(A/N) I blame… life. 'orz I'M SO SORRY. qAq I promise I'll get the next chapter up soon- good news is, I've got the rest of the fic entirely mapped out! Rough drafts and everything! So no more delays, I promise!
That being said, this chapter was… interesting to write. No two parts, it seems, were written at the same time, so I had to play seamstress and sew them all together. Not necessarily my favorite method of writing, but some things just work out that way.
Bombshell in this chapter. For those of you clever enough to catch it. ;)
One more thing- the "...lesson [Dib] had once been forced to take…" is a reference to my old oneshot "Follow the Leader?" ;3 I had a lot of fun revisiting it.
That said, I got a very interesting review last time that was unsigned, and I was really quite depressed that I couldn't reply to it. So heads up, I'm gonna include a "reply" in my ending (A/N) of this chapter. So as not to bore everyone who isn't that unsigned reviewer up here in the beginning… if you all haven't already just skipped this paragraph. GUEST, READ IT AND RESPOND TO MEEEEE. :U
On that note, a thousand thanks to ghst (I couldn't reply to you, but I thank you for the compliment and I swear, upon my honor, that this fic will be finished!), pacifistlove, blackywinks66, Guest, HalfBlackWolfDemon, prettykitty473, Flameear, Kyouningyou, and Hazzybat! QuQ Seriously, you guys have no idea how happy your reviews make me.
What was left of Skool passed in a haze for poor Dib; all he could think about was when he would go home, face his father, and try to explain away Miz's inexcusable behavior. He tried to avoid the new boy as much as possible, ignoring his jovial chatting and somewhat underhanded teasing. But Dib had lost track of him by the end of the day, and so was quite suitably shocked when the new boy leaped out from the bushes, tackling him about a mile from his house.
"What th-?!" Dib didn't even have time to shout before a sack was thrown over his head and he was dragged disorientingly backwards. He squealed as thorns scraped him, aware only of the rustle of bushes all around them. When at last he had recovered enough to struggle, Miz had him totally off-balance and dizzy, so his thrashing was quite useless.
After some undefined amount of time, the bag was removed with a flourish, and Dib found himself- head spinning, stomach churning -in a part of town he had absolutely no knowledge of. He had driven through it upon occasion, of course, but it was far outside the area he was familiar with. Miz looked satisfied as Dib rounded on him, both knowing full well that Professor Membrane's son was quite thoroughly lost, stranded and at the mercy of his friend.
"..."
"Now you need not face an unpleasant homecoming!" Miz announced proudly, looking genuinely pleased with himself. "You were not looking forward to going back and confronting your parental unit, no?"
"Now it'll just be worse!" Dib burst out, throwing up his hands. "Miz, if I'm not home on time it'll be worse, so much worse!"
"Nonsense!" Miz scoffed, waving one hand. "Humans have notoriously short memories, and I am sure your parental until will soon forget about you-"
"No he won't, Miz!" Dib insisted, his voice rising in a distressed wail. "He never forgets anything! I know that better than anyone! He'll... he'll think that I'm... that I'm..." ... that I'm just begging to be sent back... there...
Miz's smile faded as he saw the boy began to tremble, looking genuinely close to tears or a full blown panic attack, or perhaps both. Moving forward, he pushed his face into Dib's, but it wasn't an aggressive action; more tender and questioning, like a feline might.
"Miz is sorry if he has caused you trouble, Diblet."
Dib laughed softly, even as a few tears slipped down his cheeks. "Oh god, Miz..." he choked out, and then laughed again. "Dad can't... he can't make me suffer like this...! I've always… who the hell...?"
"We will go back, if you wish," Miz murmured, rubbing his cheek along Dib's. "I will come and take full responsibility before your father, if it will make this thing better."
But, to both of their surprises, Dib laughed harder and shook his head. "No... no, screw this. I'm not going anywhere! I don't need Dad's approval to live my life!" Then he backed up, smiling despite the tears still rolling down his cheeks. "I'm not gonna live in fear of him! Screw that, Miz! I want to be with you, so I'm gonna be with you!"
Miz's face brightened, his grin stretching and stretching until it seems it would tear his face in half. Then, laughing joyously, he surged forward and picked his friend up, surprisingly strong as he swept the other boy up into his arms and then spun, bridal style. Dib squeaked with shock but laughed as well, all too willing to cling to Miz's neck, placing complete trust in the boy he had met not even a week before.
