Love is Weird But It Makes You Feel All Warm and Tingly Inside!
By: Kichara
Chapter 1- Rain Makes the Most –In-teresting Things Take Place
It Has Begun. *plays Mortal Kombat music* Helllllloooooo, peoples! This is Kichara, and I'll be writing this fanfic for you today, so just sit back and relax…Uh, okay, that was stupid, how about… FEAR ME! For I am Kichara, and I have …SPORKS!!! DON'T MAKE ME UUUUUUSE THEM!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, well whatever. I'm hyper. This here's my first IZ ficcy, so please read and review so that I may know what is going on in your demented heads as you read my even more demented work of art. It makes me feel joyous inside, like the white stuff in those yummy caramel candies that I do not know the name of. May da force be wit' you. ^^
Last period. Dib's eyes strayed to the clock again, silently cursing it. Why did the last period always seem to drag on forever? He was anxious to get home before it started raining, as the black clouds outside predicted.
*BOOM*
Dib jumped in his seat as a loud rumble of thunder, followed by a high crack, shook the room. //Damn.// The bell rang a few minutes after that and the eighteen year old slowly picked up his books, setting them into his back pack and slinging it over his shoulder with a gusty sigh as he looked outside at the torrential downpour there. He was not looking forward to walking home.
The high school senior ambled listlessly through the hallway full of high school students, talking, laughing, playfully shoving one another as plans were discussed for the weekend. //It was the weekend already?// He glanced down at his watch, and sure enough, it was Friday. //Strange how life passes you by when you don't have one.// He thought tiredly as he noticed, without even thinking about it, that no one was calling out to him. Finally reaching the front doors and stepping outside, he hurried down the steps through the rain, almost instantly getting soaked and cursing himself for not bringing an umbrella as he struggled to see through the rain that was clinging to his glasses.
The streets were nearly empty, with few cars and no pedestrians, and it only added to Dib's dreary mood, which the rain, of course, wasn't helping. As he reached Devi Street, he was grateful, in a tired way, that he was only about a block and a half from his place. "Hey, loser. What're you doing?"
//Oh shit.// Dib turned slightly to see four big guys standing in the alley next to him, arms crossed and looking quite happy to see him. //Too bad the feeling isn't mutual.// Trying not to let his voice shake, he simply answered, "Walking."
"Well, you don't look too happy to be walking. Why's that?" He grabbed the smaller boy and pulled him into the alley, which Dib quickly discovered was a dead end. Shit shit shit. In an attempt to keep calm and to hopefully get them distracted so that he could make it out of there in one piece, he replied, "Because it's raining."
"Well, that's too bad, but you've got bigger things to worry about than some water." The thug said, leering at him. Dib shrunk against the wall. "Have any money?"
His voice was low, scared. "No."
"Ah well, that's too bad. Guess we'll just have to beat you up then, huh?" He bared his yellowish teeth in a grin, laughing with the others mimicking him loudly.
//How degrading. Not only was he going to get beaten to a bloody pulp, but it was going to be by the three stooges rejects. Life's a bitch.//
One of the brutes stepped forward, grabbing a hold of his blue shirt, turned an almost black color by the rain, and picked him up with one fist, a feral grin on his face, as the others laughed and jeered. //Oh, shit. Shit Shit Shit.// As he waited for the inevitable blow, a sudden movement caught his brown eyes and the next thing he knew, the guy had dropped him and was hurtling backwards into the opposite alley wall. Dib dropped to the concrete floor painfully, but was in too much of shock to really notice as he looked up at the person standing in front of him. Tall, lean, and dressed all in black that matched his raven colored hair and looked good on his slick green skin. Zim.
The teenage alien scowled at the other three left standing, and they snarled at him, jumping at the boy almost as one being. Zim ducked, one gloved hand gripping the concrete floor and swung out his leg, hitting the one that'd first talked to Dib in the stomach with a combat boot in one clean motion, sending him to join his fallen companion on the floor. The remaining two seemed a little more than nervous now, backing up for a minute as he stood up and glared at them, unblinkingly. Then one decided to make a quick move, probably hoping to surprise the agile alien by bending over and charging like…livestock, Dib noticed in an offhand and slightly amused way. Zim was swift to jump up, easily avoiding the incoming foe and sending him to crash into the brick wall and knock himself out.
