Would You Dance?
Notes: I was listening to Phil Collins. I was influenced by a RP. What can I say? Anyway, so I slapped together a songfic. Yay! Okay... I'll go now.
Disclaimer: Invader Zim, all characters and materials are copyrighted to Jhonen Vasquez. Song is copyrighted to Phil Collins & Genesis.
Song: ``Invisible Touch``
Summary: A end of the school year dance is held, in honor of the coming summer, and by popular demand due to a bunch of rabid 9th graders.
'This is boring. What fun is dancing on the ground?' Zim thought grimly, watching the gym intently. The aura reeked with perfume and giggling. Zim's eyes looked over the settings of the decorated gym of the high school in disgust. Beautifully lined with blue and silver dancing across the ceiling, and enclosed every shadowed area. Stars, of all sizes shaded the same two colors were also strung and scattered everywhere, dim blue and white lights gave the atmosphere a humble glow. Zim of course, thought differently. He remained isolated in a corner, a stack of his hair falling messily over his forehead, barely brushing across lavender eyes. Why had he even tricked himself into coming? The music, the food, the people. All terrible.
Zim caught sight of Dib, crossing the floor--he was surprised he had actually ditched the trench coat, at least for tonight. The look in his ember eyes faintly resembled a gleam, faintly reflecting the warmth of hazel. Yet, he looked nervous. His hands were at his sides, as he stared ahead, taking small steps. Zim smirked at him, catching sight of Tak, who was across a ways--seated at a table. Dib was heading in her direction; there was no doubt about that. Silly human, fussing over her likes that. He'd never fall so low. Yet, Dib seemed to be having a good time. This made Zim feel semi-stupid, standing there alone. He'd never admit that.
The main thing that ticked him off was that everyone WAS having a good time. Everyone but him. There would be people on the dance floor, just for the pleasure in dancing. Each human dancing with either a group of their friends, or in pairs. His eyes roamed towards the door again. A silhouette damaged the light shining into the gym, as a feminine figure made her way through the opened door, with a frown. Her eyes darting around the gym intently.
`Well, well.` Zim smirked lightly. `Female Dib decided to show.` He observed the purple-haired girl, oddly. She had not changed much since 8th grade, yet her hair had been tamed straight and collapsed against her mid-backside. Her childhood squint still was pretty dominant; causing her similar ember eyes to be concealed most of the time. She was still dressed in gloomy gray and violet, lacking the heavy blank for once. Gaz turned her head sharply, and Zim caught sight of small skull earrings. She moved from the doorway, seeming unsure for a moment, before escorting himself towards the table lay out with refreshments.
Zim's eyes followed her walk, seemingly entranced by the mysterious girl. She carried herself with grace, yet held the appearance of a tomboy. True, she was Dib's sibling, yet she was nothing like him. At all. Growing up with her, she remained a negative shadow seeming to creep up at Dib's side more then most times. `Get a grip! She's fifteen. Everyone grows up. I'm thinking about a human, more then I should be!` Zim's mind wailed.
Gaz stood by the table, a hand raised, as her eyes quickly scanned the choices. `Cheap school`. Glasses of `Cherry Poop` had been poured out, as well as homemade cupcakes, sloppily iced with chocolate. Her mouth a crooked line, she backed away and turned around. `Why am I here again? I could be at home. Ordering pizza, and playing my Gameslave.` That did sound tempting. She could forgot about ever showing up. She turned around, and scanned the area one more time.
He watched her turn, and look around. Her face seemingly perplexed. Perhaps an internal debate? Zim had one of those when he first walked in. If he weren't so bent on trying to blind in more with human culture, he'd be at home--trying to figure out a way to use this `dance` against the human race. Zim began to debate with himself again; the idea of walking out looked good. Yet, Gaz had spotted him due to his movement around the corner. Zim's eyes darted upward--meeting with a lighter ember. He stood there, blankly eyeing her for a moment. She began to cross the room, in his direction. Zim felt his heartbeat increase against his will.
* * *
The modern day pop stage had ended with the D.J, and he was now going through an oldie crisis. Zita and Alex saw it as a new reason to drag their dance partners back onto the floor, squealing. Basically, all they needed was to be able to move to it. Zita's face lit up with an unpredictable gleam, as a few strands of lavender managed to break out of their hold backward from her headband. Oh stage of the gym, the D.J seemed to be in a world of his own, holding two C.Ds, staring at the covers, and turning them over to read the tracks.
Uh oh. Why isn't she stopping? Zim had frozen in place; not even realizing the music had stopped playing. Gaz stared a head, and stopped once she had made it in front of him. Zim seemed to feel like the world had stopped, or he was dead. Either one worked for him. He swallowed the on coming knot in his throat, before eyeing her again, with a hardened expression across his pale features. "Can I help you?" He managed to spit out, in a witty tone. She raised an eyebrow up at him, yet her face remained calm.
"Well, besides the fact of being the only reject in a corner. . " She paused, a smirk on her lips. "If I had to watch Dib gawk at Tak one more time, I would've puked." Zim crossed his arms, offended. "Hey! I'm not a reject. I just... don't dance." Gaz rolled her eyes, sighing. That made Zim feel slightly uncomfortable. "Yeah, sure." She replied plainly. It was them that Zim realized a new song had started up, shaking the gym from its eerie silence, causing the girls on the floor to cheer in glee.
