Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"The afterlife… does it really exist? Or is it just a delusion we've created to alleviate the fear of death? Is it truly possible for our souls to move on after our physical bodies perish? Or do we truly cease to exist indefinitely? According to my research I-"

"BORING!!!" Sara yelled followed by combined laughter of the rest of the class.

Dib grunted and furrowed his brows at the ignorant fools. He turned to his teacher who had apparently passed out during his presentation. Dib's eyes widened in surprise and he actually wondered if she was still alive. Did she OD? Did she have an allergic reaction to something?

"Ha! Dib-Shit's boring drabble caused the teacher to die of boredom!" Zim cackled.

Dib clenched his fists tightly, suppressing his desire to rip the alien freak apart. They all laughed, these sheep who refuse to seek answers to the mysteries of the world. How he loathed them all, he couldn't WAIT until he got ahold of undeniable, In your face proof. A mischievous grin spread across his face and he walked back to his desk while simultaneously daydreaming of the day he would make them all choke on their words. The rest of the class chattered mindlessly, Zim was fidgeting with some alien looking device that seemed to be irritating him and Dib just rolled his eyes and stared at the clock wishing for this day to be over already.

The bell rang, and the herd of skool children rushed to the door practically crushing one another. Zim and Dib waited impatiently for them to stop blocking the doorway. Zim growling and tapping his foot all the while "I hate all of you horrible earth monkeys! Oh it will be a pleasant day indeed when I fffinally get to reduce this filthy planet to ashes'' he hissed.

Dib sighed, normally he would be ranting and raving, trying to shout to everyone in their proximity about what Zim just said. He just didn't have the energy today, he was over it. He just wanted to go home, watch mysterious mysteries, and continue his research. Zim was exhausting to deal with and overconfidence was always his downfall, Dib decided to let him fall to his own devices and only step in when absolutely necessary. Besides unbeknownst to Zim, Dib had planted a spy camera in his base, he had made a secret pact with Zim's computer that if Zim actually succeeded in doing something that would prove dangerous to the planet that he would be alerted immediately. Now if the enemy's computer could be trusted or not was a different story but constantly defending the Earth for the sake of ungrateful and incompetent people was getting old. 

He let Zim march ahead of him, the Invader giving him a suspicious glare before he exited, Dib just rolled his eyes. He walked towards his sister's classroom almost getting slammed by the door by his former teacher Ms Bitters "DIB! Your sister is in detention for scaring another student so badly they defecated themselves! You can pick her up there in an hour!" She nagged before slithering away into the shadows. Dib groaned and walked towards the entrance of the Skool and sat on the stairs. He kicked his feet anxiously while he waited, bored out of his mind. "Longest...day...everrrr" he sighed to himself. He zoned out not noticing a tall shadowy figure creep up behind him, he was swiftly lifted up by his underwear painfully! 

"NYAHHH! WH-WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Dib wailed, flailing suspended in the air.

He heard the collective sound of dark snickering around and his attacker dropped him, making him fall face first into the ground. "Hahaha he screams like a little bitch!" Chunk laughed. Rob, the tallest of the group had held a grudge against Dib since the former called his father a yeti, he grabbed and emptied Dib's backpack "Look at all this freaky bullshit!" He snickered. 

Dib picked himself up, but stopped for a moment as he noticed his nose was bleeding from the impact. Carl picked up some of Dib's notebook and flipped through it "THIS GUY! haha! He actually thinks he's seen his dead mom's ghost!" He laughed.

"Let go of my stuff!" Dib screamed before tackling him, but Carl had tossed the notebook to Chunk.

"Aw man Dib you just get crazier and crazier!" He taunted.

"GIVE IT BACK!" he yelled and attempted to rush the bully but Carl yanked him back and punched him in the face. Chunk then handed the notebook to Rob.

"Tsk Tsk Dib! You know I actually feel sorry for you! You really need help!" He smirked and got out a lighter from his pocket. "This is for your own good buddy" he snickered and set fire to the notebook.

"STOP! YOU MORONS!!!" He shrieked and pushed Carl away scurrying to his notes as quickly as he could. He tried desperately to put out the fire. He did but too late, all his research and evidence turned to ash. He stood before the mess, numb to the world around him.

"Maybe without all your cuckoo notes you'll actually be able to have NORMAL conversations with people" Rob sneered while the other two goons nodded in agreement.

"Idiots…" he mumbled

"What was THAT?" Tod asked

Dib turned to them, "Idiots! You're all IDIOTS! TOO AFRAID! TOO STUPID! To realize that maybe just maybe there's more to life than just us! Aliens, Vampires, Spirits and yes… yetis all exist! And one day you're alll gonna be kissing my ass begging for forgiveness! Because I'll be FAMOUS and you'll all still be NOTHING! " He spat.

The three of them just looked at him stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"What's so funny?" A sharp female voice asked darkly.

The bullies stopped laughing abruptly and gasped. The three slowly turned to see the tiny yet feared younger Membrane spawn. A hardened glare shot their way, instantly chilling their bones. "W-We were just leaving! Let's go guys!" Rob stuttered. The trio of cowards ran away as quickly as they could leaving the Membranes in the dust. 

Dib took a deep breath and started to pick up his belongings scattered across the school yard. Gaz shook her head in pity, sighed and began to help him. The two exchanged a look before wordlessly beginning the trek back home. The walk seemed longer than usual, the awkward silence between them not helping in the slightest. Gaz stopped suddenly and tugged at Dib's Trenchcoat, he turned around with a confused expression.

"You know, I'm not always going to be around to defend your ass right? You need to tell Dad what's going on!" She grumbled.

Dib scoffed "I don't - You really think - I DEPEND on you to protect me?" He asked, offended. 

Gaz crossed her arms "And what would've happened to you if I didn't show up when I did?" She asked.

Dib cringed "Y-Y-You know what? Nnno! I would've been JUST fine!" He yelled.

"Dib… you're trying my patience now! I feel bad for you but you're too old to be in denial! These attacks are getting more violent the older you become!" She grabbed the collar of his shirt and held her fist to his face "Tell Dad or I WILL BE THE ONE TO END YOU!" she shouted, her voice echoing throughout the whole neighborhood.

Dib lifted both hands up in surrender "Okay, okay I'll tell him… I don't know why you think he'll care but I'll tell him" he pouted.

She released him "Good! Now was that so hard?" She asked.

Dib pressed on "YES!" he answered.

The two strolled up to their shared residence and entered. They took off their respective backpacks, and they were about to head towards their rooms before Foodio 3000 stopped them "Hello Dib! Hello Gazlene! Dinner tonight will be early as per your father's orders! Please wash your hands and report to the kitchen immediately!" He droned.

They both groaned, annoyed having their routine disturbed but did as they were told. Gaz washed up first and took her seat at the table "What do you think we're having tonight?" She asked bored.

Dib washed up and turned around "I don't know, I'm not that hungry either" he answered before he pulled up a chair. 

"Good evening children! We'll be having something spectacular tonight!" Professor Membrane declared loudly from another room. The two adolescents perked up for a split second shocked to hear their father's voice only to be disappointed when a floating tv monitor entered the kitchen. 

Gaz slumped back into her chair "Pizza?" She asked.

The Professor laughed, "Ha ha, that's hilarious daughter!"

Dib drummed his fingers on the table "Bacon Cheeseburgers?" He asked meekly

"No of course not! We're having my newest invention! Liquefied MEAT!" He bellowed.

Foodio lit up the kitchen with a yellowish green glow and materialized the Professor's invention into two glasses and pushed them towards the two horrified looking children. "Don't forget your straws!" Membrane ordered. Gaz looked at her father with her mouth agape in shock.

"Y-You can't really expect us to eat this dad!?" Gaz shouted.

Dib twirled his meat around with his straw "I wasn't hungry anyways" he sighed.

"Now now children! This is good for you! I've specifically made it for each of you! Gaz you have anemia, this particular mixture is loaded with iron and will help with that!" He explained.

"...I'd rather die…" she growled.

The Professor sighed "Oh very well, can't say I didn't try" he then turned to Dib "And for you son…liquefied tuna! Loaded with omega threes designed to FUEL that enormous brain of yours!" He elaborated.

"You should make him something that gives him more muscle mass or strengthens his bones" Gaz grumbled before she caved and drank some of her "meat" causing her to gag instantly.

"Why would I want to do that?" Membrane asked.

Gaz stopped her gagging momentarily to shoot Dib a look. Dib groaned knowing he had to basically tell his Dad how weak he is.

"She's saying that because I got attacked today by a group of bullies," he said.

"Pardon me son but what else is new? You've always been teased! All great men of science are!" He beamed.

"It was more than just teasing Dad!" Gaz snapped.

"They gave me a wedgie, most likely broke my nose and destroyed all my evidence of life beyond death! I had proof! And they burned it!" Dib ranted.

The Professor was quiet for a moment, his expression unreadable behind those goggles of his. He took a deep breath "Gaz honey, if you're finished I'd like you to excuse yourself, your brother and I need to chat"

Gaz, still nauseous from her meal, scooted her chair away from the table and left holding her stomach and using the walls of the house as a crutch. Membrane turned his monitor in her direction making sure she was gone before turning his attention back to Dib. "Now son, please tell me this doesn't have to do with your mother again" he begged.

"I SAW HER DAD! In your lab! It was only for a second but I saw her!" Dib stressed.