//One more to go.// Dib looked at the 'one' in question and noticed, as Zim neatly landed, that there was a long, silvery object clutched in his meaty fist. "Zim, look out!" Dib yelled from his place on the ground, terrified. Too late to avoid damage, but he was able to lean back and duck from the intended spot in his stomach. However, the blade still made contact, slashing across Zim's chest, ripping the shirt and causing thick blood to seep through. With a fierce snarl, he punched the thug across the jaw, breaking it on impact, and then quickly hit him in the back of the neck with a flat hand. The larger male fell to the ground, not moving.
Several seconds passed in complete silence, except for the rain, still pouring down, and then Zim turned to Dib, blue eyes boring into the other intently, who was still on the cold ground. "Are you in good health, human?"
Dib managed to push himself up and leaning against the wall, stand up. "Zim, I you…Thanks." A faint blush crept on his cheeks, feeling embarrassed at both his lack of words and the other's sharp stare. As the other stared, Dib faintly remembered a few years back, when Zim had created a sort of water repellent, happy to mock Dib at his accomplishment over the weakness. A little smirk tweaked his rival's mouth as he brushed back soaking bangs from his blue eyes.
"Huh. You humans are too weak to be any real challenge." He snorted, shrugging.
For a second, Dib thought the smirk transformed into a real smile, but then he blinked and it was the same. He shrugged his pack on his shoulders, sifting around the weight. "Uh, yeah, whatever. Um, are you alright? Your cut…"
Zim looked down at the gash, which was still bleeding. "It's nothing." He started to walk out of the alley, carefully avoiding one of the comatose bodies, and Dib was quick to follow, calling out for the alien to wait. He didn't, but he didn't go any faster, so it was easy to catch up with him, although Dib still had no idea what to say. Zim looked up at the dark sky for a moment as the other young man came up beside him, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his black jeans. He'd started dressing all in black about two and a half years ago, and Dib had to admit it looked good on him. Really good. Really, really good. //Christ, I should quit while I'm ahead.// Yeah, like it was anything new. He'd realized he definitely had a 'thing' for his nemesis about a year ago. And it sucked.
The green-skinned boy blinked, shaking his head as if to clear it. "Zim, are you sure you're okay?" Dib asked again, feeling a bit odd for asking, but was truly concerned, if not only for the other's health but for his odd mannerisms as well. For a second, it looked as if Zim were about to retort, to insult Dib like he always would (which probably would have put Dib at more ease anyway), but then he grimaced as if in pain, pulling his hands out of his pockets, one reaching up to rub irritably between his eyes. He swayed, then shook his head again. Then he collapsed. This was turning out to be a very weird day.
"Zim!!" Dib cried out in surprise as the other tumbled unceremoniously to the concrete, and he quickly knelt down by the other boy. "What's wrong, damnitt?!" No response, which was understandable, as he had passed out. Biting his lip, Dib gently lifted the alien, one arm hooked under his, and hefted him up, leaning the body weight of the other against him. //At least Zim wasn't too heavy,// Dib thought gratefully, even more thankful now that they were so close to his home. Trying to get a better hold on the boy, Dib wrapped one arm around his trim waist, the other around his shoulders, and began to walk.
'Home' was Dib's small apartment, which he'd moved into only about two months ago. He planned on continuing to live there through college. Not the greatest place in the world, but it fit his needs and the rent wasn't too high. Not to mention it was away from his family. Zim's head lolled around and Dib bit his lip, anxious, and looked up through the water covering his glass lenses to see the little brown apartment complex that he lived in. Five more minutes and he was there, shoving open the glass doors with his hip, and half stumbling into the empty lodge with it's multi- colored carpet. His apartment was on the first floor, thankfully, so he didn't have to bother with the elevator. He fumbled in his pocket, pulling out a couple of soggy keys on a ring, and flipped through them to find the right one, using it to turn the knob as he unlocked it.
