Strange Sickness
Chapter 1: A Place To Stay
By Glowzilla48
Just a short story I've been working on, I don't think this is going to be long term or anything like that, just something light and fun. Read and review you guys! ^_^.
Words have always held meaning within a population. And that saying you learn as kids, you know the one, where sticks and stones are the only things that can hurt you. That saying is total bullshit, no matter how many times you say it to yourself, you still find yourself crumbling when the person you look up to the most rejects who you are.
They say things that you would never dream would come from their mouths, they repel and reject who you are. And they completely shatter your self worth with a few well placed sentences.
Soon you feel degraded, ashamed, alone, and worst of all, you feel helpless.
The people you thought would always be there to help you through tough times just tossed your troubles back at you. Left you dangling on the side of the curb for the oncoming bus.
And just to deal the finishing blow, as if you haven't had enough of the verbal abuse they've managed to shove down your throat, you find yourself outside your own home. Unable to return to the familiar dwelling that was once your shelter. Unable to apologize for you haven't done anything wrong.
If being who you are is enough to get you kicked out, there was no use begging to be let back in. The situation would only repeat itself in days to come.
This was how Dib found himself after a fight with his father. It had been long, hard and brutal. Every word his father spoke to him stung like a slap in the face. And Dib could only sit and listen, unable to even meet his father's gaze as he took in the hatred those words held, all the disappointment, the disgust at what Dib had relinquished to his parent. That what he had was sick, wrong, and a DISEASE.
A sickness professor membrane would not allow under his roof so long as Dib lived there. And if he didn't change, didn't get over his disease, he was no longer allowed to live under that household name. Dib would no longer be the son of professor Membrane, how could he? Professor Membrane was a firm believer in only Heterosexual affairs. If you were gay, to Membrane, that was the same as saying you have a virus that's contagious. He stayed as far away from them as he could. He would never make a spectacle out of himself by not allowing them to work in his field or lab. But at home he spoke his mind of what he thought of the gay population. And not everything he said could be repeated, or should be repeated in Dibs mind. His father was a bigot and a racist to those of homosexual background, even towards his own son.
Dib didn't even want his father knowing he was gay, ever since he learned about his own sexual orientation, he hid it. It wasn't hard, Dib never had any good relations with the kids at school, nor was he attracted to the people he had grown up with. Everyone in town called him crazy and stayed away from him. It wasn't hard not having a girlfriend cause his father knew of his crazy nickname as well. But that also didn't mean Dib didn't look at other things to fuel his hormones once they started making themselves known.
Hey, when you're a teenager in high school at the prime of your sexuality, you find ways to sate your desires.
Since Dib was an online techy sort of person, he had windows to all kinds of sexual outlets.
And you probably guessed which window Dib chose...(give it a minute it'll hit ya)...yup it was porn. The great taboo of the real world but the thriving beast in the online world.
Dib had started watching porn, and he watched it whenever he could, so often.
He explored new sexual heights when he first stumbled upon his first online forum. Just clicking on different things and seeing what did it for him.
This is ultimately how Dib found out he was into guys, and sadly, he found he liked bondage a little too much.
Porn soon turned into male on male bondage sessions that Dib would stay up late watching.
Suffice to say, Dib found himself liking the role of the submissive more than the role of the dominant. And he even went so far as to order a couple of things online to try self- bondage.
