ZADR Orange Chapter 98

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

Giving Zim's words some thought, Jack shifted on his feet in the elevator. "Well...All those other times you stirred him up, he had a reason to get that way. He had a purpose. He felt like it was his duty to protect the people around him. But now that he no longer really considers you a threat, he probably thinks that you're just picking on him when you stir him up like that." he said, nodding his head to himself to assure what he had said had made sense.

"Yeah..." Zim sighed, rocking back and forth in the elevator. "I just want Dib back to normal..." he said.

"Just remember, no matter how much he changes, he's still Dib. Perhaps a bit hormonal right now, but still Dib nonetheless. And despite what you may think, I think he's a lot happier in life now, getting to settle down with you, start a family. And you know he must be relieved to be out of his previous living conditions."

"Yeah...Maybe..." Zim sighed, waiting for the elevator to bring them all the way to the bedroom.

"I know he's happier." Jack smiled at the other as the elevator finally came to a halt and opened into the bedroom Dib was sleeping in.

Part of the pillow in his mouth, Dib laid curled up under the covers of the bed, chewing on said pillow and snoring lightly.

Laughing a little at the display, Zim smiled. "I don't think he's gonna wanna wake up." he said.

Following Zim into the room, Jack smiled also. "What do you think he's dreaming about right now?" he asked.

"If I had to guess? Food."

Jack laughed at that answer. "Well, that makes sense, what with the smeets and all. Is there anything in particular he's been craving since he first got pregnant?" he asked.

"Sugar. He puts it on everything. Most Irkens love sugar already, but he kinda has an extreme craving for it..." Zim face palmed. "I forgot. We need more sugar..." he said.

Jack let out a slightly amused noise. "Oh, right. I forgot. Rose has a thing for chocolate right now. Hey, you know, if you'd like, you could come over tomorrow and have dinner with us. We're having some family members over for the weekend, but we'd love it if you joined us. Then we could send you home with some extra sugar to hold you over until you can buy more at the store." he said.

"Really? Oh, wait...What about Purple?"

Jack just smiled. "Go ahead and bring him with you. The more the merrier. He seems to be getting along with Rose really well. And I think Rose would be relieved to have somebody else to talk to besides her mother. They don't exactly see eye to eye, and her mother never liked the fact that she agreed to marry me." he said.

Zim laughed a little. "Yeah, I know how you feel...Hey..." he swallowed nervously. "Umm...You and Rose are married...What did you have to do to become that way?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Jack sent Zim a slightly confused look. "Oh, well...When two people get married, basically there's either a big or small ceremony with the friends and family of the two people participating. It usually involves getting dressed into really nice clothes, an exchanging of vows between the two people to honor and love each other no matter what for the rest of their lives, and then it's made official by receiving a ring and a kiss." he said, holding out his hand to show Zim his wedding ring. "See?" he said.

"Ohh..." Zim nodded, taking in the information. "And why do they get married? What's the difference between being together and being married? Are there perks or something?" he asked.

"Well...For starters, when two people are married, it's recognized by the culture they live in. I wouldn't say there are too many differences between being married and just being together, but it's just kind of like a way to make it official and let the world know this is the person you love and nobody else can have them. And then once you have children, it's kind of considered a way of keeping the family name going. Also, it shows the person you love how far you will go to prove it to them. It shows them that you have no intentions of ever leaving them for somebody else."

Glancing at the still asleep Dib, a grin spread across Zim's face before he grabbed Jack's arm, pulling him out of the room and closing the door. "We need one!" he exclaimed.

Letting out a startled noise when the other pulled him out of the room, Jack, without really thinking at first, mistook Zim's words in his head. "Wh-What?! But Zim, I'm already married to Rose!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, I know! That's why this will work!"

"Zim, I am NOT marrying you!" Jack tried to pull his arm from the Irken's, assuming the other must have gone crazy.

"WHAT?!" Zim let go instantly, causing Jack to stumble away. "Why would I want to marry you?! I mean, you're nice and all, but I have Dib! And you have Rose! Why would you want to marry me?!" he exclaimed.

"Y-You're the one who-" Jack stopped mid-sentence, just then realizing what the other had meant. "O-Oh...You meant you and DIB needed one...I-I thought you had meant...W-Well, never mind what I thought you had meant! The bottom line is, you want to marry Dib...Am I getting this right?" he asked.

A somewhat worried look coming to his face, Zim stared at Jack confused for a moment. "Yes, that's what I was saying..." he said.

"A-Are you serious?! I-I mean, I'm not saying your idea is crazy or anything, but...ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Jack asked again, unable to process in his mind what Zim wanted to do.

"Yes, I am. I want Dib and all of Earth to know just how much I care for him. I love him and the smeets. And I want them all to be happy."