The door let out a loud creak as he kicked it open, then again as he kicked it shut. Toeing off his sopping wet sneakers, which made squishing noises as they left his equally soaked socks, and carefully slipping one arm after the other out of his shoulder straps, he dumped his heavy bag next to them. Without the burden, he was able to get a better grip on his immobile companion, sliding him into his arms and carrying him through the small living room, up the stairs, and into the tiny bedroom. Dib carefully laid his rival down on the bed, then shook out his aching arms, which were sore from carrying the limp alien all the way from the street, and took off his glasses, wiping them with a T-shirt that was on the floor. He quickly pulled off his wet shirt, tossing it in the direction of the bathroom, then threw his pants and socks with it. He shivered, goose bumps rising on his bare skin but he ignored them for the moment, going to sit on the edge of his bed.
"Zim?" He asked, tentatively reaching out to wipe the soggy bangs from his forehead, and gasped at the feeling off the boy's burning forehead. "Christ, no wonder you passed out!" The skin was burning, almost unbearable to touch and Dib painfully bit his lip until it turned white, trying to figure out what to do. "All right. You're not going anywhere until you can do so, so you'd better get comfortable," he commanded, although it was more of him talking to himself, trying to figure out what to do, than to Zim. "Being all wet certainly isn't going to help." Blushing deeply, he grabbed at the bottom of the alien's tight black shirt, careful to avoid hitting the large gash on his chest as he pulled the material up. He undid the ties on the combat boots, and then, blush burning even more, he unbuttoned the tight jeans, praying silently that Zim was wearing underwear. He was, thank God, a pair of black boxers, which almost made Dib laugh at the thoroughness of Zim's outfit.
Grabbing the damp clothes, he went to the bathroom, where he hung them up, along with his own, and grabbed a couple of towels, hurrying back to the bed. Taking a second the swipe off the main water that was still on him, Dib then carefully wiped off the water that clung to the alien's smooth skin, noticing absentmindedly the toned muscles underneath. This done, he pulled the damp covers out from under Zim, tossing them in a corner and getting a spare comforter to cover him with. A spasmatic cough suddenly shook Zim's body and his eyes closed tightly, but he remained asleep.
//He's gotta be sick.// Dib realized as reached behind the alien's head to undo the elastic band that was securing his long, thin ponytail. He squeezed out the water in the hair, remembering with a faint smile when the other had taken Dib's challenge to have permanent hair.
"Bet you're afraid to do it!"
"Ha! I fear nothing, stupid humaaan! I'll show you!"
And then, sure enough, a couple of days later Dib had looked up from staring at his desk to see a smug Zim standing beside him, arms crossed with a smirk on his face. "I did it! So theeere!! I told you I wasn't afraid!!" he'd exclaimed, yanking on his now-permanent hair and blowing a raspberry at Dib, who'd found himself smiling slightly in amusement.
Dib smiled to himself, a laugh forming in his mind as he recalled the scene. He toweled off the thin strip of hair, then carefully did the same to the rest of Zim's spiky mess, where his two antennae, usually held back from view and buried in his hair, were sticking out. As he finished, his hand brushed against the other's burning forehead again. //I wonder if Earth medicine will have any effect on him?//
He went to go dampen two washcloths with cold water, and grabbing a small first aid kit from under the sink, he came back, gently laying one of the cloths on the other's fiery forehead. A sharp intake of breath startled Dib, and he looked down at Zim, whose deep blue eyes opened, looking straight at him, then blinked and sleepily slid halfway shut. "Dib?" He asked quietly, watching the other.
"Zim, what the hell happened? Are you okay?"
"I should not have been in the rain for so long. It certainly didn't help the fact that I was not already in good health." He blinked again, eyes sliding further shut when they opened. "Where am I?"
"In my apartment. You collapsed in the street, so I brought you here." Dib took the other wet washcloth and scrubbed softly around the deep gash on Zim's smooth chest, cleaning away the dried purple blood.