(And I know what you all are thinking, so get it out of your head's, I'll put this to bed right here and now. Dib did not decide he liked being submissive because he wanted someone to beat him up. That's sick and wrong on so many levels. Being submissive is relinquishing control to a sexual partner you have absolute trust with. The fantasy of being tied up and helpless before the one you truly want is exhilarating. It fuels a desire, a secret wish submissive's have. I will even admit I like being submissive in bondage games, but I'm reversible, I like being in control too. But that's beside the point. I don't want any of you guys emailing me asking if Dib likes being tied up because he wants to feel pain. It's not like that, so I hope I've successfully stopped that train before it even left the station. It's just one of Dibs fantasies, one that he would like to partake in with an eventual lover. Not just for purely wanting to get beat up, that's not how bondage works)
So Dib had a nice stash of bondage gear he had hidden in his room. For the days he really wanted to experiment with himself, he had an array of gags, a rope binding book to make those intricate designs, and a couple of leather cuffs and masks that prohibit sight. He also had some nipple clamps, and a few spreader bars, but they adjusted so he could easily hide them in a shoe box when he was done. Of course he made it so that he could get out of them in time in case his sister decided to come home early or needed his help with something. But usually if he was caught, it was normally with the knot book. He would practice those rope designs in the privacy of his own room.
And he had been doing this for almost 2 years.
It had been going well... Until membrane started checking the online sights his kids visited.
On the one hand, membrane noticed the porn early on but didn't say anything, thinking boys will be boys.
But when the porn became male on male type of stuff, he went searching for clues into who's computer was looking these things up.
He half expected it to be Gaz, going through her room and looking for anything that might resemble a hid away box. (You know that box of toys you keep and hide from your parents so they don't figure out you're a closet pervert).
Coming up empty in Gazs room, Membrane searched through Dibs.
And he found the box.
As well as the book bag with the spare computer he was using to look up porn.
And that's how this lovely argument started between Dib and his father.
And how, Dib ultimately got thrown out of the house with only his box of toys and the book bag with the lab top.
And to make matters worse, membrane wouldn't let Dib back in unless Dib threw everything away and stopped being gay. Plus it was raining, so Dib was stuck outside, with a box and bag full of porn, in the rain, with no- where to go.
Perfect Dib thought to himself. Thank god it was still summer, the humid weather made the rain tolerable as Dib shouldered the back pack and made his way down the road. If he had known this was going to happen he would have grabbed his car keys, then at least he'd have somewhere to sleep until he was able to sneak back in to get more of his stuff.
The car was one of the things Dib bought when he finally got a job. Of course with his smarts, he was able to land a good job as a secretary at a major law firm in the city. So his paychecks helped with the payments.
And unlike the other high school students Dib was around, he didn't waste his money. It was his plan to move out of his father's house, he had enough saved up to get a decent apartment, he was just hoping to do it after high school, not during his last year.
Soon Dib found himself on a familiar route, and stopped when he was in front of that strange house. The house he seemed to frequent more and more often since the alien discovered he wasn't really an invader.
That had been a hard week for Zim.
Dib remembered going to his house to spy on the Irken, traveling down into the base and exiting into the main control room. Zim was currently in an argument with someone, and it was in Irken, so Dib had to concentrate to understand what was being said.
"Just because I've been on this planet for five years doesn't mean I'm incompetent! You can't leave me stranded here because I haven't taken it over yet!"
"Look Zim, we're tired of having this conversation with you, you've been given many chances, many many many chances and still you have failed us. We're done, you are officially exiled to planet earth. Supplies and food will be transported to you if you need it, but you are no longer allowed back on irk. We will even allow you to travel around other galaxies, but earth will be branded your new home."
And with that the transmission went dead.
Zim must have been in shock because all he did was stare in front of him at the blank computer screen his tallest's had just occupied.
Hell.. I think I was in just as much shock as he was, staring at the screen with my own slack jawed expression.
It wasn't till Gir came running into the room yelling that Mary was here to play with him, (Which translated to mean; I was here to play with Zim) did Zim move.
The invader stiffened at the sound of his sir unit, not even turning to look at his robot.
"T-tell the Dib-thing that Zim... Zim can't, Zim can't fight him right now, ok G-Gir."
His tone sounded so broken, so sad, it hit me in the gut, hard. Zim couldn't go back to his home planet, he was stranded. And I felt bad for him.
"Zim" my tone may have been as broken as his, I don't know why I even opened my mouth, I didn't know what I would say to him.
And it probably wasn't a good idea to make myself known. Zim could potentially be as unstable as he sounded, which could result in me being killed or beaten up.
