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dib-adrift · 5 years

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[ @dib-adrift @queen-of-lazuroth @son-of-an-invader]

Dib shifted nervously. This would make the second time he was at the Team Nebula base. Since his first visit the dreams he'd been having were far more intense, ranging from flying a ship he'd never seen to fighting an unknown Irken in an engine room. Every time they felt so real, and he couldn't help but linger on them.

When Midge came and answered the door, smiling up at him warmly, Dib managed to smile back. There was just something about Midge that was...comforting. He couldn't put his finger on it. She was sweet and friendly, and seemed very concerned with making him feel comfortable. He would admit it probably wouldn't be as awkward if he didn't feel like he was seeing a strange blurry version on her in his dreams.

“You're early!” Midge mentioned brightly, stepping to the side to let Dib inside. “Did you miss us that much?”

Dib couldn't help but snort. “Well when you live alone the quiet does tend to drive you a little nuts,” he replied.

Midge shut the door and began heading for the kitchen. Drun was current napping and Ada was playing in her room, so the living room and kitchen area were strangely quiet. “I get it,” she said with a nod. “I've gotten so used to noise that the quiet becomes weird and disturbing.”

“That makes sense,” Dib said. You have a big family and all you team mates have their own living quarters. I imagine it's hardly ever quiet and if it is there's probably something wrong.”

“You got it!” Midge said. As she went into the kitchen she turned around. “Dinner's still in the works, but if you want you can go find Dek in the ship yard. You remember where that is, right?”

Dib gave another nod in confirmation. He took a peak to see the spread of raw burgers ready to be cooked. He grinned a little, excited. It was hard to make a good vegan burger, but from what he could smell he had high hopes.

He made his way from the front living area to down the hall. The ship yard was basically part of the bases gigantic back yard, a good ways from the garden. Diana the cougar could be spotted napping among some of the flowers and plants. Dib decided not to disturb her rest.

He found Dek almost all the way toward the back, where the prized main ship of Team Nebula was. He appeared to be repainting the outside. Do jogged over. “Need some help?”

Dek turned from his work to look at Dib, the smallest of grins appeared on his face. “Nah. It's almost done,” he said, applying a few more strokes of the charcoal paint. “It's been a while since I've been able to give her some TLC. We've had so much going on.”

Dib didn't know all the details, but he did know this family had been through some shit. The fact that Dek had two different colored eyes was one of the many reminders of that. “Well, I'm glad all of you have so peace for the moment to do things like this,” he stated, staring up at the large Nazo. It was easily the biggest ship in the whole yard.

Dib took a moment to look around. There was a couple ships that were about half the size of the Nazo, and from there they steadily shrank. Thanks were so many different kinds, some models he recognized, others he didn't. Then...one in particular caught his eye. Except...it felt like more than that. He felt like it was...calling to him.

“What's that one?”

Dek looked up again from his work, his brow furrowing in confusion. Huh. That was strange. “That's an Astor. It's an older ship model but with some sprucing up they're forces to be reckoned with. Really fast and agile. But…”

Dib gave a look of concern. “But what?”

“I just...I could have sworn we only had one.” He shook his head. “Maybe we just kept missing it or something.”

“You mean you had more than one?”

“I...I guess so.” Dek walked over to the Astor, tapping his chin. So strange. “Agent Dib as it. The other one I mean. It's called the Delphina.”

Dib approached the Astor as well, still unsure why he was feeling so drawn to it. It looked...eerily familiar. Like a family member he didn't remember until now. There was an urge to… “Do you mind if I fix this one up?”

Dek rose a brow at him. “Um...sure.” He shrugged. “ You Dib's got a thing for old ships or something?”

Dib chuckled nervously. “I guess so.”

They chatted a little longer, mostly Dek telling him about the pros and cons if Astors. Dib listened intently, trying to ignore the weird case of deja vu he was feeling. He reached up and touched the side of the ship, already knowing what to call it. “Do you think Agent Dib would mind if I named this ship Sualocin?”

Dek blinked. “I mean...I don't think so. But if you're that concerned I would ask him. Though why would you want to name it Sualocin. His is named after Delphinus because we joked that it looked like a dolphin.”

Dib shifted a bit. It was never easy to reveal something personal. But he wanted to try. “My dad's name was Nicolas,” he explained. “It's...a strange coincidence, the constellation and all that.” He shrugged, not sure how to really explain. “For the longest time we never got along but recently things were getting better but then…” He trailed off. Not yet.

Dek let Dib speak, noticing that talking about this was difficult for him. Once if seemed like he was finished, Dek decided he should probably change the subject. “You like sparring?”

Dib felt his stomach flip nervously. “I haven't done it in a while. So I'm probably out of practice.”

Dek grinned. “Then let's get you back into practice,” he said, gesturing for Dib to follow him back inside.

Dib watched Dek walk away for a moment before following after him. The hybrid led him to the elevator and then to a room with a strange, squishy flooring. The walls were plain and gray, but Dib could see a controlled panel near one of the corners.