"Huh. I would have thought that you would have left me there." He sounded extremely tired, and there was no malice behind his words, as he watched Dib clean the wound. If anything, Dib thought he heard…a longing? //Yeah right! Wishful thinking!// He silently berated himself. //I'm trying too hard to find something that isn't there.//
"I couldn't have done that!" Dib protested, indignant. "That's awful! Especially after you beat up those guys before they turned me into meatloaf! Not to mention you got hurt because of it." He said, indicating the wound, which he had finished cleaning and was now rummaging through the first aid kit, pulling out some gauze. "C'mon, sit up."
The alien did so, wincing slightly, and Dib quickly wrapped the bandage around the laceration, going all the way around his back. "And am I not awful? Evil? Aren't we supposed to be mortal enemies?" There was a definite wistfullness in Zim's tone now, and Dib narrowed his eyes slightly at the other, beginning to wonder if Zim was delirious. He finished up with the gauze, holding the bandage closed with some medical tape. The young alien noticed he was finished and laid back down, careful not to move around the gauze. He looked down at the white material, seeming mesmerized by the almost blinding white fabric against his green skin.
"It…It all sort of seems pointless now." Dib realized aloud, discerning that it had been quite a while since Zim had done anything to offend Dib. They'd been pretty distant, as of late, actually.
"Then what would you say we are?" The words almost sounded like a command as Zim's eyes traveled upwards, focused on the ceiling, where he chose to end his line of vision, shutting his lids.
Dib was unsure of how to answer, until he uneasily answered, "Friends?" Nervous and not waiting for Zim to answer, he quickly added in almost one breath, "Um, Zim, can you take Earth medicine? You look pretty crappy. And I thought you had a water repellent; but you said that you shouldn't have been in the rain for so long. Did it stop working?"
Zim was quiet for a long moment, although his lips moved as they formed a silent word to himself, as Dib tilted his head to the side slightly, a little curious. Then he said aloud, "Yes, my body is able to take and process your Earth medicines, odd as they may sound. And I do have a water repellent, it's just unable to function for too long of a time under the steadiness of constant water. It replenishes itself easily, being something I've applied to my skin, it uses my body heat to do so. It's just unable to take too much water at once." His eyes opened once again and he tipped his head to look at Dib.
"Does that mean I should take this off?" Dib questioned, hand reaching out to touch the damp washcloth.
"No, it's only a little bit of water. It actually is comforting." He said nothing else, and neither did Dib, and Zim's eyes shut again. After a few minutes, his breathing slowed and became rhythmic, although raspy, and Dib left out a long breath. Acting as though he were a zombie, he took off the now-warm cloth from Zim's head, going to the bathroom to rinse it out, wring out the water and bring it back to lay on his 'friend's' brow.
He left the room then, leaving the door open, to go down into the small kitchen, where he grabbed a large bowl, a pitcher and some food. These in his arms, he went back up the stairs to lay them down on the nightstand, taking off the Anne Rice book he was reading and setting it down on the floor. He went to the bathroom and shuffled through the cabinet to find something for Zim, finally settling on some flu medicine. He set this down on the table as well and stood up straight, trying to figure out what to do now. The rain outside still poured down, banging noisily against the window, and reminding Dib suddenly that he was still cold.
//A warm shower sounds good.. I don't want to catch cold either.// With this thought, he headed into the bathroom, looking forward to the warm shower that would not only warm him, but help to clear his thoughts as well.
~*~*~*
Whew, well, how's that? I'm trying to keep them in character, please keep in mind that Zim IS sick, and therefore more likely to not bite off everything he's going to say. Hee hee. *evil grin* Which makes it all the more fun. I really fell in love with the idea of a Zim/Dib story and I have to give all the credit to my friend, advisor and she whom I worship, Raihne, for introducing me to it. Hopefully this story will inspire her to start on her own stories again. Anywayz, please tell me what you think. I love this story already, and I want to know what everyone else thinks of it! Peace out, organisms. Be warned of the sporks.
