Swimming

Chapter 1

"Alright class listen up! Since it's soon going to be summer and the school would like as few students drowning in the holidays as they can manage, all of you will be taking mandatory swimming lessons for the next few weeks."

The P.E teacher, a huge woman with more muscles in her pinkie then Dib had in his whole body, was marching in front of her students like a drill Sargent.

The whole class groaned at the thought. They just knew that the pool would be outside and freezing.

The only advantage any of them saw in this would be that they would get to see the other gender in less clothing then usual.

The class of freshmen began chatting amongst themselves as the teacher went to get a cup of coffee. The now 16-year-old Dib walked calmly over to were Zim was leaning against the wall and grinned.

"You hear that Zim? We have to do swimming and that means several things all of them in my favor" the teen smirked at the alien.

"So seeing the gorgeous body of Zim to ogle over is in your favor human?" Zim asked a dirty smile playing on his lips. Zim had learnt the best was to annoy his enemy was to get him flustered. And the best way to do that was to embarrass him with dirty jokes and sexual innuendos.

As expected Dib turned a bright red and shut up.

But only for a moment.

"No way Zim you pervert!" Dib said a little louder then he meant and a higher octave that usual.

His composure retuned and he smiled once more.

"No what I meant was a) your wig won't stay on very well in water b) you have to participate or you'll be sent to the underground class room c) I doubt your pak will take very well to water and finally d)…" Dib's smile grew even wider at this "you have to get wet."

Zim simply laughed. "You honestly think that the brilliant Zim hasn't though of all those things and counteracted them? That big head of yours must be filled with brain worms if you presume that after so many years"

"Sure, sure Zim" was Dib's reply as he began walking off. The class was pretty much over and he didn't feel like talking to the Irken anymore.

After school

Zim paced his base deep in thought. He had stated that he'd thought of everything and he had.

He just hadn't yet.

His wig he could make some temporary glue for. It would annoy his antenna but that was the price he had to pay for fitting in. his contacts wouldn't come out he didn't think. After all he slept in them before with out them coming out, and had many battle with Dib and still they stayed. What could this swimming do to dislodge them that fighting and sleeping couldn't?

He had a protective case that could fit over his pak making it watertight and unable to electrocute him.

The thing that was bothering him the most wasn't even how much the water burned him as he could just bathe in paste to stop it.

It was the simple fact that he couldn't swim.

At all.

He knew the other kids could at least swim a few laps, if very poorly. But he couldn't move with any grace or speed in the liquid.

He'd been in only once before, two years ago when they'd had a previous school swimming session.

The only things he remembered of that day were sinking to the bottom and someone pulling him back up to safety. He couldn't see the person's face and the only thing he remembered of them was that they were a very skilled swimmer, with strong strokes and muscled arms pulling him up.

Zim went down to his lab and went to the computer. He began typing in searches for swimming strokes hoping in vein that he could at least learn the basics before next lesson.

Next lesson

The kids were talking excitedly to each other as the bus drove them to the pool. As usual Zim and Dib had been clumped together to make sure the more popular kids got two seats to themselves.

Both the boys held their swimming bags close and were as far away from each other as they could manage. Dib pressed against the window and Zim almost falling off the seat into the isle.

Finally the bus came to a stop and the students began to get off.

Zim changed quickly not wishing to spend any more time in the disgusting change rooms with the disgusting earth monkeys then he had to.

He sat on the bench waiting for everyone else in his purple swimming shorts. One or two of the boys made fun of him for the colour but Zim didn't care at this point; he just wanted this lesson to be over.

"Alright class in the pool! Five laps for a warm-up!" the teacher called. The kids made their way to the edge and slid in. Zim was last and nervous as hell.

"You too Zim" the teacher said then gave him a shove into the pool.

"AHHHHHH!" Zim screamed flailing around wildly. He flailed his way to the edge of the pool and lay there half in, half out panting. The other kids were laughing at him and a few were almost drowning because they hadn't though to move to the side to hold the edge.

Just then Dib walked out of the change rooms. One of the boys had jammed the door to the stall Dib was changing in and it had taken him a bit to get out.

Zim couldn't help but stare.

Dib walked confidently figuring he may as well make an entrance considering he was already late.

