FERVENT {ZaDr} [DISCONT. READ DESC]

-CHAPTER ONE-

❖

Dib awoke to the rather unpleasant warmth that had just slid across his cheek to his lips, leaving behind a damp trail that would slightly fizz up against his cool skin like soda.

His amber gaze slowly revealed itself under his vanilla eyelids, tiredly glancing around as a soft groan slipped out of the small crevice of his cherry lips.

The tangy scent of metal and a faint sugary scent flooded his nostrils the second he took a breath, causing him to let out a sudden raspy cough, his body convulsing.

The raven dubiously sat up, an arm raising to wipe away the foreign liquid.

It was... Sticky?

"Ya like my lollipop?!" A sudden high pitched voice screeched obnoxiously into the boy's ear.

Dib's heart slammed into his rib cage, the sudden noise causing him to jolt into the air, letting out a tiny startled yell.

His amber gaze snapped down to meet with an elfin green-furred dog-like animal, giant milky eyes bulging disturbingly out of the sides of the stitched visage. "Doooooooo you?" It sung, it's bobblehead tilting to the side, exposing a flat pink tongue that lolled out.

Dib stared down at the dog, having to take a few silent moments to process what had just happened. Oh, of course! It's Zim's vacuous robot doggie assistant, GIR!

The raven forced a smile. "...Yeah," he muttered, forcing a friendly grin upon himself—only succeeding in pulling off a rather disfigured grimace.

GIR stared up at Dib, his chameleon-like eyes focusing on absolutely nothing. Not a word came from the mongoose-dog—he only blinked once.

Beginning to feel a pang of awkwardness from the long silence, the human opened his mouth to make conversation; but before words were able to leave, a new voice cut him off, protruding from the obsidian darkness that clung to the corners of the abnormal lab.

"I see you've finally woke, pitiful human Earth-larvae." The voice growled, the italics displaying the words that were spat out with abrasive scorn.

Dib paused for a long moment. "...Zim, I know it's you." He replied apathetically.

"Eh? You speak nothing but lies, puny meat ch-"

"Zim."

"Nothing but li-"

"Zim..."

"SILENCE, DIB-WORM!" The Irken exclaimed, stepping forward to reveal himself. He was no longer wearing his disguise, his sleek black antennae flattened against his head, ruby eyes narrowed.

Dib obeyed, eyes wide and mouth thinned into a line.

Silence clung to the air for a long pause, Zim's soft chittering eventually breaking it. "I assume the confusion covers you, human. So allow me to answer every seething question you hold in your..."—the Irken inhaled sharply—"dirty, dirty meat-claws of filth."

The wounded human's amber gaze watched the alien as he slowly made his way a few paces forward, head tilted upwards and feet kicking out as he walked. It was strange, yet... Something you couldn't take your eyes off of.