OMGWTFBBQ! A SEQUAL!
That's right. Under My Skin takes place three months after Tying the Grudge Knot.
The only reason we made this a sequal though is because TGK was about the wedding, since the wedding is now past we must call this something else. Also sequals are cool. XD
Unlike TGK though we will only be able to update this once a week because we... lost some chunks of this which we will need to re-do. -cries-
Zim reclined on the couch lazily.
Three months, it had been three months since he and Dib had gotten married.
And still no girlfriend.
"You're really picky," He informed Dib.
"That's because the world is shallow." Dib told Zim, taking a seat next to Zim.
"You know we're out of... everything... right?" Zim asked boredly. "We need fooooood, Dib."
Dib groaned. "Fine. I'll go shopping." He got up and slipped on his shoes. "Want anything in particular?"
"Yeah, sodas." Zim said. "The cherry kind."
"'Kay." Dib turned to the door. "I'll see you in a little bit." And with that, he left to the store.
"Bread, bread, bread, bread," Dib searched the isles, finding the bread isle and walking in. He reached up to grab the loaf.
"Oh my GAWD! DIB!" Someone said excitedly, rushing over to him.
Dib blinked and looked over, taking the bread into his arms. He saw a tall girl who must have been all legs, with long purple hair that tumbled passed her shoulders, soft looking pale skin and a perfect smile come up to him.
It must have been a fan of his.
"Hello." He gave a half wave to her.
"Oh my god I haven't seen you in forever!" She said, coming up to him. "Well," She giggled. "I mean I see you on TV all the time but I haven't, you know, SEEN you seen you, like in person and stuff. How are you doing?"
"Uh," Dib stared at her blankly. "Yeah, fine⦠Who are you...?"
"I'm Gretchen silly!" Gretchen replied, giving Dib a bright, brilliantly corrected smile.
"G... Gretchen? From elementary school?" Dib smiled back in surprise. "Oh my goodness, you look so different!" He remarked. Here was this beautiful woman in front of him, when Gretchen from school was far from that. "Wow, you look great! How are you?!"
"I'm super!" Gretchen said. "I know, I've changed a lot. The braces really helped!"
"Yeah- you really look nice." He smiled. "So, what's been going on?"
"Not much with me," Gretchen said, slipping her hands behind her back. "How about you? Your life must be so exciting."
Dib gave a weak laugh. "Uh, yeah.. It used to be.. now it's just a headache." He rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"Oh?" Gretchen asked. "How so?"
"Uh," He had to think of something quick! "People I don't know, know me and that can get annoying." There, that should work!
"Oh, I bet!" Gretchen said, nodding.
"So, uh," This was his chance! He had to do it. "Are you doing anything later tonight?"
"No, I'm not, how about you?" Gretchen asked, hoping this was going where she thought it was going.
"Oh, heh, nothing," He grinned. "But I was hoping to go to the movies later.. but I had nobody to go with. Would you like to come?"
"WOULD I!?" Gretchen responded with an enthusiastic clap.
"Um, yeah." Dib pulled out his cell phone. "Here, let me get your number."
"Ok," Gretchen said before giving him her number and asking for his.
They chatted for a little while more before they had to part and Dib bought the loaf of bread, completely forgetting about everything else he needed to buy. He later came home wand went through the door, smirking to himself.
"What are you so happy about?" Zim asked, eyeing the single item Dib held.
"I'm going out on a date with a 'pretty' Gretchen tonight!" Dib smirked, feeling totally triumphant in himself as he went to the kitchen to put the bread up.
"Gretchen? Not Gretchen from fifth grade right? She was hideous." Zim said, getting up to follow Dib into the kitchen.
"She looks much better now!" Dib corrected him, reaching up and putting the bread away to turn back to Zim. "The braces are gone, and she's really cute. She filled out and everything." He smiled cattishly. "Finally, if everything goes well, you don't have to live here anymore, and I can make Dad proud. I can have kids and everything."
"I'll have to see it to believe it," Zim said, clearly unconvinced. "So you're going out tonight? When?"
Dib picked up a book off of the counter and walked over to the couch, sitting and sighing, turning it open and proceeding to read. "Seven."
Zim followed Dib into the living room and sat down in his corner of the couch, saying, "Let me guess, you met her in the bread isle."
"Yeah..." Dib grinned, flipping a page. "What was your first clue?" He asked, sarcastically.
