Under my Skin c.13

They walked in and Dib set the clothes on the couch, then walked to a strange pink blanket and wrapped himself in it before returning to Zim.

"How wet are you?" Zim asked, reaching his hand under the blanket to feel.

Dib took a step away from the hand, not wanting to burn him like he did earlier. "Wet enough."

"Then maybe we should have stopped by your house first?" Zim offered with a shrug. "Oh well, just take your clothes off and I'll have Gir wash them. Then we'll try out the communications."

Dib blushed and held the blanket to him tighter. "That's alright. This blanket should do well for now."

"I don't think so." Zim stated firmly. "You will be dry now or I'm throwing you back outside until you are dry."

Dib hissed and dropped the blanket, giving a light shiver as he did. He peeled off his sopping wet turtle neck, and held it carefully as he began unbuttoning his pants. He stopped however, to look up at Zim, blush, and turn away as he undid the button and zipper.

Zim snickered lightly at Dib's shyness before turning to move into another room, saying, "I'll be right back, I have to go find Gir."

"Alright. Thanks." Dib stepped out of his pant legging, dropping his boxers down to his feet as well. He picked them up, and held his clothes to himself, hiding what he deemed necessary, as he waited for Gir, naked, cold, and nervous.

Gir came skipping in a few moments later, yelling, "CLOTHS PLEASE!" And holding out his hands for the cloths.

Dib slowly gave the small robot his wet clothes before quickly sitting down and covering himself with his arms. "Thanks, Gir."

"Master said I get a potato if I clean the stinky Earth cloths!" Gir shrieked, sticking the cloths in his mouth then running off.

"Adorable, isn't he?" Zim snickered, walking into the room wearing a robe.

Dib looked over at Zim, now feeling the tiniest bit uncomfortable. "Why are you wearing just a robe, Zim?" He asked, however forming a hypothesis as to why, and staring at Zim in a very unamused manor.

"Who says I'm wearing just a robe?" Zim asked with a smirk, sitting on the couch next to Dib.

Dib scooted nervously away just a tidbit. "You look like you're wearing just a robe." Dib stared at the hymn of the material Zim was wearing.

"Nah," Zim said, laughing lightly. "I'm wearing shorts and a lose shirt under it. I didn't feel like getting fully dressed again."

Dib rolled his eyes. "You're about to meet your kind again and-- Wait.. What are you doing so close to me while I'M naked?" Dib frowned, glaring softly at the other.

"Oh, I'm not going to be calling any irkens until I'm sure it works." Zim said, waving that thought away. "And, though I’m flattered, you really don't have to worry about me, if I'm uncomfortable I'll move.

"Gee," Dib began, glaring dryly. "Thanks."

"Aw, you poor thing." Zim said in a baby voice. "Would you like to wear my robe?"

"Do you HAVE to tease me like that?" Dib asked grouchily, feeling even more uncomfortable by Zim being next to him in this condition. "Yes, yes, sure, please, thank you." He grumbled, glaring at the side before going back to eying Zim bitterly.

"Ok, but you have to do something for me first." Zim said, smirking evil at Dib, obviously enjoying this much more than he should be.

Dib kept his distance, not liking where this was going. "No. Not going to do it. Whatever it is, I have a feeling it isn’t worth it."

"Aw come on," Zim pouted sweetly, leaning close to Dib. "You wouldn't do me a tiiiiny favor in exchange for some coverage?"

Dib shrunk to the side a little bit. He could feel Zim's breath on his back. "What is it?" He asked very cautiously.

"Could you get me and our smeet some ice cream?" Zim asked , grinning widely. "Pik says he’s hungry."

"Right now?" Dib asked, a little bewildered and freaked out by his wife's request of him.

"Well you don't get the robe until you do it so I would think right now would be an excellent time to do it." Zim pointed out, smiling happily.

"You can’t be serious." Dib shifted his arms carefully. "In that case, I'll just wait for the clothes to be done drying."

Zim pouted, looking down at his belly as if sad and hurt, wondering how far he'd have to go to make Dib get him his ice cream.

"Why can’t I just borrow some of your clothes? I'll get you ice-cream then. I don’t HAVE to be naked, you know." Dib pointed out, trying to be helpful but cover his rear at the same time.

"My cloths won't fit you, you're too damn tall." Zim said, crossing his arms, mad at this fact. "Besides, it's not like it's something I haven't seen before, nor is it something I'm particularly interested in."

