A/N: Hey, you guys. :) Hope you're all enjoying a good start to the new year. Don't got too much to update you all on at this point in time so I'll keep this author's note short and sweet. Thanks so much to those of you who have faved/wached/commented on/etc. this story. Your guys' support really means the world to me. I think I've finally worked out a suitable update schedule for the upcoming year. As such, I'm hoping my next update following this one to be out on the 10th of February. So please keep your eyes peeled for that. In the meantime, hope you guys enjoy this quick update for now though. ;)

ZADR Orange Chapter 183

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

Sighing to herself when Dib broke down into tears against the unconscious Irken's chest, Rose reached over a hand to rub up and down Dib's back soothingly. "It will be okay, Dib. The medical drone said he just needed to rest." she assured him, certain all this stress couldn't be good for the hybrid or his unborn smeets.

"But I did this to him! He thinks I hate him now, and it's all my fault!"

"Oh, Dib…It's okay." Rose tried to pull him into a hug.

Allowing Rose to pull him into her own warm embrace, Dib turned himself from Zim to sob lightly into her shirt now. "I-I didn't mean for this to happen to him...I-I wanted to make it up to him! Because I've put him through so much!" he exclaimed, memories of everything that had happened to Zim flashing through his mind again for what was probably the millionth time since then.

Rose pet him as she held him close. "I know…It's okay, Dib. He just needs to rest. It will all be okay." she said again, no knowing what more she could say to comfort him at this point.

Feeling horrible now as he felt he was more a burden to Zim than anything else, Dib only continued to cry more and more against her. "He deserves better than this. He deserves better than what I can give him!" he then threw the bag of items he had dropped near the bed across the room and away from himself, a small shower of flower petals falling from the bag as it clattered against the far wall.

Jumping a bit at the sudden outburst, Rose glanced over at the plastic bag Dib had just knocked away from himself curiously before noticing the petals that now littered the floor around it. Certainly the bag was full of more than just flowers she assumed, judging by the sound it had made when it hit the opposite wall. "What did you go to get for him, Dib?" she asked, returning her attention back to Dib after a moment.

"It doesn't matter! He thinks I hate him now! I just wanted to surprise him, to get him a few things I thought he might like, but it just doesn't matter anymore! I thought that if I got him something to remember the old me by, he'd feel better about being with me I am right now, but all I ever seem to do is cause him more and more problems!" Dib pulled his knees up against his chest.

"Oh, Dib…It's okay." Rose reached out to hold him close again, rocking back and forth a little bit.

Dib could only shake his head at those words, his hands clapped firmly over his antennae as he was rocked back and forth with her. "No, it's not! Because everything I do hurts Zim in some way! One of these days I may even end up killing him! He's already come close once!" he exclaimed in an explosion of raw emotion, hating himself all the more for putting Zim through so much physical and emotional turmoil.

"That wasn't your fault though, Dib!"

"Yes, it was! -I- was the one who wanted him to change me! That was against the law on his planet and so they stripped him of his PAK!"

"But, Dib..." Rose began to say, not knowing what else she could say or do to prove to him he hadn't caused any of what happened.

Dib trembled where he sat. "I-It doesn't matter what I do...I-I always end up hurting him no matter what...I...I can't be with him if things like this keep on happening!" he began speaking more to himself now than anyone else.

"Oh, Dib. Don't say that. If you left, he'd feel terrible knowing you did it because of him..."

"It's not fair though! It's just not fair! I love him so fucking much, but he'd be so much better off if I had just stayed out of his life altogether! It's that way with nearly everybody in my life!"

"Don't say that, Dib!" Rose pulled him away from her to send him a stern look now. "The two of you have made Jack and me so happy...And Zim loves you so much..." she said before returning to holding him close again, not wanting Dib to believe any of what he was saying about himself.

Feeling drained now as he slumped up against Rose's lap, Dib let out a wet sob against her. "All I want is to make everything up to Zim..." he said in a suddenly very calm voice, evident of just how emotionally tired out he was now.

Rose sighed and rubbed his back gently. "I know..." she said once she felt him calming against her.

Mumbling a little in his sleep once everything had grown quiet again, Zim turned his head to one side with a slightly pained expression on his face before settling again into a more peaceful sleep.

Antennae perking at the small bit of mumbling, Dib shot back up in his spot to stare over at Zim momentarily, his antennae drooping again however when the other didn't wake up right away.

Rose smiled a little at the small bit of movement. "See, he's fine, Dib…He was just worried is all. But you're safe now so everything is okay." she said in a soft voice to put his mind more at ease.

"...He's not waking up though..." Dib's antennae drooped even more as he kept his eyes glued on Zim, searching for any changes in the other. He just wanted Zim to wake up and be okay.

"He's just tired, Dib. It's alright."

Blinking more tears out of his eyes as he sat there watching Zim, Dib didn't want to be moved in that moment nor did he want anybody telling him it would be alright. All he wanted was proof, for Zim to open his eyes and show him. But the Irken seemed for the most part to be out cold still.

"Would you like something to eat?"

Having no appetite for anything at the moment, Dib shook his head slowly. "...I'm not hungry..." he said before pillowing his cheek in his arms on the bed, reluctant to even blink at this point as he watched Zim sleep soundly.

Rose sighed and nodded at those words, deciding not to push the matter for now. "Okay...Will you at least come down when he wakes up though?" she asked, wanting to make sure he at least ate something later if not now.

Dib remained silent for several long moments before answering. "...Okay..." he agreed in a soft voice, not really wanting to leave Zim again, awake or not.

Rose smiled at that answer and nodded. "Alright then." she got up and headed for the door. "Jack and I will be right downstairs if you need us." she then said, deciding to leave him alone now that he was relatively calm again.

Nestling his head up against Zim's side as he nodded his head silently, Dib could only pull closer to the bed as he waited for her to leave before breaking down all over again.

Zim stirred a little when Dib began sobbing against him again. "Nnn..." he let out a small, uncomfortable sound.

Jolting a bit at the bit of movement coming from Zim, Dib looked back up at him with wide, tearful eyes before pushing himself underneath one of the Irken's limp arms as he nuzzled himself closer to Zim's chest.

Zim's eyes fluttered open slowly. "Nnn…Dib?" he spoke the other's name in an all too disoriented fashion.

"Zim!" Dib glomped onto the finally conscious Irken, hiding his face away in the alien's uniform top. "I-I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I-I didn't mean for this to happen...I-I didn't mean to hurt you..." he whimpered out, not wanting Zim to hate him for having left. "Please don't hate me...I love you so much..." he then pressed one of his wet cheeks up against Zim's softly.

Confused by the other's words and actions, Zim pushed Dib away a little bit so he could look at the other's face with some concern. "Why are you crying? What happened?" he asked, his mind still in a daze as he could hardly remember what had even caused him to black out in the first place.

Dib felt like breaking down even more when Zim pushed him away. "I hurt you! I left for an hour to get something for you, but you thought I hated you and had left for good! A-And then you wouldn't wake up after I got back!" he exclaimed all at once, his hands gripping at the rim of his bunny hoodie tightly as he looked away to one side guiltily.

A/N: And there you have it for Chapter 183. Until next time~