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Memory Burns	By : sickindulgence Category: +G through L > Invader Zim > AU/AR-Alternate Universe-Alternate Reality Views: 3211 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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The next day, Dib woke up around ten. There was much confusion as he remembered he had to be somewhere that morning, but Zim had neglected to tell him an exact time. Washing, dressing, combing, these were all things Dib discovered took a long time when you only had one arm and another arm that had to stay dry. He was finally able to set out at eleven. He was glad that Zim had chosen a place that was only a couple blocks from where he now lived, or else he'd have to beg Gaz for her car, a fundamental impossibility. He walked. It took only a couple of minutes before his ribs started complain about even this small amount of exertion. For a second he considered going back, maybe calling Zim later and rescheduling. But he could already see the diner, so turning back seemed foolish. Zim probably wouldn't even be there anymore, fed up with waiting all morning for Dib to drag himself there. Whatever.

The bell above the door jingled as he entered and a curly haired old woman with too much makeup and an apron over her pink waitress dress looked up from the register.

"What can I do ya for, honey?" She asked.

"Um, I'm here with someone?" Dib looked around. He saw truckers, kids who probably should have been in skool, and a guy in the far back nursing a coffee. Was he even here?

Coffee guy looked up, glaring, but then waved. Dib nodded to the waitress and walked over, sliding into the booth. "Zim?"

"Who else, human stink?" Zim looked at him through his contacts, his eyes the same as ever. But he was taller, and his skin was pink like a human's, and his hair was black with that shaggy "I just got out of bed" look. He was wearing jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt with a short sleeved one over it. It looked good on him, but it was also an outfit that blended in with the rest of the world. Anyone passing him wouldn't give a second glance...well, maybe they would, but not because they thought he was an alien.

"Wow, Zim...I'm impressed. You look...different." The waitress sidled up with her notebook.

"Ready to order now that your friend is here?" She asked impatiently.

"A tower of pancakes please. Extra syrup." He looked expectantly at Dib.

"Uh..." The drugs were keeping him feeling a bit queasy. "Milk, please." She rolled her eyes and huffed away. He turned to Zim. "So, you can eat human food now?"

"Indeed, because I am so amazing, I have trained myself to digest your filthy human consumables." Dib looked at the coffee, the cup was still full.

"Guess water's still out then, huh?"

Zim nodded. "I have yet to find an acceptable form."

Dib looked at Zim. "You know, if I didn't know better, I would say you were human."

He grinned at this compliment. "Thank you. I've been practicing my human skills also. What did you think of my interactions?"

"Interactions?"

"You know, human speech, human mannerisms, my imitation of them."

"Oh!" Come to think of it, he had seemed a lot more coherent on the phone than Dib remembered. "You're doing pretty well."

The seconds stretched out between them, awkwardly.

"So...."

"Uh..."

"Hey!" Zim pointed. "What happened to your arm? Didja get bit by a salt demon?"

"Oh this? It's not salt, it's plaster. It's actually part of the reason I wanted to talk to you."

Zim looked suspicious, but his curiosity got the better of him. "What happened?"

"Well, I...I kinda crashed into a tree." Zim looked incredulous, so Dib hurried on before he could be mocked. "I wasn't paying attention to the road because I saw...well I think I saw a huge green fireball shoot up into the sky. Crazy huh? I've been calling people all over the place asking if they saw it too, but no one seems to have seen it but me. It was really late at night and...well, I was driving and...yeah..." He finished lamely. Zim stared at him.

A few more painful seconds. Dib finally asked.

"Do...you know anything about it?"

Zim continued to stare at the boy. After a moment his eyes shot down to the coffee in front of him, and with a quick motion he raised the cup to his lips and swallowed a big gulp.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!" Zim grabbed his throat, clawing at it. "IT BURNS IT BURNNNNNS." Falling out of his seat, he started rolling around on the floor.

"Zim! What did you do that for?" People around were staring. Dib tried to get up, but his cast was impeding him. Zim was crawling on the floor, coughing and retching. After a second, he got to his feet and ran for the door, still screaming.

"Hey! Wait!" Dib finally managed to get out of the booth, but Zim was already outside. Dib ran after him, banging open the door and starting to sprint down the street.

"Ahh, ahhh, ow..." Dib slowed down after a few steps, his chest killing him. His ribs screamed at him and he fell to his knees. "Gawwwwwd." He reached for the Perc in his pocket, quickly popping two. He looked up, and Zim had already disappeared.

Breathing labored, he returned to the diner. The waitress was standing by the booth, now food laden, with an annoyed look on her face.

