[A/N: (Word count: 2,606) i kept forgetting to write this one down, eheheh. Not sure if drabble or blurb. I didn't intend for it to get so angsty, but it did and i can't think of anything to fix it. I'm sorry.

This is supposed to be before they come out to each other. Read as 'friendship/platonic.'

TW/CW: school/homework (mentioned), phoning/calling, awkward, avoidance, (kind of a lot of:) anxiety, angst, internal conflict, hugging, crying, consoling]

The boys had been partnered up, AGAIN, to do a project together. At this point it seemed like every teacher that paired Dib and Zim to work on something, especially the stuff in-class, were doing it just because they thought it would make for good entertainment. Their classmates wouldn't disagree, even if their rivalry was weakening into some weird semblance of 'friendship.'

This specific project was one that had them working after school together. It was simple enough to be able to do most of the work in their own homes, so they just called each other to iron out some of the things that either couldn't decide on for himself.

"Okay, yeah, i guess we'll get the papers together tomorrow before class. Hopefully they're all in English this time, right Zim?"

"Yes yes, smell-beast. Zim learned from the last time that human biologists can't speak the languages of the dirty creatures that they study."

"I still don't know how you were able to write a whole essay in 'nudibranch.'" Dib chuckled. "Alright, i'll see you tomorrow. Love you."

"Yeah, love you too."

Phone lines were slammed severed. Both ends of the line were mortified that they had uttered those words, completely untriggered, and so naturally. Dib just screamed when he ripped his hand from the receiver; but Zim went through the trouble of obliterating every last atom of his telephone in a fit of wildly stirring emotions, not the least of which were confusion and astonishment.

Dib was panicking: breathing heavily and trying to go over what had just come out of his mouth, and what came out of Zim's. He thought he was maybe dreaming or going crazy, or that he just misheard the both of them and that there wasn't anything to worry about. He paced and tried to come up with a way to ask about it as soon as he could, figuring that he could call and just claim that he forgot what he needed to say in the case that Zim wasn't also acting weird about it.

He picked up the phone and tried to call, but the line wouldn't even go through. He tried again to the same result and gulped. It was obvious that Zim had got crazy about those words and went ballistic on the wires, so he definitely heard what Dib said. He cringed at thinking about a way to remedy this.

Zim, on the other hand, destroyed every piece of Earth communication that he had in the hopes that Dib wouldn't try to contact him again. He locked himself away in the deepest cellar of his entire lab, and he yelled at GIR to not answer any other way he may try to get ahold of him. He really needed an opportunity to gather his thoughts and also pretend that there wasn't anything to concern him.

Dib left it alone for a while. He read his magazines, he watched Mysterious Mysteries, he played some of Gaz's old games; but he couldn't let it go. He knew that something was wrong between them now, and he knew that he needed to get them both over it because that project was due the next day. He IMed, texted, even booted up the communications on Tak's ship to reach him, but every last line was dead. There was only one thing left that he could do that would definitely reach Zim: he just really hoped that it wouldn't leave him as the charred remains of some awful alien weapon.

He reached the fence of the foreign house just as 'evening' was becoming 'night.' He stood on the sidewalk and stared at it for a few minutes, still uncertain about what he would say and how hostile Zim would be in response. He grunted and sighed, glancing at the security gnomes, as he was pretty certain that they would be activated right now.

The computer allerted Zim to an intruder on the promise, and he connected directly into GIR's internal communication system. "GIR! DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, LET THE DIB-THING INTO THE HOUSE OR I WILL TAKE AWAY THE TV FOR A YEAR. THAT'S AN ORDER, GIR!" GIR was shocked.

Dib made it to the door in pretty much one piece, having dodged at least the very harmful attacks of the lawn ornaments. He rang the bell and leaned on the wall, trying to catch his breath.

GIR immediately opened it, without a second thought. "Hiiiii stinkyyyy!" He waved his little doggy hand.

"GIR! Can i come inside? I really need to talk to Zim." He grimaced thinking back to why he was here right now.

"Yaaaaaa-haha!" The little robot ran back inside and hopped onto a chair at the table. He smiled and patted the seat next to him.

