Zim against the world

Blinking into the sunlight, Zim gazed about. This was the first time out of the house in a week. It felt.... different without his disguise. He felt as though people were staring through him instead of at him. He stuck close to Dib as the stares fell on him heavily.

"They're staring." he said softly, pointing out the obvious.

Dib grinned bitterly. "Now you know how I feel all the time."

Zim grimaced at the coldness in Dib's voice and lowered his eyes, glancing arond nervously. They got onto a bus and the stares followed. Zim hated buses. He LOATHED them. Everyone stared at you when you got on, and there were always people with such annoying habbits. He rode in uneasy silence, fidgeting all the while, wanting to jump out at each stop... Finally they reached downtown.

Zim could only stare. It was..... big. That was the only word that Zim could find to descibe it. People of every shape and color strolled by... literally. People with pink hair chatted merrily with people that reminded him strongly of Gaz.

Sight wasn't the only thing that hit him in the face as he walked along, the smells wafted out over the air, making his mouth water. He didn't know what he was smelling, all he knew was that it smelled great. And then he blinked as he realized it wasn't just one thing. The whole place was positivly swarming with food and things to buy. Noise echoed through his head in a steady buzz as people haggled, cried, begged, and literally teared the place apart. Zim couldn't help but wonder how they made it out alive.

A small tug on his arm and he flushed, realizing he had been standing there for nearly five minutes, just staring in awe at all the things in front of him. He began walking, not realizing that his hand was still in Dib's. The pale boy walking beside him and smiling at his enthusiasm. Zim noticed Dib staring and imediatly wiped the gleeful grin off his face, replacing it with his usuall scowl, but he couldn't stop the light from dancing in his eyes as he looked around.

Zim ran from place to place, asking what everything was, his embaressment forgotten, his face flushed with pleasure now instead of nervousness. It helped that downtown, he got far less stares. He supposed, when everyone was different, no matter what you were like, you fit in. The thought made him frown. It wasn't like that on Irk. If you were tall, you were important. If you weren't tall, then you were useless. It had always been that way for him. He wondered idly if other planets were as different.

Turning he noticed Dib was gone. Instant panic set in and his breath was wretched from his body. Almost as soon as Dib was gone, he was back. Carrying something. It looked like a cone with a sphere in it. The Dib was carrying another one in his other hand and every once in a while he would lean down and take a lick. Zim looked at it suspiciously as Dib handed it to him. "What is it?" He asks.

Dib laughs. "It's ice cream. You eat it.... but watch out, it's cold."

Zim reached out his snake-like tongue and took a lick. Instantly, sweetness invaded his mouth, turning from a creamy solid-like substance into a equally creamy liquid as it ran down his throat. His eyes lit up. "It's fantasic!" he cries... then he catches himself, grinning slightly. "I mean... it's ok... for a human invention."