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Zim rolled over on the couch once again as yet another unpleasant chill ran through him. A slow, agonized groan escaped him. He was not in any pain, no. Certainly not…
However, the situation at hand was causing him a great deal of discomfort.
A horrible crashing noise was suddenly heard from the kitchen - the fourth to be heard within the past ten minutes or so.
Zim had ordered GIR to procure some sustenance, but the poor little robot, being as incapable of basic tasks as he was, opted not to grab something easy and pre-packaged.
Oh no - he had chosen to try to cook something.
The Irken groaned again.
"GIR..." He muttered as loudly as he could muster. "...What are you doing in there…?"
But of course, there was no acknowledgment from the robot that he'd even slightly heard him.
Zim did not even possess the strength to sit up in his current state, and so, for what had to have been the hundredth time that day, he tried to activate literally any of his PAK functions - all to no avail.
He had expected that, of course... But he was beginning to feel impatient. He tried to remind himself:
This is normal. Every Irken goes through this at least a few times in their life cycle… It will end soon enough.
However, no matter how many times he repeated this mantra, it brought him little comfort.
Irkens often lived incredibly long lives, provided they avoided getting killed by doing something stupid. Out of any point in his long and amazing life, why now was Zim being subjected to illness of all things during his ever-important mission on Earth?
As the Irken continued his internal lamentations, he had almost completely failed to notice as the door slowly creaked open and the tall, rain-soaked figure of Dib stepped into his abode. Dib frowned as Zim simply reacted by blinking, and he stepped forward without shutting the door behind him, coming to stand at the end of the couch.
"You haven't threatened my life yet today… Any special reason for that, Zim ?" The human glowered down at the alien, who remained motionless as he peered up at his enemy with half-lidded eyes.
"What's the matter with you ?” Dib continued. “Are you broken?"
"...No." Zim could barely manage to keep his eyes open. "Since you've come here, make yourself useful and tell GIR to just bring me a simple snack…"
"I don't think so." Dib shook his head and leaned over the Irken, eyeing him with a hefty amount of palpable suspicion. "Are you…paralyzed?"
"No." Zim muttered. He tried to move his limbs to prove his point, but it ended up looking more like the writhing of a dying insect.
Dib smirked, then chuckled.
"Are you sure?" He asked with a sneer.
"...Why are you even here , Dib-ffffool? I have no plans for you today... Begone ."
The human’s brow furrowed.
"Oh, I'll 'begone' alright..."
Zim watched helplessly as the human walked around to the front of the couch and knelt down, snaking his arms underneath the Irken's weak body.
Dib hesitated for a moment, perhaps waiting to see if Zim would attack him, but for as much as Zim would've really liked to, he was completely incapable of it. He was barely even capable of caring one bit as the human seized his chance, scooped the Irken up in his arms, and suddenly sprinted out of the base and into the pouring rain as fast as he could - as though he'd stolen some priceless object.
It burned .
. . . . .
At first, upon waking, nothing could be discerned but the blinding light of resumed consciousness.
Then, as the initial sensation settled down, all Zim could see was a blurry, somewhat dimmed blue light. He blinked slowly as his ocular implants adjusted and everything began to come into focus.
He then could make out that he was looking at a dark ceiling with a few cheap-looking overheads. He couldn't move, but he legitimately could not tell if he simply lacked the strength to do so, or if he’d been restrained.
He blinked again.
He was lying on something hard, and he was very cold.
He tried to recall how he'd gotten there, but the only thing he remembered was-
"Dib." He stated flatly.
The human in question finally came into view, leaning over Zim with a shit-eating grin plastered across his face.
"Zim. Glad you've decided to join us."
"...Where am I?"
"My apartment." Dib glanced to a floating screen to his right. "You were out for quite some time. I took the liberty of running a few tests on you while you were unconscious... But I wanted you awake for most of the ones I have planned for you today. I've been waiting ."
"Wha-...?" Zim frowned with all the intensity he could muster, which wasn't much. "What did you do to me...?"
"Relax, space-roach. I just checked your PAK functions. I had figured that part of it would be easier while you were out so I could position you however I needed to in order to get at all those weird little ports in there…"
Zim groaned. That would explain why some of his bones and muscles hurt as though he'd sat in a very uncomfortable position for far too long. He eyed the human warily.
