Shh, I'm not here. I'm still on hiatus. Promise, don't mind me :P
Okay, so even though I'm technically not meant to be here updating stuff...I'm here. Because I love you people (and because it would irritate the living daylights out of me if I missed a month)
"Don't argue with me, Zim!"
"Dib, we still have other shops we need to go to!"
"Zim!"
The human was practically dragging the frustrated Irken over to one of the benches, quite a few people staring at them blankly. Was it the fact that they were making such a fuss, or was it because the new wig Zim was wearing looked ridiculous on him?
After finally wrestling him into a seat, Dib sat with him, exhausted from that ordeal. Even though exercise and walking was a good thing for Zim at this point in time, Zim was doing a bit too much of it, enjoying this new found freedom to its full extent.
Dib could see the agony creeping into Zim's expression with every step he took. His feet must have been killing him. And why not? He had quite the load to carry now. Dib knew this was going to be a big baby.
But Zim was stubborn as always, and wanted to continue looking around for items for their child. Mainly because all the stores they had managed to visit were out of their price range at the moment. He never imagined it being this expensive to look after a child. On Irk, smeets were just zapped and were on their way. On Earth, they were a lot more maintenance than Zim realized. They needed somewhere to sleep, they needed food, they needed diapers.
And most of all, they needed money!
There was quite a bit in their Savings Account at the moment, but they needed to prioritize a little. They needed to figure out what the baby absolutely needed right here and now. They would worry about the less important stuff at a later stage.
Not to mention they needed to get stuff for the birth itself. Dib had been researching it intensely. He knew what they would most likely need, but it was going to set them back a lot more than he expected. It was worth it if it kept Zim comfortable during the whole trial – not to mention kept their bed and room clean as well, as from what he gathered, this was going to be a messy process – but it was still worrying to them both.
Zim looked over to the deep-in-thought human, "Dib."
"Yes?" he quickly said, silencing the worrisome thoughts racing in his mind, "You alright?"
Zim attempted a smile, seeing the calculations being made already in Dib's mind. What were they going to do?
"Fine. Just wanted to hear you speak."
Dib smirked, rubbing Zim's hand that had been resting over his stomach, "Yeah, when I'm not busy nagging you, I suppose."
"Pretty much," Zim grinned.
Dib looked forward, the smirk remaining as he looked around. He saw a few food vendors near the food court, "I'm a little peckish. Shall we break for a quick lunch, and then continue our venture?"
"Sounds like a plan," Zim nodded.
Dib stood, "You relax here for a bit. I'll go grab us something. What would you like?"
Zim looked at the vendors, narrowing his eyes, "Um…Two big pretzels. One for each of us," he patted his stomach.
Dib laughed, "Alright, then."
He was about to head off, but Zim yelled over to him, "Don't forget the mustard!"
Dib nodded, heading over to the vendor, sticking his
tongue out with his back towards the Irken.
When he read up on the symptoms of pregnancy to expect, weird cravings were one of them he never really thought much off. He confused it with 'addiction' in all honesty, and thought Zim would just eat more of one type of food than the other.
Well, Dib was half right. He had sort of become addicted to mustard. The problem was he had it on everything. Dib really hated the stuff, but put up with it if it made the Irken happy. Zim probably didn't even realize he had become so accustomed to it recently.
He looked around and nodded, "Uh, I'll have a hot dog with ketchup and two pretzels smothered in mustard, please."
As the clerk nodded, getting to work, Dib felt a little vibration go off in his jacket's left pocket. He dug around, pulling his cell phone out and checking the caller ID.
"Gaz?" he mumbled, answering it, "Hello?"
"Don't sound so surprised, moron."
Dib rolled his eyes, "You're not one to call often, sis."
"It's nearly Christmas, so you know how social norms are."
"Oh, of course," Dib smirked, "How've you been?"
"Surviving," she admitted, "And you? How's life with the freak show?"
Dib sighed, "You guys are really just a perfect example of what the perfect family is all about, aren't you?"
"We do try," Gaz taunted, "Listen, I called to ask if you and Zim would like to join us for Christmas dinner…"
Dib covered his face with his remaining hand, "Um, well…Gaz, we have this thing…"
"Yeah, is this thing about seven or eight months down the line, then?"
Dib froze, his expression blank. Gaz broke the silence, "Dad told me."
"Oh, that asshole!" Dib burst, slamming his hand down onto the counter in front of him, "How dare he…?!"
"Dib…"
"No, no! Don't you dare defend him! He…I mean…" he covered his face again, "Gaz…"
"Dib, he won't be joining us. It'll just be me and James, alright? Look, I just think it's time we had a little chat. Forget about all your own nonsense and just come and join us. You know I wouldn't even bother calling if I didn't think this thing was important."
Dib sighed once more, looking away, "I'll speak to Zim and see how we feel."
He hung up, the vendor looking at him, "Family, huh?"
"You have no idea," he groaned, grabbing their food.
"I'm still not happy about this," Zim grumbled as they approached the gate.
"I'm not either. I promise to make it up to you, though," Dib tried, holding onto the three wrapped boxes tightly.
