Author's Note: Apparently I'm a better writer than I thought, because I've only had good reviews for this one. I thought an OC-driven fic would drive people nuts and I would be buried in flames and hate mail. Looks like it's the other way around.
This is just a collection of drabbles, since I've seen that done and it actually creates a nice time-skip effect. Still, the quality(hopefully) will not decrease because they're little drabbles. I will continue to be snooty with my grammar and syntax.
And, uh... HOLY CRAP! Two updates in the same month? Who am I and what have I done to myself? Be grateful, you filthy wormbabies!
Invader Zim belongs to Viacom and Jhonen Vasquez; I am neither.
Flames will be put out, but constructive criticism and happy reviews are welcome.
=== LINE BREAK OF DOOM ===
Summer~~~
Heat I can deal with. Hell, I was born and raised in New Mexico! Apparently, though, heatwaves aren't all that common here in No-Man-Land. People are just as sweaty as they are stupid because they don't know how to cool down. So everyone I know smells like a sweatshop.
Dib talked me into sneaking into Zim's house again. The appeal this time is that we're taking water guns. According to Dib, Zim's skin is too senstive for it or some such nonsense. I've never heard of someone being allergic to water of all things, but Dib seems pretty convinced, so I humored him and agreed to shoot Zim in the face with some water.
Now we're trudging under the hot summer sun in the middle of the day down Zim's street. Dib's face is red with heat, and I'm sure mine is, too. Only he didn't take off that stupid trench coat of his. Worse, it's black so he must be hotter than he would be if he took the thing off. I'm wearing my blue hoodie still, but only because I'm wearing a black shirt underneath and I don't want to have to deal with the extra warmth.
I look at the water rifle in my hands. Its tank is filled to the brim with cool water. I hear it slosh around in there with every step I take. I want to open it and pour it all over my sweating self.
Instead, I put my finger on the trigger and squirt Dib with it. "Ah! Hey!" he exclaims, shielding his face with his arm. The water lands on his shirt. For a moment he scowls at me, but then his lips twitch up into a sly smirk and he squirts me in retaliation.
I revel in the cold water spraying me through my jacket. Laughing, I spray him again. He dodges it half-heartedly; he's enjoying the cool as much as I am.
It turns into a game. We chase each other around the street, spraying our water guns and soaking each other. At one point, Dib trips and he falls to the asphalt, his gun flying out of his hand. I pick it up before he does and spray him with both his and my own gun. He snatches the guns out of my hands and returns the favor.
We don't stop until we run out of water. "Aw man!" I groan when my gun won't squirt anymore.
"Well, I guess we'd better go back and fill up again," Dib sighed, pouting at the empty tank of his gun.
We return to his house, but we never make it back to Zim's.
"So, how was the reunion?"
I shrug, basking in the cool evening air. I had returned from my annual family reunion the day before, after being gone all week. It was heavenly to go back to New Mexico and see my family- my real family. My grandmother and Aunt Jessie Lou and Uncle Gary-Richard and all my cousins. Nothing like the smell of mesquite wood burning in a barbeque.
Now I'm back here, in this hell-hole. My grandma had offered to let me move in with her, move back to New Mexico, but I had refused. Of course I couldn't leave my baby sister to be corrupted by those brats she has to call siblings!
"It was okay, I guess. My cousin Angela has a little baby boy now. His name is Matthew," I murmur. "And John-Michael got his license back, so he came."
"Why did he lose it?" Dib asks. He hands me the binoculars and I peer up at the moon with them.
"His girlfriend was smoking pot in his car and they went through a check-point," I explain. "I'm kinda glad he dumped her. I didn't like the twat much."
"You sound like you're close to your cousins," Dib says quietly. I look at him, and there's something in his eyes I can't describe.
"Yeah, we're pretty close. I mean, I wouldn't go straight to them if I, say, ran away from home," I say.
"Who would you go to?"
"Why are you so interested?"
