It was a clear friday night, around 10 PM. The night was young and full of potential for a young teenager and seventeen year old Dib Membrane sat in his bedroom, completely taking it for granted while flicking through Netflix absently, finding nothing of interest. He groaned; though out of boredom or frustration he didn't know. Perhaps both.

Of course, there was that house party that Star Quarterback Of The Skool's Football Team Billy Dillinger was throwing, but Dib had a feeling he wouldn't be welcome. He had gained a reputation over the years as the town's insane inhabitant. And though Dib rationalized that there were people far less stable than he was, it didn't matter; and to his peers especially. So here he was, lounging about in sweatpants and a Mysterious Mysteries T-shirt that had certainly seen better days. He didn't need some juvenile party anyway, he was above such stupidities like teenage drunkenness and sexual interactions, he told himself as he wiped cheeto dust from his fingers. He briefly thought about asking Gaz to join him but she had already departed for the night. He wouldn't have been surprised if she was at Billy Dillinger's place right now. Not that she would've actually watched a movie with him, but it would've been nice to try. Or at least know that she was nearby. Dib sighed as he threw himself mercilessly onto his comforter, groaning once more in irritation. That's when he heard a small noise.

He sat up, straining his ears for the sound again for a moment but he didn't hear anything. Then it sounded again, like tapping on his bedroom window. He looked over to the window. It was closed, with the blinds drawn shut. He shifted from his place on the bed to pull back the blinds. He looked out at the sky, half expecting an alien spacecraft or something of the sort. There was nothing but stars. A small rock was thrown at the glass in front of him, startling Dib so much that he yelped. Glancing down at his front lawn, he was met with the sight of his old rival standing there, looking up at him expectantly, gloved hands on his tiny hips. Dib opened the window and poked his head out.

"What do you want, Zim." he called down to the alien. Zim's face was pulled into a determined expression.

"Get out here, Dib-filth! You're going to help me with my latest reconnaissance mission." he stated matter of factly. Dib rolled his eyes.

"There's no way I'm helping you with your evil scheming." To be honest, Dib was quite tired of this old song and dance. It had become evident a few years ago that if Zim were capable of taking over the Earth it would've happened already. Instead the two of them had lost the malice of their original rivalry and fell into a familiar routine of half hearted attempts at thwarting one another. Each doing their best to annoy the other and generally hating one another. They were bitter enemies who just so happened to hang out on the weekends. Frankly, Dib felt that Zim should move on from the whole world domination thing. There had been a brief period of time a few years ago, when Dib had been struggling with his sexuality a bit, that he had even considered Zim a potential romantic partner. But reality had delivered him a cruel slap to the face with the realization that it was highly unlikely to ever happen.

He was roused from his thoughts by another rock whizzing past his head.

"C'mon Dirt child! We've got a party to crash!" Zim decreed breaking into a wide sharp toothed grin. Dib blinked.

"Billy Dillinger's party?"

Zim made an annoyed noise, making hurried gesticulations for Dib to come outside.

"Um, duh. It's only been the talk of the skool for two weeks!" Zim said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Now hurry up and escort Zim to this adolescent gathering!" The little alien stomped his foot impatiently. Dib squinted through his glasses down below him at what appeared to be glitter on Zim's foot. Curiosity piqued, he surrendered and made his way downstairs, pausing to change into a pair of dark jeans and a bland gray T-shirt. He slipped on his shoes and well-worn coat before heading out the front door to see what Zim was up to.

The Irken hadn't changed much in the past six years. He was a few inches taller than he had been when he arrived, which he prided himself on. He was still a good head shorter than Dib, but Dib quickly learned that addressing Zim's height only led to black eyes on his part. Zim had learned a great deal of English, hardly ever needing his PAK to translate what humans were saying as he once had. His vernacular was so up to speed he often knew more about what people were saying than Dib did. Zim's ego had also decreased significantly. Though whether this was because of his interactions on Earth, isolation from his home planet, or perhaps a maturing attitude, Dib wasn't sure. But he was sure that talking to the alien was easier now. Zim also had learned about a phenomenon apparently unique to Earth; fashion.