"Oh, I don't know," Zim stated as if about to conclude something scientific. "Maybe it's because if Gretchen, like you said, is now pretty she'd want to stay as fit as possible considering her bad looks as a child and health nuts usually spend hours in the store looking for just the right kind of bread, and, uh, let's see, BREAD is the only thing you came home with."
Dib let the sides of his lips turn up in a grin. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous."
"Of what, Gretchen? Hardly. She has to date YOU." Zim said, turning on the TV.
Dib set his book down on the table. "You mean to say you didn't enjoy our date before?" He gave a slanted grin at the alien.
"Of course not!" Zim said, acting as if he'd been insulted.
Dib smirked and leaned over mischievously towards Zim. "You know, I can always set up a torture chamber for you, if you want.. you seemed awfully keen on getting a beating from me before."
Zim scowled at Dib, obviously not pleased with that statement at all.
"Sh-shut up," He said, crossing his arms.
"I can give you all that and more." Dib continued to smirk, pulling even closer.
"Back off," Zim said, inching back a little. "Or I'll tell Gretchen you're cheating on her already."
"Just admit it. Admit the fact that you LOVE the man you married." Dib was snickering now, obviously feeling very victorious already.
"I will NEVER love you, Dib, no matter how hard you wish for me to." Zim spat in response.
"Then you should say good things about Gretchen so perhaps I'll fall in love with her and you can get rid of me faster," he smirked. "And stop sounding jealous."
"I'm not jealous!" Zim screeched, standing up. "Gretchen can HAVE YOU! Want me to wrap you up for her!? Will THAT convince you!?"
Suddenly, Dib was content. "This could really work out, you know?" He picked up his book and flipped it back open to the page it was on before he had picked on Zim. "By the way, if I take her home tonight- Please hide."
"Will do," Zim said, poking his tongue out in distaste. He did NOT want to be around when Dib was ACTUALLY trying to romance a girl. "Oh, and a little advice... don't get drunk like you did on OUR first date."
Dib's face reddened. "Hey, I've been good about that, and you know it! And anyway, I don't think I could drink now unless I was really, really nervous, and not just because anymore.. This is Gretchen! How nervous can I be?" He covered his mouth. "Oh God. I'm going to get drunk, aren't I?"
Zim sat back down and put his hands on Dib's shoulders and said, "Relax Dib, this girl is already crushing on you bad, so it's not like you even have to impress her or anything. You blow this because of getting drunk and I'll be eating your liver for breakfast tomorrow."
Dib shifted uncomfortably under Zim's hand. "You know, that's not completely relaxing me, and I'm pretty sure you want nothing to do with my liver." He paused. "Unless you're going to harvest it- in which case, you being concerned about my drinking..." he coughed, "problem... completely makes sense now."
"Yes, that would explain it." Zim said cryptically, doing Dib a kindness and going back over to his corner of the couch.
Dib studied Zim for a while. "Do you think you can manage without me for a change?"
"Oh, I don't know." Zim said, sarcastically, then adding, just to see Dib's reaction. "If you call to check up on me and you don't get an answer, though I've probably hanged myself."
Dib went pale and quiet, staring at Zim, all traces of happiness vanished from his face.
Zim rolled his eyes.
"I'm JOKING!" He said, slumping against the arm of the couch and sighing, annoyed.
"Well DONT. The last thing I need is a suicidal Zim around the house..." Dib said, face still paled, and eyes now traveling the room with wondering 'what ifs'.
"Lighten UP!" Zim said, waving his arms. "The only way I'm dying is if you do first!"
Dib perked a brow at him, his fleshy color returning to his cheeks. Half way wanting to question Zim on this, while also halfway wanting to leave the topic alone, he hummed in acknowledgment and chewed on that thought for a bit. "Thanks, I think."
"That's right, feel honored human!" Zim commanded, pointing at Dib before going back to slumping against the arm of the couch.
Dib grinned. "Yeah. Yeah, honored. Right." Everything was ending up perfectly; he had a date, Zim wasn't suicidal, he wasn't going to drink, nobody was fighting-- "Hey, Zim, isn't life GREAT?"
"Yes, yes, amazing." Zim said, waving Dib off and clearly not finding Dib to be worth his attention at the moment, instead, focusing on the black and white comedy that was playing on TV. Something about a family of monsters. Well, whatever it was it was MUCH more important that Dib at the moment.
