A/N Forgive the crappy summary, not sure where this is all going yet. Inspired by a collection of songs in a playlist and a vague idea from a dream. Also, did I sleep before writing this? Nope! Not beta read, any comments about stuff to be fixed are appreciated. Updates will try to be at least once a week, hopefully more. Enjoy! And Maybe even Review and stuff for me?

Dib sighed as the front door slammed shut behind him. Today, being a friday, all he wanted was to turn around and crawl back into bed. Today, also being his birthday, would be the perfect time to do so, assuming his father had not been home that is. Unfortunately for Dib, it had to be one of the rare mornings the professor had decided to grace them with his presence.

He chose to ignore it, seeing as this year would be his last year of high school. Next year he would be pushed into some college, to go and make something of his life. He still hadn't figured out what he wanted to do, but as it turns out that was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Hopefully he'd be able to figure something out before it came to that.

Dib followed behind Gaz as they walked. The route was almost the same one they'd been taking forever, with only an extra half block to walk, past the middle school. He managed to get himself lost in thoughts of the future and what was to become of him, smirking lightly when vague memories of his childhood mixed in with his current thoughts.

The sound of a car slamming on the breaks to avoid running over a small child jerked him from his thoughts. Today was his birthday! Not a day to be moping about things that didn't matter just yet. He would need to go do something, a small celebration of sorts. It had taken him a little while, but eventually Dib settled on what it was he wanted to do. He remembered hearing about a new club opening in the middle of the city. It was already being labelled the new 'it' spot, so he figured he'd go scope out the place.

He didn't go clubbing often, it usually wasn't his scene. But when the craving for the contact of another human being became more then he could handle, he would drag himself out somewhere to satisfy that need. Trying to find anyone at the school was impossible. Granted, not that he tried all that hard to begin with.

Most of the others there had grown up with him. Which meant they had labelled him as crazy a long, long time ago. He let out another sigh as they walked. Six hours of school, just six hours, then he was free to begin the celebrations.

The walk was incident free, like it had been every morning for the last few years. Dib no longer had any reason to be wary of the shadows. A few years ago, his alien nemesis had taken off, probably summoned by his leaders, or sent on another mission. Dib would never know why though, as the alien had left without a word. For the first few months the teen was more paranoid then ever, not believing Zim could just up and leave like that.

He spent months on the edge, waiting for an attack that never came. Eventually, he had no choice but to accept that the Irken had really left. Victory for Earth. Right? He wasn't so sure. It hadn't felt like a victory, seeing as Dib had never officially won. Not that any of it mattered anymore. He had began to grow tired of the stupid alien's stupid antics anyway. He had more important things to worry about. Like college.

"I'll see you later." Gaz growled out. She gave him a small nod as they parted ways, heading into the school alone. He watched her go, not having a chance to come out with a response.

"Guess I better go in too." He muttered to himself, a habit he could never really get rid of.

The school day went on as it had for a while. Uneventfully and boring. Dib sat through first and second period, ignoring the ramblings of the teachers. He stared out the window, or doodled. Whichever held his attention for longer. He was doing well enough in his classes that he could miss the lectures and still do the homework. One of the advantages of being a genius, right? The lunch bell rang, startling him out of his daydreams. He was free, if only for a short while.

As the clock slowly ticked away the rest of the school day, his excitement began to bubble up inside him. Dib had done everything alone, so he knew that he didn't need anyone else around to have a kick ass celebration.

He dragged himself to his last two classes. He was having a hard time not watching the clock, his usual thoughts of dread were replaced with a more positive emotion this afternoon. As soon as the bell rung, signalling the weekend, he flung his backpack over his shoulder and raced out of the building, his black trench coat flying out behind him as he did.

He couldn't keep himself from rambling on the walk home. "Tonight's going to be great!" He practically beamed. "I think I've been needing this. It's been a while since I've done something fun."

She mostly ignored his outward musings and continued walking. She knew about his clubbing habits, even bringing herself to go with him a few times. Gaz smiled faintly, she would never admit to it, but she figured it was about time her brother got some excitement back. His life had gone from ten to zero in the matter of a few weeks, and it had taken it's tole on him. "Want me to tag along?" She offered as they approached the Membrane house.

He shook his head. "It's alright." Occasionally, the pair would go and act as the others wing man, Dib knew tonight he could handle it by himself. He wasn't entirely sure what tonight would bring, but being by himself wouldn't limit his options.

She shrugged. "Suite yourself." As soon as Gaz entered the house, she bee lined to her room. He headed up to his as well. Dib would need to pick out something half decent for tonight after all.

The room hadn't changed a whole lot since childhood. There was one major change though. The pictures and files he had made and gathered on Zim had all but vanished, placed in a small card bored box, hidden at the back of his closet.