Dib blinked in confusion at Zim. There was something off about him but Dib couldn't place it. The Irken's human disguise had changed very little: same contacts, same black wig but styled a bit differently. Tonight though, he had opted against his usual Invader uniform and was wearing a black button up shirt paired with dark, impossibly tight leggings that showed just how thin his legs were. The unusual part were the dark pink, glittering, six inch heels on Zim's feet.

Zim stood proudly. Hands on his hips, chest thrust out. He was almost eye to eye with Dib.

"How do you like Zim's new height shoes?" he asked smugly.

Dib stared for a moment, casting a questioning glance at Zim's face and then looked back down at the heels again. He burst into laughter. Zim's face fell quickly into one of confusion.

"Zim," Dib managed between fits of laughter, he quickly recovered from doubling over, taking a moment to catch his breath. "Those are girl shoes!" Zim blinked and looked down at his feet.

"Shoes have genders?" he asked, lifting a foot as though to inspect it for signs of life. Dib chuckled and shook his head.

"Doesn't matter man. Wear whatever you want." Zim nodded as though that were good enough for him and immediately went back to business.

"I have noticed that in the entire six years I've resided on this planet, I've yet to attend one of your young adult gatherings." Dib raised an eyebrow at that. "And what better way to gain information on your species than attend one of these parties?" Dib gave a small smile of realization.

"You just want to go to the party, don't you?"

Zim paused and looked at the teenager, pursing his lips.

"Yes."

Dib grimaced at his honesty and inwardly chuckled.

"Well," he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I don't think that we'd be very welcome...in that environment." Dib finished. Zim rolled his false eyes.

"I'm an invader. I invade. It's what I do." Dib couldn't argue with that logic.

"That might be true for you, but I'm not exactly an Irken soldier." Dib grunted lamely. "Plus, all those stuck up cool kids are kind of intimidating." He admitted. Zim's smile widened.

"What better way to face your fears than to run blindly ahead?" the Irken offered, already pushing the human toward Dib's cheap Datsun he'd obtained from a junkyard the summer before. His father, Professor Membrane, had insisted on buying his son a brand new, state of the art vehicle, but Dib had wanted to prove that he was self sufficient enough to get his own ride. True, it wasn't a thing of beauty, but it got excellent gas mileage and was reliable. Plus Dib had figured he could fix it up a little, what with his best nemesis being an alien with much more superior technology. (Not that he would ever admit such a thing to Zim.)

Dib tried to think of another excuse. The worst that could happen was being kicked out of the party. Dib figured he had nothing to lose. With one last glance over his shoulder at Zim, he managed one last excuse.

"Don't you need a date to get into one of Billy Dillinger's parties?" he offered in a last ditch effort. Zim snorted as he opened the door to the passenger seat.

"That is exactly why you are escorting me." The Irken said smoothly as he fastened his seatbelt into place. Dib sighed in defeat. He'd already known the outcome of his question but hearing it only seemed to seal his fate. He slid into the driver's seat, strapped himself in, and turned the key into ignition. Dib sighed once more, resigned to his fate. He pushed up his glasses, before putting the car in drive and backing out of the driveway.

Dib glanced over at Zim, who fiddled with the radio for a few moments before apparently finding a song that he liked. The music was soothing for a moment before Dib listened to the lyrics. It was a sad song about a man going into space, and his spaceship malfunctioning. Dib's brow furrowed. Zim was probably relating to the hurt alienation of the lyrics. He glanced once more at his nemesis, who was staring out the window into the night sky. Suddenly Dib was uncomfortable and tightened his grip on the steering wheel, banishing all thoughts and simply driving, staring blankly at the road ahead of him. There had been a moment similar to this a few summers ago. Dib bit his lip at the memory. The next song was something by Ke$ha which lightened the mood considerably. Zim perked up at the catchy tune, humming along with the stereo, nodding his head slightly to the beat. Dib relaxed for a bit. He was not so used to the reflective side of Zim. It brought back painful memories.

