Disclaimer: I do NOT own Invader Zim whatsoever (yet, we all wish we did). It all belongs to Jhonen Vasquez! And Vampire Kisses belongs to Ellen Schreiber! And The Last Night is owned by Skillet! Nothing is mine!
And now... On with the show!
P.s.: The Point of View (P.O.V.) will change from time to time, but, not often. It's mostly written in Dib's point of view.
(Dib's P.O.V.)
It started out like any other day. The skool bell rang, yet no one particularly cared. They all just continued to talk. However, two remained silent, and just glared at each other. Fake lavender clashed with amber until a sharp voice cut the tension in half. "Class! Be quiet! Front and center!" Ms. Bitters commanded. Everyone turned in their desks in an instant, too scared to disobey. I just sighed, yet, of course, I didn't take my eyes off of the person I was staring down. Anyway, apparently there were two of them, identical twins was what they told us. Yet this one says she got the looks. Ha ha. Almost forgot to barf.
I turned from Zim's eyes after Ms. Bitters said she would bring the whip on us if we didn't turn around, and we knew she wasn't kidding. I watched Ms. Bitters write an equation on the board, telling us the world will explode and junk like that. Like I haven't heard it already. I sighed in boredom, and took out my Ipod. I put my ear buds in my ears and turned it on. I winced a bit at the fact that it was too loud, but, as always, no one noticed. I turned it down and realized it was one of my favorite bands, Skillet. I smiled a bit as the sweet melody rung in my ears. I closed my eyes and I guess I fell asleep, because the next thing I know, I'm in the middle of a snowstorm. I shiver and rub myself to produce heat, since I'm wearing only my trench coat over my normal clothes. I walk forward two steps before I suddenly stopped. I backed away a step, because if I didn't, I would fall off the edge of a cliff. I fell backwards, and then got on my hands and knees. I crawled through the wailing snow, and stopped frequently to rub my arms. I stopped when I saw a shadow coming towards me. I panicked, and yelled, "Who are you? Stay away!" It was as if the person was deaf, because it came closer. I lay paralyzed in the snow, and then, the person was right in front of me. I gasped as I instantly recognized who it was. "Z-Zim?", I stuttered, surprised. What was he doing here? He had a concerned look on his face as he got on his knees. He crawled up to me and said, "Why are you here?" Huh? I thought in my head. His eyes welled up, and he cried out, "What were you going to do?" I was startled and managed to get out, "Noth-", before he smashed his lips against mine. My eyes widened, and I pulled back. Zim put his arms around my neck, and he put his lips inches away from my ear. He whispered, "Why can't I be the reason?" "The reason for-", I started when I heard a deep rumbling. Suddenly, we were falling. I was yelling, yet Zim wasn't. He was frowning. He then hugged me, and I stopped. I hugged him back, and we plunged into an icy sea. And, we died together.
I awoke with a gasp, and looked around. Everyone was in pairs, and I noticed Zim was near my desk. "What's happening?" I asked him as I took out my ear buds. I noticed before I turned off my Ipod, the song that was playing was The Last Night by Skillet. What disturbed me was the fact that it was on repeat. I had once heard a theory that if you listen to something while you sleep, it could affect your dream or actions when you woke up. Perhaps that's what happened.
Two fingers snapped in front of my face, bringing me out of my daze.
"Hey! Pay attention to Zim!" Zim commanded. I sighed and put away my Ipod. "Anyway, as I was saying until you so rudely interrupted," Zim glared at me and then continued, "I was talking about the project to do over the filthy holiday you call 'Christmas'."
"Project? But, tomorrow's Christmas! Plus, we only get one week for break!" I exclaimed.
"Yes. So I've heard," Zim commented.
"What's the project about?" I asked.
"Well…. We are supposed to be in groups of two." he stated, holding up two claws. "Each pair must choose three books, read them, then write a summary and analyze them. Simple, really. So simple an Irken Smeet could do it." Zim smirked.
"And, let me guess. We're partners, right?" I asked. Zim simply nodded.
"Fine." I agreed sullenly.
"So…" Zim drawled, trying to break the awkward silence.
"So…" I retorted. "What books do you want to read?" I asked him.
"Huh?", he responded, eyeing me with perplexion blunt on his face. "Ah, wait! Yes, Zim remembers now!" the Irken confessed, then put his claws on his hips in a victory pose. I rolled my eyes at him, and continued with my thoughts.
"How about we read a series? That way, we already know the characters, their personalities, setting, ya know? All the basics," I suggested.
