A millennium wasn't as long to an Irken as it was to a human. In fact it was about a hundred years in their time. And Irkens could live as long as they didn't die in battle, from sickness, or from being murdered. Zim had the kind of good luck that assured that none of these had happened to him. Yet.

The ex-invader had gotten in the habit of taking walks around the place that used to be the town, but was now rolling landscapes and gorgeous growing vegetation. He'd even begun to see a few different kinds of animals and insects.

Some with big bug like eyes, and long flowing wings that zoomed past like lightening. Small, furry animals with squished little noses and giant black wet eyes. They never approached him and Zim did the same. They begun to see him as just another one of the many other creatures who lived in this post-humanity world and even respected his territory.

Zim's fingers fluttered over the golden pedaled flowers that reminded him so much of Dib with their color and the fact that the bud was nearly too big for the stem to handle, as they spread open from the nearly black outer cover and up to the sun, that he'd begun calling them Big-Heads.

And they grew everywhere. An infestation of this planet, just as much as Dib was of Zim's mind. Growing roots down inside of him so long ago, growing out past his collar bones and around his spooch.

As was custom, Zim picked a few not ugly ones and took them back to the underground lab, laying them down in front of the tube that housed his human, where the others were as well, large and alive.

The thing with these flowers…was that they grew in even the harshest conditions. They'd dug little roots into the lab floor, through cracks and tiny spaces, refusing to die even after being plucked from the outside world. They used artificial light and whatever else they could get their hands on. Surviving despite the odds…yet another thing that reminded him of the big-headed boy.

"Good morning, Stink-Brain." Zim said to the tube, placing his hand against the glass, eyes roaming the pale figure. "I saw more of those furry things today. And it looks like it might rain again." The irken shuddered from the thought, leaning his forehead against the glass. "Are you done being lazy? Going to wake up and grace me with your smelly presence?"

He didn't expect an answer. And as usual, he didn't receive one. "Fine then. One more day, you hear? Then you'll have to wake up." With that decided, he strode over to the machine that housed Dib and began doing the usual tune ups. As he worked, he spoke and as he spoke, he thought. Zim hated to think. Unfortunately, he seemed un-able to help it these days.

/oo/

"I love you." Dib whispered into the alien's antenna. It was practically a sigh, coming out on a exhale. The night sky blinked back at them. Zim watched a little red dot zoom by, knowing it was a helicopter and not a comet as he had once thought.

He was very much trapped in the human's arms, wrapped up in the embrace called 'cuddling', swathed by fuzzy blankets and pressed against warm Dib flesh. Zim's head rested in the crook of the boy's shoulder so he could easily hear the three words spoken so softly.

Zim's 'brow' didn't furrow as it had used to when Dib said such things. It had used to confuse and repel him. He'd used the Google, the dictionary and asked around and it still made no sense to him. So, like he did when things weren't going his way, Zim gave up. He just went with it now.

Usually, Dib didn't seem to mind. Now however, the human let out a frustrated breath. "No response? Not even an 'okay'?" Zim squirmed around in the tight embrace until he stared back at the face of his enemy.

"What are you babbling about now?" He asked, confused and willing to side step the boy's attitude just this once for some answers. Dib huffed angrily.

"I told you, 'I love you'."

"You tell me that often." He pointed out, poking the human's smelling apparatus. Dib wriggled his nose, scowling before grabbing the hand and biting the finger tip as punishment. Although it didn't hurt so Zim didn't really understand the exercise.

"Yeah. I do…"

"Why?"

"Uh. Because I do?" The human scratched the back of his head, making his already messy hair even more of a disaster. Zim felt a tiny squiggle of warmth go swooshing through his spooch. That wasn't unusual. He just couldn't tell if he liked the sensation or not.

"Do what?" Zim asked blankly. Dib threw his arm in the air, waving it around, frustrated.

"Tell you I love you! Jeesh, Zim."

The irken frowned, crossing his arms. "But, Zim is confused. What are we bickering about now? Not that it matters. I'll win anyway." The human sighed and ran a hand down his face.

