[M/N] watched from the doorway as Zim tried to call the Tallest, he didn't want to be seen yet or at all knowing Red would come for him. He hated that Irken with a passion.

" CALL DECLINED"

The computer said for the tenth time in a row, they weren't going to answer. Sighing, [M/N] walked towards Zim and placed a hand on his shoulder, " Zim? Maybe we should stop..they aren't going to answer."

" THEY MUST!" Zim protested as he looked to his father unit with big pink eyes. " What if they are in danger? What if the empire suddenly crumbles? What if-"

" Then they would've let us know or sent a message through our technology." [M/N] said as he looked at the screen, call declined was written in dark red. " Maybe we should take a day off. You from calling them and invading. Today I got a day off from my employer." Mateo let him have the day off because Dib had a special parent teacher conference along with Gaz, who may started a war with all the kids in her grade, who to say?

" Zim needs no 'day-off', Zim needs to work until the Tallest calls back." Zim turns but [M/n] picked up his son who squirms, " CURSE YOU AND YOUR HEIGHT!" Zim tries to get out of his tallest grasp but he was too strong, Zim lays limply as [M/N] walked to the platform.

" Now, now, we're going out to do this.." [M/N] hummed, the doors closed as he pressed a kiss to Zim's forehead. " This father-son bonding."

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[M/N] walked and glanced around the many stories he walked by, Zim was holding his hand as they walked. He had saved up checks from Professor Membrane, he never really payed them in until now so they can buy things for Zim or for the base.

" They are staring at us, [M/N]." [M/N] perked to hear Zim and glanced to the young Irken who glanced around with wide eyes, they looked slightly crazed and very paranoid. [M/N] glanced around and the humans there weren't even looking at them, they were minding their own business. " Why are they staring at us.."

" Zim, no." [M/N] said simply, " They are minding their own business. Nobody has even glanced at us."

" THEN WHY ARE THEY WHISPERING ABOUT US!" Zim rushed ahead, out of [M/N]'s grip and looked at a very large woman sipping on some soda. Zim snatched her by her shirt and yells in her face, " WHY DO YOU WHISPER OF ME AND MY DAD! SPEAK URTH S-" [M/N] covered Zim's mouth and picked him up. The woman stared at Zim annoyed but kept sipping her soda. " Sorry, too much sugar heheh. BYE!"

[M/N] speed walks away with Zim, and uncovered his mouth, " ZIM! You can't be doing that to normal humans! You're acting out!"

" I'm not acting out! I'm acting IN!" Zim shouts as he tries to escape [M/N]'s grasp as they walked, " WHY can't we go home! The tallest are probably ca-"

" ZIM!" [M/N] snapped and the Irken flinched and looked to [M/N]. " THEY, are not calling. Something is going on up there, we are down here. Safe and sound, unless they call or send a message via in GIR, then they don't want to be bothered." [M/N] sighs as he looked at the Irken, who's lower lip quivered a bit. Not like he was going to cry, but he was right. Zim knew [M/N] was right. They'll call when they handled their business but he just felt..empty. " OH." [M/N] sighs as he hugged Zim close and pressed a kiss to his forehead making Zim sigh. " I'm so sorry for snapping."

" It's alright. Zim became a bit too...paranoid.." Zim said as he looked to his tallest before looking away.

"it's alright. Let's just get some shopping done."

They were kicked out of two stores today.

Not topic, [M/N] saw some shirts he liked and saw one that he knew fitted Dib's aesthetic. He yanked Zim with him and cooed over the shirts and chuckled about how cute they were or funny. Zim was walking around until he saw something he liked, they were shiny. Zim has seen some humans wear these metallic earrings, he couldn't help but wonder why. Nobody also seem to ask him if he needed help, his Tallest was busy too so he did what he thought was best. He used a PAK leg and smashed the whole display, everyone heard glass shatter and turn. [M/N] didn't knowing it was Zim as he rushed to the cash register with three shirts, one for Dib and another for Gaz. The other was for himself for the sleeping.

" 59.65$, and please don't come back." The man said, he hands the black back with the clothes, [M/N] hands him a hundred dollar bill, Zim's hand in his free hand who was pouting that he didn't get his metallic earrings. When the change was given, [M/N] smiles before pulling his son out who screams at time, " NOBODY WANTED THOSE METALLIC EARRINGS, THEY WERE TOOO INFERIOR TO ZIM!"

The second store was one that [M/N] thought looked cool like the first one, but had many books. It also had two levels inside it, and the smell of coffee too! Bam and nibbles, looked cool!

[M/N] was searching for a cook book, or a dessert book and had the mistake of letting Zim roam free.

