Haiiiii ! ! I am beyond excited to share this update because it's one of my favorite chapters so far ! ! Even though it's one of the shortest spots lol This is a flashback chapter ^_^ ! ! It is told from Zim's perspective . Just for some context , it is a flashback from the summer after freshman year of high school so it's a few years ago . The chapter title comes from the song " Let Me Be With You " by Chobits which is one of my favorite songs ever ! ! I listened to it the whole time I wrote this chapter ! ! I think this chapter really captures the way their relationship first started evolving into something different O_O . As always , thank you so very much for checking out my story ! ! Reviews are super appreciated ! ! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I do ! ! ^_^
Let Me Be With You
I'm here. Digital Design and Creativity Camp. I look down at the flyer again. "Combine electronics, digital tools and everyday supplies with nature to create hands-on, environmentally friendly projects" I scoff as I read. "Garbage. What makes humans believe they're qualified to teach such a thing to their smeets. All their inventions are subpar, at best."
I fold the flyer back up and place it in my PAK. "Okay then." I push away from the tree I'm leaned up against. The forest is pitch black and I can't hear anything but the sound of an owl and some crickets as the wind rustles the leaves. My ocular implants have the woods glowing in a red light so that I can see where I'm going. The camp is just ahead but I wait a few moments more just to be sure everyone has turned in for the night. I come to the edge of the woods, just out of view, and watch the counselors put out the two fires in the middle of the camp before they retreat to their cabins and the entire camp goes dark.
I don't even know what I'm doing here. Dib-Human's scary sister already told Zim when he would come back. I guess I just need to see for myself. Maybe? He hasn't been around the past couple of days which is unlike him and I know I haven't done anything to him.
I take a few cautious steps towards the cabins. There's idle chatter going on inside of all of them. The sister said he's in Cabin 9 so I walk over to that one and sit around the back of it. Out of all the excited voices I can hear inside, his is not one of them. I'm not surprised though. He just finished his first year of high school and never branched out beyond strictly communicating with Zim. His sister will be joining us at our school next year though. Something I thought I've been looking forward to since I noticed he grew this weird new attachment to me. But now when I think about it, and I think of the possibility that he'll prefer to spend lunch with her instead of me, it feels… not good.
I'm sitting under an open window just listening for a while. These guys have nothing better to discuss than wrestling and girls. It isn't surprising at all that The Dib isn't engaged in such meaningless mind numbing conversation. It's all pretty boring so I pull out my home security system and watch the video for a few seconds before I notice GIR in my room, jumping on my bed with his pet pig.
"GIR!" I hiss into the microphone. "Get that filthy thing out of my room!"
He stops jumping and looks up at the ceiling but the cameras and speakers are super small and he's never been able to find them.
"We're bungee jumping!" He squeals and I turn my volume down, scanning the area again to see if I've raised any suspicion.
"NO bungee jumping! Just obey me!" I whisper into the microphone. "Or I'll blast Mr. Pig into space when I get back! Get OUT of my room!"
He screams and takes Mr. Pig, heading back to the living room and I sigh, putting the HSS back into my PAK. The talking is slowing up but I still hear a few voices so I stay put. I hear rustling in the bushes in front of me and immediately extend a PAK laser, shooting at the base of it. A deer takes off running and I sigh, dropping my head into my hands. I really don't know what I'm doing here. With the Dib away for two months, I could get way more done because he won't be there to interrupt me but I keep getting these nagging thoughts.
The whole cabin is finally quiet. I slowly rise from under the window and extend my PAK legs to lift me up to see just over the ledge. There are six bunk beds inside, three against each wall, and the door is across from the window I'm looking through. Everyone appears to be asleep so I climb through the window quietly, scanning each bed. The bed closest to the door on the right side of the room has only one occupant on the bottom bunk while all the other beds are completely occupied and I have a feeling that's who I'm looking for. I scale the wall and climb up to the ceiling, crossing the room and stretching down onto the vacant bed and crawling to the edge, peering over. He's wearing a pajama set with constellations all over it with his back to the rest of the room and he's curled up on top of his blanket. I reach a hand down but before I get to him I hear a small gasp across from us. I look up and see a curly red headed boy on the top bunk across from us staring at me, mouth agape. Probably because I'm not wearing my disguise. I mean what's the point if I'll be sneaking around in the dark anyway, and it's super uncomfortable. I extend a PAK leg and aim a laser directly at him, putting a finger up to my lips. His green eyes go even wider and he nods emphatically. I scan the rest of the room and it looks like everyone else is still asleep. I switch the laser out for a sleep mist since he did cooperate and cover him in a fog that has him falling over onto his pillow in a second.
I look back over the bunk I'm on and poke Dib in the shoulder and then retreat a bit so I'm just out of view. He turns over and sits up, looking around the room at all the other kids and then pulls his glasses from under his pillow, quickly putting them on. He lays back down, this time on his back, and I pop my head back over the edge. He looks like he's about to scream so I cover his mouth and narrow my eyes at him. He moves my hand and I crawl down onto the floor near his bed.