"Well? Tell Zim, you filthy pig-monkey... What exactly did you find in there? You didn't... change anything, did you?"
The Irken couldn't do anything to Dib now, but he swore by the Tallest that he'd make certain to do something to him later.
"No. I didn't. There's not much point in that right now, is there? And you know that, don't you? The only thing your PAK is able to do right now is keep you alive. Isn't that right?"
Zim grumbled in weak protest. Dib smirked.
"Yeah. I thought so. I carried you here in the rain. When I laid you out on this table, you were covered in rashes from head to toe...even bleeding from some of them. And yet...within a matter of minutes , all of them were completely gone. Every bit of that-...” Dib gestured to the Irken’s PAK. “...-That thing's power is focusing on healing you more rapidly than I've ever seen before." The human's smile lessened slightly. "I saw it all in the data, Zim. You don't have any symptoms because your body is recovering itself at an alarmingly fast rate... But you're sick with...something."
"...It's normal." Zim muttered after a moment.
"Is it?" Dib raised an eyebrow.
“It is our species's equivalent to what you humans know as ‘the common cold’... Or, perhaps it is more similar to the one known as ‘the flu’? I dunno. You humans have too many ffffilthy illnesses. What I have right now is the only one an Irken ever gets.”
“Really?” Dib’s eyes opened wide, absorbed in the new information he was receiving. “How often do most Irkens get it?”
"It happens to every Irken at least once. Usually about two or three times in their life. This is simply a case of... less than fortunate timing..."
"Really? Because it seems like it was very fortunate timing to me…"
The human's grin widened again into a sadistic smirk as he thoughtlessly brushed his fingers against Zim's cheek, causing the Irken to let out a small gasp.
Dib was warm .
“I can do whatever I want to you like this.” Dib continued. “There's no way you’ll be able to resist me or run away… It's perfect .”
When the human retracted his hand, there was a brief silence as Zim simply stared up at Dib, unsure of what to make of the feeling he’d just had.
"...Do that again." The Irken said aloud without thinking.
The human's smirk died in an instant.
"I'm sorry, what ?"
"That thing ..." Zim muttered. "That thing with your hand..."
Dib pursed his lips, but repeated the action, cautiously stroking the Irken's cheek. Zim leaned into the touch ever-so-slightly and a soft chirp escaped him, causing the human to immediately recoil.
"Put it back..." Zim whispered, his voice pitifully woeful. "...Do that more..."
"...Why?" Dib looked into Zim's exhausted-looking eyes, trying desperately to see the intent behind them.
Meanwhile, the Irken could barely even manage to keep those eyes of his open as he wriggled pathetically on the table - trying desperately to come up with an answer to that question which wasn't incredibly demeaning to his character.
Warm....warm....soft....comfy....good....nice....more....warm....give....
....please....
The human immediately took a step back.
"W-... Woah . You're really losing your grip, aren't you...? Are you sure you're not dying?"
Oops.
Zim groaned, immediately wishing he actually was expiring and stopped trying so hard to think.
How many of those thoughts had he just said aloud…?
Dib slowly leaned over the table once again, looking the Irken over with more scrutiny. He lay the back of his hand on Zim's forehead for a moment, causing the alien to let out a relaxed sigh, immediately followed by a weak whimper when the hand was removed soon after.
"...Your temperature feels fine..." The human muttered. "At least, by human standards... Everything you're feeling must be completely internal."
"I could've told you that..." Zim grumbled.
"But then I wouldn't have touched your head again, hm?"
Then a lightbulb went off in Dib's head.
A smirk formed on his lips again and Zim allowed his eyelids to fall shut to avoid having to look at the human’s stupid face.
"I'll tell you what,” Dib offered. “Since you asked so nicely, I'll make you a little deal, Zim. You stay awake for me, answer my questions truthfully , and I'll... pet you or whatever this is that we're doing..."
Zim slowly forced his eyes open.
"...You promise ...?" He nearly whispered.
"Yeah. Sure." Dib's smirk morphed into a grimace as he forced himself to get back to business. "Now... How long have you been like this?"
"All day..."
"It started today?" The human pulled up a clipboard and began taking notes, his anxieties forgotten in favor of the promise of new discoveries.
"Yes."
"And how did you feel yesterday? Were there any symptoms of illness at all?"
"No. Zim was in perfect condition yesterday. I only noticed the change this morning after I'd-..." The Irken stopped himself.
