A pale hand shot out to snake across a certain alien's hips. A touch so light it would make most shiver in surprise. But no luck.
"Hello, Dib-stink."
No luck at all.
"Oh, come on Zim! How did you know? I was even extra sneaky this time!" The Irken in disguise looked over his shoulder to smirk at the frustrated boy.
"Please, human," Zim replied with a laugh. "You stink up the entire school as soon as you walk through the doors. ZIM could smell you coming from a mile away!"
"I don't smell THAT bad, you drama queen."
"Zim is no queenliness of dramatics! You are the smell-beast who fogged all the windows!"
"Yeah, yeah." Dib rolled his eyes but let a small smile escape to his lips. "I'll get you next time, space-boy."
"Not before Zim does!"
"That makes no sense!" They went their separate ways, both smiling. This was a little 'game' the two had started playing. Dib really couldn't remember all too well how it had started. Something about an accident in the gym locker room where Dib had supposedly 'violated' the alien's personal space. (Not that that was hard. He swore Zim had a 'bubble' that lasted forever in every direction.)
From there, it turned to a game of trying to take revenge by making the other jump. Zim was wining easily, what with his cat-like stealth and sharper-than-human senses. But Dib had gotten a few good ones in. Like the time Zim had to answer a question in English class and Dib, sitting right behind him, had a shoved a cold mechanical pencil down the back of his pants mid-sentence. He would never forget that girly squeal. Even now it made him laugh, causing people in the halls to look at him strangely. Nothing new there.
Dib got to his first hour class and sat in his usual seat at the back of the room. It was only one of his simple blow-off classes, so he had time to day-dream.
The first thing his mind travelled to, like always, was Zim. The only difference over the years was that those thoughts had shifted from pure hatred to apathy to friendly. And now… well, he just didn't know.
High school had really changed the two. Both were a little calmer, a little less "crazy". Their fights, when they still had them, were much more brutal though. Luckily for Dib, they were also becoming much more rare.
Zim had gained only a few inches of height, but more than enough strength to make up for all the was lacking. Dib, however, had shot up during a growth spurt over their last summer and was now at least a head taller than the Irken. But for all his height he was still lean and lanky and didn't sport much of a muscular build.
It put the two at a physical stale-mate. Zim could win an arm-wrestling competition, but only if he could reach Dib's arm to do it.
His mind quickly wandered again, as any teenager's mind will do. He remembered that Zim was coming over to hang out that night. It really wasn't anything new, he supposed, but it made him… nervous. Last time Zim came over, he got these strange, well, urges. Now, he had touched Zim before in intimate ways. Sort of. A fleeting smack to the butt as part of their game, an accidental hip grind while wrestling; those types of things. But this was different. He wanted to hold him and… kiss him. Not as part of their game, either But what if he freaked Zim out? He hated to admit it, but he'd miss the alien's company.
INTERMISSION
(Go. Go pee.)
"Zim!? Houses are built with doors for a reason, you know!" He looked up in surprise from his spot on the floor where he had been looking for a piece to his model UFO. Zim was out of his disguise.
"Zim did not wish to view your scary Dib-sister." He replied as he finished pulling himself in through the window and onto Dib's bed. It was confusing as to why the human was always so shocked when he did this.
"I could've been naked!" Oh, was that it?
"But you aren't. So quiet your face and greet Zim properly."
Dib's left eye twitched; he wasn't amused. "Good evening, great and powerful Almighty Zim, master of everything. I do so fervently wish that my humble abode is suitable for your amazing mightiness." If his voice dripped anymore sarcasm, they would drowned.
"It could be cleaner," was Zim's only reply. He smiled shortly after to let Dib know he understood the sarcasm. He had had such a terrible time picking up on that in the beginning. Now he had all but mastered the skill.
Zim invited himself to get comfortable and stretched all his limbs out across Dib's bed. The sight alone was almost enough to drive Dib crazy. In a good way. He didn't know what it was about Zim being on his bed, but it made him feel warm inside. Maybe it was because of the… things he had done on that bed. Some of them even involving small fantasies of Z-
"So what are you doing tonight to entertain Zim?"
Dib snapped out of his shameful thoughts. He felt his face go a little pink. "Um… uh… we could… no, er…"
Zim laughed and slid off the bed to squat in front of Dib. He grasped the human's face and held it barely inches from his own. His voice was slow like talking to a toddler. "Speak… wooooorrdddssss," he hissed playfully.
But all Dib heard was 'kiss me'.
So he did.
Their lips met with all the grace of a feather. In a blender. The kiss was over almost as fast as it had begun. After the initial shock was over, Zim's face began to brighten with a blue-purple tint, and Dib's with red.
For a moment, silence. Then:
"What… the… IRK!?" He scrambled back, kicking away from Dib with his feet.
"I-I'm sorry! I-"
"You kissed me!"
"I-I know! I didn't mean to! I was I was sorr-"
"What do you mean you didn't mean to!?"
"I just-"
"You. Kissed. ZIM."
"I-"
"Why did you-"
"Would you shut up!?" Dib finally yelled. "I kissed you because… your face was too close to mine. It's… it's uh… human tradition!"
"Zim's face has been close to yours before." Zim's voice was quieting with anger at the lie he knew Dib was telling. He wasn't as easy to trick as he used to be.
Warning bells went off in Dib's head, warning him to think before speaking. He ignored them. "I wasn't in love with you before!" ….Oops.
Zim was quiet for all of two minutes; a rarity for him. "You… love… Zim?"
"I-I, um… Well I mean, no. No, no wait… yes. Uh…" Dib continued to stammer over his feelings while a smile grew un-noticed on Zim's lips.
"This doesn't have to be so complicated and stupid, Dib." He inched forward on hands a knees until he was once again almost in Dib's lap. Still, he leaned closer.
Lips touched again, much less rushed this time. Only seconds passed before Dib was practically a puddle on the floor.
"So, tell Zim. Do you 'love' me. Or do you just want an alien specimen?"
Dib stared into Zim's ruby red eyes for a moment, nervous and excited all at once. "I… I love you." Maybe it was true, maybe it wasn't. But if he didn't feel for Zim, when what was with all this fluttering and pounding in his chest?
"Good, then. Because I won't have a mate that won't stick around for a while."
With that, another kiss. Unlike the others this one was drawn-out and passionate. Just like the touches that were soon to follow.
"I'm cold," Zim stated as an excuse to move closer to Dib's warm body. They laid under the sheets, limbs tangled together.
"Hey, Zim?"
"What?"
"You never said it."
"Never said what?"
"You know… those three little words?"
"You… are Zim's?"
"No, no. You said THAT. A lot, actually. Come on, you know what I'm talking about."
"Good night Dib."
"Nooo! Come oooon, Ziiiiimmmmmm!" He whined. The alien sighed a rolled his eyes.
"No."
"Fine! But I'll get you to say it next time."
"Not before Zim does."