"Where shall we go, my Diblet? Where shall be our escape from this world?"
"Anywhere! Miz, just take me anywhere!"
... ... ...
The two boys were still breathless by sundown, hardly a care in the world. The day was a haze of nothing but each other's company, and Dib felt as though a weight had been lifted off his heart itself. When the first raindrops fell from the cloud-dappled sky, Miz squawked with surprise, grabbing Dib and bundling them both into a small coffee shop.
The buzz of warm conversation enveloped them both as night fell outside, Dib cradling a black hazelnut coffee in both hands while Miz sipped casually on a concoction of mocha and caramel that was more dessert than drink. They didn't speak as they watched the rain fall outside, but Miz's hand did sneak across the table to rest lightly over Dib's and, after a moment of hesitation, Professor Membrane's son allowed it to remain. He had to admit that the contact of skin on skin was very comforting- it assured him that he was making the right decision; that Miz was real, and not simply another figment of his sick imagination.
Together they rose; not by any verbal communication, but by unspoken consensus, and walked out into the chilled, wet world. They stood for a long time outside that little cafe, gazing out from beneath the awning, and were both content to simply breathe in the crisp air and hold one another's hand. Dib was caught off guard, then, finding his companion's violet eyes a few inches from his. Touching the other boy's cheek softly with his free hand, Miz smiled- yes, it was the same sort of teasing, sadistic expression he was inclined towards, but it also dripped fondness, as obviously as the coffee shop awning was dripping rain. Dib stared back, opened-mouthed; unsure.
Laughing, Miz tightened his grip on his companion's hand and darted out into the street, carrying the startled boy with him. Spinning, the new boy spread his arms as the rain struck him- he laughed, pulling Dib halfway into an embrace and then shoving him playfully away. It was only a moment or two before the object of his teasing responded, beginning to chuckle and mimicking the strange dance that Miz had started- draw close, then push away. The rain had soon soaked them both to the skin, but neither seemed to care.
"Hey Miz!" Dib shouted, kicking at a puddle and sending a miniature wave crashing over his companion. Playfully outraged, Miz snarled and gave chase; Dib shrieked with delight as he was caught and wrestled into an embrace-turned-choke-hold, laughing as his breath was stolen by more than one thing.
He had, however, managed to run a few feet before he had been caught, leaving the two of them on a small side street and in front of an equally small club- a club which sent colorful lights and musical notes splashing out into the rain-drenched street. Miz herded the other boy towards it authoritatively and, as soon as they were inside the door, the music enveloped both weary, soaked boys. Dib felt himself begin to move unconsciously- the sway of the hips, the tap of the foot, remembering a lesson he had once been forced to take.
Miz recognized it instantly, grinning and offering his hand. For a moment Dib hesitated, and then put his hand tentatively into his companion's. As soon as permission was granted him, the new boy assumed a possessive posture, drawing his partner into a semi-formal position, automatically assuming the lead. Already the friction of skin-on-skin was starting to dry them, and neither particularly cared to go back out into the rain.
"Relax," Miz purred, feeling Dib stiffen with nerves and discomfort. Slowly the lead ran his hand up and down before settling firmly into the small of his follow's back, rocking him gently. "Come, dance with Miz."
As soon as the dazed boy given some mutter that might have been interpreted as affirmative, Miz swept him up; carried him away in a colorful series of complex turns and the such. Dib squeaked, but it was inaudible among the music, Miz having taken complete control of their movements. He wasn't especially gentle, though he wasn't violent- Dib had to struggle to keep up but, at the same time, had no power over his own body- that belonged to Miz alone.
Turning out and then in again, the strange boy led his partner across the floor in a series of increasingly untamable yet controlled maneuvers. They came perilously close to other dancers time and again; Dib knew that he had no capacity to avoid an impact, and yet Miz whisked them away each time. The follow was short of breath, desperately dizzy and exhilarated, with no choice but to trust that Miz would guide him; it was rare for the lead to release his follow's hand, but he did occasionally fling him out and into a free spin. During those times Dib could only trust that his partner would catch him- and he always did.
The new boy flipped his partner around in one last dizzying spin before pulling him close, so close that their breath mingled. His semi-formal position dissolved instantly, leaving them so that he held Dib tenderly and erotically all at once, cradling the flustered boy to his chest and keeping the rhythm alive in both their bodies.
