Zim started to talk to [M/N] three days later, though it was more like Zim went into [M/N]'s bed when the Irken was sleeping. [M/N] guessed he was forgiven from that gesture.

" Zim. Are you almost done with your homework?" [M/N] asked as he kept checking on the pie that was baking. One for home and the other for his job, Professor Membrane would be late so he had to be there one more hour. " ZIM?"

" YES! Zim is almost finished, " [M/N] could hear Zim type furiously against the laptop, something that [M/N] had bought a day ago. He needed it to do some research studies on more human interactions and such, doing his own little research like he did when he was an explorer. He enjoyed a little website that plays many videos and even learn how to cook some human food for Gaz and Dib.

The more time he spends with the two, the more that he began to know them slowly. He knew Dib loved the paranormal and wishes to pursue a career in that field as an investigator. [M/N] knew that Dib's favorite color is blue and black, the male preteen also liked pineapple on his pizza, loved reading mystery novels, actually enjoys the outside but hardly has time. Though, he can tell Dib was enemies with someone or he fancied someone since he heard Dib once or twice rant to Gaz about someone at school. He was such a sweet young man.

Gaz was someone who held herself in such a rough exterior that sometimes scared [M/N] at times. Though, he dotes on the girl as well, providing her with pizza and all the junk food that she wishes. [M/N] knew that she liked the color purple and black, played any game that involved violence and quest, she was allergic to coconut and liked dark coffee. She had no plan yet, though she wanted to do something with video games. He enjoyed her, and even help him on hard levels.

He was starting to love the two little humans.

" Zim has finished this pathetic homework!" [M/N] turns towards Zim and smiles, seeing the essay. " I must go down to the lab and finish my weapo-" Zim coughs into his fist, " I-I mean, my gift for my new friend Keef." Zim smiles innocently. 

" Is that so?" [M/N] turns around and his one brow raised, he had the pie out. " Do you want a piece before you make you way down to the lab?" The taller Irken takes the piece slice and placed it on a blue plate, offering the slice to Zim. " I know you're hungry~" At that moment, [M/N] heard Zim's stomach growl in agreement making the taller Irken smirk.

" Z-Zim..." Zim sighs before taking the plate, " I thank you, NOW GO OFF TO THE SMELLIES!" [M/N] chuckled as he watched Zim take the plate and into the garbage can he went, [M/N] turns to take a nibble or two on the pie but sighs seeing GIR was running away laughing, " MY PIE! PIE FOR THE PIGGY!"

[M/N] rolled his eyes as he gently took hold of the pie for the Membrane children. He clicked his disguise on, same outfit but purple button up shirt this time. [M/N] opens the front door and flinched when there was a small redhead at the door, grinning and [M/N ] shivered a bit. The human seemed off, " Hello." 

" HI! is Zim home?" [M/N] tilts his head, " OH! I'm Keef! I'm Zim's very best friend! I just wanted to know if he can come out and play!"

" Oh. Uh, Zim is working on his homework. You can wait on the couch I guess?" The kid smiles as he enters the house, [M/N] shivered before shutting the door behind him. Weird Kid, he could sense something but he should probably let Zim handle it.

He hoped, Zim can take care of it.

.   .   .

[M/N] enters the Membrane household, the door was unlocked so he entered. Nobody was in the living room, and he couldn't detect anyone upstairs with his antenna's. 

"....ready to tell him.."

" Not a good idea..dad s.."

" ..He needs to know the t.."

[M/N] perked up to the voices, he slowly walked to the kitchen and peeked in to see Dib on his laptop. He was talking to Gaz who was playing her game but she seemed annoyed, Her eyebrows furrowed and her tapping were a bit more forceful.

" DIB." Gaz growls, her one of her  eyes opens to him, " Dad said to keep your paranormal studies to yourself. He doesn't want your geekiness scaring him off. I like the guy too, so you better not."

" BUT GAZ!" Dib cries out, slamming his hands on the table. " He needs to know! He could be in danger if he is caught around here when Zim sees him! Zim could murder  him if he wanted to!" Dib felt hot and angry, how long could he keep up with this little secret that he let out between his family. " I like him too but this is for his own protection!"

