ZaDR - A Talk With Membrane

"Oh come on, Zim, stop being such a baby," Dib said in annoyance, dragging Zim by an arm toward his house.
"I'm not being a baby!" Zim protested, digging his heels into the ground to try and stop Dib from pulling him forward. "I just don't feel like telling your father about us! What if he doesn't take it well?"
"Oh, you know he likes you."
"But what if he reacts negatively to the news that his son is… well…"
"If he really loves me, he won't care if I'm gay." Dib gave Zim's arm an extra hard tug and got him to start walking again. "Look, we need to get this over with. He knows I've been going out with someone. And he thinks you're a very nice, smart person. He's my father; he's going to accept me no matter what."
"Well, okay… but if something bad happens, I'm blaming you," Zim said, finally walking on his own. He pulled his arm out of Dib's grip and folded them across his chest.
"And we're going to tell him the whole truth," Dib went on as he opened the door.
"Uh… what do you mean by that?" Zim asked.
"About you being an alien," Dib clarified.
"What? Absolutely not! He's a scientist! People like him try to dissect things like me!" Zim complained.
"I'll tell him not to. But he's my dad, and we're dating… he deserves to know." Dib sat Zim down on the couch. "Wait here, I'll get him." He ran down the hall and down a staircase to his dad's home lab.
Zim looked around awkwardly, spotted Gaz sitting at the other end of the couch playing her GameSlave, and scooted over to her. "What are you playing?"
"Blood Bath 3. It's like the first two, only bloodier," she replied. "Watch this." She clicked a few buttons and her character suddenly wielded a huge axe and started chopping people to bits. Blood flew everywhere.
"That's neat!"
"Isn't it? Now look at this. Chainsaw, baby!" Gaz liked Zim, though she would never admit it. She felt like she could be her normal, violent self around him.
"Oh yeah!" Zim watched her for another minute until his sensitive antennae picked up the sound of two sets of feet coming toward the living room. He lifted his head and saw Dib with Professor Membrane walking toward him. He got up and approached the professor, bowing respectfully. "Hello, professor. It's nice to see you again."
"Ah, Zim." Membrane shook his hand. "It's always good to see you. So Dib, you said your date was going to be here. Where is she, so I can meet her?"
"Um, that's the thing, Dad…" Dib said nervously, going to stand next to Zim. "I've been dating Zim here."
"Knew it," Gaz said from the couch.
"Wait, you and Zim are together?" Membrane asked, looking back and forth at the two of them. From his expression, he was clearly expecting one of them to scream, 'April Fools!' When both just looked at him and nodded, he frowned. "But, you're both male."
Dib sighed. "Yeah, we are."
"But that would mean you're…"
"Yes, Dad, I'm a homosexual."
The man could only stare at them, unable to speak.
Nervous now, Dib clutched Zim a bit tighter for comfort. "You're not mad, are you?"
Recovering from his shock, Membrane said, "Why would I be mad? It's your choice who you want to be with."
"Really? You don't mind?"
"Of course not. Zim seems like a very smart young man, and you two have been good friends ever since you first met."
Dib frowned; Membrane was a bit off on that fact, but he wasn't going to bother correcting him. "There's more I have to tell you, though. Something you need to understand about Zim…" He looked at the irken. "Zim, show him."
Zim sighed and separated from Dib, reaching up to put his hands on his wig. "Professor, remember when Dib used to rant about how I was an alien? He'd never shut up about it?"
"Yes, I remember. Absurd, isn't it?" The man chuckled at the memories.
Zim smiled weakly. "It wasn't a lie." He pulled his wig off, revealing his antennae. They twitched and stretched out, reveling in their new freedom. Then he took his contacts off and put them in his pocket. In all his alien glory, he spread his arms. "See?" He waved his three-fingered hands a bit.
Membrane stared at him, taking in the non-human details, seemingly unable to speak.
