Chapter Text
It's a good day...a bad day? Who can guess which is which for them? Dib is now chearing his ego up by imagining all the glory and fame he can get by exposing Zim to the world. And the poor irken, oh may they mercy him somehow, even if he wouldn't admit that he wanted to live someway, death isn't an appreciating route when you are in a "mission".
Then the boy stood there for some seconds, staring at the floor, thinking. "Uhh..Bye,, Zim. I have to put my plan in work you know?" Dib vanished in seconds before the alien could catch up what he just said. Zim just, stood in place, in the floor especifically. He would rool to a side and see the couch, it had stains and he could see GIR on top of it; then he rolled to the other side, and saw the TV. And ohhh how he hates it! He would destroy it again, but he prefers to stay in place, to avoid having to waste time fixing it up again and with GIR crying in his ears.
"Wait, i dont have a mission.. So no time is wasted!" Zim sat himself up, like he just realized something -doing his so expressive gasp- "oh never mind" he falled back to the floor, GIR was in a shock state, the robot poked Zim's arm carefully.
"Master?" GIR said in his annoying high tunning voice.
"Yes GIR..?" The alien answered lazly, turning his face to the little robot.
"Can i eat your boot?" It said with the most wide smile ever; "UGHHHHHH!!" It was all that Zim had to answer.
Dib was running, like he was being chased by a werewolve. The boy rushed to his father's event, it had loud music partnering with loud conversations, he had basically "free" access to everything ‐he was a Membrane, obviously- then he heard a familiar voice.
"You won't ruin any of Dad's show with your stupid alien thing..right?" It was Gaz, he didnt know if he was in relief for not being Zim or afraid of his own Sister. "Of course not!! Trust me! I'm 100% trustable!!" Dib said wearing the biggest smile he ever could -and damn his face was already hurting- (if that could stop him from lying).
"Are you sure..?" Gaz made that face, jezz didn't matter how many times she did it, her menancing look would always be the scariest, even for a 13 year old. "Yep! 1000% sure! No alien talk!" Little did Gaz know that her brother's finger's would be crossed behind his back, as she slowly leave the local they were; Dib still couldn't be relaxed, or happy at all. He knew it could be his only chance, and he is not going to waste it, but what if..
What if nothing! He is going to do it and now!!
After a good 10 minutes of waiting, the event finally begun. Sweatying his butt off, he prepared the hacking code he figured out to show his appresentation in the big screen, he remembered the look Gaz send him, almost telling him if you ruin this show i m going to kick your ass out of the planet orbit. He had the membrane "peace bracelet" for the code, he pressed a button and waited.
Maybe those 5 minutes i have to wait can be really be usefull.. Dib tought to himself, he could hear his Father's voice telling about the project he is working in, and doing a huge intro just to show his new creation. The boy waited, and waited again, and again and again, walking next to the backstage of the place, until he heard the beep. A signal he put on his device for when it lasted 10 seconds, Dib prepared himself up, it could go very well or very damn wrong..
You can do this..
The screen that showed Professor's Membrane bracelet thingy now glowed in a bright blue with The Swollen Eyeball Network logo on the middle, and for a few seconds it stayed like this, until Dib showed up.
"Sorry dad, but this is important", he murmured before walking to the middle of the stage. "Dear people who are seeing this..! I -Dib Membrane- present to you all, the truth." The boy pressed another button and it showed on the big screen, all proofs of Zim's true nature while he pointed at it; after a few gasps, he clicked on his device again, changing the screen to a few topics as his babbling got up, "This was the first photo i took from him without his disguise, i put the photo side of his disguise and without to you people see the difference. Then this picture of his robot without his costume, and one of his space ship and-"
His excitement was cut by his father's autoritary voice, "oh my poor insane son, do y'all belive in him?" Professor Membrane mocked Dib's attitude as he patted his son's head, "now get out of here and go learn real science!". but instead of hearing people agreeing with his father, Dib heard people cheearing him up, saying how could Professor Membrane discovered the existence of aliens, "what..? Didn't i make clear my name is-"
"Professor Membrane!"
"Professor Membrane! How did you discover there is an alien in earth?"
"Professor Membrane! Oh Professor Membrane!"
"Professor Membrane the genius you are!!"
That was all Dib could hear, why people were praising his father and not him? I mean, he knew everyone saw him, and he made sure he would speak loud enough to everyone hear him, what did he do wrong? The journalists on the crowd began to climb up the stage and ask Professor Membrane questions over and over, and purely ignore the boy's presence. Dib just hoped it was a nightmare and it was going to end soon with his anxiety growing up, but why he just couldn't get what he always wanted? Are people blind or some type of thing? Why his dreams are always ended one way or another?
