Sorry about the wait. Firstly because I was desperately trying to complete this lengthy game, and secondly because my computer decided to fuck up as soon as I finished said game.
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Gaz glared at the walls of the plastic cubicle around her. She could hear the other girls nearby, chatting excitedly. She could figure out from their talk that most of them were uneasy about their make-up coming off in the water.
"Here, I have some waterproof mascara, you can use that if you want," she heard one of her classmates offer another from nearby.
Gaz took her sweet time to divest herself of her dark dress, and even longer to pull on the never before worn swimming costume. She fiddled about with the fabric gratuitously; Gaz didn't particularly care, but neither did she didn't want to be one of the first in the visual firing line. She waited until she overheard the first male catcall that echoed down the tiled halls. The small girl then sluggishly exited her cubicle, ignoring the hushed tones around her as she went to place her items in a random locker. She plodded out of room with the rest of the lagging girls. One female (who was conservatively dressed in a one-piece) nervously complimented her attire, to which Gaz only nodded distractedly.
Gaz kept her eyes forward, glassy and just stared at the large chemical pool before her. She felt eyes boring into her and small chuckles breaking out every now and again. Her head whipped around and to glare at the individuals, marking their names and faces.
There was Chelsea, whom she had thrown ice-cream at a few years back. Should of learnt her lesson by now.
Iggins was joining in, as it was probably the only way he could feel superior to her.
There was Moofy as well, who'd moved up a grade a few month ago.
And 45, who was snorting out jokes to his friend, all the while laughing, eyes on her.
One of them suddenly shrieked with laughter. "Matching outfits!"
Gaz's frowned screwed up into puzzlement, and she twisted her torso around, her baggy eyes nearly popping out of her skull as she did. Zim was stood behind her, wearing what could only be an accident, and yet the same as hers. They both were wearing the old fashioned style swimsuits. Shorts and sleeves attached, stripes, zip up the front, the whole shebang. Except where hers was a nautical navy and white, his was a predictable red and black version. Tilting slightly, she could also see that it was covered the weird pod on his back. He looked like a hunchback, despite his stature.
The breath flew from her mouth like it was doing a jail-break, and she almost laughed. Almost. Instead she chose to hum in an annoyed manner. Zim approached her freely, ignoring the eyes of his classmates and leant down to meet Gaz's eye level. She glared openly at his brashness; she did not want him to treat her like some small child, she didn't need him to lean down just so she could hear whatever drivel he'd no doubt burden her with. Her hearing was just fine from 'down here'. And she definitely didn't need him starting rumors she'd have to clean up later.
"My computer told me this was in fashion. Why is it only Dib's sister that wears one like mine?" He asked, worried about blowing his cover. This was already risky.
"Your computer's about seventy years out of date. I just happen to prefer this to..." she gave a pointed look to Zita. If her lilac bikini was any smaller, the rest of the room would be seeing something that would scar them for life. "And it's Gaz!" She growled, kicking him in his shin. He let out a yelp which echoed pleasantly around the waterproofed room.
Someone who worked at the pool stepped up and the opposite side of the water and blew a whistle, calling the attention of the students. He began to yap on about health and safety and Gaz didn't have the heart to pay attention. She was still dreading getting in the water.
From the side Zim squinted at Gaz unabashed. She was usually so still and calm but something was off. The special efforts of the girl to appear normal by crossing her arms and frowning deeper only gave light to her odd stance. The girl rocked on her knees impulsively, and every now and then her bottom lip would disappear into her mouth only to return two seconds later looking exceptionally moist.
Zim gawked at her for longer then necessary. His disguised eyes travelling southward, noticing how her hips were just slightly larger than the width of her shoulders.
She noticed his gaze and decided to backhand him out of his revelry. Gaz was delighted to hear him yowl in pain. "Maybe I should push you in a little early, it'd be fun to watch you burn," she spat petulantly.
" Eh? Hm? Oh that will not be a problem Gaz-monkey, I have taken extra care to bathe in paste today," he waved off her threat flippantly. "You, however, do not seem as eager to learn this human skill as I..." he trailed off, his tone that of a person who knows a big fat juicy secret.
The instructor was then whistling again. "Those who do not know how to swim 25 meters put your hands up please. You'll be in the baby pool with my colleague over there."
Gaz unwillingly put her hand up, as did Zim and several others. Under the mirth filled ogling of the others, they marched off into another room separated by glass. Said glass splattered with childish window stickers; flowers, suns and different types of fish. Once they were all lined up on the edge they were ordered to stand in the shallow end. As the other students gingerly sat down and slid into the depths, Gaz looked between it and Zim who was waiting expectantly.
"You two," called a weathered middle-aged woman from across the room, "it's just water. Now get in. Your friends have done it."
Under the eyes of the others Gaz mechanically bent down and plopped into the pool. Only from Zim's perspective, as he followed her example, did he see her disgusted expression. It looked like she was swimming in a vat of space meat rather than water. The woman began to speak again about the basics of swimming and hydrodynamics, but Gaz kept her eyes steeled on the edge of the basin, where her white hands kept a vice like grip (even if the water only reached her hips).
Readjusting her hold, she twitched slightly and turned her frown onto Zim next to her, who was still staring with vague amusement. "Want another job?" She asked tersely. His answer was a long high pitched hum.
"And why exactly would I do that little Gaz?"
"Because you haven't got anything else important to do," she bit out.
"You want me to help you swim?" He quizzed, grinning like a cheshire cat and holding his head high. She pinched his arm under the water so the instructor wouldn't notice. His shout was timed just as she mentioned 'drowning'. The woman in turn nodded gravely at his reaction.
"Yes, child, it is frightening..." she paused before continuing her lesson.
"I don't want you to help me swim," Gaz growled. Her amber eyes flickered to the glass and back. "There are some people in the next lesson..."
"Doom again?" He questioned cheerily. Gaz nodded and proceeded to whisper names and descriptions to him.
"When will it be done?" She asked, feeling calmer having revenge planned out. Zim squinted for a moment, pursing his green lips.
"...Now?"
"Can it be done now?" Gaz queried, eyebrows raised. Zim nodded, seemingly untroubled. "Do it then."
Zim sunk further into the water until he was sat down, eyes above the water. The instructor noticed nothing as she was showing the students how to move their legs and arms. To do this she had turned to the side, stayed on one leg and imitated the doggy paddle with the rest of her limbs. The alien meanwhile had opened up his PAK and released a small metal object into the water.
"A robot?" Gaz murmured to herself. The small device leapt deftly out of the water and scuttled into the next room without further notice.
In the next few seconds an uproar of embarrassed shrieks and laughing could be hear. Gaz hurriedly crawled out the pool and up to the window, the rest of the class following as the employee tried desperately to get things back into order via barking commands. Through the clear material Gaz could see her victims, bereft of clothing and legging it back into the changing rooms, hands flying to cover their modesty.
"Niiice," Gaz murmured so only Zim could here.
His smug grin didn't leave him the rest of the lesson, and when it was time for all of them to attempt the doggy paddle across the shallow pool, Zim used his unseen PAK arms to emerge from the arms of his sleeves and move him across the pool, effortlessly. He also moved one of these tentacles under Gaz's stomach, pinching a section of her clothing and dragging her with him. They were the first ones to reach the edge.
Whilst the instructor taught them all the swimming forms, Zim continued to keep Gaz afloat with some mechanical help. The dark haired girl in question didn't acknowledge him in the slightest. They both just kept moving their arms and legs in a way that would make the swimming look plausible.
When their two hours was up, they both wordlessly retreated back to their respective changing rooms without saying a word.
