How did we get here?

by ArkaticTheLost

Things have changed after all these years. But are they willing to accept these changes, or will they keep denying them? And when Dib gets the chance to get rid of Zim for good, will he take it, or will the two of them find something else to keep them together. (Zadr story, Teen rating, I don't own anything. Enjoy) (P.S Post Enter the Florpus)

12. Just two boys at prom: Part 3

Finally, the time has come. After having teased you for so long, I am proud to present to you, the final chapter of the prom arc…where there is an actual prom for once. I may have taken too long to reach that part.

No matter, for it is here, and I'm praying that you won't be disappointed. So…enjoy!

---

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

The week had gone by as it usually did. Which meant that it had involved a lot of yelling and fighting. But Dib still hadn't forgotten what was awaiting the both of them.

He wasn't too surprised when he realized that Zim acted like their whole exchange where Dib invited him to prom didn't happen. Or rather, Zim wasn't acting any different. It was only Dib who seemed to think about the upcoming prom, with any excitement whatsoever. But maybe excitement was the wrong word to use, as he still wasn't completely sure what it was he was feeling. Was it anxiety, fear, joy, anticipation, or all of them together at the same time? He didn't want to allow himself to have any positive emotions when it came to the prom, but at the same time, he kept feeling a sense of delight whenever he thought about it. After all, he was going to the prom, and actually with someone. Though he would have wished it could have been anyone else. He was confused enough as it was, he didn't need wanting to have Zim go to the prom with him also adding to the pile of speculations that was growing in his mind.

But it didn't matter, as it was too late at that point. It was Saturday night, and Dib was slowly making his way down the stairs from the first floor. He glared at the door to the outside as he moved, feeling a primordial fear connected with it as if walking through it would be the point of no return. Which was not true, as that ship had sailed a long time ago. Dib could technically just not go, but the hell Zim would raise in response would most definitely be worse than whatever could happen at the prom.

With heavy steps, he walked down the last step and began his journey to the exit. Just then, a voice from behind him called out. A voice he really wished would have minded their own business.

"Wow…So you're really going, huh?"

Dib let out a growling sigh upon hearing his sister. He snapped around, staring daggers at her.

"To be honest, I thought you would chicken out at the last second." She continued, her admiration buried deep below her apathetic tone and disinterested expression.

"I'm not in the mood for this Gaz," Dib answered back with contempt.

"If you haven't gotten anything else to say, then I think I will just leave." He pointed with his thumb at the door behind him. Before he managed to turn around, Gaz spoke again.

"Hey! I just wanted to wish you good luck, asshole."

"Oh really! I thought you were being sarcastic, or just mocking me. You know, like you always do?" He said back, with judginess in his voice, which earned a frustrated look from Gaz.

"God Dib, don't tell me you're still mad at me for-"

"Mad?! Why would I ever be mad at you? It's not like you forced me to ask an actual, evil alien to prom! Oh, wait, YOU DID!"

"Hey, I didn't force you! We made a deal. Get your facts straight."

"A deal, sure, that's what it was," Dib said, exasperated at the fact she still wasn't willing to admit that what she had done was wrong. Would it be so hard? She went through his private life, used the information she gained to blackmail him, and forced him into a situation he had no desire to be put in. He didn't know how everyone else's brain worked, but for him, it was pretty clear that what she had done was a bit screwed up. And yet she still acted like she hadn't done anything even remotely wrong. He just wanted her to admit that. But there she stood, as stubborn as always.

"...I'm not going to keep arguing about this Gaz. I have somewhere to be."

With that, he finally turned around and started walking to the door. Yet only after a few stops, he was once again interrupted by Gaz.

"Wait!" She called out, in an uncharacteristically desperate manner. Dib turned to face her again, his face covered with a snarling expression. But it was soon replaced by a confused look, as when he looked at Gaz he was met by a strange expression, that might have been worry or guilt. He wondered for a moment if she might actually apologize to him. If she did, the shock would have made him faint on the spot. But instead, her expression gave way to her usual appearance, though it seemed somehow unstable like a decaying building. It was like she was forcing herself to look unaffected by his words.

"...Aren't you going to bring him flowers?" She jokingly asked, though, with her usual tone, it sounded more like mocking than a good-natured jab.

Dib wanted to just leave, and not let her get one last reaction out of him. It was what he should do, and what she deserved…but if there is one thing constantly being around Zim had done to him, then it was making him need to have the last word in every conversation. A need he might always have had, but it was easier to blame it on Zim.

"Ha, ha. Very funny Gaz." Dib said with a sarcastic tone and a bitter look.

"I'm sure you would have loved to see me walk over and hand him a bouquet. Right out of a romantic movie. And you know what? Maybe I DID plan to do that but then realized that he would most likely throw them out…or eat them."

"I don't see the problem. It would still be worth it just to see his reaction."

"Yeah, but then it would be at my expense."

"Still don't see a problem." She replied with a wry smile, making Dib try his best to hold back a sarcastic laugh. Once he had suppressed the urge, he looked at her again with a judging look, not planning any time soon to have everything between them fixed by just joking around. It was fun, true, but for once he wasn't going to let something go.

"Now, seriously, I need to go. Do you have any more clever remarks for me, or have you finally thought of something better to do?"

There was a short moment when the two siblings looked at each other in silence. Dib looked at her face and wasn't able to decipher her blank expression. Then, without a word, she started walking to the stairs.

"Fine." She muttered with a tired voice. When she reached the stairs and had walked up a few steps, she stopped in her tracks and slightly turned her head toward Dib.

"...Good luck." She said in a nearly sympathetic fashion, before finally making her way up to the top of the steps. As Dib looked on, he once again felt the need to have the last word.

"Coming from you, I don't think that means anything." Dib coldly commented, but Gaz didn't stop walking or even turned to face him, so he didn't see her reaction. If she even did react. He wasn't sure he would have liked to see it anyway, as he was under the impression he would most likely find himself disappointed. Yet he couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth. It wasn't the most clever sentence he had ever said, but he felt it convoyed well enough his thoughts. If he was lucky, she would think about them. Just for a moment.

With that, he let out a shaking sigh and went toward the door. He didn't even manage to walk five meters before another voice called out to him.

"HEY, SON!" Professor Membrane's cheerful voice rang through the hallway, surprising Dib and making him let out a shriek. Once he remembered who the voice belonged, he slapped himself in his frustrated face.

"WHY DOES EVERYONE HAVE TO SNEAK UP ON ME?!" He yelled to the ceiling, wondering what the point of fighting Zim all of those years was if people were still able to walk up behind him, without him even noticing it.

"Uhm…son?" Membrane said again, that time with a slight hesitation in his voice, as he wondered if it was one of those 'bad timing' situations he had heard so much about.

Dib put the discussion about what he had even accomplished with his life back for later use and turned to face his dad with an embarrassed smile.

"Hey…dad. I hadn't even noticed you were home." He said, the words sounding much more forced than they actually were, to Dib's concern. Though it seemed to not faze the professor.

