A/N: Alright! And yet another update be delivered! 8D So for those of you who have been waiting oh so patiently, here be Chapter 25 of ZADR Orange. 8D Much love to those of you who faved or added the story to your story alert lists. And remember, feedback be much appreciated. =3 Hope you all enjoy. 83

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/Gaz: Me

Beta: Notgonnadie

To say the very least, Zim's arm was in pain as he pulled it back to himself to cradle gently and let out a small sob. "Dib..." the others name slipped past his lips as he went back to curl up next to Dib, really hoping he didn't get any worse by morning.

After a few hours of sleep however, Dib began to wake back up once more, the painkiller Zim had given him beginning to wear off. Opening his eyes to find the room he was in completely dark, he was only able to see the shadows being cast across the walls of Zim's lab.

So sitting himself up slowly to have a better look around, he couldn't help but let out a pained yelp and double over in his spot with his arms wrapped around his stomach when he tried to locate the Irken in the room. "Zim?" his voice shook a bit as he called out the others name in the dark.

Sitting up quickly, getting a little lightheaded, Zim jumped to his feet and was at Dib's side within a matter of seconds. "Dib? Wh-What's wrong? A-Are you okay?" he asked almost frantically.

Looking about the darkness, Dib reached out one hand to search for the other. "Wh-Where are you?" he asked, unable to make anything out in this light or, to be more precise, lack of light.

Coming up closer to Dib, Zim reached out to take his hand in his own. "I'm right here, Dib..." he said softly, kissing his hand gently as reassurance.

Scooting himself closer to Zim the instant he took his hand, Dib shivered, not liking the creepy look of the base in the dark, especially when on a fairly strong painkiller that was making his senses hazy. "Wh-What time is it?" he then asked in an attempt to take his mind off the shadows being cast in the room by all of Zim's equipment.

Stroking Dib's hair, Zim glanced back at the clock, his vision better in the dark than Dib's. "It's three in the morning, Dibblet." he cooed out the pet name softly.

Letting out a small whimper nonetheless, Dib went to hide his face in Zim's chest. "I don't like it in here..." he fussed, his new antennae falling back on his head.

Pulling Dib into a gentle hug, Zim brought back up his earlier suggestion. "Want to go upstairs or to the bedroom?" he asked, knowing the atmosphere in either of those two rooms would be far less frightening for the new hybrid in his current state than the one they were in right now.

Nodding his head and wrapping his arms around the other, Dib merely clung to Zim, this time just putting up with the pain so he could be moved to a less intimidating environment.

Deciding to carry Dib to the bedroom since it was closer, Zim scooped the boy up into his arms gently before leaving the room to lay him down on the soft bed inside his bedroom. "I took the liberty to have the computer fix the room for you." he said, nodding to the completely reformed room which now greatly resembled Dib's old one. "I thought you'd feel more at home if I did..." he then explained before nuzzling Dib lightly.

Still clinging somewhat to Zim despite having been set down, Dib lifted his head to have a look about the room, noting that it did indeed look a lot like his old room now. Calming somewhat at the familiarity of it, he then closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Zim's. "Thank you..." he thanked the other, starting to feel tired again.

Smiling softly at Dib, Zim nuzzled one last kiss to his forehead gently. "You're welcome..." he acknowledged the other's gratitude before pulling away. "Now you rest up, Dib." he instructed the other before crawling onto the bed himself to snuggle up next to him. "I'll keep you safe." he reassured the other that nothing else would harm him while he was down here.

Attempting to get as comfortable as physically possible for the time being, Dib found himself still gripping onto the Irken's uniform top tightly for protection as he didn't want the other going anywhere while he slept.

Smiling at this, Zim nuzzled him again happily. "I hope you feel better soon..." he whispered into Dib's antennae lightly.

Yawning tiredly, Dib merely smiled and responded back in a tired voice. "I hope so too..." he said before opening his eyes to look back up at Zim. "Are you feeling alright? I mean, after what my sister did to you..." his sentence trailed off as he dropped his eyes back down.

Zim merely nodded. "I deserved it...I put you in danger..." he looked away to the side guiltily.

