Authors Notes: This is... really crappy. And I mean REALLY CRAPPY. Please. Just be kind when you review. This idea wouldn't leave me alone. It has no point. There is no plot besides Dib having a plushie he named Zim. I hate this story. Arg. Its really bad. And its my frst IZ fic, too. Oh well... They can't all be winners. I might one day fix it all up and repost it. -sighs-
In a dark corner of Dib's room, there is a secret fortune. He has never shown anyone this, his most beloved artifact, for he fears that they will destroy it. It's the last thing his mother ever gave to him and it's the most treasured thing of Dibs.
So, obviously, when Zim was snooping around and found it by accident, Dib was very scared; would the last living remains of his mother's love be ripped apart by an angry, homicidal alien? Luckily for him, though, Zim decided it was just a "piece of stinky human trash" and threw it back into the corner.
Dib pretended to sleep that night and it seemed to have paid off. If Zim had looked at the bed and seen the wide, fear-filled eyes of his mortal enemy, he might have dealt differently with the tiny object.
Years later, when the fights had stopped and friendships were established (after many months of problems communicating said friendship to each other), Dib showed the precious thing to his now best friend.
"Why do you still have that stupid thing, Dib-human?" Zim said, pointing to the ratty old treasure of Dib's past. Dib just shrugged and smiled. But although the expression of happiness was in his expression, his eyes showed a deep sadness that seemed to root itself there.
"Before my mom… died… She gave me this. It's the last time I ever saw her, so it's really special to me." And with that, Dib cuddled the tiny alien plushie to his chest and smiled that sad smile again. Zim looked at it and then gave a half-smile; it looked as if he was trying to comfort his new friend but didn't quite know how.
The "Almighty and superior ZIM!" had grown up. He no longer had three-hour-long rants (although a half-hour lament over the Tallest's abandonment or empty threats to take over earth would pop up occasionally.) He had traded in his old Invader uniform for some simple blue jeans and tight-fitting black t-shirts. Even his demeanor had changed somewhat; he was calmer now, no more fights to the death with his "mortal enemy" (after all, who would kill their only friend?), and he stopped trying to take over Earth. But only after the Tallest had sent a transmission to tell him of his fake mission and his banishment to the filth-laden planet. But he still spoke in third-person; old habits die hard.
"Does he have a name?" Zim asked, turning his gaze to the tattered, green plushie. It was the typical version of an alien: green skin, two fingers, and antenna; it seemed to resemble Zim, in a weird way. But its eyes weren't a lively, ruby-red like the Irken's but a dull, lifeless black; a void into which one could get lost in if not careful.
Dib looked up at Zim, surprised by the question. He was still stuck in thoughts of his mother, of her death and how that had been such a horribly painful day for his entire family. It was only a car crash… but it ended the life of his mother quickly and brutally and his family hadn't been the same since. Professor Membrane dove into his work, submersing himself in "real science" so as to forget his wife's other-worldly beliefs. Gaz had gone into herself and turned to video games for comfort. And Dib? He tore down the comfort zones of man-kind, tried to force the ignorant of his race to see that which they had been blind to all along, what his mother had taught him at the cradle was real all along: aliens.
So it was ironic that his best friend was what he had been out to destroy all along.
"Well… He has a name… but I don't think it's a very good one…" Dib said, seeming to avoid the question altogether. Zim raised non-existent brows, and then grinned. He pulled on Dib's scythe-lock in an affectionate manner, although his dark red eyes sparkled with mischief (he had not worn his disguise in front of the human in years, considering the other liked him better without it.) Two gold-brown eyes looked up warily into the ruby orbs of the alien. Dib didn't like the way this conversation was going at all.
"You named it after the amazing-ness that is ZIM, didn't you, Dib-worm?" Seeing the shock and the slight embarrassment mounting in Dib's expression was all he needed to egg him on. He yanked the toy (albeit gently) from the human's limp grasp and bounced around with it like the sugar-crazed nut-ball he was.