"What are you doing here?" He whispers. I shake my head and point to the door. "It's lights out, I'll get into trouble." He sniffs and I notice his cheeks are shiny. I roll my eyes and stand up, turning my back to him.
"Hold on." I whisper. It takes a moment but I feel his arms around my shoulders and I extend my PAK legs, crossing the room quietly and hoisting us out the window, crouching down so he can get on the ground, then I start walking back towards the woods. He isn't following me so I turn around. "Come on."
"Where?" He asks.
"Just come on!" I hiss. He finally starts walking and I lead us back through the woods.
"What are you doing here?" He asks at a normal volume while we walk. I shrug.
"You didn't tell Zim you were going to camp." I reply.
"I didn't think it mattered." He says. He's right. It doesn't. I think. At least, it really shouldn't.
We keep walking deeper into the woods and he trips over a fallen branch, almost landing right on his face when I grab him by the hand and yank him back. He slams into me.
"Watch where you're going!" I scold, turning him forward again and letting go. "Why are you here?" I ask. We're still walking away from the camp and we come to a small stream so I stop in front of it and sit down. He sighs and then sits too.
"My dad signed me up. He didn't even ask me." He says, picking up a rock and throwing it into the water.
"Why are you doing that?" I ask as he prepares to throw another.
"Because I'm mad, Zim." He says.
"You don't want to be in the camp?"
"No."
"Then leave." I suggest.
"I can't." He throws another rock. "My dad paid a lot of money for me to be here and he's upset with me because I accidentally freed a swarm of yellow jackets in our living room." He throws another rock. "I just wish I was in charge of myself. Sometimes parents just don't make the best decisions for you. Not that you would know." He throws another rock and I decide against asking him what yellow jackets are.
I pick one of the rocks up and throw it. It splashes into the water. I don't see the appeal but when I look up at Dib-Human, he's smiling at me.
"Are you mad?" He asks.
"No." I shrug. "So why were you leaking in the cabin?"
He's preparing to throw another rock and he freezes.
"I don't know, Zim." He says softly. We're both quiet for a few moments, taking turns throwing rocks. "You don't get much of a say when you're my age, here." He mutters.
I just nod.
"How old are you?" He asks abruptly.
"In earth years?" I ask.
"Both." He replies, watching the rock I just threw.
"18." I say. "180 here though."
"With no one making rules for you." He says, throwing another rock. "Meanwhile, I'll be turning 16 here, with a bunch of strangers who don't even like me. They already-" He stops talking abruptly, throwing another rock with more force.
"Right, on July 13th." I say and he turns to me surprised.
"Yeah. That's it." He says. He's just quietly looking at me for a few seconds before he continues. "Hey, do you have a birthday?"
"I guess so." I shrug.
"When is it?" He asks. It's not really something I want to delve into. Irkens don't even care about hatch dates. They don't matter. But mine does and not for a good reason. Because it's known by everyone as Horrible Painful Overload Day.
"I guess the calendar equivalent here would be March 30th. But the day we hatch isn't important like it is to humans." I reply simply.
"March 30th." He says, nodding thoughtfully. "You're an Aries."
"No. I'm Irken. You know that." I reply, arching an antenna. He laughs softly and shakes his head.
There's very little moonlight because it's a cloudy night and the trees are in full bloom high above us. I'm just staring at the water for a few minutes and he's quiet again. I still don't know why I came here but I have a weird satisfying feeling. It isn't a bad feeling. It's just a new feeling. I guess I'm glad I came. For a while there's nothing but the sound of the woods and the rocks we're throwing until I notice he stops. I look over when he removes his glasses and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand.
"I thought only sadness makes humans do that." I say.
"Well. Emotions are complicated like that. I don't think we ever feel just one at a time, but you wouldn't get that." He replies but it doesn't sound malicious. It almost sounds like he's disappointed. I think back to the emotions I actually have experienced. Just a year ago I was irretrievably shmoopy because I was convinced I had failed my Tallests. I thought they no longer respected me. But I don't remember feeling anything more than sadness which I wasn't supposed to feel to begin with. And there's this weird emotion I'm feeling right now but I don't want to delve into that.
"Were you shmooping in the cabin?" I ask. He just shrugs. "Why?"
He sighs heavily. "Because it's going to be a long, lonely summer."
I hum in understanding. I don't think we've ever actually spent much time apart. If I recall correctly, the longest we've been apart was that super long couple of years I spent in 'phase one'. Even during the longest time we've ever spent apart, we were both doing the exact same thing. Sitting. And waiting for the other. I was okay of course, I'm an invader but Dib-Human? Ha, he damn near lost his mind. I thought I made him crazy by being around but apparently not as crazy as I make him when I'm gone. Still, I have to think about it. Of course I would be perfectly fine without our constant interactions for the summer. I could do that. But do I actually want to?