"Son, you're 13 now! It's time to grow up! There are no such things as ghosts! It's harsh but the truth is your mother is gone and gone forever! She's never coming back! When we die we die!" Membrane shouted.

Dib furiously threw his "meal" at the wall and got up from the table "I KNOW what I saw! And I showed you! But you still refuse to believe me! Nothing I ever do is good enough for you!" He yelled.

"That picture was obviously altered with photo editing software! Son, your obsessions are unhealthy! You're losing your mind! I am trying to save it!" Membrane argued.

"YOU REALLY THINK I WOULD DO THAT?! I would never make a FAKE photo of Mom!" Dib screamed.

"You would do anything to try and prove me wrong Dib! You don't even care about the pain you're causing me and your sister! You're selfish and put your INSANE dreams above your own family" Membrane retorted.

Dib grinded his teeth together, his eyes bulged out of his head and his hands trembled in rage "I'm selfish? I'M SELFISH???!!! You're never even home! You don't even listen to me or Gaz! You put our needs and wants to the side for your STUPID agendas! How dare YOU call ME selfish!!!" Dib spat.

"Dib…" he growled.

"You know what Dad! Mom believed in ghosts, why can't you? I know if she was alive she would not only believe me but actually support me too" Dib heaved.

"I wish it was you…" Dib growled.

"What...did...you...say?" Membrane asked

"I WISH IT WAS YOU!!!" Dib shrieked.

"Dib?!" Membrane gasped.

Dib threw a plate from the table at the monitor, causing it to crack and blackout the picture.

"Dib Membrane! I'm warning you boy! You better stop breaking things in the house!" Membrane nagged.

"Oh great I can still hear you!" Dib groaned and shoved the monitor into a closet.

Foodio awkwardly approached Dib "Ummm please go to your room Dib, you are grounded" he whimpered.

Dib reached around the robot's neck and pressed a button, making his eyes flicker off and deactivate. "Sorry Foodio, but I got to get the fuck outta here for a while" he mumbled. Dib rushed upstairs and grabbed a few miscellaneous items, then went back downstairs and loaded up his backpack. He slammed the door and took off. Dib didn't pay attention to where he was going nor did he care. He was running on pure adrenaline and furious emotion, all he knew is that he needed to get away. He needed a break, he was suffocating in these recent failures and the harsh criticisms from the people that mattered most to him. He was so fed up. Done. He just needed some peace, a place to quiet these demons of self doubt that wouldn't leave him alone. 

He stopped and got his breath, his body finally feeling the effects of his hasted retreat. His breath ghosted in front of him, he had just noticed how cold it was as he started to shiver involuntarily. He looked around to find he was shrouded in darkness save the faint light from the crescent moon that illuminated the trees. "Nice one Dib, getting lost in the woods is the PERFECT way to show Dad you're not insane!" He complained out loud and kicked the dirt. 

He continued forward not even sure if he was going the right way and despite his freezing and tired body, he didn't even mind. He had found the quiet peace he had longed for. The only sounds he could make out were those of crickets and his own footsteps. "Well if I'm going to die this wouldn't be such a bad way to go, unless a bear eats me alive, that would suck" he rambled aloud. He continued forward hearing the faintest sound of water " Must be headed towards a river, I can follow that back home" he thought.

He cautiously moved in between the trees blocking the path to the river but halted instantly, hearing the echoing cries of… someone. He turned in the direction of the voice to see a glowing blue light. His eyes widened in wonder, "What...is...that? Could it be…" he wondered aloud, very stealthily pressing on.

The cries became louder, the air became impossibly more chilling, but that light was all the more alluring. He caught sight of the source of those haunting cries. A seemingly teenage girl, blue skin and navy blue hair that floated in the air, her eyes though were pure white and spooked him. He hid himself behind a tree, trying to regain his composure. His heart was beating rapidly and he needed to calm down. " A Ghost girl! A real ghost! What if she wants to steal my soul! I have to be careful…" he mentally prepared himself.

The girl stopped her crying, she turned to look in the direction of the tree Dib hid behind. "Is someone there? Can you see me?" She asked gently. Dib's heart rate only spiked more, he got  out a small compact mirror from his trenchcoat pocket. He held it up and tried to use it to look behind him. "It's okay you don't have to come out, I'm used to being alone" she said softly. In the mirror he saw her face, she looked the same except her eyes had changed from pure glowing white, to sapphire blue.

Dib took a deep breath and gathered his strength. He stopped hiding from behind the tree and walked into the direction of the girl "H-Hi ghost girl?" He said shakily. 

The girl wiped her tears away and gave Dib a soft smile "Hi, don't worry I won't hurt you!" She said gently. "I'm surprised you can see me! No one ever sees me or hears me!" She beamed.

Dib laughed lightly "Man I know how that is!" He nervously rubbed the scythe in his hair. The girl tilted her head and frowned at Dib.

 "You do?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about that, let's talk about you! How long have you been a ghost? What abilities do you have? Did you have a chance to leave this world at one point?" Dib asked excitedly.

She laughed "Okay okay I'll answer all your questions but first you got to tell me your name".

Dib raised his brow "Why? You're not gonna steal my soul are you?" He asked suspiciously.

She gasped "No! I don't even think I can...can I? I don't know, I haven't tried it before" she answered.

Dib cleared his throat "My name is Dib, Dib Membrane" he said and held out his hand. The girl laughed and mimicked his body language "My name is Maple, Maple Saito" she smiled. She fake shook his hand playfully. The two of them laughed loudly at their attempted handshake and ridiculously formal introductions. 

Dib cleared his throat again "I gotta say Maple, you're pretty funny for a dead person"

Maple giggled "Thank you, you're funny too!" 

"So Maple, do you just float around in the forest all day?" Dib asked.

Maple sighed sadly "Yes I unfortunately cannot leave the forest, I've tried and I just wind up right back here" she explained.

Dib looked at her with a solemn look "That's terrible" he muttered.

"Yes, but what about you? What are you doing out here all by yourself?" She asked.

Dib groaned "It's a long story, ironic actually, My dad and I got into a fight about ghosts" he chuckled "WAIT A MINUTE! Maple! Would it be ok if I filmed you?" He asked suddenly. 

Maple blinked, with a perplexed expression on her face "Filmed me?" She squeaked.

Dib took off his backpack and got out his video camera "I'm not sure when you died, but nowadays you can film things and show them to people" he explained.

"Like television? I don't see the harm but I don't think this will work out like you want it too" she relented her arms crossed behind her back timidly.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I would love to help you prove yourself Dib, but if he doesn't believe in ghosts he will never see them" she explained "I've seen many people and creatures within this forest over the years I've been trapped here, but none of them have seen ME" she continued. "As a matter of fact you are the only one who's ever seen me since I've been dead" she blushed, a soft bright blue shade dusting her cheeks.

Dib's expression changed from one of excitement to sorrow, "Man Maple, I'm so sorry, you must be really lonely" he said and he reached for her hand only to go right through… making Maple laugh again.

"Don't be! This is the happiest I've been in a long time!" She smiled at him.

Dib laughed a little as well, the two exchanged a look of mutual comfort before Dib sat on a boulder beside her. Dib gulped before asking what could be a difficult question "So Maple… can I ask...what happened to you?" He shuddered.

Maple looked at him and for a moment her eyes turned completely white again, causing Dib to back up fearing he went too far, but her eyes flicked back to normal "I uhhh fell off my bike!" She squeaked.

Dib raised his brow "Fell off your bike? I fall off things all the time I don't die" 

"All it takes is hitting your head the wrong way ONE TIME" she laughed nervously, fidgeting with her hands avoiding eye contact.

"Did you… fall in this forest?" He asked.

"Y-yes! My parents never found me! Yup that's all that happened! Lame huh?" She started to laugh even louder.

Dib tried to touch her shoulder and once again just went through her, he never realized just how touchy he was until trying to comfort his new ghost companion. He grew frustrated at himself for being so dumb, of course he can't comfort her, she's dead!

Maple looked at him wide eyed "Something wrong? Have I weirded you out?" She asked humbly, her eyes flickering between white and blue, she bit her lip holding back a sob.

Dib shook his hands "No no no not at all I just, feel bad is all, you've been stuck here alone so long" he assured her.

She sniffled "W-well yes for the most part I am bound to the forest, but on full moon nights I can leave as long as I stay under the moonlight! But it's not like I have anywhere I can go"

"Come with me!" Dib blurted out.

Mable's eyes lit up "Really? You mean it?" She asked with a quivering lip.

"Of course! You can come to my house! Well outside of it I guess, but still there's so much I can show you! And it's got to be better than staying in this boring old forest!" He raved.

Maple went in for a hug, sending the ultimate chills through Dib as she just floated through him. Dib teeth started chattering and he hunched over holding his sides "C-Cold! So cold!" He whimpered.

Maple knelt down beside him "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! It's just… I'm so excited! Are you okay though?" She asked, concerned.

"I'm ffffine! I'll get over it" he shivered.

Maple pouted "I'm so sorry I really shouldn't have done that!" She apologized.

"Maple, I'm okay! Really!" He stammered.

Maple reached out to him out of instinct but retracted her hand for fear of freezing him again. An expression of sadness overcame her face again. Dib rubbed his hands together to warm them up, not wanting to leave just yet. 

"So Maple, you said you've seen not only humans in the forest but also creatures?" He asked.

