HOME | DD

Description
Sorry this is a novel

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Every day on the Massive seemed like an average day, at least until something wild would happen to that one individual who was chosen by the universe or other unknown forces to experience chaos.
Today would most likely be no different.
Not for too many people, though.
Even Zelle was bored, watching Red and Purple play with tiny models of Mars and the Earth.
And yes, Red and Purple were also bored, hence why they were playing with planet models.
But Zelle and her monkeys aside, there were deeper things happening elsewhere.
       Pepps walked through the halls carrying a small box filled with miscellaneous items, a somewhat purposeful expression plastered on his face.
Only when he found what he was looking for -- or who, more like, did he relax a little.
Zim and Dib were in the hall near Pepps' lab, presumably headed somewhere after eating breakfast.
When Zim saw Pepps, he just stared as was usual, but Dib smiled.

       "Hey Pepps.
What's up?"

"Oh, hey kid.
Well, I was actually looking for Zim."

   "Eh?" Zim's antennas perked up at the sound of his name.

Pepps smiled a little.

"I said I was looking for you."

   "Huh?"

"I was looking for you."

   "Wha?"

Pepps sighed a long sigh while Dib shook his head, just staring in placid amusement at his little green boyfriend.

       "Really Zim, your hearing sucks."

Zim sprang up and pointed at Dib.

   "LIES!
My hearing is amazing!
Remember that time that I!
Uh...
That I heard that one thing you couldn't?"

Dib rolled his eyes.

"ANYWAY," Pepps cut in, "I need to talk to you."

   "Eh?"

Pepps lightly set the box down to his right side, walked up close to Zim and raised his voice so that it literally echoed when he was done talking.

"I SAID I NEED TO TALK TO YOU...!!!"

Zim stared blankly, then winced and rubbed the top of his head where the base of his left antenna was.

   "No need to yell at Zim..."

Pepps and Dib both seemed less than surprised by this response, and carried on.
Pepps lowered his voice once more, eyes softer and tone more sympathetic.

       "So...what do you need from him?
Do I need to go?"

"No, you can stay, I'll make it quick.
Zim...
I heard some guys by the bridge mention something about you."

Zim looked intrigued, raising a brow.

   "About me?"

"Yes."

   "About my genius?"

"Heh, no buddy.
Um...
It was about your re-encodement date."

   "What about it?"

Zim folded his arms, looking a little annoyed now.

"It's...going to be rescheduled."

   "They're making it earlier?"

"No...
They're pushing it back.
By um...by about two months."

Zim nearly jumped out of his boots.
Dib looked sad.

       "Ohhh, man..."

   "WHAT?!
Why?!
I have waited forEVER for this re-encodement!
I can't stay encoded as a food service drone forever!"

"I know that, I know.
They said some other things got in the way of it, scheduling is a bit crowded.
More pressing things need to be taken care of, they said..."

   "Pressing?
Like important??
What could be more important than ZIM?!"

Pepps couldn't resist the half smile that slipped onto his face, but he quickly put it away.

   "Can't Zelle do something?"

"Not really.
These sort of things aren't always up to the Tallest, and if her trustees decide something is more important than something else, depending on the circumstances she has to agree.
I'm sorry, Zim.
I know you've been waiting a while..."

Pepps briefly put a hand on Zim's shoulder as a comforting gesture before calmly pulling back.
Zim opened his mouth to spat and say something, but he quickly shut it again, and just stared irritably at Pepps.
Dib looked back and forth between them, and saw that Pepps remained calm and sympathetic.
Zim was floored.

   "I don't understand..."

"I know...
BUT!
In light of all this, I brought you something."

   "Really?
A gift for Zim???"

"Yup!"

The Vortian leaned down and grabbed the box, stood back up and held it out to Zim.
The short Irken peered in to look.

"It's the spikk ray you've been after.
I pulled some strings and got it for ya."

Dib suddenly became apprehensive.

       "Um, is it really safe to be giving him a weapon after giving him bad news?"

   "Whaaat?
Do you think I will kill someone?"

They both just stared at him blankly.

   "...YER LYING!
Hey, you did get me the spikk ray!"

Pepps smiled a little as Zim took the box, the Irken beaming as big ruby eyes scanned the gun.

"You like it?"

   "Hmmm..."

Zim put the box down and pulled out the ray, making Dib very nervous.
He looked around a few times, then at Zim shakily while the little alien looked the gun all over.
After a minute, Zim came to a conclusion.