[M/N] looked at the books with wide [E/C] eyes, his fingers drifted around them. They were so very large, very small, very thick and very thin. So many colors and so many authors too. " Theses are so..so wonderful.. I wish to purchase them all...I only have so much though.."

" Excuse me sir?" [M/N] turns to see a woman who looked frantic, " Do you by chance have a green-skinned son who wears a pink dress."

" Yes? That's my son."

" GOOD." She sighs before pulling [M/N] away from the cook book section, they walked to the coffee place in the book store and sees a woman crying her eyes out, her shirt messy with coffee and her make up running. Zim was sitting in a chair, tapping his foot, " Your son threw another customers coffee in her face. No reason what so ever."

" LIES! THAT BOOK-HUMAN LIES!" Zim hissed as he shakes his fist at the employee. " That human garbage pushed Zim out of line so she may get her moooocha! THEN SHE PROCEEDED TO CALL ME A BITCH! ZIM IS NO DOG-WORM!" Zim got off his chair and walked towards the doors.

" I'll be out there in a second." [M/N] said as he looked at the woman crying and then the book employee. " How are you going to handle her?" [M/N] asked the girl who looked confused, " I mean, she called my son a bitch and shoved him out of line. Are you going to kick her out too?"

" No, she's the vic-"

" Then next time, let my son handle himself, he obviously did it better than any of your sucky employees." [M/N] interrupted as he looked at the woman, " Think of this as a life lesson, the both of you." The tall Irken glared at the woman who seemed to stop her alligator tears. " If you push someone to the point where they needed to fight back because nobody is going to help them, then they will fight for themselves. I am proud of my son." [M/N] sighs, " Have a lovely day, and lady," [M/N] winked at the woman with the new coffee colored shirt, " That shirt makes you look fat and Disgusting, take it off for the shirts sake."[M/N] waves as he left.

Zim at his side as they walked, " Am I in trouble?"

" No. but couldn't you just scream at her next time?"

" Zim will not promise."

They were not welcome back it seemed.

[M/N] sighs as he looked around, frown on his lips.  Maybe it was a bad idea to take Zim out after all, he was still paranoid that the tallest have yet to call him. He just wanted to bond with him, he had been out too long without Zim and just wanted to have one day with him. Maybe they should g-

What's that smell?

It was sweet and very...intoxicating, he takes a deep smell and it came ahead. [M/N] looked to see a man making some pink fluffy mess on a stick for a little girl. " I'll be back Zim, stay here." [M/N] walked towards it and got in line, he was solely focus on the line and the man making the sweet cotton that he didn't notice Zim marching inside a different store.

After twenty minutes of waiting, [M/N] walked back only to see Zim gone from the bench. " Zim?" [M/N] glanced around, no sign of a screaming green child. " Always moving around." He didn't know where to start. So many stores and so many humans. He had no other choice but to do this. Under his disguise, he began twitching his antennas to pick up on Zim's voice or his antenna sending vibrations back to him.

"..... I know, how scandalous.. the mayor sleeping with a school teacher.."

".....I really like apple cider than apple juice..."

".....I like sucking..."

[M/N] flushed as he listened to the girl describing her sex life and adjusted one antenna before picking up Zim's screaming. " Found him." [M/N] began walking into the store and winced when he heard Zim's screaming but nobody seem to be paying attention to him. He glanced before seeing him in the back to see Zim's green skin. He walked to see him trying to snatch a plushie toy of a blue-dog-thingy with another kid.

" LET GO! THE STITCH IS MINE! PROPERTY OF ZIM!" Zim screeches as began to pull harder on the toy as the kid screamed back, " NUN! MOMMY SAID I CAN HAVE THE VERY LAST ONE! AND THIS WAS IT!"

" YOU PULLED IT OUT OF ZIM'S HANDS! YOU STOLE HIM FROM ZIM!" Zim screeched back as he kicked the child-worm foot and the kid began to wail in pain. " I'm telling my mommy!" He screeched and began running away from Zim who holds the plushie above his head and laughs happily, one evil one yet it sounded happy.

" HAHAHAHAHAH! VICTORY FOR ZIM!" Zim exclaimed before feeling someone watch him, he turns and smiles seeing it was only [M/N]. " Look! Did you watch Zim acquired the Stitch."

" Yes." [M/N] sighs as he walked around the aisle and looked at the Irken, he was still holding the two cotton candies in his hands. "Why did you attack a human-smeet?" The taller asked with a raised eyebrow.

" The human-worm tried to snatch the STITCH." Zim shows the blue toy of some cute dog. " Zim saw many worms in here and grabbing the stupid itity bitty toys but then his creature caught Zim's attention but the Worm tried to steal him away! STITCH BELONGS TO ZIM!"

