A/N- A twisted little one-shot based on the Rammstein song 'Spring' (Jump).
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Spring
Sunset. The sky was coloured in brilliant orange and red, outlining the city in the distance.
Somehow standing up on the top of the bridge at this time of day calmed him. The air was cool and crisp this time of year and quickly pulled him into a mild trance. Nothing bothered him here. Nothing was ever wrong. No one ever picked on him or tried to hurt him. He was happy.
Dib was just barely 19 and lived a pretty good life, all things considered. True, his father still thought he was crazy, his sister still hated him and no one ever listened to him about Zim. But he never thought about any of that when he was up here.
Below him, several people had stopped to watch him. Some only slowed down and kept walking, others stopped and strained to see him, curious what he'd do. There were soft murmurs about how young he looked and whether or not to call the police. Or an ambulance.
Zim followed their gazes to the top of the bridge, instantly recognising Dib. Just what was that Earth boy up to now? He cocked his head at the crowd, most of whom seemed eager to see if he'd jump or not. Humans got so fascinated when someone might be in trouble. Even more so if it could end in a death. How strange.
He sighed and pushed his way through the small crowd to the first row, looking up at the human boy. On a whim, he barked something up to him, getting a few concurring cheers from the people closest to him.
Dib snapped out of his trance and glanced down at the small crowd. He recognised one of them in a heartbeat: Zim. The Irken was standing nearest the bridge with his arms crossed over his thin chest, smirking. He'd called something to him a moment ago but Dib couldn't recall what it was.
Shaking his head, he started to climb down from his perch. A soft grumbling from the crowd below him floated up to him. They moved forward so that they were standing almost against the bridge, some even going so far as to link arms and cage him in. There were unintelligible shouts and disappointed sighs. No one moved and there was no place that he could set his feet on the ground. There was nowhere for Dib to go except back up.
When he pulled himself back onto the small platform, he realised for possibly the first time just how high up he really was. He could hardly hear the growing crowd chanting below him.
Jump. One word repeated over and over. Jump.
They wanted him to die. They wanted a show. They wouldn't let him go home because they wanted him to kill himself.
Dib wrapped his arms around himself, shivering. It was suddenly freezing. The knowledge that he could so easily die here wasn't exactly anything new. But the realisation that all of the people on the ground effectively wanted him dead made him slightly sick. His eyes swept the ever-growing crowd on the pavement, quickly finding the person he was looking for.
Zim was laughing and screaming along with the crowd like it was all a game to him. Every now and again, above the rest of the noise and shouts, the word 'Spring' reached him. Zim had always favoured German over English. Whenever anyone asked him where he was from, he always said Germany. It wasn't surprising that he'd use it here, when he was having so much fun. Still, the word bit at him. If he listened, he thought he could hear other languages too. It was like the whole world hated him right then.
Dib's vision blurred and he began to cry, trembling in fear and anger at the situation he was placed in. He was trapped. He could either jump or die of starvation. There was no way the blood-thirsty crowd cheering for his death would just let him leave. Even if he was just up here for the view, he doubted they'd care or believe him. It wasn't like it had never crossed his mind to jump but…
Sobs wracked his thin frame as he looked out over the crowd to the city skyline in the distance. He was so caught up in his own thoughts, much like he had been when this whole thing started, that he didn't realise that Zim had disappeared.
The Invader had snuck onto the bridge when Dib had started to cry. He slowly walked up behind him along the twisted metal rope with unnatural grace and balance, unnervingly casual. The crowd grew louder. Even over them, Dib faintly heard the soft clicking of the Irken's boots and turned.
Zim kicked him hard in the back.
He watched him fall, clawing at the air and screaming. Zim smirked, showing impossibly white teeth and hissed, "Jump." He began to laugh then, high and wild, throwing his head back. He'd won. He'd finally won.
Dib's body landed with a sickening crack! on the pavement as the crowd cheered.
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A/N- O_O