Managing to lift his head enough to stare back up at Zim, Dib poked his tongue out to give the alien's cheek a small lick. "You didn't put me in danger...You did what I asked you to do..." he reminded the other, not wanting him to regret doing it.

But Zim could only shake his head at those words. "But I wasn't positive if it would work...I shouldn't have done it because of that..." he seemed to scold himself.

"You said you had done this before though...And I trusted that you could do this...And you did..." Dib's voice grew quiet as he brought his gaze up to meet Zim's.

Smiling back at Dib, Zim nuzzled him lightly. "Thank the Tallest I did..." he then sounded more relieved than anything.

Closing his eyes at the nuzzle, Dib instinctively leaned in, his lips parted as he pulled Zim's bottom lip between them to nibble on gently.

His own eyes slipping closed, Zim also leaned in, his hands of their own accord finding their way to Dib's new antennae to rub them gently.

But not being ready for such a sensitive touch quite yet, Dib instantly pulled away, his eyes snapping wide open at the sensation. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" he bellowed out before letting his antennae fall back to rest on the back of his head, blushing slightly as the sensation had rippled through his entire body in a pleasurable yet painful manner.

Blushing at Dib's reaction, Zim was quick to pull his hands away. "S-Sorry...I didn't mean to do that..." he apologized, looking away ashamed.

"I-It's alright...I just wasn't expecting it is all..." Dib said, his blush deepening as he stared up at Zim's own antennae before reaching up one of his own hands to pet one of the sensitive appendages back himself, just barely tracing his fingers over it before pulling back.

"Ohhhh..." Zim moaned, blushing at the touch and purring once Dib had pulled away. "Mmmm..." he then hummed out contently.

Watching Zim's reactions curiously, Dib wondered how it would feel on his own new antennae once his body had healed from the procedure.

Eyes half lidded, Zim stared back at Dib. "You shouldn't do that right now, Dib..." he panted out before purring some more. "I'm too stressed to control my reactions..." he warned the other cautiously.

"O-Oh...S-Sorry..." Dib blushed even more before resting his head comfortably on the bed and shivering slightly. "It's still kind of cold down here..." he then murmured quietly to the other, his teeth chattering a bit.

Smiling at that statement, Zim sat up a bit to reach down and pull up a thicker blanket to wrap around himself and Dib before cuddling up with him again. "Better?" he asked, just wanting Dib to feel as comfortable as possible.

Nodding his head, Dib found Zim's chest again and nuzzled his face into it, soaking up what warmth he could from the other.

Rubbing Dib's back gently, Zim then leaned down to kiss the top of his head lightly. "Sleep, Dib...You need it." he didn't want to keep his hybrid up any longer.

Nodding his head slowly in agreement, Dib yawned one last time before closing his eyes to sleep. "Okay..." the word came out in a soft whisper.

For the next several hours both Zim and Dib continued to sleep until Zim's own eyes opened back up reluctantly. Fully rested now, he didn't want to sleep any longer, but at the same time, he didn't want to leave Dib either.

Unfortunately for him, Dib remained fast asleep even as a knock on Zim's bedroom door sounded throughout the room.

Eyes snapping fully open at the sound of the knock, Zim hurriedly buried himself underneath Dib, afraid of what stood on the other side of the door.

Standing right outside, Gaz only continued to knock even louder. "Damnit, Zim! Open this door or else I'll break it down!" she threatened from her end.

"N-NO ONE'S HOME! COME BACK LATER!" Zim yelled back at her, his voice shaking.

Growling angrily when Zim wouldn't open the door for her, Gaz went ahead and kicked the door open before stalking into the room moodily. "You know, I was really considering not killing you this morning if you just let me in like I told you to, but now...I've changed my mind." she said before approaching the bed to check up on Dib, pressing a hand to his face, covered in sweat at the moment. "He's running a fever..." she then said before turning to glare at Zim.

Swallowing thickly, shaking in his spot, Zim wanting to help yet at the same time didn't want to die."I-If you don't kill me, I can fix this. He needs me." he said, pulling Dib close to himself.