Dib leaned in closer to Zim, beaming with happiness. "What if this really works out, Zim? And what if I fall in love with Gretchen and.. she loves me back? Wont that be great?" He grinned brightly. "I'll set you free!"
"I'm happy for you Dib, REALLY." Zim said, about to go and pat Dib's hand, thinking better of it though and making a face at what he was about to do. "But you do know I don't trust you in the least, right?"
"That's not true, you do." Dib grinned.
"I do not." Zim said simply, taking the remote and turning the volume up louder on the TV.
"You do too!" Dib said, trying to voice over the TV as he crawled closer to Zim, grinning cattishly.
Zim glared at Dib and pressed himself against the arm on the couch, saying, "I don't know what you're talking about, Dib-stink."
"Sure you do." His grinned widened as he placed his hand on top of Zim's wig, shifting it on his head slightly. "You trust me enough to wear lingerie around the house- even if it is under clothes; you still tell me about it."
"That's only because I like to see the shocked, speechless, stupid look you get on your face when I tell you." Zim said, slapping Dib's hand.
Dib cleared his throat, face already a little red. "Eh, but you tell me anyway. I could go totally human on you and do things you don't like."
"Oh?" Zim asked, looking totally unconvinced and twisted a little so his shoulder was to Dib's chest and he put an arm around Dib's neck, being careful not to touch and said in a low, smooth voice, "I didn't know you HAD those kinds of urges towards me, Dib-loathe."
Dib blushed, looking down at the green Irken peering up at him. He hesitated for a moment, wanting to draw away from Zim before he realized there was an arm holding him there. "Y-y-you look like a girl, Zim..." Dib said, hoping that would explain things- whatever things, he himself didn't know.
"Aw you like Zim." Zim said, letting his face fall into a smug grin.
"Never..." Dib stared wide eyed at the closeness Zim was displaying and his almost manipulating grin. "...You've got it wrong, Zim."
Zim chuckled haughtily, saying, "You know it's me under the wig and the make-up and the cloths, yet you still have... urges." Zim pointed out. "But do not worry, Zim is flattered that you feel that way about him and is willing to forgive your lies."
Dib's face reddened even more as he stared at the rare sight of Zim's skin on his arms. "Ur-urges.. r-right.." He repeated, slightly out of it now.
Zim gave Dib an annoyed look, not liking how... lethargic maybe, the human was acting and, wanting to snap him out of it, straightened his back to push himself up to place a quick kiss on Dib's lips.
Dib backed away, the best he could with Zim still on him. "Wh- What are you doing?!" His face as red as a brick, breathing becoming hastened, and heart beating quicker.
"I was hoping the shock would put some fight back into you." Zim said with a 'duh' sort of tone, getting off of Dib and going into the kitchen to get a soda, if there were any left.
Dib grasped his chest, staring at the end of the couch for a while before realizing Zim had left. He peeked up at the kitchen. "You need mental help, you know that, Zim?"
Zim peeked back out at him, saying, "This coming from the guy that got institutionalized at least three months for every skool year since middle skool."
"Hey! You know full and well that on senior year it was only twice and that everything I was seeing is real!" Dib hissed, face not paling down any.
"And you know that doesn't make my argument any less valid." Zim said with a smirk, taking a soda out of the fridge and taking a sip.
Dib glared at him from across the room. "You still don't think that you're more sane than I am, do you?"
"Hey, I'm not the one that talks out loud to myself regardless of who's in the room and it so paranoid as to hide their medical supplies in the floor." Zim pointed out, staying in the kitchen and sitting at the island/ bar thing.
"It isn't paranoia!" Dib pouted. "It's inventive. Good for space..." He mumbled under his breath, glaring at the wall. This was an obvious loss for Dib and Earth. Something came to his mind, forcing him to look back at Zim. "See? You trust me! You keep dissing me, trusting that I won't shock you."
Zim looked at Dib, surprised before slowly setting down his soda and asking, "You wouldn't really shock me just for a few insults would you?"
"M'mmm. Dunno. I might." He smirked. "But you do trust me."
"No I don't!" Zim yelled. "I had just totally forgotten that you were a simple child that would throw a tantrum over losing an argument. But that won't happen again, from now on I'm keeping my mouth shut!" With that he turned in his seat, leaning against the bar and crossing his arms.
