Disclaimers: I do not own Invader Zim

Author's Note's: Okay Guys I know this story has kinda of fallen off the wagon lately, but give me a break man! I'm doing 4 stories at once here people! No, but seriously if I'm being honest I've kind of don't know how to pick up where I left off, but two months is a long enough wait so we're going to push on through.

BTW: I am so sorry you all had to wait so long for this, I have no real excuse ;)

(Back with Zim…)

He should have known better…

He should have known better than to fall asleep naked on the couch with his human lover!

Okay maybe lover wasn't the word to use, yes lover was definitely not the word to use, but regardless. He was naked, Dib was naked, and Skoodge was right there!

Zim had woken up slowly that morning, since it was the weekend he had no need to rush. So with a loud yawn, and an over exaggerated stretch of his arms he sat up, the blanket which was being hogged by Dib fell away from his body and Zim opened his eyes to see his best friend.

Skoodge had a look of disbelieve on his rather pale green face.

Zim had a look of well…it wasn't shame per say. No, he was more embarrassed in the fact that he had been caught, then the fact that he actually did it.

Silence…

It seemed to stretch for eons…

Finally, it was broken by a soft moan from behind Zim.

"Zim?" Dib asked, blinking hard, but without his glasses he really couldn't see anything, or anyone.

"Hu Dib you might want to stay in the covers." Zim whispered.

"Why?" Dib asked rustling around for his glasses. "Zim have you seen my glasses?"

"Uh no I think they might be in the sofa cushion." Zim answered, his eyes never leaving his fellow invader.

Skoodge hadn't spoken a word, in fact he simply, and rather calmly walked backwards out of the room, hoping to spare himself what little sanity he had left.

Zim sighed, he was going to get an ear full for this one; he just knew it.

"Got 'em" Dib said, as he found his glasses and placed them on. "That's better." He stopped as he noticed Zim's strange behavior. "What's up with you?"

Zim bit his lip before turning to look at his human, and with one look into those amber eyes he decided it was best to spare him the embarrassment. "Nothing, just exhausted."

"Yeah last night was crazy." Dib admitted, wrapping his arms around Zim, and sighing loudly.

"Are you okay?" Zim asked. The Dib was acting rather lovey dovey this morning, which wasn't his usual behavior after sex. No usually Dib would get dressed right away, then again Zim usually was already up and dressed before him. So, cuddling had never really crossed his mind. So for all he knew Dib was clingy in the mornings, and he was just never around to fill the need.

Dib on the other hand knew what was going on, he was reacting to the fear, the fear of losing Zim. The Tallest would come, and his father too and suck Zim back into their world forever, but Dib didn't want Zim to go.

He loved Zim, and he wanted him to stay here with him.

Dib held Zim tighter, and kissed his neck.

Zim sighed, this was nice; maybe he should wait for Dib to wake up more often. He turned his neck to face him, and their lips locked into a slow, kiss. It was nothing like the heated mess they were used to, this was almost loving.

Dib tugged Zim back down. "Stay what's the rush?" he asked.

Zim bit his lip, why was it so hard for him to tell Dib no? This was not how it was supposed to be. Usually they would have gone back to their usually witty banter, and insults, Zim goes to push away, but finds he doesn't want to.

'What is he doing to me?'

Dib can almost feel his inner conflict, he knows he should be making fun of the green lizard for letting him top the other so easily last night. However, all he wants to do is continue cuddling, and sharing sweet kisses. "Come on just five more minutes." He begs.

Zim smiles, he wants to give in, but something keeps nagging in the back of his head. He was forgetting something he was sure of it. Yes, there was a reason that he and Dib needed to get dressed.

"Master have you seen Skoodge?" Gir asked popping up out of nowhere.

SKOODGE!

Suddenly the two, lovers, no the two not lovers; sprang off the couch and dashed for their clothes as they suddenly remembered that they had a guest in the house. One who had already caught them, but Dib didn't need to know that.

"Uh Dib…" Zim struggled for words. "We're out of Soda."

"So?" Dib asked, pulling up his pants.

"Go get some!" Zim demanded, with more anti in his voice. Well at least the whole lovey dovey spell seemed to have passed.

'What was that?'

Dib was thinking the same thing, of course he was more worried about what was up with Zim rather than himself. After all, Dib had a reason for being all lovey dovey, the alien heat drug Zim had slipped him made him feel all warm and fuzzy for the invader.

But Dib wasn't an Irken, so what was Zim's excuse? Dib wasn't sure but he could feel it, usually Zim was cocky, and mocked him for having sexual power over him. He was confident, always sure of himself, but now Zim seemed to have changed overnight.

Now, he was soft, and sweet, and…

'Did I do something to him last night?' He wasn't the only one with that thought.

'What did he do to me?' Zim wondered, as he finished getting dressed, but shook the thought away, and repeated. "Go get some soda Dib, and take Gir with you!"

Dib's brow frowned. "Fine geesh!" He screamed, as he grabbed Gir's leash. "Come on Gir lets go to the store."

