I'm glad you guys, (or at least some of you) are still enjoying this, as the last chapter or two have felt like a lot of filler without much plot advancement to me. It should pick up soon though, but it you want your daily serving of plot now, may I suggest checking out some of my other fanfics to those who haven't already? I write a lot, and have plenty to offer, and will continue to cough up my lovely, sometimes downright strange story ideas, for as long as I can. ;)
For now, all I sakis that you leave a review! Tell me what you liked or didn't, and offer any insight, ideas, or constructive criticism you may have for me. Half of my job in the art of writing is to evolve my skills, and that usually works better and faster with the help of others. Thank you~!
~•~
"Dib-human?"
"Yes Zim?"
"Taking the bus was your idea, not mine, correct?"
"Yeah, that's right."
Zim nodded in a 'that's what I thought' sort of way.
"It was a stupid idea. Zim does not like buses."
Dib just sighed.
The large, noisy, packed vehicle bumped its way along the roads, pausing far too often as it got caught in thick traffic. Outside it had drizzled slightly once, then stopped for a while now. The sky continued to get darker and Zim was restless at the prospect that the worst was yet to come.
There were all sort of unsavory passengers seated around them, and Zim felt sure that they were all watching him, and eyeing up his newest possessions. He hugged his bag of new shiny things tighter, and scooted just slightly closer to Dib. If anyone tried to steal 'them', or even TOUCH 'them'; referring to both the jewelry and the Dib-monkey; they'd get a spider-leg through the gut.
When they'd been sitting at the bus stop, and Dib had asked Zim what exactly he planned on using all the jewelry, beads, etc. on, he had so intelligently responded, "SOMETHING AMAZING!"
The truth was he didn't have a clue. He was just fascinated by all the strange little... things. He'd never seen anything like precious metals, shaped glass, or such intricately carved wood before in all his one hundred and fifty or so earth years worth of life. Irkens simply didn't have art. It intrigued him beyond any normal level. He liked how the light glittered off them. He liked the colors, and appreciated the thought put into the designs. It was an almost instinct level attraction. Were he to pay more attention to his own thought patterns, he probably would have chided himself for allowing such primitive impulses to take over.
As things were however...
Heck, he'd probably just find a way to wear all of it- all at once, all over himself, just super-glue it all to his clothes or something. It would make him feel more powerful, established, and attractive. Yeah. Or something. Cause he was Zim. Lord of... Fabulous... Amazing...-ness. Yeah.
The invader stared out the window for another long portion of time until he grew irritated. This was taking too long. It was getting dark out from clouds. It was going to rain soon, and they weren't even going strait to his base! Which meant that by the time they were on route 'home', the sky would already be dropping water on them like it got some sick pleasure out of getting people wet. Zim was sure it laughed at him every time he ran home smoking and sizzling... Or at least... If the atmosphere COULD laugh at him he was certain it would be. Stupid sadistic atmosphere. Curse it.
Since Zim had wanted Dib to stay at his lair overnight, the human had to go to HIS house first and fetch some things. That was why they weren't going strait to Zim's base and why they were going to wind up caught in the storm.
Stupid, needy human. As if Zim's supplies weren't good enough for Dib- WHO WAS INFERIOR BY THE WAY! Scowling, Zim fidgeted in his seat for the third time in a single minute.
The irken shifted and growled.
Ahh well. Couldn't be helped. He wasn't sure why he felt that way but...
Maybe it was this... What did humans call it? Depression? That sounded right. Maybe that was what was making him just a little less himself. Less aggressive, not nesecarily rolling with the punches, but definitely going with the flow, letting life's current pull him half-way to wherever it wanted before finally putting a foot down in his usual self-centered behaviorisms.
He really hoped Dib had a nice big umbrella. He could always steal a rain coat from the earthling but... Something about umbrellas, and the idea of Dib holding one for both of them, like a good little slave-monkey, made his chest warm strangely.
"How much longer until we reach the stop-thing?"
"Uhh, I don't really know this area. From how long we've already been going though, - no wait, what's...Is that... Yup! Haha! What do you know? Here we are!"
Dib smiled and Zim made a pleased noise before flinching at the screaming bus brakes. His antenna felt pinched and he reached up to hold his hair-piece down tighter over them, trying to block out the noise.
Noticing the reaction with concern, his smile dropping like a stone, Dib felt that guilty pull when he moved to offer comfort, then remembered he couldn't. It was an awful feeling.
Not being able to touch wasn't working out for Dib. To put it more accurately, he was mentally pulling his hair out trying to hold down his desire to hug and cuddle up against Zim at every opportunity, like when they sat beside each other like this. It was difficult. He was starved for attention and contact. It was a base-instinct-life-impacting desire. He couldn't even find any memories of gentle touch within his mind. He couldn't even guess what it might be like. And from Zim...