   "Iiii am PLEASED!!!
With this, I can finally do that thing with the moose I told you about!
Remember, Dib?"

Dib smiled, relaxing slightly.

       "Y-yeah, I remember.
Just try not to blow up the room this time."

Zim ignored that comment as he dropped the gun back into the box, hoisted it up over his head, grinned, and took off running down the hall.

   "AAAHAHAHA!
I AM ZIIIM!!!"

He turned a corner and disappeared.
But as soon as he had vanished, the remaining men heard his footsteps stop, the box touch the ground, and watched as Zim came and ran back to them.
Zim stopped in front of Pepps, looked up, and cleared his throat.

   "Ahem.
...Thank you."

His words were quick, as were his feet when he turned and ran away again, turned the corner, and proceeded to laugh all the way down the next hall with his gift.
Dib delayed looking at Pepps when he first spoke, but by the time he did look, he was smiling.

       "Wow, I've never seen anyone break news to Zim so nicely before.
Well, other than Zelle, I mean.
You even got him a present!
Are you always this nice to him?"

Pepps just shrugged, smiling casually.

"Usually, yeah.
I mean we have our days, and there was that time I told him I hated him...
BUT -- but I was, uh...I wasn't in my right mind at the time, I really didn't mean that..."

Dib nodded, visibly believing him.

"Anyway...
Yes, I try to be nice to him."

Dib chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

     "Hahah, this is gonna sound like a stupid question, but...why?"

"HUH!
Trust me, I know why you're asking.
Look, Zim is, uhhh...
He's annoying and all, and definitely an ungrateful bastard at times -- or so it seems, but I know there's more to him than that."

       "Yeah?"

"Mhm.
I mean for one thing, he's defective."

Dib's eyes softened, but became wider.

       "Zim mentioned that to me before...
You knew about that?"

"Pft, I knew long before anyone else did.
Here, follow me."

It was a familiar situation.

Pepps pulled out his keycard and unlocked the lab doors, led Dib in and flipped the lights on as the door closed.

Pepps walked calmly up to his equipment, pulling out a chair and then going on to clean a few beakers while he talked casually.

Dib slowly took a seat in the offered chair.

"Yep, Zim's what his people call a "flawed clone."

Some Irkens are natural born, others are cloned from DNA.

They mismatch the DNA so that no two Irkens come out the same, but twins can happen.

Sometimes, though, clones can end up being given damaged ID PAKs, and it can affect their personalities and give them quirks or even disabilities.

When Miyuki was around that used to get some acknowledgment, even sympathy or offered help, but after Spork they just started killing defects."

     "That's horrible!

How did Zim get away?"

"Well, sometimes they slipped the system, from what I heard.

Word is, Zim kinda blew up the planet's power the day he was born!

Heheh, he's literally been a destructive machine his whole life."

Pepps continued to clean and line up his beakers while Dib soaked in that information.

       "Man..."

He sighed, remembering what had happened with Zim just minutes ago.

       "Sucks they're pushing back his re-encodement, he was really looking forward to being in demolitions."

"Yeaaah, I know.

I would've let the guys I heard tell him, but I know how people tend to treat him.

Hell, just because he's crazy doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings..."

       "You know, I know you just stood here and told me you feel for him and that he's defective and stuff, but I still wonder how you manage to be so patient with him.

Even I lose my patience sometimes."

"Hey we all do, hah, nobody's perfect.

But..."

Pepps finished his quick cleaning, leaning his hands on the table after setting the last beaker aside.

"I worked with that kid...

Back on Research Station 9, he was a scientist beside me.

He was so good at destroying things, Irk sent him to Vort to pursue military science and engineering.

And you know what?

He was good.

Really good, actually.

But eeeverybody hated him.

He was so annoying, demanding, nutty, but it was those things that helped me to see that he was a defective.
Not that a non-defect couldn't be like that, but Zim just had this nature about him that helped me see it.

I knew enough about Irkens to know that, but I kept it to myself.

'cept Lard Nar, and uh...my professor, but that was it.
...Though my professor had kind of thought the same thing, too...

Eh -- anyway, that aside, he was a great scientist, and very smart.

Sometimes, he even helped me solve problems!

Heh, ahh...

Not a lot of people took kindly to him.

But even when he had his moments, when something made him freak out or he got in a fight with someone, I was always there to defuse the tension.

I was always the one who calmed him down, I don't know how but I just...understood him, in some weird way.

Not saying that makes me special or anything, but it just came easily.

And like I said, I had my moments.

