A/N: Ug. Cliffhangers are so hard to do :I Well here's another chapter. Sorry if there are any mistakes ^^; BTW: This chapter has a really cruddy cliffhanger. Sorry! I tried. :I

I squinted against the harsh, bright light. The sun was high in the sky and no cloud was in sight. It was a perfect day for going to the beach. The white sand was blazing hot against my bare feet, but I didn't care. I hadn't been to this beach in such a long time and I wouldn't let anything ruin my joy. I had never stayed at the Makai Resort before, but this was the very beach my family visited ever since I was 4 years old. It became almost like a tradition.

Zim grunted and panted behind me. I glanced at him and immediately burst out laughing. There he was, the mighty, powerful alien invader, struggling to carry a medium-sized bag of beach supplies. His back was hunched as the weight of the bag brought him down. He flashed me a death glare as soon as he heard my laughs.

"WHAT…are….you LAUGHING…at?!" He managed to say between pants and groans. His thin arms tried to loosen the strap of the bag which was now roughly digging into his green flesh. Man, he was really having some trouble there. I felt a bit of pity for him and took the bag from him. He stared at me for a bit.

"Thank you, human…..the strong and powerful Zim could've done it himself, though….." He spoke softly, avoiding my gaze. I chuckled.

"Yeah, okay. Whatever you say." I glanced at my father who stood to my right. We were at a spot on the beach that was perfect. It wasn't too far from the ocean, but it wasn't too close, either.

"I think this is a good spot."

"I was thinking the same thing, my dear son." My father lightly patted me on the head. It was an odd gesture, almost like something you would do to a puppy, but I shrugged it off. I set the bag that held the sunscreen and towels onto the soft sand. Gaz trudged through the thick sand and laid down the foldable chair she had brought. Zim just stood there, digging one of his two toes (which was another strange thing I had found out about him) into the grains.

"Alright my son, daughter, and Dib's friend, you all need to apply sunscreen. You don't want sunburn, now do you?" My father brought out the blue containers of regular sunscreen. Ew. The rub-on kind.

"We don't have any more of the spray on sunscreen?"

"No. Dad used it all in some experiment involving mutant cows." Gaz mumbled. I raised an eyebrow, but decided not to ask. Zim cocked his head.

"So, this 'sunscreen' protects you from the heat?" Zim questioned.

"Well sort of. It protects you from most of the sun's rays. It'll prevent you from getting sunburn, which is where the rays of the sun break through the melanin on your skin and burn it."

"Oh….interesting…" He placed a hand on his chin, taking in the information. I took the bottle from dad's hand and squeezed some of the substance into my palm. The sunscreen was cold on my skin as I slathered it on the visible parts of my body. Zim watched me as I did this in interest. The familiar heat spread through my cheeks once again.

"Why are you watching me…? It's creepy…."

"I'm only observing, Dib-boy." He held out his hand, motioning for me to give him the bottle. I placed it in his palm. He almost mimicked me, putting it on the exact way I did. When he got to his back, he had trouble applying it because of the bulky PAK centered on his spine. I sighed and helped him. He let out a surprised squeak as my sunscreen-covered finger stroked his back. Making sure to not miss any spots, I furrowed my eyebrows in concentration. My face was still flushed and I could feel it getting warmer with each passing second.

"DID ZIM SAY YOU COULD TOUCH HIM?! I think not!" Zim yelled in my face as soon as I was finished. I noticed his cheeks were a bit darker.

"Hey, I was only trying to help!" I shot back. My dad turned to face me at the sound of us bickering.

"Now, now. There's no need to fight. You and your friend need to get along. You're constant fighting is not acceptable." I sighed and only nodded in response. The ocean waves rolling in on the white shore caught my view. I glanced at Zim and smirked. He stared at me, looking quite freaked out.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ignoring him, I quickly heaved him up in my arms. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PUT ZIM DOWN! NOW!" He yelled while pounding on my chest with his fists. I only smirked more, running towards the sapphire colored water. Zim's eyes widened as he realized. Claws dug into my bare skin roughly.

"NONONONONO! DIB, STOP!"

"Let's hope you put on lots of paste!" I yelled before tossing the alien into the cold ocean. He screamed then landed with a loud SPLASH.

"AHHHGGGG! I'M DROWNING! I'M DROWNING!" Zim squirmed and writhed in the water, not burning, which obviously meant he had bathed in paste. But still, it was hilarious to watch him think he was drowning in less than a foot of water. At this point, I was laughing so hard my stomach ached.

"Zim….you're in the shallow end….your body isn't even under the water." I continued to laugh and wiped a tear from my eye. Zim looked around in realization then glared daggers at me.

"You sly, revolting little worm," he began harshly while arising to his feet again. Water droplets clung to his skin and his wig was now dripping. His eyes became threatening slits and his dagger-like teeth were in full view as he growled at me. "I'LL KILL YOUUUU!" Before I could even react, I was knocked off my feet and lying on the firm, wet sand. An infuriated and wet Zim was on top of me, pinning me down. His talon-like fingers dug into the flesh on my shoulders and he snarled once again. Well, this was going to be fun.