VINDICATION

Chapter 16: Closer to the Heart


Zim bolted upright in the middle of the night, panting heavily, sweat trickling down his spine and making him shiver. He’d had…a dream. Not a nightmare, but a pleasant dream. So why was he flushed and sweating?

He’d dreamt of Dib…and the gel bath…but that was all he remembered, and now he was awake and soaked in sweat, and…

Aroused.

Zim clenched his teeth, shuddering. No. He would NOT indulge in those activities with the Dib-beast any more. He refused. It was…was…not good.

He got up, wrapping a blanket around himself, still shivering a little. Walking across the hall to the storage room where Dib slept, he poked his head in, looking at the Dib in an attempt to determine what it was about him that could possibly make him have such a dream. Disgusting human beast. What could possibly be attractive about him?

Unable to see Dib well from where he was standing, Zim crept into the room, approaching the bed cautiously.

The covers had ridden down to the waistband of Dib’s boxers, his pale skin illuminated by the light from the corridor. As Zim’s gaze roamed over Dib’s bare chest, he noticed something and stepped forward.

Some sort of ink? But it wasn’t just ink…it was a shape…

Zim hovered over Dib, reaching out and gently pushing Dib’s left arm back to see it better, and his eyes widened.

Dib stirred, his eyes fluttering open. He caught his breath and scrambled back, pulling the covers up over himself, blinking at Zim owlishly in the dim light. “You scared the hell out of me!” He panted, his heart still racing.

“Your chest…” Zim murmured, his antennae twitching in curiosity. “How did you do that?”

Dib blinked at him a few times before he realized what Zim was referring to, and he blushed, covering the tattoo over his heart. “Um…it…it’s a tattoo.”

Zim quirked an antenna. “A what?”

Dib cleared his throat awkwardly. “P-permanent inking…body art…”

Zim’s expression was puzzled. “So you’ll have that there as long as you live?”

Dib fiddled awkwardly with the covers. “Yeah.”

Zim blinked at him, not quite knowing what to say. He reached out and pushed Dib’s hand aside, lowering the covers and looking at the Invader symbol for a long moment before speaking again. “It…it’s very well done.” He met Dib’s eyes. “Why did you get it?”

Dib swallowed hard, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. “To…to show that it’s a part of who I am now.” He ducked his head and cringed. “Fuck, that sounded stupid.”

Zim shook his head, running his fingers along the edges of the symbol, amazed at how stunning it was on Dib’s pale skin.

The tattooed skin was still sensitive, and the touch of Zim’s bare fingers against it was almost maddening. Dib groaned, then grabbed onto Zim’s hand and held it flat against his heart.

Zim frowned. “What are you doing?”

Dib clenched his teeth, then looked up at Zim, his expression serious, although his throat was tight. “Showing you why this mission is so important to me now.”

“By getting a tattoo?” Zim blinked at him, confused.

“No.” Dib shook his head. “Can you feel my heart beating?”

“Yes.” Zim’s antennae twitched, his expression still puzzled.

Dib nodded. “The day this mission fails is the day it stops.”

*****
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