"Oh yes! All kinds! Not just animals either! The strangest creatures you can imagine!" She said with glee "Even aliens!" She blurted out before covering her mouth.

"Aliens!?" Dib asked.

She gasped "I'm sorry I know that sounds crazy! And you probably think I'm insane…"

"No! No! Maple, I KNOW aliens exist!" Dib shouted

Maple looked at him with disbelief "You're not just saying that to spare my feelings are you?" She asked.

"No! I go to school with one! His name is Zim!" Dib exclaimed.

"You go to school with an alien? Come to think of it, I believe the alien I saw was also named Zim" she replied.

"Zim was out here? When?" Dib asked.

"He comes out here often actually, he doesn't do much and speaks a strange language, from what I can gather he just fixes broken alien equipment" she explained.

"Broken alien equipment huh? What is he planning?" He thought aloud.

"So you go to school with this alien and no one thinks it's strange?" Maple asked

"He wears the crappiest disguise, and people fall for it! They make me so mad! I hate to tell you this Maple but people these days… are pretty stupid" Dib ranted.

"Aw that's disappointing! Sounds like things haven't changed that much" she sighed."I used to try and talk to my parents about the possibility of aliens and they just… yelled at me" she laughed.

"I can't tell you the amount of fights I've had with my dad about ALL this stuff: aliens, ghosts, vampires, Bigfoot" Dib laughed.

"Bigfoot! I know him! I can show you where he lives!" Maple squealed.

Dib sneezed "Really? That's awesome!" He started to shiver again.

Maple frowned "Dib I think you need to go back home, but come back tomorrow night and we'll go together ok?" She smiled.

Dib pouted "B-bbbut!" He sneezed again "Ah damn it why doesss it have to be so cccold!?" He cursed.

"You need to go home before you catch a cold, it's okay tomorrow night you'll be more prepared" she suggested. "Besides it's almost sunrise, I'm very weak during the day".

"Awww man! Well I would take your advice but I'm kinda lost" he confessed.

"That's ok I'll show the way out of here, follow me" she proceeded to float ahead.

Dib followed her, but it seemed like every step he took was more draining than the last. Did they really just spend all night talking? His day was exhausting as it was but talking to her was easy and made the events of the day worth it. Now if only his body would cooperate with him long enough to make the trek back home."So Maple, what's Bigfoot like? Have you seen his victims?" Dib asked.

"Victims?" She asked surprised

"Yeah Bigfoot is known for attacking unsuspecting people! Campers, hunters, hobos...etc" Dib elaborated.

Maple giggled "I don't know who told you that, Bigfoot is just a really hairy guy trying to live naturally and as a matter of fact, people are always bothering him when he's just trying to mind his own business" she explained.

"No way! Bigfoot DOESN'T attack innocent people? That's… Disappointing" he pouted.

"He's not a weird animal or the missing link either, just a really tall hairy sensitive man, but I will say he's gulity of stealing people's clothes and using them as toilet paper" Maple laughed.

"EWWW! He MUST be stopped!" Dib squirmed.

"Aw leave him alone, those people barged into his home so he has a right to do as he pleases...no matter how gross it is" she shuddered

Maple's light was slowly diminishing the more the sun rose in the sky. She led him to the road just outside the forest. "Thanks Dib, be careful going home okay?" She spoke quietly, her voice almost a whisper.

"Maple, I just want to say… I really enjoyed our time together" he blushed. "I'll be back tonight".

"I ...hope...so" she spoke weakly, becoming more and more transparent.

"Maple, what's wrong?" He panicked but Maple had completely vanished. Dib took a deep breath "She's ok, she's ok, she's just trapped in that stupid forest" he told himself. "She'll be back tonight! Yeah! Everything is fine!" He shouted out loud and got hit in the back of the head with a shoe. 

"Shut up you hoodlum! It's 5 in the morning! Yer disturbing the peace!" An old woman shouted and shook her fist at Dib from her porch. Dib shot her a dirty look and rubbed the back of his head. He walked for about an hour until he made it back home. Freezing to death, starving and drained…he barely managed to drag himself up the stairs and into his room, finally collapsing on top of his bed.

Gaz walked into his room "Hey Dib! Time to get up!" She shouted. Normally Dib would whine and tell her to leave him alone, but no response, nothing, not even a whimper. Gaz groaned and started to shake him "Dib! Wake up!" She shouted. Her eyes got wide, he wasn't responding at all. Her paranoid side took over and she checked his pulse "Okay he's alive, but what's wrong with him? Guess the dumbass stayed out all night" she theorized. Dib was cold to the touch, she sighed and covered him up with blankets, and gently removed his glasses. She growled and left the room. 

"I'll just tell Dad, you're too sick to go to school today" she grumbled.

Chapter Text

Dib woke up in a pool of his own drool, he grunted in disgust before wiping away the saliva from his face. He sat up on the edge of the bed, yawned and stretched his arms from behind him. "Uhhh what time is it?" He asked himself before squinting at the clock "SHIT! 2:30pm! Oh fuck! Dad's never gonna let me leave the house again!", he stammered. He took off towards the sink and splashed his face with water to try and wake up, he looked into the mirror and noticed his discolored and bruised nose "Son of a bitch, this is going to take forever to heal..." he groaned. 

He went back to his room and slouched in his desktop chair, continuing to groan knowing yesterday's actions would not go unpunished. His stomach growled loudly, as much as he tried to avoid it he could not ignore his hunger pains any longer. He picked up his glasses from the desk and put them on. He saw his cell phone beside them and checked it to see that Gaz had left him a text message "I told Dad you were sick so act like it! If he finds out I lied we'll both be in trouble".

"Damn good thing I read that!" He said aloud.  He began to practice fake coughing until he sounded believable enough. He hesitantly headed downstairs and peaked around the corner to make sure Membrane wasn't around. " Okay so far so good! I'm just gonna make a sandwich, get a drink and head back upstairs before he sees me" he mentally strategized. The coast clear he scurried to the fridge and grabbed the ingredients he needed. He chopped up tomatoes and onions, placed cheese and ham between two loaves of bread with mayo and mustard. His stomach growling ever more painfully as he quickly put his lunch together. He took a huge bite and sighed satisfied, finally being able to eat something edible, he looked around again to make sure he was alone before going back to the fridge for a soda. 

"Dib" a dark voice said, making Dib yelp in response and drop his soda can. It burst on contact with the floor, Membrane stared coldly at Dib who was frozen in place, both of them ignoring the mess in an awkward standoff. 

"H-hey Dad…" Dib gulped "H-How was work?" He asked.

"I expect this mess to be cleaned and for you to come down to my lab young man" he said sternly before turning his back and leaving.

Dib waited until his father was out of sight to sigh deeply in relief. He did as he was told, making sure to cough extra loudly and sneeze periodically during his clean up of the kitchen. When he was finished he once again tried to brace himself before heading downstairs into his father's underground basement. He slowly turned the doorknob and creeped inside the dark lab. The only light inside was the sparks flying from Membrane's tools, so Dib treaded lightly. His father was completely focused on his latest experiment, what it was Dib did not know but it looked as if Membrane was experimenting on an unconscious human. 

The sounds of drilling machinery grated Dib's eardrums. He coughed loudly hoping to get his father's attention, it didn't work. "Dad! I'M HERE! YOU CAN STOP NOW!" He shouted. Membrane put his drill and blow torch down and turned to look down at his son.

"You took long enough Dib, come here" he picked up Dib and sat him on the table of tools beside him. He turned on an overhead lamp to brighten the room. "Look son, do you see him? My latest project?" He asked darkly.

Dib gulped, in the light you can see the various places this person had been poked and prodded. He was missing an eye, had stitches all over his torso and head, and drooled excessively. "Look closely Dib, this is what happens to the insane, they get sent from facility to facility, doctor to doctor, church upon church by desperate families looking for cures… until finally they come to scientists like me" he explained. 

Dib shook seeing this defenseless man cut up like a piece of meat "All because he's supposedly insane? Was he really? Or did he just have different views? Who really decides these things? And what the FUCK is Dad doing to him anyways?!" His mind swam with questions.

"He was sent to me after a botched lobotomy. I did what I could but he's beyond even my help now," Membrane explained in a monotone-like voice. "Do you see now son? See the fate I'm trying to save you from? I can't protect you forever and you can hate and wish me dead all you like… but you are the future of my empire whether you like it or not!" 

Dib sat frozen in place, his eyes fixated on the unfortunate soul tied to the laboratory bed, horrified but unable to look away. Professor Membrane roughly grabbed Dib's shoulder and jerked him "Did you hear me boy?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah I hear you dad" Dib trembled

"Good now" Membrane cracked his knuckles "Let's start harvesting his organs! Would be a shame to let those go to waste!" He laughed and handed Dib an ice chest.

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Gaz was on her way home, her face buried in her handheld gameslave not paying attention to her surroundings. The bushes rustled by her, and Gir in his puppy disguise jumped in front of her. "HI scary lady!" He screamed, waving his hand rapidly with his tongue sticking out. 

Gaz sighed and paused her game "What do you want?"

A very obvious smack was heard, though Gaz paid no mind "Master wanted me to follow youuuu!" He said.

"Oh really? Well tell ZIM" she raised her voice "That if he values his life he'll stop stalking me!" She threatened.