[M/N]'s eyes widen, Dib was Zim's new rival and enemy? The human was Zim's kryptonite? [M/N] felt a bit proud that Dib was the right foe to fight against Zim but he also felt scared. Zim told him that his new nemesis had threatened to cut him up on a metal table and take out his squeedlyspooch, how his new nemesis had pushed him into the water which made Zim scream in pain. Dib was the nemesis who was bullying his Zim.

Sucking up his nerves, [M/N] stepped back from the kitchen doorway.  " KIDS! I'm here!" [M/N] called, his voice cracked a bit. 

Two pairs of footsteps walked out the kitchen, Dib had his computer under his arm and Gaz was still playing with her game. " Is the pie for us?" Gaz asked, pausing the game. Her focus was on the tasty looking pie. 

" Of course! Why else would I bring it silly?" [M/N] asked with a chuckle, " It's apple." Gaz walked to him and he offers the pie to the human female. She slowly takes it and sighs, seemingly enjoying the smell of it. 

" I'm going to cut a piece." Gaz said as she takes the pie towards the kitchen, " Don't ruin anything, Dib." She glared at her brother before walking in the kitchen. 

" Y-Yeah." Dib looked down at his laptop then back to the adult. He couldn't trust anyone really, nobody outside his family that is, and sometimes the swollen eyeballs weren't really helpful to him either. [M/N] was different, no, he is different. Sometimes Dib did wonder if his father paid [M/N] a bit more, more money for the adult that endured his insane son's rants. " [M/N]?"

" Yes?" [M/N] smiles, despite the dread that was swimming around in his squeedlyspooch. " Do you need something, Dib?"

Dib gulps, his nerves were all over the place and he felt like hiding. He couldn't, he wouldn't. As long as [M/N] will continue babysitting them, he would need to show him the true terror in the world, beside vampire-bees and the plague. " Can I show you something? It's very important."

" Sure." [M/N] smiles nervously, he hoped he didn't have too much on Zim. It would be a shame to erase all of their memories. Change his name and change his look, he enjoyed his [H/C] hair. " Is it something bad?"

Dib leads him upstairs to his room, kicking things under his bed before perking up when he heard [M/N] ask him a question. "Kind of. I mean, my dad knows and Gaz, but my dad doesn't believe me." Dib said as he placed his computer on his bed, before walking to his computer set up. [M/N] stood behind him to watch him pull up things and load things. " He doesn't believe me because Paranormal studies is not a science."

" Really?" [M/N] rolled his eyes, " There are thousands of planets and lots of galaxies are out there, there is a high possibility that there is alien life somewhere." He felt a bit offended.

" EXACTLY!" Dib looked to [M/N] with wide eyes, " There has been some cases where some alien evidence was found in older meteorites that had fallen onto earth! There was bugs in the meteorites!" Dib grins to [M/N], hope blossom that the adult would believe, finally, someone else who would believe him. " Anyway, for the past two weeks since you started babysitting us, you listen and seen me rant about my new enemy."

" Yes, I assumed you were crushing on them." [M/N] admitted, " Kids hate other kids because they like them but too clueless to notice." 

" EW! I would never like him like that!" Dib stuck his tongue out and gagged. " No, my enemy, the guy I always talked about...he's an alien." Dib watched [M/N]'s expression closely. He was still calm, good. " He comes from another planet from out of space, I think he said Irk a couple times too. But he's here to conquer earth and enslave the human race. Nobody believes me but Gaz but she doesn't really care." Dib rubs his hands together, his eyes drifting down to his lap as he said in a soft and quiet voice, " and you, it's okay if you don't care or believe me. I just wanted to get it off my chest."

" I believe you." [M/N] blurted out, he was suppose to pretend that he didn't find it interesting. That's what his mind was telling him but that was probably the PAK telling him that. Deny the Irken species to protect it. "I mean, if there is humans then there has to be another species who could be smart as humans or smarter."

Dib stared at the adult, his mouth gape and he looked generally shock. The human was honestly waited for [M/N] to laugh at him or patronize him too. No, the adult believed him. His words were so honest and true, especially about the other smarter species. Though he doubt humans being smart, everything was smarter than the human species and probably the Irk species as well. He fought Zim a lot and the alien wasn't too smart with his plans, if he knew how to do anything then Zim would've been the smartest Irk alien alive. 

" Thank you." Dib laughs which startled the alien, he takes his glasses off and rubbed his tears away. He was relief that someone else believed him. " Sorry for crying, it's just someone believes me..all my evidence on my computer and laptop.. and someone not patronizing me..it makes me so happy." Dib wipes his tears but they kept falling down his cheeks. How embarrassing.

