The corner of Zim's mouth lifts into a smile as he chews on the end of his pencil.
Dib is up at the chalk board, solving a long division problem. Dib is nervous, his tries to steady his shaky hand as his chalk clatters against the board, he is aware of all the malicious eyes that bore into his back.
Ms. Bitters called Dib up to the board because he was the only one that aced the test that was given last Friday.
That was unfortunate, he was sitting at his desk all morning with his test paper clutched in his hand, praying that he wouldn't be called up to the board. The big red A+ on his paper mocked him.
Dib was almost finished and he can hear all the cruel whispers behind hands.
The Irken squirms in his seat before jotting down the steps that Dib had written on the board, his eyes were too busy giving the human the once-over.
Dib is done and relieved, he misplaces the chalk on Ms. Bitter's desk and it falls off, the class watches intently while Dib awkwardly bends to pick it up.
Zim stifles a giggle.
Dib stares at the ground, Ms. Bitters tells Dib his answer is correct and begins to tell the class that learning this won't matter because they won't amount to anything anyway.
Dib is dismissed to his desk again and he decides he doesn't want to do any more classwork. He begins to doddle on his paper as the rest of the class if free to mingle, he can hear Zita drag a desk so she could connect it to Gretchen's.
Zim stares at Dib from across the room, he pushes the seat back and strolls up to the honey-eyed human's desk.
The other boy looks up at the alien with a smidge of fear, assuming that the extraterrestrial is just here to torture him.
"Dib-thing!," Zim greets, a hint of mischief in his voice, Dib's expression changes from worried to annoyed. "What are you doing?"
Dib purses his lips, his pencil moving across his paper gracefully, Zim can see that Dib is drawing him - without his disguise on.
Zim bites his lip, trying to hide a smile but failing as he fleetingly thinks about Dib's artistic skills, not very good but better then the rest of the skool children's stick figures.
"Go away, Zim..." Dib exhales deeply, his hand pressed against his cheek, causing the words to come out in a mumble.
"Why?" Zim coos, his hands cupped behind his back, attempting to look sweet.
Dib doesn't buy it.
"Am I bothering you?"
Dib's eye twitches, he clenches the edge of his desk and looks up to glare at Zim.
"Yes," He says venomously, he adds a few finishing touches to his drawing. "Your always bothering me."
The alien is not bothered though, he whistles idly before reaching over to snatch the paper from underneath Dib's arms, the human's jaw drops impolitely.
"Hey!" A pair of pretty bespectacled eyes narrow at the Irken.
Zim grins, glancing at the self-portrait and then waving it in front of the other boy's face.
"Can I keep this?" Zim asks, he wouldn't be surprised if he got a no, Dib raises an eyebrow at him.
"No," Dib says, as if it was the stupidest question he has ever heard. "I'm drew it for Dwicky, since I had a hard time explaining what you really look like."
Well, that surprised him.
A puzzled look quickly shadowed Zim's features.
"Dwicky..? The guidance counselor?"
Zim is so annoying, Dib thought as he doodled Zim's name on the top of his paper. First in print, the in cursive next to that, then in a block letter next to that. The alien's forehead creases with a frown, not sure why he was bothered by Dib and his conversations about him with Dwicky.
"What have you told him? Does he believe you?" Zim asked, he reaches over to yank on Dib's sleeve, trying to goad information out of the human. Dib raises both eyebrows - sullen look on his face.
"I don't know, but he listens, and that's enough."
Zim's mouth clamps shut.
"I really like him."
Big gold eyes stare with candor and this leaves Zim with a new insistence to slit Dwicky's throat.
"...Oh..." Zim says, stupidly and Dib snags his paper back, pushing past Zim while mumbling something about crayons.
~.~
Something awful is brewing inside Zim.
Zim's heartbeat pounds in his ears, but his poise remains steady as he grinds his pearly white teeth for a moment longer. He tracks Dib's movements through the crowded hallway, ignoring Keef who had bumped into his shoulder.
Dib walked towards the main office with the alien just behind him, not too far away but not too close either, the raven-haired preteen doesn't notice.
Dib walks into the office and heads straight for the door that says 'guidance counselor' on it's glass window, in which Zim skids to a stop, realizing that he was getting to close. The Irken watches the door slam shut, the human's small frame disappears from his view and that just puts Zim in an even worse mood.
He clenches his fists, falling into the seat closest to the exit.
~.~
The door opens after what felt like two long painful hours and Dib shuffles out, accompanied by Dwicky, who has a goofy grin plastered on his face. Zim's eyes narrow suspiciously when he notices the tint of red on Dib's cheeks, the smaller human rubs his lips as he stares up adoringly at the adult - if Zim didn't know any better, he could have sworn something just went on behind that door.
Dwicky says something, which must have been good because Dib's eyes light up, he then bends down to run his hand through the child's hair. Dib stares at Dwicky's mouth with longing and then the adult steps into his office again.
Zim watches the whole scene with wide eyes, feeling that his squeedly spooch might implode in on itself.
In a flurry, Zim quickly walks up to Dib.
Dib doesn't see Zim coming, he bumps into him and takes a few startled steps back. He blinks, surprise evident on his face.
There is death written in Zim's intense glare.
"Uh...Hi?" Dib says, stunted. "..What are you doing here?"
Zim bites the inside of his cheek, flinching internally at Dib's words, quickly groping for an excuse for seeking him out. Zim cannot hide his anger.
"What was that?" Zim asks, tone dark.
Dib still doesn't understand.
"What was what?"
"You and...that thing."
His wide eyes open further, "Me and Dwicky? What about it?"
"You were courting the other human," Zim says sharply, unable to control the fire that shoots up his throat, he spits ash into Dib's face. "You little whore."
Dib blushed at the unfamiliar word and wondered why Zim seemed so angry, he hadn't done anything wrong, had he?
Zim is practically foaming at the mouth, reminiscent of a jealous boyfriend as he thinks about Dwicky's head on a shiny, silver platter.
Zim grabs Dib by the collar of his shirt, yanking him close and all Dib can see are a pair of big, blue angry eyes.
"If your smart, you'll stay away from him."
Zim lets him go, stomping out of the office, leaving a frightened Dib behind.
