It was now after sunset and Jumba, in lab coat, decided he would go in to check on Pleakley, eat some dinner, and go to bed. That simple. He had gotten a lot of work done that day. Created the DNA, RNA, and saliva of 799, and catered to the bossy bed not breakfast guests.

"Open this door!" Jumba fisted in anger as he realized Pleakley had locked the front door sometime within the last few hours. No answer to his request was to be heard. Just the talking of Pleakley with some of his experiments in an E.A.R.W.A.X. Okra circle session. These seemed to happen more frequently, making Jumba even more surprised by the session. Yes, it was an effective mechanism to make his experiments good, but why do it with already good experiments? Besides, Pleakley was always calling Jumba's experiments little monsters when he had the chance; how that got to Jumba sometimes. Why would Pleakley want to spend time with them, let alone listen, hug, cry, and throw chairs with them?

"I'm sorry, but we strictly do NOT allow late comers in on our important sessions. It disrupts flow of outbursts and confidentiality. Please courteously knock on the door after the session is over!" Pleakley yelled.

"Over!" Sample crowed.

"Whaaa… PLEAKLEY! But, I'm gonna freeze out here!" Jumba jerked on the doorknob with all his strength.

"In Kauai, a tropical paradise," Pleakley laughed, "It averages a perfect 71 degree Fahrenheit temperature at night. Sit out and enjoy the view!"

"Is cold for home planet. And not seeing view you speak of. It's dark!"

Jumba was answered by Pleakley hurling a lit flashlight out the window. "AND BE QUIET!"

That gave Jumba an idea. With a laugh, he waltzed over to the open porch window with flashlight shining on his mischievous face like people telling all those scary stories. At the sight, a little gasp and slight smile escaped Pleakley's mouth. Or was it Okra's? Hard to tell.

"You don't want me to get my blaster out. Do you? Could harm a population of mosquitoes…" Jumba hinted scarily knowing this would likely get a response and some action. But, any such response was interrupted by the honk of Finder, whom was sitting on the sill pointing at Jumba. With a 'what is this all about' look sewn across Jumba's face, blushing Pleakley immediately took Finder in his arms along with Jumba's flashlight and shut the window almost crushing Jumba's fingertips.

Oddly enough, Pleakley then began flailing his arms and babbling something to Jumba through the window, but Jumba could hardly make out what he was saying. "I blah blah to leave blah alone blah you blah come blah ruin Okra blah blah blah threat blah mosquitos…" Meanwhile, Squeak and Nosy fought for the place on the shelf below the window, blabbing as well. Behind them was a chaos of other experiments including Spike, Bonnie, Richter, Clyde, Sample, Woops, Finder, and Yaarp.

Jumba scratched his head and three hairs quizzically. "I guess it's a pizza night." He took out his intergalactic cell phone Pleakley had gotten him and wrung up the pizza place down the street sliding up against the exterior of the house. Still, there was audible chaos inside. "Yes, that'll be it. Eleven cheese pizzas. No…" CRASH! "No drinks…" BOOM! "No dessert…" CRACK! "Yes…thanks."

Jumba closed his cell phone and let out a sigh as he still heard Pleakley yelling and the 'little monsters' destroying the place. Hadn't Pleakley said to keep the little monsters away from him and not to let them wreck the furniture? How hypocritical. It still baffled him why Pleakley set up these Okra sessions anyway. He sat there pondering why.

After about ten minutes, the pizza guy arrived. He didn't see Jumba sitting on the porch and Jumba was so deep in thought that the guy just knocked on the door. There was finally a moment of silence – inside and out. Jumba got up from the porch and confronted the guy, giving him one of Pleakley's 28 credit cards.

"You having a party?" The guy questioned looking in the direction of the window and handing Jumba the pizzas.