Was the alien as warm as a human? What did he smell like? What would the texture of his skin and clothes be?
Dib looked away and swallowed thickly.
Once the bus had stopped completely, Dib got up and made space for Zim to do the same, as the irken had taken a window seat and was now trapped in place by the larger being.
Leaping out the open bus doors, right after *his* earthling, Zim flinched yet again at another distant rumble of thunder, and then the noisy bus as it started up again. Those screeching tires-brakes-engine-noises or whatever it was, was simply vomit-inducingly wretched.
Zim flinched, then shook his fist and loudly snarled something not to be repeated at the bus driver, who didn't seem to notice.
It was going to rain, and the alien's feelers were already aching from the sounds and smells in that transportation vehicle. At times like these he just wanted to take a rocket launcher and a few grenades and just go to town- wait, where were they going again? Right, Dib's house. A block or two away. Let the walking begin!
Running to cut in front of Dib and be the leader, Zim grinned back at the boy victoriously, before involuntarily reverting to his stuff legged march he'd used so often after first coming to earth.
Fondly, Dib smiled, and tried not to laugh. The sugar from the cake and coffee, not to mention the caffeine, and the warmth in his stomach against the now cooler air, had put him in a great mood. And Zim... Zim was just wonderful... His presence made Dib happy.
Thunder rumbled again and the invader jumped, forsaking his dignified march in exchange for panicked squeaking and running all the way to the Membrane residence.
Dib was caught between laughing or complaining, and instead kept quiet. Loyally, he ran after Zim.
~•~
Slamming open the door to his new 'mate's' house, Zim threw his hands in the air with his favorite proclamation of; "I AM ZIIIIM!"
Dib giggled softly as he walked around Zim, shivering under the assault of the air conditioner, turned way up to combat the earlier heat wave. Dib was heading for the stairs up to his room.
"This'll only take a minute."
Having been looking around the entrance room with his hands on his hips, and considering turning on the television, Zim snapped his head around to look at Dib.
"IT BETTER! Zim does not wish to be covered in the liquids your atmosphere leaks! So hurry human! Chop chop or whatever your species says."
Oh, right! The umbrella! Zim's face reflected that sudden remembered idea, and he scampered off to go look for one as Dib laughed at him softly again, trying to hide it while hurrying up the stairs.
Call him a xenophiliac, but Zim was adorable...
As he departed from the irken to be more on his own again, Dib couldn't help the wide smile spreading across his face again, and the warm, fuzzy, HAPPY feeling spreading out from his heart; or was that just some weird new ache in his breastbone? Zim. Zim. Zim. Zim said yes. They were together. He'd been accepted by someone. He'd been accepted by the ultimate, otherworldly creature he'd obsessed over and fallen in love with.
Zim had accepted him! Him! Dib! The boy who was kicked all over the school and belittled and made fun of. Zim accepted him. He never really believed this could happen no matter how badly he wanted it- BUT IT HAD. Oh, sweet, sweet joy...
In the doorway of his bedroom, Dib was stopped by a sudden voice.
"Where have you been?"
Oh yeah, Gaz. He never told her any of his plans, had he?
"I've been with Zim," He answered as he turned around to look at her, perhaps a little too happily, trying to calm down over his former inner monologue of happiness, so his random heavenly attitude wouldn't make her think anything overly weird had happened to him. Gaz raised an eyebrow, easily noticing the remnants of his twitchy, ecstatic smile. Awkwardly, Dib scratched the back of his neck.
"Uhm, yeah, so, I'm going over to his place now, I'll be back later, or some time tomorrow."
Gaz raised her eyebrows even more and crossed her arms.
"You're planning on staying at your enemy's base, overnight? And what, SLEEP there? That's like, a whole new kind of stupid. What the hell is WRONG with you?!"
Frowning, his smile killed, Dib looked away nervously and fidgeted.
"I-I don't know, it's not like... I don't think he'd hurt me in my sleep... Anymore... he's been really nice... And *sincere*..."
"And you honestly don't think he'd easily fake both of those and use you for whatever he wants?"
"... N-no, I mean..."
"You know he'd have no trouble with that, you just don't wanna believe it."
Dib paused. Gaz did sort of have a point that he hadn't dared to think about, despite it's importance.
"... No. I really don't want to believe that, and I know it's true that he *could* be faking everything to just use me, but, he's been... I REALLY think he-"
"If you're going to rely on what you think, you better think hard. Hard enough to get past any delusions. Look Dib, I kidded with you this morning but in reality, I don't like this."
"You don't have to like it, it's my life."
Dib looked back over with a light hurt expression that was quickly changing to anger. Gaz glared back.
"It may very well be your life, but I don't want to get stuck picking up the pieces. I'm not saying I'll do anything against you being with Zim and all, I just want you to be CAREFUL, okay?"