By: Kichara
Chapter 1- Rain Makes the Most –In-teresting Things Take Place
It Has Begun. *plays Mortal Kombat music* Helllllloooooo, peoples! This is Kichara, and I'll be writing this fanfic for you today, so just sit back and relax…Uh, okay, that was stupid, how about… FEAR ME! For I am Kichara, and I have …SPORKS!!! DON'T MAKE ME UUUUUUSE THEM!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, well whatever. I'm hyper. This here's my first IZ ficcy, so please read and review so that I may know what is going on in your demented heads as you read my even more demented work of art. It makes me feel joyous inside, like the white stuff in those yummy caramel candies that I do not know the name of. May da force be wit' you. ^^
Last period. Dib's eyes strayed to the clock again, silently cursing it. Why did the last period always seem to drag on forever? He was anxious to get home before it started raining, as the black clouds outside predicted.
*BOOM*
Dib jumped in his seat as a loud rumble of thunder, followed by a high crack, shook the room. //Damn.// The bell rang a few minutes after that and the eighteen year old slowly picked up his books, setting them into his back pack and slinging it over his shoulder with a gusty sigh as he looked outside at the torrential downpour there. He was not looking forward to walking home.
The high school senior ambled listlessly through the hallway full of high school students, talking, laughing, playfully shoving one another as plans were discussed for the weekend. //It was the weekend already?// He glanced down at his watch, and sure enough, it was Friday. //Strange how life passes you by when you don't have one.// He thought tiredly as he noticed, without even thinking about it, that no one was calling out to him. Finally reaching the front doors and stepping outside, he hurried down the steps through the rain, almost instantly getting soaked and cursing himself for not bringing an umbrella as he struggled to see through the rain that was clinging to his glasses.
The streets were nearly empty, with few cars and no pedestrians, and it only added to Dib's dreary mood, which the rain, of course, wasn't helping. As he reached Devi Street, he was grateful, in a tired way, that he was only about a block and a half from his place. "Hey, loser. What're you doing?"
//Oh shit.// Dib turned slightly to see four big guys standing in the alley next to him, arms crossed and looking quite happy to see him. //Too bad the feeling isn't mutual.// Trying not to let his voice shake, he simply answered, "Walking."
"Well, you don't look too happy to be walking. Why's that?" He grabbed the smaller boy and pulled him into the alley, which Dib quickly discovered was a dead end. Shit shit shit. In an attempt to keep calm and to hopefully get them distracted so that he could make it out of there in one piece, he replied, "Because it's raining."
"Well, that's too bad, but you've got bigger things to worry about than some water." The thug said, leering at him. Dib shrunk against the wall. "Have any money?"
His voice was low, scared. "No."
"Ah well, that's too bad. Guess we'll just have to beat you up then, huh?" He bared his yellowish teeth in a grin, laughing with the others mimicking him loudly.
//How degrading. Not only was he going to get beaten to a bloody pulp, but it was going to be by the three stooges rejects. Life's a bitch.//
One of the brutes stepped forward, grabbing a hold of his blue shirt, turned an almost black color by the rain, and picked him up with one fist, a feral grin on his face, as the others laughed and jeered. //Oh, shit. Shit Shit Shit.// As he waited for the inevitable blow, a sudden movement caught his brown eyes and the next thing he knew, the guy had dropped him and was hurtling backwards into the opposite alley wall. Dib dropped to the concrete floor painfully, but was in too much of shock to really notice as he looked up at the person standing in front of him. Tall, lean, and dressed all in black that matched his raven colored hair and looked good on his slick green skin. Zim.
The teenage alien scowled at the other three left standing, and they snarled at him, jumping at the boy almost as one being. Zim ducked, one gloved hand gripping the concrete floor and swung out his leg, hitting the one that'd first talked to Dib in the stomach with a combat boot in one clean motion, sending him to join his fallen companion on the floor. The remaining two seemed a little more than nervous now, backing up for a minute as he stood up and glared at them, unblinkingly. Then one decided to make a quick move, probably hoping to surprise the agile alien by bending over and charging like…livestock, Dib noticed in an offhand and slightly amused way. Zim was swift to jump up, easily avoiding the incoming foe and sending him to crash into the brick wall and knock himself out.