His stomach lurched with anxiety however as they pulled onto the street where Billy Dillinger's house was. There were cars lining the streets and finding a parking space was a bit of a challenge but Dib managed to find a spot a street away. He took a deep breath, and looked over at Zim who was practically bouncing with excitement.

"You ready to do this?" he asked, fully aware of how ready the alien was.

"Of course! Zim was hatched ready!" he laughed, tossing aside his seatbelt and practically leaping out the car door. They began the short walk up to the driveway. Dib had expected Zim to have some trouble traversing the gravel terrain in his six inch heels, but the alien was practically a picture of grace, gliding up the driveway. The house was huge, light pouring out from the windows, the music could be heard blaring a mile away. Dib would have expected no less from snobby rich kids. He briefly wondered if people viewed him as a "rich kid" because of his father's success. (He never understood why his father was praised as much as he was; Super Toast left something to be desired as far as Dib was concerned.) The front lawn was littered with trash and a few stray teens lingering on the porch or in one case, hanging from a tree in the front yard by his underwear. Zim took his arm and linked it through Dib's. Dib quirked an eyebrow at him in question. Zim rolled his eyes so hard Dib thought his contacts might fall out.

"Don't get any ideas, human. Zim is only using you as his ticket in." he hissed. "Y'know. Because you need a date to get in or whatever." he mumbled as an afterthought. Dib shrugged it off as they approached the front door. A few of the kids hanging around on the porch eyed them up, whispering to one another. Dib ignored this as well. He reached out and rang the doorbell, wondering if it would even be heard over the music.

"Hey Zim," A girl to the left of them snickered, pausing for a moment to ash her cigarette. "Nice shoes, you mind if I borrow 'em sometime?" her question was punctuated with a laugh from the few others surrounding her. Dib narrowed his eyes. It was one thing when he made fun of Zim, but he was sick of everyone else treating them like shit. Zim looked unperturbed, he grinned at her.

"Of course, Margo. I would be delighted to lend you these height shoes, where should I deposit them? In your currently decaying lungs? Or perhaps I should place them up your fat ass." He said sweetly. Margo's eyes went wide while Dib and a few of the other teens laughed. Zim pointedly turned away from her, back towards the door, ringing the doorbell once more.

"Whatever, faggots." Margo mumbled dejectedly. Dib whirled around at that, seeing red. But before he could open his mouth, Zim was pulling him into the house.

"Pay no mind to them, dirt child." Zim said calmly, patting Dib's arm in a surprising display of compassion. "Classic humans." Zim chuckled almost fondly as he withdrew his arm from Dib's. Dib couldn't tell if he was relieved or slightly hurt at the action. He shook the thought from his head as he surveyed the scene.

There was booze everywhere. Kegs, cases, and ice chests all over the living room floor. There was beer in coffee mugs, water bottles, and soda cups. Red plastic cups sat in the hands of almost every adolescent he set his eyes on. The music was loud and poppin'. The lyrics were indistinguishable against the bass but people were singing along anyway. There was a mass of bodies swaying along to the beat, grinding on one another in a way with such reverence and devotion that it almost seemed religious. Towards the staircase on a long rectangular couch sat about ten to fifteen people, all of which were stoned or in the process of becoming stoned. Dib almost screamed when he saw Zim was being handed a bong. He mentally cursed himself for taking his eyes off the alien and dashed over to him.

"Zim! What are you doing!?" Dib cried, swiping the bong out of the alien's gloved clutches. Zim gave a noise of protest as Dib handed it back to the stoner on the couch.

"Hey man, don't be such a downer." The stoner said. "Let the little dude have some fun, what are you, his mom?" he accused. Dib glared at him before grabbing Zim and leading him away from the couch, toward the kitchen.

"What did you do that for?!" Zim shrieked. "How am I supposed to have an authentic party experience if you don't let me experience it?! Zim is not a smeet, he does not need to be looked after. In fact, he is much older and wiser than your human brain can even begin to comprehend!" Dib had learned how to tune out the Irken's monologues years ago. He knew perfectly well how old Zim was.