"You were interested then..." Dib grumbled under his breath and off to the side.

"When?" Zim asked as if insulted, face the picture of displeasingly shocked.

"When 'Pik' first got started." Dib rolled his eyes, not feeling any more comfortable by his.

Zim was silent for a moment before looking down and saying, "I'm ugly aren't I?"

"WHAT?! How did the conversation jump like this?! Was I away for a second and nobody told me?" Dib asked, rather confused until he saw Zim foil some more. "No! No, Zim, you're not ugly.." He took a hand away from himself to rest on the cushion in between the two to pull in closer.

"But you won't ever say it." Zim pointed out. "You just say things like what you just said, 'When Pik got started'."

"When we had sex, then. There. I said it. I was meaning you seemed to have wanted it THEN, when we had SEX... I don’t mean at all that you're ugly, Zim." Dib brought his hand up to take hold of Zim's shoulder, giving it a reassuring grip.

"Will you go get me ice cream then?" Zim asked, looking up at Dib like a lost, hopeful puppy.

Dib sighed. "Any chance I can wear something to cover myself?"

Zim sighed and took his robe off, revealing that contrary to what he said earlier he was wearing SHORT shorts and a much too big for him shirt with the logo of some museum they went to for a high school field trip.

"Here," He said, holding it out for Dib to take.

Dib blinked. "Thanks..." He took the robe from Zim, and with much masterful techniques, managed to get it on himself pretty well without revealing anything he had already revealed before. "What flavor would you like?" Dib asked, tying a knot on the slightly-small for him robe.

"Strawberry," Zim said, putting his feet up onto the couch where Dib had been sitting.

"Okay, Zim, I'll be back in a minute." He smiled, timidly leaving the base in the robe.

Zim smiled and gave Dib a little wave before curling up on the couch for warmth.

Not more than ten minutes later, Dib returned to Zim, holding the robe Zim let him wear draped around an arm, sporting some clothes that he had picked up from his house before he went, a strawberry ice-cream in one hand, and a chocolate ice-cream in the other. "Here you go, Dear!" He walked over to Zim and handed him the strawberry.

Zim looked at the strawberry ice cream as if he was unsure about it, studying it.

Dib sat over next to Zim, letting the robe slide off of his arm. "What's the matter, Zim? Strawberry; just like you wanted."

“Pik changed my mind." Zim said simply, as if it should have been obvious.

Strawberry ice-cream dripped over Dib's fingers. "What?" He asked. Then it dawned on him. "Hormones?"

"I don't know," Zim said, looking at his stomach. "He just moved and suddenly I didn't want Strawberry anymore, I wanted Vanilla."

Dib sighed. "Should I dump this one out and get a new one?" He asked, taking a lonely lick on his chocolate ice-cream first, just to make sure.

"Please?" Zim asked, giving Dib a sweet, pleading look.

"I'll go get in the car..." He slouched a bit, standing up and going to the kitchen where he dumped the ice-cream out and left the house once more.

Zim brought his knees up as much as he could around his swollen belly, his antennae perking up to listen when he remembered the wig he had on. Slowly he took it off and pulled out his contacts, letting his eyes and antennae breath.

Dib later returned through the doors. "VANILLA!" He proclaimed, holding a cone with melting ice-cream out in his hand to see Zim bent over his belly. He walked over.

Zim flashed Dib a happy smile, holding both hands out to take the delish dairy product.

Dib handed it over, happy he got it right this time, and sat comfortably at Zim's feet. "So how are you and Pik doing since I left?" He smiled, feeling like a dog that did good.

"Pretty good," Zim said, placing a lick on the top of the ice cream then looking at it funny.

"Diiib, I thought I told you to get strawberry."

"FOR CRYING OUT--" Dib looked over at Zim and his wonderful belly of life. "Fiiiine." He got up and snatched the ice-cream from Zim. "I'll go get you a new one."

Zim laughed and quickly grabbed Dib around the waist so he couldn't go anywhere, saying, "I was kidding I was kidding, now give me back my ice cream!"

Dib pouted, handing the ice-cream back, before crawling back up on the couch and curling up at the arm rest. "I didn’t know Irkens had hormones.... this is kind of interesting in a slightly painful away."

