When Zim woke up, Dib was gone.

A single ray of sunshine disturbed his sleepy time, stubbornly finding its way through the curtains and of course, it hit Zim's eyelids with a cursed brightness. He fought with great effort to stay asleep, but ultimately the earth sun won and he sat up, feeling stiff and weird. He found himself on his couch, with a duvet thrown over him and a soft pillow wedged under his head.

It hadn't been a dream, Zim realized with distaste. He had been turned into a useless human, and Dib had nursed him and he had allowed himself to be weak and eat the stupid egg and bacon. His PAK was still quiet, a silent companion that would not tell him what to feel or how to act. Without it, he found himself sitting on the edge of the couch, listening to the silence as though it could tell him to get up and start his day. He pulled the duvet tighter around his shoulders.

"GIR," He finally called, just to see if the robot was still there.

The trashcan rattled ominously, the noise getting louder for a good five seconds before the lid burst open and GIR popped up from the underground area.

"I AM HERE, MASTER," GIR said and did a decent salute.

"Good. Um," Zim started, but he didn't know what to say. He couldn't remember his normal routine. "What time is it?"

"Six-forty-seven, Master. You are expected at Skool on approximately two hours!" GIR said, useful for once, before he giggled and ran off.

"Skool starts in two hours?!" Zim exclaimed, devastated. "That means I was unconscious for … over twelve hours! Scandalous!"

He finally got up, darting around to find his disguise, before he realized that he wouldn't need it.

"Dib will be at Skool. Once I see him, I will wring the Halloween-gun out of his filthy hands, and when I've turned myself back, I will wring his head off his neck!"

"But maaaaster, you're too weeeaaaaak!" GIR yelled from behind the TV. He somehow sounded like he was under water. Zim paid him no mind as he rushed to the front door.

However, the second he touched the handle, he stopped in his track. His stomach grumbled dangerously, as though someone had put a bomb in it.

"Hungry? Impossible! The Dib fed me yesterday!"

But then he remembered, (in the hazy and useless way human memories were saved in their brains, that Dib had mentioned he would need to eat much more often while he was in this state. It had been over twelve hours already, and his body had already run out of fuel, his PAK being no help at all to keep his body working.

Curse it all! He would have to cook breakfast before going to Skool.

"GIR, where is the waffle batter?"

Dib leaned back in his desk, eyeing the empty seat in his classroom. He eyed Zim's for an extra second, wondering if the alien-turned-human would show up or if he was already in Dib's house, looking for the gun.

Not that he would find it - he owed Gaz a favor now but it was worth it to have her hide it somewhere not even he dared go look.

"As you can see, forty-two percent of your classmates are sick today after being poisoned by a sugar overdose during Halloween. This means you are the strong ones, and will most likely be the ones that survive until adulthood," Miss Sunshine, smiled at them, promptly starting class.

Suddenly the door burst open, and Zim stumbled in, panting. His uniform was stained with… egg yolks? Pancake batter? Dib couldn't tell, but he was dirty.

"Zim? Oh…" Miss Sunshine hesitated, "This is weird but I never noticed before. Zim, you look…"

Dibs heart leaped in his chest. Did she notice? Maybe the difference in Zim's look meant people would believe that he truly had been an alien!

"You look way too young to be in this class. Everyone here is fourteen, but you can't be a day over twelve."

"Huh?" Zim looked at her," But I've always been in this class, I must see the DIB!"

Dib's shoulders slumped. It was true that Zim looked too young - he had never changed his disguise since he arrived on earth! But if the teacher looked at the records she should know that he had been in this class for two years by now.

"I know you want to be with your older friend, but that's what recess is for! Off you go, don't want to miss another day of your supposed lectures!" she chirped and Dib almost leapt out of his chair.

"You can't be serious. Of course he's supposed to be here! He's been with us ever since he arrived!" he said, defending the nuisance. Only because he wanted to keep an eye on his enemy.

"Dib, you aren't allowed to decide that just because your friend isn't old enough to be in the same class as you," Miss Sunshine said.

"That doesn't make sense!" Dib exclaimed.

"Hey," some other student said," Shut up, Dib. I don't want some little brat in the same classroom as me. Send him back to Miss Bitters!"

The other students made agreeing noises, except for Zim and Dib, which of course only made it seem even more like they were trying to be together during class.

"I'm not going back to Bitters! She's a monster!" Zim said and tried to sit down on his usual desk. Miss Sunshine hit a button on the wall and suddenly two buff men in suits entered and pulled Zim away, kicking and screaming. Dib watched in horror.

"There. He will be taken to where he belongs, so no more worries here! Now, let's start off with mathematics!"

Dib found Zim during lunch break, but he almost wished he hadn't.

He sat curled up under an oak tree, looking too small and fragile. There was something pitiful about him and how he stared ahead unseeingly, mouth pressed into a thin line and brows knit together. His arms hugged his knees, and with his back against the trunk he seemed to want nothing but to become one with the tree

Dib sat down beside him, expecting to be punched by weak twelve-year-old fists. But there was nothing. Zim didn't seem to notice at all.

"I hate humans," he rasped, voice dull, void of emotion. This close, Dib noticed with dawning horror that his eyes were swollen, cheeks still wet with tears.

"What happened?" he asked, but he had a suspicion. Zim had gone through being the new kid before, and then Dib had been one of his biggest bullies even if he had different motivations than the others. This time, he couldn't get himself to push Zim around just because he could.

"I am not telling you," Zim snapped weakly, at least some of his personality back. They glared at each other until Dib relented and leaned against the oak tree.

