It was Friday, in an unassuming science-related office building, and the clock struck three. Dib Membrane, a thirty-something functional adult, stood up, catching the attention of his coworkers.

"Time to clock out", he said.

"So early?" Lisa, who had her desk right next to him, looked up with raised eyebrows.

"Yup! It's a special day!" Dib said with a grin. "You know Zim?"

"Your son, yes", Lisa nodded.

"That poor boy", Richard who liked football and sat two seats away, said, "you said he's been hooked up to life support his whole life."

"I always looked up to you for adopting a sickly kid", Carmen, who sat on Dib's left, added, "not everyone would do that."

Dib nodded and grinned at everyone. By now the entire office floor had turned to look at them.

"Today's the day he finally gets off life support!" Dib announced.

A few people gasped, and then the entire floor erupted into clapping and cheering.

"That's amazing!"

"I'm so happy for you!"

"Hell yeah!"

"Tell Zim I said hi!"

Dib laughed as people got up to hug him or clap his back. He almost feared that he wouldn't get home in time if they kept celebrating like this. Not that he could complain - this amount of support from his coworkers felt like a dream.

Finally, he said his goodbyes and left the still cheering crowd behind. He took the stairs down, skipping every other step to get home faster.

Driving in his car, he couldn't help but think about the massive change about to happen in his and Zim's lives.

He didn't exactly lie when he said Zim was getting off 'life support'. In the end, the PAK functioned basically like one, with a few extra perks. Longevity would usually be considered a pretty big perk, but not if you were stuck in the body of a twelve year old for eternity.

Not if what you wanted was to live a normal human life.

But how do you remove a thing that stops you from aging if that thing also keeps you alive? The difference between humans and Irkens was that Irkens could not survive without their PAKs. But Zim was human, and just happened to have a PAK attached to his spine. Like, properly attached. Integrated with wires and medical procedures, and not just randomly stuck to him like that one time the PAK had gotten attached to Dib. He shuddered at the memory.

Either way, what they had to do then, was to simply remove it in a way that made Zim's body aware that it was supposed to keep itself alive. It didn't require surgery, exactly. They'd developed a string of code that would simply instruct the PAK to discontinue all its life support functions, one by one, and to disconnect itself in the correct, safe way.

It sounded like an easy solution, but it hadn't been easy to figure out. It had taken them almost twenty years, but now they were both sure that it would work. And not kill Zim by accident. That was a pretty important issue to keep in mind.

During that time they'd gone through so many lies to cover up Zim's existence in Dib's life; they'd been half-brothers, cousins, uncle and nephew, and now were settled into father and adopted son. With legal papers and everything.

Of all the things Dib thought his life would bring… this wasn't it.

It would change now, though. He'd have a growing boy in his household (technically, Zim's household since it was his base, but, details). Part of him thought it would be nice to have his housemate no longer have the mental capacities of a pre-teen, the other part couldn't help but feel a little bit… Nostalgic, maybe? Zim was going to grow up, and he was going to be there for him, through all the joys and trials that came with it.

He'd be more like a 'real' father, in a sense. And maybe it was normal for real fathers to feel like they had to make every moment of their kids' childhood count. Zim had gotten two decades worth of childhood, but from now on, he'd only get one chance of growing up.

He hummed as he swerved into his street. Another thing nice with having Zim in his life; moving for college had been a breeze. Zim literally just… folded his entire base into an unremarkable little cube-thing, got into Dib's car, and unfolded his base in their new town.

He backed his car into the carport - there'd been a few adjustments to the base in the moving process, and skipped towards the door.

"I'm home!"

"Hi dad!" Zim called from the kitchen. 'Dad', that meant someone was visiting.

"Hello, mister Membrane!" True enough, that sounded like Zim's current classmate, Millie.

"Hello kids, how was Skool?" Dib asked as he entered the kitchen. The two kids sat by the kitchen table, with snacks and math books strewn about in a horrible chaotic mess.

"Boring", Zim said.

"Hard!" Millie whined. "But Zim is helping me with homework so it's okay!"

"Great", Dib smiled. He walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a soda can for himself. "are you staying for dinner?"

