(Hey guys, hope you like what's to come. I know stuff in this story has been quite serious and stuff recently so this chapter has a lot of well deserved fluff.
Thank you for your patience and prepare for a good few chapters coming soon, as I will be focusing on my tallest x reader a little after the frycook arc is completed so i can fully focus on my plans for the next arcs in each story.
Anyway, I've said enough. Enjoy the chapter!)
"I didnt know foodcourtia was so big..." I trailed off, driving the voot cruiser towards the planets surface.
Every single building was significantly large in comparison to the fast food places on my own planet, making it very difficult to distinguish which building was which and if they were seperate business.
They were all messily clumped together in one tight squeeze, causing my sloppy piloting to get even worse. I had narrowly missed buildings and other ships, coming close to hitting a more dangerous looking area until computer activated Autopilot and took over for me.
I was grateful that they gave me a chance to do it alone before taking over. It really presented a huge amount of trust, which I was relieved to know I had.
"Y/n, I will go and park at the docking area." Spoke the computer, letting me out of the vehicle before flashing a green and purple sign on the ships screens that read "parking".
A similar sign was roughly behind the other buildings, easily towering over the rest along with another food court called "demon grub".
I nodded towards the ship, assuming that computer would see the gesture.
"Once we get back home, I'll kick your butt at UNO!" I promised, leaning against the side of the ship with a smirk.
"You wish!" They scoffed. "Besides, wont you be too busy smooching in the corner?" They teased, practically vocalising their nonexistent smile and earning an embarrassed blush from myself.
I didnt get much chance to tell them to shut up before they had already joined the traffic with other ships, making their way across to the parking building.
My gaze wandered across each building, trying to decipher which one was Zims prison. I looked for things that I may recognise from the video, but it didnt seem like Zim was outside a lot when working here. Nor did he seem to download the specific location of where on foodcourtia he was, almost like he never wanted to remember.
It seemed valid, considering how terrible his treatment was.
My eyes landed on a small floating screen, like the ones professor membrane would use to contact Gaz and Dib when he was busy working. However, they did not have a busy professor on the screens talking about science and super toast. Instead, the screen presented the image of a very familiar irken. The very Irken I came to find.
His picture filled the majority of the screen, titled with a large "wanted" above his head and his name underneath. It floated outside one of the smaller buildings and seemed to show some resemblance to the uniform Zim was forced to wear in his montage video. The fast food place was small but it was clearly popular, as people kept on muttering its name as they entered. Shloogorghs.
I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck, feeling a rush of anxiety pump through my veins and quicken my pulse. My heart only started to ease up at the sound of a voice I recognised instantly.
At the back of the building, there was a cash register completely crowded with aliens of all species. Some were recognisable to me due to the brief history lessons Zim had given me about irk and its relations with other planets.
The most recognizable species there was a vortian, which I only knew of due to Zims close contact with a vortian prisoner known as 777.
"I am an irken invader! You'll all know the true meaning of vengeance when the tallest hear of this!" Screamed Zim, leaping onto the counter with a broom and hitting the pestering customers away with a grunt of annoyance and anger.
I smiled a little. Despite being a prisoner in this place, he never changed. It was just like him to demand respect and threaten those he viewed as lesser with the wrath of his position.
But that didnt help him at all. The customers still appeared to be merciless, demanding to get their food and threatening to call the manager.
After a few minutes, the swarm of aliens had been disbanded by Sizz-lorr, him not being very happy with the lack of paying customers and the amount of profit he had just lost. He only demanded that Zim work extra time on the register, to which the smaller irken hesitantly nodded.
Once the Zim-napper was gone, I subtly made my way towards the counter and leaned my weight against it in order to gain his attention.
"What'll it be?" He groaned, seemingly uninterested as he gazed at the till with little to no interest, finger hovering slightly above the buttons.
"I'll take one super cute irken invader, to go." I smirked, biting my bottem lip in eagerness to see his reaction and in attempts to prevent a snicker from being emitted.
"You want a...wait, huh?" He questioned, eyes quickly flickering up to meet my own. "Y/N!?!"
I gave him a small wave and smiled, leaning smugly against the counter.
"What are you doing here?! I told you to call the tallest!" He exclaimed, tugging my sleeve and flailing his arms excessively.
At an alarming speed, he had taken a quick look around the room in search of Sizz-lorr before grabbing my arms and pulling me over the counter and to the other side. I landed on top of him, pushing myself up to find my form hovering over his.
He didnt seem very concerned over our position and was more interested in expressing his anger and worry over my disobedience. The Sloogorphs hat had fallen off his head from the impact of our fall, so I could see his lowered antennae trembling slightly.