"Look Zim, I don't know what kind of drugs they have on your planet, but I don't want you to have to be exposed to the ones here." Truthfully, he didn't know the exact effects of marijuana but he didn't want it to have some adverse effect on Zim's alien body. Who knew what could happen. Zim, however, scoffed at him.

"Zim is aware of the effects of marijuana. I have been under the influence before, you know." Dib couldn't believe what he was hearing. Who had given Zim weed? Zim didn't have any friends. He'd never even been to a party before! Dib decided he didn't want to know. There was a tap on his shoulder and he glanced over his shoulder to tell whoever it was to leave them alone. His brain stopped functioning when he caught sight of the culprit.

The most beautiful girl Dib had ever seen was standing behind them. She smiled at him.

"Um. Would you mind moving out of the way?" She asked. Dib nodded quickly, stepping out of her path and almost squashing Zim in the process, who let out a yelp. She laughed lightly, pausing to look him up and down in amusement

"What's your name?" she asked.

Dib fought to find his voice for a moment. Never before had any female taken an interest in him.

"Dib Membrane." he managed to croak out, clearing his throat self consciously. He saw Zim rolling his eyes and elbowed the alien, who let out a squawk of surprise.

"Membrane, huh?" she said, tapping her lips as though in thought. "Like the scientist?" Dib quickly deflated, realising her angle. People who only used him for his father's power were typically not people Dib got on with.

"Yeah." he murmured, suddenly wanting to be a million miles from here.

"I never really got what the big deal was with that guy. Sure he's smart and all but Super Toast totally left something to be desired." Dib's eyes widened.

"Exactly," he breathed, suddenly unable to look anywhere but at her.

"My name's Kelsi." Her smile was bright as she stretched out a hand towards him. "Wanna dance?"

Dib was lead onto the makeshift dance floor before he even realised he had taken her hand. There was a shout of anger behind him and he looked over his shoulder at Zim, who had an irked expression on his face, stomping his glittered foot angrily. Dib managed a shrug and an apologetic smile as he turned his attention back to Kelsi. Her afro puffs shook as she danced, Dib felt his face heating up at their close proximity. Never had he been in such a situation. With his luck, he probably never would be again, he mused.

Meanwhile Zim watched as the two human adolescents danced in a manner that reminded him of frenzied animals. A look around suggested that wasn't far from the truth. He sighed and turned on his six inch heel dramatically, his good mood squashed under that girl's platform shoes. Didn't she know platform's were out this season?

"Tacky little human rat." Zim murmured as he leaned against a wall despondently. He could feel his antennae drooping and he hated himself for such a display of weakness, even if no one could see them. A few girls to his right heard him murmuring.

"Why the long face, doll?" A female with long brown hair asked. Zim blinked at her for a moment before answering cautiously.

"My date ditched me for another girl." he growled. There was a chorus of gasps from the three girls, who immediately circled in around him.

"What a jerk!"

"You don't deserve that, hun."

"Who does that guy think he is?"

Zim huffed, "Probably thinks he's the savior of this planet." The girls collectively growled, all ready to practically disembowel Dib. Zim appreciated their anger on his behalf, he was flattered actually, but as much as he disliked the human he did not want him dead. Not yet, at least.

"Thank you, ladies, but it does not matter what Zi- what I feel." Zim deflated, correcting himself.

"What do you mean?" A blonde to his right asked. Zim tapped his fingers together, looking at the floor for moment, brow furrowed.

"The Dib and I are not in any sort of romantic relationship. He is," Zim paused, watching as Kelsi brought Dib a drink. She batted her lashes at him, but Dib was busy inspecting the label of the bottle in his hand with a tiny ghost printed on the front. "...Utterly clueless." Zim finished with a click of his tongue. Her blatant attempts at flirting were going unnoticed, thank The Tallests.

"So, you came here together, but you're not together, together?" One girl slurred in question. Zim nodded lamely. The idea of being an "item", as the humans put it, was so foreign to him. And yet, it was much more appealing to him than it had been six years ago. There had been an incident two years ago, when Dib had been fifteen, and Zim found that it had completely changed his disposition on human affection. He shook his head at the memory, wig moving sharply with his gesticulations. "We do have…..history." Zim cringed at his confession. "But I initially turned him down." His eyes downcast. The girls cooed in sympathy.