Zim licked up the droplets that ran down the side of the cone, saying, "It's your stupid man seed that's doing this you know." He took a bite off the top and let it melt in his mouth before going on. "Most hormones are blocked by chemicals that are injected into us at birth, all except the ones that allow us to mate, that way there is a hope of us bearing young. Though mating urges, as I have said before, are blocked almost completely in those who cannot afford the distraction unless they have special clearance. Invaders, soldiers, pilots, and technical personale and shorter irkens are usually the ones with blocks. But once we reach a certain height, no matter what position, our paks stop blocking as mating is encouraged among taller irkens." He stopped his explanation to hear Dib’s reply to all of that and to eat more of his ice cream.

Dib hummed thoughtfully. "What's so important about being tall, anyway?"

"Asks the bean pole." Zim grumbled. "Height is a symbol of strength and power to irkens, just as your pathetic nation uses animals to symbolize the same."

"Have something against the Majestic Moose?" Dib asked with a small smirk. "I think I get what you're saying. It's something to be really proud of.”

"Exactly," Zim said with a nod. "That is why our leaders are the Tallest."

Dib snickered now. "So they're just like mascots rather than leaders, huh? Sucks to be ruled under them."

Zim growled annoyedly and punched Dib in the shoulder warningly, saying, "Watch what you say Dib-stink, those are MY leaders."

Dib pouted, rubbing his arm. "It was just a joke.. and in any perspective, that's still not the BEST way to choose a leader, you know.."

"What would you know about it anyway?" Zim asked, glaring at Dib lightly. "The Tallest are the strongest and smartest of us, it is the perfect way to choose a leader."

"So if you were taller than everybody that would automatically make you smarter than everyone, and stronger as well?" Dib raised a brow.

"No no no," Zim said, shaking his head. "You aren't smart because you're tall, you're tall because you're smart, you see. Only the best of us can grow."

"I don’t follow you. Explain." Dib seemed interested now, and watched lazily a drip of vanilla ice-cream slide down the cone.

"You don't grow if you don't have the intelligence." Zim said, tapping his temple with a claw.

"So you have to strategize to grow, huh?" Dib put his arms behind his head and stretched. Irkens were so weird!

"Close enough," Zim said, tired of talking about that and going back to eating his ice cream.

Dib sighed, sitting and waiting for Zim. He sat, and sat, and sat some more, occasionally looking over at Zim. He pouted after a while, came over, and took a bite out of the cone and went back.

Zim pouted at Dib and finished off his ice cream, licking his fingers off.

"Feel better?" Dib asked, giving him a lazy smile.

"Much better actually." Zim said, sucking some of the melted ice cream off of his thumb.

Dib sighed. "Well that's good to know..." He slowly bent over and gave Zim's tight melon belly a kiss. "Looks like Pik got what he wanted, huh?"

"Yeah," Zim said with a wide smile.

Dib smiled up at Zim from his position over the hybrid embryo.

Zim found himself smiling back, blushing a little. "You really meant what you said earlier? I look good like this?"

Dib couldn’t help but let a small chuckle out. "Yeah, Zim. Yeah, completely serious."

"Thanks," Zim said before giving Dib a hard shove off of him and saying, "I need to get dressed so we can test out the communicator."

Dib sat up on his knees. "Go right ahead, my Queen." He smirked and fell back onto his butt to watch him.

Zim went into another room to change, coming back a short while later in one of the only pair of jeans that still fit him, a long sleeved black shirt under a pink striped shirt, his gloves back in place.

"You look nice and warm." Dib stood up to meet Zim. "So! You ready?"

Zim nodded , pulling at the hem of Dib's shirt as if straightening it out before saying, "Do not touch any part of me while I'm using the communicator, got it?"

Dib nodded in all seriousness. "Right. That would end out bad."

"Not with this person, not really." Zim said simply. "It just wouldn't be professional."

"Who... will you be testing this with, then?" Dib asked, giving the other a look of curiosity.

"An old friend on Vort." Zim said, dragging Dib to the elevator. "Vort is farther away than Irk, so I 'piggy-backed' on the Massive's comunications lines to talk to him when the Massive was in range. If I can reach him I can reach anyone I care to."

Dib looked around boredly in the elevator. "Then we'll know it's a success.. I kind of wonder if it'll work..." He was getting butterflies in his stomach. Did he really even want it to work?

"It has to work." Zim said, putting his arms around himself as if he was cold. "If not I'm doomed."