The boy runned off the stage, as fast he could, he heard his father scream something to him but he was devastated enough to just dont give two shits of what was happening, great, now the most famous person on earth was being acknowledged by discoverying an alien, and he didn't even liked the paranormal! Dib knew his life was screwed up, since he began to chase Zim and decided his fate was to save the world he never changed his mindset and plans, he liked that way. But a voice keeps telling him what if? What if i changed? What if i was just like my dad? What if i was just..normal..? He was getting close to his house, his legs almost giving up by exhaustion and his vision blurry by the sudden tears in his eyes, it wasn't that bad but why am i so sad? He tought to himself as he open his house door and rushed to his room and just let himself fall onto his bed, hugging the closest thing he found -his pillow- and started to chew and bite on his own fingers of stress. Dib heard a few knocks on his door after some hours, "Hey Dib, it's Gaz. Are you ok?" Even if he wanted to answer his voice wouldn't get out and after a few minutes of silence he heard footsteps moving away from his door.
The skool is boring, is what Zim write on his desk while trying to distract himself up from the tedious day. The alien noticed that Dib didn't showed up to skool this day, not that Zim wanted the stinky boy on his sign, but neither him wanted to be in class today, Zim physically forced himself to show up, he hoped at least a little fight would cheer himself up from yesterday's incident. "Zim! Are you drawing on your desk again?" Mrs. Bitters interrupted her lesson to scould him, "nope! Negative Mrs. Bitters! Zim was just...eh... Erasing it!! Yes! Zim was erasing the drawings!" he made a last seconds excuse -as always- and the old teacher looked at him deadly in the eyes, like she was saying are you kidding? "Zim", the old lady said, "yeeees?" he replied nervously, "out of the class, now". Oh and who he was to deny it? Mrs. Bitters was definely at his "fears" list.
"Why is this school rules to go to the office are so lame!" Zim shouted as he walked outside the class and started heading to the principal's office, it wasn't a office at this point! It was more like a plain room -looked like an abbandoned classroom- with two chairs that you have to spend Irk know how many hours before they let you out, and ohhh how Zim hated that place so much! Of course he had the choice to just, get out of that "room" at any second, and he would do that as many times he needed, but it wasn't fun when you have just yourself to talk with, it was pretty boring here too so the alien just made a mental note: get here, lock the door and jump from the window. Pretty easy, right?
It was, even too easy for his liking, Zim didn't like it, the day was so monotonous it was pissing him off already, if he just walked past the school front door would be more interesting than whathever this is. Zim started running to his base, hoping he'd get there soon to prepare his next plan to conquer Earth...Or something like that.
It's so weird to not fight Dib-stink today.. Zim tought on his way to open his base -more like a house now- door, he felt his day was incomplete, but he wouldn't get low over a inferior life-form! Right..? As an act of pure hatred, Zim pulled out some cameras he put on Dib's house -for analysis purposes, as he knew the boy did the same to him- and watched for a time, exactly over 2 hours to when the alien got bored again, and Zim saw Gus -or was it Gaz? He never knew her name anyways- knocking over her brother's door sometimes, and then after a time she'd left, interesting behavior...
Dib woke up at 9pm, damn did i really slept all day? he muttered to himself, after trying to isolate himself -and failing miserably- he got out of his room after some thinking, he was going to do it and nobody was there to stop him. The boy walked to his house kitchen, were his dad was working on some kind of "cat machine" or something, "Dad" Dib's calm voice pierced the silent room, "yes son?" Professor Membrane said, without taking his eyes of the machinery.
"Do you think i should gave up my dream of becoming a paranormal investigator and pursue "real science" instead..?" Those words he tought he'd never say in all his life, neither Dib's dad tough he was going to hear them, "Of course i do son, of course! I knew you wouldn't resist the allure of real science!" Finally a reaction he got of his father, the man took out his eyes of his new project and looked at his son with pride -even if Dib wanted, he couldn't portray his father's eyes 'nor emotions with that goddamn googles-. Dib's hope was at a very thin line, he still had a little expectation that his father wouldn't say it, and deny with his soul saying bullshit like: no son i love you and science so please just be yourself. And honestly, Gaz was right, he made the most horrendous interpretations of dad; He looked at his father and just hugged him, even if he hated every word it would come out of that man's mouth, he just wanted to be someone's pride, to be someone's favourite, and Dib would do anything to just make his dad proud.
"Lets go to my lab, i can show you some projects i've been working on!" Professor Membrane said excitely, the first time his son show's genuine interest with science? He got to make it incredible for the young boy of course. Dib walked right besides his dad, still wonderying if his choice was a good one, yes, move on is the best plan, he tought as he passed his hands through the staircase to his father's lab walls, it was different, strange even. All his life he belived in paranormal, now he would just dissapoint his young self, but they needed to understand that if he wanted aprooval and not just the same babble about his "insane son" Dib needed to do something, and he did, saying he is going to give up to his paranormal life interest, will he really? Maybe, impressioning his father is more important than any kind of big foot or alien proof at this point.