'm still angry with you, ya know?" He said, his voice unusually quiet.

Just as he began reaching for the bag, the Irken hesitated as Dib spoke, eyeing him curiously before letting out a sigh of his own and letting his arms drop back onto his lap. "Well… Get on with your squabbles. I'd prefer you yell at me now before I sort through whatever it is you brought." He nodded to himself. "And make it quick before it gets cold."

The human stared at Zim for a long moment before letting out a quiet chuckle. "Yeah you're feeling better all right." He leaned back in his chair, smile faltering as memories of the Arena came flooding back into his mind. "You promised me you'd be careful and not die…"

"And I fulfilled that promise. Here I am. Alive and well."

"I'm being serious here Zim! You almost didn't make it! Even Tenn said your PAK should have shut down with the amount of blood you lost! Do you have… Any idea what that was like!?" He was yelling now, but Dib couldn't help it as a myriad of emotions began to wash over him. "It took a week to get here! A-and you wouldn't wake up! Your breathing would stop! We had to perform CPR multiple times! You promised me you'd play it safe! You promised me earth! You're supposed to stay by my side always! Don't you get that!? I was fucking scared Zim! I was scared of you going somewhere I couldn't reach and you'd leave me all alone!" Dib mentally cursed himself, feeling fresh tears pricking at the corner of his eyes.

Zim watched him silently, unable to contain the shocked expression on his face as Dib went into another one of his tirades. His spooch flopped hard in his chest. There was that face again- that helpless and anguished face he never wanted the human to make again. Without realizing it himself, the Irken snatched Dib's hands away from his eyes before pulling him roughly onto the bed.

Whatever protests the younger male was about to yell quickly died in his throat as those jade lips captured his own. Golden irises widened before slipping shut, cupping Zim's face with both hands as he kissed back in a desperate, frenzied moment. Zim allowed their lips to linger together for a few more moments before pulling away to stare at the human, hiss own face betraying him as he held Dib in his stare, face twisting in emotions the human rarely, if ever seen. "... Stop talking such nonsense…" He took the others lips in his own once more. "I'm here… I'm alive...there's no need to be afraid. I told you Dib-Mate… I. Cannot. Be. Killed." Naked tri-fingered hands curled themselves in the fabric of the younger male's shirt, pulling him back in final kiss.

Dib placed his own hands over the Irkens while he leaned into the kiss, feeling a wave of warmth wash over his body. Sometimes he hated just how easy it was for the smaller male to derail any doubts or fears that ran throughout his mind at a thousand miles an hour, even though nine out of ten times he's the same reason Dib has those thoughts to begin with. With his eyes still closed he shifted on the bed, wrapping one arm around Zim's slender waist- careful to avoid his wound as he pulled him flush against his own chest. He drapes his free arm over the ex-Elites shoulder, using his fingers to ghost up those black, leathery stalks. The human grinned against Zim's lips as a shudder ripples through his spine.

Dib always loved toying with Zim's antenna. It always seemed to soothe said Irken, as it was right now. They broke their kiss, Zim instead placing his forehead on his mates shoulder, a small sigh slipping past his lips as his own eyes fluttered shut. Normally he would fuss and throw the Dib away from him when he sensed his hand anywhere near his antenna but right now Zim didn't have the energy nor did he really care. He felt his body go lax against the other's as he leaned into the gentle touches, whether he was aware of it or not was anyone's guess. Despite his best efforts to stay silent, a low purr bubbled up in the back of his throat as Dib slid his fingers up the base of one of the stalls to the tip. He gently rubbed it between his thumb, index and middle fingers while he rested his chin in between both feelers.

An air of calm filled the space between the two of them. Dib bringing his fingers up and down his antenna slowly with Zim purring and eagerly leaning into each touch the other was all too happy to provide. A shiver rippled through his slender frame as Zim became aware that he was still fully undressed beneath the thin blanket. He felt the human pull him even closer, wrapping the blanket around the Irkens shoulders. "...Your clothes… They got ruined." Letting out a nervous laugh, Dib closed his eyes as Zim only gave a quiet grunt in response. "Your food's gonna get cold ya know…?" Another grunt, the Irken making no effort to move as the human continues to massage his antenna.

As much as he would have liked to just sit there and hold Zim while forgetting all the plans, scheming and responsibilities, Dib knew there was so much to do and only a few days to do it. With a small sigh he dropped his hand that had been playing with the other's stalk to his side, kissing Zim's forehead before moving to sit on the chair again.

Zim let out a frustrated groan, glaring at the human though the action had no real malice behind it. He grabbed the blanket and wrapped himself in it before finally grabbing the sack and peeking inside. "Hmmm… you got some pretty good stuff here Human. Gashlorpis, vort dogs, goopies…" He hummed as he sifted through the contents of the sack. Dib just smiled at him, seeing the excitement in the other's features before promptly stuffing his face with food. He leaned back in his chair, the sound of Zim's voice fading away as he lost himself in his thoughts. There was so much that needed to be said and done… but for now he was content to sit next to his lover in a rare moment of peace.