Dib breathed deeply and stepped inside. He was in with barely enough room to get the door closed before his blood ran cold in response to the sound. "GIR, I SWEAR TO IRK, IF THAT FILTH-MONKEY IS IN MY BASE, I-" The two of them locked eyes as Zim was coming up the elevator.

It felt like a thousand years passed in an instant between them. It was stiff and painful, and fear and uncertainty became the air that they breathed. The two tried to decipher the other's countenance, but the anxiety clouded their vision as well. It was impossible to tell what the other had thought of the whole thing, or how to begin this new step in the relationship between them.

"Zim, i-"

"Why did you say that…?" It was a quiet little question, so strikingly different from what Dib was certain was going to be a tirade with words that would burn to his core.

Dib shifted himself as he examined Zim's face again. He looked almost sad or heartbroken, but he held his hands in tight fists by his sides. Dib's chest quivered. "I… it was an accident." He scratched his head and glanced away. "I usually end calls with my dad like that…" They locked eyes again. "B-because i don't get to see him every day."

Zim tilted his head down and stared pathways into the floor. He didn't say anything, so Dib asked what he needed to. "W-why did you say that…?"

Zim looked up again. He breathed in and his body grew tense. "Iiit's a response…" It seemed as if he wanted to say more: he opened his mouth to, but he didn't know the right words. He turned away and shut his eyes tight.

Dib breathed in. It was scary to have Zim be quiet like this, and it was scary to be so speechless as well. Maybe he really should have left this for later.

He wasn't sure that words were even spoken. "So you didn't mean it…" Dib looked at Zim. He moved himself to lean closer. He hummed quietly and cocked his head a tad. Zim tensed his body again.

"You didn't mean what you said, then?" He opened his eyes, but kept his vision elsewhere.

Dib flinched. He lost his vocabulary again. He felt his heart ram against his ribcage, and his breath hiked once from it. He didn't feel that way about Zim, he was pretty sure. He hated him, right? That's why this is such a weird situation to begin with. He wasn't supposed to feel even this sympathy for such a heinous being… but he did. And it was as alien as he was. But it made sense to him when he felt this way, and maybe it would make sense to him to feel other things for Zim.

"I don't know…" He finally exhaled. Zim closed his eyes tight again. A little while longer passed in silence, until Dib took a step forward. "Did… you mean it?"

Zim stayed quiet. He focused on his breathing, trying hard not to fall apart where he stood. He was so vulnerable right now, so damaged: he wouldn't be able to handle losing anything more than he recently had. He already lost his home and his species, and he knew that losing someone so important to him would destroy the last bit of himself that still barely existed.

"Yes…" He used all of his will to keep his tears from falling. "I did mean it…"

Dib didn't expect him to say that: he didn't expect that honesty. He felt his gut sink and his world go blank around him. It felt like he was simultaneously on fire and freezing alive, and it hurt him everywhere. "O-oh…"

"You're… all that i have left…" Zim's voice cracked, and he turned his head farther. He swallowed hard and became silent again for a few long seconds. "Y… you mean a… a lot to me…" He breathed in sharply and rubbed his hand down his face. He turned to his guest, who was now closer to him. "Dib…"

He had a cautious little smile on his face, hoping that he could bring some comfort to his stressed friend. He held his arms a little bit aways from his body. He breathed in and spoke softly. "It's okay, Zim." He walked closer. "It's going to be alright."

Zim's body was hurting from being so tense, and it only got worse with every inch that Dib got closer. He looked the boy up and down, most fixated with his hands and his gentle expression. He leaned the tiniest bit back, not knowing exactly what to expect next.

Dib was about a foot away from Zim with his arms held out in front of him. They stared at each other for a few moments: the warmth contrasting sharply with the fear and uncertainty. After he felt enough of a time was spent this way, Dib breathed deeply and stepped forward, wrapping the alien up in his caring arms.

Zim was stunned. He quivered at it, so unused to touches of such genuine affectionate intentions. It was foreign, scary in a way. But he didn't back down from it. He lifted his hands on either side of Dib, and he took his time to finally return the hug.