Gir giggled and ran around in a circle in response. Gaz just pushed past him and continued playing her game. Zim jumped down from the rooftop he was hiding on top of to grab the insane Sir unit "Gir" he began "The whole point of spying… is to NOT GET CAUGHT!" he yelled.

"But she was playin a game thingy! I wanna play toooo!" He whined as Zim dragged him.

"If there is one thing I've learned from the Dib-Sister it's that she does NOT want to play with others UNLESS it's an online match" he explained.

"OOOOOH" Gir responded happily.

"But now thanks to you blowing our cover I have no idea what the Dib-Worm could be planning! I wanted to make sure he knows nothing about…THAT" Zim griped.

"Can we play with the scary girl?" Gir asked.

"No Gir I have work to do!" 

Gir started bawling loudly and got out of Zim's hold to run into a neighbor's yard and started ripping up their garden, still crying all the while. Zim growled and took off after him "GIR! GET BACK HERE! YOU CAN PLAY ALRIGHT? BUT AFTER MY WORK IS FINISHED!" He bellowed

Gir stopped instantly and smiled, Zim quickly snatched him up and scurried back to his base before they were noticed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dib got out of the shower and debated on whether or not he should put on his pjs and just call it a night or if he should honor his promise to Maple. Normally the answer would be easy, but with his father home today and after the threat of lobotomy… he leaned towards staying home tonight. Still it was early he got dressed in the usual outfit stopping only when he noticed he had tears in his trenchcoat making him frown "I love this coat…" he sighed. He put it on anyway and sat in the chair in front of his computer. He checked the spy cameras he set up in Zim's base, slightly surprised to not see the alien in question but shrugged it off… another question pestering his mind "Maple...Saito" he spoke as he typed. 

Turns out the name is more popular than he realized as hundreds of females popped up. He typed in his city name to try and narrow down the results. His eyes widened when one of the search results read "The Mysterious Case Of Maple Saito". He clicked on it "In 1968, the body of a middle aged man was discovered in an abandoned house, later ruled a suicide. It's speculated that the man now identified as Junichrio Saito killed himself after his estranged wife Manya Saito left him for another man shortly after their move to America" Dib read aloud. "Wow! That's… a lot!" He breathed. He turned around wondering if he should stop looking into this, but curiosity got the better of him. He turned back "The question still remains, where is Maple Saito? Her mother Manya Saito refused to comment and the house where she resided has been searched repeatedly but not a trace of her remains…" he trailed off.  He scrolled down the page and got instant chills when he saw it, a black and white photo of a girl that looked exactly like Maple. "It's her, so she's been trapped in that forest all alone for decades…" he said softly.

Dib groaned " I CAN'T not show up! I promised her! But how am I gonna get past dad! Damn it" he thought to himself and paced around his room. He heard footsteps coming up the stairs, too tiny to be Membrane's. " GAZ! Maybe she can help!" He thought. He popped his head out from his door "Psst Gaz!" he whispered.

Gaz gave him an annoyed glare and turned her back to him. Dib felt a buzzing sensation in his pocket and picked up his phone seeing that Gaz had texted him." Text me if you don't want Dad to hear...Idiot" it read. 

Dib texted her back " I know I already owe you for helping me out earlier but I need another favor! I'll do whatever you wan t!" Dib started biting his nails as her response seemed to take forever.

". ....What is it Dib ?"

"I need to sneak out of here and I need Dad to be distracted " 

" Why ?" She asked

"... I made a promise to someone I met yesterday, I don't want her to think I stood her up! I PROMISE I'll make it up to you !" He texted back.

" Just text her that you can't make it tonight " Gaz responded

" She doesn't have a cellphone Gaz! It's complicated, ok ?" 

" Who doesn't have a cell phone these days? Maybe you just freaked her out Lol '' she texted

" What'd you mean lol ?" Dib growled.

" Nevermind.... You owe me bloaty's pizza hog for a month AND you'll do all my chores for the month as well… distracting Dad after your fight WILL NOT be easy so these are my terms. Do we have a deal ?" She asked.

" Deal! Thank you Gaz !"

" Also Don't stay out all night like a moron and dress warm! If you die of hypothermia Dad will blame me "

" Got it! " Dib replied

" Get ready and text me when you're heading out, I have a secret exit in my room you can use. I'll distract dad long enough for you to use it " she explained.

Dib headed to his closet, packed his camera, notebooks, binoculars and wore two sweaters AND his trenchcoat to ensure he wouldn't freeze like last time. He was about to leave the room but stopped as his magazines caught his eye. " Being stuck in a forest has GOT to be boring, maybe she can read these?" He wondered. He packed some magazines and then texted Gaz that he was ready.

 Gaz got the text and groaned irritably. She walked out of the room and met Dib in the hallway "I deactivated my security dolls, behind my vampire piggy hunter poster is the exit" she whispered.

Dib nodded and Gaz took off downstairs while Dib went inside Gaz's room. A collective whirring noise filled his ears, all of Gaz's robotic dolls all turned to look at him at once. He tried to ignore them but felt their cold robotic stares following his every movement " Can't leave this place fast enough!" He thought. He carefully pulled back the poster and saw that Gaz had made some sort of metal chute. " I wonder why she made this? Oh well" he thought. He slid down the chute and went faster than anticipated until he fell abruptly on his face. He groggily got up and made sure he still had his backpack and cellphone before continuing. "Where am I? Underground? Why does Gaz have an underground secret exit?" He asked aloud. He followed the path ahead using the flashlight from his phone until he saw a ladder. "I wonder where this leads?" He asked. He climbed up, found a door and opened it. He found himself inside a disgusting greasy room, with pictures of Bloaty everywhere.

Dib gagged his senses overwhelmed by the suffocating stench of body odor and cheese. He exited the room and almost ran into Bloaty himself "HEY! You're early!" He yelled. He burped "Wait a minute, you're not Gaz?" He asked.

"Nope I'm her brother and if you don't mind I'm kinda in a hurry!" Dib said hastily before running past him. He closed the door of the putrid pizza place and took a nice breath of fresh air. "I don't know how Gaz can eat there!" He gasped. He looked at his phone to check the time "8:00 perfect!" He exclaimed.

He still wasn't exactly sure where Maple was but had a general idea and made sure to keep a lookout for the blue light that guided him last time. He dashed across the forest until he saw the light in the distance "That's her it's gotta be!" He beamed an enormous grin forming on his face as he picked up speed. His foot got caught on a lifted tree root making him trip harshly falling again on his face. "OH COME ON!" he griped. He got up and winced in pain holding his nose which was most likely never going to heal at this rate. He peeked through the trees to see Maple humming by the river, seemingly bored out of her mind. He stepped on a stick that made a loud snapping sound startling Maple. She turned around and her face brightened instantly.

"Dib! You came back!" She gleamed.

"Of course!" He laughed awkwardly.

She floated to him at an inhuman speed, almost knocking him down from the gust of wind she caused as a result "Well I wouldn't have blamed you if you didn't show up, I mean I am a ghost!" She laughed.

Dib scoffed, "It's gonna take a lot more than that to scare me!" 

Maple smiled, "I'm so glad! It's nice to have someone to talk to again!" 

Dib nervously rubbed his arm and looked away "I'm sure it is, I'm sorry I took so long. You believe what I went through to be able to come here though" he chuckled. 

Maple looked at him curiously "I appreciate it but please don't get yourself into trouble on my behalf, believe me I'm not going anywhere" she giggled.

"Well I didn't want you to think you freaked me out, and get all weepy" he teased.

"Hey!" She pouted "No...no you're right I would have automatically assumed the worst" she laughed.

Dib joined her in laughter "I'm the same way, I think that's why it was so important for me to see you" he explained.

"Well I thank you" she replied. 

They made eye contact but both turned away quickly. "So uh you wanted to see Bigfoot, yes?" She asked.

"Yeah but if you don't feel like it-"

"No no it's fine! He might be a little hard to see though" she insisted.

Dib got out the video camera from his backpack "Nah I'll be able to see him! This baby has night vision!" Dib Explained.

"Nightvision? What is that?" Maple asked.

"It's a setting on my camera that will help me see in the dark," he answered.

"Ooh that's so neat!" She exclaimed "Well alright let's go! He likes to forage for food at this time for some reason"

Dib followed Maple, recording everything along the way "This is Dib Membrane, at long last the true identity of Big foot will be revealed today" he monologued. 

Maple stopped and turned around "Dib, you're not going to hurt him are you?" She asked with a suspicious glare.

"Noooo, I'm just… gonna uncover the mystery! If he's just minding his business like you say this footage will help him" he chattered.

"How?" She asked, arms crossed.

"You said people invade his home, maybe after they see this they'll finally leave him alone," he explained.

"Hmmm I guess you're right," she shrugged and continued floating ahead. 

They travelled deeper into the woods, surrounded by trees, rocks and brush. Dib looked around feeling slightly afraid they would get lost the farther they walked. He shook it off though, he's been to space! Surely this is not nearly as dangerous as that. Right?

"Okay, hide behind that boulder, he's about to come out" she whispered.

Dib swiftly hid behind the rock and pointed his camera in the direction Maple pointed to.The creature in question emerged from the ground, looked in front of him and behind before lurking around aimlessly in the dark. He bumped into trees and growled and put his hands in front of him to avoid getting smacked by more branches. Dib slouched in disappointment " This is Bigfoot!? He's STUPID! You would think his eyes would've adjusted to the dark by now" he internally complained.