"Hmm..." Zim thought for a minute. A smile formed on his face, and he clacked his teeth together. "Good work, Dib-worm. Commending performance. If you continue at this pace, I'll think you're smarter than a dog in about two years, maybe three?" Zim mocked. I let this slide, and continued with my previous thought.
"Maybe we could read a favorite of mine: Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber." Zim's face turned into one of confusion.
"Vampire Kisses? Aren't the creatures called vampires the ones that have long, pointy molars that suck the blood candies?" I nodded. "Uggh. Brings bad memories of that Halloween," Zim said as he shuddered. A shiver ran up my spine.
"Don't remind me," I drawled.
"Yet, the other term. The 'kisses," Zim made quotation marks in the air, then continued, "Does not compute. Explain," he commanded. I blushed, then averted my eyes.
"It's...uh...complicated. Yet, basically, it's when the lips make contact on the skin of a human. When it's on the lips, it's a sign of intimacy between two people. It's how we show love, how we show human affection," I explained.
"Oh," Zim scoffed. "No wonder the mighty Zim knows not of the term kiss. We Irkens need not of affection, much less a human's," Zim smirked. I smiled a bit at this, and said,
"Yeah, I kinda figured that." Yet, of course, Zim didn't hear me because of his mindless rambling. I placed a hand on his shoulder to get him to stop ranting, and he squealed. He turned on his heel, and poked my chest.
"Don't do that again," he whispered in a threatening tone. I gulped and simply nodded. Zim smiled a bit, pleased by my response, and murmured,"Good." Zim then proceeded to sit on my desk, and suggested that we go over to his base after school to begin the project.
"Can't. Sorry. Gaz, Dad, and I are spending today and tomorrow together. It's mandatory I go home," I lied through my teeth hoping he'd drop it.
"Then we can do the project at your home base." Zim stated, yet, it came out more of a question.
"Umm..." I hummed, thinking of a good excuse to keep him out of my house.
"Umm...?", Zim repeated, thumping his fingers against my desk."Y-you can't come over," I stuttered.
"And why not, Dib-stink?" Zim asked through gritted teeth. I could tell he was getting mad, so I thought up another great lie.
"Because my dad has been doing an experiment, and a disease was accidentally spread throughout the house." I quickly explained with a smile on my face.
"Then shouldn't you be, I dunno, screaming in pain or squeaking like a moose or something?" he asked, curiosity blunt in his voice.
"Well, my dad said it was nonlethal to humans. But... I'm not sure what it'll do to a certain little alien." I shared. The Irken deadpanned, then pouted.
"Fine," he finally mused. "But," he continued, "I want to see you at my base at 9 o'clock sharp tomorrow morning. No excuses."
"Sure," I said, and the bell rang.
"Good-bye, pitiful human. Until we meet again." I just nodded, and started the walk home. Yet, as I walked the way, I thought to myself. I knew I was lying to everyone lately, especially myself. As my thoughts lingered on this statement, they trailed off into more dangerous territory. I soon found myself running home. I pulled open the front door, and soon slammed it shut. I then resumed to go up the stairs, two at a time. I finally made it to my room. I opened the door and then entered, not bothering to close it. I looked at my bed, wishing I could just flop down on it, but I shook the thought from my mind. I had to act fast, grabbing a pen, paper, and a giant wad of cash. I stuffed it all into my pocket. Even when I had to go fast, I still slowed down to think about what had happened at school.
I had lied to Zim. If I wasn't planning on doing what I was doing, he would kill me. Literally. In reality, my family could care less about Christmas. Gaz was spending the whole break over at a friend's house, and dad was out of the country, doing research. For my whole life, I had been called "crazy" or "insane", all because of what I believe in. After a while, I began to think if anyone would miss me if I was gone. I figured the answer to be no, and that decision still stands. Gaz hates my guts, Dad doesn't even know my name, the whole world thinks I'm insane, and, worst of all, Zim wants me gone so he can take over this stupid planet.
Well, I thought while going out my front door, he'll get what he wants. Free of charge. I was taking some advice from my dream. I would make it stop with one jump. I sighed, and looked left, then right as I crossed the street. The nearest cliff I could find was just outside the town's limits. I could ride the bus there. The nearest bus station was just a couple of blocks away, just past Zim's house. I looked up as I walked with my hands in my pockets. It began to snow as I trudged on. I looked down and continued, acting as if the snow wasn't there. Life had never looked so bleak.
(Zim's P.O.V.)