"And I hadn't noticed you were going out!" The professor joyfully replied before a sudden look of suspiciousness appeared on his face. Dib stood still as a plank and nervously looked around, while his dad seemed to inspect him.

"Which reminds: where is it you're going? We've just eaten!"

If there was something worse than discussing the whole prom thing with his sister, then it was talking with his dad about it. Especially considering his…interesting partner. The last time Zim had been over he hadn't exactly left a good impression. And here he was, going to the prom with him.

"Oh…uhm."

Maybe I can just not tell him? Isn't that an option? Isn't that something I'm allowed to do?! Ugh, come on Dib, keep it together! Remember, you're for once doing something normal! The worst thing that could happen if I tell him is that he's going to faint from shock. Besides, he may just forget to ask who I'm going with. Yeah, that seems plausible.

Dib took in a deep breath as if he was preparing to confess to a crime.

Okay, here I go.

"I'm…I'm going to the prom. You know, like people do…normal people."

A strained smile was the best he could do to cover his panic, as he realized how stupid he had just sounded. But luckily for him, the professor didn't seem to notice. In truth, he seemed delighted upon hearing the news.

"The prom, how wonderful! Ah, I still remember when it was my turn to go, though it was such a long time ago."

"Really? how did it go?"

"Oh, I didn't go. I instead spent that night eccentrically involved with SCIENCE! But enough about me, what about you? I trust that you're going with a partner? Or else it's gonna be an incredibly humiliating and unpleasant experience I think you would benefit more from not attending."

He wasn't even talking down to Dib when mentioning the part about not going with a partner. It was so matter-of-factly that Dib was insulted that his dad somehow seemed to know that there was a big chance he wasn't going to be able to go with someone. Though he considered that he might have been exaggerating a bit. And yet, with Dib's reputation, it was most likely that going would be one of the worst experiences in his life. If he didn't count all of his near-death encounters with Zim, of course.

"A-a partner? Umh, yeah, I got one of those."

Why do I sound so awkward?! He's gonna end up asking who I'm going with!

"Great son! Who is it?" Professor Membrane encouragingly asked.

Great work Dib. I might as well wear a sign telling people to ask who I choose to ask to the prom.

Dib was about to start his convoluted scheme to try and avoid answering the question, or come up with a convincing lie that was most definitely not going to sound convincing at all. But then right as he's about to open his mouth, Membrane took up his hand and said "Wait,", stopping Dib in the process. He looked at his dad with a confused look, as he felt a shift in the air as if something magnificent was going to happen. His dad then walked closer, and promptly placed a heavy hand on Dib's shoulder, who could only look on in confusion and wonder.

"Son, you don't have to answer that." There was something about his voice that sounded different. He couldn't pinpoint what it was, but it filled him with a serene sense of calmness.

"Instead, I want you to know that whoever it is you're going with, as long as you're happy with that person, I'm happy as well. So I want you to go and have a great time tonight, and then you can tell me all about it later."

Dib looked at his father with wonder in his eyes, as he processed what was happening. Then it suddenly hit him.

Is this a…father-son bonding moment? I had completely forgotten what that felt like.

"...Sure, dad. That sounds like a plan."

"GOOD!" His dad said, while enthusiastically patting him on the shoulder. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel. On one hand, it was nice to be reminded that his father still loved him, but on the other, those moments were so few, that afterward, they felt more like a smack in the face than a happy memory. But that was something he could deal with later in his life, as he was still going to have to deal with Zim and that was something that required as much of his attention as possible.

"Thanks." Dib sheepishly muttered though it was meant to be genuinely sincere.

"Well then, I have to go now, so goodbye and see you-"

"One more thing Dib." Membrane said, making Dib feel dread as he realized that the universe might just be planning to keep him away from the prom all night, with how many interruptions he experienced each time he tried to leave.

"You're not planning to go while wearing that outfit, are you?"

Surprise covered Dib's face, as he looked at himself, and at the same coat and style of t-shirt and jeans, he had worn for as long as he could remember. He felt a bit offended at being called out like that.

"What's wrong with this? It's what I always wear."

"I'm not letting my son go out like that. This is a special night for you, and you have to dress right for the occasion."

At first, Dib was just annoyed, but then he saw an excited glint in his father's eyes and understood that something was horribly wrong.

"Which is why I have just now decided that you are going to wear something suitable."

"Oh no."

"I think I have an old suit I wore at your age-"

"OH NO"

"-from when I was at a wedding once."

"Oh no."

"I think it's lying around somewhere in the garage. Just you wait here my boy, and I shall find it for you!"

"...Oh no…"

---

"MASTER…IS THE OUTFIT REALLY NECESSARY?" Zim's robotic computer asked, his otherwise emotionless voice filled with a very human concern for what it was Zim was getting himself into.

Zim was standing in the middle of one of the underground sections of his secret base, surrounded by robotic arms that slowly were dressing their Irken overlord in an outfit of his design.

"Yes, it is very necessary. Unfortunately, it is required by human tradition that one wear some ceremonial clothing to these prom events. And there is NO WAY that I will wear one of their inferior stinking outfits. So I have chosen to design my own disgusting human clothes."

Though he tried to hide it, it was clear he was somewhat proud of what he had managed to create, with what limited capabilities that normal human design provided.

"I'M SURE YOU'RE EXTREMELY DEVASTED. STILL, IT LOOKS VERY HUMAN BY DESIGN."

"Well, it was made by me so it's of course much better than whatever those clumsy humans could create. It only looks human to deceive their feeble minds. Besides, it must attract the attention of the humans so that I can be chosen as ruler of the prom."

"YES, OF COURSE, WHY DIDN'T I CONSIDER THAT." The computer sarcastically remarked deciding to leave Zim to his own devices, as he could comfort himself with the knowledge that his infuriating master was going to be leaving soon enough. It didn't take very long before Zim was fully dressed. While he was inspecting himself, Gir came out of an elevator, and loudly gasped upon seeing Zim. He then desperately made his way closer, with Zim being worried that Gir was going to ruin his work in the process.

"OH, IT'S SO PRETTY!" Gir exceedingly commented, looking at Zim's outfit with the same glee as a child looking at a sky filled with shining stars.

"CAN I…can I touch it?" The robot asked, his voice nearly whispering. He snuck slightly closer, reaching a robotic hand out to touch the soft fabric. Zim made an "ICK!" before walking away from Gir.

"NO GIR, You can't touch it. You're gonna ruin it!"

"BUT, BUT…IT'S SO PRETTY! PLEASE, LET me TOUCH IT!" Gir pleaded as he laid down on the ground, his hand still reaching out to Zim.

"PLEASE?!"

"NO!"

"Pretty please?"

"NO Gir, and stop asking! I order you to stay away!"

"BUT SO PRETTY!"

As Gir was on the ground crying, Zim made his way to the elevator.

"Now that's taken care of, I only need for the Dib-worm to show up and take me to the prom-thing."

