(A/N) hey everybody I'm really sorry about not keeping up I just started a new job and it sucks up all my time so I really couldn't update anything. The reviews I've received have really helped so please keep reviewing. Well that's all I have to say for now on with the DOOM.

Zim walked along the street humming to himself as the morbidly obese baby truck zoomed past him with the fat baby statue spinning around on the roof.

'What is actually in that truck' he thought. He walked a little differently though through the dark city with a new respect for it. Oh he still loathed every puny thing that inhabited it but the fact that this was now his home planet made him care a little more. He spied Dib's house from a mile away kind of hard to miss that giant telescope. Dib in his opinion had been a worthy foe for all intensive purposes though he could never even dream of matching his own greatness. Now mortal enemies had become friends though they still liked the idea of ripping the others guts out and feeding it to them.

Zim came upon the house it giving off it's usual blue glow from the laboratory downstairs, knocked and was greeted by a quick kick to his shin by non other then the master herself.

"What are you doing here Zim shouldn't you be, oh I don't know not here, or something," she said with her sarcastic tone. She wore her usual outfit with the skull necklace. Zim was now jumping up and down on one foot trying to rub the sting out of his shin. It REALLY hurt.

"I was invited you Dib sister thing your brother wanted to have an audience with Zim, so is he here," walking in quickly to which Gaz snarled shook her fists.

"Yeah he's up in his stupid room so why don't you join him before I destroy you" she said kicking a clump out of the wall to extenuate her point to which Zim made his way up the stairs a little quicker. She among Dib was another human that he despised but respected because she hated people almost as much as he did. When he finally got to the room it was dark all but except the computer screen that illuminated Dib's head making it seem even bigger if that were possible. Dib had heard Zim come in and acknowledged him with a simple nod, Zim returned one back and sat down on the bed. Dib was busy writing a new status report to his Swollen Eye superiors that he had given up on the alien and was going to track down some rat people in the mall parking lot. That one woman who said she once was a man scared him but thought it was worth a look into. He finished and turned on the lights and looked at Zim for a second. It was strange one day you try to kill this person the next you invite him over. The passing of the ice cream truck with the Austrian guy telling everyone how much they needed ice cream snapped him out of the trance.

"So you wanna head down to the gym that is why you came over isn't it" he said

"Yes Dib I have found your technique in battle most interesting and I wish to understand it better so that if you, oh I don't know, DECIDE TO TURN ON ME LIKE A SPINLESS WORM PERSON, then I would know how to defend myself better though I am already pretty great" he said. Dib snickered and motioned Zim to follow.

They made they're way down to the training room and Zim was slightly impressed at the structure of it, except the punching bag with his face on it. Dib smiled and gave it a good punch before pressing a button and all the equipment moved back and a ring came up. He again motioned Zim to come into the ring. Zim was a bit weary but got in and stood opposite Dib, who brought out 2 pairs of light weight gloves. He preferred them for speed and handed a pair to Zim who laughed as he put them on.

"Oh Dib you truly wish to challenge Zim in hand to hand combat hahahahahaha ok I'll humor you"

"That's good Zim because until 3 minutes is up this is a real fight so you better be ready" They looked at each other and smiled maniacally as the bell rang. Dib went straight for the kill throwing fast, calculated, punches right at Zim which Zim dodged with effort. He had never actually been in a hand to hand with Dib so fighting him was a new experience. He was fast and his attacks were constant. Zim then charged back with a flurry of kicks letting his PAK legs support him.

"Hey Zim that's cheating" Dib said blocking the kicks.

"What's wrong Dib beast can't defend against the mighty Irkin fighting style?"

"No its just that I only have two arms Space boy but whatever"

The fight continued back and forth neither wanting to admit defeat. It was nice because they could fight each other without the pressure of killing the other. It also allowed them to get out a lot of their pent up aggression for each other.

They both were getting tired and neither had really landed anything and there was still a minute left, then Dib thought of something.

"You know Tak would be laughing if she saw you now not even being able to take down a puny earthling," He said with a smirk. That struck a nerve. Zim let his guard down for a second, which was all Dib needed, quickly he tripped up one of the PAK legs and tackled Zim to the ground with his fist raised for a final blow.

"That was for the PAK legs Zim," he said getting up and helping Zim up to his feet. Zim couldn't have been farther away in his mind then he was. Tak. She was all he could think about, it had started after she had moved in, the whole idea of Tak intrigued him because unlike other things he had met he couldn't read her. She was hostile one moment and nice the next. Most Irkin females looked for a mate then settled down, but not Tak. She was a warrior through and through and a good one at that. He admired her and owed her a great deal for saving his life which still baffled him to no end. The sound of the bell knocked him back to reality.

"That was a disgusting tactic Dib, I must be rubbing off on you," Zim said catching his breath. They both laughed, Dib went to the back and brought 2 Poop sodas which Zim could drink because they only contained chemicals, no water. Then they sat down on opposite weight benches.

"I have to know Zim, do you like Tak," Dib said.

"She is an ally and a member of my race, nothing more" Zim said confidently but quickly.

"Because the way I see it is she really likes you Zim, I just assumed that saving your life constituted as a instant notice, especially since she supposedly hates you and when I said her name during the fight you got this stupid look on your face" he said imitating Zim.

Dib was right; as much as he wanted to vomit admitting that fact to himself she had saved him, lied about Irkin law to do so, and then repairing his wounds. She was the nicest female he had met. All the other females he had known back on Irk made fun of him for his short stature or threatened to kill him. She did that every so often but he knew she wouldn't.

"Let's just say I did have affections of that sort for her how would I go about letting her know THIS IS HYPATHETICAL," he said.

"Well here you would bring her flowers and tell her you like her and that's it"

"Hmmm that's much different then on Irk, there a male must kill another in a death ring match for a females affections I went to watch them a lot," Zim said taking a sip of his Poop soda.

"That's stupid, no that's stupid, stupid sorry Zim but it's a lot easier here"

They talked for the next 3 hours; Zim spoke about his life as a smeet in the military, to operation Impending Doom 1, to his eventual banishment to Foodcourtia, then to his banishment to earth, even showing him the urn engraved in his forearm after coaxing from Dib. Dib spoke of his life growing up with his constantly absent father and his fascination with the paranormal, and living with his sister.

It was late and the conversation was winding down's decided to get back to base and see Tak, not because he had to but because he wanted to. The feeling was strange and unfamiliar to him. Before he got to the door to leave Dib stopped him.

"Hey Zim you like Tak so just go tell her ok stop being your pompous self and talk to her because if you don't my moneys on that she'll kill you," Zim tried to retort but Dib already closed the door.

Walking back home Zim felt something hit him, something he really didn't know, He grabbed roses from a nearby bush that were black for some reason and ran to the base. He couldn't explain why it just felt right. Once he got to the top of the steps his heart was pounding a mile a minute as his hand turned the knob.

He was infatuated with Tak and he knew it she was the perfect female strong of body and will and she was beautiful by all standards. By any random Irkin Male she would be considered too butch to be a mate. But that's what Zim loved about her. A competent female who really didn't care about that.

Love

That was the earth word for it. Love. And tonight he would let her know before his squeedily spooch erupted and all his guts would explode. He walked in.

"Tak"

"Zim"