I got impatient, sometimes yelled him out of a room, but I tried to make it more about discipline than plain old anger.

Even with Miyuki in charge, Irkens had a bit of a selfish, childish side."

       "Hm!

Tell me about it."

Dib smiled.

He really liked to hear Pepps talk about things.

The Vortian was only 34, but he already harbored so much knowledge and had known Zim long before Dib was even born.
It amazed him how long these aliens had existed, and fascinated him to no end that almost everyone knew Zim, including Pepps.

       "So, is him being defective the reason his hearing is so bad?
Hahahah!"

"Oh, nah.

That's because of the accident."

       "...What accident?"

"Zim never told you?"

       "I guess not...

I mean, he has a lot of accidents."

Pepps snorted, amused.

"HEH!

True, true.

Well, back when he and I worked together he got in a lab accident and fried his antenna.

Hearing's been kinda bad ever since."

Dib looked horrified.

On the one hand, he couldn't believe Zim hadn't told him that, but on the other hand Zim tended to think things that were important, weren't important.

Dib nearly fell forward out of his chair.

       "UH?!

But -- how?

What happened?"

Pepps looked at him for a second.

       "I'm sorry, I know I keep asking a bunch of questions, but I just have to know.

I care about him, and you seem to know everything."

Pepps smiled, warm as usual.

"Awww, I don't mind.

I can tell you love em, you two are good together."

Dib appeared to blush a little.

       "Thanks..."

Pepps pulled up a chair of his own and sat to the partial side of Dib, the boys facing each other to see better.

"Okay, I'm gonna try and start from the beginning.

See my lab coat?"

Pepps pointed to the white coat hanging on a rack.

Dib nodded.

"Every scientist on Vort had one if they were a Research Station worker, and each person's coat was a marker of status.

Mine is just white with blue stitching, which sounds plain but that basically meant I was in charge of a lot of stuff, including my own personal lab.

I shared my lab with Zim, who was a yellow stitch."

       "What's a yellow stitch?"

"Basically, if you have a yellow-stitched coat, it means you're rising in ranks and have made it past the novice stage, but you're not allowed to work alone on anything yet.

Zim may have been a fantastic scientist, but he didn't have a good enough teaching yet about all the equipment.

Maybe on Irk things were different, but on Vort ranks were decided by time and education as well as personal ability.

If you wanted to rank up, you had to test a lot.

So, in other words, Zim wasn't allowed to do anything in the lab by himself."

         "Got it."

They both nodded to each other, Dib following along as carefully as he could.

"Kay...

So, you remember my keycard?

Only certain scientists could run the labs, and I was one of them.

Since I was in charge of my own room, this meant I was the sole carrier of the key that opened it.

No one was allowed in there without me, except 9's manager or my old professor, Krick.

Well, Zim knew he wasn't allowed to work on projects by himself, but being Zim, he evidently didn't care."

Dib sank in his seat a little.

       "Oh boy..."

"One day I was talking with a few other workers, and that was after having just had an argument with Zim that morning about unauthorized projects.

He had stormed off and I was pretty mad, but I decided to let it go, because there was nothing else to do.

So, while talking with my friends, someone asked if I was going to let Zim work alone ever.

I said no, and when I tried to pull out my keycard for the lab to make a point, I couldn't find it.

After frantically searching my person I finally realized that Zim had to have taken it.

And -- trust me, I considered that I could have just dropped it, but something in my gut just screamed Zim.

       I left everyone and headed up to the sixth floor, where the lab was.

As soon as I got off the elevator and set foot out the door, there was this flash of light and a HUGE "BOOM" from the lab and smoke poured out intot he hall.

The door was wide open for one thing, and I heard Zim screaming, so I ran in, and found him lying on the floor holding his head.

You think you've heard Zim scream?

Tch, not like that day.

God, the pain had to have been unbearable for him to be making that kind of noise...

He had a bit of blood on his head and his antennas, they were pretty messed up.

I punched the emergency button on the wall and sat with him until help came."

Cringing and wincing in his seat at the idea of something that painful, and just trying to imagine how awful Zim's cries of agony were, Dib was heavily hunched down in his seat.

       "Owwww, Jesus!

Zim..."

Pepps just sighed.

"I thought he'd be permanently deaf after that.

I knew I wasn't supposed to leave the station without clocking out -- or early, for that matter, but I had to go with him -- I couldn't leave him by himself when I didn't know how he'd be treated.
It bothered me too much."

       "Like, you went with him to go get patched up?"

"Yeah."

       "Did you get in trouble?"

