By animeninjaNIPPON

The next day, Zim tried as hard as he could to carry out his evil plans of doom, but it was useless without his data disk. He spied Dib's trench coat lying limp in a corner. Maybe he could set up a barter…

Meanwhile, Dib had just gotten dressed (sans coat, of course) and was going into the kitchen to eat breakfast. He grabbed a box of cereal just as Gaz entered the room. "That stupid Zim is at the door," she informed him, then left as quickly as she came.

Dib sighed as he put down the cereal and entered the living room. Sure enough, Zim was waiting at the open door with his hands behind his back.

"What do you want, Zim?" Dib asked, as if he didn't already know.

"I'll trade you this – " Zim held up the trench coat " – for my data disk."

"No deal." Dib slammed the door in Zim's face. Zim knocked at the door, and Dib reopened it to meet with a laser gun.

"I TRIED to be nice. I TRIED to reason with you, but NOOO…"

"Zim, do you honestly think I'm afraid of that thing?" Knowing his enemy, Dib was sure that the gun was no real threat.

"You ASKED for it!" Zim pulled the trigger, squirting a harmless green slime all over Dib's face. Dib went into the kitchen to clean himself off, and Zim went in after him. Dib took off his glasses and began wiping them off with a towel.

"Why do you wear those things?" Zim pointed to Dib's glasses.

"So I can see," Dib replied flatly.

"Can't you see without them?"

"Vaguely." Dib wiped off his face and put his glasses back on. "Why do you care?"

"I DON'T!"

"I'm busy today, Zim. Go away." Dib retreated to his room. When he got there, he spread out across his bed and opened up his laptop computer. He checked his email, then pulled out Zim's ever-so-important data disk. He was just about to put it into his computer when he was tackled by Zim, who knocked the laptop and the disk off the side of the bed.

"AHAHAha…" Zim nuzzled Dib like a kitten against… catnip.

"ZIM! Cut that out!" Dib ordered, going pink.

"I…can't…HELP it!" He giggled maniacally. "What're you…DOING to me?"

Dib was annoyed, but becoming increasingly titillated. "You could control yourself if you really wanted to…"

"Says YOU, human!"

Dib sighed. "Fine. If you're going to do this, you'll have to come with me everywhere I go."

End of part nine