Slight AU. ZADR, ZADR, ZADR.
A/N: I think this will be a bit hard to read and understand… I'm sorry. Let me explain first, then: the first part takes place four years into the future (so Dib is fourteen-ish). The second part, as clearly stated, takes place four years earlier, as in around the present canon time… kind of. The rest of the story continues on in this canon-ish time format, except the end…
--
He reached for the plastic bottle of water, positioned precariously on top of the white refrigerator. His hands grabbled uselessly over the white surface, almost but not quite touching the still bottle.
"Ugh…" He stood up on his toes and reached once more, as high as he could. Still he could not touch it.
How could Gaz do this so effortlessly? he wondered. Any height, she's got it…and she's shorter than me, too…
He tried again, reaching as high, high, high, as he possibly ever could. All the reaching was beginning to annoy him, and it showed on his slowly darkening face. His dry throat hurt.
And then it happened: a sudden laser burst, a bright dangerous red, shot past Dib's irritated face, effectively startling him into forgetting his balance as he instinctively leaned backwards. He fell, hands flailing in all directions, onto the cold tiled floor.
"Huh…?"
The stunned boy lay eagle-spread on the floor, his face turned up to the ceiling. The faint smell of smoke danced around his nose. There was something blurry at the window.
Green… it was green!
So reminiscent of someone he knew… Zim…
The old exclamation rose up as easily as if it had only been a day, and not years, ever since he had used it. "ZIM, YOU--!"
But as quickly as it arrived, it was gone, the almost-comforting-yet--somewhat-terrifying color, the color green…
And there was a laser burst. There was no mistaking that lethal shot of fiery crimson.
Very much shaken, Dib remained on the ground, staring up at the white ceiling. He can't be back. He left. He died. He's gone. He was. Just another forgotten chapter in my life, just another story…
And the bottle of water fell down, smoking, one side slightly melted. Dib stayed still. He didn't need it anymore.
--
Four years earlier
"No, Zim! You… ugh… put it like so!" Dib spread his hands through the air in exasperation. "And don't shoot the jellybeans at the other children!"
Heedless of the Dib, the horribly-disguised alien, known only as the magnificent Zim, irritably flicked another one of the flavored, multicolored candies (this time, a bright orange) at the back of an innocently dancing around the room red-haired little girl. She squawked as she felt the jellybean hit the exact center of her oh-so-delicate back.
Despite Dib's deadly glare, the Zim's face split in an open smile-- I mean smirk. Yes, he was great, was he not? His aim was impeccable.
Dib suddenly felt a desperate urge to throttle Zim until his green skin turned a pleasant shade of purple. Or blue. Doesn't matter, really. But he stayed himself.
He was in Miss Periwinkle's class, after all. And while her name sounded innocent enough, and her sugary sweet smile harmless enough, there was still something odd about the blonde-haired, blue-eyed lady… something that Dib would almost describe as creepy. He did catch a glimpse of a bloody half-eaten carcass of a rat in her desk just the other day…
Which was precisely why, when Miss Periwinkle paired Dib up with Zim to work on a gingerbread house ("A nice Christmas project!" she had said, beaming brightly… was there a speck of red on her teeth?), the pale-skinned boy offered no argument. The same could not be exactly said for Zim, who had shrieked in what could only be described as something like, "AAAAAUUUUKKKKKKK!!"
Fortunately, or maybe not so fortunately, as Dib had been hoping Zim's shrieking would be rude enough to get him kicked out of the classroom (or even better, get his life-juices sucked out by Miss Periwinkle…), Miss Periwinkle correctly interpreted his shrieking as "I don't want to work with that stupid big-headed boy!", and had said, with a not-so-benevolent widening of her smile, "Oh, don't worry, Zim. I think you'll find Dib a very good partner." And she had walked off, leaving a very bewildered boy (She made me sound like I was… a prostitute or a husband or… something! thought Dib) and a wide-eyed green-skinned alien (The Dib-thing? Good for me? HARDLY! But that hideous smile…. Zim thought with a shudder) staring after her.
And so here it was, the result of Miss Periwinkle's clever move, a raven-haired boy mere seconds away from choking Zim into submission (or pelt him with JELLYBEANS OF DOOM!) and a greenish alien-thing eyeing the jar of jellybeans almost covetously.
A sigh. "Just pay attention, Zim. Here-- hold this gingerbread piece. And don't try to break-- hands off the jellybeans!"
Sulkily, Zim dropped his hand. It wasn't that he was actually following Dib for once; the Irken just happened to notice Miss Periwinkle's unsettling bright blue eyes watching them unblinkingly.
"I don't see why the amazing ZIM has to do this," Zim muttered discontentedly. "I do not even see the point in doing this. Why use edible foodstuffs to build a house? It won't last long that way! And why is it so small? Are the humans who are going to live in it small?"
Dib concentrated on squeezing the white icing out onto the gingerbread. He had explained fifty-eight times already (he had kept count) to Zim the concept of gingerbread houses. He was not going over it for the fifty-ninth time.
Then, in a smug voice: "Once again, you hyoo-mans prove your inferiority against me, Zim!"
Enough. Rolling his eyes skyward, Dib replied dryly, "If we humans are so inferior to you, why didn't you take over us yet? You know… enslave us, kill us, all that fun stuff you seem so determined to do. You've done a lot of things, but nothing really has changed." The boy did not really expect a reply to his little speech, save for a disgruntled silence or a "That is because I am busy cooking up the most AMAA-ZING PLAN ev-uh!! So there!"
The Irken turned away and glared daggers at the wall. Ah. So it was the silent treatment. Dib shook his head a bit, and bent his head back down over the white icing.
Then, unexpectedly, a black-gloved hand shot out right under his nose. Before Dib could do or say anything, he felt a stinging pain across his cheek, the result of Zim's sharp slap. Wide-eyed, Dib could only stare at Zim, who stared back at him with an alarming ferocity, almost disturbing in its nature. His eyes were wide and furious; the boy could clearly see the edges of the Irken's crimson eyes beneath the contact lenses.
All of a sudden: "Are you just going to sit there, Dib-thing, or are we not making these hideously pointless gingerbread-thingies?" Dib blinked, and Zim was staring at him irritably, a gingerbread piece in his hand, and the jar of jellybeans in the other. It was as if Zim hadn't done anything at all, and the angry red mark that showed clearly on Dib's cheek was absolutely nonexistent.
Or maybe he had just gone crazy.
"Ah… yeah…" And he took the white icing, and, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Zim take up a lime green jellybean, aiming at another poor student, no doubt.
Oh, dear God, he was going crazy.
But the stinging pain throbbed in his cheek.
--
…I have in mind a strange ending for this fic… a strange, perhaps unsatisfying one. It may change, or may not… I'm not really sure.
Oh, and I know that Miss Bitters is the usual teacher shown in the show, but I think that there could be more than one teacher in the Skool. From the show, it may not be how it works, but ah, well.
Anyway, review, tell me what you think, yadda-yadda-yadda. Oh, and concrit is especially requested!