//One more to go.// Dib looked at the 'one' in question and noticed, as Zim neatly landed, that there was a long, silvery object clutched in his meaty fist. "Zim, look out!" Dib yelled from his place on the ground, terrified. Too late to avoid damage, but he was able to lean back and duck from the intended spot in his stomach. However, the blade still made contact, slashing across Zim's chest, ripping the shirt and causing thick blood to seep through. With a fierce snarl, he punched the thug across the jaw, breaking it on impact, and then quickly hit him in the back of the neck with a flat hand. The larger male fell to the ground, not moving.
Several seconds passed in complete silence, except for the rain, still pouring down, and then Zim turned to Dib, blue eyes boring into the other intently, who was still on the cold ground. "Are you in good health, human?"
Dib managed to push himself up and leaning against the wall, stand up. "Zim, I you…Thanks." A faint blush crept on his cheeks, feeling embarrassed at both his lack of words and the other's sharp stare. As the other stared, Dib faintly remembered a few years back, when Zim had created a sort of water repellent, happy to mock Dib at his accomplishment over the weakness. A little smirk tweaked his rival's mouth as he brushed back soaking bangs from his blue eyes.
"Huh. You humans are too weak to be any real challenge." He snorted, shrugging.
For a second, Dib thought the smirk transformed into a real smile, but then he blinked and it was the same. He shrugged his pack on his shoulders, sifting around the weight. "Uh, yeah, whatever. Um, are you alright? Your cut…"
Zim looked down at the gash, which was still bleeding. "It's nothing." He started to walk out of the alley, carefully avoiding one of the comatose bodies, and Dib was quick to follow, calling out for the alien to wait. He didn't, but he didn't go any faster, so it was easy to catch up with him, although Dib still had no idea what to say. Zim looked up at the dark sky for a moment as the other young man came up beside him, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his black jeans. He'd started dressing all in black about two and a half years ago, and Dib had to admit it looked good on him. Really good. Really, really good. //Christ, I should quit while I'm ahead.// Yeah, like it was anything new. He'd realized he definitely had a 'thing' for his nemesis about a year ago. And it sucked.
The green-skinned boy blinked, shaking his head as if to clear it. "Zim, are you sure you're okay?" Dib asked again, feeling a bit odd for asking, but was truly concerned, if not only for the other's health but for his odd mannerisms as well. For a second, it looked as if Zim were about to retort, to insult Dib like he always would (which probably would have put Dib at more ease anyway), but then he grimaced as if in pain, pulling his hands out of his pockets, one reaching up to rub irritably between his eyes. He swayed, then shook his head again. Then he collapsed. This was turning out to be a very weird day.
"Zim!!" Dib cried out in surprise as the other tumbled unceremoniously to the concrete, and he quickly knelt down by the other boy. "What's wrong, damnitt?!" No response, which was understandable, as he had passed out. Biting his lip, Dib gently lifted the alien, one arm hooked under his, and hefted him up, leaning the body weight of the other against him. //At least Zim wasn't too heavy,// Dib thought gratefully, even more thankful now that they were so close to his home. Trying to get a better hold on the boy, Dib wrapped one arm around his trim waist, the other around his shoulders, and began to walk.
'Home' was Dib's small apartment, which he'd moved into only about two months ago. He planned on continuing to live there through college. Not the greatest place in the world, but it fit his needs and the rent wasn't too high. Not to mention it was away from his family. Zim's head lolled around and Dib bit his lip, anxious, and looked up through the water covering his glass lenses to see the little brown apartment complex that he lived in. Five more minutes and he was there, shoving open the glass doors with his hip, and half stumbling into the empty lodge with it's multi- colored carpet. His apartment was on the first floor, thankfully, so he didn't have to bother with the elevator. He fumbled in his pocket, pulling out a couple of soggy keys on a ring, and flipped through them to find the right one, using it to turn the knob as he unlocked it.
