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Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining me yet again! I apologize for the lack of updating, I've been slammed at work and the tiredness has left me feeling rather uninspired. Luckily, the support from everyone here and over at AO3 has me in good spirits! You guys truly are the MVP's!


"Maybe...no- these things get huge!"

Gaz rolled her eyes at the voice, immediately figuring out who it belonged to. There, zipping this way and that through the store nursery, was her brother. She'd been happy to leave him there while she picked up what she needed, having thought that he'd be able to decide on a plant to bring back to Zim's that night...guess not. She hefted her grocery basket further up her arm, grumbling as she approached.

"Are you still not done?"

He tore his eyes away from the small cactus he was studying, head snapping in her direction and exasperation clear in his voice, "You wouldn't believe how limited their stock is! Not everyone likes roses and daisies, you know!"

She scoffed, eyeing one of the displays, "Just get him another orchid. Look, they even have them in purple!"

"No way," he shook his head, "this is a new start- it has to be different. Besides, I don't even know if he likes orchids anymore."

Gaz rolled her eyes in annoyance as he continued scouring the shelves. She checked the time on her phone, ignoring the way some of the workers eyed them in passing. It may have been the only convenience store on their way home from school, but stealing any of this garbage from it was hardly worth the trouble. Still...she was not going to spend the rest of her Friday night in here. Marching up to the counter, she stared hard at the clerk. He looked to be around their age with a thin build, blemish-prone face, and typical teenage awkwardness to wrap it all up. He cowered as she strode up to the counter.

"You," she growled, "what kind of plants do you have in the back?"

His eyes flicked briefly to the stock room door before replying in a sheepish tone, "We...we're only allowed to sell what's out on the floor."

Suddenly, a hand shot out to grip the front of his uniform, the fabric wrinkling under Gaz's hand as she pulled him in close.

"Listen to me," she said between gritted teeth, "I've already spent way too much time in this wretched off-brand limbo that you call a store and there are a million other things that I would rather be doing right now than standing here talking to you. All I want to do is get a plant, pay for my things, and get on with my night. So, let's try this again; WHAT do you HAVE in the BACK?"

She abruptly released him, watching as he just barely caught himself from falling backward. He sputtered, carefully watching her before dropping to retrieve a thick folder from under the counter. Setting it down shakily, he nudged it in her direction before speaking.

"Th-this is all we have...well, technically we just got the shipment, so they haven't been put out yet, but-"

"Do you have any that aren't already in arrangements?"

"Wait," Dib's voice suddenly rang out beside her, "what's that?"

The clerk twisted his head some in order to make out the picture, letting out a dismissive sound when he realized what it was.

"Oh, those are just Crocuses. We had them out for a little while, but they didn't do very well. Now they're just used for our spring sales."

"...You wouldn't happen to have any offhand, would you?"

"None that aren't in seed form. We don't grow out plants in-house."

Gaz suddenly cut in, "Doesn't matter, we'll take 'em. Purple."

The boy's face tightened, "I'll see what I can find..."

They watched as he disappeared into the back room, hearing various rummaging sounds.

"Finally," Gaz said, turning to face her brother, "they're coming out of your pocket, so stay here while I go get in line. I'll meet you at the entrance."

After a moment, the clerk returned with a small pack in his hand. He looked relieved to see just Dib waiting for him and he put on a smile before setting the seeds down on the counter.

"That will be...$2.87, please."

"Hmm...", Dib hummed thoughtfully, squinting and bringing a finger to his mouth, "could you throw that planter in, too, please?"


The evening was young. One by one, crickets began playing their nightly songs and the city began to settle from the events of the day. Tufts of sporadic clouds drifted across the sky, and the bright crescent moon gleamed just before the horizon.

"...And then it turned out that they were in the simulation the whole time!"

"Wait, so the first reveal was just a fake-out?" Gaz asked, taking some of her attention away from her phone.

"Yes, ugh!" Dib shouted, inflamed, "It was such a cop-out."

His sister hummed, "Well, at least you didn't have to pay like all of those smucks who saw it in theatres."

His ranting continued as they broke passed the property line of Zim's house. Luckily, the spacecraft had already been removed, though the crater was very crudely filled in and bulging from excess dirt. They stopped on the front step.

"I paid with my sanity," he stated, pressing the doorbell, "Besides, school doesn't end for another few weeks; we shouldn't be having 'movie days' yet."

The door didn't open, so Gaz absentmindedly knocked while replying, "I can't believe you're complaining about not having to do school work."

"It's not that," no answer- another knock, "all I'm saying is that grades slip quickly and I've worked hard for my- wait, what is it?"

He motioned to Gaz as she peered around in suspicion, observing the house closely. Hopping off the stoop, she cupped her hands to look through one of the windows. Nothing seemed out of place...but the lights were off. Anger flared in her stomach, plainly recalling the previous night when she'd told him to be here.

"Maybe he's just in one of the labs?" Dib offered.

She didn't spare him a glance, "Isn't the system rigged up to the bell? Even if he was down there, he'd know we were here. You don't think...?"

Something clicked and the two teens slowly trailed their heads to look in the direction of the now absent ship. Que the panic.

Dib jiggled the doorknob furiously, becoming even more stressed to find it locked. Setting down his items, he flung himself toward the window on his own side. He pressed close to the glass, as if trying to phase through it.

"Zim!" he called. No answer.

"What are we going to do?" he turned to his sister frantically, "Where could he have gone?! He wouldn't just leave again without saying anything...would he?"

