Alright, I figured it was time I found somewhere to start publishing this story. I'm not very far into it, so I'll be posting chapters slowly so I can stay ahead of the game.

A/N: I do not own any of the characters in Invader Zim. I do, however, co-own the OCs/fancharacters. A few were created by a friend, and if she requests, the characters will be removed and replaced. I have few-to-no references to her OCs, so hopefully they're as close to their original as possible.

This story is slightly AU-the characters aren't 100% true to the TV show, but I did try to keep their personalities as close as possible with my own spin on it. Reviews would be very much appreciated! I can go back and edit chapters that haven't been published yet, so if you see something wrong feel free to let me know, and if the next chapter hasn't been published here, I can go back and make changes! If they're simple grammar/spelling issues, I'll make sure those are taken care of as well if I've missed something!

Thanks guys!

Dib woke up like he did every morning—exhausted. He groaned and rolled over to stare at his alarm clock, its red flashing numbers blinding him in the dark of his bedroom. Reaching out, he tapped the top of the clock to hit the snooze button, rolling over to lay on his back and stare at the ceiling through the darkness.

He was 21. He was still living with his dad and Gaz, but he was in college now. Money wasn't a problem, what with his dad being Professor Membrane and all, so he decided to stay living at home until he was done his degree: a double major in biochemistry and physics, as suggested by—you guessed it—his father. He rolled his eyes and sat up, flicking on the lamp.

His walls were bare, now, but still deep blue. His desk and PC sat in the corner, where it's always been. The floor was mostly clean, save for some dirty clothes in piles near his closet. He stood up and went to said closet to find something to wear, tugging into his clothes. He wore mostly the same outfits he did when he was younger, except with more buckles and zippers. A darker take on his childish paranormal-investigator wardrobe. His scythe had grown out, and an array of piercings littered his ears, plus one in his tongue. He also had a few tattoos, mostly on his upper arms, shoulders, and back. He glanced at himself in the mirror—he looked worn down.

Once that was done, he grabbed his bookbag, keys, phone, and wallet, and headed downstairs.

Gaz was sitting at the kitchen table, and his dad had already left for work. His sister barely acknowledged his presence, giving only a grunt, sipping a cup of juice and playing her Game Slave. Dib just shook his head, grabbing a couple granola bars from the cupboard and an apple from the fridge, and heading out.

"Seeya, Gaz."

"Humph."

Dib locked the door behind himself and got in his car—a deep blue two-door sedan. Nothing too expensive or flashy, but his dad decided he needed one to get to and from college, and he wasn't going to complain about it. It had actually been one of the few pleasant surprises he got from his father, on his 18th birthday. He started "her" engine, backed up out of the driveway, and took a left toward campus.

And just like every morning, he passed Zim's house. He slowed down to a snail's pace (not like there was any other traffic, anyway), just to see if anything had changed. It hadn't.

Zim had been gone for close to five years now. One day, near the end of high school, he just disappeared. Took everything with him, save for the empty shell of his base. The gnomes and walls had become overgrown. He didn't bother locking the door, so for weeks after Zim had left, Dib let himself inside and explored. All of the computers had been shut down, and any Irken-related memorabilia was gone. It drove him crazy for a while—even granted him a stay in the madhouse for a few months. Eventually, he just gave up. He decided to feign ignorance over all the paranormal, just so he could get out of that place and continue on what could loosely be called his life. He barely made it back in time to finish his high school exams. He would have failed his senior year had he not aced all of the tests.

Releasing a gentle sigh, Dib sped up again and continued on his way to class. Today he had quantum mechanics and vertebrate physiology, then a lunch break, and finally advanced inorganic chemistry. His labs were tomorrow.

Once he arrived on campus and found a place to park, always in the back of the parking lot where there was tons of room (and furthest away from the school), he got out of the car with his bag, leaned against the door, and pulled out his phone and a cigarette. Once lit, he dialed a number and waited.

"Tea? Hey. Is Keo with you? Yeah, I just got here. You guys on campus yet? Cool, I'll meet you guys outside Teller Hall."

Dib hung up the phone, slipping it into his pocket and taking a drag from his cigarette. He started smoking after he had been released from the madhouse. Snorting, he began the trek to campus, though he never particularly minded the walk.

He had met Tea and Keo during his first year. They didn't have any classes together—they were all in different programs—but when they met in the cafeteria on the first day of classes, they hit it off. Well, more like they burst into his bubble and forced their way into his life. A smile tugged at the corner of his lip. He was thankful for the two of them. He probably wouldn't be around if it weren't for getting far enough out of The City to make real friends. People that weren't crazy.

Well.

They were crazy. But they were the kind of crazy Dib came to love, and trust. With everything. He even told them about Zim. And, oddly enough, they believed him.

"Dib!" A cheerful, high-pitched voice squeaked and bounded around the corner, a wide grin spread across his face, followed by another young man.

"Hey, Tea," Dib laughed, glancing at Tea up and down.

He was an odd one. Today he was wearing a pair of deep-blue ripped jeans, a pair of baby-blue skate shoes, a white muscle shirt, and an indigo leather coat. His hair was surprisingly long, blond, and shaggy, tied up in an awkward-looking bun, and he had on lots of golden bracelets. He blinked his seafoam-green eyes at Dib cheerfully.

Behind Tea was Keo, who grinned upon seeing Dib. "Heya, Dibbie!" Keo was only a few inches taller than Tea, wearing a comfortable pear of grey sneakers, plain blue jeans, a black t-shirt under a white hoodie, and a thin grey coat. He was also slightly less pale, with deep hazel eyes.

((Obligatory A.N.: If the owner of the character, Keo, happens to see this, I am so sorry but of course I don't have any references to Keo's appearance, and no memory of it. So, sorry if I butchered it. All I have is a few scraps from an old RP on Subeta, but Keo's appearance is never stated in the bits I have. So, I am so sorry if I butchered him, I tried to keep him as close to personality as possible.))

"Guys, hey!" Dib replied in as cheerful a manner as he could muster, taking another drag from his cigarette before putting it out on the ground under his toe.

"So Dib, there's a show tomorrow, wanted to know if you'd like to come with us?" Tea asked, bouncing up and down off his toes and flat feet, a huge grin on his face.

"Yeah. It's supposed to be really good!" Keo said, stretching tall. "Weeee….already bought tickets for the three of us!" he exclaimed, pulling the tickets out from nowhere and passing them to Dib, who laughed.

"Sure guys," he said, taking his ticket and placing it in his wallet before continuing, "Sounds like it'll be fun. You're lucky I have a late class on Friday!" Of course, that didn't actually matter. He probably would have gone anyway, or they would drag him along with no say in the matter.

"Yay~!" Tea squealed, bouncing up and pulling Dib into a hug, his face smushing into the boy's blond bun.

"Yeah, yeah, get offa' me," Dib mumbled, brushing Tea off but grinning slightly. "Alright guys, I've got to go to class. I'll see you at lunch, okay?" He said, adjusting his backpack and waving to his friends.

"Later!" Keo called after him, waving enthusiastically while Tea continued to squeal.

Just another day, living the college life. Dib rolled his eyes with a smile, heading into the building to go to class.