It barely took a second before the doors closed, and he was being carried up to the house.

"I'm sure it won't be too long before he comes."

---

"I hope I haven't taken too long," Dib muttered to himself, as he made his way through the neighborhood, toward Zim's house. It had taken some time but he managed to escape his home and could finally go over to pick up Zim. But the price had been heavy.

He was furiously tugging at his clothes, or rather, his dad's old clothes. It was a black tuxedo that was very, very old, and Dib swore he could hear the suit crunch whenever he moved his limps. And it was just as uncomfortable to wear as it was immovable. All in all, he felt more like he was going to a funeral for a rich deceased relative, than a hi skool prom with an alien as his partner. He had, of course, expected that his dad would have whipped something like that up for him to wear so he had at first been adamant about not wearing anything his dad suggested and was just going to go in his normal clothes. Unfortunately, his dad had apparently become so excited at the fact that Dib was going out, that he wasn't going to let his son ruin it for himself. So he had activated the house's security systems, so Dib couldn't leave until he of course wore the suit. Dib had already postponed picking up Zim out of either embarrassment or fear, so even without the conversation from Gaz, he was already a little too late. So in the end, he had given up any attempt to keep his integrity.

"You better be happy I'm coming at all, Zim." He continued to mutter, not sure if it was to rile him up or calm him down. He was neither sure why he was taking some of his frustrations out against Zim. Yeah, he was the reason Dib had ended up in the whole prom situation in the first place, but even he didn't feel it was fair to put all of the blame on Zim. Something he was slowly realizing he had become all too used to doing.

He was still fighting with the suit, even as he reached Zim's house, and stood outside of its picket fence. It was only when he took a break from his fight and took a good look at the house, that he started to understand what it was he was about to do. Somehow years of fighting against each other had all led to Dib standing outside of his enemy's home, about to take him to the prom. He had long stopped questioning what had happened to his life, or where it was going. Zim had been nice enough to help him with that. So as he stood there, with a completely apathetic look on his face, masking his utter terror, there was only one thing he could tell himself to make sense of why he wasn't just running away and abandoning the entire ludicrous situation he found himself in.

I have come too far to walk away now. And if I did, Zim will never let me live it down. or Gaz. or maybe even my dad?

With that cheerful thought, he took a few steps into the lawn, keeping a close eye on the gnomes in the process. When they turned to face him, Dib was about to jump to cover, but then they suddenly returned to their normal position. Upon being sure that he wasn't going to be vaporized, he let out a relieved sigh.

Whew! At least he remembered to make sure I wouldn't be killed before reaching the front door.

He then started walking again, this time more confidently. That didn't stop him from feeling surprised when he reached the door much faster than he had expected. He had hoped for just a few moments of preparation, but as he was standing there, he realized there was no point in delaying the inevitable. He swallowed as a nervous reflex, as he knocked on the door, using his hand more like a hammer than a part of his body. Dib didn't even have time to take his hand back, before the door was swung open, the sudden movement staggering Dib for a moment. When he regained his sense and looked at who had opened the door, his lower jaw went completely numb and dangled from his open mouth.

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG EARTHWORM?!"

Zim looked at him with a frustrated expression, annoyed at the fact that he had to wait for The Dib to show up, like some helpless smeet.

Dib didn't answer him. Instead, he stood fully frozen, not even moving a single muscle. He might even have stopped breathing. Zim was confused at the human's reaction and quickly inspected him to see if he had been shot.

"Eh? What's wrong with you?" He asked, wondering if Dib's central nervous system had suddenly failed. Something he thought was very likely, considering the humans' inferior anatomy.

Dib continued to not answer and instead looked at Zim in a way he had never done before, slightly unsettling his already confused mind.

Before him stood the fearsome, dangerous, and unstable alien invader he had known for a good chunk of his life, in a dress. It wasn't just any kind of dress, of course not, that part Dib had expected. Zim was wearing a red dress, which went from his feet up to his chest, leaving his shoulders bare. The dress seemed to be made of silk, though Dib couldn't be sure. But it reflected light in a way that made it look like it was shining. And on his arms were a pair of long, thin gloves that seemed to be made out of the same material as the dress, but in black. The gloves themselves went from the tip of his claws to a little bit over his elbows. Then there was the main part, which had Dib completely entranced. The dress was glistening like it had been covered with glitter, though it was only in silver color. Besides the gloves, the entire dress was sparkling, and he could only think about how it looked like a red night sky, covered with thousands, if not millions of beautiful, shining stars.

The dress itself seemed to fit Zim almost perfectly, complementing his thin physique, together with the color that worked well with Zim's magenta red eyes. In the end, the dress was practically made for Zim.

"Uhm, Dib-thing? Why are you staring at me?" Zim cautiously asked as he was slowly starting to get nervous from the way that Dib was looking at him.

It seemed Zim's voice was able to pull Dib out of his trance, as he suddenly got a confused look on his face, quickly replaced by panic.

Oh shit, what do I say?! What word do I use? Beautiful, gorgeous, pretty, or handsome? Why are so many words spinning in my head?! Come on, pick something!"

"I-it's just that I think that…you look…good." He tested the word 'good' with near hostility as if worried that it would crawl out of his mouth with stinging pain. But upon saying it, he felt a strange calmness. He thought about it for a moment and was surprised when he realized he didn't feel like slapping himself for saying it.

"Yeah…you look good." He said again, with a light-hearted smile on his face, as if just saying the word made him feel happy.

Zim looked back at him with both a shocked and blank expression. Dib knew that Zim was going to have some kind of reaction, but it was impossible to know what it would be. Then a pink hue started appearing on the alien's cheeks, a fact that he seemed to be aware of.

"O-of course I look good! I'm Zim after all, so naturally even I could pull off wearing your species' lousy excuse for clothing." He confidently replied. A little too confidently, as if he was trying to distract Dib from his blushing cheeks.

They stood for a moment in awkward silence, seemingly waiting for the other to take charge of the conversation. Zim was in no hurry, as he was already recovering from his shameful display of gratification. Dib was neither much interested in leading the conversation, as he was trying to understand what had happened to him when he first looked at Zim. It was just Zim in a dress, that little bug had done crazier things. Yet he had found himself completely paralyzed at the sight, and when he thought about it, all he could think was how good Zim looked in it. Something he had never imagined thinking, even in his wildest nightmares. But it was such a strong feeling that he wasn't even able to try and deny it. He even felt a bit bad about himself, when he compared his looks to Zim.

"So, wouldn't it be reasonable for us to get going? With how late you've been, we're likely gonna end up missing the prom-thing entirely." Zim sarcastically mentioned, hoping to push them along. He hadn't spent all that time designing his gown to just stand in a doorframe. Dib was, fortunately, able to take the hint and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Sorry about that. Should we get going?"

Zim nodded back, and just as he was about to take a step out of his house, he suddenly stopped. He then looked at Dib, like he had never seen him before. Dib gave him a curious look, wondering what was going on. He soon got his answer, as an insulting look spread on Zim's face.

