All the Information I Require (Invader Zim Oneshot)
Hooooo boy. Here we go. My first tickling fanfiction I’ve ever posted online. It’s short, but here it is.
Zim threw Dib to the ground, grabbing at empty air again and again as he tried to snag the camera from his enemy. Dib curled up into a protective ball and cradled the device to his chest.
“Give it to me!” Zim shouted.
Frustrated, Zim decided to try a new approach and dive straight through the human rather than trying to roll him over and get around him to the camera. He plunged his hands into the tiny space between Dib’s arms and sides, surprised when the human curled up even tighter and giggled, trapping Zim’s arms where they were.
Zim frowned in irritated confusion. “Don’t do what?”
“The camera is mine, Zim! You’ll never get it back.”
“Release my arms, human.” After a moment Dib loosened himself up, lifting his arms out of the way so Zim could get his own back. “Good. Now give me the camera.”
“Give it to me!” Zim plunged forward again, and again Dib squeaked and trapped the alien’s arms where they were. “Why do you keep doing that?”
Dib shook his head. “Just stop it.”
“Tell me. Tell Zim why you keep making those weird noises.”
The human clutched the camera even tighter to his chest and shook his head again. He did his best not to shiver beneath Zim’s fingers, which were precariously placed against his sides. “Leave me alone. I got these pictures of you fair and square.”
Growling, Zim tugged at his arms, trying to free them. Instead Dib only giggled again, this time turning slightly onto his side, an unwanted smile plastered to his face. “Why are you grinning like that, human? What is so funny? You will tell Zim!”
“Never,” Dib spat. He suddenly kicked out, knocking Zim off of him long enough for him to scramble to his feet, but not much more. Despite the sudden pain in his chest the alien reacted quickly, snatching Dib’s coat hem and tugging him back down to the ground, making sure to be quick about straddling and pinning the inferior human beneath him. “Let me go!”
“Not until you give me the camera!” Zim spat back, reaching for it and grabbing empty air once again. Dib tossed it from hand to hand, then reached up and held it as far above his head as he could. Zim braced himself on Dib’s chest as he reached forward, but slipped slightly, causing the human to laugh loudly and pull his arms back down. Zim glared at him. “Clearly you find something humorous, Dib-stink. What is it?”
“Nothing,” Dib replied quickly.
Zim locked eyes with him and stared hard for several long seconds. Time seemed to slow down around them as they each got lost in thought. Zim never broke eye contact with the human as he considered what he could have been laughing at. So far he’d only laughed three times, at specific times, all when Zim was reaching for the camera. Was he mocking the alien’s inability to retrieve it? Somehow he didn’t think so. Usually the Dib-human reserved his victory laughter for when he’d actually won, in those rare cases he did win. What, then?
The Irken finally dragged his gaze downwards, to where Dib was clutching the camera against him desperately. He noticed that the lens cap was on, which meant he was already the victor here, and with this reassuring thought in mind he focused solely on what had caused the human to react as he had.
Dib’s eyes widened behind his glasses, suddenly seeming fearful. He whimpered, “No.”
No? No what? Zim’s brow creased as he contemplated further. Then a light bulb came on in his head, and he hummed thoughtfully, poking slightly at Dib’s side.
Dib made a weird noise that sounded like a strangled giggle. “No, Zim. Please.”
At that the Irken’s full attention was earned. Begging already, at the slightest poke? What was this strange weakness? Zim poked again, this time with two fingers, one on each side. Again Dib made that odd sound, squirming underneath him.. Intrigued, and determined to exploit this weakness to the fullest, Zim grabbed on to Dib’s sides with all six of his fingers, digging them deep into the skin through the coat and shirt the human wore.
Dib jolted and laughed. “N-No, Zim, please don’t!”
“Don’t what? What is this weak spot that makes you laugh like an idiot?” When Dib seemed like he would refuse to answer, the Irken repeated his previous motion, eliciting the same response.
“Zim, don’t! I’m ticklish, okay?”
“’Ticklish?’” Zim frowned. “What is this…‘ticklish?’”
“If I tell you, will you promise not to do it?”
Zim squinted at the human, seeming to contemplate for a moment. Dib eyed him hopefully, praying the alien would just settle for the information and be done with him. But in the next instant any hope he had was shattered when he felt Zim’s fingers dig in again, this time wiggling expertly into his sides without stopping, making him fall back laughing helplessly.
“I think I have all the information I require, human.”
