Barriers

chapter 19

Red hadn't been surprised when he saw Purple wasn't in the room when he got back. His partner had been spending a lot of time busying himself so he didn't tear Red's head off. Red honestly couldn't blame his friend. He knew that his situation with Zim had become nothing but a mess of drama at this point and while he loved Purple's support whenever he needed it, but if they didn't distance themselves from each other, they would probably go nuts and kill each other.

Red's lekku perked at the sound of the door code being punched in at a frantic pace and he looked up from the screen in his hands. When the door opened, he was about to greet his partner but stopped short at the sight of the other. Purple's cheeks were deep violet, sweat on his forehead, his lekku pressed back against his skill in distress…. What alarmed Red the most was the scent Purple was letting off. It was similar to how Zim had smelled earlier in the hall, but rather than driving him to arousal, Purple's scent was making Red anxious and protective. "Purple? What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Purple forced out, his voice tight. He refused to look at Red and bolted to the washroom, the light beside the doorway red to show he had locked it.

Red scowled. What happened to his partner?

Oooo

Zim was humming to himself as he ran his hands over the now folded and clean garments. He sighed happily, a blissful smile on his face. He had been so happy to be given the clothes so similar to Spork's. And when the Taller insisted he keep them, Zim had been even more elated.

He had been torn from his bliss when he ran- literally- into Red.

Zim blushed and shook his head as he put the clothes away among his belongings. He could guess that Red had only been so exposed because the other had been weight training, but it was still unusual. Red didn't expose himself on a regular basis and up until now Zim had thought Red had seen so much bare skin as immoral and filthy. Maybe Red did and Zim had just caught him at a moment when Red's judgement slipped. He couldn't be certain.

And the sight of Red bare like that had been even better than he imagined.

The door flew open before Zim's thoughts could wander anymore, revealing a disheveled Skooge. Zim quirked an eye in confusion. This wasn't Skooge's normal disarray. This was more a panicked look than that of a slob. "Skooge? What happened?"

Skooge was panting, his mind reeling. He felt lost and horrible and miserable and-! He shook his head at such a pace that Zim was almost afraid his partner would break his neck. Skooge groaned in frustration at himself as he flopped onto his own bed, his lekku trembling and spasming at an alarming pace.

Zim frowned and sat on the edge of his own bed closest to Skooge, looking the other over. There was the slight hint of blood on Skooge's uniform, but it didn't seem to be coming from any wound… "Skooge?"

The stout Irken slumped against the mattress before finally getting the courage to look over at Zim. "I think I messed up," he mumbled.

Zim was beyond lost. "On your training?"

"I wish," Skooge was quiet for a little while before he reluctantly pushed himself up to a seated position. "I think I may have offended Comrade Purple,"

"Purple?" Zim almost laughed. He'd never known the Taller to be easily offended. "What makes you say that?"

Skooge began to tell his partner about all that had happened. About the cafeteria and how he and Purple had begun to get along. He told Zim about the other taller Irken who was harassing their comrade and how he threw a serving tray. He told Zim about how he had injured the taller to the point where the other retreated and how Purple reacted. By the end of it, Skooge somehow felt both worse and better. Worse because it reminded him of his screw up but….it was nice to get it out in the open and have someone to talk to.

Zim's eyes were blown wide by the end of the story. He had never pictured his partner to be so...barbaric! True, the Irkens that came before them were originally savages who would sometimes devour one another out of the need to dominate, but Irkens now a days were taught to act differently. They were told that dwelling in caves was only for lower forms, so they only lived where there was no longer any dirt. They resolved dominance issues by using height to rank one another. They were taught mating and breeding were not to be indulged in or taken lightly.

It sounded to Zim like Skooge had tossed away those teachings and had acted as one of their ancestors might have. "Skooge, I think Purple might have just been...surprised,"

"Surprised? He looked mortified!"

Zim rolled his eyes. "Well, how would you look if you had seen Purple slam a comrade into the cafeteria floor?" When Skooge became flustered but didn't answer, Zim continued. "Skooge, you reacted correctly when you stepped in. It's noble to uphold the honor of a fellow Irken, and that other taller should be ejected. But when you attacked him… Skooge, what if it became a spar? What if he had friends there? You might have been killed! You know tallers like that think nothing of Irkens like us," It was disgusting, but both Zim and Skooge knew it to be true: Smallers were second class citizens. The Brains had been working to eliminate all Smallers save for servants, but had only made so much progress.

Skooge's lekku drooped. "I guess…" He sighed. "I just…. You weren't there. Purple was distressed and… I felt like I had to do something…"

Zim frowned. "You know Purple excelled in hand to hand combat,"

Skooge didn't reply, but he knew his partner was right. Purple was capable of taking care of himself. That was part of the reason Skooge assumed the other was offended by what he had done. He- a Smaller- had stepped into a problem between two tallers. He had no business involving himself. He should have waited until his assistance had been requested. That's what he was taught! But…

No one deserved to be harassed like that. As much as Skooge hated the idea of Purple being mad at him, he couldn't regret what he did. The idea of Purple being hurt in any way made his cardiac spooch clench.

"Zim, it makes me crazy to think about it," he admitted. Skooge had never felt so confused in his life. "Why do I want to be the one to fight for him?"

Zim hummed, thoughtful. "Maybe instinct to protect a leader? Purple could have a chance at being Tallest one day,"

"Maybe…"

Zim noted that his partner didn't look convinced and to be honest, he wasn't really either. The instinct to protect wasn't only for leaders, but for mates. He made a mental note to ask Spork about his thoughts on the matter.

Oooooooooo

Dundundundundundun….dun