[M/N] smiles before bending down, his knees on the dark blue carpet as he reached forwards and pulled Dib into a hug. " Hey, let it out, it's okay." [M/N] cooed as he rubbed Dib's back. His shirt gathers up the tears before they could hit his skin to burn him. " Don't worry, I'm here for you, pumpkin." 

Dib smiles as he wrapped his arms around [M/N] and hugged him back, nuzzling into him. He couldn't help it. [M/N] felt so warm and smelled so nice. He smelled like expensive spices and coffee before adding the sugar or creamer. It was comforting, and the hug made him so happy and safe. The tears finally stop but he didn't want to part from him just yet. 

" You were going to show me some evidence, pumpkin?" [M/N] asked as he moved back to look at Dib with a smile. 

" Huh? OH!" Dib moved back and laughs, "Sorry, you just felt nice to hug. Uh, look!" [M/N] looked at the computer screen, he watched and one PAK claw comes out. He watched Dib load up a picture as his PAK claw touched the laptop behind them, he maneuvered it before snatching something off the Laptop's side. The PAK claw returns to his back. 

There was Zim, he wasn't wearing his disguise but it seemed he was controlling something. " I took a picture when he was on our tv. He was in my guts! It was disgusting." Dib shivers, " He deleted some of my memory of where I put the extra pictures."

" How terrible." [M/N] shivered, he is so grounding Zim when he gets home. He was proud that he got rid of the evidence but he was mad that he was playing around with the Human's limbs and guts.

" Now! Look what else I took pictures of!"

.   .   .

[M/N] flinched when he heard a door shut, his [E/C] eyes blinked open. The lights were off in the living room but the tv that had a blue screen that says in white words, GAME OVER! WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY AGAIN? No, No [M/N] made a fool of himself already in front of the human children.

" Oh? You're still here?" Professor Membrane asked the sitter, his tone amused as he took in the sight before him. " Not that I mind that you're still here. Dozing off the job is quiet fun." He was teasing.

" Sorry, I guess I fell asleep while playing a game with the kids." [M/N] replies with a yawn escaping his lips. " What time of it?" [M/N] asked, using a hand to rub his eyes. He slowly tries to sit up but was stopped by two heavy weights that were on him. He looked down and his eyes widen, Dib was sleeping on his lap. He sat on his lap and sleeping against his chest happily, his glasses hanging on his shirt collar. He looked to see Gaz was holding onto his other arm, she was sleeping. He can here soft snores coming from her. " Uh, Help?"

" It's one in the morning." Professor Membrane said, he walked to the sitter. He was mentally cooing at the sight. His children looked peaceful when they were sleeping on the sitter. This picture almost made him feel envious, he envy the sitter for letting the kids sleep on him and cling on to him. Professor Membrane picks up his daughter and held her. She groans and huffed, but never wakes up while in her father's hold. 

" Of course you take the lightest one." [M/N] said playfully before slowly moving his arms to hold Dib, one around Dib's legs and one to support the paranormal investigator's back. [M/N] sits up, holding the young pre-teen up. Dib was very light so it was easy. " I'll take him upstairs." [M/N] smiles before walking upstairs first and the Irken heard Professor Membrane follow behind him but turns the opposite direction in the hallway. 

[M/N] smiles as he enters the bedroom, and placed Dib in his room. He took off Dib's black lab coat, his red shoes and placed the pre-teen's glasses on the bedside table. The teen smiles in his sleep before turning away from [M/N] and grasped the pillow on the bed and hugs the item. [M/N] smiles before bringing the black bed cover up on Dib. [M/N] tucked Dib in, and ruffles the human's hair. " Goodnight Dib, I'll see you on Monday. Be good for your dad and sister." 

The Irken walked out and slowly closed the door behind him slowly.  

" Thank you for watching them." [M/N] turns to see Professor Membrane standing there. He was playing with his gloved hands in a nervous manner. " You truly are a kind man. Your son is lucky."

" He is. I wished I didn't spoil him too much." [M/N] chuckles, " But I love him."

" Ah yes, they may hurt us with their words and actions but we still love them." Professor Membrane said as he looked at [M/N], he seemed happy. [M/N] could imagine him smiling from under the lab coat's cowl.  He bet it would look handsome.

