I have seen you in the morning
In the evening light you hold me
Closer than the air around me
You surround me always
(Everywhere I Go – Five Iron Frenzy)

Zim nodded at Dib’s acceptance, raising the gun to rest against the black hair that covered Dib’s temple. The gun seemed to throb like a heartbeat in his clammy hands. Dib’s eyes were screwed shut just as Zim’s had been previously, prisoner to the eternal silent waiting.

/One in five,/ he noted to himself, taking a deep breath. /One in five...and then one in three if his next turn comes and finally one in one. He’s not going to stop this. I can see the relief when the chamber resounds empty but also the determination to fulfill his duty to mankind. He’s not going to stop this until one of us is dead./ His finger tightened around the trigger. /I’m tired of running and tired of being hurt by the one I love most in this disgusting world. I need his trust to rectify everything and this is the only way to get it./ He could hear the gears begin to roll as he pulled slowly at the metal loop. He could hear the hairs raise on Dib’s skin and smell the adrenaline that rushed through the human’s body. /No. Trust at this price isn’t worth it. I can’t wait for him to stop this and I can’t kill him. I’d rather be on the run for the rest of my lonely existence. One in five is too much to risk when the odds of rejection are only one in two./

Slowly, the metal disappeared from Dib’s head, the confused human’s eyes going wild with perceived deceit. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice wavering with the tension he’d set in his jaw.

Zim looked at the primitive weapon in hand, a wistful smile on his face. “I thought I could make you trust me if I put your life in my hands. But I can’t force that out of you. I can only frighten you into submission and we’re too old and wise for that.” He looked up, his crimson eyes locking with inquisitive blue. “I love you, Dib. But I realize you can’t love me if you perceive me as a threat and putting a gun to your head won’t lesson those convictions.”

Suddenly the gun rose again, pointing in the direction of the wielder himself. Dib’s eyes grew large and his mouth agape.

With the gun to his own head, Zim gave a weak and desperate smile. “I don’t want to hurt anyone and if this is the only way to prove that to you, I am glad to die with such honor. So tell me, Dib. Tell me to pull the trigger if you find me beyond trust.” His voice wavered. “Or tell me to put it down if somewhere in your heart you find the courage to give me a chance.”

His eyes stayed steady to the cascading array of emotions that waned over the pale human’s face like ghosts of forgotten feelings. With sincerity, Zim awaited his command, comforted only in the knowledge that the last thing he would see might be Dib.