Dib gave a small squeak of surprise and could only watch as an insane alien pranced around his room. He was nervous about what Zim was going to do to his most beloved material item in the whole world. Scratch that, UNIVERSE.
"'I am the almighty MINI-ZIM and I have conquered the Dib-filth's room!'" Zim said in a squeaky impression of himself. And, if it were at all possible to do so, he did an awful impersonation of himself. "'Oh great and Tallest Zim, what should I do now that I have conquered this bedroom?'" And then Zim spoke for himself, "Take over the rest of the house for you and me, Mini-Zim! For that is what I, the great and taller-than-you Zim would do!" He cackled insanely and pranced around with the toy some more, having imaginary discussions about robot weasels, stupid (and disobedient) robots, and evil Voot-runner-stopping bees.
At first, Dib had been ready to be indignant but was reduced to helpless laughter at Zim's behavior. It never took long for him to get over himself in the alien's presence. After a while, though, he began to fear for his beloved toy and promptly plucked it from the alien's lax hold on it. He held it to his chest, although his eyes were happier now instead of sad.
"Are you angry that I named it after you?" He asked quietly as they went back to Dib's bed to sit down again. He knew he sounded stupid and insecure but he had to make sure; he could never tell how Zim was going to react about anything new in their friendship these days. Especially not after learning about the "Gir-helped-me-spy-on-you-with-a-secret-camera" thing. He had to explain how he knew about Zim's affinity for waffles and his fear for squids and had a black eye for weeks.
"I know I'd be pissed if you found some Raggedy Andy doll and named it after me." He continued, wrinkling his nose. "Especially since I don't have red hair."
Zim blinked at the human's questionable behavior. In his race, to have something named after you was a great honor, an acknowledgement of an achievement. Even Dib should have known that by now. Zim shrugged. Who could understand the earth-boy's thoughts, though?
"No, Zim is not angry with you, Dib-human. Although he would like to know when you named Mini-Zim after Zim." The Irken said slyly, looking up at his only friend on this Irk-forsaken planet with narrowed eyes. Dib gulped audibly, his Adams Apple bobbing up and down slightly.
"Um… Maybe a year after you came here… Never could think of a good name for it until a real alien actually showed up." He laughed nervously, running a hand through his thick black hair. "Although, should I call it 'Mini-Zim' now? It sounds… better, somehow. More fitting." Zim laughed at Dib's hesitant manner. If he had bothered to think up a word to describe the human's reactions, it would be "cute." Luckily, he didn't waste his time in thinking of mundane things like that, oh no. And there wasn't a faint blush tingeing his cheeks at the thought of it.
"There can only be ONE Zim and that is ZIM! So this inferior thing must be Mini-Zim! For nothing can compare to the amazing-ness that is the real Zim!" He said loudly, his normal arrogance pulling him through his embarrassment. He pointed at the little green man in Dib's arms and glared at it. "You dare mock me? Eh?! I shall hunt you down with evil sporks of doom!" Maniacal laughter came from him in torrents. He knew this would drive the Dib crazy. The human had had six years of crazed guffawing from Zim, after all.
He was still surprised when the pillow slammed into his head, as if this was an unexpected reaction. Growling playfully, he ripped the pillow from Dib's hands and whacked him back. The two began to laugh as a pillow fight started up.
The little green alien toy was forgotten on the corner of the bed. It seemed to be smiling, somehow, with its eyes. It – er, Mini-Zim – watched them silently, smiling with its eyes. Suddenly, they weren't voids; they were night skies filled with glittering stars. They were unexplored galaxies, dancing wormholes, new planets to see. The dark orbs became happy, somehow, no longer filled with empty nights and unshed tears.
Mini-Zim was the embodiment of Dib's hope.
And Zim had brought that hope into Dib's life faster than Gir could make waffles.
And for those that don't know, Gir can make waffles pretty quick.
END
A/N: Again, I hate this story. Please review, though. I'll even take flames.
ARG! They were so out of character -bangs her head on her desk- I suck. I do.