Bigfoot stopped and sniffed the air. He started to make an animal-like grunting noise "H-Hey! HEY!" He bellowed. "I CAN'T SEE YOU BUT I CAN SMELL YOU AND YOUR GROSS ASS AXE BODY SPRAY!" he yelled. 

" Did I put on too much?" Dib wondered.

"Normally I'm anti-social but if you're around… I NEED A HUGE FAVOR!" he beckoned in the darkness.

"Hmmm he doesn't normally do this" Maple said, confused.

Dib stepped out from behind the boulder, camera in front of his face. "What do you want, Bigfoot?" he asked defiantly.

Maple gasped "Dib, don't be so rude"

"He said I smelled bad!" Dib whined.

"You do smell bad! And who are you talking to?" He asked.

"You smell like literal shit!" Dib yelled back.

"At least that's natural! You smell like chemicals!" He retorted.

Maple looked between the two in disbelief and laughed to herself.

Bigfoot grunted and grabbed his stomach. He groaned "Look smelly kid! I'm sorry I just REALLY need a favor right now! It's an emergency!" He pleaded.

Dib raised his brow "Okay I'll help you out but on one condition," he proposed.

Bigfoot's stomach growled with a ferocity that could frighten a wolf "ANYTHING!" He screamed.

"An all exclusive interview! No hiding! No secrets!" Dib grinned.

"F-Fine! Now please! Hand me your coat!!!" He shrieked.

"My coat!? What do you want my coat for?" Dib asked.

"I'M OUT OF CLOTHES TO WIPE WITH OKAY?! HURRY!" He spat.

"I'm not gonna let you use my coat for THAT! I LOVE THIS COAT!" Dib screeched.

"Ughhh we had a deal, kid! Come on!" He moaned and grabbed for Dib's coat forcing Dib to drop the camera. 

Dib and this enormous 7 foot creature tussled over the infamous trenchcoat in question when Bigfoot let go suddenly causing Dib to almost lose his balance. Bigfoot's neck twisted around and his eyes started to glow white "Ew gross! This body is weird!" Bigfoot squeaked, his voice more high pitched than before.

Dib stared hard at him, "Maple?" He asked.

"Yeah it's me! Forgive me it's been a while since I've had to do this" she giggled and handed him his camera back.

"YOU CAN POSSESS PEOPLE?" he asked ecstatically.

"And some animals but it all depends on the moon, see how it's a half moon right now?" She asked, pointing to the sky.

"Yeah," Dib answered.

"That basically means I'm at half power right now, on quarter moon nights I only have a quarter of my strength, you get the idea" she explained.

"That's why you can leave the forest on full moon nights" he concluded

"Correct!" She smiled before groaning in pain "Ew he wasn't kidding, Okay Dib get away from him I don't… want to be in his body for this" she warned.

Dib took off in the opposite direction heading back towards the river while Maple made Bigfoot run as far away as she could before needing to leave his body. Dib was startled by an echoing growl in the distance. He stopped at the usual spot and waited anxiously for Maple.

She zoomed up to him "That was disgusting! I barely made it out of his body in time" She breathed. 

"Thanks! If it wasn't for you my coat would be… ughhh" he cringed.

They laughed "Yes but I'm sorry Dib, you didn't get to have your interview" she relented.

"Aw it's okay Bigfoot was lame anyways!" Dib laughed. He looked up at the smiling ghost girl and found himself lost in her sapphire eyes. "For being a ghost she sure is cute '' he thought to himself. She waved a hand in front of his face.

"Dib? You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay, sorry just got… lost in my thoughts" he explained nervously rubbing his neck.

Maple floated up to him, a mischievous grin on her face "May I ask what those thoughts were?" She asked, raising her brow.

His heart began to pound again, not unlike the first time he saw her, and his palms started to sweat "That your voice is adorable...Damn it Dib! Get it together!" He mentally screamed.

"It's okay you don't have to tell me, I'm just teasing" she said softly and turned her back to him.

Dib went to touch her shoulder but his hand went through her again. She turned around and gave him a look that seemed to radiate loneliness and yet she still gave a small smile. His mind flashed back to the picture he found of her earlier, she had that same look. For some reason he couldn't explain, he just felt so much more empathy for her...deep down in his gut he can just tell something else happened to her, something much more sinister than just a fall in the woods. Regardless it was torture not being able to comfort her in anyway.

Dib jolted, remembering something "Hey Maple, I almost forgot!" He shouted and took off his backpack "I brought you something, I figure it must suck to be stuck in the forest night after night right?" He began.

Maple tilted her head "Suck?" She asked

"I brought some of my magazines, they may not be the most AMAZING pieces of literature but better than nothing you know?" He finished. He brought out the magazines and a weird metal device "This is a page turner, I invented it a year ago so I could eat and read at the same time, it should help since you can't actually touch them" he explained.

Maple's eyes lit up "Dib! Do you know how long it's been since I've gotten to read ANYTHING? This is amazing! Thank you so much!" She cried.

Dib blushed "And this is only what I could grab on short notice! Next time I can bring you other stuff like manga or something" he stammered.

She smirked "Dib, you think just because I'm half asian that I just automatically love manga?" She asked darkly.

"N-No! It...it was just a suggestion I mean I like manga so-" 

"I'm kidding Dib! I love manga!" She laughed

Dib scowled but relaxed, seeing her happy gave him an odd sense of accomplishment.

Maple stopped laughing "I'm sorry! Really! I just… feel comfortable with you" she confessed.

Dib smiled "I feel the same way, no one in my life is as sweet as you are, it's refreshing to be around".

"Well I'm sorry to hear that Dib, you're a great guy! You deserve better" she said and held her hands bashfully behind her back.

Dib was at loss for words, this situation feeling so foreign to him. Although expected, he still wasn't used to someone actually WANTING to be around him, actually ENJOYING his company, maybe it was because she didn't have any other option but still it was such a nice feeling. The two of them stared at each other and quickly looked away. 

"So uh yeah, I'll set the magazines up here" Dib said nervously and began to spread out the magazines. Maple hovered over and read the titles aloud.

"Crop Circles Magazine, Mysterious Mysteries, The Untold cases, We Are Not Alone" she read the titles aloud. "Dib, thank you! These look really interesting!" She responded happily. She glanced at the date of one, and gasped "2-2019? Am I reading that right?! The year is 2019?" She asked Dib.

Dib sighed "Y-yes...it is" he answered.

Maple's eyes flickered white and her shoulders slumped "I knew I've been dead for a long time but not THAT long!" She pouted. She floated away, gripping her dark blue hair in her hands and breathed heavily.

Dib started to walk towards her slowly "Maple…I-"

Her back was turned to him and she slowed her breathing and sighed "I'm sorry Dib, it's not your problem but I guess I'm...never going to pass on". She sat down and brought her knees to her chest. 

Dib sat beside her but she still refused to look at him. Her body shook and again Dib tried to extend a hand to her shoulder just to go through again. He grunted loudly in response, making her turn around. Her face was tear stained but she had a shocked expression. Dib blushed and backed away from her slightly. "Sorry I didn't mean to make that weird noise" he laughed.

Maple chuckled "You're funny Dib! You make all the weird noises you want!"

Dib fought himself again, wanting so badly to wipe those tears from her face, or just give the girl a damn hug, but perhaps he could comfort her another way. "Hey, do you… know why you can't pass on? Maybe I can help?" He asked.

"Not really, I assume that-" she stopped and put a hand to her chest. "That my body needed to be discovered or properly put to rest, to be honest I'm not even sure if THAT will work" she sighed.

Dib got out a notepad and started jotting down things she said combined with the information he gathered earlier. "Do you… know where your body-"

"NOPE! NO IDEA!" she shouted, her body tensing immediately.

Dib raised his brow " Gets defensive when asked about where her body is for some reason" he wrote.

"Dib… don't worry about it okay?" She said softly.

"But… What happens if you can't pass on? Will you be stuck here forever? I don't want that" Dib asked.

"I USED to think that I'd be stuck here forever but I'm afraid it's worse than that" she huffed. She pointed towards where her feet used to be. "You see how I don't have feet or ankles?" She asked.

"Yeah, but I thought that was just a weird ghost feature of yours" he answered.

She laughed "You're not wrong it is a ghost feature but I used to have them...but over the years they started to fade away" she looked down."I'm afraid that...the rest of me will fade away too" she confessed.

Dib gasped "Like completely? Into nothing?"

"Exactly, like if I never even existed" she answered.

"That can't happen! There has to be a way to help you pass on!" He yelled

She went to touch his face, causing an instant chill making him shiver "I'm sorry I made you upset" she apologized

Dib gulped, his heart raced again "H-Hey! My mom! She researched ghosts! I bet she knew some things that could help!" He screamed.

"Your mother believed in ghosts?" 

"Yes! She had a ton of research...in her old lab...that I'm not allowed in, but I've broken there before I can do it again" his voice trailed off.

A buzzing sound was heard from Dib's pocket. He looked and saw that Gaz just texted him to hurry up and get his ass back home. He groaned audibly, irritated as fuck. 

"What was that?" Maple asked.

"I gotta go back home! Damn it! I don't want to leave you like this!" He complained.

They both looked at each other dejected but Maple closed the distance between them, she got as close as she possibly could without actually touching. "You have done more than enough for me, you have an actual life to get back to, don't worry about me" she urged.