"WHAT ARE YOU'RE WEARING?!" He asked as if Dib was covered in nothing but rags. Though Dib neither liked the suit, he still felt the need to defend himself.

"Come on, it's not that bad-"

"WHERE IS YOUR COAT-THINGY?!"

"...Excuse me what?" Dib asked, having lost whatever thread there was to follow in their exchange.

"ZIM CAN'T GO WITH YOU IF YOU'RE NOT WEARING YOUR COAT! COME BACK WHEN YOU HAVE IT!" Zim exclaimed, before slamming the door shut, to Dib's surprise. He just stared at the closed door with a confused look. He continued to stare, before realizing what was happening was real.

"Zim, you can't be serious." He said with a skeptical tone, but there came no answer from the other side. It was at that point he was starting to understand that Zim was, in fact, being completely serious.

"Zim I'm not going back just because you want me to wear my coat!"

There was still no reply.

"...I know you can hear me."

Still nothing.

"...YOU BETTER OPEN THAT DOOR AND COME WITH ME OR ELSE I WILL BREAK THIS DOOR DOWN AND-" Dib's threat was cut short when he heard the all too familiar sound of lasers warming up behind him. Slowly, he turned around and found himself surrounded by Zim's laser gnomes.

"..."

---

The door to the Membrane house was suddenly kicked open, and an aggravated Dib walked in, his clothes riddled with burns and tears from being fired at with lasers. He stood in the hallway for a moment, before letting out a frustrated sigh. He then continued into the house, stamping his feet against the floor.

"That was quick. Did you get cold feet, prom-boy?" Gaz asked from inside the living room, not lifting her eyes from her video game.

"The coat. He wants me to get the coat." Dib answered back. Gaz looked up from her videogame in confusion and looked over to the hallway, where she just managed to see Dib pass by.

"That sweaty old coat? And also, who wants you to get it?"

"ZIM! HE WON'T GO UNLESS I WEAR IT!" An infuriated Dib yelled from the stairs, before stamping his way to his room. After a short moment, Dib returned mumbling something not very friendly to himself, concerning Zim. Gaz was still looking at the hallway and stared with a confused look as Dib walked by. After he had left, Gaz went back to her videogame.

"I still don't get why Zim even likes that coat." She muttered to herself, shaking her head.

"Ah, I'm glad to see you're finally back!" A pleased Zim commented, as he looked at Dib, who looked back at him with a judgemental stare. The alien inspected Dib for a moment, before continuing.

"And you have your stinking coat-thingy with you. Then we can finally get going, and get this over with."

The offhandedness with which Zim had said the last bit, made it hard for Dib to tell whether he was joking or being serious. But Dib just wanted to get going, so he stopped thinking about it.

"Great. I was just about to say the same thing."

"Good."

Zim then looked back into his house, and at Gir who was sitting on the couch.

"GIR! You have to take care of the base while I'm going out to enslave the skool. Understood?"

"YEEEEEEEEEESSSS SIR!" Gir replied, with a sloppy salute. He then went right back to watching the TV.

"Uhm…Are you sure it's a good idea to leave Gir alone?" Dib asked, pointing at the small robot.

"Of course! Gir is used to being left in charge of the base. He's gonna be fine." Zim dismissively answered.

"OOOHH, explosions," Gir said as he had just switched over to an action film. Zim looked back at him with a concerned look, which he quickly shook off.

"As long as he's watching the tele-box he should be distracted well enough. That leaves him with a high chance of only causing limited damage." He casually explained, to Dib's suspicion.

"And what is 'limited damage' by your standards, exactly?"

"...Shut up, Dib-beast."

---

It didn't take long before they were on their way to the skool. The journey itself wasn't going to take too long, but Dib could already feel that it was gonna be the longest walk of his life. It didn't help that he was both trying his best to keep his eyes off Zim, but at the same time constantly glancing at him. Zim had elicited many emotions in Dib throughout the years but never had the alien managed to distract him so much. He was usually distracting in all the annoying ways, Dib knew that, but like lots of things at the time, there was something different. Maybe it was the way Zim seemed so carefree and much more relaxed compared to his usual self. Even as they were walking he wasn't looking over his shoulders or shifting his eyes toward Dib, as if trying to figure out what was going on inside the human's head.

Another thing that could have made Zim so distracting was how well the dress suited him. It was nearly uncanny. Dib had seen him a few times without his uniform, but he had always seemed so uncomfortable without it. Yet with the dress, he walked as if he had always worn it. Which made Dib a bit suspicious.

"Soooo…Where did you get the dress?" Dib asked out of nowhere, breaking the otherwise casual silence. Zim was quick to shoot him an annoyed look.

"I'll have you know that this isn't a dress! It's a gown."

"Sure. But where did you get it?"

"Get it?" Zim mockingly repeated.

"This gown is FAR too superior to have come from your lousy planet. There wasn't any way I would defile myself with your poor craftmanship, so I made it myself. And as you can see for yourself, my genius has once again as usual been well affirmed."

Zim then grabbed a part of the dress and proudly presented it to Dib, who leaned down to get a closer look. To his surprise, it wasn't merely covered in sparkling lights. Surrounding the lights, were a myriad of patterns and ornamental markings that he had no idea what they meant. But it was as captivating as it was fascinating. Dib only leaned back once Zim let go and the dress softly fell away from the human's eyes. It took him a moment to ask another question, as his mind fruitlessly tried memorizing the patterns.

"Wow. You really made it all by yourself?"

"Naturally. *Nervous cough* And of course, with the help of a few machines with subatomic scale accuracy."

"...Oh."

Dib took another glance at Zim, specifically his face. He had been hit by a reality check when the alien had equipped himself with his disguise, covering his head and eyes with the wig and contacts. Dib hadn't wanted to admit it, but he had felt a hint of disappointment upon seeing Zim covering his red magenta eyes with the contact lenses. Their color had perfectly fit with the color of the dress, and seeing them covered made him feel like a piece of a puzzle was missing. It was like the dress was unfinished. That was another thing that had distracted him. Something he didn't want to let himself be distracted by. Why did he care that Zim's eyes had fit better with the dress? Why did he care about the dress at all?

He wanted to stop thinking about it, but a part of him wanted to just mention it. Like an offhand comment. Yet there was constant resistance from within him to keep quiet about it, and just keep walking. But after a while, the resistance was broken down.

"You know, I liked it better when you didn't wear your contacts. The color of your eyes matched the dress."

Once he was done, he faked looking at something in the distance, trying to hide his blushing cheeks.

Why did I say it like that?! Couldn't I just had been like 'Hey dude, your eyes fit with the color of the dress.'? Why did I have to mention that I liked it better before? Or that I even liked it in the first place?!

Though he had already said the dress had looked good, he still felt like it was something very different from him saying that he liked it. An opinion Dib realized was shared by Zim, as when he turned to look at him, he managed to glimpse the alien's startled and flustered expression, which he tried his best to hide.

