Dlbn: Hey there, everyone! Time for another chapter of Iz Moth! After some careful debating, I decided to leave in the first scene's details, which are a bit harsh. If you are uncomfortable with graphic/violent scenes, then please skip. I'll write another warning where the details start, so you can just read the beginning if you want. Also, please see the note at the end of the chapter.

Nbld: Review corner! Thank you to spike tashy, suckishLEMONADE, IheartZimwithallmyheart15, Darkdagers, Invader Ang, Zahara, yaoifangirlforever1716, Invader Zhyr, joy2theworlddannyphantom, ArcAngelCrystal, Invader Ash, and Mio-chan's Return.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but The Mask and Krill, the shrimp that plagues Zim's thoughts. All other characters, places, and species belong to Jhonen C. Vasquez; god of all that first got me into fanfics. Seriously, I just typed 'Invader Zim' into Google and came up. Kind of funny.

000

Zim felt his heart flutter as Moth walked away. Did he just make a date with a human? Cool…in a way. His feelings for Krill came back to the surface.

"Oh, what do I care?" Zim asked the air. He pressed the button on the amplifier and making it pop out of his neck, changing his voice back to normal. "It's just some club fling. Why should it matter?" He walked down the road towards home.

Moth, though Zim knew by the nickname policy that it wasn't his real name, seemed like an okay guy. He was so much different from Dib. Ugh. Why did all things lead back to Dib?

"He's just some punk who can't shut his damn mouth." Zim told himself, removing his mask and shoving it into his pocket. "Why am I thinking about him all the time?"

"Thinking about a guy all the time, huh?" A teenage-sounding voice asked.

Zim turned in time to catch a glimpse of a boy in red running into an alleyway. "Yeah. Some arrogant jerk that I hate." He answered.

"Sounds like love to me, kid."

"Gay love, if anything." Another voice said.

A flash of green passed Zim's eyes.

"I don't love him. I loathe him with every fiber of my being." Zim sneered.

"Sure you do." The original voice chuckled, three more following suit.

Don't show fear, Zim. Don't show fear.

"Maybe we should beat the truth out of you?" Another voice, another flash of color. This time blue.

"Or the gay out of him." A third voice and a flash of white.

"I'm armed." Zim bluffed. "And you don't wanna mess with me."

A chain came out of the darkness and wrapped around his left wrist. "What the…" Zim pulled his arm, trying to either break the chain or pull the person holding it out under the streetlight.

Laughter.

"That won't help you." The voice that matched the red flash snickered.

"Worthless effort." Agreed the green flash.

Another chain came at him from an alley, but Zim kicked it away before it could get close. He didn't see another chain coming at him, which caught his right ankle, wrapping tightly. The kid on the other end yanked his foot out, making him land on his back with an 'oof'.

"Look, I don't know what you want out of me, but this isn't the way to get it." Zim sneered.

"Oh, we don't want anything from you." The leader said. "Just to beat the gay out. Maybe you won't ever trust guys again."

"I'm not gay." Liar.

"Then why do you always think about another guy?" White flash asked.

"He's holding a grudge against me and he's a moron." Zim said, sitting up on his elbows. "I'm confused by him is all."

With that, the streetlights snapped off. Zim groaned. What kind of people had streetlights that shut off during the deepest part of night, since Moth had said it was 1 AM before they left? Without a moon, there was no light to show Zim the way. What if he got lost? For now, he had to think of a way out of this.