"Listen, I'm not the type of person that gives up on anything! Especially not on Y-This!" He declared.

"I won't be able to come back until my Dad gets off my ass but I promise I'll be back on the next full moon night! He should cool down by then," he said.

"I look forward to it," she replied.

"I promise and if I can I'll be back before that!" he said.

"Thank you Dib, for everything" she breathed.

Another loud buzzing sound was heard, he looked at his phone again "YEAH, YEAH GAZ I KNOW GEEZ!" He shouted.

"Gaz? Who's that?" She asked 

"My little sister, she's distracting my dad right now but says he's getting suspicious" he explained.

Maple smiled "Aw you have a little sister? Well you better get back before she gets in trouble" she ordered.

Dib grunted "I knowww but I-I" 

"I'll be fine Dibby" she winked.

Dib huffed "Next full moon is the 12th I'll be back!" He declared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The walk home wasn't as exhausting as last time, but it took a toll on Dib regardless. This time instead of physical exhaustion it was the stress of knowing the only person he's gotten along with in years could vanish completely and he HATED leaving her in that forest. He was shaken from his train of thought however when he was suddenly swiped with a long metal PAK leg from behind.

He soon found himself pinned down by even more PAK legs. "ZIM! What are you doing?!" 

Zim was raised about 7 feet in the air by the mechanical metal limbs, glaring down at the helpless human with a fire in his red eyes "ZIM! is the one who should be asking YOU that Dib-Stink! Your sister said you were sick and yet you're here! What exactly did you see filthy human?!" He pressed a PAK leg to Dib's throat.

"What I was doing had nothing to do with you! I don't even care about whatever STUPID plan you're working on now! I have bigger problems!" Dib ranted.

Gir swiped Dib's camera and ran up the PAK legs to Zim "I GOTS IT MASTER! WEEE HOOO!"

"Excellent work Gir! Now let's see what you've been up to!" Zim hissed.

"Nooooooo oh go ahead I didn't record much anyways!" Dib relented.

Zim looked at the footage and his antennae twitched and he squinted an eye at Dib. "You really are insane Dib-Monkey! Do you realize how much you talk to yourself?" He questioned.

"Look who's talking!" Dib retorted.

Zim lowered himself and retracted his PAK legs. He snickered "You weren't kidding you really do have bigger problems! Hahaha!"

"Whatever" Dib started walking home and flipped him off.

"Aww he seemed sad!" Gir squealed.

"That's good Gir! He seems to have lost interest in trying to save this PATHETIC dirt ball of a planet!" Zim Spat. He started marching home "Or is that what he WANTS me to think?!" He pondered and rubbed his chin. "Oh well it makes no difference! The Dib-Shit will do little to stop the invasion!" He smirked.

Chapter Text

Two weeks...Two long and torturous agonizingly slow weeks went by. Dib stayed on his best behaviour during this time and tried his damndest to push down the gut wrenching guilt within him. School was still miserable. He was still mocked and teased but he wasn't as bothered by it as before and even Zim, his biggest threat wasn't paying him any mind. Dib did his best to block out everyone else and focus completely on his assignments to stay on his father's good side and he made sure Gaz's room was spotless, games were organized and snack foods were stocked up to keep up his end of the deal they made. 

In what little free time he had left he would search online for more clues about Maple's past, unfortunately he found more information on her family than on Maple herself. He was disturbed to discover that apparently her mother was completely unfazed by her daughter's disappearance, even remarrying and starting life over in another state. It irritated him especially since she was still alive. How can she just go on with her life like nothing while her daughter was left to rot away in a forest? While her ex husband was found dead? How can she not care? It seemed like the best course of action once he was free from his father's punishment would be to track down Manya Saito-Smith herself and ask her. 

It wasn't long before Dib started collecting little pieces of the puzzle together here and there. Places where they lived, relatives, theories, he tried in vain to keep his notes organized but they were so hastily put together that they became a jumbled mess that only he would be able to make sense of. It's just as well though, no one would believe him anyways. He was so preoccupied with his tasks that before he knew it the night of the full moon was near.

Dib crossed an X over the present day on his calendar "Tonight night is the night!" He said to himself. "I just hope she doesn't think I've forgotten about her," he continued. He started to clean up his room first, then went downstairs and realized the rest of the house could use some cleaning. Gaz was laying on the couch, gameslave in hand but paused a moment to stare at her brother curiously. Dib began to vacuum and the noise grated Gaz's nerves

"What're you DOING?!" she yelled over the noise.

Dib turned it off "Vacuuming! Duh? What's it look like?" He replied

"But why? You literally NEVER clean up anything" she glared

"Well remember that girl I told you about?" Dib gushed "I invited her over tonight! Everything has to be perfect!"

Gaz gasped "Don't say that so loud Dib! If Dad hears you-"

"Dad's busy in his lab right now and he'll be gone all night!" Dib interrupted. He went back to vacuuming wearing the biggest grin on his face and Gaz threw her head back and groaned. She stomped off somewhere while Dib continued cleaning the house. She came back with Bluetooth headphones on and a bucket of cleaning supplies. 

Dib stopped what he was doing and flashed her a smile. He was about to speak when she put her hand on his mouth, shutting him up before he had a chance to say anything. 

"I'm only doing this to speed things up, I can't enjoy my game if you're bumbling around me trying to clean" she explained. She handed him a pair of gloves and took off his trenchcoat forcefully.

"Hey!" Dib yelled, being yanked back.

"Shut up! Unless you WANT it to get dirty" she ordered.

Dib gulped "Yeah that is a good point" he admitted.

She eyed the worn out coat and raised a brow "You're not wearing this tonight are you?" She asked.

"Of course I am! The trenchcoat is kinda my thing Gaz! I don't feel like myself without it" he answered

"Yeah well… there's holes in it! Maybe we should buy you a new one later?" She suggested.

"Nyoo! Trust me she won't notice… is it really that bad?" He asked

"You can at least try and fix it! If she sees you wearing holy clothes she's going to think you don't care about your appearance or that you didn't care enough to try and at least LOOK presentable" she advised.

Dib sighed "Well I don't want that! I guess we can pick up some thread later and I'll try and sew it up"

"Okay but first we gotta work on this dusty ass house, when is she coming?" She asked 

"I'm planning on picking her up around 7… hopefully" he answered

Gaz raised a brow "Hopefully?"

"It depends on whenever it gets dark and the moon comes out" he said nonchalantly

Gaz looked confused but once again shrugged it off, she chalked it up to just another one of her brother's weird ideas. The two then got back on task and cleaned up the house top to bottom, it took about 2 hours. Afterwards Gaz took a shower and while Dib waited he started to look into things that were popular around the time he assumed Maple lived. 

"Let's see, Creatures from the black lagoon, Invaders from Mars and maybe one more let's see…" he spoke to himself while searching. One of the titles caught his eye, it was definitely different "Hiroshima mon amour? Hmmmm? Why not?" He said as he proceeded to download the movies to his hard drive.

He checked his email and smiled when he saw that the package he ordered would be delivered today, just to be sure though he tracked it "YES! It should be here in 15 minutes!" He shouted.

"Last but not least… music" he once again spoke to himself. 

He heard a harsh knock on his door, temporarily ruining his good mood. 

"Dib! I'm going to work now! If you and your sister go out, be home no later than 8 and remember to activate the security procedures" Membrane ordered from behind the door.

"Okay Dad" he replied

"I won't be home until tomorrow morning I'll see you then son"

Dib sighed with relief as he heard his father's mechanical boots clank away from his room. He then peaked out his window to watch his father drive away making sure he was out of sight before relaxing.  He went back to his task of downloading music for the night when he was once again startled by knocking, making him growl in annoyance.

"I'm done if you want to shower" Gaz said.

He headed to the bathroom but got irritated when he couldn't find his soap "GAZ? HAVE YOU SEEN MY DAMN AXE BODY WASH?" he shouted while searching the bathroom cupboards.

"I threw that shit away! It stinks!" She yelled.

"Well what am I supposed to shower with then?" He asked.

"ANYTHING ELSE!" 

Dib humphed and found the only body wash they had was a green apple scented baby shampoo. He picked up in disdain "Why do we even have this? Whatever! better than nothing!" He grumbled to himself.

Later on the two siblings went shopping. Gaz insisted that Dib fix himself up and also buy more snacks because neither one of them can cook. Dib was cranky the entire walk over mostly due to Gaz throwing away both his body wash and spray, but she insisted that she was doing him a favor. They got separate carts and split up to save time. Dib took off towards the fabric area looking for thread he could use to try and salvage his coat. He was looking for the same shade of black until a particular shade of blue caught his eyes. His mind flashed back to the first time he saw her eyes, those dazzling sapphires that radiated in the darkness.

"YEAH! I can make this work!" He said.

Gaz had already filled her cart and was in the self checkout line. She growled hating how crowded the store was, wasn't there anything better that these wretched people could do? And standing as close as possible to her sure as hell wasn't going to make the line go any faster. She stared ahead blatantly ignoring the fool who so clearly is testing what little patience she had. However a familiar voice caused her to turn her head to the line next to her. There she saw him again, he was wearing a red and black sweater that was a little too big for him that read "100% Human" on the front. His panicked expression did not escape her gaze.