Well I've been waiting, waiting here so long
But thinking nothing, nothing could go wrong, but now I know
She has a built in ability
To take everything she sees. .
"Whh-y.." His voice cracked, as he regained himself. "Why are YOU even here? Usually you're pounding away at that... game thingy." Gaz looked up, and it was then that Zim caught the rare ring that lined her pupil. From ember, ran gold. All the way around. She didn't seem interested when she answered. "First off, Dib would not stop bugging me about it. Plus, dad had to walk in and start with the whole 'a little socializing would be good for you, Gaz!' speech. So I had really no choice." She admired his height; with each passing glance up to meet his eyes. His features had changed strikingly. While she was a mere five feet, two inches--It looked that Zim, an incoming 10th grader, was well five feet, a good seven inches. The tacky pink, black and red outfit had been changed, mainly for tonight only. Zim stood in front of her, in a long-sleeved red and black stripped shirt, and black pants. Yet he refused to lose the black gloves, them still hiding his hands.
And now it seems I'm falling, falling for her.
She seems to have an invisible touch yeah
She reaches in, grabs right hold of your heart
She seems to have an invisible touch yeah
It takes control and slowly tears you apart.
"You're not as bad as Dib makes you, you know." She was grinning again, over the silence. Yet Zim had been focused on the lyrics of the music. This one song, he felt had been finely tweaked. Damn that D.J. and his oldies high. "Yeah well, Dib's kind of stupid." Zim smiled at that, his ego swelling. "Can't say the same about you, though. I barely know you." Gaz snorted and focused back on the dance floor. "I'm a private person. Of course you don't." Gaz ran silent for a moment, before perking up again. "I think i'll still give Dib a good beating. For making me come tonight." Zim laughed dryly. "You should, he deserves it."
I don't really know her; I only know her name
But she crawls under your skin, you're never quite the same, and now I know
She's got something you just can't trust
It's something mysterious
And now it seems I'm falling, falling for her.
Zim bit his lip uncomfortably. Why did he feel like this? This was GAZ we were talking about. Dib's year younger sister. She's always been there; he never held an interest in her at all. At all. She still had the same odd appeal, to her. Yet he found it semi-attractive. The features that made her up were interesting. Zim found himself usually thinking about that, and trying to outline her into a category. Yet, Gaz held no category. She was a person of her own.
"Gaz.." Zim started, lowly.
She seems to have an invisible touch yeah
She reaches in, grabs right hold of your heart
She seems to have an invisible touch yeah
It takes control and slowly tears you apart.
"What?" Gaz looked up. She couldn't get over the fact that she was having a normal talk with Zim. Zim and her had never really been that all friendly. Basically this was more then what she'd say to him over the past year. Usually he was found sneering, and yelling over Dib. Yet Dib had cooled his obsession, which had angered Zim greatly over the year, Gaz still didn't know why. Dib mainly came to a 'calm after the storm' once Tak had re-marked her entrance back into school. Proving she was alive, and that made Dib--surprisingly very happy. Gaz remembered Zim sitting, isolated, watching Dib with his eyes. For once, she understood. He was lonely.
"Would you hurt me.." He started, as he held his hand out, his eyes piercing her own. "If I asked you to... dance?" Gaz allowed the knot in her throat to loosen, feeling straightly comfortable. She tried to break her eye contact with him, but found it almost impossible. "Oh." She started her tone musical. "So you dance now?" Zim looked mildly surprised by his actions, yet nodded. "I'll wing it." Gaz extended her own hand. "Then, no. I wouldn't." She felt his hand meekly take her own, finally emerging from the corner for the first time, since he had gotten there. Only this time, he had somebody else with him.
Though she'll mess up your life,
You'll want her just the same, now I know
She has a built in ability
To take everything she sees
And now it seems I've fallen, fallen for her.
A new feeling fell over Zim, as he escorted her on the dance floor, Gaz outlined in the pale glow of the blue lights, which shimmered over the starlit ceiling. He was content. Something he hadn't been in a long time. Usually feeling high strung, and stressed over the mission raining over his head, the importance of obtaining a better rank, and fighting off Dib, who was a constant throne in his side. Yet just touching her hand...it didn't matter. It seemed that he could learn from her. Even if she was a human, and in relation to Dib, she was different. A friend. A companion, something more?
She seems to have an invisible touch yeah
She reaches in, grabs right hold of your heart
She seems to have an invisible touch yeah
It takes control and slowly tears you apart.
Looking back on that night, Zim would not forget the air of the gym after they had parted, the way she flashed a quick smile in his direction. Before she turned around, and she left. Before Zim found himself feeling like the night had been completed. Also, he'll never forget the homicidal glare on Dib's face, after the dance. His threats of 'stay away from my sister!' etc. It made him have an edge. It made him feel accepted.
That was the beginning of summer.
That was the beginning of something, which turned his life upside down.
'Pull up a chair, Zim. It seems like you'll be here for a while.'
She seems to have an invisible touch yeah
It takes control and slowly tears you apart. .