Pepps inhaled through his teeth, looking a little guilty, but then chuckled.

"Heheh, almost.

Old Krick found me later and chewed me out, but then decided to cover for me.

He seemed to like that I cared about Zim I guess, but he told me not to do it again.

Boy, did I listen.

But thankfully, that never happened again!

And thanks to Irkens having a wicked ability to heal after an injury, his hearing came back...mostly.

Now it just cuts in and out."

       "I can't believe all that happened!

All just because wouldn't listen to anybody, too."

"Hahah yeah, but that's never gonna change.

Gotta keep an eye on that one, ya know."

Dib nodded, suddenly looking exhausted with wide eyes.

Pepps laughed, recognizing and heavily empathizing with the human's expression.

When they relaxed, Dib sighed, looking a little nervous about something.

"You okay?"

       "Yeah..."

He looked at the floor, tapping the toes of his feet together one time.

"You don't look it."

       "I know -- sorry, it's just that I...have another question, but I don't know if it would be polite to ask it?"

Pepps shrugged.

"Eh, try me.

It's pretty hard to get under my skin."

       "Okay.

Well...this is kind of a touchy subject, but..."

Dib lowered his voice substantially, almost as if he was afraid Pepps would hear him.

       "I know that...Zim was there when Miyuki died, and...Zim kind of had a lot to do with it.

And...because of that, you went to prison and he didn't.

Does that...ever make you upset at him?"

Pepps spent a moment or two drinking in the question, then leaned forward in his seat a little, voice soft but carrying its signature grit.

"Oh my.

That is a touchy subject, isn't it..."

       "Sorry," Dib whispered, a forlorn guilt hanging off his pale cheeks.

"No, no it's fine.

It's a good question, actually.

Um...

When I was still in prison, it would bother me.

Sometimes I would get super pissed off about it -- I mean you remember the "I hate you" thing, so."

       "Oh yeah!

I guess that kind of answers my question then, heh..."

"Well hang on, now.

You said does that make you upset, not didn't.

That's present tense, mah boi, you only know about the past."

Pepps' brief, comedic fluctuation in tone at "my boy" made Dib chuckle quietly, seeing Pepps was as laid back as ever, if not with a twinge of sadness in his eyes.

"I did used to get mad.

Sometimes I would think 'yeah, if Zim hadn't shown up nothing bad would've happened.'

But the thing is, I don't really know that.

Something bad could've happened; something bad could always happen.

But more than anything, in the end what would bring me back was realizing that Zim didn't really mean any harm.

He made something that he was proud of, and he wanted to show it off.

Was it literally a copy of something I made, only backwards?

Yeah, but even that doesn't upset me.

Nobody liked Zim.

Ever.

He never said it up front, but I like to think I can read into people like him pretty well.

He just wanted to make something really cool, to have friends and to be recognized for maybe doing something...outstanding, or impressive, like how he tries to chalk up disasters he causes to being "amazing."

I think he just wanted to be accepted, adored.

He wanted to be like me..."

Pepps looked at Dib and smiled weakly, an unplaced warmth in his eyes.

"Now how could I be mad at him for that...?"

It was a warmth enough to melt Dib from the inside out, and put a big smile on his face.

       "I think you might be the nicest guy I've ever met...

Mind coming to earth and teaching my people how to...to be like YOU?"

Pepps laughed and stood up, stretching a little.

"Ahhhhh I'm not that great.

I'm a nice guy, but God I make a point to torment everybody in some way or another...

Jesus kid, you're good at getting me to rant to death!

Let's get outta here, Zim's probably doing something horrible right now with that gun."

Dib laughed as Pepps happily strutted out of the room.
Once Dib was out, Pepps turned back and flipped the light off, closed the lab door, and locked it all back up for later.

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1. Don't ask me what a spikk ray is, i just like to make shit up.
2. Pepps has yes, told that story before and i intend to do a new art for that and update the story so there's some more substance there.
3. That stuff about the lab coats is all head cannon.
4. Yes, Zim is to be re-encoded as a demolition worker.

