Invader Zim ZADR: How did we get here?

Chapter 3: It's just a sleepover

I have to be honest with you. I don't really like chapter two. I ended up rushing through it, finishing it in only two sittings. And let's just say that one sitting was much longer than the other. So in an attempt to keep the story at a level of quality that I'm satisfied with, I will try to spend more time with each chapter. That might mean that there will be more time between chapters, but I hope you will understand. I'm still happy with working on this story, so I will still be writing whenever I have the time. Now, I sure hope this story will continue keeping you entertained. Enjoy!

"...What?" Dib asked, not sure whether he wanted to sound like he didn't know what was going on anymore, or that he was completely done with it all. He leaned towards the first option.

"Uhm...YES! The Dib-thing has personally invited to partake in this...sleeping-over?" Zim proudly proclaimed, before giving confused look to Dib, as if he would patiently explain the concept of a sleepover to him. When all he got was a vacant stare of someone who didn't know what was happening anymore, he turned back to look at the professor. Zim couldn't read the tall human's expression, but he was sure that some kind of thinking was going on inside Membrane's head. He took it as a sign that he needed to convince him some more and looked around the house as if he could find anything that could help him convince Dib's dad unit. It was then that he saw Dib himself, and realized that he apparently had gone into a self-induced coma, as he stood completely still, seemingly not breathing at all. Zim then came up with an idea that, while sickening him to his core, should be enough to complete his deception. With a loud gulp from his throat, he unceremoniously wrapped his arm around Dib, pushing the two together.

"Isn't that right, Dib?" He asked, not as a command, but as if Dib playing along would be nothing more than common courtesy.

Dib on the other hand needed a moment or two to process what was going on. It took him five seconds to accept that it was Zim's arm that was around him. And he just flat out refused to believe that Zim was doing it on his accord and that an eldritch monster wasn't forcing him to do it. Strangely enough, he relaxed a little more when he looked at Zim's face for a moment. The only thing thought that came to him, was that he couldn't think of anyone that could ever feel as uncomfortable as Zim did at that moment. Oh wait, he could. Himself. Right at that moment as well.

So there the two of them stood, with Zim trying his best to keep holding on to the human while waiting for the taller human to be deceived, and with Dib too uncomfortable to even attempt to get free from the alien's grip. It was as if he believed that as long as he ignored that it was happening, then it wasn't happening. The professor, on the other hand, stood as he had done all this time, looking on at the sad scene with no reaction whatsoever. Then to Zim's relief, it seemed that the human was finally done thinking.

"Well, that's GREAT! I'm so happy to see that you finally brought home a friend." Membrane said, addressing his son.

"Whew!" Zim exclaimed, before quickly removing his arm from Dib and taking a step away from him. He then started rubbing his limp furiously, to try and get off whatever germs that might have moved from the Dib-beast to him. The human meanwhile was laying on the floor as he had, in a moment of weakness, allowed himself to be partially kept up by Zim's body. He was still rubbing his arm with a desperate look on his face, even as the human pushed his upper body up from the ground, so he could face his dad.

"Dad, you can't be serious! I'm eight-teen, I'm too old to be having a sleepover!" Dib immediately regretted his choice of words. He could say stuff like that if this was a normal situation. But it wasn't. What was happening was that his greatest enemy was currently worming his way inside his home, and had already managed to fool his dad. But before he had the chance to say something that gave credit to the seriousness of the situation, Membrane had already started talking.