To Which Our Future Holds (A ZaDr Story)

Chapter 19

Dib ran up the stairs leaving Lizzy behind to watch Ash. Dib rushed over to the bathroom door, the light shining from under the doorway lighting up the dark upstairs hallway in a strange and eerie way.
Dib nocked on the door doing the best to try and mask the concern in his voice "Hey Zim, you ok in there?" Dib shifted uncomfortably when he heard no response. "Zim?" He asked again more nervously than last time. With still silence as his awncer Dib griped tightly onto the handle "Hey I'm coming in alright!" He half yelled before throwing open the door.
Dib shuddered as he walked in, the room was freezing, the sound of the driping shower did little to soothe, it in fact made the scene far more terrifying when he looked down and saw what covered the floor.
      
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Zim had finished grooming and found himself getting rather light headed, looking down at his injured arm, which still had yet to be addressed, he figured he knew why. Remembering what the Dib had said earlier Zim extended one of his Pak legs to turn off the shower. The sounds of the fizzing water still buzzed and vibrated around the room despite the showers flow having slowed to a trickle.
Zim shuddered, rembering the cold, and reached up onto the counter to grab his glove when a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him. Zim steped back trying to steady himself when he sliped on the towel beneath him, crashing onto the floor bringing multiple various items down along with him. Zim groaned as he tried to get up, but with his injured arm and the loss of blood making him weak Zim lay still on the floor.

Dib's voice called from the door causing Zim's anteni to twitch out in front of him. Zim tried to call out to Dib but his voice seemed to be just as foggy as his mind was. An alert came up through Zim's pak urging him to induse sleep recovery, which would both stop the bleeding and allow his body to heal almost four times faster than it normally would. Dib's voice called again far more insistent than last time. Zim stretched out his injured arm his claws flexing as if he could grab the Dib's voice and pull him closer. "D-Dibb" Zim whimpered.
Almost as if he had heard him the door slid open revealing the blurry image of Dib to appear in the doorway, his muffled voice pannicked as Zim heard the door click shut behind him. "Why does it sound like Dib is underwater" Zim thought, his mind slipping away from him.
    
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Dib kneeled down next to Zim's trembling figure, "Zim hey I'm here, Zim Talk to me!" Getting a memory from when they where younger Dib carefully wrapped one of his fingers around Zim's anteni "Zim I'm here, see it's me" Zim turned and looked up at Dib with a worried look on his face. "Dib... Zim.. need...sleep.. Zim.. hurt... but. Not.... S-safe...." Dib griped slightly onto Zim's anteni and tried to send him a calm feeling "Hey, it's okay Zim you can sleep, I promise I'll protect you" Zim's eyes fluttered "Ok.. Zim... trust... Dib...." he murmered before his Pak switched into sleep mode.
Zim's breathing slowed and his arm began to slowly stop bleeding as his pak, now fully in control, stitched up his wounds and eased his pain.

Dib continued to softly rub Zim's anteni between his fingers for a while before he looked around the bathroom suddenly realizing what a mess it was. Pink blood splattered the floor and sink, bottles lay scattered on the floor, and Zim lay fast asleep on the bloody towel he was brought in. Letting go of Zim Dib picked up the bottles of soap, washed off the blood, turned the shower fully off and wrapped Zim's arm in a bandage. After getting everything done Dib looked down at the still undressed alien curled up on the old towel "Now what to do with you." He asked himself.

Sitting down across from the alien on the floor Dib felt himself actually look at Zim, his eyes tracing over his body and the many scars that mirrored his own. Like Dib, Zim had thin straight lines that cut through his shoulders arms and torso, but unlike him, Zim's scars where all singular and of the same thickness. Dib felt himself reach over and trace his fingers over a longer one that sliced over Zim's waist "I wonder if your scars still mean the same thing" Dib asked out loud before yanking his hand back and looking away "Ah curses what am I thinking" he hissed. "I'm going to find something for Zim to wear" Dib thought before getting up and walking out.

After a few minutes of looking around Dib found a large plain white T-shirt of his "I guess this will have to work for now, Zim is bigger than Ash afterall." Returning to the bathroom Dib carefully dressed the large shirt over Zim, it falling almost down to his knees and only revealing the scar on his shoulder and the small ones on his ankles. Dib smirked "Zim looks kind of cute in an oversized Tee like that."
Looking around Dib wondered "Where did Zim put his Desguise, or his uniform for that matter? I can't exactly just leave Zim un-desguised." After thinking for a while Dib remembered the functions of Zim's Pak, "Rigt, Zim probably put them away for sanitation." biting his lip Dib carefully scooped Zim up off the floor and into his arms. "let's see if I can remember how to do this."
After a few minutes of struggling Dib had gotten Zim's wig and had carefully put it on him "It's still a bit damp with his sanitation solution but It'll do."
Dib sat back against the sink, Zim fast asleep in his lap "Please, just be ok" he thought to himself before leaning his head back and drifting off himself.

Dib was pulled back into awareness when Zim started to whimper and shuffle in his sleep. "D-Dib" Zim whimpered. Dib placed his hand onto Zim's cheek and slid his fingers up into his wig pulling one of his anteni out and rubbing it between his fingers "Hey, Zim I'm still here, it's alright." Calming down Zim nuzzled into Dib's chest, a soft sound vibrating through his body reminding Dib of something like a cats purr.
Dib stood up, Zim calmly asleep in his arms, "I guess I should probably take Zim downstairs now, Lizzy-" Dib stoped in his thoughts as he looked down at Zim. "Lizzy." He muttered aloud his tone in a strange and almost distant place.

The bathroom light tuned off behind him as he walked out into the dark hallway. The different colored lights seemed to crawl up the stairs twitching and moving each time the TV flickered.
Turning to look down the hall it seemed to stretch out before him in his thoughts. "Here goes nothing" he said before walking forward, the millions of dancing lights hiding his eyes behind dark, reflective lenses.
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