He had never been able to bring himself to get rid of it. Was it because he feared that without the proof, he might begin to believe he was crazy? Or perhaps it was the odd chance that Zim may return, to continue the mission he had abandoned. But perhaps it was because they had been some of the most exciting years of his life, and he wasn't entirely ready to give them up yet. It was most likely a strange combo of the three.

Dib pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He had spent all afternoon waiting for tonight and dammit he was going to enjoy it. He would take a short nap, not only would it kill time, but it would make sure he was in peak condition that night.

Upon waking up later, the smile returned to his face as he hoped into the shower and went about his routine to get ready. When all else was done, he searched through his closet for an outfit. In the end, he settled for a navy blue t shirt with fishnet sleeves, black skinny jeans, his black boots and signature trench coat. He checked himself out in the mirror before heading out.

"I'm leaving, Gaz! I'll be back later tonight!" He called out. "Or tomorrow." Dib added as an afterthought. When silence was his only answer, he shrugged and opened the door, keys in hand. "Whatever."

About a year ago, Dib had gotten himself a car. He didn't use it very often, after all gas was expensive. The car wasn't anything fancy, just a cheep black car, but he loved it all the same. It gave him the freedom to go into the city with ease.

The drive to the club wasn't long, finding parking was the real killer here. He rounded the corner for the fourth time before spotting a newly empty spot. He tried to make his move, but swore when he was cut off by a blue mini. After a few more circles, another space opened up. It was at the back of the small lot, but he didn't care.

After parking and locking the door, Dib hoped out. There was a small line out front, but when he got closer he recognized the bouncer outside, he worked another club that Dib had frequented often. He approached the bouncer and winked. The guy nodded before letting him through without a word.

The interior was not what he'd been expecting. There were small raised platforms throughout the room, with poles leading up to the ceiling. Around each platform, were a group of red velvet couches.

To the left of the entrance was the already crowded bar, despite the club just opening, it was packed. To the right was a series of rooms with curtains over them, blocked off by another bouncer with a rope.

Dib stood there in awe for a moment. Multicoloured lights shone from the ceiling, sweeping across the club, bathing the place in a mixture of colors. Each platform with a dancer currently on it had a different colored light pointing at them.

A sly smile crossed his face as he walked around the room, taking in the scene. Almost every pole had a dancer, along with small crowds of people. He walked up to the bar, taking a few shots of whatever they had on special. He wasn't picky about what he drank. Once that warm feeling ran through him, he headed back out onto the floor.

Eventually, his gaze came to land on one of the dancers and Dib walked over to sit down in front of him. After seeing the other male close up, he determined that there was no way he was much older then Dib himself. Around him, the small crowd quickly grew. It seemed that the male in front of Dib had become a crowd favourite. Females and males alike stood around to admire him as he danced.

A loose black tank top hung from the guys body, most of the fabric on the sides was missing, leaving only a few strips to keep the shirt together. The 'shirt' if one could call it that, paired with the small black shorts, did well to reveal the soft looking flesh beneath. Dib was entranced.

He watched, awestruck as the other danced around the pole, using pure body strength to pull and slip himself around. A red spotlight shone on him, distorting the colors in the area. The dancers dark hair hung to his shoulders, falling into his face as he danced.

This is it, Dib thought to himself. This is the one he wanted. His eyes followed the every move of the other male. He, like many others, pulled out his wallet. He waved the dancer over, wanting him closer.

The guy shot him an alluring look and walked over to grab the money Dib was offering him. Dib could feel his body heat up, the look in his eyes alone would be enough to draw Dib in. The music in the background thumped as the guy in front of him danced, his body moving perfectly to the beat every time.

After what seemed like an eternity, the dancer got off the platform. He walked straight up to Dib.

"See something you like?" He leaned over to whisper in Dib's ear, his warm breath hitting Dib's neck, causing hm to lightly shiver.

Dib froze up, as he watched small trickles of sweat drip down the others figure. "Y-yes." He stammered out. Dib mentally cursed himself for being as nervous as he was. It wasn't like it was his first time, and nor would it be his last.

The male in front of him smiled, mischief playing in his blue eyes. "What can I do for you in that case?"

Dib fidgeted with the side of his glasses slightly. Everything. He thought, instead saying; "Can I get a dance?" Possibly more? His look implied. Dib had to take a deep breath to calm himself down.

A sly smile played on the dancer's lips before he straightened himself up, about to agree when something caught his eye. He narrowed his eyes at Dib for a moment before he shook his head. "I have to go. Stuff that needs to get done." He blinked before turning away and heading towards what Dib assumed was the backroom.

He sat there, stunned. "What the hell was that?" He whispered to himself.