"W-Well, I can understand that, Zim, but setting up a marriage isn't as easy as it sounds. It involves months of preparation. And it's not just a spur of the moment thing, either. It involves both you and Dib agreeing to go through with it. Not to mention the whole process of even asking him to marry you. And marriage isn't typically something that's performed between two people of the same sex. A-At least, not in most societies."

"Well, Earth societies can get over it." Zim suddenly looked nervous. "What do I do to ask him?" he asked.

Jack sighed. "Look, Zim. I'm not saying you can't do it. All I'm saying is that I don't think you realize what you're getting yourself into here. If you're seriously planning on doing this, you'll need some help, and seeing as how Rose and I are the only ones who can help you with this at this point, I guess we really don't have any choice in the matter. I already know for a fact that Rose will be more than willing to help out the second you tell her you want to do this. But you'll have to do exactly what we say. Are you willing to do that?" he asked.

"Yes." Zim nodded seriously. "Zim can follow orders." he said.

Again, Jack sighed. "Alright. Well, for starters, you can't just walk in there and ask Dib to marry you. On Earth, it's customary that the person asking the one they love to marry them first buy an engagement ring. And an engagement ring is kind of like a wedding ring except that it's given to your lover BEFORE the wedding. This way, people know you're getting married but you have time to actually plan the ceremony. And you can't just go buy an engagement ring, give it to him, and ask him to marry you out of the blue. The time when you should ask him ought to be special. Wait until you two are alone, perhaps on a romantic date or something." he said.

Grinning, Zim nodded. "So we'll keep this a secret. I had hoped for it to be that way anyway. Now, we just need a special occasion." he said.

"Zim, I can't tell you when to give it to him. All I'm saying is to make it special. Just whatever you do, don't do it casually. You need to wait until just the right moment. But I think you'll know when that is. When it happens, you'll instinctively know what to do. Oh! And don't forget to get down on one knee while you're doing it. I-It's just something that humans do when they propose."

Zim nodded. "Got it. So, when shall we get a ring?" he asked.

"Weeell...I guess if you guys come over tomorrow, you and I could sneak away for a while to go look at rings. Otherwise, we can wait until later in the week. Or, if you'd rather, we could shop for rings online, but I think it would be nicer to look at rings in person. I should warn you though, they can get pretty expensive."

"Moneys are no issue of Zim's. I am well funded. I think sneaking away at dinner would be the best option." Zim nodded. "Oh, should we tell Rose though?" he asked.

"I'll tell her later. She can keep Dib distracted while we're off looking at rings. Just...try not to go too overboard though. Remember, your top priority should be making sure you have enough money to pay for what you need for when the smeets come. I know you're in a hurry to get married now, but just remember that buying a ring can wait. The babies can't though. They're set to come in another 5 or so months."

"I know. I told you I have plenty of funds."

"Well, okay then. I hope you have enough for what you're getting yourself into. But I guess we'll just take one step at a time and work through this slowly. I don't think it would be best to set up a specific date for it just yet. You don't want to be stressing Dib out to get things done by a certain time when he's already got the smeets to worry about."

"Yes, I know. Let's just not mention it at all unless he accepts."

"Alright. But you know, if he turns you down once, that doesn't mean you can't keep trying...Y-You know, in the event that he does, that is."

Zim's antennae drooped. "You think he will?" he said.

"Knowing Dib...I-I think that if he did, he'd have a good reason for turning you down...I-If he felt like he was being rushed or something...B-But I also think he'd be willing to accept it a little later if that were to happen. To tell you the truth, I don't know how he would react to a proposal right now though. He might accept it. He might not. It all just comes down to how and when you ask him. But either way, you know he'll love you no matter what."

Zim's antennae drooped even more so. "So, what is the point then?" he sighed heavily. "He's only staying here because of the smeets, isn't he?" he said.

"N-No! That's not what I said! I know he's not only staying because of the smeets! You have to have more faith in his love for you! You've told him before that it hurt you when he didn't believe you love him as much as you said you did. So how do you think he'll feel knowing you don't believe he loves you as much as he says he does? I mean, do you really think Dib would lie about something like that?"

"...I don't know..."

"Zim, you have to stop doubting him so much! Dib's not that kind of person! He wouldn't lie about something like love. If he says he loves you, then he loves you. You have somebody who's coming from a family where there's little to no love at all! It has to mean something when he comes out and says that you're the person in his life that he loves."

"But what good is that if he won't be willing to show it?"

"Zim! How has he not shown it?! Every time that he cries, every time that a tear falls from his eyes, it's all because of you! Because he loves you! When you two have a fight or misunderstanding, it's because he thinks he's screwed up and lost your own love! He gets so upset at the thought of losing you just like you would get if you lost him!"

"Then he would be willing to accept this." Zim nodded almost positively.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 98. =3 Until next time~