I sighed in frustration as the television went fizzy. I yelled, and threw the remote at it. I smirked as I noticed it caused quite a dent. I stared at my mess for another two seconds, then turned my attention to the window. I watched the water particles called "snow" fall outside. It was so white outside, and I cringed as I realized I would have to wait a while for it to thin down, so as to avoid serious burns. Yet, I was amazed that such a pure scene would eventually be red. I cackled to myself at the beautiful thought, then abruptly stopped as I noticed a slight color change within the falling snow. I hopped off the couch, and walked closer to the window. I wiped at it to get a bit better view, flinching at the slight sting. I squinted, then sneered as I recognized who it was. The Dib-human. He had lied to the genius that is Zim! Yet, what was the Dib-monkey doing here? He said he was to spend the horrid holiday with his family unit. I rubbed my chin in thought, and finally thought of an idea. I would trail the filthy pig-smelly to see what he was really doing. I had seen it in a movie that I was watching with Gir. It seemed to work very well in the movie, so I figure it will go well in real life. I held up my head, and screamed,
"Gir!" A cute looking green dog suddenly appeared with a hand on his head in a saluting pose.
"Yes, sir!" he monotoned.
"Listen Gir. I want you to watch over the house while I am gone. Understood?" I told Gir as I raised an nonexistent eyebrow.
"Yes, my master!", was all Gir said before running into the kitchen, yelling, "I's gonna make cake for my partay with pig!" I sighed, and shook my head. I grabbed a coat and slipped it on as I hurried after Dib. I followed him to the bus station. He was already boarding it, so I had to act fast. A look of pure disgust appeared on my face, yet it was replaced with one of determination. I activated my PAK legs, and jumped to the roof of the bus. I wrapped my PAK legs around the roof of the moving vehicle, and held on for dear life.
(Dib's P.O.V.)
I boarded the bus and sat down. I heard a loud thump, and looked towards the direction of the sound, the roof. I shrugged, and looked out the window. There was a shine in my eyes from a curved piece of metal, and it was bothering me. I reached towards it, and felt a wave a familiarity wash over me. I've seen it somewhere before, and I knew where.
"Couldn't be..." I muttered before turning around. The rest of the trip was a blur, between a mixture of daydreams and reality. I pictured what it would be like after I was gone. I could imagine Zim ruling over the Earth, laughing manically. I chuckled to myself at the thought. I saw my family at the gravestone, not even caring I was dead. I could see Gaz kicking dirt instead of placing flowers on my grave and saying,
"Good riddance." I frowned at how vivid my imagination was. The bus stopped, and I noticed it was my stop. I got up, and headed off the bus. As I jumped off the last step, I looked around. The simple little snowfall had turned into a real heck of a storm. I trudged towards the cliff, every part of my skin showing turning numb. I rubbed my hands together, baring the harsh weather. The wind roared in my ears, but despite it, I heard something else: footsteps. I turned, only to see there was no one there, but there was an extra set of footprints. I started running. I heard the snow crunch as the other person ran to keep up. The chase came to a crashing stop as I tripped and fell. I yelled out in pain. My ankle was sprained. I couldn't run, couldn't fight. I ignored the throbbing pain in my ankle, closed my eyes, and heard my follower get closer until I could feel their presence next to me. I could hear them breathe, and I think hiss as if they were in pain? I felt something wrap around my waist, and I was pulled closer to the stranger. I gasped, and my eyes opened. I came into contact with someone's chest. I blushed, and looked up. It was Zim. He wore a look of mixed pain, relief, worry, and anger.
"Z-Z-Zim?", I whispered in awe and confusion. He looked down at me, and then pulled me up so that out faces were inches apart. Oh no. I'm dead, I thought.
"What are you doing here, Dib?" he asked. Huh, I deadpanned. Now I was confused. Where were the threats? The insults? The shouting? Instead, he only asks a question? I hurried to answer.
"What?"
Zim sighed. And said,
"It's not that hard to answer a question. Unless you really are mindless like our classmates.", he smirked at the comment. His face turned serious then, and he averted his eyes, refusing to look at me while he spoke.
"During class today, I watched you sleep, mainly because I was bored out of my mind, but that's beside the point. What Zim is really trying to point out is, you seemed distressed. I guess, what I really want to ask, is Are you okay?" he ranted. It was obvious that he had to force the words to leave his mouth. Though I frowned at what he was trying to do. I shook my head, but he saw through my lie. He cupped my face in his hands. All I could gather from this was that his PAK legs were around my waist. I had no idea what he was doing, so I took a deep breathe of air, and prepared for the worst. Yet, nothing happened. Only words erupted from his mouth.
"Listen, Dib-thing. You are Zim's, understand? Only Zim can make you hurt. Something is troubling you. Tell Zim.", he demanded. I grew madder with each word that fell from his lips. Finally, I snapped.
