A/N: Ugh...Been so long since I last updated this story. Terribly sorry about that, you guys. For your patience, I shall be rewarding you all with two chapter updates tonight. So here be Chapter 4 of Dib Is Sick. Also, for those of you who haven't read my ZO RP, I thought I'd just let you all know that I WILL be attending the upcoming InvaderCon in 10 months. So if anybody reading this would like to meet me, please let me know so I can give you details concerning how to find me at the con. =3 I can't say for sure whether Sass is going to be going, but my other co-writer, NGD, is DEFINITELY going to be there with me. And since we'll be selling ZO prints while we're there, I thought I'd let you guys know I'll also be taking DIS requests for the upcoming convention. So if anybody attending would like to request something from Dib Is Sick be drawn for the convention, please do let me know and I'll see what can be done. =3 Also, since these prints will be posted on DA, do feel free to request something even if you are NOT going to the convention. I may still take your idea and make a print out of it. Hell, as a matter of fact, I'm going to open myself up for requests from ANY of my IZ related stories on here. Sure, some of my older ones still need revisions/to be finished, but I don't see why I can't create prints for them regaurdless. So feel free to ask for prints from any of the stories posted here on FF (ZADR Orange, Sleepless Nights, Near Misses, Missing Something Crucial, Idle Hands, Dib Is Sick or In the Dark -You have to find this last one on DA if you want to read it. FF deleted it because they suck.) That said, I should probably get to posting this next chapter now. Oh! But one more thing before I do. I have a question for you guys concerning a few of my older stories like Near Misses and Missing Something Crucial. As some of my readers may have noticed, a handful of my stories have been put on hiatus for some time now. Why, you ask? Well, I haven't been as motivated to work on them as of late and am really looking to find a new RP partner who'd like to continue work on some of my unfinished fictions. Near Misses is the big one, seeing as how I have it plotted out but just can't seem to get the chapters done any longer. So I was wondering, would anybody here like to help me? I'm considering taking on maybe two RPers if any of you would be interested. One for Near Misses (somebody who has read or is willing to read the first 8 chapters) and one to continue Missing Something Crucial with me (Because my RP partner on that one gave up on it two chapters into the story.) So, do I have any takers here? If any of you would be interested, please let me know in a comment and I'll be sure to get back to you. That said, here be the next chapter now. We hope you all enjoy and extend much love to our readers, reviewers, people who add the story to their faves and those of you who add the story to your story alert lists. We hope the wait was worth it because here are the next two chapters. ^^
Dib Is Sick Chapter 4: Hate?
Zim: Sassafrass002
Dib: Me
Beta: Invader-Ara
Warnings: Warnings: EXTREME OOCness!
Rating: M for later chapters
Disclaimer: We do not own Invader Zim, nor any of the characters from it. We do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Nuzzling one of Zim's hands to his cheek, Dib opened his eyes to stare up at the Irken after a moment or two. "Do Irkens EVER get sick then?" he asked, holding the hand close to keep the other from leaving.
Zim blushed. "Uhm...Well, there are a few illnesses that Irkens get, like minor skin diseases or poisoning from eating unfamiliar foods. But never like what humans seem to get." he said, looking around almost nervously as though what he just said may be used against him.
"...Oh...So the closest you ever really get to being sick is from food poisoning..." Dib yawned tiredly. "...Then I guess you really are lucky..." he felt himself beginning to fall back to sleep."Mmmm...It's so hot in here..." he blinked his eyes open to look up at Zim. "Would you mind opening the window for me?" he asked, finally releasing Zim's hand to allow the other room to move.
"Uh...Okay. Sure." Zim went to the window. "I suppose I would be luckier if I didn't have to put up with the cafeteria food." he opened up the window. "That always makes me sick." he said jokingly.
"No big surprise there...The cafeteria food makes EVERYBODY sick. It's really not fit for consumption by any species, human or not..." Dib sat up suddenly and coughed into his hands just to find blood on them. Eyes growing wide, he then began to shake. "Z...Zim?" he sent Zim a frightened look.
Still looking at the window, Zim laughed. "Yeah?" he turned to see Dib looking scared. "...What's wrong?" he asked, face turning to one of concern again.
Gulping a bit, Dib turned his hands around for Zim to see. "I-I'm bleeding." he said in a shaky voice.