"Uhm, yes thank you, Dib-worm. It was…something that I had intentionally planned…of course." He replied in an almost sheepish fashion, to Dib's surprise. He had expected him to revel in the compliment, and use it to mock him. But instead, he seemed completely taken aback.

Dib wasn't quite sure how to respond and felt it was better if he just kept his mouth shut. He knew he rarely if ever complimented Zim, but it wasn't like him to not have any stupid comeback to throw back at Dib. He didn't know what to think of it, so he decided to just keep going.

They continued on their way, with the silence having returned once more, though it was welcomed by the both of them. It wasn't long before they could see the skool on the horizon, and the sound of music blaring from one of the buildings. Once they came closer, they could see white and purple lights shimmering out from the windows in the skool gym. From there, it wasn't too hard for them to guess where the prom was being held. They made their way in front of the skool, and up to the entrance. Zim had been right in his assumption that they were going to be late, as there wasn't anyone else outside or on their way inside. Instead, it was abundantly clear that everyone who was attending already was inside the gym.

With a dreaded feeling of isolation, the two of them went inside the skool. The halls were lit up by lights in the ceiling, but it felt like the place was abandoned. There wasn't even the sound of a single person walking. The only thing that could be heard was the music and yelling from the gym. Tracking the sound, they silently walked through the hallowed halls, making their way closer and closer to the prom itself.

It was only once they stood outside the closed doors to the gym, the light shining out from the doorframe, that Dib realized something. There was a very high chance that he and Zim were the very last people to come to the prom. Which meant that everyone else was inside, and was busy partying. That also meant, that when they would open the doors, everyone would turn to look at the who was stupid enough to come last to the prom. Dib tried to bury his doubts and continued with Zim, but when he stood in front of the doors and was about to open them, the fear came back. It made him freeze in place, and he couldn't move his hand up to the door handle. The only thoughts in his head were telling him that it was bad enough that he had to show up with Zim as his prom date. Now it was about to be revealed to basically everyone in the skool, in the most unsubtle way possible.

"Uh, Zim? I know I was the one who asked you to the prom, but are you sure that we-"

Dib didn't even have time to finish his sentence before Zim took a step forward and unceremoniously pushed the doors open.

Just as Dib had predicted, everyone at the party suddenly stopped once the doors were open. They then turned to face the two late attendees, with Dib looking back at them with an expression painted with horror and shock. Even the loud music and the distracting lights weren't enough to dampen the deafening silence that spread across the entire gym, as everyone stared at the strange duo. The silence was broken a few times by snickering and whispering. there was also a person that yelled out loudly "HAH! Knew it!".

But it wasn't enough to break the spell. All Dib could do was stand in place hoping that the others would get bored of looking at him, and continue with whatever they were doing. But it didn't seem like it was gonna happen anytime soon. He didn't even want to think about all of the talking behind his back, the rumors, or whatever else would follow after the prom. He had humored himself with the idea that asking Zim to the prom would be the worst part. But as he stood there he started to understand that what was truly worst was the looks on their faces. He could imagine their judgemental stares, their shocked expressions, or their confused looks. But he couldn't be sure, as their faces were obscured by the party lights.

He continued to stand still, wondering if his social life was truly over and if whatever happened next would only continue to worsen his torment. Then suddenly, Zim took a few steps into the hall, completely unbothered by the gaze of the people in the gym. Dib looked at him, surprised at why he didn't seem bothered by their classmates' judging stares. Then he remembered it was Zim, he was thinking about.

The alien looked around for a moment, before turning around with a scoff, his face twisted into a disappointed grimace.

"Are you coming or what?" Zim asked with an irritated tone, pointing at the party who continued to look on in silence.

For a moment, Dib was completely lost for words. There was something about seeing Zim standing there, completely ignoring the way the others were looking at them, which filled him with confidence. He didn't know why, but the weight of nearly a hundred pairs of eyes was slowly being lifted from his shoulders, and he felt an abrasive proudness in himself. Yeah, he had come with Zim, but so what? Who else could he have come with anyway? Why should he care what they were thinking, other people's opinions hadn't mattered to him before. Why now?

"Yeah, I'm coming." Dib proudly proclaimed, walking over to him with his chin high. The alien stared at him with a confused look, wondering why the Dib-thing was suddenly looking so gratified with himself when he had just before looked like a scared pig.

Once Dib stood next to Zim, the alien looked around once more, the disappointment growing on his face.

"In all seriousness Dib, I don't see why you humans make such a big deal about this event. As far as I can see this is nothing more than a pointless-WAIT IS THAT BLOOD?!"

"No, that's punch, Zim…Don't tell me you're serious? It doesn't even remotely look like-"

"I'VE GOT TO TASTE IT!" Zim excitedly screamed before making his way over to the table with the aforementioned punch, pushing the other attendees out of his way. Dib noted that he was surprisingly fast for someone in a dress.

He also couldn't get a read on if it was another one of Zim's wacky outbursts, or if he legitimately believed that there was being served blood. He concluded that both options were perfectly valid, and then started walking over to him.

---

It took some time, but soon enough everyone else at the prom started forgetting about Dib and Zim's presence or were too busy talking about them to actually look at them. Dib felt a bit better with not having everyone's attention turned toward him, but on the other hand, it took away any excitement that could have come with the prom. The two of them had come late, and everyone else was already busy doing their own stuff. He hadn't got anything planned for what they should do once they had arrived. At the moment, all he could do was look at the others like an animal behind bars. It didn't help that he was just sitting at an empty table, with the surrounding tables deserted, as everyone else was either dancing, talking, or just generally having fun.

Dib let out a heavy sigh and took a sip from his red plastic cup. Just as he was done, Zim walked over to the table, both of his hands holding on to the same type of cups, nearly filled to the brim.

"While I'm sad to find out that it isn't in fact, blood, I am happy to say that the red beverage still doesn't taste completely dreadful!"

"And you found that out from tasting it, I assume?" Dib half-heartedly asked as he wondered if there truly wasn't anything better for him to do than humor Zim's antics.

"Of course. How else would I find out if this 'punch' tastes like blood."

"And how do you know what blood tastes like?"

Zim looked at him with a raised brow, as if giving him a moment to reconsider his question.

"Do you REALLY want to know?"

"...You know what, I don't think I do." Dib sincerely replied, before taking another sip from his cup, going over the different reasons why Zim would want to discover the taste of human blood.

"Wise choice, human. I'm not sure you're delicate, fragile mind could handle such knowledge, anyway." Zim playfully commented, before sitting down at the table next to Dib.

"Oh yeah? Have you already forgotten all of those dissection drawings in my room? I'm sorry to say it Zim, but I don't think anything you can tell is capable of disturbing me."