"Miz... where'd you learn to...?" Dib asked breathily, still trying to quell his trembling.
"Do not question these things," Miz murmured into his partner's warm neck, hardly flustered. "Know simply that I do know."
"I... had forgotten..." Dib pulled up short, realizing that he had been about to admit how much he loved being led- and that no one had done so since... He swallowed hard, forcing that from his mind. Another shift in his lead's posture, though, made such thoughts impossible.
Moving in even closer, Miz nipped playfully at his ear; the boy bristled but couldn't move away, trapped by the crush of people all around them. The next thing he knew, though, his companion's lips were pressed to his, hard and commanding.
"M-Miz...!" he began to object desperately, but his muffled words soon became a moan as the new boy's oddly dexterous tongue slid into his mouth, coaxing his own out and toying with it delightfully.
Before Dib could even adjust his back hit a wall, Miz fixed in front of him with one hand pressed to his chest and the other to the wall, trapping him. The new boy's head cocked further to the left, deepening the kiss and forcing the last wisp of air from Dib's lungs. Professor Membrane's son moaned, drawing in a shuddering breath around his companion's tongue, but suddenly it wasn't Miz kissing him- it was someone else altogether, kissing him just as violently, just as possessively, just as euphorically.
"Zim!"
Miz drew back, licking his lips and grinning widely. "What is it, Diblet?"
But Dib was gasping loudly, his eyes wide with trauma and tinted with tears. "No! No, I can't do this! Miz, I can't do this!"
The new boy's face fell. "Dib?"
"I can't do this!" Dib choked again, one hand clapping over his mouth as the first sob emerged. "Miz, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I just can't, it's too much!"
"... You... cried out 'Zim,'" Miz said tentatively, then cleared his throat. "What does that mean, Dib?"
"I can't talk about it!" Dib wailed over the music, but found his shoulder seized authoritatively- violently.
"Who is this Zim?" his companion demanded. "Tell Miz! You will tell Miz immediately who this Zim is!"
Flinching, Dib choked out in a weak, trembling voice, "My imaginary friend..."
Miz drew back as though stung, but didn't release the boy; then his grip tightened, making the subject of his interrogation whimper with pain. "'Your imaginary friend?' What is the meaning of these words?"
Dib twisted in an attempt to get free, but soon gave up. Letting his head hang, he also let the words tumble from his lips. "When I was in second grade, I imagined that an alien joined our class- an alien bent on taking over the world. His name was Zim, and he wasn't real."
"'Wasn't real?'" Miz echoed, leaning forward.
"Wasn't real," Dib sighed. "I made him up- made him so real that... that he was real, to me. I wasn't... I wasn't all there, if you know what I mean. I... I spent three years in an insane asylum because... because of Zim."
Miz's expression softened with sadness. "And they convinced you that this... 'Zim' wasn't real?"
Dib nodded. "Yes- they showed me that he wasn't real. And I've been trying hard to forget him... I really have, but...!" Choking, he hid his face as best he could; tried to conceal the tears leaking from his eyes. To his eternal surprise, he felt himself pulled into an embrace- pulled into Miz's arms and pressed to the strange boy's chest.
"Miz understands, my Dib."
"He was my only friend!" Dib wailed. "My only purpose, the only thing that made my life worth living! The only thing that kept me going when Dad would bash my love of the paranormal! And then to find out he wasn't real? To find out that all of it wasn't real?! It tore me apart!" His voice dropped abruptly, and he spoke with sudden conviction. "But it was better to find out then to go on pretending- better to know the truth than waste my life on a lie."
Miz bent his head; pressed his forehead to the other's. "But... you loved this Zim, yes?"
Dib laughed breathlessly. "Yes. I mean, of course I loved him, more than anything. But he wasn't real."
"Why then do you not allow yourself to love what is real?" the new boy asked, drawing back and gazing into Dib's eyes. "Are you afraid that Miz is not real as well? That I will vanish again?"
Dib laughed again, weakly. "You remind me of him too much, Miz. It's all too much, even the way you kiss."
"Well, Miz is Miz," the new boy huffed. "I will not become something I am not."
"..." After a tearful moment, Dib began to laugh, knotting his hands in the other boy's shirt. "God, Miz... you sound so much like him... like... as if you were trying to..."
Miz purred softly, laughing too. "Perhaps I am here to pick up where Zim left off, did the Dib-human ever think of that?"