"Ya never know whatcha got 'till it's gone." one girl slurred. The others nodded in agreement. Zim picked up one of their drinks and downed it like a dehydrated man would drink water.

Kelsi, Dib found, was a very interesting person. She went to school a town over from him and had a cocker spaniel named Cookie. He also found interesting her way of not being disgusted by him. After a few drinks on both their parts, she leaned her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist and they swayed dangerously off balance. She laughed at something he said and raised her head slightly to whisper in his ear.

"Let's go upstairs." She cooed.

Dib had never felt this alive in his entire life. This beat being chased by Yeti down a mountain by a long shot. No wonder most high school boys were always partying and chasing after girls. He couldn't believe what he'd been missing out on.

Zim growled as he watched the two sway together. They were both intoxicated, he knew that much. He also figured he was well on his way to joining them in that respect. He glanced around the room for the umpteenth time, only now did he realize that the Gaz-human was here as well. She was leaning on an armchair, kissing a female he couldn't identify at the moment. He shook his head and looked back to where Dib and the She-Beast had been. They had moved! They were going upstairs! Zim had seen too many Earth Lindsay Lohan movies to recognize this as a universal sign of human mating.

He would not let that happen. He quickly sprinted after them as fast as his inebriated little legs would carry him. Making it past the sea of dancers in his six inch heels would be an obstacle, but he had to stop Dib from doing this. He had certainly faced greater challenges.

Dib groaned into Kelsi's mouth. He felt more than heard her laugh in return, as they kissed sloppily. Her hands tangled through his hair as he grabbed her waist and brought her closer to him. She kissed down his neck, sucking on his collarbone before pulling off with a loud, wet, popping sound. He shivered in response, rubbing his hands up and down the sides of her body. They leaned in to kiss once more, when suddenly the door to their small room was kicked open with a burst of light from the hallway. It was Zim.

"Zim what the hell!" Dib cried.

"Do you know him?" Kelsi asked in drunk confusion, apparently not recognizing him from the kitchen earlier. Dib groaned.

"Yes, he does know me. He knows me very well. He is my date!" Zim snapped at her, teeth bared. Kelsi looked to Dib for clarification. Dib stared at the alien for a moment before turning back to Kesli.

"Ok, we came here together. But we didn't really come together!" He explained. Kelsi looked at him with apparent disgust.

"Sorry, but I don't sleep with guys who have other girls-or boys- on the side." She hissed. She seemed to consider for a moment. "Actually, I'm not sorry." She concluded before stumbling drunkenly past Zim and out into the hallway.

"Kelsi wait!" Dib cried, jumping up to run after her, but he was promptly shoved back into the room by Zim.

"What the fuck Zim!" Dib yelled. "You just scared off the only girl in the state that would even come near me!" Zim growled in response.

"Good!" He hissed, "You are mine, human!" Dib stared at him in aggravated, inebriated confusion.

"What are you talking about?!" He cried out. Zim let out a sound of frustration before tearing off his wig angrily.

"I am returning your affections!" He screamed, throwing the wig onto the floor. "I like you...romantically! You stupid, insolent, idiotic human!" He yelled, huffing and puffing afterwards. Dib didn't say anything. They stared at one another, chests heaving. Eventually the silence became too heavy and Zim anxiously jumped out the nearby window onto the roof.

He sat, huddled, knees drawn up to his chest. He pulled off his contacts in anger, chittering to himself in upset. His antennae twitched, picking up the vibrations of Dib struggling to follow him onto the roof. The human settled next to him awkwardly, Zim noticed he had his wig in his hand.

"Zim….." He started, unsure how to continue. "When I…When I kissed you, that summer, I was just a confused kid with a crush," he confessed. "Shit, I'm still a confused kid." He laughed slightly.

"You've grown a lot since then." Zim said quietly. Dib blinked at him, suddenly much more sober than he had been five minutes ago.

