--Previously--

"Apologise?" I finally answered, confusion filling my only thoughts.
"Yes, 'Apologise!" He quoted, using his fingers in a 'bunny ear' motion. "You dare ignore the almighty Zim! Especially after not clarifying why!" Zim looked enraged, as if he'd been betrayed.
"Oh gosh..! I'm sorry for not telling you..." I sighed, finally having the courage to tell him. "Zim... this may be the last time you'll ever see me..."
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Of course, these words shocked the Irken very much. He'd never expected such sudden news. What made it so shocking for him was the fact that I had put off telling him, and only him, about it. I understood that the Irken wouldn't be so pleased. His antennae dropped (by now, we were both inside the building) and his expression changed. In a matter of a few seconds, he regained his confidence and disregarded the thought, dismissing it as a lie of mine.
"Liar..." He huffed. The tone he used was unlike any other I'd ever heard come from him before. Usually, he'd shout it out in an accusing way, with such a dramatic tone. This time, however, was much different. He used a lower, quieter tone and seemed like he really didn't want to believe it. It was clear to him by the way I sounded and put things that this statement was far from any lie - he only said that because it was the way he wanted to look at it as. Another joke.
"I'm sorry, Zim..." My tone matched his, but I sounded much, much sadder. "There isn't much I can do... I don't want this either-"
"Who's to say I don't want this! I don't need distractions anyway!" He threatened not to cry, but it was very hard for him. I could even see the heartbreak in his eyes. 
"Zim..." I frowned, squeezing him into a hug. He wasn't used to this action yet (although I had done it a fair amount of times) though he accepted it straight away. He even started to sob, his tears leaking into the fabric covering my shoulder. I couldn't do much at the moment; I could only be there to comfort him. It felt weird to say this about an alien, but I wish him the best whilst I'm away. "We still have today..." I reassured him.
I admit, it was far from normal seeing the Irken cry. I had never seen him properly cry before and it definitely wasn't something he did often. By looking at how he acted, it was clear to me that he bottled his feelings often, as to keep his 'status'. Now, I had never met an Irken other than Zim so this could be a lie of his - if it is the truth then he must be one of the best Irkens at his job. I could almost understand why he didn't share his emotions with anyone.
"Well..." Zim backed away, crossing his arms. Looking at his posture, he was certainly embarrassed; and for what? Sharing the fact that he cared? "Let's go tell Gir before he starts pulling your shoulder about spending time with him day after day."
Weirdly enough, Gir never took what we said seriously, not realising that I actually wouldn't see him again.
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And finally, it was time to say goodbye. After a long day packing everything into a car (we didn't take much, the flat came with furniture inside), we decided to spend the rest of our time over the Membranes house, just to bid them goodbye as they were probably our closest friends in the area. Dib was the first to get emotional at the car, Gaz started showing some hint of sadness. What I didn't take notice of (at the time) was Dib whispering something to both his sister and his Dad. Little did I know, he had something special planned. So I sat in the car after saying goodbye around 50 times and I just kept fiddling with the keyrings that were attached to my bag. It wasn't a suitcase that was next to me, it was my school bag, filled with all sorts of little things I could fit inside to save me packing double the bags I would need. Dad stood outside of the car, right next to its door where he was itching to leave. It wasn't that he wanted to go, but he prefers to leave earlier due to flight times. By experience, we knew that planes took off earlier than intended. Even as my Dad kept opening and closing the door (very slightly - there wasn't any noise), Professor Membrane purposely stalled.