"After you'd what?"
"How many questions must I answer before you give me my promised reward, human?"
"...Right."
With a sigh, Dib reached down to gently stroke the top of the Irken's head, as though he were petting a cat. He tried to avoid the antennae, unsure of what would happen if he touched them, and not entirely sure if he wanted to find out at that moment. Everything about this was already so strange.
Zim leaned into the touches as much as he was able to, chirping softly with approval as Dib pet him.
It made something within the human twist into knots.
He suddenly ceased his ministrations, quickly retracting his hand and clearing his throat in an attempt to stop his racing thoughts. The Irken below him whined again; dejected. But Dib ignored how pathetic and meek it sounded.
He ignored how much it made him wish he hadn't stopped.
"You'll get more the more you talk." He avoided looking into Zim's eyes as he picked up his pen again. "Just keep answering my questions and I'll do it again."
"...Fine. What more do you wish to know?"
"What was it that made you realize that something was wrong this morning? Was it gradual? Or did it happen all at once?"
"...I knew something was wrong...because I'd slept ." Zim's eyes narrowed, and he turned his gaze away from Dib.
"Right... Irkens don't sleep."
"Obviously, fool . It caught me by surprise... I had been working in my labs that night... I didn't even realize it had happened. I woke up at my desk. I couldn't move, and my PAK functions had already all gone down. I had to make the base's computer bring me to the couch... It was not comfortable being carried by robot arms and elevators..."
The quiet, monotone quality of the Irken's voice in this state left Dib feeling more and more ill at ease as their interaction continued, but he tried desperately to ignore it.
"You were just...lying on that couch all day?"
"I had to. There's nothing to be done about it. When this happens, we just have to wait it out."
"Has it happened to you before?"
"Only one other time... But I had been on Irk then. Our home planet is far better equipped to take care of us in this state… We have facilities for this. My base may be quite... amazing , but it lacks certain... creature comforts."
"How so?"
"Well..." Zim seemed to hesitate for a moment. "It's a bit cold."
Dib stopped writing and finally looked into the Irken's eyes again. For a moment, they just stared at each other in silence.
"Are you...cold right now?"
He wasn't sure why he bothered asking.
"Yes... It's even worse here than it was in the base."
"Well..." Dib rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "The chilly metal table might not be helping... You know... Since you're not wearing anything..."
"...What are you talking about? Zim is never not wearing anything."
Dib winced.
"Um... Yeah ... About that..."
Zim's eyes widened slightly. He couldn't muster the strength to crane his head in position to look, nor could he move his limbs to bring them up to his eyes to see. But it all made complete sense. From the moment he awoke in that room it was as though he could feel the very air around him. His eyes narrowed into slits as he focused on Dib once more.
"...You sicken me, you loathsome beast . You intend to expose Zim's superior organs during his rare period of helplessness?"
"I-... I wasn't sure if I'd get that far today, but...yeah...? Why shouldn't I??"
"Because that would be a new low, even for you , as lowly as you already are..."
Dib's ego sank a bit further into the pit of his stomach as Zim continued.
"When I get free, and I will , I'm going to destroy you so thoroughly that the very atoms you are comprised of will be reduced to nothing. Mark my words..."
The human frowned.
"Oh yeah? If you do that, who's going to do this ?"
Without thinking, he stroked the Irken's cheek, trailing his fingers along his smooth jawline.
Zim visibly flinched, but sighed, leaning into the touch just as he had before, as though his current predicament had been entirely forgotten.
"...This..." Zim nearly whispered. "This doesn't mean anything, stink-worm ... Any living thing can be warm..."
"Oh yeah?" Dib scoffed. "So you want something else to touch you instead? Guess I'll stop."
"No." The Irken didn't even give Dib time to think about removing his hand. "No. Don't."
"Really?" Dib smirked.
"I-..." Zim's voice strained, as though the words were painful. "I don't want something else."
The human almost audibly gulped.
Suddenly, the awkwardness of the moment was being replaced by something else, something indescribable.
He tried to keep from shaking as he slowly dragged his fingers along the Irken's skin, from his jaw, down to his throat, all the way to his clavicle where he stopped to trace the line of the jutting bones. Zim shuddered and chirped beneath him.
"More..." Zim whined. "You're warm, but your stupid little finger meats aren't going to warm me up. Give me more ."