The door let out a loud creak as he kicked it open, then again as he kicked it shut. Toeing off his sopping wet sneakers, which made squishing noises as they left his equally soaked socks, and carefully slipping one arm after the other out of his shoulder straps, he dumped his heavy bag next to them. Without the burden, he was able to get a better grip on his immobile companion, sliding him into his arms and carrying him through the small living room, up the stairs, and into the tiny bedroom. Dib carefully laid his rival down on the bed, then shook out his aching arms, which were sore from carrying the limp alien all the way from the street, and took off his glasses, wiping them with a T-shirt that was on the floor. He quickly pulled off his wet shirt, tossing it in the direction of the bathroom, then threw his pants and socks with it. He shivered, goose bumps rising on his bare skin but he ignored them for the moment, going to sit on the edge of his bed.
"Zim?" He asked, tentatively reaching out to wipe the soggy bangs from his forehead, and gasped at the feeling off the boy's burning forehead. "Christ, no wonder you passed out!" The skin was burning, almost unbearable to touch and Dib painfully bit his lip until it turned white, trying to figure out what to do. "All right. You're not going anywhere until you can do so, so you'd better get comfortable," he commanded, although it was more of him talking to himself, trying to figure out what to do, than to Zim. "Being all wet certainly isn't going to help." Blushing deeply, he grabbed at the bottom of the alien's tight black shirt, careful to avoid hitting the large gash on his chest as he pulled the material up. He undid the ties on the combat boots, and then, blush burning even more, he unbuttoned the tight jeans, praying silently that Zim was wearing underwear. He was, thank God, a pair of black boxers, which almost made Dib laugh at the thoroughness of Zim's outfit.
Grabbing the damp clothes, he went to the bathroom, where he hung them up, along with his own, and grabbed a couple of towels, hurrying back to the bed. Taking a second the swipe off the main water that was still on him, Dib then carefully wiped off the water that clung to the alien's smooth skin, noticing absentmindedly the toned muscles underneath. This done, he pulled the damp covers out from under Zim, tossing them in a corner and getting a spare comforter to cover him with. A spasmatic cough suddenly shook Zim's body and his eyes closed tightly, but he remained asleep.
//He's gotta be sick.// Dib realized as reached behind the alien's head to undo the elastic band that was securing his long, thin ponytail. He squeezed out the water in the hair, remembering with a faint smile when the other had taken Dib's challenge to have permanent hair.
"Bet you're afraid to do it!"
"Ha! I fear nothing, stupid humaaan! I'll show you!"
And then, sure enough, a couple of days later Dib had looked up from staring at his desk to see a smug Zim standing beside him, arms crossed with a smirk on his face. "I did it! So theeere!! I told you I wasn't afraid!!" he'd exclaimed, yanking on his now-permanent hair and blowing a raspberry at Dib, who'd found himself smiling slightly in amusement.
Dib smiled to himself, a laugh forming in his mind as he recalled the scene. He toweled off the thin strip of hair, then carefully did the same to the rest of Zim's spiky mess, where his two antennae, usually held back from view and buried in his hair, were sticking out. As he finished, his hand brushed against the other's burning forehead again. //I wonder if Earth medicine will have any effect on him?//
He went to go dampen two washcloths with cold water, and grabbing a small first aid kit from under the sink, he came back, gently laying one of the cloths on the other's fiery forehead. A sharp intake of breath startled Dib, and he looked down at Zim, whose deep blue eyes opened, looking straight at him, then blinked and sleepily slid halfway shut. "Dib?" He asked quietly, watching the other.
"Zim, what the hell happened? Are you okay?"
"I should not have been in the rain for so long. It certainly didn't help the fact that I was not already in good health." He blinked again, eyes sliding further shut when they opened. "Where am I?"
"In my apartment. You collapsed in the street, so I brought you here." Dib took the other wet washcloth and scrubbed softly around the deep gash on Zim's smooth chest, cleaning away the dried purple blood.