Dib moaned. "Ziiiim. I hate it when you do this..." He growled lightly. "It sounds like to me you're the one throwing the tantrum because you lost.. Now talk."
Zim gave Dib a rude irken hand gesture, crossing his legs in a smug manner. That would teach Dib.
Dib glared again, got up and stomped towards Zim. "Say something!" He crossed his arms in an angrily way.
Zim merely stuck his tongue out at Dib before taking another drink of his soda.
"If you don't start talking, I WILL shock you." Dib threatened, instinctually not liking a quiet Zim at all.
"And if I have nothing to say to you?" Zim asked, glaring at Dib defiantly.
Dib glared, thinking on this for a while. "Then every chance I'll get I'll touch you; claws of yours or not. I'll GET you to trust me." Then he'd win for sure and this wouldn't be called a 'tantrum' but a battle strategy.
Zim rolled his eyes in a show that that wasn't going to work on him this time. Though the touch still scared him to tears he'd been doing research whenever Dib wasn't around to control his reactions to it. He wasn't quite sure if he was good at it yet though cause Dib didn't touch him very often.
"I'm never going to trust you human."
Dib narrowed his eyes challengingly at Zim, pulling his hand over slightly and tapping a finger on the soda, just a centimeter away from Zim's claws before finally toughing them tip to tip.
Zim froze up, just staring at the scene of someone else's skin touching his own. But he wouldn't give Dib the satisfaction of reacting any more than that, after all, it was just their fingers that were touching.
Dib watched him, not grinning or frowning or anything, just studying. He didn't want Zim to cringe up or react bad at all. He felt like he deserved SOME trust from the alien, and the fact that he still didn't seem to trust him and a simple touch- as if he'd do something wrong like rip his clothes of left a bad taste in his mouth.
He traced his fingers up until his hand laid on top of the others- his eyes still fixated on Zim's. "Zim, can I ask you a question?"
"Wha-what?" Zim asked, not taking his eyes off of the human's hand though leaning back a bit as if to get away.
The human slowly let his fingers glide to Zim's elbow, being careful to not make it seem like he was grabbing onto Zim, or applying any pressure or anything of the nature.
"You don't like anyone touching you because of what happened, right...? Because you don't want anyone taking advantage of you.." Dib began softly. "..but you kind of mess with me that way.. fully aware that I won't do anything back to you... and so you're in control.. but you know I won't do anything- but still you.. go 'deer in the headlights' at my touch. Why do you kiss me when you still freeze on me touching you?"
Zim's hand gave a spasm and he took a deep breath, saying, "It-it's funny when I do it and..." He took another deep breath. "... I know you would never... do that, but... it's not that that I fear... it's other things..."
"What things?" Dib gingerly let his fingers to Zim's shoulder, keeping his intense eyes on Zim's.
"You confuse me." Zim said simply as if that would explain everything.
Dib ran his fingers across the bridge of his shoulders and to his throat where his hand slowly made their way to his jaw line. "Confused? Like I'm going to hit you or something instead?"
"S-something like that." Zim said, scooting back a little on his stool. "We're always fighting... you know, throwing punches, kicking, slapping... but, you're so gentle when you touch my skin, and, it confuses me."
Dib looked at Zim, now a little confused himself as he rested his palm up against Zim's cheek. "It shouldn't. You should know the difference from when I'm violent and when I'm not." He slowly moved closer to the irken to let his other hand lightly touch Zim's other shoulder. "This isn't hurting, is it? Just know when I touch you like this- it's all that is.. a touch."
Zim looked off to the side, still tense at an unhealthy level.
"When is your date again?" He asked as a way to change the subject.
"Don't worry about it. It's not until later." Dib let his forehead lay against Zim's. "Why? Are you afraid?" He pestered on.
"No..." Zim said defiantly. "Though I would like you to get your big head out of my face."
"Fine.." Dib sighed, lifting his head off of Zim's and retracting his hands, though letting one stay and touch fingers with Zim's. "..My head's not big you know.. and.. I didn't find you're uncomfortablness funny."
Zim sat up a little straighter, asking, "Then why do you do it?"
"Because it bugs me that you're still uncomfortable when I DO touch you. I want to get rid of that- expose you to my touch more often." Dib explained, pulling up a stool from behind him and sitting on it.
Zim's hand gave another small spasm as he said, "But I don't want you to touch me."