Jumba turned around to find all of the experiments pressing their faces against the window. Apparently, Pleakley was trying to pry them from the window, so he could see. If it was Jumba knocking, boy did he have it coming. But, Woops finally gave in revealing Pleakley's still mad face. "Why yes, very excited bunch, going to have loads of fun." Jumba evilly chuckled having a hard time controlling himself and his evil geniusness.

"Well, enjoy yourselves?" the pizza guy said as he gave Jumba a confused look and darted off to his car. Jumba waved as he made his way to the mail slot on the door.

"Who's hungry?!" Jumba announced peaking his four eyes inside the house. A thunder of tiny feet got louder and louder. This sound turned into struggling as the experiments fought through the experiment-pervious contraption Pleakley had placed on the door to prevent Jumba from entering.

"No…! No…! NOOOOOO!" Pleakley screamed as the door flew open and the experiments devoured the pizza Jumba had set on the 'aloha' welcome mat. Getting their fill, the experiments decided to leave for the night. This left Jumba and Pleakley looking at each other for what seemed like an eternity, one in the darkness and one in the light. One with arms to side and one with arms crossed.

"Look, they left some pizza for us," Jumba smiled as he knelt down, picked up, and carried a boxed half of pizza over to Pleakley. He looked rather helpless – Okra wig and dress was in knots, eye bloodshot, and makeup disaster.

"I don't want any." Pleakley inaudibly choked.

"What you say?" Jumba questioned leaning in closer.

"I said I don't want any," a little louder.

"But it's your favorite."

"No it isn't. Ribs are my favorite. You should know that…"

"Well… take one. Must be hungry. Probably as much as my precious experiments."

"No… and correction: they're little monsters…"

"Take one." Jumba insisted inching the box closer to Pleakley's hands scowling a bit by the insult.

"No…" Pleakley looked down to the ground acting as if he was to cry again.

"Take one."

"No…"

"Just take one," Jumba sniffled. He was playing Pleakley's own game, startling Pleakley into surrendering.

"Fine. I'll take one…"

"Monster drool or non-monster drool?"

"Of course the non-monster drool. Blech… who do you think I am?"

Jumba handed him a non-monster drool slice. "I'll take monster drool," Jumba grinned evilly. "Lacking that in nutrition…"

"Gross and thanks…" smirked Pleakley giving off a radiant orange blush. Not noticing this, Jumba moseyed on in past the pizza boxes, locks, and chains into the light and sat on one half of the sliced couch.

"Sit…" Jumba urged patting the other side. Pleakley did so, but forget to shut the door. Maybe he wanted the mosquitos to come inside. "Let's talk…"

"About what…?" Pleakley queried innocently as if nothing had happened today. He held his slice up in the air while Jumba was gobbling his down.

"About anything…" Awkward moment of silence. Jumba looked over at Pleakley, still not eating his pizza. "Do you trust Jumba? Non-monster drool?" Another awkward moment of silence. Man, Pleakley had so many sides to him. Just when Jumba thought he had mastered one, he was left annoyed and speechless by another.

"Do… you… uhhh…..?" Pleakley struggled having a hard time finding words. He became relieved as his phone rang out of the blue. It covered up his stutters and his attempt to show how he felt – felt for the man that had been around him every waking night and day for years. Tell him how darn in love he was. Let him feel how darn in love he was. Caress his…

"Going to answer that little one…?"

"No…" Pleakley choked out embarrassedly thinking about the beautiful image he had created in his mind. Little one… little one… Sick! What is wrong with me! He's my best friend!

"Can Jumba answer it?"

"NO!" Pleakley screamed almost throwing his slice into Jumba's face.

"Fine… Scared that it's your mother again, right? Seems to be calling a lot lately… What's it about this time?"

"That isn't WHY!..." Pleakley screamed as he placed his pizza slice back in the box and crossed his arms. How that Jumba could correctly predict his life.

The ringing was transferred to Jumba's phone.