Before [M/N] could scold his son, he sees a rather large and thick woman with a short bob haircut. The little brat that Zim was fighting with was by her side laughing and smirking as they came closer. God, she smelled horrid. " Are you going to do something?" She snapped at [M/N] who stared at her.

" Uh, why? My son, won the battle over the plushie." The taller Irken felt Zim move behind him, his arms around the toy but Zim kept himself hidden behind [M/N]. " Your little child, tried to steal it and Zim had to use force." He could feel the woman try to intimidate him with her large size and nasty scowl but he didn't feel bad or even scared.

" Uhhh, no that is not what has happened, my angel." She pulled the kid in front of her who grins innocently. " Had that stitch plushie first but that green freak stole it from him! I will sue you if you don't give me THAT PLUSHIE!" She screeched at the end and attention was on all four of them. [M/N] felt heir judgment gazes and steps back but flinched when he felt his back hit something, glancing over he sees Zim.

Why does his heart keep on breaking? Or something that resembles as a human heart?

Zim stood there, hugging the plushie to dear life, his eyes narrowed at the woman but [M/N] could see his fingers and arms trembling, [M/N]'s noticed Zim's eyes drifted around for exits. He could sense Zim's fear, dread and panic. No. You can't back down, you're a parent now. As a parent, it is your duty to be your child's protector.

" Zim doesn't have to give anything back to you or anyone, it is technically not your property. You haven't purchase it so you have no ground to sue."

Show them from right and wrong

" So will you please leave us alone? I will have no choice but to attack you." [M/N] said said, " Come Zim, let us buy this Stitch." [M/N] said as he began walking towards the cash register, he heard the clap of Zim's boots but then Zim's surprised screech made [M/N] snap his head towards Zim and see the pudgy woman pulling on Zim's arm.

" GIVE IT BACK TO MY DARLING BABY BOY!" She screams and [M/N] only did one thing that came to mind, he bends low and sweeps her feet and she fell. [M/N] felt her body made the ground vibrate for a quick second and she laid on the floor with a shock expression.

Parents always protect their children, with or without violence.

" Touch my son again and I will end you cow-Karen." [M/N] hissed as he glared at the woman who couldn't get up.her son looked embarrassed, " Touch my child again and I will end you. Pregnant or not."

" I'm not pregnant."

" Ah, so your obesity. Touch him and I will murder you." [M/N] finished and glared at her before walking away, he gently pulled Zim with him. " The balls of that woman. Touching you." [M/N] hissed and looked over the other plushies. " Do you wish to buy this plushie?"

" Zim wants the plushie very much." Zim said as his grip on the toy lightens up. " I find stitch far superior than any of these plushies."

" Have you seen the movie?" [M/N] asked as he glanced to see around five employees were trying to help the woman up, the kid playing on his phone and seemed into it more than he was with the toy.

" ZIM HAS NO NEED TO WATCH HUMAN MOOOBES." Zim exclaimed before adding, " I enjoy the plushie." He squeezes it into his chest with a sweet expression on his face, one that reminded him when he was at The assigning when the tallest gave him a sandwich.

" Sure." [M/N] rolled his eyes as he picks up the lilo and stitch movie before noticing a small white dog with a pumpkin on his nose. " I'm sure Gaz would enjoy him." [M/N] grasped the toy then noticed a small deer plushie and cooed, one for Dib. He grasped in the same hand with Gaz's new stuff dog before grasping a chicken one. One for Gir who might eat it. " Are you ready?" He turns to Zim and noticed there were now many stitch theme objects in his hands like shirts, a mug and he was now wearing a stitch hat on his head.

" Yes, Yes, lets go already!" Zim demanded, his voice slightly muffled from the things in his arms. [M/N] rolled his eyes as he walked towards the cashier who scans their things, though [M/N] had to fight with Zim a little for the hat.

" Thanks for that show." The cashier said as he rings the rest up, " She's always causing trouble but the people she harassed usually hit her first which is why we couldn't ask her to leave. The second they help her off the floor, we can ban her. She shouldn't be grabbing other people's children."

" Oh, you're welcome I guess." [M/N] pressed the hat on Zim's head who adjusted it. " I'm happy that she didn't hurt my son."

" Yeah, Disney can't afford another lawsuit." The guy said as he hands the bag, " have a nice day."

" You two." [M/N] hands Zim the rest of his cotton candy with a smile, Zim takes it and slowly began to eat it. Both Irken's began to leave the store, their day at the mall wasn't perfect but it was just a day for them. Zim was content with being beside his tallest even thought most of the humans ruined the day. [M/N] was just content that he had Zim today with him without a mission.