Thiiis was something i forgot to cover last year with you all
Kitten actually came up with it!
She thought that Zim would be happy and do well having a job where he's supposed to break stuff, and i agree!
He'll have to be supervised, of course

Anyway, i'm quite tired and just happy to have this all done, so i hope it is enjoyed

HEH yeah, Dib's shirt is another easter egg

---DO NOT STEAL MY CONCEPTS, ART OR IDEAS!!! I DO NOT OWN IZ BUT I DO OWN THIS ART!!!---

Description
Sorry this is a novel

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Every day on the Massive seemed like an average day, at least until something wild would happen to that one individual who was chosen by the universe or other unknown forces to experience chaos.
Today would most likely be no different.
Not for too many people, though.
Even Zelle was bored, watching Red and Purple play with tiny models of Mars and the Earth.
And yes, Red and Purple were also bored, hence why they were playing with planet models.
But Zelle and her monkeys aside, there were deeper things happening elsewhere.
       Pepps walked through the halls carrying a small box filled with miscellaneous items, a somewhat purposeful expression plastered on his face.
Only when he found what he was looking for -- or who, more like, did he relax a little.
Zim and Dib were in the hall near Pepps' lab, presumably headed somewhere after eating breakfast.
When Zim saw Pepps, he just stared as was usual, but Dib smiled.

       "Hey Pepps.
What's up?"

"Oh, hey kid.
Well, I was actually looking for Zim."

   "Eh?" Zim's antennas perked up at the sound of his name.

Pepps smiled a little.

"I said I was looking for you."

   "Huh?"

"I was looking for you."

   "Wha?"

Pepps sighed a long sigh while Dib shook his head, just staring in placid amusement at his little green boyfriend.

       "Really Zim, your hearing sucks."

Zim sprang up and pointed at Dib.

   "LIES!
My hearing is amazing!
Remember that time that I!
Uh...
That I heard that one thing you couldn't?"

Dib rolled his eyes.

"ANYWAY," Pepps cut in, "I need to talk to you."

   "Eh?"

Pepps lightly set the box down to his right side, walked up close to Zim and raised his voice so that it literally echoed when he was done talking.

"I SAID I NEED TO TALK TO YOU...!!!"

Zim stared blankly, then winced and rubbed the top of his head where the base of his left antenna was.

   "No need to yell at Zim..."

Pepps and Dib both seemed less than surprised by this response, and carried on.
Pepps lowered his voice once more, eyes softer and tone more sympathetic.

       "So...what do you need from him?
Do I need to go?"

"No, you can stay, I'll make it quick.
Zim...
I heard some guys by the bridge mention something about you."

Zim looked intrigued, raising a brow.

   "About me?"

"Yes."

   "About my genius?"

"Heh, no buddy.
Um...
It was about your re-encodement date."

   "What about it?"

Zim folded his arms, looking a little annoyed now.

"It's...going to be rescheduled."

   "They're making it earlier?"

"No...
They're pushing it back.
By um...by about two months."

Zim nearly jumped out of his boots.
Dib looked sad.

       "Ohhh, man..."

   "WHAT?!
Why?!
I have waited forEVER for this re-encodement!
I can't stay encoded as a food service drone forever!"

"I know that, I know.
They said some other things got in the way of it, scheduling is a bit crowded.
More pressing things need to be taken care of, they said..."

   "Pressing?
Like important??
What could be more important than ZIM?!"

Pepps couldn't resist the half smile that slipped onto his face, but he quickly put it away.

   "Can't Zelle do something?"

"Not really.
These sort of things aren't always up to the Tallest, and if her trustees decide something is more important than something else, depending on the circumstances she has to agree.
I'm sorry, Zim.
I know you've been waiting a while..."

Pepps briefly put a hand on Zim's shoulder as a comforting gesture before calmly pulling back.
Zim opened his mouth to spat and say something, but he quickly shut it again, and just stared irritably at Pepps.
Dib looked back and forth between them, and saw that Pepps remained calm and sympathetic.
Zim was floored.

   "I don't understand..."

"I know...
BUT!
In light of all this, I brought you something."

   "Really?
A gift for Zim???"

"Yup!"

The Vortian leaned down and grabbed the box, stood back up and held it out to Zim.
The short Irken peered in to look.

"It's the spikk ray you've been after.
I pulled some strings and got it for ya."

Dib suddenly became apprehensive.

       "Um, is it really safe to be giving him a weapon after giving him bad news?"

   "Whaaat?
Do you think I will kill someone?"

They both just stared at him blankly.

   "...YER LYING!
Hey, you did get me the spikk ray!"

Pepps smiled a little as Zim took the box, the Irken beaming as big ruby eyes scanned the gun.

"You like it?"

   "Hmmm..."

Zim put the box down and pulled out the ray, making Dib very nervous.
He looked around a few times, then at Zim shakily while the little alien looked the gun all over.
After a minute, Zim came to a conclusion.

   "Iiii am PLEASED!!!
With this, I can finally do that thing with the moose I told you about!
Remember, Dib?"