Gaz growled. She'd known Zim was a special kind of stupid, but this didn't make sense. After all the work he seemed to have put into coming back, he wouldn't just throw that away...it's only been a day! He knew they were coming...maybe they'd taken too long? Maybe he was still out of sync with Earth's rotational period. Or maybe...

The thought didn't have a chance to fully develop before she was in motion, shoving her bag roughly into her brother's chest.

"Hold this." she muttered, taking up a position in front of the door.

"Wait, what are you doing?!"

She raised a leg, her boot matching up perfectly to the height of the knob, "What's it look like? I'm busti-"

"Guys?"

They froze as a new voice joined the mix. There, standing at the threshold of his fence, was Zim. He held a grocery bag in one arm, the other currently preoccupied with Gir's leash. He looked at them with a perplexed expression, taking in Dib's frenzied appearance through his lilac contacts. Gaz wasn't trying to hide anything either, it seemed- eyes blown wide in his direction with her foot raised and ready to kick in his front door. Just his luck...he'd waited all evening for them and they show up within the 30 minute window he was gone. Typical.

"What are you...nevermind," he said with the shake of his head, "Seems like I got back at just the right time!"

Repositioning the bag in his arms, he dug around in his pocket before pulling out a jingling set of keys. He decided it would be best not to mention the cost of a door replacement as he strode by, knowing how quickly it could be turned back on him. The very last thing he was thinking of partaking in tonight was a fight and...he supposed he should have left a note. Or was he within his right not to? It was his house- he could do what he wanted! Yeah...now that that was established, all he had left was to shake the feeling that he was still in the wrong. He stubbornly ignored the burning of eyes at his back as he unlocked the mechanism, grateful that his fumbling didn't result in him dropping his keys.

"You know," the alien began, slipping inside to hold the door for his guests, "I didn't get the chance to express my gratitude over how well-maintained the base was. Haha, I half expected it to be in ruins!"

The room lit up as they entered, revealing various items strewn about and shoved up against the walls to save space. Gir wasted no time in stripping off his disguise, flinging it carelessly to the floor as he followed his master into the kitchen. Zim set the sack on the table and began taking out a variety of obscure boxed foods.

"...but, geez, you should have seen the fridge! It was a total hotbed of bacteria!" he said, releasing a shudder, "Anyway...I haven't found my primary savings box yet, so the payoff is rather poor, but...?"

He indirectly put his shares on display for them, surveying their reactions. Before them sat a small array of very vague brands of ready-made meals, pasta, and crackers. Dib was instantly reminded of all the stories he'd heard from struggling college students who survived solely on instant noodles and caffeinated drinks. A pathetic sight, indeed, but he felt oddly moved that Zim had gone out of his way to try and be a good host. Gaz, however, voiced the thoughts he refused.

"Well, you got one thing right; it is poor," she smirked and took out her phone, "but kudos for the effort. Now, who wants pizza?"

"Wait, I don't know if I have that much left over..." Zim replied, worry seeping into his tone.

She waved in a 'shooing' motion back at him, turning away so she could give the person on the other end her full attention. Dib saw his opportunity then, watching as Zim leaned back against the table and nudged the box of crackers to a barely contained Gir. He rubbed the pot nervously, taking only slight comfort in the coolness of its surface. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, after all...what if it was too on-the-nose? The Irken didn't seem to have noticed what he had yet, maybe he should just return them and get that orchid like Gaz said...it was familiar that way and familiar meant safe. Then again...

He glanced over to the window sill, immediately catching sight of the various plants. Despite their organic differences, they all looked the same in death. Cast far into the shadows of the single overhead light. The teen felt his doubt diminish just as quickly as it had grown and he steeled, confidence powering his resolve as he headed for the most important hurdle.

"This is for you!" he said with an awkward, ungraceful loudness.

Zim was caught off guard when Dib suddenly appeared beside him, even more so when he shoved something cold and smooth into his hands. Looking down, he was met with a smile- literally. In his grasp lay a polished ceramic planter, fairly small with rippling grooves bordering the top. Two black dotted eyes and a softly arched mouth stared up at him from the stark white solidity.

"Thank you, it's a...pot of dirt." he said, careful not to tip it too far.

"No! Well, yes, but no," Dib jumped, quickly pulling out the package of seeds as well as a small booklet, "I got these, too! I figured you'd want to be the one to plant them since...you always enjoyed that stuff more than me. They even threw in a care pamphlet, see?"

"I see..." Zim replied, studying the pack. What odd little bulbs! He'd never grown the patching type before, but if they really produced that deep a shade he was more than willing.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Gaz's smooth voice broke through his thoughts, "Those'll look real nice once they start blooming. Now, c'mon, you weirdos! We have approximately 30 minutes to get the living room set to up max Horror Movie Mania levels!"

Sleep wouldn't come for them until the early hours of the morning, and Zim felt no shame in allowing himself to indulge in the company. The flowers could wait, the cleaning could wait, his Pak could wait. They were on the right track, though wholly unaware of the danger creeping light-years closer.


Oh my GOD, someone please tell me why this chapter is over 2,000 words! I've been working on and revising this chapter every night for the past few days and I'm honestly just happy it's finally finished. It was also a huge pain trying to find a flower to feature here. I didn't want it to be too weird or edgy, but I also wanted it to be somewhat unique. So, I ended up choosing the Dutch Crocus "Pickwick", for those of you who may want to take a look. Thank you, again, my lovely readers. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take so long.