"But I DO want to touch you!" Dib paused, and his faced screwed up some. "Wait that came out wrong."
"Look, Dib, we're enemies, we aren't SUPPOSED to trust each other." Zim said, pulling his hand away from Dib's. "If you happen to find some trust in me then that's your own poor judgment."
Dib stared at him for a while. "You're right. You're absolutely right. What the hell am I thinking?" He let out a loose chuckle. "We're enemies still."
"When am I NOT right?" Zim grumbled, grabbing his soda and going back into the living room.
"Ninety nine point nine percent of the time." Dib retorted, resting his head on his hands with his elbows on the table.
"Compared to your percentage I'm not worried." Zim said, flopping down on the couch.
Dib made a mocking gesture, flapping his fingers and thumb in the air to imitate Zim's talking. "Yeah, yeah. You only THINK that, but I can assure you, I'm right more often."
"If you say so." Zim said, clearly unconvinced. "Let me know when your delusion becomes reality will you?"
Dib glared, got up, and walked to the couch, jumping over the head of it to flop on the cushions. "I'm curious as to who's the one really having the delusions. You, or me." Dib now smirked, pulling closer towards Zim.
"Damn it, Dib!" Zim yelled, putting his soda down on the table. "Back off!"
Dib's smirk widened as he pulled even closer to Zim. He might win this one. "I'm curious, Zim. What would you say if I told you I love you?"
"I'd tell you to stop smoking whatever the hell it was you were smoking or give me some of it." Zim said, scooting back into the arm of the couch.
Dib grinned smugly, keeping a close eye on the fidgety Zim.
["What do you want from me!?" Zim yelled.
"I want to see you squirm." He gave a sick, sadistic grin, although he was making no motion to do anything.
"You sound like a rapist when you say that now Back. OFF!" Zim yelled, giving Dib's shoulders a hard shove.
"But you're oh, so very rapable, Zim!" He laughed, half heartedly, forgetting about how sensitive Zim was about that.
"Yeah, let's all rape Zim 'cause we're drunk and he's small!" Zim mocked, hopping off the couch and backing away from Dib.
Dib gave him a confused look. "You're not small, Zim.. Or.. well.. you are I guess compared to me but.." Then he caught on. Realization hitting his face and he sat flat on his butt. "It was a joke, Zim.."
"I don't care!" Zim yelled. "Stop making fun of me!"
Dib looked up at Zim with a concern look to his eyes. "But we're enemies. You even said so yourself."
"That doesn't mean you have to poke and prod at my past!" Zim yelled again. "Call me ugly, slap me around a little but DON'T start bringing up things from my past!"
"You win!" Dib held his hands up in the air. "I'm sorry. Whatever. It's not a big deal!"
"Not a big deal!?" Zim asked, pouncing on Dib and digging his claws into the human's shoulders. "How would you like it huh? How would you like it if I took you right now, tearing your flesh to shreds, then after I was done taking everything your body had to offer I killed your sister, or Gretchen?"
Dib stared up at Zim, fear slowly lining into his eyes. His breath grew unstable. "Z-Zim.. Zim, what are.. what are you doing..? You-you- Get off of me!" He muttered uneasily, forgetting about the shock switches in his arm.
"No, maybe you need to know what I'm going though." Zim said in a deathly quiet voice. "Maybe you need to know how I feel every time you touch me with your disgusting skin, what it's like to have to put up with that!"
Dib cringed and fidgeted in fear under the weight of Zim. "Get off Zim! This isn't funny! Stop it!" His breath quickened as did his heart. "Zim..!"
Zim leaned in close to Dib, glaring at the human and saying, "I'm not laughing."
Dib held his breath, holding his head out to the side to give him at least a little distance between him and Zim. "You don't want to touch me..." He said, his voice lowered.
"You're right, I don't." Zim said, back off and sitting up before saying, "Though hurting you sounds like fun right about now." And with that he swiped his claws across Dib's chest, leaving three shallow scratches in their wake.
Dib griped his chest, blood already oozing out. He glared up at Zim with still a trace of fear in him after seeing how much control Zim could have over him. "You didn't have to go that far, Zim!" He said, wincing a bit in the pain as the blood ran down his arms.
"Sure I did," Zim said, scooting back over to his side of the couch.
Zim/Gretchen: MEH!
Dib: TSI!