Dib smiled, relaxing slightly.

       "Y-yeah, I remember.
Just try not to blow up the room this time."

Zim ignored that comment as he dropped the gun back into the box, hoisted it up over his head, grinned, and took off running down the hall.

   "AAAHAHAHA!
I AM ZIIIM!!!"

He turned a corner and disappeared.
But as soon as he had vanished, the remaining men heard his footsteps stop, the box touch the ground, and watched as Zim came and ran back to them.
Zim stopped in front of Pepps, looked up, and cleared his throat.

   "Ahem.
...Thank you."

His words were quick, as were his feet when he turned and ran away again, turned the corner, and proceeded to laugh all the way down the next hall with his gift.
Dib delayed looking at Pepps when he first spoke, but by the time he did look, he was smiling.

       "Wow, I've never seen anyone break news to Zim so nicely before.
Well, other than Zelle, I mean.
You even got him a present!
Are you always this nice to him?"

Pepps just shrugged, smiling casually.

"Usually, yeah.
I mean we have our days, and there was that time I told him I hated him...
BUT -- but I was, uh...I wasn't in my right mind at the time, I really didn't mean that..."

Dib nodded, visibly believing him.

"Anyway...
Yes, I try to be nice to him."

Dib chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

     "Hahah, this is gonna sound like a stupid question, but...why?"

"HUH!
Trust me, I know why you're asking.
Look, Zim is, uhhh...
He's annoying and all, and definitely an ungrateful bastard at times -- or so it seems, but I know there's more to him than that."

       "Yeah?"

"Mhm.
I mean for one thing, he's defective."

Dib's eyes softened, but became wider.

       "Zim mentioned that to me before...
You knew about that?"

"Pft, I knew long before anyone else did.
Here, follow me."

It was a familiar situation.

Pepps pulled out his keycard and unlocked the lab doors, led Dib in and flipped the lights on as the door closed.

Pepps walked calmly up to his equipment, pulling out a chair and then going on to clean a few beakers while he talked casually.

Dib slowly took a seat in the offered chair.

"Yep, Zim's what his people call a "flawed clone."

Some Irkens are natural born, others are cloned from DNA.

They mismatch the DNA so that no two Irkens come out the same, but twins can happen.

Sometimes, though, clones can end up being given damaged ID PAKs, and it can affect their personalities and give them quirks or even disabilities.

When Miyuki was around that used to get some acknowledgment, even sympathy or offered help, but after Spork they just started killing defects."

     "That's horrible!

How did Zim get away?"

"Well, sometimes they slipped the system, from what I heard.

Word is, Zim kinda blew up the planet's power the day he was born!

Heheh, he's literally been a destructive machine his whole life."

Pepps continued to clean and line up his beakers while Dib soaked in that information.

       "Man..."

He sighed, remembering what had happened with Zim just minutes ago.

       "Sucks they're pushing back his re-encodement, he was really looking forward to being in demolitions."

"Yeaaah, I know.

I would've let the guys I heard tell him, but I know how people tend to treat him.

Hell, just because he's crazy doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings..."

       "You know, I know you just stood here and told me you feel for him and that he's defective and stuff, but I still wonder how you manage to be so patient with him.

Even I lose my patience sometimes."

"Hey we all do, hah, nobody's perfect.

But..."

Pepps finished his quick cleaning, leaning his hands on the table after setting the last beaker aside.

"I worked with that kid...

Back on Research Station 9, he was a scientist beside me.

He was so good at destroying things, Irk sent him to Vort to pursue military science and engineering.

And you know what?

He was good.

Really good, actually.

But eeeverybody hated him.

He was so annoying, demanding, nutty, but it was those things that helped me to see that he was a defective.
Not that a non-defect couldn't be like that, but Zim just had this nature about him that helped me see it.

I knew enough about Irkens to know that, but I kept it to myself.

'cept Lard Nar, and uh...my professor, but that was it.
...Though my professor had kind of thought the same thing, too...

Eh -- anyway, that aside, he was a great scientist, and very smart.

Sometimes, he even helped me solve problems!

Heh, ahh...

Not a lot of people took kindly to him.

But even when he had his moments, when something made him freak out or he got in a fight with someone, I was always there to defuse the tension.

I was always the one who calmed him down, I don't know how but I just...understood him, in some weird way.

Not saying that makes me special or anything, but it just came easily.

And like I said, I had my moments.

I got impatient, sometimes yelled him out of a room, but I tried to make it more about discipline than plain old anger.