His black hair was sticking up and out as it usually did, shiny and reminiscent of a rooster's crest. His glasses were back in the change room so his honey eyes could be seen in all their glory. He was going to have a headache by the end of this but it was better then broken glasses.

Clad in only dark blue short you could see every muscle on his pale body. He was far skinnier than the rest of the boys, which coupled with his height of almost 6 feet, made him look like a twig. But he was surprisingly muscled from the years of chasing Zim. His skin was so pale from rarely seeing the sun but it was flecked with white scars from his battles with Zim.

A few of the students seemed surprised that this weedy little weirdo had any muscles at all.

Zim was flabbergasted. He had to say he was impressed. Not that he would ever tell Dib that.

"Glad you could join us Dib." The teacher cooed. "NOW GET IN THE FREAKING POOL FOR TEN LAPS OF BUTTERFLY!" the teacher screamed at him.

Dib sighed and made his way to the pool edge, slipping in and beginning the tiring stroke.

Zim watched him move his arms flexing the muscles and using strong kicks.

"THE REST OF YOU BACK TO YOUR OWN LAPS!" The teacher screamed at them.

Zim couldn't take his eyes of Dib. His strokes were so precise and strong. Two things that Irkens favored in every move they did, every battle they had.

A few students who were slaking off saw him looking and began taunting him making kissy faces and singing "Zim and Dib sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Zim glared at them the resumed looking at Dib.

"ZIM STOP GAWKING AT DIB AND DO YOU OWN LAPS!" the teacher called making every student look at Zim the to Dib then back to Zim with knowing smiles.

Dib couldn't hear what the teacher was saying, only being able to decipher that Zim was being yelled at for something. That made him grin.

Zim got his own lane because his swimming was getting the other kids bruised with his limbs going everywhere. Dib chuckled at him, calmly treading water while the teacher told them what to do. She looked over and saw Zim's failed attempts at swimming. She then smiled evilly and looked at Dib.

"Dib!" she barked, " Zim's failing and you're the best swimmer here. Go teach him to swim!"

Dib was about to protest but the teacher cut in "and if you don't do it I'll fail both of you!"

Dib groaned but swam over to Zim's lane, where Zim was once again collapsed on the side.

"I have to get you able to swim or we're both going to fail" he told the alien.

"I know Dib-stink I can still hear under this wig" Zim spat back bitterly.

"Okay jeez. Now I wasn't watching you swim so let's see how much you suck," Dib told Zim swimming back and motioning for Zim to swim towards him. Zim was cautious and hated to say that he couldn't swim. But he wanted to prove to Dib that he could.

That was a bad idea.

He attempted to swim but soon was half drowning. Dib swam forward and looped his arms around Zim's waist, ignoring the arms hitting him he pulled the invader to the side and pulled him up to sit on the edge.

"Oh boy we have a long way to go" Dib muttered.

The rest of the session was spent with Dib trying to get Zim in the water. Zim was stubborn as a mule though and refused. Instead he sat on the side of the pool and told Dib to demonstrate what Zim was supposed to do.

Zim wasn't sure why he wanted to watch Dib swim so much but his squeedilyspooch did flips and his antenna vibrated every time Dib took a powerful stroke.

Dib figured it was easier to do what Zim asked then waste his energy arguing and failing to get him in the water. Besides he didn't mind the exercise that much.

Finally the teacher called for everyone to get changed and the two boys leapt for the change rooms.

"Wait you two" the teacher pulled them back. "Dib you weren't trying enough to teach Zim. Zim you weren't trying at all to learn. Zim you better be able to swim with Dib's instructions by next lesson or both of you will fail this class!" she let them go and they rushed to dry off and change.

Back on the bus Dib turned to Zim and said "okay look. I don't like you and you don't like me"

"Can argue there Dib- stink"

Dib pushed on through the interruption "but you need to learn to swim or we'll both fail. If you fail this then we'll have to spend way more detentions together than either of us would like. So if I teach you, and you try then we can spend as little time together after school as possible. Deal?" he held out his hand to the creature before him.

"Deal" the Irken took the hand in a firm shake. "But I won't enjoy it" he told Dib, confirming his hatred.

"I didn't expect you would" Dib said turning to look out the window

'Well maybe a little' Zim told himself.