The Meeting.

Dib walked up to the familiar bright green house.

He dropped his things to the floor. And he ran to the door, excited and nervous all at the same time.

He knocked. Knock, knock, knock.

An answer. Gir greeted him with the usual stupid grin. "YEEEESS?!" Gir squealed.

"Hi Gir!" Dib grinned, "Zim home?"

Gir stared blankly at Dib for a moment, then lit up. "DIB!!" And with that, the tiny little robot jumped on his head, hugging him.

"Big-head BOY!! I MISSED YOU... SO DID MASTER!!" He screamed.

"I know..." He said softly, flinching at the high-pitched squeals, petting Gir's antennas. "I missed you guys too."

"GIR! Get off the Dib-thing! NOW!" Zim yelled, throwing his arms up to accentuate the point.

"Yes Sir!" Gir saluted, glowing red for a moment, only to turn bright blue again. Promptly, he jumped down and ran, giggling all the way to the Television. Scary Monkey Time!

"Zim.."

"Dib..." A smile. Just what he wanted to see.

A crushing embrace. A collective sigh.

"I missed you too." Said Dib breathily.

Zim left Dib's warm body and looked at him, his eyes full of surprise, a good kind of surprise, and a tiredness in his features. He took Dib's hand, "Come in.. Come in!!" Said Zim anxiously.

Dib smiled. "Let me get my things first."

"Yes.. of course."

Dib came back in, and dropped his things on the carpet, closing the door behind him.

Zim threw off his disguise, and they saw each other for the first time in a long, long time.

Zim did grow a little, about the height of 5'2.. Dib standing at exactly 5'6. From the looks of each of them, they seemed to be taking notice of every little detail, almost taking it in... breathing in each other's presence.

Dib's cheeks darkened, and Zim cocked his head to the side.

"What's wrong with your flesh Dib? Its changing colors..." He lifted a non-existent eyebrow.

Dib chuckled nervously, and the blush darkened. "Its... a blush... it happens when your nervous."

Zim smiled. "Hungry?" Dib sighed, a little relief splashing his features. 'Good, he didn't press it... He must know me too well. Damn nervous as it is.'

"No, no thanks."

"Sit down, we shall chat..." Zim concluded. Dib sat down and looked at Zim as he sat down gently, a few inches away from Dib. In front of them, Gir was droned and hypnotized by the television screen.

It was quiet, a comforting kind of quiet. Dib decided to break it after a few minutes.

"So... how have you been Zim? You look worn out.."

Zim sighed, "I've had some rough nights."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about... um, things."

Dib smiled. 'His way of saying, I've missed you. He never does say things outright.'

"You?" Zim looked to him intently.

"I've been good. Even better now."

That seemed to fly right past Zim's head. "That's good. The... um.. Collage.. I mean Co..College? It worked out well, yes?" Dib giggled a little at Zim's pronunciation, it was kind of cute.

"Well, I graduated towards the top of my classes, and I made some friends, scary huh?"

Zim's eye twitched. "Yes, scary indeed."

Dib took Zim's hand, "Zim... you don't know how much I've been worried about you, ever since I left... you seem so," How can I put this articulately? "So different."

Zim looked away for a moment. "Well, I.. uh..."

Dib squeezed his hand tighter. "No secrets?" He whispered in a way that showed Zim that he cared.

"No secrets." He confirmed.

"I've been... thinkingofyoutoo.." He said quickly, trying to cover up the way his antennas perked up and then down again as he said it.

Dib laughed outright. Zim looked away. "It's not funny!" Said Zim, in a disheartening sort of tone, and Dib loosed his grip on his hand, and Zim slipped right out of it.

Dib stopped his fit of giggles immediately when he heard that tone.

"Sorry..."

"Don't worry about it... don't worry about me! I'm fine!"

Dib scooted closer. His heart tugged at him briefly but intensely.

"Zim, look at me..." He said softly, gently.