You see, what Dib was originally planning was for us to miss the flight, that way there'd be no choice but for us to stay! Then again, he hadn't properly thought out where we'd stay, we'd already given the keys in. Luckily for us, Dad was smart and managed to catch on rather quickly to what their strategy was. He managed to get away with talking smoothly.
"Well I should keep that in mind then if the plane does decide to crash!" Dad chuckled a bit with Professor Membrane, before finally taking a seat in the car. The slight shake of the car did pull me from my trance with the keyring and I was now fully aware of my surroundings. The car never left its spot from earlier this afternoon. Dad sat in the drivers seat, setting the sat nav ready for our 1 hour drive to the airport. Bear in mind, we were far from late. Dad purposely made us leave too early, that way there'd be a lesser chance of us missing the flight.
"Wait!" Dib cried from afar. He and Gaz stood by the doorway and both ran over to the car. Well, Dib ran; Gaz just walked over slower than usual. Both Dib and Gaz clearly saw that the stalling was coming to a halt so they couldn't just stand by and do nothing - Dib said. "Can't she stay?"
Dad protested, "Not exactly... I'm her father and I'll need to be there for her-"
"Dad can look after her! Plus, I'm sure you of all people wouldn't mind your daughter living with us!" Dib smiled, begging for a way to still see  me. I could only thank him later - if this whole thing worked.
"Hm..." Dad seemed in deep thought for a moment, then kept turning him down no matter what he said about it. Each time, Dib would get a nudge from Gaz who instructed him not to bother. I knew Gaz didn't really want me to leave, but she understood that he was my Dad; never seeing him would be a huge heartbreak. Even if I didn't live with him - I'd only see him on his 2 - 3 week breaks ever couple of months - that just wasn't enough! "I'm sorry... she can't.." 
Now Dad was really itching to go and Dib was starting to lose hope. With such terrible posture, he slouched away with his sister.
"I wouldn't mind, you know." Professor Membrane interrupted the feud. This caught my attention so I tilted my head slightly, all ears. "If it made your job easier: travelling from place to place, not having to worry about her well-being..." The list went on.
Dad seemed to be interested now, even stopping the car engine. Obviously he needed my permission first, but even he wasn't sure. Yes, it would lift a heavy weight off of his shoulders - knowing that I'd be safe and that Professor Membrane would Email him if anything went wrong; but the struggle was that we both would miss each other. Dad was convinced it would work, yet he worried about me a lot. He may not show it at times, but he misses me dearly. So, with a slight frown, Dad turned to me.
"How would you feel about living with Dib and Gaz?" Dad forced a smile for me, and me only. I nodded, implying that it would be okay. It wasn't the hyper type of nod (one filled with excitement), but it wasn't the sad kind either (if one existed). 
"It won't be for long. Try a couple of months and if you don't like it then do whatever you please. Just know that I'd be happy for her to stay - she's a wonderful person and very kind, too!" He complemented.
By hearing this, Dad was entirely on-board with this suggestion. Plus, he could tell I really liked it here. With Dib and Gaz as my best friends - we hardly argued! And Alex, she was just so generous and a positive person to be around; Zim and Gir were the icing on the cake! They were both such a cool and chaotic duo! Dad could tell why I appreciated them all so he was fully convinced now.
"...Oh alright then!" He smiled, seeing my change of expression. What used to be a  neutral look, changed to one of excitement. I hopped out of the car and wrapped my arms around him, feeling happier than ever! 
"Thank you!!" I cried.

It wasn't only me who got excited, but Dib and Gaz were as well! They both looked to each other, seeing the glimmer in their eyes before rushing over to me; Dib, more energetically than Gaz. Unexpectedly, I was tackled to the ground by them both, barely able to breath! It was unlike Gaz to show this much happiness. I could tell she was happy by her expression, even when I could barely see her face at the moment. After a few mentions and struggles for me to breath, they both caught on and quickly let go. Understandingly, they stepped away, giving me a chance to say goodbye to my Dad. I wouldn't be seeing him for the next 3 months at the earliest. 
"Don't cause trouble while I'm gone!" Dad chuckled, pulling me into another hug.
"When do I ever cause trouble?"
"Just making sure." He pecked my forehead before opening the boot of the car. Then, he pulled out my heavy, black suitcase followed by my school bag. Not wanting to hassle anyone, he started to pull my suitcase over to the house in front of us, my school bag firmly on his back. Funny enough, he was stopped by Professor Membrane - who offered to take them in for us. A bit of bickering went on between the two while I discussed the plan for where I'd be sleeping every night.
We collectively agreed on me staying in Gaz's room. Of course, she argued at first - much preferring her own company at night - but agreed, seeing as she didn't want me sleeping on the only other option - the couch. That, and the fact that she had no choice.