"You gonna pay for this?"

"Agggh, God DAMMIT." Dib slammed his fridge shut so hard it jingled the jars inside. "No beer, no scotch, no rum, where the fuck is all my booze..." Dib growled. The day outside was steadily darkening and Dib paced his apartment.

Zim had escaped him. What did he know? And inviting him for pancakes hadn't really made sense either. What was the stupid tall alien with a great disguise up to?

Dib rubbed the back of his neck. It didn't matter anyway. If Zim wanted to keep something to himself, he would find a way. Dib remembered how hard it had been to get any information out of him when they were kids. Now, after seeing how much Zim had improved, would be doubly hard. He doubted he would ever see him again. And that meant only one thing. Another dead end.

Since their meeting, the pain in his chest had steadily intensified, but he knew it wasn't his ribs. Without distraction, he felt himself slipping back into the dark place. Thoughts about his father crowded his brain, filling it with impossible noise. It had to stop. He had to stop it somehow or he would go crazy.

Grabbing his medicine, he downed another two pills. The bottle was feeling significantly lighter than yesterday. That was okay. He could get refills.

Dib looked up from his vermouth on the rocks. He could see himself in the mirror behind the bar, just see his face between necks of gin and triple sec. If he looked a little harder, he could see the crowd of people who had come pouring in after five or so. It was Friday, after all, so the bar was becoming hot and noisy. Dib checked out the men in the mirror, wondering how many of them would hook up tonight. The bar was popular that way. Dib checked himself to make sure he looked okay. He was a little scruffy because he couldn't shave, but otherwise he was alright. If he looked close, he could see the top of his black t-shirt. The rest was lost as the second shelf was full with bottles of rum.

The bottles started to blur and he looked down at his drink again. It was only his second of the night. That was probably the Perc. He'd downed a couple more just before he went in. The bottle was almost empty now. He grinned to himself. Maybe a couple more and he would go for a drive. A long one, he loved being in the car. It was like being asleep, so peaceful...

"Hey, Thomas! Cin...cin I have another?" The man behind the bar looked at him warily.

"You sure you should Dib? You're looking kinda tight. When did you become a lightweight?"

"Dude, shaddup an’ just gimme my drink."

The bartender shrugged and slid another glass over to Dib. Before he could take it, hand came down on his right shoulder, and whirled him around on his stool.

"Hey!" Dib stared up at the youth who had approached him. He was medium height, wearing tight black jeans and a tight white t-shirt that clearly showed off a slim and supple body. He wore a cute black backback, which Dib thought a little odd. His hair was very light blonde, short and wavey. His face was effeminate, but his eyes flashed with that "don't mess with me, I'll kick your ass" look that was oh, so sexy. Dib, forgetting his past transgression, smiled coyly.

"Why, hello there. What's your name?"

The youth rolled his eyes.

"Stop playing games, Dib. You know exactly who I am." Dib's smile widened.

"In that case, since we already know one another, wanna come back to my place?" Dib leaned closer to the boy, a little too far. The boy stepped back, blue blush spreading across his face.

"Hey," Dib pointed. "You blush funny."

The boy's hand flew to his face. "Shit..." He grabbed Dib's cast arm. "C'mon, we have to get out of here."

"What? Why? Stay a while, let me buy you a drink, we'll have a drink." He pulled Dib off the stool.

"No thanks, you've had enough for both of us."

Dib tried to stand, but the floor didn't seem to be even anymore. He fell against him, laughing.

"Whoops, sorry. Where-where're we goin?"

"Back to your apartment." The boy staggered against Dib's weight, but managed to turn back to the bartender. "Put it on his tab would you? I'm taking him home." The guy nodded, and another guy took Dib's seat.

"Boy, you move pretty fast. I must be pretty slick." Dib used his good arm to rub the boy's chest suggestively. He pushed it away.

"Stop it, would you? Where's your car?" They'd made their way to the parking lot.

"Wrapped around a tree on West Main St." Dib cackled. "No really, uhhhhh..it's a rental?"

"That doesn't help." They meandered over to a cluster of cars and at Dib's intermittent direction, stood in front of a black one.

"Yeah, I think it's this-hey!" The boy had buried his hands in Dib's pockets. "Frisky huh? Two can play that game." Dib grabbed at the boy's crotch.

"Take your hands off me Dib-stink!" Dib leaned into him, grinning.

"You talk funny too." Finally retrieving the keys, he pushed Dib into the passenger side of the car, then slid into the driver's seat.

"Okay...pedals, wheel...where's the shifter..." The windshield wipers started to run on fast, and he growled in frustration. "How do you pilot this inferior spaceship!"

