A/N: So I wasn't exactly expecting to have this chapter completed over this past weekend, but after a month of little to no writing, I was able to sit down yesterday and churn out this chapter fairly quickly in comparison to other chapters I've posted. Hope those of you still reading this story will enjoy it. : It's been nice getting back to my writing this past year, even if only for my own personal enjoyment as such. More new content hopefully coming soon! 3

-Sincerely, Pat

ZADR Orange Chapter 203

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.

Zim: Notgonnadie

Dib: Me

Enjoy. =3

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With the hybrid half dressed now and secured to his torso as planned, Zim celebrated his hard-won victory with a sudden domination of Dib's unsuspecting lips. Unlike his words which often backfired in the face of his mate's rising temper, he found this means of placation far more effective than the doting tolerance he most often displayed when dealing with yet another one of Dib's unpredictable mood swings. As the hybrid's squirming settled to little more than a trace of restless fidgeting, Zim then removed his lips from Dib's to flash him an impish grin. "There. Now for your shoes." he spoke unremittingly, ignoring a small glare he received from the teen as he went about retrieving the new pair of shoes he had bought to help Dib with all the foot pains he had developed from carrying around so much extra weight on his person.

Dib frowned at the offhand kiss he'd just received, his antennae falling back and another rise of color tinting his cheeks for how easily Zim had managed to subdue his inner turbulence. It was like his body could no longer protest the other's advances, regardless of how sudden or unsolicited they were in the moment of receiving them. Rather, his subconscious mind yearned for the physical contact and even demanded it anytime Zim's lips captured his in anything more than just a quick peck.

No longer concerned with Dib's tempestuous temperament going forward, Zim stayed focused on the task at hand of getting the hybrid dressed and ready for the day. To him, it was a mission of the upmost importance and one he did without complaint despite the touch of moodiness his efforts were most commonly rewarded with. Returning to Dib's waist side just as soon as he had located the other's new shoes, he then knelt near the end of the bed Dib was sitting at so he could slip the teen's slightly swollen feet into the padded slippers. Now all that was left was to find his mate a shirt, a simple enough undertaking given the vast selection of tops Rose had assisted them in purchasing.

Abandoning his thoughts of intimacy when Zim moved away from the bedside once more, Dib shifted on its border uncomfortably for a moment before then glancing about the room in absentminded interest. It was no longer an exact replica of the room he'd known back home, nor was it a space that mimicked the poorly-designed interior of a 'normal human dwelling.' With the smeets fast approaching, it was now a partial nursery with a handful of empty spaces prepped and ready for the addition of a crib and changing table. More than that though, Zim had also installed a new feature to their ceiling which acted as a holographic curtain to hide the less-than-attractive wires and coils that had always served as the roof to Zim's earth base. Instead, it now displayed a canopy of stars at night and solar-hued skies at the start of every morning. As he stared at the fabricated image of the celestial sphere above, it wasn't until Zim returned to the side of their bed that he sat up in his spot to eye the chosen shirt he'd be wearing for that day. To his relief, it was at least less feminine than the pants Zim had selected and even featured an illustration that sat low on the bulge of his belly. Mostly black in color, the outline of a Halloween-style pumpkin face smiled back at him in orange printed ink.

"Alright, Dibbers. Arms up." Zim instructed with a small smile as he held the shirt stretched out on either side to allow for easy access to its open sleeves and collar.

Arms wrapped about his chest in reluctance, as though that alone might mask the excess swelling, Dib hesitated to lift his arms as advised before finally peeling the limbs from his front side and raising them just enough for Zim to guide the shirt over his head and onto his torso. Needless to say, it was the least comfortable part of getting dressed in the mornings now and a constant source of soreness he hated having touched. In fact, he was sore almost everywhere now and hardly allowed Zim to cuddle him any longer, even when tucked into bed at the end of each night.

But despite Dib's refusal for contact, Zim still hovered around the hybrid as if they were joined at the hip. He missed holding Dib and loving up on him as he'd done throughout the majority of his pregnancy thus far, but for how tender Dib's joints and ligaments had become, he had decided that it could wait until after the smeets were born. "Ready to get breakfast?" he then asked in an attempt to direct Dib's attention elsewhere.

Dib's antennae could only fall back on his head at the question. "No..." he answered stubbornly, pouting down at the seemingly infinite expanse that served as his large belly. As if it could get any bigger! he mused. He already felt about ready to pop at this point and half-wished he would already just to get it over with. But the smeets still weren't coming yet, making him rather irritable most days as his hormones only continued to surge. He didn't care at this point whether they came before the wedding day. Anything would be better than having to wait through another two months of this.

Used to Dib's crankiness by now, Zim merely sighed at his mate's response before leaning himself forward to offer the other help getting onto his feet. "Come on, Dib. I know you must be hungry. Just forget about what you look like for now. You're gorgeous." he assured, all the while keeping one hand at Dib's lower back for support as he tugged the other upwards with him.