000 WARNING, GRAPHIC PART STARTS NOW. PLEASE SKIP IF UNCOMFOMORTABLE. THANK YOU AND ENJOY! 000

Two more chains came at him and he twisted his body to try and avoid them, but they latched on and held tight. Zim twisted again and again, trying to free himself. He arched up from the ground and kicked out, but it was no use. The chains were thick and tight. Four figures walked out into the street and stopped near him. Even with his night vision, Zim couldn't make out their faces, or even the colors he had seen before. One man handed his chain to another. The ones holding the chains connected to his wrists walked forward and yanked hard, pulling him up into a sitting position. They yanked up and forced him to stand. The one who had handed off his chain went behind Zim. He felt something hard crack against his back and he fell forward. He dangled like that for a moment, leaning forward with his arms behind him. The boys holding the chains on his arms yanked them back and down, and the other two hauling his feet out from under him. Zim collapsed to his knees. The two with his wrists went behind him and crossed, pulling tight and crossing his arms. The teen who had hit him walked in front of him and pressed the object under his chin, tilting it up. Zim's Irken eyes were shining under his hologram and his antennae were flailing, knowing the gravity of the situation he was in.

"I think it's about time you got your beating, huh?" The leader chuckled. He let Zim's chin drop and backed up.

The next thing Zim felt was something connecting with his cheek and force his head to snap to the side. Zim sat that way for a moment before the object was used to bring his face back to face the leader. The leader reeled back and struck Zim again, this time hitting him across the side of the head. Zim slumped forward as his head snapped to the right. He let out a long moan and his head was tilted back to the leader. The leader reeled back again.

"Stop." Zim managed to force out, his cheek throbbing and chin probably broken.

The boys laughed. "Not until we're done." White flash snickered. "Now be a good boy and take what's coming to you."

Another blow to the side of the head. Zim felt a warm liquid sliding down his forehead.

"I think you hurt him, Boss." Green flash said, not seeming to care.

"Oh, I'll more than hurt him by the time we're through." The leader chortled.

"Stop." Zim ordered again.

This time, the object hit him hard in the stomach. He tried to slouch forward, but the ones holding his arms pulled back, keeping him in place. The object hit his stomach again and again. His squeedly spooch was about to rupture. He could feel it.

"Stop!" Zim ordered, weaker than before.

The beating didn't stop. Another good fifty blows to the head and stomach left Zim semiconscious by the time the leader backed up to examine his handiwork. Suddenly, the boys holding his arms back let him slouch forward. They walked back to their original spots and pulled his arms forward before slamming him into the ground. Zim moaned. The leader went behind him and the one holding his legs spread them apart. Zim moaned again.

"Now it's time for the real fun to begin." The leader chuckled.

Zim heard a belt come undone and a buckle unclasp. Oh god. They were going to rape him…The leader caressed Zim's backside, grabbing his ass harshly in his hand. Zim arched forward to the ground a bit, but the people-could he even call them people anymore?-holding him down pulled him back, stopping his movement. The leader chuckled. "I see we were right." He said. "You do like it up the ass, huh?"

"Never…never had it…" Zim hissed. "Not gay." He'd maintain that as long as he could.

The leader chuckled and pressed a throbbing erection against Zim's backside.

000 GRAPHIC PART ENDS HERE. THANK YOU, RATHER YOU READ OR NOT! 000

Zim knew he was in trouble. He activated the spider legs in his PAK, six long pointed appendages popping from his PAK, one carrying a gun he had made the day before.

"Holy fuck." Blue flash cursed. "What the fuck are you, pal?"

Zim didn't answer as his spider legs wrapped around the chains and pulled, making the clasps shatter and bounce on the ground. Zim used the legs to pick himself up off the ground. Once he was on his own two feet, his spider legs lashed out and brushed the three lackeys off like paper. Zim turned to the leader, who was staring agape and shaking in his boots. Zim used his spider legs to arch himself up from the ground and walk menacingly towards the one who assaulted him. The boy tried to run, but two spider legs quickly wrapped around his waist and turned him to face Zim.

"What are you…?" The leader asked.

Zim snarled. "I'm the guy you just tried to rape." He let his spider legs throw the boy against one of the buildings and scuttled back. The three lackeys went to aid their leader, who was whimpering and moaning. Zim used his spider legs to run down the road. They propelled him into the air and carried him across buildings. He reached one that still had a light on for the ground floor. He retracted his spider legs and rang the doorbell. When no one answered, he pressed it over and over again until someone finally opened it.

