I Melt With You (ZaDr Song Challenge #4)

"I… I tried to save them. That counts, right?"

"Of course it does. They didn't want to be saved, the stupid monkeys."

Dib bit his lips and turned away. Zim had tried to comfort him, but the alien wasn't exactly all that sympathetic towards what was happening to the poor boy's race.

The two sat side-by-side on the roof of Zim's disguised base, watching the horrifying demise. This barren wasteland laced with fire had nothing to do with a certain alien race like Dib had first accused. Rather, his own species had turned on itself.

No one really knew where that first missile had been launched from. But with the well-being of innocent citizens out of mind, everyone was determined to have the last stand.

Dib tried so very hard to save his little town. He really had. But why would anyone listen to one insane little boy? Everyone was already too far gone; stuck in their own little fantasy worlds instead of the real ones. He had even convinced Zim to stand up and confirm the on-coming attack. Still, no difference. It seemed there was nothing the pair couldn't do, unless it came to convincing people of something.

"Hey, Zim?"

"What?"

"What do you think will happen to all of them?" His eyes roamed over the last few people running through the streets in panic. Zim opened his mouth to spill out the gruesome facts. To tell Dib all about the melting skin, the mutations, and all the other horrors the acids would cause. But when he saw Dib's face, close to tears, he stopped himself.

"You humans are like those filthy little cockroaches. You can live through anything and always seem to come back when it's most inconvenient." He threw a smile Dib's way, hoping to cheer him up a little.

And Dib laughed. Not because he found it funny, but because it was one of the times that if he didn't laugh, he would cry. And that's the last thing he wanted to do in front of Zim.

"So you think they'll come back?"

"Mostly those crazy ones with the handmade 'zumby' shelters, but yes."

"Zombie, Zim."

"You are really going to correct Zim's English at a time like this?" Dib flashed him a small grin that said 'of course'.

Another explosion went off, much closer than the last. Dib shuddered at the piercing sound and rested his head on Zim's shoulder.

"I would stop time right now if I could."

"What good would that do?"

"Maybe… we could have a little more time?"

"If you would just get in the damn ship with me we could have unlimited time. You know that."

"I'm not going, Zim. This is my planet. And you know you would do the same thing if this was happening to Irk. You should… you should probably go now, though." They had argued for an hour straight before Zim finally and reluctantly let Dib have his way. The human felt like the captain of the Titanic. He had sworn and sworn this wouldn't happen; that he would say the ungrateful human race if it was the last thing he did. And he had failed. Now there was no choice but to go down with his people. It just seemed like that right thing to do.

He felt Zim shift as another explosion went off only a few miles away. It was time.

"G-good bye, Zim. It was an honor to know you. There was… never anything better than being with you." They both stood and stared at each other for a precious moment. A single tear slide down Dib's cheek as he cupped the alien's chin and gave him a final kiss. If he was going to die today, he wanted this to be the last thing he remembered.

He couldn't help smiling as he felt Zim's tiny arms wrap around his hips. They gave a painful squeeze, and next thing Dib knew, he was hanging over Zim's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Zim!? What are you-"

"Like Zim is REALLY going to fly off and leave his mate to perish. Are you stupid?"

"That's not fair! We had an agreeme-"

"Zim agreed to nothing!" Dib struggled slightly in the tight grip, but there really was no point. He knew by now that if Zim wanted something, he took it. He was promptly thrown in the voot cruiser and strapped down before he even had a chance to think of escape.

"Zim… you ass." He smiled at the alien.

"I know," he grinned back. And they were off across the stars, leaving the boy's lives as they knew it and starting afresh.