"No! Don't answer it…" In the past, his mother had figured out Jumba's cell phone number and instead reached Jumba when Pleakley didn't answer.

"Hello?" Jumba questioned with a slight laugh as jealous Pleakley turned his back to Jumba in distress.

"Hi Jumba!"

"Aww…not-so-little-girl! Did you get to G.A.C.C. yet?" Stitch and Angel were in the background.

"Yes we did! 15 hours and 55 seconds to spare!"

"Good! Did you call bigger girl yet?"

"That's why I'm calling you. I'm not going to call her until about 14 hours from now, if you know what I mean…"

Jumba nodded understandingly. "Ya… bigger girl can sure turn into nasty devil. Especially when activating H-drive or disobeying orders. Found that out the hard way…"

"But that would be unethical!" Pleakley interrupted turning around with a mad face.

"Oh Pleakley! There you are! Why didn't you answer your phone?" Lilo concernedly questioned.

Not knowing how to answer her question, Pleakley stuttered for a second. Jumba gave him an evil grin. "Well…I…I…I was eating some pizza!" Pleakley immediately picked up his slice that he had placed in the box earlier and started gulping it down. He looked like a starved squirrel. Jumba looked satisfied as Pleakley went in for another.

"Okay. Well I better let you guys go. Need to start unpacking."

"Ih." Angel and Stitch agreed.

"Okay…" Jumba started as he was suddenly interrupted by Pleakley for the second time.

"Call your sister in the morning young lady." Pleakley finished as Jumba gave Pleakley a strange look. Pleakley still had his squirrel cheeks.

"Okay," Lilo grunted. "Aloha!"

"Aloha," the two aliens said together as both ends hung up.

"Pleakley, why are you so mad at Jumba lately?" Jumba said straight out as he closed his phone. Pleakley was visibly stunned by Jumba's unforeseen bluntness. He swallowed all the pizza in his mouth with one big, nervous gulp having a hard time finding words. "I know I agreed to long, monotonous list of upsetting, mean adjectives, but you know Jumba not really to be meaning that right…? …sorry that I ruined your talkity talk session… Pleakley, talk to me… "

Should he tell him, should he tell him? He had lost all confidence now, squirming nervously.

"I know why he won't talk to you Jumba! He is in l…" Nosy said as he came parading through the open door snapping on a pizza crust left by the other little monsters. Jumba gave his experiment the 'what, what!' look. He'd been awaiting this type of answer all day. But, to Jumba's annoyance, Pleakley immediately darted over to Nosy, shut his mouth, and with surprising strength shot Nosy out the door into the palm trees.

"And stay out!" Pleakley shouted slamming the front door and starting to cry. Jumba decided to leave the matter where it was, no matter how much he wanted to know. If Pleakley didn't want it to come out, then it wouldn't.

"Come here, my little one," Jumba consoled as he spread out his arms wide offering a big hug. My little one. To Jumba's amazement, Pleakley took up his offer, almost running into his embrace. "I want you to know that I'm here for you whatever it may being." Jumba paused leaving Pleakley blushing - a blush Jumba never seemed to realize. "Let's go to bed – is late."

Without a word, the two walked up the stairs to their bunkbed bedroom. It almost didn't make any sense anymore that they were to share the same bedroom and bunkbed - the same bed for that matter. They had the whole house to themselves now, including Nani's and Lilo's and Stitch's old rooms. The emptiness seemed so weird.

"Night," Jumba smiled down at his little one as he climbed up to his slouching top bunk.

"Night," Pleakley sniffled as he rolled up into a ball amongst his pink and white flowered sheets.

When Jumba seemed to stop tossing and turning into his indented bed figure, Pleakley unraveled, hastily smeared on a coating of lipstick, and without any thinking kissed the underside of Jumba's bunk. The bunk wasn't going to lash back, not going to run away in horror. Nor give up their entire friendship or place a restraining order. It felt so good, but yet it could never – and I mean never - happen.