"Do you have any idea what…? Oh my. What happened?" It was a woman.

"I was attacked." Zim said, coughing up a bit of blood.

"Oh, dear. Charles! Call 911!" The woman yelled into the house. "Come in, now, please. Let's get you fixed up a bit."

About ten minutes later, Zim sat on Charles and the woman's couch with a hot cup of tea in his hand. The last cop left. Zim hadn't been able to give much of a description, and he was sure the punks were long gone, but he was more concerned about his squeedly spooch. If it was ruptured, he'd have to go back home. He didn't have the means to fix it.

"Can we call your parents for you?" The woman asked.

"I'm 19." Lie. "I live alone."

"Oh, dear." The woman shook her head. "Too many babies are raising themselves, these days."

"My parents passed on." Lie again!

"Oh, you poor thing!"

"You should stay here for the night." Charles told him. "We'll bring you home in the morning."

"I'd rather not be more of a bother." Zim shook his head.

"Oh, it's no bother at all. We'll just set up the guest room." She turned to her husband. "Go set up the guest room."

"By 'we', she always means me." Charles muttered and left the room.

"Don't worry about him." She smiled softly.

The front door opened and someone walked in. "I'm home!" Torque's voice called.

Shit. Torque walked into the room and stared at Zim. Zim realized he must have been a sight, a heavy blanket around his shoulders, bruises and blood on his head, shirt torn a bit, and cup of steaming coffee nestled in his hands. "Hi." He greeted softly.

"Shit." Torque cursed. "What happened to you?" He walked over and sat next to Zim. "Are you okay?"

"I don't think there's any internal damage." Zim said. "Just maybe a broken rib or two. But I'll be fine." He shrugged.

"He got jumped in the streets." Torque's mom, or who Zim now guessed was his mom, informed.

"Shit, man. You see who did it?"

Zim shook his head. "No streetlights, and no moonlight."

"That really sucks. Are you staying here the night?"

"I don't want to be an annoyance, I…"

"He's staying. No one home to go back to." She stood and left the room. "Excuse me."

Torque glared at Zim. "Okay, liar. What did she mean by 'no one to go home to'?"

"I live alone." Zim looked away. "I don't expect you to believe that, before you say anything."

Torque blinked. "You know, not many people talk to Dib like you did at school today." He smiled. "It's very ballsy."

"Thanks…I think…"

"It's a change." Torque shrugged. "But, look, don't do it again, oaky? Dib's not trying to be mean, he just hates being lied to."

"I don't blame him." Zim shook his head. "I wish I could make it up to him."

"Don't talk to him the way you did again, and you'll be okay." Torque stood. "I'll show you to the guest room."

Zim nodded and stood, depositing the coffee mug on the table and the blanket on the couch. He followed Torque out of the room, slowly and slightly limping.

When Zim went to school the next day, Torque was walking with him. Thanks to the fact that Irkens healed very quickly, he was walking the way he had before he got jumped. People noticed he was with Torque and were beginning to whisper. Zim still had a scar above his left eye, which might have caused most whispering.

"Look, I appreciate all of this, and I swear I'll pay you back somehow, but…" Zim looked to where Keef and the others were sitting.

"Yeah, you've got friends here, I know." Torque smiled. "Look, if everything you told me last night is true," Zim had told him about his and his mother's argument, but had left out the illegal items, Krill, and him being an alien, "then I'll talk to Dib and see if I can get his head out of his ass, okay?"

"It was all true." Zim nodded. "And thanks."

Torque nodded and ran off towards his friends, who were waiting at the school steps. Zim walked to Keef and the others.

"Hey, I see you came in with…" Keef's smile faded. "Oh my god! What happened?"

"I got jumped going home last night." Zim muttered, looking away.

"Are you okay?" Gretchen asked.

"I'll be fine." Zim responded. "I can walk fine now."

