His memories of the next two years raising Zim were full of happiness. Dib would put the little smeet in his backpack and take him to school with him, along with a never-ending supply of pixie sticks for him to snack on. Zim stayed in the pack and listened to the lectures with Dib, learning about Earth and paranormal phenomena. He was especially fond of the lectures involving aliens – they always made him laugh.
"Why did you come to Earth?" Zim had only been there a few months when Dib had asked him this. Zim was sitting on one of the computer consoles in the underground lab, putting together a laser gun.
"I'm an invader." He answered, putting the weapon down.
"But Computer said you're too young. That you didn't go to the Academy." Dib countered, petting Zim's head. Dib had learned quickly that Zim was very affectionate and enjoyed physical contact.
"Pfft, I am ZIM! I do not need to go to any academy, I could teach at that academy! And the Irkens would be better for it." Zim said arrogantly, leaning into Dib's touch.
"So why Earth? Isn't Irk hundreds of light-years away?" Dib asked.
"You talk to Computer too much, Dib." Zim said exasperatedly, picking up his laser gun again and tinkering with it trigger mechanism. "I just set a random destination on the Voot and left. I knew I'd encounter a planet eventually."
"What if you never did? You could have died!" Dib told him.
"Invader's blood runs through my veins." Was all Zim said as if that were the right answer to everything, and to him it was. He held the gun up and shot it. A perfect straight red beam blasted into the wall and burned a huge hole in it. "I am very good at this." He stated. He held up the gun and a metal arm came out of his PAK and snatched it up.
"Hey Zim?" Dib asked.
"Yes?" Zim answered, peering at the human knowingly.
"I'm gonna get you!" Dib yelled.
Zim exploded with laughter and took off, Dib clumsily ran after him with his hands out like the 'tickle monster'. Zim could easily evade Dib all day and night but after a few minutes of running he would always let Dib catch him. Dib knew it too but that didn't stop him from pouncing on Zim and tickling him relentlessly. Dib thought they would always be this happy, that Zim would always be his baby.
But then the day came when Dib graduated from college, with honors. Zim was very proud of his guardian - he watched the ceremony from Dib's backpack which he had set under a shady tree. Dib had been offered a job as a Paranormal Investigator from the Swollen Eyeballs effective immediately upon graduation.
"Zim, you can't come with me anymore." Dib told him, setting down his bag in the living room after they got home from the ceremony.
"Why?" Zim asked from inside of it.
"I'm done with college now. I have a job - I start Monday. My job is exposing things like aliens to the public – it's too dangerous. I won't put you in danger like that."
"But I always go with you!" Zim said pitifully. "You can't do anything without me." He tried, unsuccessfully, to sound authoritative but his voice cracked.
"Zim, honey, I think it will be better if you stay home now." Dib saw Zim's eyes well up with tears. "So you can prepare for the Armada!" Dib finished quickly, hoping Zim wouldn't cry.
"Yes, My Tallest." Zim accepted, bowing to Dib.
"Don't do that!" Dib pushed his head up. "I don't like it when you bow to me, I'm not your leader or something."
Dib cleared his throat while Zim looked up at him silently. "So I found someone to watch you while I'm away."
"Zim needs no supervision!" He stated, putting his 'nose' in the air haughtily.
"Yes you do. Over the last two years you've blown up this house more times than I can count!" Dib teased.
"Eighty seven." The computer chimed in.
"I'm a growing Irken genius. We are destroyers!" Zim scowled.
Dib handed Zim his black wig and purple contacts. Without a word Zim put them on.
"And that's why I got you a nanny. You are too advanced in the destroying department!" Dib said. "Don't worry, I know him - he was my counselor when I was in elementary school." The doorbell rang. "Here he is now."
"So you're really going to abandon me?" Zim worried. "NO! What if he turns me in! I don't want to be autopsied! Please don't leave me Daddy!"
"Zim, calm down - you're getting yourself all worked up." Dib scooped Zim up and carried him over to the door, feeling incredibly guilty. "It'll be fine. His name is Dwicky and I already told him about you. He doesn't know you're an alien." As he passed the couch he picked up Zim's favorite toy and handed it to him – a soft, purple stuffed moose. Zim accepted it and hugged it to his chest.
"Then what does he think I am?" Zim pouted.
Dib opened the door. A tall, thin man stood there smiling like an idiot. Dib shook his hand and Dwicky cheerily let himself in and closed the door behind him. "So this is Zim?" Dwicky reached for him but Zim buried his head into Dib's shoulder.
"Zim, say hello to Mr. Dwicky." Dib told him, rubbing his back. Zim shook his head back and forth, still hiding. "He's a little shy." Dib explained.
"Oh that's no problem. I used to work with little kids before I started working at your school. He's two, you said?" Dwicky asked, narrowing his eyes slightly as he looked over the child.
"Ya, he's just kind of small. But he's really smart!" Dib said. "Much smarter than other kids his age!"
"Of course he is! Hey Zim, I'm a psychologist. Would you like to know what I do?" Zim shook his head again, clutching onto Dib's shirt tighter. Dib cleared his throat, a little embarrassed that Zim was being so unfriendly.
"Zim, people tell me what makes them sad or mad or afraid – all kinds of things. It's my job to listen to them and then do whatever I can to make them happy." Dwicky explained. "You can tell me anything and I won't ever get mad."
Zim turned slightly and peered at the man through the side of his eye. "You won't get mad?" He asked quietly.
"Nope, I will always be your friend." Dwicky answered.
"Not even when I blow up the house?" Zim was skeptical.
"Nope. What?"
"Ah isn't he cute?" Dib roughly tousled Zim's hair to shut him up.
Dib put Zim down on the couch. "Why don't you two get acquainted?" He suggested. "Be good." He said pointedly to Zim then went into the kitchen to make dinner, leaving them alone.
"What's your moose's name?" Dwicky asked, sitting next to Zim on the couch. Zim knew Dwicky was being patronizing but he answered anyway, proud of his best toy.
"Moosey." He said softly, petting it.
"That's a good name. Can I pet him?" Dwicky asked.
"No." Zim said and hugged Moosey to himself selfishly.
Dwicky just chuckled a little. "What's in your backpack?"
"Why do you ask so many questions?" Zim demanded, irritated at the human.
"Because that's how friends get to know each other. Don't you want to ask me about myself too?"
"No." Zim pouted. "I don't want to be your friend. I want you to leave us alone." Dwicky merely laughed to himself again.
"How about after dinner I take you to get an ice cream cone? Just us two." Dwicky offered.
Zim perked up instantly at that. "Really?" He exclaimed.
"Really, but I only take my friends to get ice cream." Dwicky said slyly.
"I guess I could let you pet Moosey. But just once!"
Dwicky smiled widely, just a little too widely.