"HAH! Do you call that dissection?! An Irken smeet could draw something much more elaborate and brutal than your pathetic excuses of dissection procedures, DIB-STINK!" The alien proudly and loudly proclaimed, making Dib for a moment worry if anyone were listening to their morbid debate. Luckily, it seemed that the music helped distract the others from their conversation. With that fact, Dib was ready to fire back at the smug alien.

"Look who has suddenly forgotten all of their fears of dissection. I thought you said you would rather DIE than be submitted to dissection? Or were you just that scared of me, space-boy?"

"Well, obviously I was fearful of being submitted to your dissection, considering your species barbaric and underdeveloped methods. Compared to superior Irken techniques, your methods are about just as advanced as cracking open a skull with a rock."

Dib was about to continue their discussion when something grabbed his attention. He looked out over the party and saw that the dance floor had been overrun with the other students. Some of them were dancing by themself or in a group, but most have gotten together with a partner to dance with. The music itself had gone from a wild party song to something more relaxed, and Dib guessed that it was meant to draw out people to be chosen for prom king and queen. As he continued to look on, the alien to his side wondered what had grabbed The Dib's attention, and soon too saw all of the dancing.

"Eh? What is it that the other human pigs are doing, Dib-stink?"

"It's called dancing Zim-"

"I KNOW WHAT DANCING IS YOU BIG-HEADED FOOL! I'm asking WHY it is they're dancing."

"If I should guess, I think it's supposed to help draw out candidates to be chosen for prom king or queen." Though he didn't say much, Dib noticed that Zim seemed to hang on his every word. He was puzzled at first before he remembered the entire reason why Zim choose to come to the prom with him in the first place.

"Hey, isn't that what you were planning to do? To become the 'prom ruler' or something?" Dib sarcastically asked, before following his sentence up with a quick chuckle. But when he looked back at Zim, he was surprised to see him looking out at the dance floor with a concerned look on his face.

"So you say that I need to dance to win this stupid competition?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Zim shifted his look away from the entire dance floor, and instead focused on the students that were dancing together, two and two. He looked more and more concerned, and small drops of sweat were being formed on his forehead.

"And do you require to dance with a companion to qualify for the title of 'ruler of the prom'?"

Dib nearly spat out his drink when Zim asked him, and he wondered why Zim needed to bring up that fact. Then a wry smile spread on his face when he thought of something he could say to mess with Zim.

"Uh, yeah, definitely. You can't be chosen otherwise. Yeesh, that's a real shame, considering there's no one for you to dance with. I guess you came with me for nothing. Such a shame. No hard feelings, right?"

To his surprise, Zim didn't start yelling at him. Instead, his eyes continued to be fixated on the dance floor. Dib could see that he had a cringe-filled expression on his face, and he seemed to be mumbling something to himself. Then before he had time to ask, Zim stood up from the table and started moving toward the dance floor. He wondered if Zim was going to try and find someone to dance with. But unfortunately for him, Zim had already decided on who should be his partner.

Before he had time to object, Zim had taken his hand, and pulled him up from his chair, making him drop his cup on the floor in the process.

"ZIM! WHAT ARE DOING!" A panicked Dib asked Zim, who was dragging him closer and closer to the other people dancing. It didn't seem like he was planning on stopping anytime soon.

"If I must humiliate myself 'dancing' with someone, then it might as well be with you, Dib-stink."

From his tone and the look on his face, Dib could figure out that Zim was being serious, and that he was just as enthusiastic about it as he was. Which wasn't very much. He wanted to try and object but then he remembered what he had said before, and realized that he had most prominently set himself up. In the end, he decided to keep his mouth shut and see just how far Zim was going to take it.

A grave mistake, as Zim continued to pull him not only up to the dancing crowd but through it, with the two of them bumping into the others more times than one. Dib looked down on the ground as he was pulled through, muttering a small "Sorry." every time he would hit someone, his embarrassment colored red on his face. Before he knew it, Zim finally stopped, and when he looked around, he realized that they were standing directly in the middle of the dance floor. The shock made it so that Zim caught him by surprise when he grabbed both of Dib's arms and looked directly into his eyes. His face was covered in a frustrated expression, though Dib didn't know whether it was directed at him or Zim himself. Dib looked back at him with a flustered look, unsure of what was going to happen next.

"Now, start dancing with Zim, Dib-beast." Zim quietly muttered, as if he was forcing the words out of his mouth. Dib's flustered look was replaced by one of surprise, then followed by pure embarrassment.

"Uhm…I don't really know…how to dance." He awkwardly explained, his eyes anxiously darting around, while also trying to avoid eye contact with the other students. Meanwhile, Zim was staring at him with a blank expression.

"...WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU 'DON'T KNOW HOW TO DANCE'?!" Zim angrily questioned Dib, looking just as flustered as the human did before.

"Wha-IT MEANS I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DANCE, YOU IDIOT!"

"WELL THEN LEARN IT! QUICKLY, SO ZIM CAN GET THIS HUMILIATING DEMONSTRATION OVER WITH!"

"THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS, ZIM!"

"I DON'T CARE, DIB-STINK!"

"CAN YOU EVEN DANCE?!"

"..."

What followed was a few embarrassing minutes of them trying their best to figure out how to dance together. With varying results. Thanks to Zim, the two of them had once again become the main attraction at the prom, with most of the others looking on, not knowing whether they should laugh or feel bad for them.

To say that the experience had been awkward would have been an understatement. It hadn't helped that Zim, even though he was smaller than Dib, insisted on having his hands on the human's shoulders. Which left Dib to try and find some other place he could place his hands. In the end, he decided to hold on to the alien's sides, where his ribs were. Once they had figured out a position that was good enough, they then had to contend with the dancing part itself. Though Dib was arguably the one with the most knowledge when it came to human dancing, Zim had stubbornly tried replicating what the other couples were doing. Dib could only try his best at guessing Zim's movements, which led to them nearly falling over more times than one.

Dib was worried that they would end up going back and forth throughout the whole night, trying to control what the other was doing. But eventually, they slowly entered a slow rhythm, after Dib had convinced Zim to just focus on the basic stuff before they tried dancing like they were in a dance competition. And once they had found the rhythm, their movements became less stiff and awkward, and they ended up looking like they weren't completely incompetent.

Once they started just circling around with small movements, Dib finally found a chance to relax a bit. It also allowed him to observe the others around them. Since they were standing right in the middle, it was hard to avoid the looks of the other dancers. If he looked hard enough, he could also spot a few people around the gym and at the tables staring at them. It didn't even look like they judging them. Rather, they seemed completely confused at what was happening in front of them. Something Dib could relate to.

They're probably thinking this is some kind of weird powerplay or something. Ah, if only. That would have at least made more sense than whatever's actually happening…

Another thing that Dib noticed was that some of the girls were looking at them, with a weird interest that kinda freaked Dib out. But then he realized that they weren't necessarily looking at the two of them, but instead just at Zim's dress. And the more he looked, the more it became clear that they weren't just interested, but also looking with fascination, with a little hint of jealousy. For some reason, the thought of them being interested in the fashion sense of a literal alien made his brain short circuit. Something that didn't go by Zim, who had otherwise focused on the ground, making sure he wasn't falling over Dib's feet. He looked up at the human, and then over to the particular group of people who seemed interested in his outfit. At first, he looked at them with an agitated look, probably thinking they were mocking him and Dib. But when he realized that they were admiring his gown, he couldn't help but flaunt a self-satisfied smile. Dib couldn't help but chuckle at the alien's pleased expression.