"I can't, I have dance practice. Oh, I probably should head home, huh?"

Dib watched as the kids made a small effort to tidy up the table, with Millie stuffing all her books into her Hello Kitty backpack and Zim making one pile of empty candy wrappers and one pile of uneaten snacks. They were chatting among themselves about schoolwork and due dates, and the same feeling struck Dib that he'd felt at the office, when everyone congratulated him. Dreamlike. This domestic, optimistic life he'd ended up with felt almost too good to be true.

"Thank you for your help, Zim. You're so smart", Millie said, and Zim straightened his back a bit at that.

"Yes I am. I can help you with the rest on Monday before school starts, if you need it."

"Thank you!"

They made their way to the hallway, with Dib trailing behind. Millie got into her boots and jacket while talking to her classmate. He closed his eyes, elet himself enjoy the sound of them chatting and laughing.

It took maybe twelve minutes for them to finally say goodbye and close the door.

"DIB!" Zim exclaimed as soon as she was gone, sweeping past Dib while speaking, "we're going on Millie's dance performance next Saturday! I already put it in the calendar."

"Oh." Dib craned his neck to glance into the kitchen. There, on the calendar, Saturday the 14th had been circled with a red marker and no less than a dozen exclamation marks. "That's okay I guess."

"Yes, good!" Something clattered in his room, and he thought he heard GIR giggle. Zim reappeared from his bedroom, looking giddy. "Now… I'm ready."

Dib took a deep breath, and nodded. His heart picked up its beat when they took the hidden elevator down to the lab. This lower part of the house looked almost the same, although with slightly less dwindling, labyrinth-like corridors.

Zim ran ahead to him, into the room that they'd prepared as a medical bay. On the walls hung years of research on PAKs, x-rays of Zim's back and spine, and a detailed description on the procedure about to take place.

On a table lay an inconspicuous-looking blue disc. Zim had once called it a 'weapon that could destroy all of Irk', it contained the code that would initiate the PAK's detachment. All they were gonna do was plug it in, really, and the PAK would take care of the rest.

Anticipation hung heavy in the air, like electricity making Dib's hairs stand on end. Zim climbed onto the operation table and sat there, his legs dangling over the edge. He looked expectantly at Dib, and then over to the table with the disc.

"Well", Dib said eventually, "this is it…"

...

What did you say before a life-changing procedure?

"Yes! Are you worried?" Zim snapped.

"No, just… nervous, I guess", Dib admitted. None of them really knew what was going to happen. Well, theoretically, they did, but they couldn't predict how it would feel, if Zim was going to be in any pain, or feel sick or lethargic or anything as the procedure happened. Hence, safety-medical bay. Just in case.

"We've thought of everything! Don't start getting nervous now, because then I'll be nervous too, and-", Zim looked down, his excitement cracking ever so slightly, "I've waited so long for this."

Almost two decades. The time when Zim decided to stay human had coaligned with the time they figured out that he wasn't aging. How long ago was that, maybe two years after the incident that turned him human in the first place?

"I know you have. I…"

Dib took a deep breath and sat down beside Zim on the operation table. He wrapped one arm around him and drew him closer. Zim naturally leaned against his side. Physical contact between them came so naturally, as it had for years now. Maybe now that Zim was going to grow up he'd become a teenager who didn't want hugs from their embarrassing dad. Dib would have to savor the time he had right now.

"I'm really proud of you", he said, finally, "you've grown a lot since we first met."

Zim snorted softly.

"I have not grown at all. That's what we're trying to fix."

"You know what I mean, you jerk!"

They both laughed together.

"I do know what you mean. I…" Zim seemed to be looking for the right words. He still struggled when he had to admit anything that left him vulnerable, "I never… thought I could be happy? I experienced joy, yes, but always for something in the moment, and never over my… my, situation. I don't think I even realized that I was chasing a state where I could be content and happy and accepted until I had it. And that's what I have now! And it's what I want! Even if it's different!"

Dib hummed and thought back to his coworkers congratulating him and Zim. He understood what Zim meant; life had taken them somewhere unexpected, but here he was, a thirty-something old man with a satisfying job, nice coworkers, and a son that also happened to be an evil alien-turned-kid-as-a-prank. And he was happier than he ever thought he deserved.