"Get over here Gir! You're bothering her!" She heard him harshly whisper and saw him motion to Gir to come back to his side. The puny green dog ran in front of her and grabbed her cheeks suddenly.

"I like you" he said and licked her face. Stunning her in pure disgust. Zim marched over and yanked him by his collar. He muttered nonsense sounds at his "dog" while Gaz struggled to restrain herself from strangling the both of them. Zim handed her a soft cloth with the Irken insignia on it, she glared but accepted the offer regardless.

Dib was finally done with his shopping but stopped in his tracks when he saw his baby sister seemingly getting brainwashed by his Irken foe. She stood completely still while his grubby claws were moving around her face, their eyes were locked onto each other, what else could he be doing? He hasn't bothered Zim all this time. Why is he now going after his sister? Bastard! Dib rushed over to Zim with his cart firmly in his hands and rammed into him causing him to screech out in pain and fall to the ground. 

"The fuck are you doing here Zim?!"

Zim groaned in pain and threw a dog toy at Dib's face, it squeaked on contact and caused his glasses to drop to the ground. "SHOPPING! YOU HIDEOUS WORM!" He replied venomously.

Gaz rolled her eyes and ignored the two screaming fools in favor of trying to get out of there as soon as possible. The crowd around them all stared and some whipped out their cell phones, but the two were too caught up in the argument to pay attention to their surroundings.

"I haven't bothered you for weeks now, Zim! So why the hell are you trying to mess with my sister now HUH?" 

"Insolent fool-boy! I WAS MERELY DOING MY NORMAL HUMAN SHOPPING RITUAL!" 

"Oh yeah? Then why were you all up in Gaz's face then huh?"

"Eeh?! Oh THAT! I was -"

"DIB PAY FOR YOUR SHIT AND LETS GO!" Gaz shouted over them furiously, making both boys gulp at the same time. They both give each other the side eye before taking off. Dib turned his back and started placing his items on the register when he felt something hard slam against the back of his head.  He screamed in pain and turned around quickly to see Zim's smug grin. The alien gave him a condescending wave goodbye while his insane mutt danced around him screaming nonsense.

Dib turned his back and grit his teeth "Nope! Not going to let him ruin this for me!" He grunted. When he was finished checking out he was relieved to find Zim and his dumbass dog were long gone. He took his bags and went outside to see his agitated sister tapping her foot playing her game slave leaning on the side of the building waiting for him. 

He felt a tinge guilty, after all Gaz rarely ever helped him so much, especially without him even asking her too. "Sorry about causing a scene again Gaz" he sighed "You want me to carry your stuff?"

Gaz shut off her game and shoved her bags into his hands, the weight of their combined items was more than he expected and he leaned forward. "It's the LEAST you can do! You KNOW I hate that kind of attention" She said sharply and walked ahead of him. Dib groaned in pain and slowly walked forward " Yeah she's mad !" He thought. He struggled to keep up with her and at times would try to talk to her and smooth things over before they got home but she was so fast and carrying their stuff was taxing on his body and he couldn't catch his breath.

When they got home she rushed ahead and went inside. Dib stopped a moment to rest and saw that his package had been delivered. "YES! IT'S HERE!" he beamed. With renewed vigor he ran in the house to put the bags in and ran right back outside to rip open the box with ease. The mangas he bought earlier in the week had arrived, he skimmed through the titles to make sure everything was in order "Angel Island, Super Jetter, and  Hitmitsu no Akko-chan! All of these were popular in the 60s so I hope she likes these!" He monologued.

He ran back into the house and rummaged through the shopping bags to find the wrapping paper he bought earlier. 

"Is it her birthday or something?" Gaz asked, breaking the silence and Dib's concentration.

"N-No but I just… think she'll really appreciate these things, " he answered.

"You need help sewing up your coat?" She asked.

"No that's okay I have a cool idea for how I want it to look, thanks though" he answered.

"Does she like pizza?"

"You know...I don't know if she can eat now that I think about it" Dib's voice trailed off.

Gaz's eyes widened at that and her mouth went crooked. "Ooook then, I'm ordering anyway. What kind do you want?"

"Gaz? Why are you helping me so much? You feeling ok?"

Gaz scoffed and turned away "I'm just getting the usual" she replied.

It took hours, but finally all the preparations for the night were completed. Dib had handmade a pair of earrings he wasn't entirely confident she would be able to wear, but wanted to try anyways, even if she couldn't wear them at least she would know she isn't alone anymore. Dib's trenchcoat looked better than ever, it was still mostly black but with dark blue trim. He admired himself in the mirror "Not bad Dib! Not bad at all!" He gleamed. He looked up at his clock and saw it had just turned 7:00pm. He looked out his window and was pleased to see the full moon shining brilliantly. He rushed to the rooftop and took a last look at the area he set up for them. "Okay! Everything looks great! Now I just have to go get her!" He said.

He went downstairs, he saw Gaz ordered an extra pizza for him. He continued to the living room where she was passed out on the couch with her game still on. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the danger that would occur if he were to accidentally wake her. He gently pried the game from her hands, causing her to jolt up suddenly with her eyes open wide. Dib stood frozen in fear until she mumbled and laid back down, she did this from time to time. He turned her game off and put it on the charger, he then ran quickly back up stairs to get her blanket, it was the least he could do.

Dib headed towards the forest he now identified as the Yuurei Forest. He couldn't get there fast enough, he dashed as quickly as his skinny little legs could manage, making sure THIS TIME he would not trip and fall flat on his face. He made it to the river she normally sat by but his mood dampened. He gulped, disturbed by the silence and lack of blue glowing light. He felt his heart drop into his stomach, was he too late? Did she pass on? Did she fade away? Did she give up on his promised return? He panicked and shouted into the unsettling quiet of the night "MAPLE! MAPLE ARE YOU STILL HERE?" 

 He ran in another direction and accidentally stepped on one of the magazines he had given her "Maple! It's me Dib!" 

"... Dib ?"

He heard her faintly and turned behind him. She emerged from the ground, barely visible and flickering on and off like a light switch. When they made eye contact however she became fully radiant again. 

"Dib!" She yelped happily and ran into him with open arms. They bonked heads on impact however, making them laugh awkwardly afterwards. She still felt freezing cold to the touch but he could actually make physical contact with her. 

"Hey you're not transparent anymore!" He shouted.

"Yeah! Like I said on full moon nights I have more power" she laughed and backed away from him shyly. "Sorry I shouldn't have done that! It just seems like I haven't seen you in a long time" she said with her hands behind her back, avoiding his gaze.

"Hey! Don't worry about it! I… missed you too" he said as he also began to avoid eye contact and nervously stroked the scythe cowlick of his hair back.

Dib cleared his throat "So umm you can still leave the forest tonight right?"

"YES! I should be able to as long as the moon is shining on me" she answered eagerly.

"THAT'S GREAT! I bet you're dying to get out of here, let's go!" He said, extending his hand to hers. He pauses a moment, the realization of the poor choice of words just registering in his brain. 

He began to stammer apologies but Maple waved her hand "Dib please I'm fine! Please lead the way!" She giggled.

They mutually smile at each other for a brief moment before leaving. When they reached the end of the forest, Maple let out a huge sigh of relief. "It's been so long since I've left, I wasn't entirely confident that I would be able to successfully" she explained.

"I bet!" He said "Don't worry I know I'm not the BEST companion a girl can have but I think you're going to have fun" he said.

Shortly after they arrived at the house. "So you say the moon has to be shining on you right?" Dib asked.

"I think so, I know I lose power when it becomes covered by a cloud but HOPEFULLY it doesn't make me teleport all the way back" she explained.

"Well that's fine! You can just fly to the rooftop, that's where I set up everything" he said. "I'll go inside and meet you up there"

Dib turned to go inside but Maple turned him back around to face her. She placed her arms around Dib's shoulders, causing him to shiver but the warmth from her face made him forget almost instantly. She smiled sweetly and levitated the both of them "Why don't we go together?" 

Dib laughed in amazement "You can make ME fly too?! This is awesome!" 

Her cheeks started to glow a darker shade of blue "H-Hold onto me tightly ok? I don't wanna drop you" she instructed.

He gulped and placed his hands on her hips, his own cheeks flushed a bright pink hue. Electric blue light surrounded them as she made them float higher into the air. Dib grinned, the feeling of flight tickling his stomach and making him laugh. "This is so cool!" He exclaimed.

She landed them gently on the rooftop. Her eyes widened as she gently let go of him, taking in the sights of the setup before her. There was a cushioned porch swing, a giant flat screen tv, an end table with drinks and snacks, and two gift wrapped presents. The rooftop was also adorned in glittering blue christmas lights "I uhh hope you don't mind the Christmas lights, I just thought it was kinda dark" Dib babbled. 

Maple just stood still, a bit baffled that someone would put some much thought and effort into someone who didn't even belong in the living world. "Dib, I can't believe you did all this," she said softly.

"Oh this? This is nothing! Come on! I got you something!" He said, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the presents. He handed her one of the boxes and Maple stared at it for a moment. She trembled and held back a sob.

"Something wrong? Am I being creepy?" Dib asked, lifting up her chin to look at him.

"No! Please! Forgive me… I've just...the last time I received a present was from my grandmother... I'm not used to such...generosity" she answered. She wiped an escaped tear off on her sleeve and smiled at him "I appreciate this so much"

Dib laughed "You haven't even opened it yet" 

"Yes yes you're right" she jittered. She slowly unwrapped the gift and saw three different mangas that she used to read growing up. "How did you know? I used to love reading all of these!" She asked.