"For someone trying to hide that they're an alien, you sure like to be noticed." He tauntingly commented, making Zim look back at him with an insulted expression.

"Huh?! How dare you think that I care about the attention of those human worms!"

Dib couldn't help but let out a burst of short, bitter laughter as a response.

"Oh, come on! Why else would you have gone through all the effort to make that dress?"

"GOWN! And I can assure you, stupid, bigheaded-Dib, that it has nothing to do with attracting the attention of those stupid, ridiculous pigs that are your worthless species!"

"Then why did you even make the dress in the first place?" Dib asked, much more sincere than before. Zim's explanations had invoked some curiosity in him. The question seemed to pique Zim's interest too, though it didn't seem to be curiosity he felt. Instead, a weird blank expression covered his face, and Dib couldn't tell if he was flustered or annoyed.

"FOR ZIM! Yes, I made it for myself!" Zim suddenly and quickly explained, giving Dib a bit of a shock.

"Now that I had to humiliate myself with coming here with you, the least I could do was make myself look MORE amazing than usual."

"Well…that makes sense, I guess," Dib replied though he felt something was off. He couldn't exactly tell what it was, but there was something about Zim's explanation that seemed somewhat false. But he had no idea why Zim would lie. Or what he was even lying about. But he could see that Zim was done with that particular conversation, so he decided to leave it be.

They continued to dance for a bit, continuing their rather basic movements, as trying anything else always ended up with them nearly tripping over each other. But then, there was a change. Their movements became somewhat quicker, and their moves were much more fluid. It continued like that for a while, and they both got really into the dancing. Even Zim who felt like he was humiliating himself, seemed to become more comfortable with the situation. In the end, they were both smiling at each other as they danced. It was so bizarre, that Dib wondered if he was dreaming, and Zim thought for sure that he had been drugged and was hallucinating. But it was real, and they really were enjoying the moment.

Then, the upbeat song that had been playing, ended. And what came in its stead, was a somber, romantic song, that made everyone on the dance floor slow down, and sent everyone who wasn't dancing with a partner back to the tables to sit and relax.

Once Zim and Dib had returned to the steady rhythm from before, they couldn't help but look at each other. Then, they looked into each other's eyes. It seemed like everything around them became quiet, and that only the two of them were left in the room. Everyone else was phased out of existence. That same blank expression then covered Zim's face, and for some reason, Dib could feel himself blushing. Then, as if out of his control, his hands slowly moved away from Zim's ribs, and down to his hips. The maneuver had required him to either bend down, or move closer to Zim. He had chosen the latter option.

Zim seemed at first hesitant at the change, but then he too moved a bit closer. He then wrapped his hands around the back of Dib's neck, as if hanging on to him. The gesture forced Dib to let a small, warm-hearted smile from his lips.

"GAY!" A voice from somewhere in the crowd mockingly yelled, who had to his credit held that particular comment inside him ever since Zim and Dib arrived at the prom. In the end, his willpower had failed him, and he couldn't keep it in any longer.

The two of them paused for a moment, before turning toward the direction the voice had yelled from.

"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!" They then yelled in unison. It seemed to have been effective, as whoever had owned the voice, didn't show up and neither said another word.

Once they were sure that the person had backed down, they looked back at each other, before sharing a quick chuckle.

"Do you even what it was he yelled?" Dib asked, unsure if Zim even knew what gay meant.

"Heh, no idea! But I could guess from the tone of his voice, that it was some kind of insult, yes?"

"Kinda, but I'm definitely sure that it was meant as an insult," Dib explained, somewhat relieved at the fact that Zim didn't know it meant.

Dib expected them to continue their dance, but instead, Zim just stood still. He wasn't sure of why, when he suddenly noticed that Zim was staring directly into his face. His big, round eyes seemed hypnotic to Dib who could only stare back at them. They continued to stand in silence, with the rest continuing to dance around them. Even though Dib was looking at Zim's face he had no idea what expression the alien was using. It was like his mind couldn't register what was happening. Then slowly, Zim's left hand moved away from his neck, before coming back, landing on the side of his neck. From there, it slowly moved up, to a spot right under his ear. He could then feel his claws lightly press into his skin.

What is he doing what is he trying to do what's happening is he trying to kill me his claws are right on my neck he's gonna stick them into my throat I knew it why did I do this what am I gonna he's gonna kill me and-

As if trying to silence his thought or just get the alien away, he pushed Zim, who immediately let go of Dib. He stumbled for a moment, but in the end, he regained his footing. The same couldn't be said for Dib, who walked a few steps back before falling on the floor below. Once he was on the floor, he looked up at Zim, his face covered with fear. Zim on the other hand just looked surprised and confused. The same look was on everyone else who looked at the scene in front of them, unsure of what was going to happen next. Neither did Dib truly. But there's one thing he knew. He needed air.

Purposely avoiding eye contact with Zim, he raised himself from the floor and practically ran toward the exit, shoving a person or two out of the way. Once he reached the exit he pushed the door open before running through the halls. After some time, he finally reached the entrance. With a shaky breath, he opened the door and gasped for air. Fortunately, the night air was cold and refreshing, and he felt himself calming down. But still, he felt his legs start to shake, so he moved further along, and sat down on the steps leading to the entrance. There he sat for a moment, wondering what exactly had happened.

He didn't know what it was, but it was like his mind exploded with thoughts of fear. Fear regarding Zim specifically. He could guess it had something to do with Zim touching his neck, but he wasn't sure why that was something that triggered his fear. Then he started to remember that any other time Zim had ever touched his neck, it had either been as a threat or an attempt on his life. From there he started to better understand why he had reacted the way he did. But he still worried that he might have overreacted. Not even considering that it had been quite a scene he had left Zim with.

Why do I feel bad about leaving him there, he's the reason I ran away in the first place! Besides, if he was in my place then he too would have left me behind. The only thing I have to worry about regarding him now is gonna be his constant complaining. No, scratch that, he has probably already forgotten all about it, and is now preparing some stupid scheme to try and become prom ruler or whatever he calls it. It's not like he cared about me, I was just a tool for him. He's just gonna-

Dib didn't get time to finish his thought, as he heard the doors open behind him. For a moment he wondered if it was just someone else who was also going out for some fresh air, but when the steps continued, he was sure who it was. After all those years, he had practically memoized Zim's walk pattern.

And he was correct, as Zim approached from behind, and then promptly sat next to him. Dib felt a need to move a few inches away from him, but he subdued it and forced himself to sit still. But he still didn't want to look at the alien. He didn't want to see his face.

