Always-ZaDr Chapter 4

        "I can't," Dib said, although his voice shook lightly. He was unsure of himself and that was a rarity. Usually there would have been no self doubt, no worry at all, but now...Zim had struck too close to home too many times that day.

        "You can," Zim replied, his claws curling possessively around the breaking human's shoulders. He was so close to victory that he could feel it in his lekku, just one more low blow and he would have his rival on his knees. "Just give in," he said, the dark smirk which was resting on his lips widening with the command.

        The human closed his eyes and tried not to make the shuddered exhale he let out too noticeable. Could he give in? No, that was the wrong question. Anyone was capable of giving into anything under the right circumstances. The real question was, would he give in? A very small part of him wanted to say yes, and just that little part was enough to throw his entire mindset off balance.

        He was earth's protector...the only problem was that the earth didn't want to be protected. He knew that the entire population was just obsessed with death and destruction, even on the smallest scale. Wars were waged daily whether they were between countries or gangs. He'd been trying so hard to save the world from Zim, but if he ever defeated the alien could he save the world from itself?

        If he did give into the alien would he really be destroying the world if it was already on it's death bed and destroying itself? Or would he really be putting the wounded planet out of it's misery?

        He opened his eyes despite the fact that there was nothing to look at. If he was putting the world out of it's misery wouldn't that technically be saving it? Saving it from years of destruction and war among it's inhabitants? Thinking of it that way didn't make it seem so bad.

        With new resolve the human raised his head without looking back at the irken, "What do you want me to do?" he asked, his voice stronger and less shaken now.

        If it were possible Zim's grin would have widened. Now that the human had finally given in he could hardly believe it. He'd just broken the most determined and hard headed human on the planet and he could barely believe that it was true.

        Perhaps it was a trap..yes the human was capable of such a thing. The grin fell from the irken's lips to turn into a scowl. "Prove yourself," he said.

        "How?" The human asked steadily, turning his head slightly to glance back at the irken through his peripheral vision, which was heavily blurred due to the fact that his peripheral vision wasn't aided by the large lense glasses which rested on the bridge of his nose.

        The irken was silent for a moment, simply wondering what the human could do to prove his sudden loyalty. There were several things he could think of...most of them rather violent and time consuming..but there was one that would take only a moment. Though the thought of such a thing sickened him. Such a HYUUMAN ritual disgusted him to no end but what else could he do? The humans used it as one of the easiest ways to show trust to each other..so why not? "You will kiss Zim," the alien said.