He reached for the disc and held it out, in front of Zim's expectant eyes.

"We're the most unusual family on earth," he said, "but we ARE a family. And I love you, you silly space-kid. I can't wait to see you grow up."

"Love you too, you big-headed earth-monkey", Zim grinned.

Dib easily opened a panel on the PAK and inserted the disc.

He held Zim in a tight hug when the PAK finally detached.

The end

Author's note:

THANKS FOR READING! Your comments and support seriously mean the world to me

I know this is a big time skip, so here are a few notes on what I imagine happened between the previous chapter and this one:

- Zim spent two years 'putting on hold' his reversal back to Irken
- Those first two years he's really all over the place. One day he's cursing everything human and Dib and acts like he hates everythin. The next he's just chillin' on Dibs bed watching movies or playing games or listening to him talk about Bigfeets. But even then he never turns back.
- During that time, Dib grew a lot. He goes from 14 to 16, so he gets quite a bit taller and more mature. It's quite obvious then, that Zim stays 12.
- Zim admits that he wants to be human. They figure out the PAK is probably stopping him from aging and starts looking into how they can make it Not Do That.
- After having decided this and worded this wish out loud, Zim is a bit calmer. He doesn't go on any rants about how being human sucks. Maybe he was just doing that, trying to convince himself anyway.
- Zim still has bad days though. He sometimes wakes up wishing for a prime directive, for something to drive him to get out of bed and do all the stuff he needs to do. Like executive dysfunctioning? But he doesn't know that, he just wants to not have to feel like it.
But other bad times, he starts overthinking his decision and how he's betrayed the empire that he grew up so loyal to. Dib has on occasion spent an all-nighter trying to convince Zim that, no, there aren't any Irken assassins coming for you right now. Please breathe and go to bed.
- He goes through a phase where he wear literally every color EXCEPT for pink, out of spite. But after a year or so he comes to the conclusion that pink is still the best color, and starts wearing it again. But in a, "I have reclaimed this color for MYSELF" kinda way.
- Zim doesn't re-take the same school grade for two decades. He spends many years not being in school, instead doing Whatever The Heck He Pleases. But he also feels a bit stuck, seeing people grow all around him while he's never-changing.
- It takes several years for Zim to even bring up his mission. When he does, he talks as though he always knew that it was fake but wouldn't let himself realize it. It took him five years as a human to come to terms with it, and then several months to voice this to Dib. But when he does, he doesn't have a breakdown or anything. He just stares emptily at the wall, speaking in a low voice. If you've felt a hollow acceptance/sorrow over something you had to cancel this year of COVID, you might have felt what I imagine Zim feels in this scene. He also probably talks about how he's defective here, with that same kind of resignation. Dib just does his best to comfort him and remind him that he made the right choice then, to build a new life on earth.
- Zim moves his base when Dib starts college and Dib moves in with him. Their house now looks like a normal human house, with normal human functions (like bedrooms and toilets). This is when they start forming lies about why Dib is a college student living with a kid.
- As soon as Dib is old enough for it to make sense for him to have a 12-year-old son, he legally adopts Zim. Makes things a lot easier.
- Dib still like the paranormal, but as he grew up he doesn't feel like risking his life on investigations any longer. Mostly because then Zim and GIR would be alone, and he feels responsible to take care of them.
- Father-son is a very simplified version of their relationship. Zim has the emotional maturity of a kid, but the experiences of a century-old alien, so when he says he trusts Dib with his life, it's not in the innocent way a kid trusts their parents. He REALLY trusts Dib with his life, in every situation. And while Dib had grown into a slightly protective father-role, he also trusts Zim with stuff a normal parent shouldn't trust their kid with. Like his own emotional burdens, or dangerous chemicals.
- They also have a more adult chore-schedule. It's not Dib nagging Zim to clean his room, it's mostly Zim yelling at Dib for leaving dirty coffee mugs on every surface. Zim's still a bit obsessed with cleanliness, while Dib doesn't mind a bit of clutter.

Again, thanks for reading! feel free to leave a comment or HMU up tumblr reptile-ruler