ZADR

ZADR? Or DAZR?
By Raven
Rating: M
Warnings: romance and a wee bit of violence
Pairing: ZADR
Disclaimer: Invader Zim is owned by Jhonen Vasquez, but this lovely ZADR belongs to me
Summary: Hi Skool is hell, but not everyone sees it that way. Can two long time enemies become the closest of comapnions? Only one way to find out. -ZADR-

CHAPTER 2
Zim woke a few hours later to the feeling of something burning on his stomach. His eyes shot open and he reeled back, letting go of Dib as he pushed himself to his feet. There was a large sizzling stain on his front. He ripped off his gloves and shirt, discarding them as quickly as possible. Thankfully, his skin hadn't been harmed all that much. But now he felt eyes on him coming from across the room. He looked up at Dib who was staring at him from the bed. It was then he realized he was half naked as he watched the blush spread over the other's face.

"Meep!" was all the Irken could say as he grabbed for a blanket to cover himself up.

Dib looked away, embarrassment written all over his face.

"I'll be back in a minute," Zim informed him as he scampered out of the room. Was it him or was his blood pumping a little too fast for his liking? He rushed into the changing room and grabbed a shirt off the rack. It was a plain, black t-shirt that he threw o. He didn't with the gloves. He dragged the blanket with him as he returned to his room. Irk, that was scary. He pat-patted his stomach just to make sure it was all right, it was. He sighed. Dib only drooled when he was really content; Zim knew that from spying, of course. Maybe Dib felt that way about him too – that is if Zim even felt that! He humphed at the thought, having a mental argument with himself.

He stepped back into the room and noticed Dib had rolled over.

The Irken kicked off his boots and crawled back into bed next to Dib. He pulled the other up against him and nestled his face against the other's neck.

"Are you okay?" Dib asked, not moving, his voice shaky with worry.

Zim nodded and mumbled a "yes" against the other's skin. Dib shivered. "You just singed me a bit. No harm done."

Dib nodded. "I'm sorry…" he mumbled.

"It's okay…" Zim mumbled.

Dib took one of Zim's hands and ran his fingers over the green claws. The alien succumbed a little and moved closer. His hands hadn't been without gloves for a long time so the skin there was much more sensitive to the smooth touch of the human. He could feel the valleys and ridges on his finger tips, the swirls and curls they made there. He was squirming on the inside more than on the out. Something about the touch was making him feel a little randy.

For some reason, he wanted his enemy. For some reason, he didn't quite mind that want. For some reason, he was some how deeply attracted to Dib.

"Dib, do you like me?" Zim asked, his breath heavy, almost moaning in the ecstasy of it all.

He felt Dib shift, getting up to look at the alien. The human could feel the heat radiating from the other's body. He looked down at the Irken, slightly confused, but still holding the other's hand. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Zim lay there limply. His lekku lay on his head like he couldn't hold them up any more. His face was hot, dark green from his squirming insides. "I mean, do you like me as a friend? As a person? As something even more than any of all that?" He squeezed the other's hand. "Dib, I have to know."

The boy was hesitant to answer. "Is this a trick question? Are you going to hit me or something when I answer?" he asked, leaning away a little.

Zim closed his eyes and let out a frustrated noise. "I wouldn't dare hit you, insult you, or any other thing. And you must promise not to do likewise when I tell you my secret." Oh yes, he had a secret now and a very good one. No one must know until the time was right, even himself. That time had come and passed for the Irken he finally knew his secret.

"You have a secret?" Dib asked, his brow raised.

"Of course I do. Don't we all?" His eyes opened into slits of blood red. "I'll tell you my secret if you answer my question." He smirked. "You might like it." A claw ran over the boy's fingers on the hand he held.

Dib blushed and looked away. "Do I like you…" he mumbled. "That is a good question…" He was quiet for some time and Zim's insides started to squirm more and more. He squeezed his eyes shut to keep it at bay for a few more moments, but he was loosing his grip.

Something snapped in the back of his mind and suddenly Zim was on top of Dib, pinning him down mercilessly. "Too long…" he whispered, glaring down at the frightened boy. "You took too long…"

A shiny object slipped out of his shirt and dangled in front of Dib on a chain. They boy recognized the object almost immediately and wondered why he hadn't spotted it earlier.

"Is that my… My house key?" he asked nervously, yet curiously.

Zim let go of one hand and grasped the chain. It had slipped out! He looked away but refused to stop pinning the other. "And what if it is?" he asked, glancing sideways at him.

Dib blushed. "Have you been in my house? My room?" he demanded.

"No!" Zim almost shouted. It was true, he'd resisted the urge to go in the other's house. "I never went in there. I never ever did. Promise." He trailed his fingers down the arm he still held, curling away to move up to the other on his chest. But he was still straddling Dib.

