Dib slowly entered his house, gently closing the door behind him in hopes of remaining unheard by the house inhabitants.

"What are you doing home so late?"

Dib froze, he knew all too well the horrors of this of this tone of voice. He turned to see Gaz lying on the family couch, a bottle of Tequila in one hand, a cigarette in the other. She took a long drag off of her cigarette and exhaled slowly.

She smirked, "Well?"

"I um…. I uh…WAS OUT DRINKING!" 'It's only half a lie…'

She raised her eyebrow. "With the freak boy?" She nodded towards Zim "Finally you grew a set. Man, how trashed is your friend?"

Dib looked at Zim over his shoulder and sighed. His cheeks were a dark shade of red and he was fast asleep on Dib's back. "Lets just say he had a few too many and leave it at that."

"Fine, but if he pukes you're the one who's going to be cleaning it up, not me." She said, casually taking a large gulp out of the bottle.

Dib nodded and walked up the stairs to his room. He hastily went inside, trying to make as little noise as possible, quietly shutting the door behind him.

He laid Zim's unconscious body on his bed, making sure not to wake the sleeping Irken. He shuddered thinking what would happen if Zim was woken up. He knew the results would not be good.

'How do I get myself into these messes…'

He turned to Zim's sleeping form"Why do I even bother with you," he whispered. "Ever since you came here you've made my life a living hell. So then…. Why?" He continued to stare at the Irken's sleeping form, wishing for an answer.

He started to hear the tapping of rainfall at his window. He turned his gaze towards its direction and watched the large, fat drops of rain trickle down the glass. He knew Zim, as an Irken, was scared to death of the rain and the acidic effects it had on his delicate skin. He sighed to himself, knowing the rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon, or so the weather man had said earlier that day. So if Zim couldn't leave, he had one other option, and Dib knew that keeping Zim locked up in his house was NOT the brightest of ideas.

He turned back to Zim, only to be met by a pair of ruby red orbs inches away from his own. He snapped back in shock and, in the process of doing so, fell headfirst onto the cold wooden floor.

Zim blinked a few times in bewilderment and took a few moments to take in his 'new' surroundings. "Where am I?" He turned to Dib, who was currently trying to pick himself up from the floor. He bowed his head, currently engaged in deep thought. "All I remember was drinking myself to death in that bar…" His eyes suddenly widened. "…and then you came and drug me off my bar stool and into the street!"

Dib slowly backed away from the now enraged Irken. If looks could kill, he would have been dead and buried then and there from the glare Zim was shooting him.

Zim slowly inched his way towards him, and proceeded to back Dib into a corner in his room. By now Zim had succeeded in backing him fully into the corner and was now staring him the face, eyes narrow in mistrust. "Why…."

Dib gulped, thin beads of sweat trickling down the narrow frame of his nose and forehead. "Wh- What d-do you mean?"

He slammed both of his hands on the wall near Dib's head in frustration, leaning closer. So much so that He could feel Zim's breathe hot against his face. "Don't screw with me human, I'm in no mood for games. Tell me, why did you drag me here in my altered state?"

"Because you were making an ass out of yourself!" Dib retaliated. "You're an INVADER for gods sake! You should try acting like one for once in your fucking life!"

Zim lowered his head, his whole body shaking. "You are in NO position to start insulting me you little wretch!" He quickly withdrew a glowed hand and removed its leather casing, revealing a set of gleaming black retractable claws. He thrust them towards Dibs exposed throat, so that each claw just barely touched his skin. He gulped, looking at the way each talon gleamed in the moonlight seeping through the window.

"I-I'm n-not afraid of y-you." He replied, mustering enough courage to lift his head and look him straight in the face. But in doing so, his glasses slipped slowly to the end of his nose, just barely dangling to it's tip causing him to squint.

Zim stopped, trying to choke back a snicker. His attempts failed miserably, and he let out a burst of laughter. He let go of Dib's throat and fell to the floor in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"You're about as terrifying as a poodle! On my planet you wouldn't even be able to make a smeet cry!" He choked out, tears now streaming from his eyes.

Dib stopped, his eyebrow cocked in amusement. He'd seen Zim blood thirsty, enraged, hell even DEPRESSED. But NEVER had he seen him this, this… happy. Dib smiled widely in amusement. Maybe having Zim at his house wouldn't be TOO bad. That is if he survived….

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Author's note: Longer chapter, hope you all like. Read and review please . I value the ideas of others, they help me with my other stories.