“Sometimes we have simulations in here for team building exercises,” Dek explained. “But it’s also nice and open for just normal sparring.” He took a moment to walk over to the other side of the room before taking a fighting stance and grinning. “Alright. Come at me anytime.”

Dib hesitated. He hadn’t had a good spar since...the incident. Since losing him. He observed Dek for a moment, trying to get a gage of what his strengths and weaknesses might be. It didn’t take long for him to realize he was just going to have to find out. He positioned himself, too, and then charged.

Dek’s grinned widened. He’d give the kid credit. He was quick. But he was too obvious in him movement, and Dek easily dodged the initial attack. “Come on, Dib. You can do better than that.”

Dib scowled, feeling like the captain was mocking him. He charged again, this time swerving low a bit. He caught Dek off guard, sweeping his leg to knock the captain off his feet. Then, in a fluid move, he leapt at Dek and dragging him to ground, pinning him with his arm behind his back. “Is that better, Captain?” Dib asked with a smirk.

Dek could hear the smirk on Dib’s face, and couldn’t help but look over his shoulder with one of his own. His amaranth eye glinted mischievously, and then two of his PAK legs were out, helping hims break free of the hold. “Almost but not quite.”

Dib fell backwards on him but, frowning. “Oh, come on! That’s not even fair!”

“Did I say I was going to fight fair? I don’t recall.”

Dib huffed, but got to his feet anyway. Well, if Dek was going to be like that. Dib reached up to his goggles and began tinkering with a dial on the side. It helped him see heat signatures, x-rays, and even had night vision. After a moment of analysis, he shot toward Dek again, this time attacking with his arms. He tackled the hybrid down, pinning his PAK beneath him and rendering useless. He kept his grip firm. Dek could handle it, and Dib wasn’t about to take a chance of the hybrid getting up. “Do I win yet?” Dib asked brightly.

Dek rose a brow. Dib was impressive, but he didn’t expect anything less of a Dib. However, there was one thing this one lacked from the others he knew. Experience.

In a strong and swift movement, Dek got his legs free and use his feet to kick Dib off of him, throwing him off. He kept hold of the human, causing them both to sumersault with Dek landing on top of him, effectively pinning him to the ground.

Dek grinned proudly. “You’re good. But you rely on your height too much.”

Dib shook his head, trying to wrap his head around what just happened. Dek was fast and decievingly strong. But of course he was. He was part Irken. And Dib knew he should never underestimate Irkens. His brow furrowed at Dek’s comment. “Huh?”

“It’s just kind of obvious. It’s almost like your used to fighting people shorter than you.” He shrugged. “If you wanted some training, you’d be pretty tough to deal with though.” He got up off of Dib and offered his hand to help the human up.

Dib didn’t want confirm that Dek was right. He was used to fighting and sparring with people shorter than him. Well...someone in particular, anyway. “What would I need training for? It’s not like there’s...anything happening.” He took the hand, gathering himself back to his feet. He yelped a bit when he felt a jolt of electricity from the touch. Not really painful, just very intense.

“There isn’t anything happening right now,” Dek explained. “But trust me. Those roached won’t stay in hiding for long. But...it’s your choice if you want to stay out of it. Probably for the best, honestly. He- ack!” He cut off, also shouting in surprise at the strange sensation. His brow furrowed. “Well...that was weird.”

“Yeah,” Dib said, staring at his hand for a moment. It was the same thing that had happened the first time he’d met Midge. The weird jolt of energy. But…it didn’t feel like it was repelling him from them. It felt more like...it was trying to draw him in…

He shook his head, deciding to go back to the other conversation. “What were saying? He who?”

Dek sighed. Someone needed to tell him. “Dwicky. The High Chancellor asshole that poisoned my daughters. He has an extremely disturbing obsession with Dibs.”

Dib grimaced. It was still very hard to wrap his head around the fact that Dwicky - any Dwicky - had climbed his way to a position like High Chancellor, and that he was going around trying to kill children and wanting the complete annihilation of the Irken Empire. It was...disconcerting to say the least. “I see. That’s...creepy.”

“Yup.” Dek looked at this wrist communicator to check the time. “Dinner’s probably ready by now. Let’s go see, huh?” He began to walk out of the room.

Dib nodded, following Dek all the way back to the living area. Midge had already had set the table, with the baby Drun in his high chair and everything.

Ada looked up from her own burger. “Hi Mr. Drift Dib!” she said excitedly.

Dib snorted. “You can just call me Dib, you know?”

“It’s just a filler until Mama or Daddy adopt you and you become another one of my uncles,” Ada replied, biting into her burger.

Dib couldn’t help but laugh. He’d heard the Denivars had a habit of adopting wayward souls. And...maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Even if it would be like filling a square hole with a dozens of mismatch triangle pegs, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have a family again…

Midge finished serving the food and they sat down to eat. The burgers smelled even better now that they were fully cooked. There was even some sweet potato fries. He took a small bite of the burger, and his eyes immediately widened. “Midge...this is amazing.”

Midge’s cheeks dusted light blue. “Oh, uh, thanks. It’s an easy recipe. I can teach you if you want.”