Dib frowns at me. He hates it when I answer his questions with a question. I roll my eyes and humor him. "Either you and Gaz, or Grandma. Depends on who's closer, distance-wise. Seriously, though, why do you care?"
"I just wondered. I don't see my extended family much. My grandparents barely know Gaz and I exist," Dib explains.
"That must suck. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't call Grandma," I say. I stare at him, and for the first time, I feel like someone has life worse off than I do.
I stand next to Gaz, tapping my foot impatiently. This is more of a crowd than a line, and I hate crowds. I hate lines, too, but I'd rather be right behind one person than surrounded on all sides. Call me paranoid. I just like my elbow room.
I'm glad that Dib's show was a re-run. If he hadn't realized it, we might still be at his house while he watched Mysterious Mysteries. What does he see in that show? None of the 'cases' are really mysterious.
"Next!" the teller yells. Gaz and I approach the counter.
"Two Game Slave 3's," Gaz says curtly.
The teenaged cashier gives us a braced grin and hands us two boxes. "There ya go! Two Game Slave 3's! You're pretty lucky, too; those are the last ones!"
The crowd behind us groans. Gaz and I each give a triumphant little smirk as we walk away with our new gaming systems.
"You don't have any good horror movies?" I ask incriminatingly. Dib gives a small pouty face.
"Well, I'm not exactly into that sort of thing," he says.
"Still, what's a good movie night without something to scare the crazy outta you?" I stress. "Doesn't your sister have something we could borrow?"
"You go ask her, if you're so desperate. I don't go within five feet of her bedroom door," Dib says, crossing his arms stubbornly. I roll my eyes and sigh.
"You're such a wimp," I groan, marching up the staircase.
The bright flashes light up the night sky for only an instant at a time. I giggle as one particularly large firework goes off, making the cannon-like sound that I can feel vibrating in my gut. Those are my favorite.
Colors dance across the sky. I look at Dib. I can see the multi-colored embers reflecting in his glasses, and his face is lit up momentarily before the glow recedes.
Little golden swirling fireworks soar into the sky, leaving a spiral trail of smoke in the air. Those were my mother's favorite.
I droop a bit at the thought of her, but I'm jolted back as another cannon firework goes off, painting the sky with neon green light.
"You filthy stinkworm!"
Zim pulls on my ponytail, and I yank out of his grip. "Don't touch me, jackass!" I snap.
"You were PLOTTING with the Dib-worm, WEREN'T YOU?" Zim screeches. I wince at the loud noise.
Actually, Dib and I have stopped talking about Zim. I think he either fights the alien alone, or he's just not interested in him anymore. Maybe he's seen to reason...?
"WEREN'T YOU?" Zim screams once more.
"No!" I shout back. "We don't talk about someone as insignificant as you!"
I whip around before Zim has a chance to realize what I just said and walk away, unfazed by his hollering at me.
Autumn~~~
At least the Skool isn't as stuffy as it was at the end of last year. The food is still garbage and Bitters' rants are still depressing as all hell, though.
My first day of a new year at the Skool is about the same as my first day of Skool. Dib and I are in the same class, as well as Zim, but this time I choose to sit next to Dib. Someone sneers something about us, but a quick glare from Bitters shuts everyone up. For once, I'm glad. I have enough issues with my step-sisters taunting me about Dib.
The chilly breeze settles over the pumpkin patch and I smile a bit at the orange and yellow trees. Orange is a rare color in New Mexico, even during the fall. Sure, gold is a pretty color, but one does get bored with a single color every year. One of the few things I don't like about home.
I had wanted to argue with my step-mom when she suggested taking me, Dib, and Gaz to the pumpkin patch with the kids, but it would mean I'd be with Raemi and Dib and Gaz all at the same time, so I bit my tongue and piled in the van when I was told to. Now I'm standing in the autumn chill, staring out at all the pumpkins that lay before us.
Dib walks with Raemi and I as we scour the rows for pumpkins. I'd like to think that Raemi's warmed up to Dib. She certainly seems alright with holding his hand when we're walking in public places.
