You're My Mystery •Dib Membrane x Reader•

48. Appealing

Zim rubbed his dark hued cheek in annoyance. He sighed, taking a bite out of the cookie he purchased from the vending machine and leaned against it. He pondered the rude action of the girl who had slapped him with an embarrassed frown on her pink lips. He scowled, seeing no wrong in his statement. It was a social tactic you taught him to use on other humans while socializing, so why wasn't it working?

You and he have been working on social skills. Tak sometimes joined in, but usually did her own thing as she and Zim weren't quite ready to reconcile. They did communicate with one another on occasion. It was a few words that were exchanged and nothing more. Tak either spent her time in the underground lair in the calming chamber or with  Gretchen. 

Back to Zim, he requested the two of you to spend more time together and you accepted, not really minding. Dib was somewhat salty, but never too obsessive at the idea of you and his frenemy hanging out. He also did his own things that kept him busy. 

Dumb hoomans. 

"Yo." 

The alien teen snapped his eyes to the human girl in front of him. He stood up from the vending machine and stepped aside to allow you to buy something. A canned soda rolled out from the machine. Zim watched you silently. He scanned your appearance, noting that you were wearing a blue windbreaker over black jean shorts and slip-on black checkered Van's. He looked down at his own usual Irk uniform. 

"So I'm assuming that socializing isn't going good?" You raised a knowing brow, looking straight at the slap mark on his cheek. Zim grumbled, taking another bite from his cookie. "I'll take that as a no. What did you say anyway?" 

He followed you to the school's bench and shook his head. 

"All I said was that she didn't have to wear outrageous jewelry or decorate her face to compensate for her small assets that don't necessarily stand out." Zim explained. 

Bruh--

"Zim." You sighed, shaking your head. 

"What?" He replied in confusion, seeing nothing wrong with his statement. "I stand by my compliment, as you say. Like me for example, I was one of the shortest Irkens, but that didn't stop me from wanting to triumph over my other fellow species. The female Irkens didn't care at all about appearances either, as long as they showed superior qualities, then that was all that mattered." Zim reasoned. 

You stared at him with a blank face. Okay, in a way you did understand why he thought what he said was a compliment. But actually, he didn't know what he said was offensive because most human girls don't take it kindly if you point out their flaws...or their breast size. That was a major no-no. Zim was only trying to encourage the girl to embrace herself.

"I get what you're saying, but that compliment was more of unnecessary advice. Some girls don't like when others acknowledge their insecurities and try to butter them up about it. Next time, just say she has nice skin." You patted his back. 

"I see." Zim nodded, taking a moment to process your words. He shrugged, "I still don't see why she was upset about her...chestal area. Irken females have never complained about the size of the-"

"That's because Irkens and human bodies are different. Your species only needs worries about the health of your bodies, while humans care about both health and appearance." You sipped on your can of soda. "We like to look our best and be the best, not just for ourselves but for others too. At least that's how I see it."

This got Zim thinking. He hasn't ever witnessed any complaints from you about your appearance. Not that you needed to anyway, he truthfully saw you as appealing. Though he learned personality had more of an impression than looks did and it made him think. He tapped his chin and spoke up. 

"What do you think of me and Dib-monkey?" He questioned. "How are we appealing to you?" 

"Wow, putting me on the spot huh?" You crushed the can of soda and closed your eyes. Dib's smile came to mind and in a matter of seconds, your dull expression softened. Zim watched your cheeks flush with a red hue and your eyes opened with a swirl of emotions. He knew that you were thinking of your boyfriend and although he didn't mind…

….part of him wanted you to have a less stupid face. 

"I guess I've always found him to be cute. As the days passed, I started to notice small things about him that I liked. He's always so determined." You chuckled. 

"Okay, what about me?" He asked eagerly. 

You turned to meet his smug gaze. Behind those contacts, you merely saw those ruby eyes that were quite beautiful in a dark light. You smiled and began to tell him your honest opinion. 

"You're a dork." You snickered at his expression, but continued. "I didn't think I'd consider you a friend at first, but I liked your whole demeanor because you didn't care about anyone else's impressions about you. You follow those who you know are worthy and let go of those who are losers. You were there to help me when I needed it most, even if it meant working with Dib and going against your own species. I like the way you're learning to accept yourself instead of pitying yourself. You're driven, loyal, and committed. You're not the best invader, buy you're one hell of a friend."

Zim smiled back softly. He hummed in satisfaction and intertwined his hands together. 

"Would you find me more appealing if I wore outrageous jewelry and decorated my face" You teased. 

"That's a dumb question. It wouldn't change anything." 

~♡~

Btw back in the previous chapters, I think I mentioned a chemical that Zim used on Tak to knock her out so that he can bring her to his house...if not then well he has a chamber that she sleeps in to calm her mind.

Also I realized that Zim and MC haven't spend that much time but here we go.

I have a Zim story in the works but with college, it's still a works. I've been wanting to make it a xreader but I really love making names and appearances 😭