"Now?" Gaz wondered.

"I had a bit of a limp yesterday, but…" Zim paused. "I got hit with something, quite a bit."

"Oh my." Another girl covered her mouth. She had dark hair and a brown mole on her forehead. Keef had introduced her as Morla.

"It's not a big deal." Zim waved his hand.

"So how'd you end up walking with Torque?" Keef asked. "You guys live near each other?"

"No, we don't." Zim said. "I managed to get away and went to an apartment for help. Turns out it was his."

"Oh." Keef smiled. "I thought maybe we had a story." He giggled.

Gaz shoved him sideways. "Knock it off." She ordered. "Torque's straight, and so is Zim."

Zim shifted to his other foot. "Y-yeah."

"Liar." Gretchen accused.

"S-shut up." Zim muttered to their laughter.

"Are you lying?" Gaz questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I'm not, but…if people hear you, they might believe you."

A dark skinned boy, Dirge, rolled his eyes. "Who cares?" He asked.

"Well…yeah, I guess you have a point." Zim shrugged as the bell rang.

"Are you gonna be able to play baseball in gym today?" Keef asked. "We don't want you getting hurt worse playing."

"Oh, it's just baseball." Whatever that was. "How hard can it be?"

Dib yawned as his homeroom teacher spouted off information about the next school dance. He'd probably go with Sara…though the idea of showing up with Iz was a bit tempting. Dib chuckled. No one knew he was gay and Iz didn't know he went to school, or to where. Like that would ever happen. He'd have a better chance at getting Zim to go to the dance with him. Wait. Why did he think that? He didn't like Zim. Dib looked over at Zim, who was conversing and laughing with Keef and Gretchen in the back corner. There was no way he'd ever ask him out. Why even joke about that? Zim would probably tell Keef, then Keef would tell other people, and then rumors would start. If rumors started, he would trace them back to Keef, then back to Zim, and then Dib would hate him again. After what Torque had said about Zim getting jumped, and the things Torque had told him about his home-life, Dib could understand the whole lying bit. Zim had said that he and his mother had been going head to head about a few things since Zim was about thirteen. Things had gotten to the highest point when his mother grounded him for something that Zim wouldn't go into detail with. Zim had met this older girl and wanted to hang out with her before she had to go back to her military base, but he was grounded. She had shown up at his house and talked with his father. Thinking his father had checked it over with his mom, Zim had gone out. But his mom hadn't said it was okay. They got into a huge fight and he just left. Sometimes Dib and his father didn't get along, but Dib had never felt the need to leave. What had Zim done to get grounded in the first place? Must have been something huge if he hadn't been allowed to go out and spend time with someone who would soon be gone. The bell rang and Dib gathered his stuff.

"Are you sure Zim hadn't told you what he's in trouble for with his mom?" Rob asked Torque.

"No, he didn't say." Torque shook his head. "He just said it was no big deal."

"Must have been if his mom got mad at him for leaving the house." Dib said. "My dad would've let me stay out, if a friend was going away that soon after we met."

"I don't really believe him about an older girl, though." Torque said. "At the most, she was 17."

"Well, he didn't say how old, right?" Brian asked.

They all hushed as Zim and Keef left, Zim waving. Dib wiggled his fingers in response.

"No, he didn't." Torque responded, not seeming to have noticed Dib's slightly feminine greeting.

"So older could have been anything between 17 and…ancient." Rob snickered.

"18." Dib responded.

"18?"

"He said she was in the military, right?"

"True." Zita nodded. "My cousin wants to join, but he's a year too young; He's 17."

"So let's say she was 18."

"Kids! You'd better hurry along if you don't want to be late!" Their homeroom teacher informed.

Sara checked her watch. "We have two minutes!" She said.

They ran out of the room together.

000 END 000

Note: The scene with the warning involves a crime that is very serious in our country. Rape is a crime and a very serious event that men and women are subjected to each day. It should not be taken lightly.