Zim cackled, pointing to the TV.
"Foolish humans! " he barked, referring to the horror movie that was blared across the screen.
Two people walked through an eerily dark hallway, towards where the killer had been seen in the last shot.
Dib giggled, though he looked tired.
How late was it? Humans have to rest when it gets late, right?
The Irken, still with a smirk, scanned the room. Well it was dark, and the Dib-sister had already left halfway through this movie.
Zim paused, how many of these movies had they watched?
He mentally shrugged, probably didn't matter.
His attention was pulled back to the screen as the computer program he'd installed earlier spoke up, a pop up appearing on the TV.
" Tallest are callin'." The program informed with a bored tone.
What?
Zim froze, antennae shot up in a supposed manner.
The tallest were calling him.
"W-what? Answer it! " He found himself jumping off the couch hastily, wiping himself down of any crumbs.
The Irken stood formally as the call connected, a strange unease settling in his squeedlyspooch.
"M-my tallest! " Zim blurted as the two figures appeared on the screen, he wasn't sure if he was supposed to speak first. His leaders rarely called him, it was usually the other way around.
Well, it used to be the other way around.
He shook off the thought, focusing on the red and purple Irken that blared on the screen.
"Zim… where are you? " Tallest Purple squinted an eye, reminding him that this was not his base.
"Oh- uh, " he whipped his head around the space quickly, merely scanning the area.
"Whatever. Zim, we uh.. You know our last call? " Tallest red began, hesitancy lingering on his voice.
The small Irken swallowed. That call…
"Yes, my tallest. " Zim affirmed, his voice ever so slightly deflated, and his eyes just slightly less focused than before.
The two Irken on the screen exchanged a glance.
"Well, it was a… " Tallest red paused.
"...A test! Yes, we were merely testing your loyalty to the Irken empire. " Purple quickly added, with a small smile on his face.
He bit the inside of his mouth, why… Why did this sound so fake? Why didn't they sound serious?
No, he shouldn't doubt his tallest, he was probably just making things up.
"Oh! " Zim felt guilty, he had to force his antennae to perk. Irk, he really needed to be more grateful.
The tallest were giving him another chance, after all.
"Yes! I knew the Tallest wouldn't abandon Irks best invader! … I did.. Pass right? " He found his words sounded weird, not vocally, just the words he spoke. They didn't sound correct, in fact, everything felt a little strange.
"Yes yes, of course. " Red lazily gestured, rolling his eyes.
"We want you to continue your… er, invasion. " The purple eyed Irken offered, well more commanded he supposed.
His invasion… right. That's what he was here for.
"O-of course my tallest! An invader like myself could easil-"
"What? " An annoying, much too familiar voice chimed in.
Dib.
Zim turned around to the human, attempting a scowl, but had a feeling it looked all too nervous.
"Go away. Human. " Zim hissed quietly, antennae falling into the unsure, flattened position that he'd been trying to keep away.
"No! Zim, I thought you were done with all this! " Dib wildly gestured to the screen, where his tallest stood with confused, but amused expressions.
"I'm Zim! Zim is an invader, invaders invade! They don't stop. " Why were his claws trembling?
He scrunched his hands into a fist, trying to hide the way they shook. It wasn't because of anger, so what was it?
"B-but you're not! You're not an invader! They're liars, your 'tallest' literally left you to die less than a week ago! " He shouted, earning a gasp from the screen.
Why must he do this now?
"M-my tallest, do not be offended. This foolish human doesn't know what he's talking about!" He quickly turned to the screen with a plead.
"Yes I do, Zim! I had to pull you out of a goddamn river because of them! A river that you jumped in! " Dibs face was determined and angry, his stance looked prepared for a physical fight.
Zim froze. His jaw hung slightly open, antennae flattened more than he knew was possible.
He couldn't move. Irk, why did he have to tell the tallest of his pathetic 'rescue'?
He was right, though.
He grunted. Or he thinks he did.
He was not right.
The tallest were not liars. They aren't lying, they wouldn't.
Dib just doesn't know what he's talking about.
The room was eerily silent. The tallest hadn't hung up, had they?
They hadn't, they looked just as shocked as he felt.
Not really, actually, it was more of a 'is this serious or a joke' shock.
"He's- y-you speak lies! F-filthy human! " his voice trembled at every word he spoke, he'd turned to face Dib.
He tried to look angry, but he wasn't sure if it showed over the worry.
"A lie! Yeah? Then what's this? " Dib pulled one of his clawed hands up, revealing the still healing burns.
He yelped at the sudden movement, trying desperately to pull his wrist away.
The humans grip didn't budge, he felt tears burn the rim of his eyes.
He was Irken! And Irken invader at that, why was he being so weak? Why can't he just simply pull his wrist away from him?
"Stop it! Stupid human! You- ugh! " Zims voice trembled and cracked as he tried to fumble a sentence, his face scrunched in a variety of emotions, trying not to let any of them seep out into tears.
He pulled, tugged even, but Dib just gripped harder in response. It hurt, his rough skin tightly rubbing his burns.
Zim sharply inhaled before using his free hand to throw a punch at his opponent.
Getting a hit in his stomach, the humans hand finally slipped away from his own, and he doubled over.