But Gaz just narrowed her eyes on him at that. "No! What he NEEDS is somebody who actually understands the workings of the human body! All you're doing is treating the Irken half of him! But that's not the half that needs treating! So I'M taking over now as his sole caregiver! You've had your chance to help him!" she yelled back at him before pulling her hand away to stand up straighter. "Keep an eye on him until I get back. I'm heading to the store to get a few things he'll be needing if we want him to get better." she ordered, sparing him one last glare before turning to leave the room.

Antennae drooping, Zim could only hold Dib tighter. "O-Okay, Gaz..." he agreed to follow her orders, looking away as she left.

Uttering Zim's name in his sleep, Dib seemed to shift uncomfortably in the bed and Zim's arms. "Mmm...Zim..." he panted out airily.

Looking down at Dib, Zim could only shake his head slowly and sigh. "I-I'm sorry, Dib...I shouldn't have done this..." he apologized in a quiet whisper, looking away.

Searching blindly with his arms in his sleep for where the Irken had gone, Dib merely uttered his name a second time. "Ziiim..." he seemed to whine when he couldn't locate the other.

Peeking down at the other when he heard his name yet again, Zim reached out his free hand to clasp Dib's in his own. "I'm right here, Dib..." he whispered before giving the hand a small squeeze.

Having found the alien's hand, Dib instantly pulled him in close to wrap his arms around and press himself close to, finding some sort of comfort in burying his face in Zim's chest and resting there as he slept on.

A bit shocked by the hybrid's actions, Zim couldn't help but smile sadly a bit and stroke a hand through Dib's hair. "You're more trouble then you're worth, huh?" he grinned and nuzzled him before shaking his head. "No...I'M more trouble than I could ever be worth...You're just perfect..." he spoke softly to the sleeping Dib.

A/N: And there you have it. Your weekly update of ZADR Orange. =3 Hmmm...I don't really have much to say about this last chapter. Odd. And it be one of my favorites too. Oh well. XD Next chapter will be up sometime next week. 8D So let me take this time to respond to those of you who reviewed. =3

To Casykirby: Oh, yes. Dibbles be in so much pain. TT^TT But he'll recover soon enough. You'll see. =3 And you're welcome for your face back. We couldn't very well have had you going around without it. XD Otherwise you wouldn't have been able to read more chapters to our story. =3 But anyways, we're glad to hear you enjoyed that last chapter so much. And it brings us much joy knowing you guys look forward to our updates THAT much. 8D So thank you. And we hope this story continues to bring you much joy each and every week. =3 Lol. XD You KNOW, as well as Gaz, that all Zim really wants is to get into Dibbles' pants. XD But as we've mentioned before, that still doesn't come until Chapter 34. So be patient. =3

To Cat Human: Well, thank you. =3 Here be your weekly update then. We hope you enjoy. 8D

To Watermelondrea: Yesh! Over-protective, little sister Gaz be full of love. (Huggles Gaz) And your wish be granted in this chapter. Lol. =3 There's a little antennae play. Unfortunately, Dib's still in pain so it's not as much fun for him. XD But once he's feeling better, just you wait and see. OH, THE FUN THAT SHALL BE HAD! XD (Evil laugh). And oh so sexy shall it be. X3 So until next time~! X3

To lillybean queen of the i ocean: Oh, yes. Poor Zimmeh indeed. To say the very least, he really hasn't done all that well of a job getting on Gaz's good side. But things will work out for the better a little later on. You'll see. =3 And we're glad to hear you love it. =3 Hope you love this chapter just as much if not more. 8D

To Neko-Setra: Well, hello, and welcome! 8D So nice of you to join us! We're really happy to hear you're enjoying this story so much. ^^ And we hope you'll continue to read and review more in the future. =3 So here be the next chapter to satisfy your ZADR Orange needs. We hope you enjoy! 8D

