ZADR Orange Chapter 160

Flinching back slightly at Purple’s words to him, Dib scooted back away from the other to press himself against the back of the bed’s headboard, just looking for an escape as he didn’t think he could handle staying there even a moment longer. “Fine!  If you won't leave, then I will!” he screamed at Purple before making a break for the door, the towel still wrapped around him. He wasn't exactly happy about being there anyways, just wanting to get away from everybody and everything. Still a little woozy from the sedative the medical drone has just given him however, he stumbled more than ran, but otherwise shoved past Purple to make a break for the stairs. Of course, he didn't get very far once he was out of the bedroom, Jack grabbing him before he could even make it halfway down the hall. “Let me go! Don't touch me! DON'T TOUCH ME!” he struggled desperately to pull away from Jack.

Jack held onto him even tighter when his struggling became more violent. “Dib, calm down!” he exclaimed, trying to get through to the panicked hybrid.

His face flooded with tears, Dib only continued to kick out his legs in an attempt to escape Jack's grip.

Looking away from the scene, Purple stepped out of the room quickly before heading down the hall past them to leave, feeling as though his being there was only making things ten times worse now.

“Purple, wait!” Rose followed after him, reaching out a hand to stop him before he could head down the stairs for the front door. “Purple, tell me what happened in there. Please...” she pleaded with him to tell her, having been able to hear the commotion from out in the hallway before Dib even attempted to run out of the room.

Purple bit his lip before responding. “H-He found the ring...It was in Zim's PAK...” he said before turning back to glance at Rose, a rather distressed looked on his face.

“Oh, no...” Rose glanced back at Dib worriedly.

“I-I have to go now...” Purple’s voice came out shaky as he turned to leave again.

Rose looked at him sadly. “Will you come back?” she asked, something telling her he didn’t have any intention of making a third trip back to Earth.

Refusing to look back at her, Purple stopped halfway down the stairs at that question. “I...don't think that would be the best idea...I-It's better for all of you...for the EARTH…that I just stay away...” his voice shook with emotion.

Looking at him sadly, Rose then ran up behind him and hugged him tightly. “We'll miss you here. Be good while you're gone, okay?” she pressed a cheek to his backside.

Just about falling to pieces right then, Purple stopped in his tracks yet again at the hug. “I'm sorry...About all of this...P-Please don't let Zim's memory die...I-I promised Red I would let go...B-But that doesn't mean you should have to...” he clutched at his chest as he said that, his body shaking slightly as he stood there a few moments longer before finally turning around to hug Rose back. “Please...This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do...” he said before finally losing his resolve not to cry and breaking down in her arms.

“Shhh...” Rose hugged him tightly to herself, patting his back comfortingly. “It'll all be okay. We won’t let him be forgotten.” she promised as she rocked back and forth with Purple a bit.

Purple sniffled wetly as Rose held onto him for a few moments longer. “I promised Red that after I had done this for him, I would forget...But now...Now it all just hurts so much worse...He promised me a smeet if I forgot, but I don't even know if it's worth it anymore...” his antennae drooped as he closed his eyes and sobbed to himself.

“Oh Purple...There's nothing you can do to change what happened…But you can still get your smeet...”

“But would it even be right to have a smeet with him after everything he's done?!” Purple tugged on his antennas. “It just hurts me to even be around him knowing he did so many horrible things to them...He makes me question whether I even do still love him! I always knew I was in love with Zim, but even now, I still don't know whether I can let go enough to do this...I cared for Red, but he's hurt me so much in all of this…I don't even know what I feel for him anymore...” his body shook in Rose’s arms.

Sighing at those words, Rose stroked his antennas with one hand and rubbed his back with the other. “You do what you feel is right, Purple, but he's probably your only chance to have smeets of your own.” she said, knowing how hard this all must be for Purple.

Purple breathed in shakily. “I-I know...I-It just doesn't seem fair though...The worst thing about all of this is that...E-Even though I tried to convince myself I wanted them with Red...on some level...I-I think I wanted to have smeets with Zim instead...I...I was honestly bitter towards his mate when I found out he was pregnant with Zim's smeets b-because it always seemed to me like he didn't even want them to begin with in the first place...I know that's a horrible reason to be feeling like that towards him...especially when Zim was the one who chose him over me...But it still just doesn't seem fair!” he exclaimed, a part of him still mad about how Dib had responded to him prior to leaving the room.

Continuing to rock back and forth a little, Rose patted his back soothingly in an attempt to calm him down some more. “I know, I know...But Purple, listen to me. This might be your last chance to get a smeet. Zim is gone…It's terrible, and I know you regret what happened, but he can't come back now...” she said, knowing nothing would come of him dwelling on the past.

Knowing she was right, Purple shivered in her arms for a few moments before nodding his head slowly. “I-I just hope I don't regret it...”he whimpered out, already knowing he would on some level no matter what happened next.

Rose let go of him. “Take care, Purple...” she said before momentarily resting a hand against his cheek.

“Y-You...You too...” Purple wiped the last of the tears out of his eyes before turning to leave the house so he could head on back to the Massive, where Red was waiting for him.

Sighing as he left, Rose then returned to the group to help Dib.

Jack looked up from where he had just gotten Dib back into bed.

“I just gave him another sedative. He'll be out for at least a few hours. But you need to think of a way to keep him from trying to run out of here. I can't keep on giving him sedatives. The more he moves around, the more damage he's doing to his body. And if he keeps that up, there may be complications later when he goes into labor.”

Biting her lip at that information, Rose nodded. “We'll try to think of something...” she said before glancing over at the passed out Dib and hoping to God he’d be in a better state of mind when he next came to.

QQQQQ

About three days later, Rose entered the room Dib had been staying in, a small tray of food in hand. By now, the hybrid had grown lethargic after a few attempts to leave had ended in failure for him.

On light medications given to him daily by the medic drone, Dib was hardly even coherent enough any longer to respond when anybody walked into the room. Rather, he just cried his eyes out when he was awake and slept the rest of the time when he couldn't cry any longer. Unfortunately for him however, his sleep brought him little to no comfort at all as he often woke up screaming from recurring nightmares he had been having since Jack and Rose took him in.

Approaching the bed with the tray of food, Rose set it down on the small nightstand next to the bed. “Dib?” she sat down on the bed and ran a hand comfortingly through his hair. The boy was fast asleep at the moment, whimpering softly to himself as he seemed in the midst of yet another nightmare. “Diiib...” she gave him another light shake, causing him to jolt awake.

Looking about the room wide-eyed for a moment, Dib then broke into violent shivers when he realized where he was again.

Hugging him to herself loosely, Rose pet his hair soothingly. “It's okay, Dib. Shhh…It's alright…I brought you some food.” she offered, gesturing to the small tray resting on the nightstand.

Antennae falling back as he broke down all over again, Dib could only shake his head at that. “I'm not...I'm not hungry...” he cried, entire body shivering now as his teeth chattered uncontrollably against each other. He hadn’t eaten anything since witnessing Zim’s death three days ago, and Rose was beginning to grow increasingly concerned the longer he continued to refuse the food she brought up to him.