"Wouldn't you like to know?", I yelled. "Everyday, it's the same, old thing! Getting insulted by everyone, getting beat up by Gaz, and getting ignored by my Dad! I am just a big waste of space, and people treat me as such! Nobody would know, much less care, if I disappeared! Plus, I could make this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach go away by going over that cliff! Bet you would like to see that!" I finished, breathing hard after using most of my energy in that one rant. Zim's expression had changed to one of anger by now, and as his eyes glazed over, he opened his mouth to speak.
"You are so wrong, Dib. Plain wrong!", he screamed in my face. "You think you got problems? My leaders, heck, my whole planet, abandoned me here! I can't even go home! Everyone thinks I am worth nothing! So, suck it up, and don't die on me! If you say you don't have a reason to exist, then, I'll be it! I'll be your reason to live! I need you, Dib! Even if I don't really show it, I do! I don't think you're crazy! Sure, your had is big, but I can see past that. I... like you, Dib. You don't need anyone 'cept Zim!" While he rambled, Zim began to cry, and I wiped his tears away. I sighed, and saw the mess that Zim had become. If one person, well, alien, made such a fuss about someone like me... Well, I just couldn't say no.
"Okay, Zim. You've convinced me pretty thoroughly. I won't jump." He looked up at me, checking my eyes to see if I was telling the truth or not. He asked,
"Promise?" I gave him a small smile, and nodded.
"Promise." Zim smiled a sincere smile, and snuggled into my chest. I blushed, and I did the only thing I could think to do. I put my arms around his waist and gave him a tight squeeze.
"Umm, Dib?" he spoke up.
"Yeah?"
"I feel this warm feeling in my squeedily spooch. Is it normal? Or, is it deadly? Is it good, Dib?" Zim asked. I chuckled under my breath, and said,
"I think it's love, Zim."
"Love?", he questioned. I grinned, and clucked my forehead to his.
"Love is a human emotion we show for one another. It's when you never want to see someone sad, when you want someone to smile, when you want to spend every single second with them. Ya know? Things like that," I explained.
` "So, I am in the love with you?" Zim asked. I shrugged.
"Would you like to find out?" I suggested. He gave two quick nods, and responded,
"Yes, Zim would like that very much. I know how to as well. Gir forced me to watch the flicks chick with him, and they contained all the hideous, mushy, gushy object you humans call "affection". I would like to do what they would do in this current situation." He inched closer, and placed his lips on mine. It felt like a bomb went off in my head, yet, I knew it was only the heat of pleasure. Zim lightly grazed his tongue against my bottom lip, and I shivered at the lust that I felt. I opened my mouth, and his serpentine tongue clashed with my flat one. Our tongues danced for a moment, and we both examined the others' mouth, documenting everything to memory. I felt the ridges that left gaps in his tongue, and I realized that I like it. Very much. Soon, we both ran out of oxygen, and pulled apart. We simpered at each other, now feeling self-conscious. Zim whispered,
"Let's go home." I grimaced, and brought up lightly,
"Umm... You're going to have to help me up. Or, don't you remember me tripping and falling?" I grinned sheepishly, and Zim just rolled his eyes at my comment. He got up, retracted his PAK legs, and offered a hand to help me up. I grasped his hand, and pulled myself up. I winced as my ankle protested my action with pain. I put my arm around Zim's shoulder and felt better as we started waddling to the bus station. While we walked, I brought up a subject I had be thinking about for some time.
"Zim? If you hurt when water comes into contact with your skin, doesn't it really hurt by this time?"
"Huh?" he grunted. "Oh, yeah. I guess I just forgot about it in the heat of the moment. But, yes, I probably will have severe burns tomorrow morning," he mused.
"I'm so sorry."
"Nonsense," he replied. "It was Zim's decision to follow the Dib. So, the fault is Zim's," he confirmed. I sighed, but nodded. We finally made it to the bus, and we got on. We took our seats. We were the only ones on that bus, and I saw why. It was well after midnight, and cold. Why would anyone be out at this time of night? Zim poked me, which pulled me from my thoughts. I looked over to him, and was caught surprised when he gave a gentle kiss. He smirked at my expression , and laughed that laugh I had gotten to know so well.
"Merry Christmas, Dib," he forced out during his laugh-fest. I gave a chaste kiss on his forehead, and responded,
"Merry Christmas to you, Zim." We beamed at each other, and decided to let our expressions do the talking. We fell asleep on the ride home, with Zim's head on my shoulder, and my head on top of his. The last thing I remembered before falling into a blissful slumber was the snow had calmed down to a soft drizzle, falling gracefully like cherry blossoms.
