Chapter Text
Dib bolted up in his bed, fear driven into his skull. He tried to calm his breathing down.
Just a nightmare.
He sighed, grateful that none of it was real. His heart slowed to a less panicked pace, body already beginning to succumb to the lullaby of his bed...
A flash in his mind and he was wide awake again. Oh, how his brain loved to torment him.
After a few more minutes of tossing and turning, finally (with great reluctancy), he sat up in his bed and just stared into the abyss that was his room. He couldnt see anything, even with his glasses on. It was so dark.
He found a sense of comfort in that fact, although there wasnt anything all that comforting about absolute pitch black and not being able to see your own hand in front of your face.
He just liked being trapped with his thoughts, he guessed. Although it wasnt like he liked being alone, he adapted to it very quickly. He stopped reaching out to others long ago, instead just trying to save people who thought he was insane.
Maybe he was insane.
That thought hadnt left his head since he thought it. Its always lingering, waiting for moments like this where he had no other choice but to reel it back in.
He closed his eyes, taking another deep breath to clear his head since he probably wasnt going back to bed any time soon. He'd danced this path before, countless times even.
He looked out the window. Stars were scattered all throughout the midnight sky, like fireflies in a dimlit room. Accompanying them was the faded glow of the moon, soft like a nightlight. Dib never usually got to see the sky like this. It was very polluted in his area, whether that be because of the lights or the smog, so he grew up with a gray and sad and dull sky with a few clouds here and there.
But tonight was apparently different, because the sky was clear and there were stars and the moon visible.
Alas, that was just a glimpse from his bedroom window. He tried to turn his head to see more, but the shape of the window only let him see so much.
He wanted to see it all.
An idea popped into his head and intruded his thoughts, one that could get him in a lot of trouble if he was caught.
Dib got out of bed and out his coat on, on a slight hesitation before executing his plan.
He snuck through the walls of his house silently, nothing creaking due to the manufacturings of his dad while improving the house with science.
Past Gaz's room, past his father's room, past the kitchen and the living room and the bathroom he crept.
At the front door, he glanced around as if he could see anybody. Nobody was even awake. The poor boy was just paranoid. His curfew schedule wasn't too strict, but he could practically hear the scoldings of his father and sister, shuddering at the potential consequences. It would still be worth it, though.
He opened the front door, double-checking before he closed it.
He was free.
The overwhelming senses of pride and fear as Dib stepped further and further from his house excited him. He was supposed to be asleep in his house, but instead here he was, outside at 2am on a Tuesday night.
Walking sped up into speedwalking, which turned into running, all around everywhere. Adrenaline pumping through his bloodstream while he strutted through the neighborhood, unbothered by anything. Then, after it settled down, he did what he went out for in the first place. He found a nice spot on the sidewalk next to a tree. Sat down, only then realizing how sore his legs felt. Then, after playing around with a rock, he looked up.
Normally he wasn't really the sentimental, calm-yourself-down, I-need-my-alone-tine type. He didnt really mind doing stuff like going out on nature walks or admiring things he found nice, but its not like he'd go out of his way to do it. But whatever possessed him tonight certainly did.
Dib gazed in wonder at all the stars surrounding the Earth, all the potential planets and systems and life like his, all galaxies he might never see again. It filled him with a sort of wonder. What amazed him most was that he was the only one seeing this right now. It was just him. All alone on the sidewalk of a street he barely knows, still in his pajamas gaping at everything that was set up... Just for him.
It made him feel special, in a sense. Nobody else would see this ever...
Just him.
...Except it wasn't. The moment was short lived. He could feel a pair of eyes on him, staring him down like it were a contest. He looked around for the mystery person, praying that it was just paranoia taunting him.
It was only him there, right?
He tried to focus on the sky's wonders again, but something felt off. The feeling of bliss he got from them just a moment ago turned to unease.
He soon realized why, as the outlines of... something had flown about the clouds.
Dib stood up in a matter of seconds, all of his senses urging him to go home, but he had to know what this thing was.
He squinted at it, the outline becoming less wonky and more familiar...
Was that...
"Zim?" Dib whispered to himself, voice hoarse.
It was Zim's ship, he had realized. He knew Zim was up to something if he's leaving his base unguarded this late at night - er, early in the morning to go flying.
He followed behind it, trying to run as far as his legs could carry him.
But the ship wasn't moving.
It was just floating in the air, practically begging to be discovered by anybody lucky enough to be awake at this time. It also wasnt that high in the air, maybe about 500 ft.
Dib couldn't yell, as to wake anybody in the neighborhood. Plus, he also needed to know what Zim's plan was before destroying it, so he only watched helplessly as it just continued to float in the air.
After a few minutes, long metal spider-like legs crawled out the ship. Zim's PAK legs came out one by one, slowly revealing an undisguised and vulnerable Zim, wretched antennae and all. He was facing his back to Dib, just crossing his legs while the PAK legs kept him suspended. He was still, resting his face on his hand. His antennae gradually lowered, and for once Dib saw him actually slow down for once. He seemed to be in a rather calm state, even from afar.
But obviously that was suspicious. This was nothing like the Zim he knew, who was anything but calm, so he kept his guard up but... more and more time passed, and Zim was still sitting there, still looking up, still resting his face in his palm.