Zim looked at him, into those soft amber eyes. "You know I can't say no to you.. you do it just to torture me!"

Dib smiled sadly. "I do?..."

Zim coughed, "I guess I torture myself, huh?"

Dib blinked in surprise at the mature tone in his voice. "Maybe. We all do that sometimes."

Zim nodded. "Hey, Dib?"

"Yes?..."

"Come with me, I want to show you something."

"Ok.."

"Its sort of a grad.. graduation present of sorts."

Dib smiled. "Aww, you shouldn't have."

"I shouldn't?"

Dib rolled his eyes affectionately. "No, it's a human expression."

"Oh."

Zim took him in his underground laboratory, looking almost exactly the same as he left it, with slight changes. "Wait here." Zim said with a huge grin.

"Sure." Dib waited patiently as he looked around.

Zim came back, minutes later, a small package, wrapped in blue wrapping paper. It looked like a seven year old did it. But Dib thought it was endearingly Zim. He wouldn't have it any other way.

"What is it?!" He squealed, trying to take it from Zim's seemingly pale hand.

"Open it."

Dib unwrapped it greedily. There, once it was opened, he saw a case-enclosed disk, a scrawled out, 'To Dib' was slightly smeared, but he could still read it.

Zim smiled. "Remember we used to take Gir's old video camera thing and make the home movies?" He grimaced. "Home movies, like humans say, yes?" He was desperately trying not to sound stupid. He waited.

"Yes..." Dib's eyes shinned with the memories. Zim sighed in relief.

"I saved it all. I have another copy, but this... I made for you."

Dib couldn't take it anymore. He gently placed the disk on a table and threw himself at Zim, embracing him, never wanting to let go. Its been too long.

"I love you." Dib spouted out, and it only took a moment to realize what he just said to know how right it felt to say it. To put words to it, and make it real and it meant so much. Everything illuminated and he then knew what Johnny was trying to tell him all along.

Zim didn't always know the meaning of this word, even after Dib tried to explain it to him once before, but...

But to hear Dib say it, so naturally and out of the blue, it was... Mystifying. Dazzling.

Something Zim couldn't quite figure out until he heard Dib say it.

Dib, in a fret of shock and embarrassment, jumped out of the embrace. "Ah... oh shit... I'm sorry.." He jumbled and blushed again. "S-sorry."

Zim looked at Dib, and something in those dark, crimson eyes glimmered. Dib knew he didn't mess up this time.

He noticeably calmed down.

"Do you... really?" Zim asked in slight amazement. He was sure Dib meant it, just by the way it was said, but the words just slipped.

Both of their minds swirled.

Dib looked at Zim intensely. Something hot and moist seemed to fill the air.

Zim sighed in a breathy, passionate sort of way.

Dib took a step toward him.

Time froze for a second. Eyes locked, melted, froze. All over again.

Zim leaned toward him, his breath shallow and hot. Dib leaned in a little, following his every move.

In a frenzied state, they both embraced, holding each other so tight they thought they might faint.

Dib was pushed roughly against a examining table, with such a force his hand slide unto it, papers and files labeled Important, or Top Secret, No Peeking! fell languidly to the floor. Zim leaned his face softly into the crook of Dib's neck, breathing in his scent, taking in every imperfection and mark, anything he could see as bare flesh, his hands still wrapped around Dib's back. Dib moaned softly, feeling Zim's breath on his neck, the beat of something similar to a heartbeat, and he was intoxicated.

Dib purred. "Zim.. kiss me..." He said in a deliriously pleasant voice.

Zim looked up and looked confused for a moment.

Dib leaned in and closed the gap, throwing his arms around Zim's neck in heated passion. Zim's eyes widened and he looked confused no more.

They lip-locked, pecking feverishly and intensely, until they both could take it no more.

Dib nibbled on Zim's lower lip softly, and in an deep, sated moment...

(Splash. Splattered. Screams.)

They felt whole again.