Dib glanced at Zim's own incredibly tiny clawed fingers and rolled his eyes. He hesitated for a moment before laying his whole palm flat on Zim's chest, acquiescing to his demands. The Irken sighed once again and squirmed slightly. Dib appeared calm on the surface…
…However, the man was anything but.
Having the opportunity to blatantly feel and examine the Irken's body with his bare hands was sending Dib into near hysterics. He let the clipboard fall to the floor from his other hand and suddenly, both were exploring Zim’s body, feeling around for his bone and muscular structure, tracing veins, trying to find the exact place where Zim’s PAK entered his body…
Things that could have very easily been done while the Irken was out cold…but they weren't done then.
They were being done now , with Zim awake and aware, and practically begging Dib to do it.
Given the way the Irken was responding to Dib’s actions, the human was fairly certain that this was less an issue of Zim being cold and seeking warmth, and more that Zim wanted to be comforted through touch.
But Dib was only so certain because he was no better.
Under the pretense of studying and prying more information out of the Irken, here he was simply indulging himself. It took every ounce of self control he had to not crawl up onto the examination table, release Zim from his restraints, and pull him close - to hold that small body against him in an embrace. He didn't remember the last time he’d been hugged, or if he ever had. Physical touch, in general, was something he rarely experienced.
But Zim was a special case. The two were often very physically close during their numerous fights. That used to be enough. However, in recent years, Dib was beginning to feel that it wasn't - that he wanted something different, something more . He wondered if what they were doing at that moment could be what he needed…
He wondered if Zim felt the same.
"That's more like it..." The Irken smiled slightly.
"Is that enough?" Dib gently pressed his shaking hands against the Irken's chest. He tried to contain his fascination as he felt some sort of alien organ thumping rapidly against his touch. Dib’s heart raced as he wondered what it could be.
"...No… It’s an improvement…but I need more.”
"Then-..." Dib hesitated. "Then answer one last question for me... How long are you gonna be like this?"
"Like...what?"
"Sick and weak...and... clingy ..."
"Oh. Oh yeah…” The Irken blinked. “Roughly 24-48 of your Earth hours."
A day… Maybe two.
Time enough for Dib to do everything he wanted…
Including all the things he would never admit to wanting.
The human groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose - disappointed in himself for the thoughts he was having.
The distinctly not dissection-related thoughts.
Removing his hands from Zim, he briefly turned away from the Irken to slowly pace back and forth beside the table exactly once before suddenly slamming his hands down on the metal surface. Zim flinched slightly as he felt the action reverberate through the table beneath him.
"Damn it...!" Dib nearly snarled as his eyes slowly met Zim's exhausted gaze again. “This sucks…! You seriously suck , Zim.”
The human then sighed as he slowly got to work loosening the restraints Zim hadn't even realized were holding him down. Once he'd undone them all, he scooped the Irken up in his arms, just as he had in the base.
"Change of plans, I guess..." He relented with another sigh. "You were right. You were fucking right. I can't cut you up like this… Fucking pathetic …"
As Dib pulled Zim close to his chest, the Irken's eyes fluttered shut and a contented hum escaped him as he relaxed into the warmth and allowed himself to be carried far away from that horrible cold table and into another room.
“...What will you do now?” Zim mumbled; trying with all his strength not to let sleep overtake him yet again.
“I’ll let you borrow one of my hoodies so you can stay warm, and then I’ll…keep you here for observation…” Dib sounded uncertain as he gently laid the Irken down on his bed. “...I’ll dissect you when you’re normal again.”
“How thoughtful …” The Irken managed to eke out the slightest sting of sarcasm despite his eyelids becoming dangerously heavy and his consciousness beginning to fail him. “Don’t bother with all that… Just…lay here…and hold me with your stupid…gross…human limbs…”
The human didn’t even hesitate as he removed he removed his jacket, shirt, and shoes before crawling into bed next to the tiny Irken and pulling his blanket on top of them both.
“...-Was gonna do this anyway…” Dib muttered quietly under his breath as he somewhat awkwardly snaked his arms around the Irken under the covers, holding him close. “I’m not doing it just ‘cause you asked…”
“Mm…”
With Dib’s warmth enveloping him, Zim sighed and finally allowed sleep to carry him off once more. Sure, there was the potential threat of dissection when he awoke again, but for now he was more comfortable than he had ever been…
And that was all that mattered.