I didn't actually care though, the need to comfort outweighed my fear of Zims temper.
And I guess that's when I realized I on some level, cared for Zim.
It was strange and it scared me at first, but I realized Zim was the only one who ever seemed to notice my existence.
Needless to say Zim rounded on me the moment I said anything, ruby eyes ablaze in fury and embarrassment. They looked shinier than normal.
Zim was crying.
I had never seen Zim cry until that moment, and it shocked me so much that when he tackled me, I did nothing.
If Zim needed an outlet, the least I could do was provide him with one.
We crashed to the floor, Zim landing on top of me, those deadly claws wrapped around my neck as his tears fell onto my face.
Yet I still did nothing, even as he began to squeeze and let loose a feral growl, I just stayed still. Neutral expression on my face as I waited for him to finish me off.
I was scared, don't get me wrong, Zim could have killed me in the blink of an eye, but when he didn't, I think he came to the same conclusion I had when I saw him crying.
We needed each other, it was an odd need, a sort of companionship that we sought in one another. But it still startled me when he let out an agitated wail and instead of squeeze my neck harder he released me only to throw his arms around me. Clinging to me while he cried, his pack legs encircling us and holding me to him as he sobbed.
I could do nothing except wrap my arms in turn around him and hold him until he calmed down.
At some point I think he cried himself to sleep, but he still had me in his grasp, pack legs firm and unrelenting in their hold on us.
I was uncomfortable, but I just remember petting him, nuzzling his head while my arms ran up and down his sides as well as they could.
The sounds of his breathing and the humming of the machines around us started to make me tired, and after a moment my eyes shut and I let sleep take me. When I woke up I was in my room in my bed. It left me with questions that only he could answer.
The next day at school, Zim basically ignored me, granted I didn't make any attempt at talking to him, but instead kept my distance. He'd talk if he wanted to talk.
When lunch rolled around, he surprised me by sitting next to me, it was quiet at first, but soon he said something that made me choke on my milk.
"I want to form a truce Dib-human. I'm... I don't want to fight anymore."
I think I was smiling, I can't remember, maybe I had a stupid expression on my face, but when I touched his arm to get his attention his eyes when they locked with mine showed hope, but also a hint of fear.
"Sure space boy, we can form a truce."
Then he smiled too. It was nice, and I was definitely thrilled to at least have somewhat of a friend.
Even if he was an alien.
But here I was, in front of his house, about to ask him something I don't think him and I are even ready for.
And that was for a place to stay.
Sure we had made the truce almost two weeks ago, and we may have even become friendlier towards each other, but I know Zim didn't completely trust me yet. He'll I don't think I fully trusted Zim either, but he was all the options I had at the moment. It was worth a shot, if I got turned down maybe if I waited long enough Gaz would let me in through the window to get some clothes and my car keys.
Although at this point I really wanted to get out of the rain, my clothes were soaked and were clinging to me. Even if he didn't let me stay, he may lend me some dry clothes.
As I made my way to his front door, I noticed the house seemed quieter than usual. He must be having a lazy day if even Gir isn't making a racket.
I was surprised even more when nothing attacked me, but I held off on my nerves and knocked on the door.
I only had to wait a moment before Gir opened the door for me, taking in my drenched look he hysterically yelled, "masters friend Mary got thrown up on by the rain!"
"Nice to see you to Gir, is Zim in?"
"Yeah he's down in the lab making toquitos! You want some?"
"No thanks but can I come in? I need to ask Zim a question."
"Yeah I'll be right back!"
And he screamed his way down to the labs leaving me in the house dripping water all over the floor.
It wasn't long before I heard the elevator in the kitchen ding, announcing the arrival of the alien himself.
Zim had grown somewhat in his 5 years on earth. Granted he still looked the same as always, haughty expression and air of authority that never seemed to leave his face. But his height caught me off guard. He was almost as tall as me, although when he wears his boots he reaches my height through his heels.
