Chapter two, apparently. :) Hope its as pleasing as the first.
Disclaimer: Invader ZIM and all its characters belong to Jhonen Vasquez and Nickelodeon.
White steam coiled up around Dib's hand, his skin searing lightly with the concentrated heat. Just when it seemed unbearable, he tipped the kettle back up and set it on its plastic platform. One of those newer forms of boilers-- heat from an electrical coil at the center boiled the whole thing and all of its contents in less than sixty seconds. Tossing teaspoon after teaspoon of ingredients in, he finished up with a quick spill of cold milk into the ceramic cup, swirled the mixture with a spoon and carried it over to the round table-- another relic never plagued with the prospect of being replaced by something hi-tech and shiny.
Launching the cup across the table, foreign fingers unwound to catch the warm cup of coffee before it sailed off the end of the table-- luckily, nothing sloshed out.
" So how have you been, Dib? "
Infuriating. Deceitful.
" I heard you got a couple books published-- I'm so proud. "
Devious. Two-faced.
" I'm glad I found you so easily. Its great to see you again. "
Traitor.
" You've changed so much since I last saw-- "
" What do you want. "
Dwicky's previously charming expression-- a habit burned into his personality since college-- flinched at the sudden bite of the skinny boy's tone.
" Wha-- I.. well. Um.. "
Suddenly the words didn't come so easily. And the intense glare his companion was pinning him with wasn't helping either. He tried again, as he was trained to do.
" Dib, you'd never believe what I've seen-- "
" No, I probably wouldn't. After all, I'm only disillusioned and going through a phase. "
The former counselor stared up at the frail teenager, unaware of the surprise that had trickled into his face at Dib's unprecedented speech. This was by far the last thing he'd expected, this terrible turn in the odd little boy's normally bright and eager personality. Dwicky wasn't even sure if he had the right person-- this figure standing before him, this skeletal image of a boy, was it really the Dib he'd once traversed all over the city park with?
Dib glowered down at the man sitting in Gaz's usual place at the table, a burning antipathy zeroing in on the form. Uncontrolled, perceptible hatred seething from his every movement, every sound.
Why did you abandon me?
Why did you deceive me?
Why did you?
Why?
Questions came like rushing water, flooding Dib's head and drowning him in his boiling anger. He hadn't even bothered to sit down-- he wanted so badly to lunge at this man, to wrap his scrawny fingers around his throat and squeeze.
" D-.. Dib, I'm.. I don't know what to say. "
" Yeah, I'm sure you don't. "
" Everything you said-- all those things you believed in, they're true! " Dwicky grasped desperately, educated indefinitely in the art of nestling right into people's trust and comfort-- but not in the art of apologizing.
" You were right, Dib, and I believe you now-- "
" I bet you do. "
That knifelike glare hadn't subsided one bit, and if it weren't for Dwicky's ever supplemental naïveté, he would have trembled in fear for his life. Dib towered over him now, contrasting to when he last saw the boy. He was barely reaching a full three feet then, nearly up to Dwicky's knees. His head still didn't seem to quite fit his shoulders though..
" Why did you leave me? "
The question shattered Dwicky's wandering thoughts, and brought him back to that uncomfortable cornered feeling under Dib's hateful stare.
" Well-- Dib.. understand me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing.. "
" Oh yeah!? I could never have guessed! " That high-pitched shriek entered Dib's voice now, as it always did. An unfortunate carry-on from his pre-pubescent days. It had never seemed to fade away, and he would have blushed in embarrassment now if it weren't for the distracting vehemence of his rant.
" You completely betrayed me! Deluded me to the brim, then abandoned me with the only proof I ever truly obtained in my entire career!! "
Dwicky stared wide-eyed at Dib, the feeble body heaving with the effort of getting his point across in such a wild and unsophisticated manner. Utterly stripped of all possible responses, Dwicky simply sat there, pressed back against the back of the chair in a futile attempt to escape Dib's verbal rampage.
Amidst the tangible strain between the two, footsteps signaled the arrival of Gaz. Dib didn't move-- thus, neither did Dwicky. Gaz, on the other hand, stalked over to the refrigerator, jerked it open, and retrieved a can of soda. Shoving the door closed, Gaz turned to face the pair as she cracked open the can, the hiss of released pressure like a siren in the tense silence of the room. A couple sips and a glower later, Gaz walked from the room, calling out cynically as she went.
" You two are so weird. "
Twitching from his frozen position, Dib unclenched his aching hands to press them palms-in to the side of his head, eyes shutting tightly. That word-- would it never cease? Just before he was about to kick his chair over, the last voice he wanted to hear piped up with the worst possible thing to say at the moment.
" Dib? Uh-- maybe we could umm, go out for lunch sometime. You know, catch up some? "
Dib's eyes snapped open, and his hands fell from the side of his head. A dangerous calm settled over him, as he watched the older man cowering in the chair.
" No" The answer was curt, and followed by the swift movement of the speaker from the room. As Dwicky rose cautiously to peek around the corner of the room where Dib had exited, he observed the boy pulling the front door open wide; cold, resentful eyes resting ultimately on Dwicky's childish own. The hint clearly taken, Dwicky resisted the urge to scamper and forced a composed pace into his stride.
Pausing on the doorstep, Dwicky turned, index finger raised to literally make a point, only to be met face-first with the deafening slam. As if in consolation, a gentle wash of cool air cascaded over him, ruffling the unruly black hair covering his head.
As he stared at the cracked wood of the door, a couple chips of ancient paint floated down in front of him, and his eyes followed them down, down, until they rested on the tops of his shoes. With the paint chips, went a shimmer of hope that Dib would accept him as generously as he had the first time.