"Probably. Well, we're fighting because I told you I loved you. And—well. Ugh. It's just…do you ever think you'll…" The words were rushed and then slowed down to a stop. A heavy pause hung in the evening air. Zim gave the boy a second to finish before, becoming impatient.

"I'll what?"

"Say it back?"

"Dib, why would I do a stupid thing li—"

"Wake up, Zim." Dib said. Zim did a double take, non-existent brows furrowing in confusion. That had never happened in this memory.

"Eh?" The irken rubbed his head, sitting up from where he'd fallen asleep on the cold, metal floor. His skin tingled all over, senses over loaded with the everyday scents of the flowers and antiseptic fluid. Normal. Safe. So why did his head hurt? He shoved himself up from the floor, holding his head in his hands as he walked towards the tube, squinting at the bubbling liquid.

It looked the same as it always did. Dib limp, motionless and pale. Suspended expertly between dead and alive. Zim sighed, wondering where the interruption had come from. Maybe it was a side effect of all the sun he'd been exposed to. The left over radiation—

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

The irken whirled around, searching frantically for the source of the irritating noise. Red eyes scanned Dib's tank. It wasn't from the human. The life vitals were still even, still constant. And all the rest of his machinery had long since been shut down to conserve powe—

"Argh!" His mental musings were cut off once again as his head began to feel as if it was splitting in two.

Zim grasped his forehead, hissing in agony. "What? What is..happening?" Then his chest. Like something was pounding on it, over and over again. Trying to force his spooch from his ribs. Bang. Bang. Bang. The force was so powerful that he fell to his knees, smashing several flowers in the process.

Light headed, his vision began to blur, the lab beginning to fade from his view. Zim gasped for air and forced himself to turn around so he could see the human in his container.

Was this death? Was he finally dying after years and years alone?

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Zim! Come on! Come back to me!

That was…the Dib?! The Dib's voice. He hadn't heard that outside of his own memories and dreams. Nightmares. It sounded so close. Rough with emotion and hoarse from yelling. Was this the human…welcoming him to the abyss? Coaxing him under to his death?

Irk, he hoped so. Once he'd thought that he wouldn't go wherever the human would go. They'd spoken of it before. For irkens there was no heaven or hell because they were soulless. And if Zim didn't get to be with the Dib…well at least maybe he would spend his last seconds with him.

They could die. Like things were supposed to. With limited movement, Zim reached across to the life support and unhooked a vital wire, letting nature take the human as it took him. Zim's vision of the human faded down to the pale skin, floating hair as he fell backwards in the bed of big-headed golden flowers he'd collected. Death. Sweet death. Finally.

His antenna curled in on themselves because the noise was too much.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Something frantically whirled, alerting anyone who would listen that something had gone wrong here. A horrible shot of pain had him gasping for breath, brows furrowing in confusion. Was this the afterlife? Pure suffering?

"Oh, thank god!" A husky voice declared and it rung clear above all the noise, above his own agony. It was crazed with fear. Broken with strong emotion. Spoken with those extra high vowels. The Dib. Zim's eye shot open just as two arms scooped him up off the cold, metal surface he'd been on. In comparison they were so warm. Strong.

It took a few moments for his vision to adjust; the entire room was in shambles. And red lights spun in tune with the alarm. He bounced as Dib jumped over a big pile of cement. He moaned as his ribs were jostled from the movement. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something pink. His scarf…caught under broken dry wall.

"Sorry, Zim. But, we have to get out of here. Just bear with me." The irken's head snapped to the side, which he instantly regretted doing because his brain seemed to rattle inside of his skull. Dib…who smelled like those flowers with the big heads, and like anti septic. With his ripped blue sweater and straight black, messy hair.

He was pressed against the human's chest, head in the boy's shoulder and neck crevice. The pain was still there…he felt warmth flooding from his back where he could guess he was bleeding from. He could hardly see out of his left eye but, there he was.