"Now do you believe me?" Dib asked. "Zim is an alien."
"No… a trick, it must be. Aliens don't exist." Membrane's voice held doubt, though.
"Zim, show him the PAK legs," Dib said.
Zim extended all four legs from his PAK and boosted himself up on them, scuttling around. "Humans don't have this technology. It's exclusive to irkens only. A human's mind would be torn apart by it within ten minutes."
Finally, the scientist spoke. "All right… as a man of science, I can't ignore proof when it's right in front of me. I believe you. It's just… hard to believe."
"Yeah, but it's true. Like you said, it's right in front of you." Dib tugged lightly on Zim's ankle. Zim dropped back down to the floor, retracting the mechanical legs. "We just wanted you to know the truth. About our relationship and what Zim really is."
"Son, I just need to make sure," Membrane said, not quite ready to accept it yet. "Are you telling the truth about all this?"
"YES, Dad," Dib said in an annoyed tone, putting his right hand on Zim's right shoulder and pulling him close. Zim's left hand grabbed Dib's left arm for comfort. "Zim and I are in love and I'm moving in with him tomorrow."
Membrane sighed, looking down at the floor for a moment, before raising his eyes back to his son's face. "I see… And you're quite sure this is the life you want to have?"
"Yeah, I am," Dib replied.
"Then in that case…" Membrane smiled and put a hand on Zim's shoulder. "Welcome to the family, Zim!" He knelt down and pulled the irken into an affectionate embrace.
Zim's antennae jolted up in surprise and his eyes widened. Then they lowered again; no one other than Dib and GIR has ever hugged him before. Melting into the warm embrace, burying his face against the man's broad shoulder and letting his eyes slip closed, he raised his arms to hug back.
Dib stood nearby in total shock. He hadn't expected his father to accept Zim so quickly… then again, he always had been a kind and understanding man. And he hadn't expected Zim to actually let him hug him.
"Gaz, aren't you going to welcome Zim to the family?" Membrane asked, looking over Zim at Gaz, who hadn't moved from her spot on the couch.
She paused her game and sighed, standing up. "Sure, why not?" She walked over to them and gave Zim a pat on the back. "Yeah, good to have you in the family, you gay xenophile."
Zim smiled as he separated from Dib's father and turned to look up at her. "Glad to be part of it."
Dib smirked. "Aren't you going to give him a hug too, Gaz?"
"No, you'd probably get jealous," Gaz replied, rolling her eyes.
"No I won't."
Zim held out his arms, grinning expectantly.
"I must be crazy, but…" Gaz gave in and leaned down to hug him. As an older teen, almost eighteen, she was much more mature and nicer than when she was a little girl. It was relatively easy to do something now that would have made her puke years ago.
Zim happily hugged her back; it was always fun getting this kind of affection from someone taller than him.
She pushed him away after a few moments, but was gentle about it. She flicked one of his antennae lightly and said, "Take care of my brother, okay? He'll get in trouble unless someone watches him."
"Don't worry; I'll watch him. The Dib will not get in trouble while Zim's around!" Zim hugged Dib around the middle, purring in content.
"While I never expected this, I accept your decision," Membrane said, smiling at the affectionate way the two embraced. "If you two ever need anything, I'll be more than happy to help."
"Thanks, Dad," Dib said gratefully, hugging him.
Zim hugged him too. "Yes, thank you, father-in-law."
They backed away. The four spent a few more minutes talking before Zim and Dib decided to head home. Bidding Gaz and Membrane goodbye, they walked out together.
"See, that wasn't so bad," Dib said teasingly.
"Yeah, well…" Zim tried to think of a good comeback. He grabbed Dib's wrist. "Now it's time for us to have a talk with my Tallest about this!"
"What? Oh, God, no!" Dib struggled to pull his arm free, but Zim just laughed and kept dragging him. He was joking, but he wasn't going to bother telling Dib that.
"Payback time," Zim said with a grin.