"Spaceship? This is a Dodge."

"Shut up Dib-human, you are in so much moose doo-doo right now!" He finally found the shift and they reversed out of the lot, then sped forward down the street.

"Wait. Do I know you?" Dib was starting to feel weird...different than just being drunk. Sleepy…it was getting difficult to keep his eyes open.

"Dib? Wake up human!" The boy rapped his head lightly.

"Shit…shit you're Zim…." Dib struggled to stay alert . "Zim? I thought…I thought…you look different." Zim sneered.

"You think I only have ONE disguise?" He quickly veered, passing people left and right. Dib was thrown around and gripped his seat.

"Jesus! Your gonna get us pulled over!" Zim blew past a red light, cars honking.

"I am above your ridiculous laws. We need to be home quickly."

"What is the big deal, Zim? God, you would think there was a fire or something." Dib latched his seatbelt.

"You've been popping pills for the last hour and drinking heavily. If you go to sleep, you could die."

"Bullshit! I know what I'm doing." Dib felt rage…but none of the usual energy that came with it.

Zim looked over at him. "Oh really? For someone who's in control, you look pretty out of it."

Dib closed his eyes. His father…he had stood at the brink of death for many years. Dib understood that he was there now, at the door. Is this how he felt as he waited there? He felt like he should be afraid, but he wasn't. Maybe Dad hadn't been either.

He was so close, he could feel it. Dib fiddled with the bottle in his pocket, idly turning the cap.

The car jerked to a stop.

"We're here. Are you awake? Can you move?" Dib opened his eyes, nodding. His arm felt like it weighed fifty pounds, but he was able to open the door. Zim got out and helped him out, curling his good arm around his shoulders.

At the apartment, Dib collapsed into his bed. All he wanted was to sleep but Zim was making noise in the kitchen and suddenly he was shaking him up.

"Dib, here, drink this." He shoved a cup of coffee under Dib's nose.

"What? I don't wannit lemme sleep." Dib tried to push him away.

"Dammit, Dib so help me by the Tallest I will MAKE you drink this!"

"God! Fine asshole." Dib grabbed the cup and drank a couple gulps. It tasted awful and was way too strong. "Ugh, what the hell are you making me drink coffee for?"

"I keep telling you, to keep you AWAKE." Zim crossed his arms.

"How do you know how much I've taken anyway?" Dib set down the cup, grimacing. Zim looked around nervously.

"I...I've been following you."

Dib looked up at him. "Really now. And why would that be?" Zim shrugged.

"I needed to know where you were and what you were doing." Dib put his head in his hands, annoyed.

"Please elaborate more, Zim." But the alien shook his head.

"I can't. BUT you can be assured, you were not in any danger." Dib laughed.

"Zim, you're a walking accident. My god, do you remember all the stuff you used to blow up?" Dib smiled, but his stomach felt strange. The coffee was not settling well with him.

"I admit I was clumsy. Reckless even. But I've been learning all these years since you left for High Skool."

"You know, those were some of the best times of my life, when we were in elementary. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was pretty fun."

Zim frowned. "Fun? You liked it? We were always at each other's throats!"

"Yeah, I mean…it wasn't so bad, really. Dangerous…crazy…but…I dunno. I liked the challenge I guess." He looked up at Zim. There was a strange, look on his face, something like a smile, but not a malicious one.

Suddenly, Dib clutched his stomach.

"Zim...what the heck did you put in that coffee? I feel like I'm gonna puke." Zim blinked, thinking for a moment.

"Coffee beans...water...Ipecac." Zim replied. Dib’s eyes widened.

"Oh fucking CHRIST." Dib made his way to the bathroom, stomach lurching. He just barely made it to the toilet. It was a very cleansing experience.

When he was finished and had washed his mouth out, Dib stood, exhausted, leaning on the bathroom door frame.

"What...the FUCK...is wrong with you, Zim?" Dib gasped.

"It was either that or get your stomach pumped." Dib made his way back to his bed, gingerly laying down lest he upset his stomach again. He struggled to keep his eyes open, the need to sleep overpowering. Zim sat down on the bed next to him.

"It's alright to sleep now, human. I will keep watch."

Dib nodded, eyes closed, sleep already taking him.

"Thanks...Zim..." Dib's head lolled to the side, looking peaceful. Sleep had finally won. Zim sat for a moment, pensive. Slowly, he raised his hand and brushed the side of Dib's face with the very tips of his fingers, a mild blue tinge appearing on his cheeks.
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Memory Burns