He retreated his hand as quickly as he could, holding it to his chest as he shook away the tears bubbling in the rim of his eyes.
The Irken took a shaky breath, before turning back around.
His tallest looked surprised, not as surprised as before though. Were they disappointed about his inability to pull away?
Zim swallowed. Irk, this would've gone fine if it wasn't for the human.
He could almost feel Dibs glare at him.
"U-hm, ignore what he said, my tallest! These uh… burns were merely from one of my genius works! " His voice felt fake, he tried his best to stop the tremor of his words, but his voice was deflated.
It angered him. Or maybe it made him upset, he couldn't tell.
He didn't like the sound of his words, or the sentences they made.
"Um. Yeah… ok. " Purple sounded unsure, but no sympathy played in his voice.
"Anyway, Zim. The Armada will be coming around 'earth' soon. Be ready. " Tallest red finishes, seeming uncomfortable with the awkward weight of the air.
"Y-yes, Zim is always ready, my tallest! " He vowed with a salute, before the transmission flared off with a click.
The Irken found himself letting out a trembled breath he didn't know he'd been holding.
This felt wrong.
Why did it feel wrong?
"T-there's no way you actually believe those guys. Zim, cmon. " Dibs voice was slightly strained, probably from his punch.
"They wouldn't- they wouldn't lie. " He didn't know if he believed his words. He should, they were his leaders.
"They will and have! Do you really think they've come back for you? They haven't! Your leaders are selfish, they sent you out here to die, didn't they? " The human's voice lowered slightly at the last sentence, though his face stayed determined.
"T-they're not selfish, You just don't understand! You're not Irken. " Zims tone was calmer, but still agitated.
He felt oddly tired. Drained even, it felt… confusing.
"Well it doesn't seem like you're very 'irken' either. You may genetically be an Irken, Zim, but it's not hard to see how you act from say- Tak! Or even your leaders- you're different. "
"And I don't think you understand this either. " Dibs' stare softened, just slightly, but his words stayed stern.
"I'm not defective. I'm Irken Dib. I- I'm not 'different'. " He argued, shaking his head.
"Yes you are!-"
"I am not! " Zim cut in, anger spilling through his cracked voice.
"Zim is not defective- Y-you're defective! "
"Yeah okay- I'll be defective! But at least I can admit I am! At Least I won't live in a delusion, being loyal to the two leaders that don't give a damn about you! " Dib's voice was loud and sharp, paying no mind to the way the Irken stepped back.
"And now- because you wanted to live in your fake reality, you've doomed a whole planet! You've doomed my planet, Zim! " his voice sounded pained, dripped with emotion.
Zim clenched his fist, his face contorted into an ugly, upset scowl.
"I- it was bound to happen! I was sent here to invade- the armada was supposed to come anyway! Earth was doomed from the start. " He tried, antennae flattened.
"No Zim! The armada was never going to come- you know this! You said it yourself! But now- whatever you did, made them come. " The human pointed out.
"What do you think they're gonna do with you after this is all over? You're not going to be praised! I bet they'd just send you out on another fake mission- or exile you! " He pointed accusingly to add emphasis to his point.
"They wouldn't! " Zim felt like his mind was reeling.
"They would! They have! " Dib flailed his hands out, his posture hostile.
"No! Stop it! " He shook his head wildly, not wanting to admit that he knew deep down, it was true.
"They sent you here because they didn't want to deal with you- right? And now that you have something they want- they're taking you back! They're using you Zim. " Dib's tired eyes flared with a determined fury.
"No they didn't! They didn't- they sent me here to invade, because I'm an invader! I was created to be an invader! " Zims body shook as he pushed Dib back, his words huffed.
"You're not an invader! You- you're just some defective Irken that failed to accept reality! " Dib yelled, wincing in what looked like guilt after the words echoed.
He kept his eyes squeezed shut, trying to prevent the liquids that brimmed within.
"I- ugh! " The human puffed, turning and running up the stairs, to where his room was.
There was a slam, and Zims body just let go.
He fell into sobs, claws wrapped around himself.
He hated how he cried over such little things.
But he couldn't bring himself to stop.
His mind felt overflowed- it was all too sudden. And he was pretty sure he hadn't even processed half of the information yet.
It was pathetic.
Here, an irken, one of the most intergalactically feared species- crying on the floor of his supposedly enemy's household.
Yeah. That's what this was, they were enemies again.
He means- they always were. They never stopped.
It's just, more real this time.
Maybe it was always this real.
Maybe the pitying just fogged his view. This is why he hates stupid human feelings.
But again, here he was. With said 'human feelings'.
He wiped his eyes, but found that the tears wouldn't stop flowing.
Why was he even crying?
He shouldn't be. So why can't he stop?
He's an invader, he should be able to suck it up.
Like a real Irken.
Forcing his eyes shut, he rubbed aggressively at them with a quiet grunt.
His eyes were moist, and sore, stinging with the urge to cry more.
Which he would not do. Crying is weak, and he'd already been weak enough.
His tallest were coming soon. He needed to get himself together, what would they think if they saw him like this?
Zim briefly recalled the incident from earlier…
He shook his head. His tallest should ignore it, he'd prove himself.
He'd.. He'd make sure he won't be weak again.
Not now, not ever.