"Okay!" Gir answered, slipping into his doggy suit.

Dib hooked him up to the leash and pulled on his shoes, before leading the Sir Unit out of the door. He made sure to slam said door behind him just to send a clear message to Zim that he was not happy.

'Great.' Zim thought. 'Now he's ticked, just what I need!'

'Wait why do I care? And more importantly when did I start caring?'

Sure he couldn't deny that he felt something before, but those feelings were heated, and sex driven, this…this was more.

"So, you're not even going to look at me?" a voice from behind him said.

Zim groaned. He was not looking forward to this. "What's the point?" He asked.

"What's the point?" Skoodge declared. "What's the point?! Zim your father is floating just outside of the Earth's atmosphere as we speak. And the armada is with him, poised and ready to strike."

"So?" Zim asked.

"So!" Skoodge hissed, he was obviously fuming now. "Do you even have a plan to secure this planet?" he asked.

Zim goes to answer, but Skoodge stops him.

"No, you don't instead you'd rather sleep around with that ugly, pathetic, and filthy s-" Skoodge gasps as Zim back hand him across the face. "Zim…"

"Don't you ever talk about him like that again you ungrateful pathetic excuse for a lower life form!"

Skoodge was beyond stunned, had Zim just struck him? Had Zim just defended the dirt child! "What has he done to you!?"

"Get out!" Zim hissed.

"What?" Skoodge is floored, first he hits him, now he's kicking him out!

"I said get out, find your own base because you're not going to live here under my roof and talk about my Dib that way!"

'MY DIB' Skoodge's eyes widen, this was far worse the Taboo, this was the beyond the point of no return. "He's changed you." Skoodge yelled. "You're like putty in his hands, but you're too blind to see it!"

"I said get out!" Zim screamed, and the base around them came to life, as several lethal weapons came from the walls, fully loaded and pointing at Skoodge. "I won't tell you again!"

"Fine!" Skoodge yelled, activating his disguise before leaving. It was the device Zim had used to for his costume at the masquerade ball 4 weeks before. "But don't come crying to me when this all comes back to bite you in the bum. Because I won't be there."

"Good who need you anyways?" Zim screamed.

"Well I'm glad we're in agreement!" Skoodge shouted as he opened the door.

"Me too!" Zim yelled louder. "Now leave."

"Just let me ask you one thing you're Highness." Skoodge snapped, obviously addressing the prince properly for the first time, signaling to the other that they were no longer friends.

"What?" Zim hissed.

"What's more important to you?" Skoodge challenged. "Your Dib or your Empire?"

Zim goes to answer, but finds that he can't, because he honestly no longer knew the answer. At one time he would have answered Irk hands down, but Dib…Dib filled a void with in him that his people never could. With Dib he felt like he truly belonged, a feeling that not even Skoodge could give him. Not even being an invader made him feel the way Dib did…

"Don't know hu?" Skoodge spat. "Well you better figure it out soon." He warned. "Because we both know you can't have both!" And with that a second person that day, slammed the door, and stomped away from his home.

Zim was floored, Skoodge was right, he couldn't have both.

Did he even want both?

Zim looked around his base as if seeing it for the very first time. What was this place to him? It should have no special meaning. Just, a base, that's all it should be. Instead he sees pictures of him and Dib and Gir on the wall, pictures that Gir had taken, and hung so proudly. Declaring Dib was part of the family now.

Of course, Zim had screamed they were not a family, but now the pictures of Dib smiling back at him made him feel warm inside. He suddenly rushed over to a nearby mirror and looked at himself. He didn't even recognize the Irken staring back at him. No, this sappy, love sick, dog was surely not his reflection. The Zim he knew was confident, heartless, a monster of chaos and destruction.

However, Zim did not see that Irken now.

He gasped. "What have you done to me?" he asked out loud.

He didn't need an answer, he already knew it, somehow when Zim had slipped Dib that heat drug, he had unknowingly sealed his own fate.

"I tried to warn you." The computer whispered. "That drug courses through his veins now, it effects both of you."

Now Zim knew why sex was taboo for Irkens, the heat drug made you totally devoted to you mate, which could become a problem if said mate was the same race as a current enemy. Not to mention Zim's drive to conquer was diminishing by the second, he no longer cared what the Tallest, or his father wanted anymore.

All he cared was what Dib wanted.

What kind of Irken did Dib want him to be?

"Fix me!" Zim demanded. "Fix me now."

The computer sighed. "I tried to stop you, but it's too late now, you started the bonding ritual when you gave him the drug, and he completed it last night when he gave you a part of himself in return. You, and Dib are officially mates, and Irkens mate for life."

For life…

Zim had made a life commitment with Dib without even knowing it!

How could he have been so careless!?

"There has to be a way to fix this!" Zim reasoned.

"There is." The computer assured him.

"How?" Zim begged.

"It will hurt." The computer warned him.

"I don't care just make this stop." Zim pleaded.