This confused Dib to his very core.
The alien has made it clear that he despises wasting time, so why in the name of vampire-bees was he just sitting there and doing absolutely nothing?
Dib wished so badly to know what was running through that head of his, but as soon as his mind began racing, Zim turned around to Dib just staring at him from afar. Both their eyes widened, just staring at eachother for a couple moments, before Zim jumped off the ship.
His voot now abandoned as he crawled closer to Dib on his PAK legs, with Dib himself bracing for anything.
Zim was inches away from him in a matter of seconds, and for a while they both just stood there, staring at eachother. Dib holding a fighting stance, and Zim looking at him with a perplexing confusion and would could be made out as curiousity.
"Why are you awake?" Zim asked, cocking his head at the human in front of him. He thought he'd be alone.
"Why are YOU outside your base?" Dib countered as an attempt to avoid the question. He clenched.his fists.
"I could ask the same to you, Dib-stink. Does your inferior species not stay inside their homes during dark hours to... Sleep?" Zim's tongue held the word 'sleep' longer than it should've, as if the concept were foreign to him, and judging by the way he tilted his head, it probably was.
"...Yes, they do."
"So why are you not unconscious?" Zim interrogated, pointing a finger at him as he retracted his PAK legs.
"What're you up to...?" Dib asked, but it was more directed to himself than Zim.
"Answer my question, you stupid sack of meat." Zim flicked his forehead. Dib scowled at him.
"And why should I do that?" Dib glared suspiciously.
"Because if you dont then I wont give you any answers either, human. So, tell Zim... Shouldn't you be all... Eurrgh... Stinky in your smelly house?"
"Yeah yeah, well I have better things to do. Like catch you in the act out here!!!" Dib reached in his trenchcoat pocket - and felt nothing but air when he should've felt his camera. Crap. "So, I, uh, can ruin your evil plans!" He reached into his other pocket for his handcuffs - and there was also nothing. What was he kidding, it was 2 in the morning. Why would he need his equipment at this hour, when he simply just wanted to look at a couple stars?
He laughed nervously, only for Zim to narrow his eyes at him.
"Hehehhh, so I can keep on eye on you..!" He pointed to his eye.
"...Okay... Well then if that's all you can do then Zim will MOVE!!!!! MWEHEHHEHEH!!!" Zim cackled evilly, his PAK legs ready to launch him back to his ship.
"OH NO YOU DONT!!" Dib gripped one of the PAK legs just as he jumped, shooting both of them upwards and causing Dib to scream in terror and cling to it.
"Wha-?! GET OFF ME, YOU FILTHY WORM BABY!!!!!" Zim demanded, swinging around the PAK leg to hopefully fling Dib off of him, but Dib kept an iron grip. After a lot of bickering they both landed on the roof of the ship with a slam.
"Oooughff..." Dib groaned, holding his head.
"You idiot!!! You could've got yourself killed before ZIM could do it!!!" Zim scolded, frustrated at Dib. "And now you're on my ship! How proud you must feel right now."
Dib tried to sit up right, but his everything hurt like hell.
"GET OFF MY VOOT YOU INCOHERENT MONKEY WORM!!!" Zim yelled, only worsening Dib's pain. Dib felt so small when Zim towered over him, the PAK legs acting as claws. For the first time in a while, Dib was actually scared. The fact that he could fall off (or be thrown off) the voot 400 ft in the air wasnt helping him either. He felt himself back up, as if his body was acting against his will. He froze there, just paralyzed.
Zim stopped yelling, suddenly going silent mid-sentence to just stare at Dib backing away from him. Zim should've felt empowered by the fact that he was striking fear in the heart of his enemy, but instead he felt... Weird. More awkward if anything. Like how something feels off but it seems like everything's fine.
Zim should've just thrown him off the ship right then and there, so all the threats to his mission and himself would finally be gone, and it would be a good riddance.
He stabbed a hole in Dib's jacket, now carrying him. He had complete control over him right now, and anything he wanted to happen to him would've happened, his eyes clenched shut as actual terror was written all over his face.
Throw him off.
Throw him off.
Throw him off.
Throw him off.
Throw him off.
Zim put him down rather gently on the roof, retracting the rest of his PAK legs.
He stared down at Dib in what was supposed to be disgust, although the softness in his eyes didn't resemble that.
Dib just sat there, confused, as Zim turned around. He sat down, legs crossed once again, and looked up.
Dib soon found out why.
One of Zim's antennas twitched as he felt another presence next to him, now staring up with him with twinkling eyes.
A beat passed.
"I never usually get to see this," Dib admitted, only for the Irken to cock his head at him. "The stars, I mean. It's usually polluted around here. I've... Just never seen this. That's why I'm up." His eyes never left the sky.
Another pause.
Zim felt something soft against his arm, and turned to see the hair of his nemesis, who was now asleep and leaning on him. He didn't move after that, stuck between pushing him off and waking him up or just staying there and keeping quiet. He continued to stare.
And stare and stare and stare, for minutes at a time, the sky lit up with small little lights that Zim had only learned to appreciate tonight, Dib cozied up next to him as he stargazed.
Dib woke up the next morning in his bed, tucked under the sheets with sunlight peeking through his window.