Dib reached up and grabbed both of his hands. "I trust you." He smiled at him. "You never went in."

"I never went in," Zim repeated, curling his claws around Dib's fingers unconsciously. He gazed into Dib's eyes and wouldn't look elsewhere. He was son intent on watching Dib's eyes that he didn't realize how close he was getting to the other, not until Dib whispered something.

His eyes closed. "I like you," he whispered, eyes opening into slits. "I like you a lot."

"Good…" Zim mumbled. He moved so that his lips were next to the other's ear. "I'll tell you my secret now," he told him. He gave a warm purr. "I like you too."

"That's your secret?" Dib asked in whisper. "That you like me?"

Zim shook his head. "That's only half of it." He moved so that he was looking down into his eyes again. "I love you, Diblet."

Dib gasped, eyes widening. He couldn't speak, just babbled for a few moments. Zim leaned back, rejection written all over his face. He glared at the human. He felt so hurt. How dare he not believe?

"You love me?" Dib finally asked. He sounded nervous. His face was even redder.

Zim's grip on his hands loosened. "You don't believe me," more of a statement than a question.

"I well – er… Well, if I did, I would question my own sanity. Why this all of a sudden?" he asked. "Why are you telling me now?"

Zim growled. "Why? You're asking why? You don't believe me!" He let go of the boy's hands completely and got up. "I can't believe you!" He went over to the other side of the bed and sat down, putting his face in his hands.

Dib sat up and looked down. "I'm sorry, I mean, you and I have been enemies since day one. It's been seven years. You didn't think it would sound weird if you said 'I love you' after all that time?"

"No!" he responded. "I thought you would understand. We haven't exactly been enemies for three years, Dib. I haven't tried to take over the world in two. Why can't you believe it when I say I love you?" He felt something wet against his hands. Shit, he was crying now all over this stupid human. Why did he have to love someone that would never believe him?

"Because…" Dib mumbled. "Because…"

Then Zim snapped. "Get out!" he shouted, jumping up and pointing a sharp claw at him. "Get out of my room! Just get out! Go sleep on the couch or something!"

Dib got up. "But how do I leave?" he asked, eyes wide in fear.

"Find a way! Just get out!" Zim shouted again. His crimson eyes were squeezed shut, trying to stem the flow of tears, but that wasn't working, they just came out faster and it wasn't like Dib didn't notice how choked up the Irken sounded.

"Zim… Are you okay?" He reached for the Irken.

"NO!" he screamed. "How could I be?! You don't believe me! Now GET OUT!"

"O-Okay…" the boy mumbled, heading toward the door. "I-I'll go…"

Zim sat back down and sobbed loudly as Dib looked back from the doorway.

"I'm sorry, Zim," Dib mumbled, slipping away. "I'm sorry."

Zim sat there and cried for a long time, completely heartbroken. Dib was right. It did sound weird. But that hadn't stopped him from saying it. That hadn't stopped him! Why hadn't it stopped him?! He let out a frustrated sob. "Irk be damned!" he shouted, getting up. "I had to fall in love with the stupid human! Why me?!"

He grabbed one of the pillows next to him and threw it at the far wall where it something that squeaked.

"Masta? Are joo okay?' It was GIR, checking on his master.

"No! I'm NOT okay!" Zim shouted, throwing another pillow. "How could I be okay when my face is leaking? HUH?!"

"Awww! Poor Masta! Do joo want me to make it feel better? How 'bout a HUG!" He leaped toward him, but Zim sidestepped him, rubbing his eyes. The robot crashed into the wall with a loud thud. The idiot thing sat up seconds later and beamed at the Invader. "Aww!" he cried and air-hugged him. "See? Doesn't dat feel better?"

"Hardly," Zim replied before heading into the corridor. He felt hungry and that human couldn't put him off food forever. "Stupid…" he mumbled, leaving his room. "Just so stupid." Entering the main elevator, he punched the button for the surface. There had to be some form of snack up there somewhere.

The door dinged open a few minutes later and he stumbled out into the kitchen, beginning to hum some old song from his training days as he fixed something to eat.

He ended up with a bag of chips and a soda which he munched on as he went into the living room, but the can landed on the floor seconds later, clattering as it rolled away, spilling brown liquid as it went. The bag of chips landed noiselessly in comparison. But Zim's jaw hitting the floor was perhaps the loudest sound of all, for the Irken at least.

The Irken stared slack-jawed at the human occupying his couch. Where had his decency gone?! The human was practically shirtless the way he had curled up with his tee hiked halfway up his chest.

Zim was sure he would've gotten a nosebleed had he a nose to bleed from. All the blood rushed to his face, but he couldn't rip his eyes away from the bare skin. Thank Irk the boy was asleep! Or was he?

