When a Human Likes an Alien

Feelings? Of course not!

Dib was walking home worried about his dad knowing he wasn't home all night. But he figured that since his dad was never home, he would be safe. But he was wrong. As he walked into his house, he noticed his sister sitting at the table with their dad. Dib tried his best to sneak up to his room as quickly and quietly as he could, but his dad already knew he was in the house.

"Where are you going, Dib?" At this point Dib knew he needed to come up with a good excuse for not being home for so long.

Dib sighed. "Nowhere." He knew his father would want to talk to him and this was the only answer that wasn't stupid or rude. He turned around and headed towards the kitchen.

"Good answer, now come sit." Dib's father gestured towards one of the four chairs around the small square table. Dib sat down, fully ready to accept any punishment he was about to get.

"Son, when I came home last night, you were nowhere to be found, and your sister told me you had left earlier in the day. Where were you? Why did you stay out so late?"

Dib had to think of something good, and fast. "Uh, well, I was at a friend's house, uh, studying for a test. And we fell asleep. Then I woke up and came home." That had to be a good answer! His father never knew when Dib had tests, so he must be in the clear.

"No offense son, but since when did you have friends that you hang out with?"

"Um, I was at Zim's. I've known him for years now. I've talked about him before, I know I have." Dib didn't even care that his dad said he didn't have friends. It was well known that Dib was the weird kid that no one talked to.

"Of course you were with Zim." Gaz was still sitting at the table, playing a game on her phone, and of course she had to jump in on this conversation.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dib never liked when she joked about Zim being his boyfriend. As if he'd ever date the enemy.

"Yes, Gaz, what does that mean?" And of course, their dad was clueless.

"Zim's his boyfriend."

"He is not, Gaz! Shut up!" Dib started going red and tried to hide it by covering his face.

Their father couldn't tell who was joking. He had figured that somehow they both were. He could never keep up with the inside jokes those two had and he just assumed this was another one.

"Well whatever he is, you were at his house all night, because you fell asleep studying? That sounds reasonable. And it even sounds like a good thing!"

"It does?" Dib had no idea how his father could get 'good thing' from this whole situation.

"Yes! You were studying so hard that you passed out. I bet you're going to ace that test, you always do."

"Uh, thanks, I guess. Can I go upstairs now?"

"Sure, just don't stay out all night again!"

"Trust me, that will never happen again." The thought of spending the night with Zim again gave him a feeling he couldn't quite describe, but someone well versed in emotions would say it was a mixture of hatred and, almost something like excitement for something that will never come, like getting your hopes up. But Dib didn't know emotions beyond the basic few; sadness, anger, joy, fear, and of course, hatred. He knew the last one very well, and considered it appropriate when describing his feelings towards Zim.

He went upstairs, into his room, and shut the door behind him. He laid down on his bed and took out some paper and a pencil. Ever since he met Zim, he had been sketching the green alien, and had gotten quite good at it. He even tried drawing other things, and found that he actually enjoyed art. He had sketched out Zim enough times to draw him from memory. Today he decided he would draw him again.

He had just about finished a few sketches before he remembered that Zim had told him to come back. Dib figured Zim was only joking, but he had thought about the night before, and decided he might actually want him there. He went back out to see Zim again, this time telling his dad he was leaving, making sure the events of today wouldn't happen again.

Zim had spent most of his day trying to figure out how emotions worked, and what to look for if he felt certain ones. He had decided that whatever he felt towards Dib the day before was only him acting out of instinct. He was weak, and couldn't control himself. Zim sure is a stubborn little alien, isn't he?

When Dib got to Zim's house, he dodged the lawn gnomes, and knocked on the door. He was so used to the gnomes that he knew exactly how to effectively avoid them.

Zim was watching tv with Gir when he heard the knock. He got up, not bothering to put on his disguise, because he was certain it was Dib.
As he opened the door, he couldn't help but feel strange about what had happened earlier. Like it was all just a dream. "Why are you here?"

"You ask like you're expecting someone else. You asked me to come back, remember?"

"Zim did no such thing! Why would he want his enemy to come back?"

"Maybe 'cause you missed me?" Dib smirked. He liked making fun of Zim.

"As if. Well, come inside, sit down, do whatever, I don't really care."

Dib suddenly felt bad again. Zim must still feel bad about being left by his leaders. The Tallests disowning Zim was like parents disowning the child that tried so hard to please them. That's essential all that Zim did. His only goal was to please and impress his Tallests, and then they say that they wanted him to die.

"Just whatever you do, don't break my stuff, I'm not in the mood to repair and replace it."

Dib sat on the couch and Zim sat right next to him. He fought every feeling that told him to get closer to the human, but after a while of the two just talking, he couldn't stop himself. He rested his head against Dib's chest. Zim felt safe and happy again. He hated all of this, the action, the feeling, but at the same time, he just wanted more.

They stayed like that for about an hour, watching tv and talking about whatever, until Dib checked his phone. "It's getting late, I should go. I'll see you tomorrow at school, Zim."

"Oh, okay. Um, bye." He didn't want Dib to leave, but he knew he'd get in even more trouble than before if he didn't.

Dib left. As soon as he got home, he went to his room and went to bed.

Zim however, didn't usually need sleep, so he spent all night researching feelings again. He never got the answers he was hoping for, but then again, you aren't supposed to like the enemy, let alone develop feelings for them!