"I can't do it." The computer said. "You have to."

Zim froze, why didn't he like the sound of that? "Computer, what is it that I have to do exactly."

"Simple." The computer said. "All you have to do is eliminate the problem."

ELIMINATE

Zim suddenly felt sick, and for good reason, for you see the only way he could possibly be converted back to his old self was that he had to get rid of the one thing that made him feel whole.

He'd have to kill Dib!

It was like the air had abandoned his lungs, how was he supposed to do that? Sure, two months ago the task would have been easy, but now just the thought made him want to puke his guts out. He couldn't hurt Dib, Dib was kind, Dib was sweet; Dib was everything he wasn't, everything he always wanted.

Without Dib he wasn't Zim…

He was nothing…

"What am I going to do?" Zim asked, as he found himself sinking to the floor. "What am I going to do?"

The question hung in air, because for the first time Zim didn't have the answer.

No, worse he had an answer, but it wasn't the answer he wanted. Then again it wasn't about what he wanted, this was about his duty, his mission.

And Dib was simply in the way.

"Okay…" Zim said with a shaky breath, as he got to his feet. "I'll do it, I'll kill Dib…"

(Back with Dib…)

At first he had been angry at Zim for ruining their morning together over soda, but Dib soon realized that the further he stomped away from the house, the guiltier he felt.

"I shouldn't have yelled at him." He said out loud. "I shouldn't have slammed the door, Zim hates when I slam the door."

Gir pulls on his leash in annoyance as Dib stops suddenly, contemplating weather or not to turn around, and appoligies.

"Maybe I can go get Zim, make him come with me, we can have breakfast, and get the soda together." He thought out loud. "Wait no Zim hates crowds, he would be uncomfortable. I can't do that to him"

"Mary can we go now!" Gir whined. "I want chocolate bubblegum."

"Gir dogs don't talk in public." Dib whispered. "Do you want to get Zim caught?"

"Oh yeah." Gir said, and barked proudly.

Dib paused. 'Did I just prevent Zim from getting caught?'

"Mary master wants soda." Gir reminded him.

"Oh yeah." Dib said as he began to skip off to the store. "We shouldn't keep him waiting, he hates waiting. But it's also cuter when he makes that angry face of his. You know the one." He sighed as they entered the gas station.

Gir barked happily as he led Dib towards the chocolate bubble gum drinks.

Dib grabbed him one. "Now Gir you can have this if you be a good boy while we're here."

Gir Barked again, and Dib leads them over to the sodas, he stops when he sees some fun dip. "Oh Zim will love these." He takes a handful of them and continues on his happy way.

Yes, everything was somehow perfect, though Dib knew it shouldn't be. It was like something in the back of his mind was telling him that danger was near, but he didn't care. All he cared about making Zim happy.

He turns to get Zim his favorite brand of human Soda, Mountain Dew, only to watch in horror as some chubby gamer kid picks up the last 12 pack.

His face suddenly goes dark, what did this pathetic human think he was doing? Those were the last Mountain Dews in the whole store, and this punk thought he deserved them more than his Zim!

Dib was on him in seconds trying to wrestle the soda away from the poor boy, but no matter how hard he tried the kid just wouldn't take a hint. "Let go you little worm!" he growled. "These sodas are for Zim!"

"But I had them first!" The chubby boy said.

"Let go!" Dib screamed and punched the kid in the nose.

The boy yelled.

"Iggins what's taking you so long?" A very familiar voice asked. "If you don't hurry I'll make you forfeit our rematch-DIB!"

Dib looked up to see his sister Gaz looking at him in disbelief.

"Dib what are you doing?" Gaz exclaimed.

"This human wouldn't fork them over!" Dib screamed.

"This human?" Gaz goes ghostly pale. "Dib we're all human…" Gaz gives him a worried look as she realized Dib's serious. "Oh god Dib what did he do to you?"

Dib's eyes widen, and he looks down at Iggins as if for the first time, he's shaking in fear, and blood is pouring from his nose. Dib looks down at his hands, they're cover in blood.

His blood.

"Oh god." He whispered. "What have I done?" he looks up at his sister. "Gaz what's happening to me?"

Gaz grabs her brother's arm, forcing him to his feet. "I don't know, but we're finding out NOW!" She begins to pull him out of the store. "Sorry Iggins" She yells over her shoulder. "Our rematch will have to wait, and tell anyone that my brother did this to you and I'll put you away in the looney bin FOR GOOD!"

Iggins Just curled up into a ball, traumatized.

And Dib didn't even bat an eye, he could care less, in fact he was more upset that Zim wouldn't be getting his soda.

Gaz could see his thoughts as if they were written on his face for all the world to see. "Dib, what did he do to you?"

"I don't know Gaz." He admitted, falling on his knees in the parking lot. "I just don't know…."

Chapter End Notes

Thanks for reading and please leave a comment. (If you want!)

The Next update will be soon.

So until then this is Emily Signing off…