Author's Note:

Hello! Welcome to my first Invader Zim fiction! Let me tell you a little about what you're going to be reading!

This is mostly a hurt/comfort fiction, but it would be categorized as a romantic comedy. There will be a few moments of irony and different emotions will be shown throughout all of the characters.

This will be a ZaDr work of fiction. I am going to put a lot of work into this story. I will warn you that Zim and Dib will not fall for each other so easily. They will go through dislike, hate, annoyance, and worry before 'love' comes into the picture. Even though Gaz is not a major character in this fiction, she still plays a huge part in the story.

This fiction will be realistic, but it will also have the original Invader Zim ideas from start to finish.

Warnings are as follows; there will be intense sexual situations, intense violence, and things that some may find only slightly triggering. There will be mental outbursts with flashbacks. Only mentions of certain mental disorders will be shown.

I am putting a lot of effort into this fiction, so I hope you will enjoy!

This is rated T for TEEN. I expect you to act like young adults in the 'reviews'. If you cannot show me you are mature enough for the first chapter, then I will TAKE THIS DOWN and/or there will be NO 'arouse' scene.

Again, T for Teen. If you aren't a teen, at least act like one.

Chapter 1

Four years

It's been four years since it happened.

The disappearing.

The silence.

It started six years ago. The human would leave and come back for a week, or perhaps even a month, before he disappeared again. When he disappeared, he never appeared no earlier than two months later. Then, he would be back. Staring at the small green creature, chasing him, and even stalking him. Of course, this was just a regular thing the two boys did as enemies should. However, it seemed like this was becoming less of a ritual as the years went on.

Four years ago, Dib Membrane had disappeared without a trace. It was great at first, there was no Dib to stand in the way of Zim's evil schemes. He could finally take over the world and relax on some other planet in solitude. Then, the silence became more of a bother than having the big headed boy around to ruin his plans.

Zim found himself taking a "break" after his attempt to rule the world with a tomato and a hot glue gun. It was much more frightening than it sounds.

Four years and Zim was nowhere to be seen. Nobody knew the little green bug was hiding away in his base with his super "advanced" SIR unit and Mini Moose for company. It seemed like something he would want: silence. But he found himself wanting that rush of adrenaline once again.

He figured it was over, his rivalry with Dib. Dib was dead as far as he knew. His sister? He's seen her around, but every time he approached her and asked about "The Dib-stink" she would glare, but say nothing. One time he was able to get a word out of her, but it was only "Mind your own business." She had become less frightening as far as Zim knew, she wouldn't threaten anymore. With Gaz's new "person", he was not so sure about Dib.

He returned to school in the ninth grade, but didn't stay for long. He ended up skipping school, no longer wishing to know the human's defenses or the confusing "English" language. Biology wasn't in his interest. He found it disgusting, especially the birth of the human infant. He shivered just at the thought. He did learn that the mitochondria was the power house of the cell…whatever the mitochondria was.

Now, it was eleventh grade, or "Junior Year" as the humans call it. Last year it was Soft-MORE, and before that, Fresh-MAN. Zim didn't understand why now the grades had such strange names, but he went with it as a way to 'fit in'.

He wasn't any different. Of course he had grown a few inches, but he still wore the same uniform and had the same disguise. His personality was the same too, a bit depressed, but the same. Despite his short appearance, he had long legs and a tiny waist. It seemed all Irkins had a skinny appearance as long as they didn't eat so many snacks, and Tallests knew Zim didn't eat that much. Sure, snacks were great, but Zim didn't seem to have a want for them anymore. Besides, Zim had to look his best as a mighty Irkin invader.

Black boots clicked against the cold sidewalk, gloved hands in ripped grey pockets, antennae hidden under a wig of black hair and a hat. The body shivered, it was cold blooded, not accustomed to the cold, autumn air.

Purple eyes looked up at the two story school that seemed to be complete with a clock on top, like a university. It was Hi Skool, something Zim had read about a good bit since before he was a Freshman. He understood being 'social' was a way to appear normal, so he approached a student, most likely a 'cool kid' and said what came to mind; "I had a great summer vacation. Oh, yes. So full of skin burns and…and skinny dipping!"

…Needless to say that student did not respond, and simply walked away with a very TMI look on their face.

The alien raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding what was wrong with what he had said. He scanned the school's yard, seeing children of four ages conversing with friends and doing last minute 'over the break' homework. Now that was something Zim could easily say he disagreed with. These humans had to do work on a break? Did they not take the "English" class? A break is definitely a break.

Scanning the open yard, Zim could see a number of students he had recognized. The male students haven't really changed, except that they smelled a lot better than in the previous years. The female students are the ones that really changed. They had grown fat balls on their chests, some had tennis balls and others had basket balls. It was…interesting. There were also these things called 'tampons' which Zim never really got. Males seemed to be afraid of these 'tampons' and they had the same reaction to 'periods' which Zim did not understand since periods were transitions of classes.

Perhaps Zim could rule the world with these 'tampons'.

His eyes scanned over a certain human and he had to do a double take. This student, clad in black, set with a cape, and a purple haired girl walking beside him, looked so familiar to Zim. What got him the most was the black hair with the very familiar point.

Zim wouldn't forget that point. It was his old rival, no doubt.

This was it! Their game of hero vs villain could finally continue after four years!

Zim walked- no, ran to the now tall human, and without a second thought called out; "Dib!"

The taller male and the purple haired female turned to look at Zim, one set of amber eyes meeting with purple, the other set seemed to look anywhere else.

With a smirk on his lips, and two hands on his hips, Zim eyed Dib with a challenging look in his eyes, the look that always set the human off. "I see you have returned to protect your planet, filthy human! I can assure you that this time I will not be so- hey, hey! Where are you going!"