To Illisandria Carthain: Lol. XD Me too. =3 And her actions are justified. We got so much hate mail over on DA and it was pissing me off. But you people here on fanfiction are just plain awesome. This is why the postings to this story have now been limited to only two places. Here and the website we created for the story. =3 I'm glad to hear you're enjoying re-reading the story here though. =3 Even if you have read ahead already. XD Just remember, I'm no longer posting over on DA. So you may want to check the website link posted in my last journal. You can read even more up to date on the website now. We've caught up and have been adding new chapters this past week or so. =3 But this version IS more personal which is why I appreciate your reading and reviewing here. I like getting to know our readers. =3 Over on the website, hardly anyone wants to respond. -_-; And we even created a forum for that purpose. But they're all too lazy. But anyways, yes, poor Dibbles be in very much pain indeed. I think it was the dissection part that hurt him the most though. XD Hmmm...That's a tough one. When you say, "something more", what exactly do you mean? I mean, obviously, they're a bundle of nerves and they're highly sensitive to touch. And I guess you could say they add to the pleasure when Irken's mate. But they can also hurt on occasion depending on how they're touched or how the Irken is feeling. I'm not quite so sure they do much else than that in this story. In other stories, I'll admit, I have theories about them doing more than what people would expect. They're used for hearing, sense, sometimes I imagine they might taste sweet to their mates, but perhaps the best way I could describe them would be to say I see them as almost the same way I'd see nipples on the human body. They're sensitive to touch and for Irkens, I considered them having the same function for breast feeding that you see in humans. After all, female Irkens don't have boobs. If they had smeets, how else would they feed them? But that isn't the case in this story. Overall, the antennae are primarily used for pleasure in this story. They don't really do much else than that. So I hope that answers your question. ^^; Unless you were referring to something else with that question. But anyways, I guess I'll find out soon enough. So until next time~

To Vithian: Lol. No worries. =3 At least you reviewed. These past few chapters it feels as though less and less people are reviewing, which saddens me a bit, but I won't make people if they don't want to. =3 And also, half the time, they come back and apologize, telling me WHY they didn't review. So it's all good. I understand that shit happens. So I'm fine with people disappearing for a while on us. =3 And honestly, I LOVE receiving the longer reviews from you guys, even if they do take me a while to respond back to. XD But anyways, indeed, they've both got such awesome characters to begin with. =3 Honestly though, this story does at first take on the expected "Dib hates Membrane/ vice versa" approach. But that's only because that's how we SAY it. To our readers though, you guys may take things as they're shown, not told. I'm not sure that Dib actually hates Membrane in this though I have him say it plenty of times throughout. I think I'm trying to get across that feeling of mixed emotions towards his father in this without actually saying it. There are subtle hints throughout the story. And as things stand now, we're working towards the scene in the story where those emotions collide back together and Dib has to make sense of them. So hopefully we'll be able to pull everything together nicely in that respect. Gaz, however, I hate how most people portray her. That's why I try to give her a more human personality than the brutal bitch people make her out to be. I think, on some level, Gaz is the glue in Zim and Dib's relationship. Even if she doesn't always support it, she's one of the few people Dib will go to whenever the shit hits the fan between him and Zim. And she's there for him, even if she doesn't want to be. Now, I'm not saying I don't see Zim in other relationships. I just don't work with him in other relationships on most Dib however, I see so many ways his personality can pull others in. But, as always, it depends on how he's portrayed. Next to ZADR, perhaps the next Dib pairing that works best in my mind would have to be DADR. The chemistry between Dib and Dwicky is just too perfect to be ignored. Tryint to create chemistry between a Zim character and an OC, however, seems near to impossible to me. -_-; I hate when people just copy the same plot for their character then throw them into a story with Zim and Dib. And to make things worse, half the time, they have Zim and Dib accept them right away like it's normal or something. It pisses me off on so many levels that anybody would think others would want to read their OCXZim/Dib story. In don't think anybody really cares for such a plot nor do they find it interesting. The only people who find such a thing interesting are the writers themselves because they have some Zim/Dib fetish where they want their character (who represents themselves) to be in a relationship with one of them. I think THAT is what really screws with the IZ fandom. I'm not saying OC's are bad or anything, but if they're going to create an OC, the least they could do is keep that OC single or create another OC for that OC. That way, there's no cross-contamination in the IZ universe. ZADR works though because their are so many nuances in the show that you can work off of, as you explained in your comment. The same goes for other pairings as well. You just gotta find them and make your readers see how they could work. But anyways, I believe I've rambled enough as well. So thank you for reading. We're glad you like that last chapter. And we hope to hear from you again soon. =3