"Well I just looked up popular mangas from the 60s and took a wild guess to be honest, I'm glad you like them" he said.

"I LOVE them Dib! I cannot thank you enough" she beamed.

"One more!" He said and handed her the next gift.

She opened it to see a pair of blue  dull faced earrings, she squealed in delight. "Dib! These are so cute! I love them!"

"I'm glad! I made them myself, you know?" he said

Maple eyed Dib's shirt, it had the same face on it. She smirked realizing she must've wanted them to match. Dib hesitantly took the earrings from her hand "I can help you put them on if you want?" He asked shakily.

Maple gulped "S-Sure why n-not?" She said fidgeting with her hands. 

Dib very softly pushed aside the midnight blue strands of her hair away from her ear, causing maple to gasp quietly. He clasped the earring on her ear and repeated the process on the other side, time seemed to stand still while he admired the way she leaned into his touch with the gentlest smile. 

"They look great on you, even if you know after tonight you can't wear them again there's always another full moon you know?" He said

"Thank you Dib" she responded

The mutual eye contact between them caused both of them to look away nervously and laugh. Dib cleared his throat again "Um weird question, but uhhh can you eat in this form?" 

"Ooh? Ummm I don't know!" She answered.

"Well you wanna try anyways? I got us some popcorn and sodas?" He asked.

"SURE!"

They both sat on the swing in front of the TV, Dib handed her a soda and Maple swiftly popped off the top, the scent of fizzy bubbles tickling her nose. She took a small sip at first, when she saw that it didn't just fall through her she proceeded to gulp down the whole beverage in a few seconds. "GOODNESS! I don't think I've ever had a soda taste so good!" She giggled.

"This is great! I got pizza too! Hold on, I'll go get it!" He said excitedly. He started to make his way downstairs but turned on the TV before he left. Creatures from the black lagoon popped on making Maple gasp. 

"Wow! I loved this movie!" She said, astonished. 

She was flabbergasted that Dib could so easily access movies from her time, watching anything on Tv was a huge ordeal back then. In Dib's absence She barely registered how nice it was to finally be able to SIT on something that wasn't a rock or tree, she leaned against the cushion of the swing, relishing in the soft material she missed so much against her skin. Meanwhile Dib rushed downstairs to get the pizza, paper plates and napkins and ran back to the rooftop. He placed the items on the end table and fixed their plates. 

"I'm sorry I would've cooked something but my sister banned me from the kitchen" he laughed nervously handing her the plate.

"Oh it's okay Dib, really this looks delicious" she said before practically swallowing the pizza slice.

Dib settled beside her, as they both enjoyed the movie and snacks. Unconsciously they both moved closer to each other, Maple when a part of the movie startled her and Dib at random times when sensing her discomfort. They would often reach for another slice of pizza at the same time, touching hands. Dib made a mental note to thank Gaz for getting such a large sized pizza for them because the poor girl was starving! When the movie ended, Dib looked over to her and saw that she was shivering. He took off his coat and placed it around her, taking her by surprise.

"Better?" He asked with a smile.

"Yes, much better" she answered, snuggling inside of the coat. She leaned against him, finding warmth and comfort she's longed for many years. Dib felt his heart start to beat faster, he gulped and inwardly panicked. Here was this beautiful girl leaning into him but would he be too forward if he wrapped his arms around her? Would she push him away? Never want to speak to him again? His mind was his own worst enemy at times, he knew this and shook those thoughts away instead changing the subject.

"It looks good on you, it matches your eyes" Dib smirked.

Maple blushed again and looked down, shuffling her hands around anxiously. Dib placed an arm around her shoulder "Are you okay?"

"YES!" she squeaked. She felt so annoying, all these reactions to things so trivial were so overwhelming for her, surely his patience with her was running thin. She sighed "I'm sorry I'm so difficult, my mother always said I was a difficult person to be around"

"You're not difficult! Your mom is stupid!" Dib blurted out. He didn't mean to be so blunt, but the mention of her mother reminded him of how angry he was with the information he found out, he wondered if Maple even knew. 

Maple's mouth stood agape, in her day it was incredibly rude to speak ill of your elders, ESPECIALLY someone else's mother, but she couldn't hold back her laughter. "I would NORMALLY never be so disrespectful towards my mother but, she… wasn't exactly the brightest, oh my goodness I'm terrible" she laughed again, Dib joining her this time. 

Dib held her hand "Hey don't feel bad, we all feel frustration towards our parents at times" he assured her.

Maple sighed "You're right, so what do we do now?" She asked 

"Well I got another movie but unfortunately it's in french, I uhhh didn't know that at the time BUT it has English subtitles" he suggested.

"OH that's fine I know french!" She gulped "My… father wanted me to know many languages" she said softly, her smile shifting into a frown and her body tensed.

Dib took note of this sudden change in mood, again wondering if Maple knew what happened to him. He decided it would be best to not question her about it, not tonight anyways. Tonight was about enjoying things that for years she had been deprived of, for a temporary feeling of peaceful relaxation before having to eventually go back to the bitter cold reality of loneliness and isolation. No, as much as the questions pestered him, they would have to wait another night. 

"You know what? We can watch the movie another night, how about this instead? Computer! PLAY my 1960s playlist" Dib commanded.

Maple looked perplexed, what computer? What is he doing? But soon she heard a song she used to love, California Dreamin by the Mamas and Papas "OH MY GOODNESS! I LOVED THIS SONG!" she screamed and quickly covered her mouth embarrassed by how loud she was. Dib took that hand in his with confidence, a cheesy grin forming on his face.

"May I have this dance?" He asked. 

Maple blushed furiously, and laughed "Ummm it's uhhh, I've never really uhh danced with anyone before" she stammered and shook. Her eyes began to flicker white "I might be really bad at it" she said.

"Who cares? This isn't a contest, Maple this is just for fun" he said and moved her hair out of her face. That single moment of physical contact helped ease her nerves, her eyes back to their normal shade looked at him with an expression of silent gratitude.  The song changed to Baby, I Love You by The Ronettes… It was Dib's turn to blush and stammer "Oh uhhh huh! That's a strange song to pop on right now huh?" He laughed loudly. They both backed away from each other a step, trying to collect themselves. Maple began to take off the trenchcoat because her embarrassment caused her to overheat "Here Dib, I'm kinda hot now, besides you need it more than I do" she said and gave him the coat back.

Dib threw the coat around him "Oh you're hot huh? I could've told you that" he teased. He extended his hand to her once more "Come on Maple dance with me, while you still have a chance".

Maple squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself before taking his hand "You're right! Let's have fun" she laughed. 

While Dib was quite the awkward nerd, he was surprisingly very good on his feet. He effortlessly had a good rhythm, they moved in time with the music, laughing and twirling bathed in the moonlight. Despite having no feet, Maple was the one misstepped, timing one of her twirls a little early and accidentally slamming her face into Dib's chest. "Sorry" she said, muffled.

"Hey it's okay!" He said. He softly began playing with her hair, and she slowly pulled her face away to stare up at him longingly. They got lost in each other's eyes, the music faded into the background as their only focus became each other.  She wrapped her hands around his neck, he lifted her face to his, inching his face closer to hers. Their lips brushed against each other softly before they closed their eyes shut and embraced each other tightly.

Her lips were cold, but very soft. He didn't mind the chills that caused every hair on his neck to stand up, no, despite the blistering cold of her physical form, her presence made his heart melt. Inside he never felt warmer, on fire even, she was sweet, supportive and adorable…

They separated and Maple looked at him with her mouth agape "I AM SO SORRY!" she squeaked

"Hey I'm the one who-

"No! Dib! That was wrong of me, we, we're just… friends" 

Dib held her tighter and she relaxed, sighing deeply into his shoulder. She returned the embrace and he rubbed her back. "I'm sorry too Maple, I don't want to make you uncomfortable ever" he apologized and groaned seeing the hints of sunrise in the distance. 

"It's almost dawn isn't it?" She asked solemnly.

"Yeah" 

She turned around to face the sky, holding Dib's around her. She leaned into him "You didn't make me uncomfortable Dib" she breathed.

He leaned into her neck "Good, I just… in the short time I've known you, you've brought me comfort so I...wanted to return the favor"

"You succeeded Dib, I've never been so happy, no one had ever done anything like this for me" she confessed.

The sun rose higher in the sky, Dib almost lost his balance as Maple began to fade away. "I hate this" he grumbled 

"I'm not exactly thrilled to be going back, but it's alright" she turned and tried to touch his cheek "We'll see each other again right?" She asked.

"Tomorrow" he answered.

The moon was now completely gone, the sun shone brightly in his eyes temporarily blinding him. He blinked and found himself alone again. He sighed deeply and stared ahead leaning against the balcony. His mind and heart raced, he knew he liked her, but he underestimated how much. He wasn't stupid, he KNEW she was dead. It was just his luck to have such an instant and strong connection with someone that wasn't even alive. Who cares though? Who says a guy can't date a ghost? Since when did he care about what was considered normal or not! 

His head spun with all the possible ways he could try and make this work or maybe they should stay friends? Not ruin what they have? He was getting a headache… and he still had to clean up before his father got home. "Better get to work" he said to himself.