Now that that's cleared, my bags have been taken inside; me and my Dad bid our farewells and I watched him get in the car. A few seconds later, he started the car engine and drove off with a big wave towards the four of us. I sighed with a smile, a tear trickling down the side of my cheek. We all waved at the black vehicle he sat in, watching it grow smaller and smaller until eventually disappearing out of sight.
With that, I felt a big, heavy weight on my shoulder. Professor Membrane patted me and Gaz before crouching down.
"Well then, children, why don't we all enjoy a big dinner tonight?" His smile was hidden behind his lab coat, however, it didn't remain invisible forever. Me and the siblings looked at each other, our expressions changing slightly happier before we all charged into the house.
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When the evening turned to night and we all said our good nights; I sneaked out.
Gaz allowed it. She was no snitch. It was obvious to her as to why I craved to leave this house so badly. Not forever, of course; I was just going to see a friend of mine. So she agreed to stall if anyone would knock or ask to speak to me, even though the chances of that happening are unlikely since it was near enough midnight.

I ran through the streets and over to a familiar house. It was the house I looked at weirdly at the very beginning, the house that I met someone who - at first - was rude. The property that Zim owned. With harsh, heavy knocks, Gir was the one to answer. The robot seemed very enthusiastic about my appearance and failed to inform Zim who it was. Gir tackled me into a big hug, his circuits flooding with joy!
"Gir, I said no intruders!!" Zim yelled from the couch, not even bothering to look over at me. I had not spoken yet, hence why Zim didn't know that the visitor was me.
"Not very good with security, I see..." I commented, keeping my eyes on Gir. His eyes were not his usual round ones. Instead, they had taken the shape of two squashed looking triangles, showing his happiness. Zim, in the background, perked up when hearing my voice. He pounced from the couch and over to me, looking me dead in the eyes.
And let me tell you, the look on his face was certainly different from before.
"I knew you were lying." He stated, trying to hide the fact that he was currently squealing inside. A sort of... tingle was how you could describe the way he felt right then and there.
"Oh I wasn't." I replied. "You should thank Dib for this, though. He was the one to convince my Dad to let me stay. I won't be seeing him for a while though..." I looked at the wall awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. Thankfully, though, Zim was the one who interrupted the silence.
"(Y/N)-human, I was going to show you earlier - because I owe you for your help. Now that you're here, I'd like to show you it..." Zim said seriously. 
I was going to reply, but Gir beat me to it.
"Can I come!?" Gir squeaked, his tone full of excitement. Zim, not wanting to lose his cool, placed a hand on his shoulder,
"Gir, how would you like to paint your arms red?" he suggested, pointing to a conveniently placed paint bucket. Gir immediately dived into the paint bucket, bits of red paint being splattered all over the walls surrounding the area. At least there was something to keep him occupied.

With that, Zim took my hand and led me towards something I never expected to see in my entire life - the space pod. I knew what this was; I had seen it before, but not up-close. Of course, Zim (when talking to me about the Irken Armada and his species) told me briefly about the space pod - not much information was given. Now, being able to sit inside with him and actually having it fly out of the building was something I would never forget!
The pod flew right up into the sky, reaching the height of an aeroplane - which was another vehicle for Zim to be wary of after explanations. I had tons of experience with travelling inside of planes, yes, but seeing it from this point of view - an actual spaceship - was breathtaking! I stared at all the city lights that shined below. The sky was clear, so we had a nice view to look at. Lots of townhouses and shops were visible, all sorts! If that wasn't enough to be absolutely astonished by - he even let me pilot the ship!
It took a lot of decision-making for Zim to agree. He was worrying that it would crash, I guess that's fair. I was not very confident, but Zim helped me out, gripping my hands whenever he saw them shaking. His hand overlapped mine and we both looked at each other with a smile. Then we turned back, focusing on the journey.
"Don't worry. For your first try, you're doing a lot better than expected!" He steadied the ship, before letting go of my hand once more. I could tell he was impressed. I shan't get my hopes up, even though he felt exactly that way.

Eventually, time passed by and we felt it was time to land so that I wouldn't keep Gaz awake for any longer. Unbeknownst to me, she had already fallen asleep and no one bothered to come into the room though I'd find that out in the morning. Zim and I had a wonderful time - he said. And before I left, he said his 4 final words for the night.
"I'm glad you're staying." He ended the conversation with a smile that I couldn't help but copy off of.
"I'm glad I am too, Zim, I'm glad I'm with you..."
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A/N: This chapter was a lot longer than anticipated-

Word count:  2791 words

Amberzoeheart~