A/N: I give major credit to El Juno for the idea. YAY El Juno!
Like Father, Like Son
Dib sat alone on his rooftop. He wasn't bothering to listen for alien life this time. He had found it, and it was probably going to kill him.
It was late. Really late. But then Dib hardly slept more than a few hours a night. He'd had insomnia ever since he could remember. His father hadn't noticed and just as long as he didn't go into Gazs' room she wasn't bothered by it.
The wind blew a little and ruffled his trench coat. He took another drink of the thick cherry syrup that had once been a Cherry Brain Freezy.
In one hand he held the Freezy, in the other he held a small and ragged stuffed bunny.
He looked down at the old brown toy that had gotten him through a lot of his childhood. "Well Oscar, another day of thwarting Zim, another day of getting beaten up by lawn gnomes." He sighed. "Stupid gnomes."
Oscar didn't reply. Not really.
Dib used to hear Oscar talk all the time. Then something happened and he quit talking so much. Of course that something had been a massive dose of electricity when his father had him test some invention or other. Now he only heard little whispers or ideas from Oscar.
Of course Dib was a smart kid. He had read a lot of books, some of which were on Psychiatry. After reading enough to fry anyone else's brain he figured that the 'voice' of Oscar was just himself trying to get subconscious ideas out.
Well, he was half right.
"No, I don't really care what Zims' blood looks like." He paused. "Well, actually, that would be interesting to see."
He shook his head.
No. It was a bad idea to go down that trail of thought.
He finished off the last of the melted Freezy and set the cup down. A gust of wind picked up and carried it over the rooftop.
"Of course." Dib muttered. He stuffed Oscar in a coat pocket and crawled to the edge of the roof. "Where did it go?" He asked no one in particular.
He finally spotted the ghostly white shape of the cup stuck in scraggly bush.
He hurried to the drainpipe and slide down it like he always did. Wondering if someone had shut the window again like two years ago. He had smashed straight through the window receiving a scar on his right shoulder and the memory of a broken wrist.
He landed in the sink with no problem. They rarely had dirty dishes in the sink, or dirty dishes for that matter. His family rarely ate in the house. His father usually had dinner in his lab and Gaz would just grab something microwaveable and in a disposable container.
Dib jumped out of the sink and headed to the door.
After a bit of searching outside he relocated the paper cup and crunched it in his hand.
He went quietly back into the house and threw the cup away. The whole place was dark but his eyes had adjusted to it a long time ago.
He walked up the stairs silently having learned where to put his feet on the steps so he made no sound. He made his way to his room and flicked on the light. He sat on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
Ah the life of a sever insomniac.
At one time he had considered asking his dad to get him some help. But his father never really paid attention to him in the first place. And it wasn't like he could ask his mother. She was 'away'.
He knew that 'away' meant she was in an asylum. She hadn't been well after Dib was born. The doctors Dib had heard his father talk to had said that the second hormonal imbalance caused by Gaz had thrown her over the edge.
Dib pulled Oscar out of his coat pocket and set the worn brown bunny on his chest. He lay there staring deep into his little button eyes. After what felt like forever his eyes started to droop.
'Seven'
His eyes blinked open slowly.
"Stop talking to me." He muttered trying to recapture the decent into sleep. "You don't do that anymore."
'Z?'
That time it was an image. That happened sometimes too.
"Oscar stop it." He said a bit angrily. He took Oscar off his chest and tossed him over the edge of the bed.
He finally fell asleep even with the lights on.
Like Father, Like Son
Dib sat alone on his rooftop. He wasn't bothering to listen for alien life this time. He had found it, and it was probably going to kill him.
It was late. Really late. But then Dib hardly slept more than a few hours a night. He'd had insomnia ever since he could remember. His father hadn't noticed and just as long as he didn't go into Gazs' room she wasn't bothered by it.
The wind blew a little and ruffled his trench coat. He took another drink of the thick cherry syrup that had once been a Cherry Brain Freezy.
In one hand he held the Freezy, in the other he held a small and ragged stuffed bunny.
He looked down at the old brown toy that had gotten him through a lot of his childhood. "Well Oscar, another day of thwarting Zim, another day of getting beaten up by lawn gnomes." He sighed. "Stupid gnomes."
Oscar didn't reply. Not really.
Dib used to hear Oscar talk all the time. Then something happened and he quit talking so much. Of course that something had been a massive dose of electricity when his father had him test some invention or other. Now he only heard little whispers or ideas from Oscar.
Of course Dib was a smart kid. He had read a lot of books, some of which were on Psychiatry. After reading enough to fry anyone else's brain he figured that the 'voice' of Oscar was just himself trying to get subconscious ideas out.
Well, he was half right.
"No, I don't really care what Zims' blood looks like." He paused. "Well, actually, that would be interesting to see."
He shook his head.
No. It was a bad idea to go down that trail of thought.
He finished off the last of the melted Freezy and set the cup down. A gust of wind picked up and carried it over the rooftop.
"Of course." Dib muttered. He stuffed Oscar in a coat pocket and crawled to the edge of the roof. "Where did it go?" He asked no one in particular.
He finally spotted the ghostly white shape of the cup stuck in scraggly bush.
He hurried to the drainpipe and slide down it like he always did. Wondering if someone had shut the window again like two years ago. He had smashed straight through the window receiving a scar on his right shoulder and the memory of a broken wrist.
He landed in the sink with no problem. They rarely had dirty dishes in the sink, or dirty dishes for that matter. His family rarely ate in the house. His father usually had dinner in his lab and Gaz would just grab something microwaveable and in a disposable container.
Dib jumped out of the sink and headed to the door.
After a bit of searching outside he relocated the paper cup and crunched it in his hand.
He went quietly back into the house and threw the cup away. The whole place was dark but his eyes had adjusted to it a long time ago.
He walked up the stairs silently having learned where to put his feet on the steps so he made no sound. He made his way to his room and flicked on the light. He sat on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
Ah the life of a sever insomniac.
At one time he had considered asking his dad to get him some help. But his father never really paid attention to him in the first place. And it wasn't like he could ask his mother. She was 'away'.
He knew that 'away' meant she was in an asylum. She hadn't been well after Dib was born. The doctors Dib had heard his father talk to had said that the second hormonal imbalance caused by Gaz had thrown her over the edge.
Dib pulled Oscar out of his coat pocket and set the worn brown bunny on his chest. He lay there staring deep into his little button eyes. After what felt like forever his eyes started to droop.
'Seven'
His eyes blinked open slowly.
"Stop talking to me." He muttered trying to recapture the decent into sleep. "You don't do that anymore."
'Z?'
That time it was an image. That happened sometimes too.
"Oscar stop it." He said a bit angrily. He took Oscar off his chest and tossed him over the edge of the bed.
He finally fell asleep even with the lights on.