Ok, so this is where the story turns a bit angsty. I'm sorry to those I may disappoint, but this story will have some ZADR, and the ending may not be very happy. There won't be lemony-ness, but there will be some displays of affection (can't call them PDAs, since they're not really public). I will not ask you to keep reading this if you don't want to, but I won't pretend that this story's going somewhere that it isn't. To change it now would make it look extremely awkward (well, more awkward than it already might be). If you dislike ZADR or if you don't read stories without happy endings, I would recommend you not to read this or any following chapters, as both will begin to show in the next two chapters. Again, I'm sorry for any disappointment.
On a happier note, it's time to answer the questions and/or comments of my wonderful reviewers! I love you all!
Kitsune: I wasn't aware that I'd used a cliffhanger. ^_^"
Ok, time for the fanfic!
Dib glanced over at the Irken next to him. Zim was watching the TV, as they both had been for the past hour. The couch was the same shade of purple as it normally was. Gir was cooking something strange in the kitchen, like he normally was. A commercial for Bloaty's Pizza Hog blared on in the background, just as it normally did. But things were anything but normal in that little green townhouse.
For one thing, Dib was there. He wasn't sneaking and spying, and he wasn't being held captive. He was welcome there, and that was an oddity in and of itself, considering how Dib was rarely welcome in anyone's house, especially in Zim's. For another thing, Zim was watching television. He rarely did that, except for watching the news when he wanted to gather extra information. And for a third thing, Dib and Zim weren't fighting. This may have been the strangest thing of all, as there were no mutant hamsters to battle, and no horrible things fused to their DNA. Even when those things did happen, they were still often at eachother's throats.
At that time, (although neither of them would admit it, being the stubborn creatures they were) they were actually enjoying eachother's company.
But even though the two finally seemed to be at peace, Dib was still a bit uneasy. There was something odd about Zim. He seemed to be deep in thought. Now this wouldn't have usually been so odd, but the only time Dib had ever seen Zim thinking this hard was… Well… Actually, he had never seen him thinking this hard. Zim was staring intently at a point right above the TV, but he didn't seem to actually be looking at the screen anymore. He cupped his face in his clawed fingers. The Irken was biting his lower lip, and his eyes seemed… distant. Like he was staring at a point far beyond the wall.
For a while they sat like that; Dib watching Zim as Zim watched nothing. Several minutes later, Zim snapped out of his trance, and looked over to Dib.
"Why are you staring at me?" the Irken asked.
"Huh?" Dib was startled; he had fallen into the same kind of daze as Zim. "I was watching you?" he asked, confused.
"Yes. Or were you asleep with your eyes open?" Zim replied, raising a nonexistent eyebrow.
Dib became a bit muddled in his thoughts. "Um… well… no, but you were, um… You were staring at the wall, so…" Dib trailed off, shocked at his own befuddlement.
Zim raised his other brow, then lowered them both in concern. "What has caused this strange behavior? Are you ill, Dib-beast?"
"N-no! I'm fine! Why, were you worried, alien scum?" Dib replied with a grin, instinctively reverting back to childish taunting to save face.
Zim only looked more confused at this. "Well, yes. We are now… What was it? Ah, yes! We are "friends", as you earthlings call them, yes?"
"Um, yeah. I guess since we're not really enemies anymore, we're probably friends." Dib replied, nodding.
"That's good." Zim said. He relaxed a bit, but something still seemed off about him.
Dib hesitated for a moment, before deciding to ask. "Zim? Are you all right? You're acting strange." He had a brief moment of Déjà vu, before realizing he had asked Zim the same thing on the bus the previous day. Right before he had passed out. The thought of the alien falling unconscious twice in two days sent Dib into a state of mental panic. He tried not to let his worry show, but failed. Zim could see the fear on his face, and his own eyes widened.
"No. Oh, no, it's happening again, isn't it?" Zim was obviously trying not to freak out. "Dib, I can't explain much right now. There's no time, but Dib… I'm sick, Dib." The Irken's eyes began to shut, and the steady rise and fall of his chest showed that he was soon asleep, No amount of yelling on Dib's part could seem to wake Zim up, and he soon gave it up and went to sleep himself.
a/n
Yay! I finally updated! YAY! I'll try not to be so super late from now on.