Dib sighed. "Right..." He ran a finger through his mischievous lock of hair disobeying the rest when the elevator doors opened, leading them to the room of electronics. Together they made their way to the communicator. "Here goes nothing."

"Here goes everything," Zim corrected.

"Computer, contact prisoner number 777 on the research prison planet Vort."

The computer made some clicks and clacks, seemingly too busy running to respond verbally to Zim. The communicator, still pulled out on the floor flashed blue, and little blue bits of energy traveled over the high-tech piece of machinery like veins in a heart that happened to glow and pulsate as well. The machine made strange human electrical noises as well, vooshing and hushing as it thought what to do, and suddenly, the screen flashed on.

There, on the screen was a smallish alien bent over with his back to the screen, the small horns on top of his head twitching oddly.

Zim crossed his arms and cleared his throat, not liking that he was being ignored by an 'old friend'.

Said old friend did not respond.

Zim cleared his throat again, louder this time, earning a sharp turn in his direction from the alien and a surprised gasp.

"Zim!?" Prisoner number 777 breathed in shock before pausing and looking at the irken oddly before noting, "You've... gained weight."

Dib couldn’t help but sharply cough in his fist, trying to signal to Prisoner number 777 that was not the right thing to say. Though, he stared at this alien, and couldn’t help but wonder if he had seen him before.

"I'M NOT FAT!" Zim shrieked, holding his stomach.

777 didn't seem fazed at all by Zim's outburst, having been long used to them by now.

"It has been a while Zim. A few years correct?"

"Yes, when the Massive moved I was unable to contact you, but just recently I found the overwhelming NEED to contact my people again, so I recruited the aid of this human to help me strengthen my communications system. We're taking it for a test run now." Zim explained, waving a hand casually.

"Need?" 777 asked, suddenly intrigued. It was not every day one could hear the mighty Zim admitting to needing something other than explosive things or other such destructive devices.

"The... weight...." Zim said, poking his belly and trying not to glare at it. "Is a life form."

777 blinked curiously before 'Oooooooh'ing in realization.

"You're with smeet!" He said almost cheerfully. "Who's!? Or is it some kind of cloning experiment gone wrong?"

Dib shifted uncomfortably, feeling his face heat up and wondering if he should say anything. He was proud to be the father of this smeet, after all, what paranormal investigator DIDNT want alien children? But it still felt weird for him to even think about telling this 'old friend' of Zim.

Zim glared at Dib, clearly indicating to 777 whose fault it was he had a child in his squeedilly spooch.

777 blinked curiously at Dib before cracking up with laughter, causing Zim to throw something at the screen and yell, "I DIDN'T CALL YOU SO YOU COULD LAUGH AT ME YOU BIG JERK!"

777 waved a hand, showing he meant nothing by it with a gesture since he couldn't stop laughing.

Zim crossed his arms. "STOP THAT!" He yelled. "For Irk's sake you're making the Dib seem ATTRACTIVE as a companion!"

"Yeah! Quit that!" Dib finally chose to speak up as well, his cheeks never returning to their natural pale color. "This is weird enough as it is..."

"Ok, ok, ok." 777 said, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "I'm sorry, but I was really betting for the cloning idea. Zim isn't exactly an irken I'd figure to become intimate with an alien."

"What do YOU know about me!?" Zim defended himself.

"I know that you hate touch beyond all else." 777 said smugly. "I also know that this is either a SPECIAL human to earn your advances or you broke the height barrier."

Zim's face turned from angry to curious as he looked at 777 and said, "I never thought of that. Maybe the urges were unblocked sometime around when it happened."

Zim turned to Dib, asking, "You think?"

Dib scratched the back of his head somewhat nervously, having this odd attention on him. "Yeah.. after all.. you are much taller now.. and... that would make since and.. why else would all that happen.. and.." He blabbered on. Dib had grown feelings for Zim, but Zim- Zim just got urges from height. It was somewhat depressing.

"We'll figure it out later," Zim said with a shrug, planning on checking his height later. "But, anyway, the point is, I'm what these human's call pregnant and am not sure how I'm supposed to get this thing out of me when the time comes... or when the time will be for that matter. So I must contact my Tallest and request help."

"Yes, I see how getting the smeet out would be a little problematic, considering your gender and unhealthily small hips." 777 said, putting a hand on his chin, a glint in his eye showing he'd probably just passed a joke to Zim without Dib's knowledge.