Zim rang the bell. The intercom came up, "Yes?"
"It's us, Gaz," Dib spoke, his voice already irritated.
"Letting you in."
The gates parted and they walked inside. This was quite the apartment building. The security alone was something to gawk at. After a quick elevator trip, the two found themselves being ushered into the household by the ever dark and moody Gaz, "You're late."
"Sue us," Dib groaned, placing the boxes on the side table as Zim removed his disguise. That wig was really itchy and annoying. And no one in this house really cared what he looked like.
Not even James.
He came running up to them, Dib yanking him up into the air, "Hello! Hello!"
"Hello, Uncle Dib," he smiled, giving his uncle a big hug, "Merry Xmas!"
"Ah, Merry Xmas to you too," Dib laughed, "Say hi to your other uncle."
"Hi Uncle Zin," he waved.
"Hi James," Zim sighed. He always pronounced his name wrong.
Dib let him back down, handing the boxes to him, "Here, Santa said he forgot these last few gifts for you guys. Can you go put these under the tree for later?"
He nodded excitedly and raced off.
Dib stood and stared at his sister, "How you were able to produce a happy child like that, I'll never know."
"He takes after his dad," Gaz mentioned, moving with them into the lounge.
"How is that loaf doing?"
"He's still keeping up with the alimony checks, so I'm not complaining," Gaz shrugged.
"That's good to hear," Dib nodded, the two of them standing at the door frame as James came running up to them, "Uncle Zin! Can I show you my new Lego set that mommy got me?"
"Uh, well…" Zim tried, but was interrupted by the young boy pulling him over to the brightly lit Christmas tree. He looked back at Dib for help, but Dib simply smiled, waving at him. Zim shot him a glare.
Dib and Gaz sat in the kitchen together, the seasonal smells in the air around them as the turkey cooked away in the oven. Dib looked down at the spiced coffee he held onto, "You've done quite the number for today, huh?"
"Thought we should this year. It's James's first Christmas without his dad, so I figured I'd try and make it special," Gaz said, taking a sip of her black coffee.
Dib nodded, "You really care for that little boy." Gaz looked at him as he smiled at her, "It's nice to see."
Gaz let out a breath, "How are you coping?"
Dib's smile changed into a strained one as he looked out the window, watching the snow fall outside, "Getting there, I guess."
"Ready to be a dad?"
Dib rubbed the rim of the cup, looking back at Gaz, "I guess we'll find out soon enough."
"How far along is he?" she took another sip.
"Seven months and a bit."
"Getting quite close, then. He must be shitting bricks by now, huh? How exactly is that gonna work out…?"
Dib looked away, "Why are you showing such an interest, Gaz? I didn't really take you as one to care about me or my business."
Gaz's smile was almost menacing, "That kid…whatever it comes out as, will be my niece or nephew, bro. And just like how you are so overprotective and curious about James's well-being, I'm planning to be the same with this…thing."
"Oh, get the care in your voice," Dib bluntly added, rolling his eyes.
Gaz stood, going over to her counter to grab an envelope Dib only noticed now. She sat back down and handed it to him very nonchalantly. Dib stared at it, then at her, "And that?"
"It's not some deadly virus that will be released when you open it, Dib. If I wanted to kill you, I'd just do it myself. Just take the damn thing."
Dib took it from her and flipped it over, carefully opening it.
He took out the crumpled piece of paper, "A Shopping List?"
"A shopping list for all the baby things you'll need. Thought you'd like the list from someone who's been through the trials of pregnancy," Gaz mentioned, standing to go over to the bubbling pot on the stove.
"Wow, I…don't know what to say," Dib stuttered, staring at it.
"Check what else is in the envelope, dumbbell," she sighed, taking the lid off and stirring the gravy.
"Hmm, maybe it's that deadly virus, huh," he subtly added, reaching in.
His expression immediately changed as he looked at the bills staring back at him. He turned to Gaz who was grinning at him, "This is…!"
"Two hundred dollars," her eyebrows arched, "Bet you've never seen that much all at once."
"Gaz, I don't need your pity…"
"And right now, you don't need your pride, Dib," she came over to him, "Right now; you need to look after your family and yourself. Look at you. You look like a train wreck that was eaten by a steamroller that got run over by a 36-wheeler truck, Dib. When Zim goes into labour, where will you be? In the hospital, at this rate."
Dib looked away. She placed her hand on his shoulder, "Dib, we have our differences, yes. But when I heard what dad had decided to do with you, I figured this was how you were going to end up."
She yanked him up, and dragged him over to the frame leading into the lounge.
They watched as Zim and James sat on the red and white carpet, building a tower together. They both were wearing warm smiles. Dib looked back at Gaz, "I know how difficult raising a child is on my own, Dib. Don't make Zim go through it as well."
Dib looked back at the festive site as Zim looked over to him and smiled.
Dib waved at them, speaking in a hushed tone aimed at his sibling, "M-merry Christmas, Gaz."
"Merry Christmas, Dib," she muttered back to him.
Favorite/Review/Follow :) Hope you guys are still enjoying it. We're nearly to the end now :D (I'm actually kind of sad about that)