Leaning in, Dib pressed his lips to Miz's, startling the other boy and effectively answering his question. It took the new boy a moment, but then he grinned and returned the affections, leaning in and letting his tongue slide back into the boy's inviting mouth. After a moment, though, Miz drew back, lifting the other's chin gently and forcing their eyes to meet.
"Such dedication to your Zim is admirable, Diblet."
Dib laughed softly- bitterly. "You must be joking. Dedication? To a figment of my imagination?"
And Miz replied, "Yes. Most heroic."
Dib blushed, startled and embarrassed by the praise. "H-Heroic..."
"Yes, my Diblet," Miz crooned, kissing him sweetly once; twice. "And you have never forgotten this Zim, hmm? Never. I was afraid."
Dib shivered, turning his head up obediently as the new boy trailed kisses along his jawline. "'A... fraid...?'" he asked shakily, uncertainly.
"If you had forgotten Zim, how could I be certain you would not one day forget Tallest Miz?"
Dib's breath caught at the word, a chill racing up his spine and radiating out to his fingertips and toes. "'Tallest...' Miz...?"
Miz nodded thoughtlessly, continuing down the boy's neck for a moment before straightening, making a show of coming up to his full height. "Has the Dib not noticed? Miz is taller than you."
Dib scoffed, drawing his hand between their foreheads. "Maybe by half a centimeter, you jerk- if that. What difference does that make?"
"It makes all the difference in my culture," Miz sniffed crossly, leaning in until the other's back hit the wall. "And it means that Miz has dominance over the Dib."
Dib laughed, though secretly he was unnerved by the other boy's power-play. "You remind me of Zim," he said with a chuckle," too much for my sanity's sake, Miz."
Instead of answering, Miz leaned in and nuzzled him, seeming as though he was starving for the taste and scent of the boy. And he didn't speak again, burrowing his head into Dib's neck and kissing; nipping. The boy stiffened and squeaked; giggled as his face was tickled by the other's hair.
"M-Miz...!" he laughed, squirming and trying to get free, but Miz was having none of it; his thin arms were surprisingly strong, and Dib couldn't break his grip. But at the next kiss on his collarbone he moaned, unintentionally giving in. Miz chuckled with triumph, lavishing the boy under him with attention.
Eventually, however, the new boy drew back, taking Dib's hand and drawing Professor Membrane's son away. "Come, Dib-thing; your parental unit will worry."
Too dazed to reply, Dib simply nodded and followed, climbing into Miz's car at his command. The trip home was a blur of reckless driving and exhaustion- how had he not noticed he was so tired? By the time they pulled up in front of the Membrane residence, Miz had to coax him from the car and help him up his driveway, murmuring, "I forget how weak humans are."
"But you're human, Miz," Dib murmured sleepily, then yawned. "I fell for a human this time, right?"
And Miz sighed, leaving him at his door and turning his face away, gazing back down the sidewalk. "Yes, Dib-thing. I am a perfectly normal human worm baby."
(A/N) Excuse my while my heart breaks for poor Miz. /3
… Anybody noticed that the happier Dib is, the sadder it gets for Miz? I have. I swear I didn't mean to write it that way, ohgosh… ;n; (I did. I'm sorry, but I totally did. ;^;)
Please review! If you do, I'll give you a hint as to what's to come! And it only gets better from here on in… ;3
NOW! Addressed to that previously mentioned unsigned reviewer:
Thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying the fic! :'D I have quite a soft spot for him, too- he simply must make an appearance in most of my fics. x'3
Interesting theories you've got going on there! I wanna write that. The idea about Miz and Dib playing as kids. Either you need to write it or let me. GAAHH. *A* 'Cause that's not what's going on here, haha. Gaz is a very interesting point- I'm glad someone's picking up on that. It will be dealt with (partially, at least) in the next chapter, actually, so stay tuned. ;) I was really worried that people would see her as an oversight on my part, but I have something very interesting in mind… I'm looking forward to everyone's reactions. ^^ And yes, I meant for there to be a bunch of confusing evidence- I'm sorry (no, I'm really not, haha). x'D
I think that the Prof. really does care… in a weird way. :/ I can honestly see him neglecting Dib, but the abuse never really fit with his character in my head…
Anyway, thank you so much for the review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, will enjoy the next, and so on! =^^=