"Is it...is it because I'm taller?" Dib asked. Zim turned to look at him, eyes wide, his antennae were pointed up in surprise. Dib thought he could make out a blush forming on the alien's face. He knew that on Irk their social hierarchy was based on height, as ludicrous as it sounded. Perhaps it was just an instinct in Zim to fall for a creature taller than him. The alien shook his head fervently.

"No….I meant, you've matured since then. Not just physically." He muttered. Dib looked out at the front lawn in thought.

"Zim. We've known each other a long time. We've had some crazy adventures. Some good and some bad. I think we both know I'm not the the only one that's changed over the years." He gave a small smile and Zim seemed to reflect on this. He gave a small, unsure nod. "What I'm getting at is that we're all the other really has. Whether we're rivals or not...I don't want to ruin what we have with something we don't even know will work." Dib finished with a sigh. Zim visibly deflated, antennae flat against his head.

"Zim understands." He muttered, leaning his head onto Dib's side. They sat like that for a long time in companionable silence; looking at the night sky. There was a chirping, a high warbling sound and Dib realized it was Zim doing something akin to humming. He vaguely recognized it as the tune they had heard in the car about the spaceman.

"Which one is Irk?" Dib asked, gesturing towards the stars. Zim blinked at him as though he didn't understand. He lifted his small, gloved hand and pointed to a small pinprick of light. It almost seemed to be on the other side of the universe.

"Do you miss it?" He asked quietly, realizing it was a stupid question.

"Of course." Zim stated. He sounded very far away. Dib wondered what it would be like to be so far from home for so long. To have been abandoned by your own people and have all contact with them cut off. It sounded like a cruel nightmare. He wrapped an arm around the Irken comfortingly. Zim stirred, as though waken from a dream. He stood up abruptly, grabbing his wig from Dib and putting in his contact lenses. He crawled back through the window into the house. Dib sat and stared after him. Zim poked his head back out the window.

"Well?" He started impatiently. "Are you gonna sit out there all night or are you going to get your ass in here and party with me?" He growled. Dib broke into a lopsided grin and grabbed Zim's outstretched hand.

Three hours later, Dib was on the verge of passing out.

"How're we gonna get home?" He asked, more to himself than to Zim. Zim shrugged from his place on the staircase. People were beginning to clear out. The house was an absolute wreck and Dib felt sorry for Billy Dillinger, whose parents were due to be home sometime the next afternoon. He spotted Gaz canoodling with a girl who seemed familiar but he was too drunk to really discern who it was.

"Gaz," he cried, stumbling over to her. She looked up at him in surprise.

"Dib? What are you doing here?" He was about to answer but she quickly shut him down with an 'I Don't Care'. Zim came shuffling after him, saluting the two females with a grin.

"Invader Tak! Good t'see ya," he slurred. He murmured something to her in Irken and jerked a thumb towards Dib. Dib blinked. So it was Tak. Normally he would've inquired on why she was here, with his sister, but he was honestly just too drunk to care.

"So, Dib, you planning on driving home?" Gaz inquired. Dib opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by his sister answering for him. "I thought not. C'mon boys. I'll drive you home." Dib handed her his keys, which, were miraculously still on his person.

They dropped off Zim first, who didn't even make it into his house before passing out.

"Should we help him?" Dib asked tiredly. Gaz shook her head

"He'll be fine." She said as she sped away, leaving Zim sprawled on his front lawn.

They drove the rest of the way home in relative silence, the radio playing filled in their gaps.

"Why'd you drive us home?" Dib asked. Gaz shrugged and gave him a small grin.

"Let's just say I'm in a good mood." She hummed. Dib could make out hickies on her neck but he decided not to mention it. She gave him a side glance.

"What's with the hickey?" She asked him. Dib blinked, putting a hand to where his neck met his collarbone and blushed.

"Oh yeah...I met a girl." He laughed. "Zim scared her off though."

"Typical." She laughed, pulling into their driveway.

Dib fell to bed like he was a rock sinking into water. He thought over the events of tonight and grinned to himself. Zim would probably show up whining tomorrow about a hangover. Which reminded him that he needed to pick up aspirin in the morning.

He fell asleep to the stars looking down on him.