She runs ahead a few feet and picks up a pumpkin. It's small but perfectly round and a smooth shade of orange. "Lookit, Tia! It's just my size!" she says, trotting up to me. I laugh and take it gently from her hands.
"Yep, Raemi-sized, just for your convience, baby girl," I smile at her. Raemi beams back at me.
"I wanna show Mama!" she declares. I give it back to her and she runs to my parents to show them her little pumpkin. I grin warmly in her direction.
"She's kinda cute," Dib comments next to me.
"Yeah, she is," I agree absently.
I laugh at Dib's costume. It looks like he took some advice from his sister- or something from her closet. But then, I never thought of Gaz as someone to cosplay.
"Really? Vampire Piggy Slayer?" I ask, almost not believing this.
"What? It was the only thing I could come up with that wasn't dumb!" Dib defends. He gestures to my black outfit. "What are you, anyway? A ninja?"
"That's for dorks and Bruce Lee fanatics," I say, rolling my eyes. I grab my mask. The paint looks to be dry now. I slip it on. "I'm the Blue Spirit!"
"The who?"
"The Blue Spirit. From Avatar."
"Oh. You mean the guy you pair that water girl with?"
"Katara? Yes." I mentally scold myself for not finishing my Blutara picture. I try to justify that I've been too busy trying to replicate the Blue Spirit's mask.
"Wait, I thought she was with that fire prince guy," Dib says as we walk down the stairs. "So, wouldn't that mean she's cheating on him?"
"No. Zuko is the Blue Spirit," I sigh. Don't blame him; he's never watched the show! I remind myself.
One more thing on my to-do list: get Dib to watch Avatar.
Brown leaves fly around as I try to rake them into a single pile. The wind blows them away again, and I growl in irritation. Since when did I have to rake the leaves? Just because tomorrow is Thanksgiving doesn't mean the backyard has to be spotless. Besides, who are we inviting to dinner?
Dinner. I shudder at the thought of my stepmother cooking a turkey. I hope my dad takes over the cooking this year- maybe he learned from last year's disaster.
"Hey, Tia!" my step-brother calls from the porch. "Your boyfriend's here!"
I glare at him for his tease, and he shrinks away, cackling madly. I put the rake down and walk inside to greet Dib.
"Sup, dude?" I say to Dib with a slight smirk.
Dib shrugs. "I wanted to ask something," he says.
"Well, no one's stopping you," I chuckle.
"Could Gaz and I come over for Thanksgiving tomorrow? Dad's gonna be gone, and, well... I'm kinda tired of mkaing dinner myself," Dib explains.
I blink. He's never asked me this before. In fact, he's never stated that he had any problems with his father being gone all the time. With a pang in my chest I think of how lonely it must get for them over there. I had never thought about it before. It always seems so busy over there, despite it being only two people most of the time. Dib and Gaz are always doing thinbgs with me, playing video games and such.
This humbling idea in mind, I nod. "Sure. The more the merrier, right?"
Winter~~~
"Snow!"
I tumble out the door in excitement. I haven't seen snow in over two years. The closest thing to it was a little dusting last year, but it wasn't enough to play in.
Here, the snow rises to my knees. I shiver, both eagerly and with the cold. I rush inside and grab my coat before sprinting out again. I run down the street to Dib's house, ignoring my step siblings' calls and laughter.
He runs into me halfway there.
We bump into each other, and he falls on top of me, pinning me to the cold white fluff on the ground. I feel my cheeks heat up despite the chilly air and I push him off me as he apologizes and brushes himself off.
Dib slides across the ice with ease. "C'mon, Tia!" he calls.
I look at my brand-new iceskates on my feet. They're white with black and violet stripes, matching my sneakers. I force myself up in a standing position and wobble a bit. I've never worn iceskates before. I've never gone iceskating, either. Such things are practically unheard of in New Mexico.
One look of desperation brings Dib back to me. "Here, I'll help you," he says with an overdramatic sigh, extending his hand out to me. I take it and, shaking slightly, step out onto the ice. His hand is so warm from being in his pocket. It feels nice against my cold fingers.