The stupid, smelly human boy with his golden eyes, wide with caution and dilated with adrenaline. Lashes sweeping over his cheek bones as he blinked frantically. His chest moved. Dib was moving…

Zim laughed loudly and it didn't feel out of place. The human threw a glance at the alien before he kicked the door to the lab open and skidded out into the hallways where tons of scientists had already gathered, buzzing about the strange explosion. Dib shoved his way through, knocking several people out of his way and to the floor. "Move it! Move out of my way. Seriously injured moron in my arms!"

The human didn't stop, shoving open emergency doors into the cold winter afternoon. The temperature prickled at Zim's lungs, and made goose bumps rise up on Dib's flesh as they skidded over ice and snow. Zim sat back in the boy's warmth and just admired his determination. It was better than thinking about his injuries.

Dib finally stopped in front of Zim's base, panting heavily as he carried the alien up the pathway and into the house, lawn gnomes watching with blank eyes. Dib somehow got the door open, bursting into the room and setting Zim down on the pink couch and putting his head between his knees for a few moments to catch his breath.

The irken didn't dare move, his eyes glued to Dib, body limp on the couch. Snowflakes had fallen in the human's hair and lashes. His cheeks were flushed red from exertion and cold, lips chapped. He looked horrible. Zim's spooch beat so loud he could feel it in his antenna. Something desperate was rising up in his throat. Everything was vibrating.

"Dib-human…you're okay." Dib looked up from the floor, still slightly panting and nodded.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks to you, asshole." Oh yes. He'd covered the Dib with his body before the explosion. Zim smirked.

"You're welcome, Pig." Dib smiled right back and turned the alien over with care to look at the wounds.

"They don't look too serious. You might need stitches though." Zim waved his hand in the air noncommittally. He would be fine. His skin would heal soon. The bleeding had already slowed considerably. He flipped over on his back and stared up at the human who in return raised an eyebrow. Zim grabbed Dib's collar and yanked.

"Wha-" He was cut off when Zim's arms were around his neck, lips pressed against his cheek. He could feel the irken's mouth moving, murmuring softly in his native language. The words were harsh clicks and they sounded desperate, thankful, pained. And the alien's grip was too tight. It was nearly suffocating but, for some reason Dib knew that Zim needed it.

He wrapped his arms around the irken. "Are you okay? You've been weird since you woke up."

"Yes. Don't be stupid. Zim is fine…it's just…" Silence. "Say it?"

"Huh? Say what?"

"T-the love thing." Zim whispered, jaw clenched with ghostly pain.

"I love you?" Dib said, confused but willing. The alien nodded silently and bit down on his tongue to stop the stupid noises of relief. To clench the flow of yawing loneliness from his system. The Dib was okay. Moving. Alive. Perfectly imperfect. Zim gulped down the ridiculous ache in his throat, mouth dry, eyes anything but. Not crying. That was for smeets.

"I-…Zim…loves you." The human froze, unsure of what he'd just heard. His head slowly pulled away from the irken's embrace and he stared into Zim's eyes…his heart was beating way too fast and time seemed meaningless.

"What? You…mean it?"

"Of course, I mean it. Zim doesn't say anything he doesn't mean." He sniffed indignantly.

"What made you change your mind? I thought that love for stupid humans?"

"It is.." Zim hesitated, looking away towards the pink wallpaper. "I just…Zim doesn't want to live without you. I'll do anything to keep you…" It was just that the pain of living without the human had nearly driven him insane…Zim was grateful to have the boy near him. And he was never letting anything happen to him again.

Dib sighed, feeling happiness and desire and the left overs of pain as he grabbed Zim's chin lightly and turned it to the irken looked right at him as he said the last part. It seemed to resonate between them like an echo that refused to die. Like immortal flowers and humanity's stupidity. Like the delicacy of life and the question of dreams.

"It feels like I've loved you forever…for a thousand years...and I'll be in love with your stupid head for a thousand more."

FIN.

A.N.: So, did they both die and this is Zim's heaven? Or was it all just a terrible dream?