"MY HIPS ARE PERFECT!" Zim yelled, slamming his hand on a button that made the screen go blank.

Dib recoiled a little, worried about the poor button. If Zim treated all of his machinery like this, it was a wonder why it wasn’t all broken. "Well, that went smoothly. Though, we know it's working, now!" Dib smiled cheerfully, though, feeling slightly detached at the way the conversation between the two was ended.

Zim looked at the button, becoming lost in his own thoughts for a moment before turning to Dib’s and asking, "Zim's hips are perfect right?"

Dib quickly spoke up to help Zim out. "They were when I f-- .. Yes."

Zim gave Dib a suspicious look but decided he didn't WANT to know what Dib was going to say, knowing it was most likely going to upset him. He opened his mouth to say something when all that came out was a surprised squeak and his hands quickly flew to his stomach.

"ZIM! What's the matter!?" Dib quickly came to Zim's front, his hands on the Irken's stomach as well.

"Irk be damned," Zim said, face scrunching up a little. "It just started moving and stretching and won't fucking stop. The little freeloader...."

Dib's face quickly lit up into a bright smile. "That's great, Zim! It's moving! That’s.. that’s... that's so awesome!" He beamed happily.

"Maybe for you," Zim grumbled. "It's not kicking you in the squeedilly spooch." Though as annoying as that felt he could help but look down at his stomach with interest. It was... moving. It had motor skills already, not even out of his stomach yet... which meant....

"He won't need a pak."

Dib looked up from the stomach and his smile dropped in confusion. "Why's that?" He looked back down to the tummy and smiled once more, obviously pleased that it was kicking Zim from the inside.

"It's, it's moving without one." Zim said, lightly running his claws over his stomach. "When smeets are born on Irk they, well, they aren't alive. A pak is placed on them and then they are given a powerful shock to jump start their body. But there is no pak in my stomach, yet the smeet is moving. He won't need one."

Dib, seemingly ignoring Zim, held him around the small of his back to rub his cheek against the melon stomach. "I'm so proud of you, little BABY Pik!"

The hybrid moved again Dib's cheek as if aware of his father's words and presence.

Zim stared at Dib, contemplating the human's role in his and the baby's lives. How big a part did he want Dib to play? He knew he wanted Dib there, but did he want Dib to have a half of the share in raising Pik? The happy little TV family life looked nice, but did he want that for his smeety?

No, he didn't. If he could choose he would want his smeet brought up in the empire. With others just like him. That's what he wanted for his smeet. Not some Earth life, the life of a soldier.

He had to get himself back in the empire, and with the smeety moving within him and Dib happy and oblivious he began thinking of a way to make that happen.

Dib continued to nuzzle a bit while he talked. "So where do you want me when you're calling your leaders?"

"I don't really care." Zim said with a shrug. "Where do you WANT to be?"

"Eh... watching how it goes, but not being seen by them." Dib answered back, now stroking the stomach.

"Ok," Zim said with a nod, finding the stroking to be relaxing.

He looked around the room before pointing to a piece of machinery, saying, "You can hide behind those."

Dib hummed lightly, enjoying the little nuzzles he was doing himself. "Thanks, Zim..."

"No problem," Zim said. "We'll call them tomorrow, ok?"

"Okay.." Dib sighed in relaxation. "Oh, and Zim..?"

"Yeah?" Zim asked, unable to help but to move his hands to Dib's head to feel his hair.

"Can I hold you? Uh, you know, when we sleep tonight...?" Dib asked, no longer smiling, but still as relaxed as before he asked.

Zim paused to think about it for a second, not that there was much to think about.

"Ok," He said, nodding.

Dib stood, and gave Zim a warm embrace before leaving him for the elevator.

Zim followed closely, thinking vaguely how weird it was the Dib walked around his base now, not seeming nervous that Zim would try and pull something. It wasn't a bad though, Zim kind of liked that Dib felt relaxed with him now. He didn't know why, but he did.

The two went into the elevator, journeying upwards until it hit the level Zim's room was on. Dib made sure to walk real close by him as they moved on to the bed.

Zim curled up as much as he could against Dib as they laid down. He hadn't eve realized he was tired until his head hit the pillow, falling asleep almost instantly thanks to Dib's warmth.