"Huh. I would have thought that you would have left me there." He sounded extremely tired, and there was no malice behind his words, as he watched Dib clean the wound. If anything, Dib thought he heard…a longing? //Yeah right! Wishful thinking!// He silently berated himself. //I'm trying too hard to find something that isn't there.//
"I couldn't have done that!" Dib protested, indignant. "That's awful! Especially after you beat up those guys before they turned me into meatloaf! Not to mention you got hurt because of it." He said, indicating the wound, which he had finished cleaning and was now rummaging through the first aid kit, pulling out some gauze. "C'mon, sit up."
The alien did so, wincing slightly, and Dib quickly wrapped the bandage around the laceration, going all the way around his back. "And am I not awful? Evil? Aren't we supposed to be mortal enemies?" There was a definite wistfullness in Zim's tone now, and Dib narrowed his eyes slightly at the other, beginning to wonder if Zim was delirious. He finished up with the gauze, holding the bandage closed with some medical tape. The young alien noticed he was finished and laid back down, careful not to move around the gauze. He looked down at the white material, seeming mesmerized by the almost blinding white fabric against his green skin.
"It…It all sort of seems pointless now." Dib realized aloud, discerning that it had been quite a while since Zim had done anything to offend Dib. They'd been pretty distant, as of late, actually.
"Then what would you say we are?" The words almost sounded like a command as Zim's eyes traveled upwards, focused on the ceiling, where he chose to end his line of vision, shutting his lids.
Dib was unsure of how to answer, until he uneasily answered, "Friends?" Nervous and not waiting for Zim to answer, he quickly added in almost one breath, "Um, Zim, can you take Earth medicine? You look pretty crappy. And I thought you had a water repellent; but you said that you shouldn't have been in the rain for so long. Did it stop working?"
Zim was quiet for a long moment, although his lips moved as they formed a silent word to himself, as Dib tilted his head to the side slightly, a little curious. Then he said aloud, "Yes, my body is able to take and process your Earth medicines, odd as they may sound. And I do have a water repellent, it's just unable to function for too long of a time under the steadiness of constant water. It replenishes itself easily, being something I've applied to my skin, it uses my body heat to do so. It's just unable to take too much water at once." His eyes opened once again and he tipped his head to look at Dib.
"Does that mean I should take this off?" Dib questioned, hand reaching out to touch the damp washcloth.
"No, it's only a little bit of water. It actually is comforting." He said nothing else, and neither did Dib, and Zim's eyes shut again. After a few minutes, his breathing slowed and became rhythmic, although raspy, and Dib left out a long breath. Acting as though he were a zombie, he took off the now-warm cloth from Zim's head, going to the bathroom to rinse it out, wring out the water and bring it back to lay on his 'friend's' brow.
He left the room then, leaving the door open, to go down into the small kitchen, where he grabbed a large bowl, a pitcher and some food. These in his arms, he went back up the stairs to lay them down on the nightstand, taking off the Anne Rice book he was reading and setting it down on the floor. He went to the bathroom and shuffled through the cabinet to find something for Zim, finally settling on some flu medicine. He set this down on the table as well and stood up straight, trying to figure out what to do now. The rain outside still poured down, banging noisily against the window, and reminding Dib suddenly that he was still cold.
//A warm shower sounds good.. I don't want to catch cold either.// With this thought, he headed into the bathroom, looking forward to the warm shower that would not only warm him, but help to clear his thoughts as well.
~*~*~*
Whew, well, how's that? I'm trying to keep them in character, please keep in mind that Zim IS sick, and therefore more likely to not bite off everything he's going to say. Hee hee. *evil grin* Which makes it all the more fun. I really fell in love with the idea of a Zim/Dib story and I have to give all the credit to my friend, advisor and she whom I worship, Raihne, for introducing me to it. Hopefully this story will inspire her to start on her own stories again. Anywayz, please tell me what you think. I love this story already, and I want to know what everyone else thinks of it! Peace out, organisms. Be warned of the sporks.