Even with Miyuki in charge, Irkens had a bit of a selfish, childish side."

       "Hm!

Tell me about it."

Dib smiled.

He really liked to hear Pepps talk about things.

The Vortian was only 34, but he already harbored so much knowledge and had known Zim long before Dib was even born.
It amazed him how long these aliens had existed, and fascinated him to no end that almost everyone knew Zim, including Pepps.

       "So, is him being defective the reason his hearing is so bad?
Hahahah!"

"Oh, nah.

That's because of the accident."

       "...What accident?"

"Zim never told you?"

       "I guess not...

I mean, he has a lot of accidents."

Pepps snorted, amused.

"HEH!

True, true.

Well, back when he and I worked together he got in a lab accident and fried his antenna.

Hearing's been kinda bad ever since."

Dib looked horrified.

On the one hand, he couldn't believe Zim hadn't told him that, but on the other hand Zim tended to think things that were important, weren't important.

Dib nearly fell forward out of his chair.

       "UH?!

But -- how?

What happened?"

Pepps looked at him for a second.

       "I'm sorry, I know I keep asking a bunch of questions, but I just have to know.

I care about him, and you seem to know everything."

Pepps smiled, warm as usual.

"Awww, I don't mind.

I can tell you love em, you two are good together."

Dib appeared to blush a little.

       "Thanks..."

Pepps pulled up a chair of his own and sat to the partial side of Dib, the boys facing each other to see better.

"Okay, I'm gonna try and start from the beginning.

See my lab coat?"

Pepps pointed to the white coat hanging on a rack.

Dib nodded.

"Every scientist on Vort had one if they were a Research Station worker, and each person's coat was a marker of status.

Mine is just white with blue stitching, which sounds plain but that basically meant I was in charge of a lot of stuff, including my own personal lab.

I shared my lab with Zim, who was a yellow stitch."

       "What's a yellow stitch?"

"Basically, if you have a yellow-stitched coat, it means you're rising in ranks and have made it past the novice stage, but you're not allowed to work alone on anything yet.

Zim may have been a fantastic scientist, but he didn't have a good enough teaching yet about all the equipment.

Maybe on Irk things were different, but on Vort ranks were decided by time and education as well as personal ability.

If you wanted to rank up, you had to test a lot.

So, in other words, Zim wasn't allowed to do anything in the lab by himself."

         "Got it."

They both nodded to each other, Dib following along as carefully as he could.

"Kay...

So, you remember my keycard?

Only certain scientists could run the labs, and I was one of them.

Since I was in charge of my own room, this meant I was the sole carrier of the key that opened it.

No one was allowed in there without me, except 9's manager or my old professor, Krick.

Well, Zim knew he wasn't allowed to work on projects by himself, but being Zim, he evidently didn't care."

Dib sank in his seat a little.

       "Oh boy..."

"One day I was talking with a few other workers, and that was after having just had an argument with Zim that morning about unauthorized projects.

He had stormed off and I was pretty mad, but I decided to let it go, because there was nothing else to do.

So, while talking with my friends, someone asked if I was going to let Zim work alone ever.

I said no, and when I tried to pull out my keycard for the lab to make a point, I couldn't find it.

After frantically searching my person I finally realized that Zim had to have taken it.

And -- trust me, I considered that I could have just dropped it, but something in my gut just screamed Zim.

       I left everyone and headed up to the sixth floor, where the lab was.

As soon as I got off the elevator and set foot out the door, there was this flash of light and a HUGE "BOOM" from the lab and smoke poured out intot he hall.

The door was wide open for one thing, and I heard Zim screaming, so I ran in, and found him lying on the floor holding his head.

You think you've heard Zim scream?

Tch, not like that day.

God, the pain had to have been unbearable for him to be making that kind of noise...

He had a bit of blood on his head and his antennas, they were pretty messed up.

I punched the emergency button on the wall and sat with him until help came."

Cringing and wincing in his seat at the idea of something that painful, and just trying to imagine how awful Zim's cries of agony were, Dib was heavily hunched down in his seat.

       "Owwww, Jesus!

Zim..."

Pepps just sighed.

"I thought he'd be permanently deaf after that.

I knew I wasn't supposed to leave the station without clocking out -- or early, for that matter, but I had to go with him -- I couldn't leave him by himself when I didn't know how he'd be treated.
It bothered me too much."

       "Like, you went with him to go get patched up?"

"Yeah."

       "Did you get in trouble?"