He took a step back in fear, but stopped himself. This was his house and if Dib was displaying himself like that, he had every right to look at him! Right? Every shred of confidence left him.

Who was he kidding? He felt perverted for just being in the room and he was staring so that made him feel twice as bad. And how could Dib ever love him? He finally ripped his gaze away and looked down at himself. He looked messy. His clothes were rumpled and tearstained and his boots had gone missing. He didn't even look like the invader he was supposed to be. He felt his lekku go limp at the thought. No, Dib could never love him. Not now, not ever. Why had he even dared to hope? Why'd he dare to dream? Daring never got him any where. He was simply a washed-up invader with no hope and a million dreams. So much for world conquest! Let alone galactic doom! He was a failure and he knew it.

Falling to his knees, he admitted his fate out loud. "I'm a failure…" he breathed and fell into a heap, body going completely limp. "I fail at all forms of life…"

"No you don't," someone said from across the room, causing the Irken to tense up all over again. He looked up. He had completely forgotten Dib was even there.

The human boy had woken up to pull down his shirt and spotted the alien standing there foolishly. "You aren't a failure, Zim," he told him, sitting up. "You never have been. Well, for at least as long as I've known you."

"Psshah," Zim responded, waving the boy's opinion off. "I am the biggest failure in the universe." He hugged himself as he gave in to the cold reality. Some how he knew the world wasn't going to be any easier to face now. "Biggest in the universe…" he repeated quietly, almost under his breath.

Dib sounded like he was going to snort, but caught himself just in time as he realized the Irken was being completely serious. "Zim, you aren't a failure…" he repeated. "Look how much you've accomplished here!" He was trying to sound chipper and doing a very bad job of it.

"Like what? Name one thing I've accomplished on this heap, Dib. One thing." He glared over at the human.

"You've blended in almost perfectly!" Dib proclaimed, lifting one finger. "You've almost conquered the planet more time than I can count." He lifted another finger. "You've saved the planet from multiple invasions including one from Tak." Another finger. "And you've made friends out of enemies. Even fell in love!" He ran out of fingers just then. "See! You've done plenty!"

"The last one is the only one the counts. 'Almost' doesn't cut it, so the first two are out. And saving the planet I'm supposed to conquer isn't exactly an accomplishment in my book, Dibby," Zim pointed out. At least Dib had enough sense to name one almost-real accomplishment. "See, failure. I told you."

"I still don't believe it," Dib responded. "I've never thought of you as a failure."

"I fail at drawing, Dib. As you oh-so-very-kindly pointed out to me earlier," Zim retorted.

"I didn't say you failed at it. I said you suck at it. You're drawings are crude, not horrendous. And I was playing anyway! You're better at drawing technical things like robot designs and I'm better at flora and fauna, see?"

Zim humphed and looked away, blushing lightly at the compliment. "What ever. Still a failure at life!"

Dib got up now. He sounded frustrated. "For the last time! You are not a failure! You aren't now and you never will be!" He was stomping toward the other, getting his full attention. "You can't fail at life when you're in love!"

"You can if the one you're in love with doesn't love you back!" Zim shouted, silencing the boy for a moment. "Now do you see what I mean? I fail because you don't love me! And even if you said you did, I wouldn't believe you because I'll always keep asking myself, how could someone as perfect as you love someone as flawed as me?" He paused for a moment, closing his eyes. "How could anyone love me?!" he shouted.

"Because you ARE perfect!" Dib shouted back. He slumped in front of the other and cupped his cheeks. "You are perfect no matter what anyone else says. You are perfect to my standards. You don't have to be the best in the Tallests' eyes in order to be perfect. You just have to be you!"

"Dib-"

"The Stadium Arcadium a mirror to the moon. I'm forming I'm warming. State of the art until the clouds come crashing…" It was Dib's cell breaking into their conversation with its eerie song.

Dib's hands faltered and fell. "That would be Gaz…" He looked away as he got up and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He flipped it open and answered it.

"Yeah, Gaz? Uh huh. Is it that late? All right, tell Dad I'm coming. No, no, I'll meet you guys there. Yeah, you're welcome. See you in a bit. Yeah, I hate you too. Uh huh. Bye." He flipped it closed and glanced over at Zim. "Sorry. I have o go. It's family night at Bloaty's. It only happens once in a millennia you know… So I'm going to have to leave…" He went over to the couch and picked up the jacket he had dropped there hours ago. Heading toward the door, he paused for a second but kept going. But as he closed the door, he stopped and poked his head back in. "Don't do anything stupid. I'll be back later, maybe…" With that said, he closed the door and left.

Zim didn't move until he heard the car engine roar to life and then what little movement he made was futile. He reached up to his cheek, still expecting Dib's hand to be there.

A/N: THANKS FOR ALL THE FAVES AND STUFF GUYS!