Disclaimer: IZ does not belong to me.

NOTE: This is where the majority of the AU kicks in. I've fully transformed the Irkens!... I think...

Whenever the two hung out together, Zim would always wear his disguise. Which, in truth, wasn't even a good disguise; just contacts and a wig. Yet Zim insisted on wearing them all the time, except for when they were in the tree-house behind Dib's house, because it was the only place they could go without being interrupted. If they were, Zim had time to put his disguise back on.

One day, the two were lying in that tree-house, when Dib asked, "Do you really have to wear that disguise all the time?"

"Of course!" Zim responded. Then his eyes narrowed. "Do you WANT me to be captured by your planet's government?" Though they had been friends for a little while now, Zim was still mistrustful at times, even on occasion accusing Dib of trying to turn him into the Earth government. Accusations Dib always denied.

"No, stupid! It's just..." Dib sat up, looking down at his feet. "Do you miss not having to take that disguise off? Do you miss seeing people of your own kind?" Even at the tender age of seven years old, Dib was more intelligent than most adults. He felt a special kind of empathy with Zim; that someone finally understood him.

Zim sat up, curling into himself. His arms hugged his legs tight to his body. "I... well... you can't miss something you've never had." Dib stared blankly at him. "I was born on Earth, Dib; I've never set foot on Irk."

"Irk?" Dib repeated, blinking in surprise. Zim never talked about his people.

"The Irken home planet. I've never been there, but my parents have. Sometimes my mother- I mean, Maternal Unit- tells me stories about what it's like there. My Paternal Unit never talks about it." He looked down at the worn wooden floor of the tree-house.

Dib decided to push further. "What's it like? Irk, I mean."

"Well, it's a pretty uniform planet. Everyone where's what they're supposed to wear, do what they're supposed to do. There's no media, no movies and video games; but people live on anyways. They have jobs, get married, and have children. Smeets go to school, adults work for the better of the empire, and the Tallest make sure everything is going smoothly." Zim didn't look at Dib. He seemed to be lost in his own world.

"The Tallest?" Dib questioned. Zim looked up at him with hurt eyes and, for a moment, Dib felt guilty. Then he smiled and turned to look out the window.

"The Tallest are our leaders."

"Your leaders are just taller than everyone else?" Dib asked in disbelief. This coming from the society that traveled the stars.

"No," Zim shook his head. "It used to be like that, though. Then, one day, a hero overthrew them and started a monarchy. They still call themselves the 'Tallest' out of respect for the old leaders, even if they're not the tallest people on the planet.

"The Tallest duties are to govern the empire, which consists of three different solar systems; lead the military; perform the initiation ceremony for higher military and government ranks; and occasionally act as judges during certain court cases, like when the prosecuted is a high-ranking official, or when the case involves a planet wide controversy." Zim laid back down, resting his head on his arms. "Yep, they're pretty busy Irkens."

Dib nodded. "Yeah..."

Zim suddenly shot up, grabbing his disguise. "Shoot! It's late! I've gotta get home!"

Dib didn't bother to get up; this was always how their days together ended. With Zim running out suddenly, having to get home. "Okay. See you tomorrow?"

Zim was about to nod, then paused. "No. Meet me tonight in the park. There's something I wanna show you." Dib raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it. Actually, he couldn't. Zim was already gone.

Later that night, Dib snuck out of his bedroom window. It wouldn't have been the first time he snuck out to hang with Zim. And it was always worth it. The first time he snuck out, Zim took him flying in a space ship! Sure, they never left Earth's atmosphere, but it was exciting, just flying around. Though Zim didn't show it, he was exhilarated, too. If Dib had to guess, he'd say Zim stole it for a joyride.

He didn't run to the park. He knew that no matter how fast he ran Zim would be there, waiting for him. He ALWAYS beat Dib to places, and the young human couldn't figure out how quite yet. Probably some sort of alien tech.

At the park, Dib found his assumptions were right; Zim was right there, waiting for him at the top of the hill where they first met. Being summer, he wasn't wearing a coat or anything like that this time around. He just stood there, staring up into the sky.

"Hey!" Dib ran up to his friend, but froze when he got close.

Zim wasn't wearing his disguise.

He wasn't even ATTEMPTING to hide the blunt alienness of his appearance.

Zim turned to him, coming out of the strange trance he had been in moments prior. He smiled at the boy he called friend. "Hey, Dib! Come up here!"

Hesitantly, Dib climbed the hill, wondering what Zim had called him here for. The Irken seemed kind of distant tonight. At the top of the hill, Zim gave Dib a sad sort of smile. Then he looked up, staring into the night sky. He pointed to a seemingly random star.

"THAT," He began, "Is where Irk is supposed to be. I asked my parents about it." He sat down on the ground, with Dib sitting next to him. "Ya know, once my training's finished, I'm going back to Irk."

"Why are you here in the first place?" Dib asked, then immediately tried to correct his mistake, "I mean, not that I don't want you hear, but..."

To his surprise, Zim laughed. "Relax, Dib-friend." He looked back up. "I'm not sure, to be honest. Once I asked my Paternal Unit about it, but he told me to sort through the trash. And then, he threw me down the trash chute." Dib winced. "My mother, however, told me something big is going on at Irk, and she and Paternal Unit had to get away to protect me, cause I hadn't been born yet."

Dib frowned, trying not to snort. Zim's father didn't see the younger boy as anything but a nuisance, from Dib's point of view.

"When you go back... you'll visit me, right?" Dib asked, turning to Zim with a nervous frown. Zim met his glance with a smile.

"Of course, man. We are friends." They continued to stare up at the sky. A red streak crossed their line of view, speeding towards Earth. "Hey, check it out! A shooting star!" Dib pointed at it. Zim's eyes narrowed.

"Right..." Dib was too excited to notice the gears in Zim's head grinding in motion.

Smiling, Dib closed his eyes and pressed his hands together. Zim watched with curiosity. When Dib opened his eyes, Zim was frowning at him.

"What was that about, dude?"

Dib stared at him innocently. "What? On Earth, people wish on shooting stars."

"Oh," Silence. And then... "So, what did you wish for, then."

Dib giggled. "I can't tell you. Otherwise, the wish won't come true." He rolled onto his side to face Zim. The alien met his gaze, sour at first, before lightening up. He turned back to the sky, deep in thought as Dib continued to watch for any other shooting stars.

The two headed home after some time. Dib saw Zim off there at the park. Since they lived in different directions, neither bothered to see the other home. At his house, Dib climbed back into bed. He smiled, then frowned, the image of Zim's distracted face popping into his head.

Was he really that homesick?

But then he remembered that Zim had never been to Irk before, and that he'd only been so distracted after seeing the shooting star. He saw something Dib hadn't, the boy knew. Yet he hadn't said anything. What was he keeping from Dib?

In the end the child fell asleep musing on it. Too young and innocent to understand the impact the runaway family could have on his family by merely being there. Too naïve to wonder about the secret Zim was keeping from him.

He couldn't understand just yet. And maybe this was the way Zim wanted it.

…okay, that could've gone... better? Worse?

It was just two boys hanging out. Maybe something interesting will happen next chapter... or maybe I'm just torturing you. You'll never know...