When he felt it, Dib moved his head a little bit against Zim's to show that he was okay with the contact. The confirmation that this was mutual made Zim feel better, and he squeezed Dib close to his body.

He didn't know that he needed a hug like this for so long. The warmth, the pressure, the person providing the comfort… it was all so much more than Zim thought it would be. Tears started to flow first, but when he felt them on his cheeks his chest immediately started to heave. There was no avoiding the crying now. He wrung his hands against the boy's coat and tried to hide his face in his shoulder. "I-i'm sorry, Dib! I c-can't-t han-dle this right-t now…"

Dib only saw Zim cry a couple of times before this, and he was never the kind of person that was comfortable with trying to console somebody. He knew that he needed to try, though. "It's alright Zim. I know that you're stressed out. It's okay to cry." He squeezed him a little bit tighter.

Zim wept against Dib's shoulder, the quivering in his chest making his body weaker with every falling tear. He clung to him with all that he could, unable to contain how visceral this response was. Dib held him close, not minding any damage that his trenchcoat was taking and squeezing him a bit tighter in his arms every time it felt like Zim might fall to the ground. He could feel every breath and tremble and how it taxed Zim's body, and he decided being here where he was was the only thing he wanted to do right now.

Dib nuzzled against Zim's shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Zim. I promise you, everything is going to be alright." He breathed out calmly, and only just noticed that his eyelashes were also damp. It never occurred to Dib that he might have also needed to be held this way: so emotionally vulnerable in front of someone that he genuinely cared about. He huffed out a smile and kept Zim close. "Zim, do you want to sit down? I'll still be here with you."

Zim tried to quiet his weeping. Air staggered as he breathed in, but after a moment, Dib felt Zim's head nod against his own. He slowly relaxed and stepped backward to lead them to the couch. He sat down and allowed Zim to basically fall on top of him, as he refused to loosen his grip to make sure that this wasn't some kind of cruel prank that Dib could get away from. Dib wouldn't dream of it.

Dib pulled him to his side. He leaned his head against Zim's and squeezed him tight. He breathed in deeply and declared without a second thought: "i love you, Zim."

He could feel him breathing. He felt it get deeper and less steady with every exhale, and he tightened his hold as Zim began weeping again. He buried his face completely against Dib's shoulder, and his claws dug deeper into his coat. Zim whined and wailed and curled up against him, completely unsure why his mind and body reacted the way that it did. The only thing that he could understand was that doing this was, somehow, making him feel better.

GIR heard Zim from the other room, not knowing why he was making the noises he was. He hurried over to where they were to see if there was anything he could do to help. "Master! Are you crying? Why are you crying, Master?"

Dib looked over at GIR. "He's kind of emotional right now. He's going to be okay, i promise."

"Master never cries! What did you do to him?!" He hopped onto the couch next to them.

Dib tensed a bit at it. Zim sharply breathed in and sighed out with a tilt of his head. "GIR," his chest heaved, "stand down."

"Yes Sir!" He saluted, and stepped all over Dib to get next to Zim to hug him as well. He nuzzled against his arm.

The interruption helped Zim calm down some. His tears still fell, and he'd hiccup every now and then, but he was able to stop weeping the way he was. He analyzed all of this and moved his attention to his breathing when he was scared that he would become emotional again. He never loosened his grip on Dib during all of their time together.

After a while, Dib noticed that Zim seemed to become stable. He turned his head a bit. "Zim? Are you feeling better?"

There wasn't a response: not a snuggle or a twitch or even a change in breathing. "Zim?"

He looked at the little robot on his lap. "Uh, GIR?" He was hoping that he'd be easily stirred awake. Unfortunately for him, he was not.

"Guys?" Dib glanced between his partners and tried to pull away from them. GIR was heavier than he looked, and Zim's hold on him was as tight asleep as it was when he was awake. There wasn't any budging from where Dib found himself. It wouldn't have been the worst that could have been currently, but he suddenly remembered that he didn't actually finish his part of their project. "Shoot…"

[Post A/N: uhg, these are all probably gonna be angsty. -_- Sorry. Sorry that this is where i guess i've decided to vent things hdjsoo. But, this is nothing new to the fandom, so whatever.]