Both expressions slowly softened, and Dib nodded.
"I will," He responded quietly. "Don't worry."
"Of course I'm worrying a little." Gaz huffed.
"You're my brother. An annoying, stupid one often, but still. You're basically the only family I can say I have. Our dad's practically inexistant, and you do all the shopping and most of the chores. I'm not interested in doing either of those so don't get crippled or anything."
Dib smiled.
"I'll do what I can."
"Good, and if Zim really is being 'nice' then just don't traumatize him with hormonal teenager desires."
Dib glared back at her, starting to blush embarrassedly, as Gaz walked back down the hall to her own room.
~•~
"You take too long human! Zim has been waiting! And it is going to rain!"
"I-I know, sorry."
Dib apologized to the irken laying sprawled out boredly yet self-importantly on a couch, as the human thumped hurriedly and not-gracefully downstairs, a backpack strapped over one shoulder.
"Gaz wanted to talk to me about something. We can go now though. Do you want to borrow a rain coat?"
Standing up stiffly, Zim dusted himself off, muttering a reply of "Yes, I will take one of your primitive coats, and you shall carry THIS for me. I AM ZIM!"
The alien thrust out the umbrella he'd been holding, grinning at Dib and waiting expectantly for him to take it from his clawed hand, which the earthling did.
"Alright."
He was more then sure Zim could carry that umbrella himself, but hey, he could play gentleman. He just wanted to get Zim to like and approve of him.
He'd do whatever it took.
...
Gaz was right, he was going to be taken advantage of, wasn't he?
Hmm, which would he rather have? His dignity? Or Zim?
The irken flashed him a predator's smile as they walked to the door, sharp, white alien teeth gleaming dangerously.
Somehow the shivers Dib got helped him decide that question, going in the direction opposite from the one expected.
Zim.
Pffsh. As if he'd ever had any dignity he could have chosen over Zim. His self image was long shattered. Dignity? No thanks. He'd rather grovel at the feet of his enemy begging for hugs.
"I-I'll Uhm, get the raincoats out of the closet."
~•~
Stepping out through the door, Dib opened the umbrella as soon as there was space to do so. It wasn't really raining yet, but he thought he saw a drop, and then another somewhere else, and was that another over there? Oop! Yep! One just got him in the face. Dib shook his head reflexively and held up the umbrella. It would be best to be safe. Not to mention Zim was looking all around with twitchy paranoia.
"Here you go."
Dib held the umbrella out with a smile, so Zim could either shelter under it, or take it himself. The invader chose to just stand under it, hugging himself from nerves at the rain and a chilly breeze, leaving Dib to hold it for him. The earthling re-shouldered his backpack and sighed. His hands were full and his backpack was kind of heavy. Could he hold out the umbrella like he currently was for the entire walk without his arm getting really sore, tired, and shaky?
Consideringly, Dib looked at Zim, who was now wearing a much too big, bright yellow rain coat, the hood drooping into his face so he had to bat it cutely out of his line of vision every thirty seconds. The edges came down several inches past the alien's hands for the sleeves, and at his knees for the bottom of the coat in general.
Dib found himself smiling and blushing again as the first few rain drops began to hit the umbrella in succession.
For Zim, of course he could carry an umbrella out for a while.
He wondered if his arm would mind though.
~•~
Zim's house wasn't much of a walk away, but the storm came in fast.
The rain was pouring down on the large umbrella so thickly that there was practically a thin, broken curtain of water pouring off it.
However Dib couldn't bring himself to care; because when faced with either getting wet or getting close enough to be touching Dib, Zim had pressed right up against him and after several minutes of that, had gotten comfortable enough to cling to his earthling's arm.
Which was a big deal.
They'd already established clearly that Zim had a problem with being touched, or touching, but apparently he had less of a problem when he was the initiator. Either way, Dib was just exstatic to have some friendly physical contact. He was smiling widely, as they walked up to the door of the color-raped house, the earthling looking around twitching as the gnomes followed him with their eyes. Horrible little robotic monstrosities. He had permanent burn marks in embarrassing places thanks to them and their lazors.
So, that was how grumpy, territorial irkens said 'get off ma lawn annoyin kiddies!' Facinating.
They stopped at the door, and Dib looked down at Zim to see him just staring ahead thoughtfully.
"So... The Dib does WANT to stay with Zim for a while yes? Zim is not forcing you after all."
The irken's shoulders hunched ever so slightly. Only someone as observant as Dib could ever have caught it. The human felt a sense of worry pass into him from Zim.
"Yes, of course, why not?"
Zim drew in a deep breath, as he reached up and turned the knob, opening the door.
"It's just that there's a very slight possibility you're going to get involved in a lot more then you might have expected... Never mind. L-let's get out of this cursed wateryness."
With a wordless nod, Dib followed Zim inside.