He skates off, still holding my hand, and thus I slide along with him. He takes it slow for me, but it's still enough to make my heart race. I watch his feet, the way he pushes off the ice, and try to copy him.
I get a rhythm going and soon I'm side-by-side with Dib. He smiles at me and lets go of my hand.
My safety net is gone, and suddenly I'm unsure. My knees tremble and I see the end of the frozen pond. How do I turn around? How do I stop? I try digging my toe into the ice, but that trips me and I fall forward onto the hard, slick surface.
I hear Dib laughing as I pick myself up and rub the pain from my hands. Since it's ice, I didn't get cut up, but my wrists still felt the impact of my weight crashing onto a hard surface. I quiver and try to keep my balance on these stupid skates. There's nothing to hold onto, though. I take a step forward and the blade of my skate slides against the smooth ice.
I scream, caught off guard by the slip, and almost fall again. Dib catches me, wraps his arms around my waist to keep me up. "Be careful!" he scolds partially.
I'm inclined to frown at him, chide him for chiding me, but I don't. I'm too distracted by his warmth as he holds me against his chest. His hot breath tickles my ear as he pants slightly. He's never been this close to me voluntarily.
Fighting my blush, I pull away from Dib and shakily scoot my way back to the bank.
Iceskating isn't my thing, I decide.
There's a knock on the door. I let my dad answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hi. Is Tia home?"
I flinch slightly in guilt. I should have known it was Dib.
"Yeah, she's in her room. What's that?"
"Just something I got her for Christmas."
"Really? Well, we've already opened all our presents. Lemme see that real quick." I chuckle silently as I imagine my dad inspecting the present. "Alright, it looks safe. Go ahead and give it to her."
"Thanks."
A short moment later, Dib's knocking on my door. " 'S open," I call.
Dib walks in, holding a small package in his hands. It's wrapped in white paper and tied with shiny purple ribbon. "Hey. Got you something," he says with a smile.
"Coolsies," I mutter. He hands me the present. I take it reluctantly, feeling horrible that I didn't think to get him a gift. I never thought much of Christmas; it's just an excuse to buy people something they don't need, if you ask me.
I rip the paper and ribbons off and guffaw at the gift. It's Pokemon Black and White 2. I've been wanting to play this since it came out, but I haven't had the money. I beam at Dib, not believing that he had listened to my gaming rants.
I want to say thank you, but the words won't leave my mouth. So I throw my arms around Dib's neck in a tight hug instead.
To my surprise and secret delight, he hugs me back.
Gaz and I grin evilly to each other and throw our snowballs at the green alien just feet from us. Zim takes a step forward from the impact and whips around, fake blue eyes livid.
"YOU DISGUSTING WORMBABIES DARE TO CHALLENGE ZIM?" he screams at us. We laugh and run off without answering, ignoring him vowing vengence on us or some such nonsense.
Dib shivers as I put the hot mug in his hands. "W-w-what's th-this?" he stammers through chattering teeth.
"Hot cocoa, the way my mom used to make it. To thaw you out," I say, sipping my own hot drink. He tentatively sips the drink, and raises his eyebrows in surprise.
"It's g-good," he manages to say.
"Of course it is! My mom's a genius cook," I gloat for her. Well, it's not really gloating if the person you're talking about is dead, is it?
Spring~~~
The trees have little bits of green on them and the air is warmer. I might be able to go for walks again now that it's not so cold.
I sit on Dib's couch as watch the rain pour down outside. It's a nice little drizzle, enough hopefully to water the newly blooming flowers in my neighbor's flowerbed.
"You sure you don't wanna stay for dinner or something?" Dib asks. "It doesn't look like it's gonna stop anytime soon."
"Oh, I'll be fine, Dib," I scoff. Dib gives me a concerned and disbelieving look. I roll my eyes. "Please, as if getting a little wet will make me sick."
"I just don't want your parents getting on your case about not taking care of yourself again," Dib says.