"Well. That's fair," he said and wondered if he was being too mean to let Zim be bullied by kids once again. This time he couldn't even defend himself! "Did you eat lunch?"

"I refuse. What if the cafeteria food still burns me?" That may or may not be a valid concern. The cafeteria food was just that questionable. At that moment, Zim's stomach rumbled.

"You should still eat something. Otherwise I might have to save you from fainting on the pavement again," Dib said and stood up, "wanna sneak out and get McDonald's with me?"

Zim stared at him, not taking his offered hand. After a while he seemed to make up his mind and frowned.

"You do not need to pity me, stupid Dib," he said darkly and turned away.

"What? I would never do that," Dib said, although he totally would," I'm just offering you a burger so that you don't die." That caught his attention.

"You can die from not eating?"

"Yes. That is called starving. C'mon, or we won't get back before class starts."

Zim got up, not taking his stretched out hand, and they snuck out of the Skool yard through a hole in the fence. They didn't have much time, so Dib pulled Zim by the wrist to hurry to the restaurant a few blocks away. There weren't many people inside for once, which suited them fine. Dib walked up and ordered a big menu, since he was a growing boy and all.

Zim, weary of the meat that usually burned his skin, picked a vegetarian version after a second of hesitation.

He seemed more hesitant over all, as though he had to greatly consider every action before he committed to them. Wonder what that meant.

"I'm gonna expect this money back later, even though you probably won't give it to me," Dib told him as he paid. They sat down by the window with a soda can each. An awkward silence settled over them, where Dib wanted to ask all kinds of questions, but he didn't know how. It would be easier if Zim would act normal - then he'd be able to get anything out of that loud mouth.

But no, Zim just… sat there, and stared out the window at the businessmen and cars and hobos that moved about outside. Was he deep in thought? He didn't know Zim could be deep in thought.

"So… I honestly thought you would have broken into my house by now, Zim," Dib said. Zim looked up in surprise.

"Why would I be at your house?"

"To… to steal back that gun I used to turn you into a human. Remember? Yesterday on your roof?" Dib prompted, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh," Zim said, shoulders slumping for a second before he stood up on his seat, "Yes! That I will do, of course! Just you watch, Dib! If my PAK was working right now, that's what it would tell me to do, so- and I don't need to hear it to know what I have to do! So there!"

At that moment, their order was called out. Zim's stomach gurgled and he sat down in chock. Dib sighed and got up.

"If you say so. You do that after you eat your burger that I ordered and paid for," Dib said, already half turned away.

He returned with a tray containing their greasy lunch, along with a few extra bags of salt and pepper. He noticed Zim's focused gaze following the tray as he came closer to finally put it down in front of him. "There, you're welcome."

Zim dug in like he had never eaten a burger before (and Dib didn't want to consider that possibility). Maybe it was because he was now, more or less, a 'growing boy', or maybe he just wasn't used to being hungry just yet. Either way, Dib only got halfway through before Zim was done and had started stealing his fries.

"Hey!" he half-heartedly attempted to swat away the offending hand, but relented soon after, deep in thought. Zim dug into the fries and then drank his whole soda in about three sips.

Then he promptly face-planted the table, groaning and clutching his stomach. He ate too much too fast, Dib realized and chuckled.

Okay. Hunger satiated, it was question time.

"Hey, Zim. How dependent are Irkens on their PAKs?"

"Don't you know that?" Zim drawled without lifting his head," we die without them."

That Dib did know, after the time he had stolen Zim's PAK and had it attached to himself by accident. They had both almost died that time.

"Well, sure, but just now you said it would tell you what to do. Is the PAK your brain?" he asked. He could use that information against Zim later, next time he needed to get revenge for something.

"Of course not," Zim scoffed as though the thought was ridiculous," Zim's brain is in his beautiful head. But!-" he sat up to meet Dib's eyes, about to boast over how superior he was," -the PAK is a supercomputer that can do everything from storing memories in perfect HD, to ensuring its owner's total loyalty to the Empire, to storing weapons of mass destruction!"

Zim laughed at the thought, but Dib was horrified.

"Ensuring total loyalty? Zim, is it a brain washing machine?!" He asked.

"Huh?" Zim's shoulders sagged. He thought it over, then scoffed," Of course not! It's a valuable asset for decision making and working effectively. The PAK tells you the best course of action, you follow it. It's so obvious, you never need to second guess."

"Yeah that's brainwashing."

"No!"

"Ye- oh look, we need to hurry back to skool."

Zim groaned and slipped off the chair.

"You don't get it, Dib, because you've had to make do with just your stoopid human brain!" they exited the busy restaurant and speed walked towards the skoolyard. "With the PAK I could focus without having to deal with DISTRACTIONS such as having to consider every possible thing I could do, and- and having to remember my way to skool! It's stupid, being stuck with merely an inferior brain and nothing but silence!"

Dib hummed, concerned somehow.

"The way I see it you've been brainwashed your entire life and now you can't deal with free will," he said as they reached skool. Almost everyone was inside already, and they hurried before the bells rang and they'd risk detention.

"Y-you're ridiculous!" Zim exclaimed, but he ran ahead so Dib couldn't get a good look at his expression.

They reached the hallway where they would have to part, and Zim glared unhappily in the direction of the twelve year olds' classroom.

"After skool I'll let you walk home with me," Dib smirked," so that you don't even have to break in to search for the gun."

"I don't need your pity!" Zim yelled and ran towards his classroom.