I stand up and turn to him, holding out a hand. He eyes it suspiciously, then hesitantly grabs onto it so I can pull him up. "Follow me." I say, marching away. He doesn't wait this time as I hear him start shuffling behind me immediately. We only walk for about five minutes when we come to a clearing in the forest and I press a button on the wrist of my glove. My voot cruiser comes into view as the cloak is deactivated and I pop the window open. He adjusts his glasses and stares with his mouth open. I climb inside and pick up the squeaky moose GIR left in his seat, placing it on the dashboard. "Sit." I order, pointing to the now vacant chair. He's just staring at me for a second. Then, he takes a breath, turning and looking around before shaking his head and climbing in and snapping the seatbelt across his lap.
I hit the window button and the shield closes with a hiss. I can almost feel his heart beating out of chest. I could assure him he has nothing to worry about but I don't actually feel like it. I can fly a ship, obviously. And if I was here to end him, it would have happened by now. And certainly not in my beautiful ship.
"Stop breathing so hard." I demand as I run my hand down the set of ignition buttons on the keyboard in front of me. Each one lights up as I touch it, starting the ship, and we take off. I continue guiding us upwards, rising higher and higher into the sky, making sure we've cleared all the trees, before I yank the controls backwards and engage the hyperdrive so that we're speeding through the clouds.
"Do you get motion sickness?" I yell, keeping my eyes forward although the map next to my keyboard depicts no other aircraft around for miles.
"No." He replies, gripping the sides of his seat. This is actually the first time I've actually invited anyone onto my ship. I'm not really sure why. It's interesting to watch how he's reacting. He's scared. But like he said, humans don't just feel one thing at a time and it shows because he looks relatively cheerful. I currently don't seem to be feeling anything, other than the weird. Something I can't quite put my finger on but otherwise, it's the same numbness that underlines my every thought.
I nod, holding the yolk and spinning it in a tight circle. He starts laughing and when I glance over at him, he's staring out the window and the death grip he's has on his chair has eased up. I pilot us into a few spirals in the night sky and a couple of backwards loops. I'm piloting recklessly for a while until his face is several shades of red and even I'm actually laughing, too.
A little while later, I'm landing the voot back in the clearing and I'm helping him climb out. He's still in a fit of laughter which I conclude is better than the shmoop he was in when I got here. He stumbles into me a bit on his way out and I steady him.
"Sorry, sorry." He laughs, looking up at me. He furrows his eyebrows and stops laughing, adjusting his glasses. He's just looking at me for a few seconds.
"What?" I ask.
"Nothing. Sorry." He shakes his head and looks down at the dirt. "Uh… I um… Thank you." He says and I don't respond. "That actually made me feel a lot better. Surprisingly."
"Surprising to you, maybe. Zim has to deal with GIR's shmoop all the time. I'm well trained for this and so much more." I smile, remembering to check my HSS. I see GIR is passed out on his bedroom floor. I confirm that all the locks are still in place before putting it away. "If that didn't work, I would have to find you a puppy to eat. Let's go" I say, leading us back to the campsite.
"So…" he starts as we're walking. "Why did you come here?"
"Because I felt like it." I reply.
"Okay." He says. We're walking in silence for a few minutes before I speak.
"And I can only enjoy your misery when I cause it." I smile. He cuts his eye at me as he puts a little more space between us but doesn't respond. When we get back to his cabin though, he lets me carry him through the same window and deposit him back onto his bed. Afterwards, I turn towards the window again.
"Wait a minute." He whispers. And I stop, still facing the window, watching the darkness that lay just outside. "I'm here for two months… Are you… I mean… Do you… Think you might visit again?"
I turn back towards him and this weird feeling is starting to hit me even more now. It's in full force. Something just clicks. This heavy understanding falls on me like freezing rain and it burns. Now I know why I wouldn't sit down and actually think about why I came here. I just did. I just wanted to but I didn't think about why. I should have. I should have thought way more about this. If I had, if I'd just given this a single thought beyond pure impulse, I wouldn't have come. I wasn't looking for Dib-Human simply because I'm used to him following me around like he has been all of freshman year. I was looking for him because I missed him. It was two days and I missed him. I missed him! A filthy inferior human. I don't have any experience with friends aside from that repulsive memory of being friends with Keef and that went south very quickly. Friends don't bring anything but trouble, I know this so how could I have let this human get so close to me without even realizing what was happening. Friendship is gross. It's distracting. It's not conducive to being an invader. But is friendship what we just did? Is it actually…. Even marginally… enjoyable? Is this really friendship? What… What could this even be after everything that's already between The Dib and I?
"Zim?" He whispers. I snap out of my thoughts and let out a breath. No. I have to tell him no.
"I… I might." I say, shifting my gaze to the floor when I realize I've been staring at him this entire time. I focus on cracks in the wood for a moment before I look up and he's still watching me with wide eyes. "I will."
Dammit.
He adjusts his glasses, letting out a breath "Okay." He nods. I cross the room and climb back out the window without looking back but I feel his eyes on me the entire time.