He seemed surprised to see me so late, but he stopped at least 4 feet away from me, scrunching his face at the liquid I was covered in.
I could only smile half heartedly at him, still reeling from my fight with my dad.
And now I was trembling, mostly from the cold I felt from being covered in water, but also for what I was about to ask.
"Gir announced you had some questions to ask me and that the sky threw up on you."
"Y-yeah I needed to ask you something, and if you haven't noticed, it's raining."
He merely shrugged at the comment, "well unless you fell into a pool with your clothes on I would imagine it's raining, your leaking all over my floor." Turning to the robot,
"Gir, bring Dib a towel so he doesn't continue dripping, we don't need any accidents in here."
"Yes sir!" And he was off again, traveling to another part of the base, screaming the entire way.
"So what did you want to ask me Dib-filth?"
"Still name calling I see" I grumbled at him, hesitating.
"Dib-worm what I call you is of no concern to you, and if you wouldn't mind speeding this interaction up, I left some chemicals open in the lab and they are very unstable. I would like to get these questions out of the way before Gir finds them before getting back with the towel."
Well didn't that make this easier.
"Umm... Well I came to ask if... I mean you can say no... Although I'm kind of figuring you're going to say no which is why this is awkward but I would really appreciate it if you would think it over before outright saying no to me,"
"Dib! Just spit it out already, your grating my antenna with your word vomit!"
"Can I stay here for the night?"
There I said it, wow am I scared right now.
Worst case scenario, he throws me into the rain.
Zims eyes widened a fraction as he stared at me, giving me a confused look.
"Do you not have a place to stay called a house? As I remember you have lived there for a while. Just go there to sleep."
"Well I would Zim, in fact that's where I was until me and my dad got into a fight and he kicked me out."
"Your parental unit that is supposed to take care of you kicked you out? What did you do? And why come here to my house? I'm sure you have other options besides this right?"
"Well it's sort of hard to explain, and no I had no other options. If I was able to grab my keys I would have slept in my car, but he kicked me out before I could grab anything."
Zim gave me a quizzical look before dropping his gaze to what I was holding.
"If you had enough time to pack a box and a back pack then why didn't you grab your keys during that?"
Now I could feel my face heating up, and I fidgeted while holding the box, shifting my feet and feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.
"Well... I sort of had to leave with this stuff... It's sort of the reason I got thrown out.
Please don't let him ask what's inside, please don't let him ask to see it, oh god what will I do if he thinks it's completely disgusting and kicks me out too.
I could feel myself becoming clammy as he looked at the box, even while I was still cold and soaking wet, it felt ultimately too hot in the house, and I was sweating bullets.
"So your parental unit got upset over your paranormal obsession and kicked you out?"
"Huh?" That caught me off guard.
"That's the box you keep all your files on bigfeets and ghosties and count coco fang right? I knew your obsession with the paranormal was unhealthy, but I never thought it would get you kicked out of your own house."
Oh thank you god wherever you are.
"Y-yeah my dad found the files, and he said if I didn't stop hunting the paranormal I couldn't live in his house."
I tried giving a nervous chuckle but it came out a little too high pitched to be normal.
"Dib-creature, you do not think Zim will allow you to stay in his base unless I know that what you have in the box will not harm Zim in any way shape or form."
Oh shit I'm screwed.
"Let Zim see what's in the box so I know this isn't a horrible scheme for you to capture me, and then maybe I'll let you spend the night."
Well, there went my option of a place to stay, even though I knew none of this stuff would hurt Zim, if he saw what it was, he'd get the wrong idea completely. I just couldn't let him see.
"Look Zim, it's embarrassing enough to ask you for a place to sleep, I've been wondering around for god knows how long in the rain, I'm sopping wet, and I'm also embarrassed to have you looking at all my files that I've had since I was a kid. None of this stuff is going to hurt you, but if it'll make you feel better, you can have your computer scan me to make sure nothing on me is intended to hurt you."
That seemed like the right thing to say because soon Zim was addressing his computer.