" I think I should take my leave." [M/N] said as he began walking down the stairs, he was ignoring he buzzing in his head. Maybe it was a headache, he hasn't ate anything for the whole time that he was there.  It was hurting him, maybe it was a headache. 

" [M/N]?" Professor Membrane said, his hand landing on the Irken's shoulder. He noticed the small winces and wanted to check on him. But before he could catch what was going to happened, he was thrown to the ground and an arm pinning his throat against the Professor's throat. Air left his lungs and shock was filled with him. " Oh." He felt [M/N] straddling his mid-section and the furious [E/C] eyes. " [M/N]?"

" Huh?" [M/N] blinked, he went on his Irken instincts to protect himself. The headache was distracting him and felt the hand which scared him enough to pin down the owner of the hand. " I AM SO SORRY!" [M/N] flushed as he gets off and yanked the Professor up by his gloved hand. They were cold. " I-I..."

" No, you don't have to explain, I saw you in pain and I startled you." Professor Membrane rubbed the back of his neck. Admittingly, seeing [M/N] take him down like that in seconds made him respect [M/N] even more, he was someone who can take down a man his size and protect his kids. Plus, that turned him on. " You had a right to attack me."

[M/N] smiles, his panic state is turned relaxed. " Still, I didn't mean to flip you. " He looked over Professor Membrane's attire for a moment, No broken bones or anything like that. He'll be alright.  Though, it has been years since he did a flip on someone who was at his height. 

" Apology accepted." Professor Membrane pats the Irken's back.  " Though, I wanted to ask you something, but first, are you busy tomorrow?"

" Uh, I believe not." [M/N] answered as he looked at the scientist confused, why would he want to know that? " Do you need me here?"

"No, not here at least." Professor Membrane placed a hand on [M/N]'s shoulder and used his other hand to fish something out his pocket, a gold ticket. " I need a plus-one for a gala to show other scientist my newest invention idea that I want to talk about for the future." Professor Membrane offers the ticket, " And I wanted to know if you wish to be my plus-one." It was an innocent offer for the sitter.

[M/N] stared at the ticket, slowly moving his hand and takes it. He stared at the gold color paper and read the words before smiling, " I will enjoy this event. Uh, do I come here or at the Gala?"

" Just come here, I'll drive us over to the Gala." Professor Membrane moved his hand off [M/N]'s shoulder. " Come here at six pm. Black tie attire."

" Yes, I will be here. Thank you for the invite." [M/N] smiles as he began walking to the door, he opens it and glanced to the scientist. " Goodnight, Professor."

" Mateo."

" What was that?" [M/N] perked up, he was half-way out the door when he heard the other say something.

" My name." Professor Membrane said softly, " Mateo Membrane. It seems appropriate since you're coming with me to the Gala. Unless you like calling me P-"

" No, No." [M/N] smiles at the professor, happy to hear his name. " It just surprised me, but goodnight Mateo." [M/N] shuts the door, a dorky smile on his lips.

He liked that name.

Mateo

Mateo

Mateo

.  .  .

[M/N] looked at the flash drive that he had taken from Dib's laptop, he stared at it. He could smash it, and pretend that he didn't know where it was. Though, he would feel bad about it.

You shouldn't feel anything for the human, he is a HUMAN. [M/N]'s thought. But this is his work, he wants to expose us but I will feel bad that Dib would feel bad.

" I'll put it in my drawer." [M/N] sighs as he opens the top drawer in his desk and placed the drive into the drawer. " If he ask, I would lie. No one Is hurt and the evidence is with me. Everything will be perfect." The Irken walked to his bed, turning his disguise off and throws himself on his bed. He sighs as he nuzzles the pillow.

" Wait." [M/N] sits up on his bed and pulled out the hover tablet by the bed and clicked to the Lab camera. He sees Zim working with some animals that he stole, and played with their DNA. " Zim." [M/N] said and watched Zim perked up, the tiny Irken looked around before seeing [M/N] on the Lab's hover pad.

" Ah! Tallest [M-"

" You're grounded! I know what you did to one of your classmates!"

" Keef?"

" No. I just know, but you are grounded for two earth moons. Meaning, no plans on the weekend."

" Bu-"

" No. You may play with your animals but you are not to step out of the house. I swear to IRK, if you do, I will throw you into Moo-ping 10 myself!"