Dib had turned away and continued into the school building along with Gaz, who gave Zim a look. He wasn't sure what that look meant, but it wasn't good. Of course though, Zim hadn't spoken to Gaz since the last time he approached her, and she never gave him more than a glance.

"Human!" Zim called out. "Uh, very well! We will continue this…another time!"

He never turned around.

A loud ring sounded the five minute mark for school to start, Zim marched to his first class, arms empty of the much needed school supplies he should have with him.

As he made his way through the halls, his mind kept going back to Dib. He hadn't seen him in so long and when he came back, he was freakishly tall and skinnier than before. His skin was still pasty, which Zim found out Dib had a Mexican DNA in him, and his hair was no longer shaved at the sides.

Lunch came quicker than ever before, perhaps because Zim slept through his morning classes. Yes, Irkins could sleep when they wanted to, and Zim found it more pleasing to sleep than to learn the distance formula from an adult human who had no idea what they were talking about. Hell, some just handed out packets and sat at their desks, doing this thing called 'texting' on their communication devices!

Lunch today was a moldy grilled cheese or pizza from summer school. At least they weren't getting served goop and mashed potatoes that moved. Zim had brought his own lunch. He found out he can keep his normal appearance by packing his own lunch with food he can actually eat. He usually just packed a sandwich from an Irkin wrapper and put it in a zip lock bag, along with a can of soda that he would open but never touch.

Zim sat in his normal place by the cafeteria doors. In case Dib wanted to act on a sudden attack, Zim could bolt and hide somewhere in the school. Besides, it gave Zim a nice view of Gaz's table. It was known as Gaz's table by the whole school. It used to be the Membrane table in elementary school, but because of Dib's disappearance, it was just Gaz's table.

Zim watched the two from his own table, alone as always, he stared at the two Membrane children who were anything but children anymore.

Gaz had grown; but she was only a few inches taller than Zim. Her hair going a bit passed her shoulders, her bangs covering her eyes when she looked down at her PSP. She too had the fat balls, but they were apples. Her outfits now seemed to be a bit more 'goth' with the color scheme being purple and black. Her face had metal rings hanging from her eyebrow and her nose, holes in her earlobes as well. Zim figured it was a sacrificial thing humans did, and he wanted no part in it!

Her thumbs danced across the buttons of her game, tapping furiously as desperation to beat the game washed over her, only to be interrupted by a certain big head sitting next to her.

Zim eyed the older Membrane. Dib, his rival, now sported a metal sacrifice himself. A black stud in the center of his lower lip sparkled as it hit the light. His head was no longer shaved at the sides, and the point in his hair…well, that didn't seem to change. Despite never bathing when he was a kid, Dib looked very clean now. His outfit right now was bland. He sported a black long sleeve and black jeans which were a bit too big for him. It looked like that was all he had to wear at the moment. The boy, who used to talk nonstop, said nothing as he picked at his food. For once, it was the girl who spoke and she spoke in quiet words, as if not wanting to be heard.

Dib didn't smile in the slightest as his lips moved, forming quiet words. Gaz motioned over to Zim. Dib didn't even blink as he continued to pick and pull apart his food with his plastic fork. With his head down, hiding his face behind huge glasses, it was almost as if Dib didn't want to be noticed by anyone. Anyone including the alien.

Zim caught this and couldn't help but think. Dib had always wanted to be noticed, especially by Zim. It was a way of saying "I'm here. I'll defeat you. Look at me! I'm being a hero!" But now it seemed that Dib had out grown it all. No…that wasn't what was showing on his face. In fact, Dib's face had changed. His skin wasn't pasty, it was pale. Those dark circles around his eyes weren't normal and his lips were chapped and broken open. He had sores on the side of his face he was picking at right now.

Zim couldn't help but stare in horror. Was he dying? What were those sores? Why wasn't he screaming across the cafeteria at the almighty Zim?

And then, the thought came to Zim's head;

Is this Dib?

The locker room was full of many filthy Earth males and many filthy Earth smells. If it wasn't the heavy smell of sweat socks or the stink of sweaty male genitals, it was the putrid smell of filthy Earth feet.

And Tallest forbid there would be an Axe stink bomb! Zim could never breathe in the locker room.

And this whole thing with changing around other humans was foolish! Not only was it degrading, but if you were caught changing in the stalls, you were degraded further. Of course, Zim didn't care about that at all. He wasn't going to strip down to his underwear in front of all of these half-grown worm babies! Ridiculous!

Changing in the stalls made it harder to change out of his uniform and into his gym clothes, so he got into the habit of putting his gym clothes over his uniform for a short time…before the demand for physical exercise made his body heat increase to the point of passing out.

Coming out of the stall, Zim scanned the locker room briefly before returning to his own. Turning a corner, his eyes fell on someone new…at his locker! Oh, well, it wasn't Zim's locker, it was the locker next to his that this person of annoyance was at.

His rival was already dressed for gym class, slipping his gray t-shirt over his head and then taking a drink out of one of those drink holders that you can take with you. Travel cups? Travel pugs? Travel mugs? Yes! That's it! Travel mug. They are usually used for carrying hot beverages, such as cough-E or 'T'. The Dib set the travel mug down and getting ready to go out to the gym, Zim decided to open his mouth, yet again.

"Human!" He spoke, loudly, "I demand to know your reasoning for not attacking the mighty Zim yet today! Don't you know it is going on 1 o'clock and- hey! Don't walk away from Zim!"

Nothing. Not even a frown. The Dib had simply turned and left the locker room without a word.

What was going on? Why was Dib-stink ignoring the mighty Zim?

Zim was going to find out.