"Computer! Run a scan on the Dib to make sure he has nothing on him that would endanger Zim!"
"Fine, whatever" the computer drawled in a bored tone. Releasing a red light down on me it scanned me from head to toe, focusing in on the box in my possession as well as my back pack before the light disappeared.
A moment of silence passed and I could feel myself trembling. What if the computer saw everything in there as a weapon? I could be skewered before even having a chance to explain.
"Well?" Zim asked impatiently, tapping his foot on the floor in annoyance at his computers slow reply.
"Well sir, it's, it's definitely not meant to harm you in any way. None of this stuff even applies to you if I'm reading this correctly."
Before the computer could say anything else I cut it off, knowing that he definitely saved my ass, but I wasn't ready for him to try and explain what was in the box to Zim. All I wanted was a place to sleep, not an interrogation about sex.
"See Zim, not gonna harm you, so can I spend the night or what?"
Zim was thoughtful for a few more moments, antenna twitching lightly every so often as he contemplated my plea.
"Fine earth smell, you may stay here in my base, but no funny business, and no going into the labs unless I am with you. Is that understood?"
Wow.. Didn't think he'd say yes so easily, but who was I to complain, at least I'd have shelter for the night.
"Really?! Thank you Zim!"
I let a smile light up my face, almost tempted to give him a hug but remembered my drenched situation.
"This really means a lot to me space boy, I owe you one for this."
Zim grunted in response, his arms folding over his chest.
"Be grateful you do not have anything on you that would hurt or expose me, I'd hate to have to kill you so soon after our truce was established."
That only made me smile more, pink dusting my cheeks as Zim led me down to the lower levels of the base, towards the bedrooms.
I had never been to this section of the base, but I was surprised to see that it looked normal. Almost like a real house, unlike the upstairs that was just a front for the real world.
"You can stay in one of the Spare bedrooms, if you need anything ask the computer for it. He should be able to make it for you." Opening a door on the right, Dib found himself inside a normal looking bedroom. Red walls and a white bed were all that he saw. The room was simple, nothing too extravagant, except for the bed. The thing was huge! It took up most of the room, but beside the one small dresser tucked away in the corner, Dib had to admit he felt comfortable.
Zims red ruby eyes watched the human as he maneuvered through the room, setting the box and the back pack down on the floor before turning to face the alien again.
"I'll have the computer bring you some towels, sorry Gir wasn't able to accomplish that task. But I hope this should suffice for now, it's not much but I like to keep things simple."
"No no! It's perfect! Thank you so much Zim! I really do appreciate the help."
"Well, we are under a truce, and since you helped Zim in his time of need, repaying the favor was the least I could do."
Dib didn't think it was possible, but as he watched the Irken he couldn't help but notice the little blush of his own, a red hue wrapping around his face like a scarf.
"Hey Zim," Dib stopped the alien before he could leave, tugging on his sleeve so that he wouldn't get him too wet. "I'm glad we have the truce, it's... It's nice... To have a friend. And you know, I mean... You can always talk to me... If you need to, ok?"
Zim flinched slightly when his shirt was grabbed, but he whirled on the human when he heard those words, blush becoming brighter as he locked eyes with bright gold. Mesmerized by their brilliance before shaking himself out of his daze.
"Zim is also glad we have the truce, and I'll think about it Dib human. Thanks for the offer."
And with that he turned to leave, his eyes grazing the box one last time before exiting the room. Leaving Dib alone with his thoughts.
Well.. Not completely alone.
The computer soon made himself known to the human, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife.
"That box you have human, I know what's inside of it."
Dib froze, not expecting the computer to bring it up so soon.
"Do you... Understand... What those things are... Or do I have to explain it to you?" Dib asked nervously, trying to control his shaking. This was going to be like talking to his father all over again.
"I know what it is human, but I wish to understand if I am correct with what I think it is, and it's uses first."