Pepps inhaled through his teeth, looking a little guilty, but then chuckled.

"Heheh, almost.

Old Krick found me later and chewed me out, but then decided to cover for me.

He seemed to like that I cared about Zim I guess, but he told me not to do it again.

Boy, did I listen.

But thankfully, that never happened again!

And thanks to Irkens having a wicked ability to heal after an injury, his hearing came back...mostly.

Now it just cuts in and out."

       "I can't believe all that happened!

All just because wouldn't listen to anybody, too."

"Hahah yeah, but that's never gonna change.

Gotta keep an eye on that one, ya know."

Dib nodded, suddenly looking exhausted with wide eyes.

Pepps laughed, recognizing and heavily empathizing with the human's expression.

When they relaxed, Dib sighed, looking a little nervous about something.

"You okay?"

       "Yeah..."

He looked at the floor, tapping the toes of his feet together one time.

"You don't look it."

       "I know -- sorry, it's just that I...have another question, but I don't know if it would be polite to ask it?"

Pepps shrugged.

"Eh, try me.

It's pretty hard to get under my skin."

       "Okay.

Well...this is kind of a touchy subject, but..."

Dib lowered his voice substantially, almost as if he was afraid Pepps would hear him.

       "I know that...Zim was there when Miyuki died, and...Zim kind of had a lot to do with it.

And...because of that, you went to prison and he didn't.

Does that...ever make you upset at him?"

Pepps spent a moment or two drinking in the question, then leaned forward in his seat a little, voice soft but carrying its signature grit.

"Oh my.

That is a touchy subject, isn't it..."

       "Sorry," Dib whispered, a forlorn guilt hanging off his pale cheeks.

"No, no it's fine.

It's a good question, actually.

Um...

When I was still in prison, it would bother me.

Sometimes I would get super pissed off about it -- I mean you remember the "I hate you" thing, so."

       "Oh yeah!

I guess that kind of answers my question then, heh..."

"Well hang on, now.

You said does that make you upset, not didn't.

That's present tense, mah boi, you only know about the past."

Pepps' brief, comedic fluctuation in tone at "my boy" made Dib chuckle quietly, seeing Pepps was as laid back as ever, if not with a twinge of sadness in his eyes.

"I did used to get mad.

Sometimes I would think 'yeah, if Zim hadn't shown up nothing bad would've happened.'

But the thing is, I don't really know that.

Something bad could've happened; something bad could always happen.

But more than anything, in the end what would bring me back was realizing that Zim didn't really mean any harm.

He made something that he was proud of, and he wanted to show it off.

Was it literally a copy of something I made, only backwards?

Yeah, but even that doesn't upset me.

Nobody liked Zim.

Ever.

He never said it up front, but I like to think I can read into people like him pretty well.

He just wanted to make something really cool, to have friends and to be recognized for maybe doing something...outstanding, or impressive, like how he tries to chalk up disasters he causes to being "amazing."

I think he just wanted to be accepted, adored.

He wanted to be like me..."

Pepps looked at Dib and smiled weakly, an unplaced warmth in his eyes.

"Now how could I be mad at him for that...?"

It was a warmth enough to melt Dib from the inside out, and put a big smile on his face.

       "I think you might be the nicest guy I've ever met...

Mind coming to earth and teaching my people how to...to be like YOU?"

Pepps laughed and stood up, stretching a little.

"Ahhhhh I'm not that great.

I'm a nice guy, but God I make a point to torment everybody in some way or another...

Jesus kid, you're good at getting me to rant to death!

Let's get outta here, Zim's probably doing something horrible right now with that gun."

Dib laughed as Pepps happily strutted out of the room.
Once Dib was out, Pepps turned back and flipped the light off, closed the lab door, and locked it all back up for later.

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1. Don't ask me what a spikk ray is, i just like to make shit up.
2. Pepps has yes, told that story before and i intend to do a new art for that and update the story so there's some more substance there.
3. That stuff about the lab coats is all head cannon.
4. Yes, Zim is to be re-encoded as a demolition worker.

Thiiis was something i forgot to cover last year with you all
Kitten actually came up with it!
She thought that Zim would be happy and do well having a job where he's supposed to break stuff, and i agree!
He'll have to be supervised, of course

Anyway, i'm quite tired and just happy to have this all done, so i hope it is enjoyed

HEH yeah, Dib's shirt is another easter egg

---DO NOT STEAL MY CONCEPTS, ART OR IDEAS!!! I DO NOT OWN IZ BUT I DO OWN THIS ART!!!---