I hard him yelling, but I didnt hear the words he screamed. I was too lost in thought and a daze to hear what he was telling me at all. My hands slowly and mindlessly wandered to the goggles he was wearing, making the irken instantly end his screaming when I touched them.
I unclipped them from his head and tossed them to the side, relieved to finally see his pretty eyes. Perhaps my fear of losing him made them even more beautiful, because I found myself being absorbed into them like never before.
Zim slowly pushed himself up, making me back up so we were both sat across from eachother on the diners floor. I reached my hand towards him slowly, hesitantly stopping halfway through the movement.
Despite this hesitation and nerve, Zim only encouraged me. He pushed me towards the counter slowly, leaning my back against it before he crawled over and took a seat in my lap. The action shocked and flustered me to no end, completely taken off gaurd at the intimacy the small irken had shown as he began to nuzzle his face into the crook of my neck.
I shyly wrapped my arms around him, nervously trailing my hand from his back to his head and stroking it slowly. He only eased further into the embrace.
"The tallest didnt..." I trailed off, unable to continue and tell him the truth. I couldnt bring myself to do it and be the one to admit that the tallest dont care.
So I lied.
"The tallest didnt answer. They must've been busy" I shrugged slightly, voice barely reaching above a whisper as I clinged to him tightly and stroked near the base of his antennae. My fingers were itching to stroke the stems that protruded from his head, but I had no idea if that would be comfortable or not for him. I didnt want to betray his trust.
It was hard enough for him to even cuddle with his disguise on. So I had to be respectful, making sure not to push his boundaries and make him feel insecure.
It seemed that this was the only time that Zim genuinely had to relax all day. It was so unfortunate that no one else seemed to care about his wellbeing. I just held onto him tighter.
I kissed his head, it being the first time I had ever initiated such contact and startling the irken quite a bit. When he jumped slightly at the initial contact, I had been prepared to apologise immediately. But then I saw his expression.
His eyes seemed to sparkle and grow bigger as he looked up towards me, appearing anxious and motivated all at once.
"So you came to my rescue instead..." he muttered, almost as if contemplating my choices and his own actions.
I didnt get time to respond before Zim had keeled up promptly and pressed his lips against my own, wrapping one arm around my neck and holding my hand with his free one. The adoration I was feeling, the flustered embarrassment and the absolute affection I had towards Zim was brought to light after a single action. A very intimate action.
It was no longer speculation.
And it was no longer as simple as it used to be.
It was no longer as simple as crushing.
It was growing into something more.
I kissed back eagerly, bringing my free hand up to gently caress his cheek and rub my thumb over it soothingly.
"We should probably get you out of here." I muttered to him, resting my forehead against his and fully immersed in the moment.
"I cant..." he muttered back, antennae lowering again. "The security system will make me explode." He finished with a scowl on his face, slowly sliding off my lap and placing his goggles and hat back on his head.
"Oh..." was all I could muster, making me recieve nothing but a reluctant nod from Zim.
There has to be a way to get through that security system, I pondered.
"Zim, what are you doing!? Quit slacking!" Yelled an angry voice belonging to Zims kidnapper, Sizz-Lorr.
The smaller irken had released a small yelp, pushing me to the other side of the counter before Sizz-lorr poked his head into the room from the doorway and saw me standing there in an awkward "I just got off the dirty floor" position.
"Oh, uh. I'm not ordering. Just came to...uh...inspect the buildings on foodcourtia" I improvised, encouraging Zim to play along.
My partner seemed to get the jist of it, subtly nodding and turning his head towards Sizz-lorr. He didnt sound very genuine and his acting was pretty bad. But there wasnt much for Sizz-Lorr to suspect from me.
Still, I found myself worrying and sweating excessively.
"Yes, she was explaining to me that there is a suprise inspection, frylord!" He yelled in the most obnoxiously fake tone, adding a salute to the end.
Sizz-lorr didnt seem to buy the story, much to my dismay, giving me a skeptical glare and raising a nonexistent brow.
"Havent I seen you before?" He questioned, leaning closer to my face to get a good look at me.
He had seen me before. I was the human who he apologised to for knocking over.
"Nope, I think I'd remember someone like you!" I lied, a little too quickly, avoiding eye contact as I pleaded the heavens for him not to discover who I am.
His glare became more prominent, making me squirm in place.
Please buy the lie! I chanted internally.
"Wait, now I remember you!" The irken yelled quickly, pointing a finger in the air in realisation.
Looks like I was doomed.
I should've paid more attention to Ms Bitters class.