"I will be fine," I repeat, slower. "Besides, I like walking in the rain."
A knock at the door. I don't feel well enough to listen to the conversation. I just bury my face in my pillow and try to ignore the churning feeling in my stomach telling me to upchuck again.
Once again, as the rest of the world recovers from its winter sniffles and colds, I get stuck with a stomach bug. I always seem to get sick around this time of year. Usually it's only for a day or two, but for those two days my parents pretty much baby me and make the kids leave me alone.
My door creaks open slowly and I hear Dib ask, "Tia? Are you awake?" I don't respond, and he must think I'm sleeping. I hear footsteps and something heavy clunks onto my nightstand. "See you later," Dib mumbles. He walks away and closes my door behind him.
I turn over and blearily gaze in exhausted shock at the bouquet of flowers on my nightstand, with a card sticking up that says 'Get Well Soon'.
As much as I hate crowds, I have to remind myself that I'm doing this for my mom.
I signed up for the 'Fight Breast Cancer' walk in the nearby city. I used to do it every year in New Mexico, in memory of my mother. I wasn't entirely surprised when I saw that they had one here as well- breast cancer is such a big thing these days.
Dib and Gaz agreed to come with me, but they won't be wearing the customary pink shirts. Gaz claims she doesn't have one and Dib refuses to wear pink under any condition. I, of course, am not a huge fan of pink either, but in honor of such a good cause I will. I even have my shirt from my third walk, and it still fits.
I greet the siblings at the starting line in the park. They stare at me in amazement. "What?" I ask.
"It's weird seeing you in pink," Gaz explains, shaking her head slightly in disbelief.
Dib's cheek tinge and he clears his throat. "It, uh, looks good on you," he compliments nervously.
My face warms and I give a small smile. "Um, thanks."
"... But I didn't mean to raise the dead. It was an accident!" Dib continued.
"Right, Dib," I say humoringly. A buzz flies by my ear, and I shriek. Please, God, don't let it be a bee...
"What are you screaming about? It's just a wasp," Dib interjects.
"A wasp? That's worse!" I scream. It swerves around in the air, and I can see it more clearly now. Yes, it is a wasp, ominously curved stinger and all.
"What's the matter?"
"I'm allergic to wasp venom!"
"Just leave it alone. It won't sting you if you don't give it a reason to."
"Knowing my luck, it's probably a tempermental one."
Dib rolls his eyes and I duck behind him. The wasp buzzed off over a wall. "There. See? It flew away."
"Yeah, but it'll be back," I retort. "Let's go home before it changes its mind."
I can feel Dib amused annoyance as we walk quickly down the street. It's not my fault I'm afraid of bugs.
I hand Dib the package I'd been hiding from him. "What's this?" he asks.
"Gaz told me your birthday was today. I figured you probably don't get a lot of attention, and plus I never got you a Christmas present," I explain.
"You didn't have to-"
"I know. I wanted to."
Dib smiles at me and tears open the blue wrappings. "No way!" He lifts the disc set out of the torn paper. "The complete first season of Ancient Aliens?"
I had recently gotten him watching shows other than Mysterious Mysteries, like Ghost Adventures and Ancient Aliens. Since he hasn't seen the whole series yet like I have, I thought maybe he would like to watch it at his leisure.
"Thanks!" he says, grinning widely. I return the smile.
"Happy Birthday, Dib."
=== LINE BREAK OF DOOM ===
Done! Finally! Lord of all, that was long!
That's a good year taken off the time line.
So, a nice long chapter full of drabbles to keep you people satisfied for a few day/weeks/months. I hope you don't mind the little sentence at the beginning of spring. It sounded so epic in my head, but I had no storyline to go with it.
I don't think I'm gonna write again in this for a little while, unless I come up with else. Who knows, maybe I'll have some more lame Zutara drabbles waiting for you guys at the end of the school year.
Oh, and thank you Invader Rose Tyler for your reviews and anyone else who's following me but too lazy to respond.