"And what do you think it is?" Dib could feel his words being choked out, his heart was going a mile a minute. This was so embarrassing, the only thing that could make it worse would be if the computer told Zim about his discovery.
"Do not be nervous human, I'm not going to out you to Zim, but if I find that you plan to use what's in that box on my master against his will, I will not hesitate to kill you. Master Zim has suffered enough as it is, he does not need to fear the only friend he believes he has."
"Now that caught Dib off guard, but he could feel his heart slow as he sighed in relief."
"No, that stuff, it's not meant for Zim, it's... Well... More for my use than anything else."
"So you will not use that binding gear on my master, but on yourself?"
"Um, well... Yeah. But if you know what it's for, then you understand my role with this material, and why it would only be used on me."
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you one of those BDSM people? Like the ones on the porn sites on the computer?"
"Well" Dib scratched his head nervously, "I like bondage, so I guess that would make me one of those, but I'm not as skilled as those people who make a living off of it. I'm still learning all of the rope techniques."
"But if what you say is accurate with what you have in the box, that would make you the submissive in the sexual roles."
Dib could feel his blush spreading, foot tapping nervously as he tried to gauge the computers tone. Never in his life would he have thought he would have to explain his sexual orientation to the computer, but here he was in Zims base, doing just that.
"Well yeah technically, that's why this stuff won't be used on anyone besides myself. It's part of the reason I got kicked out of the house. That and being gay."
Dib let his bitter tone show in his words.
He could have handled reacting to his dad better if he had just found the box. It was his insinuations of what he was watching on the online porn sites that made him blurt out the truth of his sexual orientation.
And now he was doing the same thing with the computer, blurting things out that he wasn't even ready for Zim to know yet.
"Can you, can you do me a favor computer?" Dib started hesitantly, looking away for a moment as he rubbed his hands together.
"Keep it simple human, I'm still set to destroy you if you step out of line."
"Figures, but what I wanted to ask was... If you could keep this box hidden while I'm gone from the house. I know Zim was fine with your scan but he's curious by nature, he'll find a way to look inside. And I'm not, I'm not ready for him to know about this yet."
The computer was silent for a moment, before he ultimately gave his answer.
"I can keep it hidden, but I wish to request something of you in return."
"Sure what is it?" Dib was ecstatic that the computer was actually willing to help him, whatever the computer wanted in return he would gladly give him.
"I wish to study your reproductive performance concerning this BDSM nature you've taken a licking to."
"What?" I hope I did not hear what I think I heard.
"Master Zim does not allow me to conduct study through the human inter-web. I only know of so much concerning humans, yet almost nothing of their sexual preferences. Knowing that you conduct in this sort of behavior, I wish to analyze it and collect data."
Dib was speechless, just staring up at the ceiling, trying to take in what the computer was asking him.
"So wait, you want me to... Perform for you? Is that what you're asking? So you can watch and take notes!? Are you crazy?! Why would I do that for you? That's sick and wrong and I wouldn't dream of it! Even if you are a computer I won't just do what you ask!"
"You make it sound as if I'm going to get satisfaction from it. I am a computer after all, even a high tech one such as myself, but I do crave knowledge. I was merely asking for a look into this sexual behavior. Although I cannot make you perform for me, I also don't have to hide your box from Zim."
"So you're going to blackmail me?" Dib let his outrage show, clenching his hands into tight fists. Wanting more than ever to punch the computer.
"No not blackmail, I'm just not going to secure your room when you leave and let Zim do as he pleases. I don't have to obey you, I was merely asking for quid pro quo."
"So in other words you hide my stuff, and later I let you watch me have 'fun' while you collect data?"
"See, you are smart for a human." The computer chuckled, leaving Dib furious but contemplative. If he did do this, there wasn't any real harm, it was just a computer seeking knowledge. But on the other hand, if he left his room unsecured, Zim would no doubt find his stuff.
Finding himself in-between a rock and a hard place, Dib let himself sit on the edge of the bed with a flop as he thought.
"What umm, what did you want me to do?"