“Please teach me everything,” Dib said. “I can cook simple things, but I’ve never made anything this good oh my god.”

Dek chuckled, leaning over and giving his wife a light kiss on her temple. “Midge is the best cook in the universe. A woman of many remarkable talents.”

“Dek stop,” Midge squeaked, her blue blush darkening.

Dib smiled a little at the display of affection. It was plain just how much Dek and Midge loved each other, and he was happy that two people he was slowly coming to like had someone they would always lean on. But...there was an ache of longing in his chest. So much that he reached up and grabbed onto the object that laid beneath his shirt. He missed having that, too. So much.

When dinner was finished, Dib offered his help in the kitchen. Most of the dishes could be put into the dishwasher, but Midge figured she could use the help with the ones that needed to be hand washed and dried. Also, she wanted to ask about something. Not right away, of course.

“So, how did my burgers hold up? You said they were your favorite?” she asked.

Dib smiled. “I wasn’t kidding. They were really good. Please teach me everything.”

Midge giggled. “You’re welcomed over here every time. And when I’m not helping you with your cooking skills Dek can help you with your hand-to-hand combat.”

Dib frowned a little. It may or may not have looked like a pout, but he was not about to admit it. “I just haven’t had the need to fight, is all. So I just...haven’t kept up with my training.” Not to mention I haven’t felt much of a reason to do...anything.

Midge wasn’t good at lying, but she was also good at telling when someone else was hiding something. She handed another dish to Dib for him to dry and put away, their fingers brushing accidentally. She gasped. It was the strangest feeling. Not quite like static electricity, but definitely something...buzzing. It made her hearts jump a little.

Midge wasn’t the only one to feel that weird buzz between them again. His brow furrowed, and his hesitated in putting the plate in his hand away. Unconsciously, his hand went back to his shirt, gripping the item beneath through the fabric. There was...such a strange familiarity here. Like he was a missing puzzle piece that was being welcomed home. Then there was the strange dreams he was having. Dreams that felt more like memories. But he’d never done any of those things. He’d never been on a space station or had to beat up some ugly alien that stole Zim’s PAK. Nor was their first kiss on board ship he had restored on his own.

Midge took a deep breath. She could tell there was something under Dib’s shirt, could tell it was a bit of a comfort item. She could even see a bit of a chain peeking out. She took a slow step toward, taking the plate from his hand. She created a footstool with her ice powers before using it to put the plate away. Once she was done she stepped down and looked back up at Dib. Her hand came up to cover his, gentle, trying not to startle the human. There was that buzzing. It was warm and strange. Familiar. Like...but that couldn’t be right.

“Did...he give that to you?” she asked. “Your Zim?”

Dib was in the middle of backing away from Midge when she reached out and touched him. For someone with ice powers were so warm. And then there was that buzzing, like a quiet, calm vibration. Like the universe was trying to tell them something. It was so weird and confusing and Dib couldn’t fathom what it meant, but it was also...comforting. He was almost tempted to take her hand in his and hold it for a while.

He shook that thought away and cleared his throat. “Um...yeah.”

“I want you forever, My Dib.”

“I’m forever yours, Space Boy. Forever and ever.”

Who would’ve thought forever wouldn’t have been promised to either of them…

“I’m sorry,” Midge almost whispered. She knew when someone was grieving. She could see it in Dib’s eyes, his facial expressions, the way he was holding himself right now. And as someone who had lost someone she’d loved so much, she understood how much it hurt. And how there would always be a whole there that would never truly be filled.

Gently she tugged Dib forward a little. “Would a hug be okay?” she asked.

Dib contemplated the question. A part of him wanted to run away from this. To go back to his ship and fly far, far away. From the Denivars, from this neighborhood, from this strange connection that he’d found with Midge and Dek. A connection that seemed to only be growing the more he hung around. But yet, that very connection was what kept him from doing so. What was this? What did it mean?

Dib nodded silently, accepting the offer for a hug.

Midge had to pull the human down a bit as she pulled him into her arms. The buzzing increased. If felt like something warm and fuzzy was being wrapped around the two of them, yet with also a small bit a strange, gentle vibrations. Suddenly Midge found herself overwhelmed with emotion. The only thing she could compare it to was when she’d found out that Addie was awake.

“You don’t have to be alone, you know,” she said. “You…” “You may have be strong for the rest of the world, Membrane. But you don’t have to be strong with us.”

...What?

Dib nodded as he leaned more and more into the hug, even burying his face into the crook of Midge’s neck. The unknown sensation seemed to increase the closer he got. Some part of him was scared of it, and wanted to get as far away from it as possible. But...it was also the most comforting thing he’d felt in such a long time. He found his throat growing tight, and he gave Midge a squeeze. His heart was pounding a little. It felt like dozens of emotions were flooding him at once.

“I…” He started, but his voice cracked. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Thank you.”

Midge smiled, reaching up the pet the human’s hair a bit. “Of course. Any time.”

They weren’t sure how long they stayed like that before Dib finally pulled away and made his way out.

#~dinner at the denivars~#long post #references to interstellar canon

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