"Bleeding?" Zim's eyes widened in shock. Unsure of what the hell he should do, he began to get all flustered. "Uh...Sh-Should I go get your dad?" he asked, looking about in a panic.
"No! Don't leave me again! Just please...Don't leave me again...He'll just end up taking me to a hospital or his lab or something if you tell him...And I don't like either of those places!" Dib pulled himself underneath the covers again.
"B-But...Blood and...Stuff!" Zim exclaimed before finally calming himself down and grabbing a tissue from the bedside table. Sitting himself on Dib, he then grabbed his hands and wiped the blood from them. "Oh...Stop being such a smeet, Dib-stink. Zim isn't going anywhere." he said, his instincts taking over again.
Peeking out from underneath the covers at Zim, Dib blushed. "Y-You're not? But I thought you hated me..." he said, a little surprised to hear Zim wasn't leaving.
Looking at Dib, Zim blushed before turning his attention back to Dib's hand, unable to look him in the eyes. "Uhm...I...I hate to see you in such a state...I mean...Uh...Zim should be the only thing that causes you pain!..." he rubbed Dib's hand with the tissue more even though there was no more blood on it.
"Oh...Yeah...That makes sense...I guess..." Dib's eyes dropped to stare at the blankets as Zim wiped his hands with the tissue. He then pulled his hands back once he was sure they were clean and began to fiddle with the blanket. "...Thank you...I can tell you don't really want to be here, so...you can go..." he said, avoiding eye contact with Zim.
Looking at Dib uneasily, Zim rubbed the back of his neck and then looked to his ungloved hands. "N-No! I mean! Zim is...Um..." he began to think of why he'd come there in the first place.
Sitting there, Dib just blinked at Zim blankly.
Zim blushed insanely. "What!" he exclaimed, getting all flustered again. "W-Why are you looking at me like that!" he demanded, the other's attention making him feel uncomfortable in that moment.
When the Irken yelled at him, Dib looked away. "No reason! Geez, Zim...You're the one who started a sentence without finishing it. Don't be getting mad at me about that." he sent the other an annoyed look now.
"Okay!..S-Sorry...And..." Zim folded his arms and frowned at the floor. "Zim...wants to stay." he finished his earlier sentence.
Dib's look softened. "R...Really?" he looked away shyly. "I think I'd...really like that..." his face flushed an even deeper red than it already was.
Smiling at Dib, Zim nodded, still blushing a little. "Good." he said with a satisfied face before looking awkwardly at the bed covers and fiddling with them. "Y'know...It was really boring not having you around to bother me, Dib-stink." he said, having truly missed the human's presence at school the past week or so.
Dib smiled a little. "I thought you would have loved the opportunity to take over the world without me to stand in your way...But...I'm kind of glad you're here now...Because it's been kind of boring being stuck in bed with nobody to talk to." he said, playing with his own half of the bed covers.
"Well, it's not fun when no one tries to stop me from doing it. Too easy!" Zim smiled smugly to himself then looked at Dib with a hint of concern. "So...No one has talked to you? Not even your dad or scary sister?" he asked, having figured one of them must have been caring for him this entire time.
Face falling, Dib looked away. "N-Not really...Gaz doesn't ever come into my room unless she's looking for the remote to the TV downstairs...And my dad...Well...He pops his head in every once in a while when he's home...But otherwise, I don't think he really even knows I'm sick right now...Otherwise, he probably would have told you to go home earlier so you wouldn't catch whatever it is I have...And other than you, nobody at school even seems to notice me...Unless they're picking on me or something..." he said, his hands stopping what they were doing.
"Your dad doesn't even know that you are sick?" Zim looked at Dib with even more concern and then quickly grabbed Dib's hand, squeezing it lightly. "Well, they are all idiots! I hate all of them and so should you!" he looked away and frowned at the floor again, still holding Dib's hand. "You shouldn't let them ignore or pick on you, like you were a defect or something, because you're not." he squeezed Dib's hand a little more.
Blushing at the way Zim was holding his hand, Dib sent Zim a weak and nervous smile. "It's not really all that big of a deal. It's been like that practically my entire life...Or since my mom died, at least...You just sort of get used to it." he said, not understanding why such news was working Zim up so much. After all, this was HIM they were talking about here.
A/N: And there you have it for now. I'll have Chapter 5 updated in a just a few minutes. =3 So we hope you guys enjoy. ^^