Dib only continued to stare down at his belly unbendingly though, his antennae lifting momentarily before shuddering on his head and falling back again when it growled at him in hungry proclamation. He poked out his bottom lip even more at the rumble, tempted to snarl right back at it for making him so hungry when he obviously felt like he was already about to burst. He didn't stop Zim from aiding him however and strained to get up on his feet so he could allow the Irken to lead him out of the room and towards the hallway elevator.

Staying close to Dib as they moved to the lift in question, Zim said nothing as he steered the hybrid through its waiting entrance way and settled the brunt of his weight against a rail that extended halfway-around the cylindrical walls. He knew the other had been having a harder time walking around lately and so jumped at any opportunity he could to grant Dib some temporary relief from the ache of his swollen ankles.

Following the other into the kitchen once they had ascended to the surface floor, Dib then sank into one of the chairs at the kitchen table and waited patiently as Zim proceeded to raid the fridge for any morsel of leftover sustenance that hadn't already fallen victim to one of his android's collective attempts at home-style cooking. Very much to the relief of them both, he was for the most part over his cravings for sugar by now and only ever requested it on occasion when the desire for ice-cream and french fries tickled his appetite during the late night hours of the evening.

Popping his head out of the fridge once he'd completed his survey of its available contents, Zim then held up a box of Chinese take-out and offered the other a view of it that may as well have been an advert for the selection of fast foods they currently had to choose from. "How about this? I picked it up yesterday." he spoke in a hopeful voice that his offering of the mostly-meatless rice and noodle cuisine would satiate his mate's breakfast time munchies.

Staring back at the oriental offering with the regard of a picky eater, Dib opened his mouth to protest the boxed up grub grumpily before a sudden whiff of fried rice and stir-fry noodles flit to the forefront of his senses, causing his stomach growl its approval ambitiously. Dib sighed at the indisputable gnarl. "...Okay..." he agreed in a voice far more reluctant than the murmurs of his stomach. It did look reasonably fresh still at least and nothing like the mess of experimental concoctions Zim's crazy little SIR unit had made a habit of transforming their leftover meals into. As he waited for Zim to gather some plates together for them, it was only then that the reality of his growing hankering began to prod at his present consciousness. He was starving right then, though the sensation itself seemed almost a constant companion nowadays and something he no longer had any true say in when attempting to alleviate said tingle in his gut.

Splitting the food onto two separate plates for them, knowing by now that he had to eat also for Dib to willingly eat too, Zim slopped a majority of the take-out onto Dib's plate before dropping into his own spot at the table and settling in close to his hybrid's proximity. With Dib eating for four now and growing ever closer to his supposed due date, he couldn't help but monitor the other's daily intake of food, if not for his own peace of mind then for the sake of ensuring their smeets were getting a steady source of nutrients from his often times finicky mate.

Dib inspected the food set down in front of him with the scrutiny of a suspicious eye before finally picking up his fork and beginning to dig in, the smeets seeming to kick happily inside him as though delighted by their first meal of the day. With their movements growing stronger each and every day, Dib could hardly go even a few solitary minutes without feeling one of them moving around, their every turn and shift fluttering through his midsection as he half expected to feel at least one of them anytime Zim opened his mouth to speak.

Satisfied that his hybrid was actually eating his meal without complaint for once, Zim smiled at Dib happily and slowly started to pick away at his own meal, taking care not to over-indulge in its quantity but rather consume just enough to mitigate Dib's own skepticisms on the matter.

After eating nearly every last mouthful of the hefty portion set before him, Dib then finally pushed his plate away and melted into the back end of his seat. He at least felt a fair deal more appeased now that he had been fed, and much to Zim's relief, less crabby than he'd been prior to heading up there.

A further grin tugged at Zim's mouth to reveal a wink of zipper-entwined teeth. "Feeling better?" he asked, all the while spinning the corner of his fork in idle rotations on his plate.

Dib's antennae dipped back on his head at the question before springing forward once more when another small kick rippled throughout his abdomen. "I'd feel better having them out of my body." he answered sharply, eyeballing his stomach again before poking at it with a single finger, as though it were something that need be poked at before examined.

"Ahh, I know, Dib...But it's almost over. I'm here for you." Zim assured as he moved in towards the other delicately so he could wrap an arm around Dib and pull him into a loose bear hug.

Dib didn't resist the tactfully-restrained embrace but rather continued to poke at his belly as Zim hugged him close and only turning his gaze away from it when all his persistent prodding resulted in nothing more than a few more innocent jabs to his midriff. "...When do you think it WILL be over...?" he asked on a quiet whisper. Although the Irken medical drone had given him another check-up a few days prior AND a more accurate due date for them to set their watches to, he couldn't help but wonder how much longer they could realistically stay inside him. "I don't think they can get any bigger than this at this point..." he commented tensely, already feeling convinced that any further growing would likely be a recipe for complications.

"Well, they have to develop more than just their size." Zim reminded him before kissing his forehead sweetly. "It'll be over soon, love."

"Do you...Do you think we'll be ready in time?" Dib then asked, finally lifting his gaze up to meet Zim's own.

With an involuntary sigh, Zim pulled Dib to his chest once more and held him in a tight snuggle. "We'll sure try to be." he said with an inclination of his head towards the curve of Dib's exposed neck.

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A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 203. Until next time~