So there they sat for a while, in complete silence. Two mortal enemies, who had somehow ended up going to the prom together. They could wrap their mind around it, and now there they were sitting. Dib had no idea why Zim was there. It wasn't like he cared. Or was he trying to comfort him? Could he even expect that from Zim? It seemed like he would never get his answer until Zim finally cleared his throat.

"I…Can you excuse Zim for…I didn't mean to touch your neck human. It was a moment of weakness, and I won't repeat it."

The way he phrased it seemed nearly robotic, and the way he mentioned weakness was like he had committed some grave sin. Dib didn't really know what it was Zim had meant, but somehow, through the stale words and cold tone, he could hear, if only a little bit, some sense of regret in the alien's voice. It took him a moment to realize that Zim had apologized. In his own way, of course. He didn't know how to respond. Zim had made him so scared just before, and yet there was sitting next to him. And he was apologizing. But Dib wasn't so sure that Zim knew what he was apologizing for. Or maybe he was apologizing for another reason. He wasn't sure but he knew he had a choice, right there and then. Dib could either keep being angry at Zim, which in all fairness he would deserve, or he could accept the apology, and see what would happen next. There was some bitter part of him that wanted to take the first option. Yet, he didn't want to. He had come so far with Zim, whether he intended for it or not. Should he really throw it all away, for something he still didn't completely understand?

"It's…okay. Alright, maybe it's not really okay, and I'm definitely not okay, but I kinda am, and…What I mean is…I accept your apology."

"Excuse me. You have to excuse me."

Dib reconsidered his decision to make amends with Zim, but in the end, he swallowed his frustration.

"Fine, I excuse you. Happy now?"

"Better," Zim mumbled to himself, still stubbornly holding on to the belief that hadn't apologized. A belief Dib was willing to let him have. For now, at least.

There was another moment of silence, as Zim hadn't thought of what to say next. Luckily for him, Dib was willing to fill the gap.

"It's just, how do I say it? The way you held on to my neck, reminded me of all the times you tried to kill me. So I guess that I thought you were going to try and kill me again. I know it sounds stupid, but…you understand, right?"

Dib looked at Zim with a cautious look, trying to see the alien's reaction. From his blank expression, Dib concluded that he was either listening or didn't have a single idea about what he was saying.

"Can I try again?" Zim innocently asked, before raising his arm, waiting for Dib's confirmation to continue to move it to his neck.

Really? Do you think that's the smartest thing to do?

He looked at him with a skeptical look, not sure of what was going through Zim's head. But the more he thought about it, the more he started to think that it would help. Maybe if he knew it was coming, he could avoid having the same reaction. In the end, he hesitantly nodded to Zim, who then started to slowly move his hand to Dib's neck. Though it only took a few seconds, it felt like minutes for Dib. Once it started to get close, Dib squinted and couldn't help but wince, as if he was preparing to be in pain in the next moment. But then, only for a moment, he opened one of his eyes, to look at Zim. There he caught the attention of the alien's eyes, who looked back at him. Then a calmness fell over him, which even continued after Zim's hand had made contact with his skin. He was still wincing, and he felt like moving away. Zim continued to hold his hand on Dib's neck and even started rubbing the spot. It seemed like his way of comforting Dib. It was so strange, that Dib for a moment forgot his fear, and wondered just what it was Zim doing. And why did it seem so comforting?

Then another thought struck him. One that had lingered for some time, and decided to finally make its appearance. What was Zim even doing at the prom at all? The lousy excuse he used when he asked him out, couldn't possibly be the reason, Dib realized after thinking about it. He was sure that there was something else.

"Why are you here?" Dib asked, with a serious tone. Zim in response stopped rubbing and removed his hand, slightly to Dib's disappointment. He stared at Dib with a curious look, wondering if the human was trying to trick him. When the insisting look on Dib's face didn't go away, Zim started to ask himself why he even came out here, when he knew The Dib was just going to ask him stupid questions.

"I'm here to become the prom ruler," Zim replied, though it was only once the words left his mouth, that he realized just how hollow they sounded.

"Hmm, okay, why don't you tell me why you're really here?"

Zim let out an objecting "Hmpf." before crossing his arms and turning away. Dib looked on with a disgruntled look on his face. If he wasn't sure before that Zim was hiding something, then he was now.

"Come on Zim, you wouldn't be here if it wasn't because you were somewhat interested in the prom, so tell me what it is."

At that moment Zim turned back to him, with an irritated look on his face.

"I don't know how the idea that I am somehow interested in this miserable, and useless activity got through your oversized skull, but it isn't true!"

"So why are you here?!" Dib continued asking, hoping if he just kept pestering the alien, he would eventually relent. But he continued to be silent, and Dib couldn't help but become angry at the silence. Why couldn't Zim just tell him? Why couldn't he just tell the truth?!

"WHY ARE YOU HERE!"

"BECAUSE YOU ARE HERE, DIB-STINK!" Zim angrily explained, having given up trying to avoid the human's question, as he realized that the stupid Dib would just keep insisting on getting an answer.

"...What?"

Zim let out a frustrated sigh, as he had originally planned to keep his reason to himself. He wondered why the Dib-thing couldn't just be satisfied with Zim's presence, and why he had to keep asking questions that annoyed him. He didn't want to tell Dib what was going through his mind. Because he too wasn't sure, with all of the confusing thoughts and useless emotions whirling around in his brain.

"You seemed so interested in this stupid event back at the skool, and then suddenly you come and ask me to go with you. I wanted to see what the big deal was, and why it was grabbing all of your attention."

Dib was stunned for a moment, trying to understand what it was Zim was saying. He had suspected that the whole 'prom ruler' thing was a bit of an excuse, but he would never have thought that it was entirely an excuse. And neither would he had thought that Zim would go, just because he was interested in it first.

"You came with me because the prom was taking my attention away from you?"

"Don't flatter yourself, human." Zim coldly replied, giving Dib a sharp glance. But though he tried to hide it, Dib could tell there was a bit of embarrassment in his voice.

"You know, I STILL don't understand why you were so fascinated with this prom-thing! You always claim to have better things to do than attend these types of idiotic events."

"Well, I didn't actually want to go, but…that's something you shouldn't worry about, hehe." Dib let out a nervous chuckle, hoping Zim would, unlike him, just take something at face value and not try and dig deeper. Fortunately for him, Zim was somehow satisfied with the answer. With that, there was another short moment of silence, before Dib realized something.

"Wait…If you don't care about becoming the prom ruler or whatever, aren't you going to try and win?"

"Oh, I'm still gonna win, Dib-thing." Zim reassuringly explained to Dib, though he wasn't sure whether it was worrying or comforting.

"Considering how the others have looked and mocked us, I would consider it a fitting punishment to prove to them once and for all, that Zim is truly the most superior!"

Dib couldn't help but give Zim a suspicious look. He also couldn't help but wonder why he also mentioned it was because both of them were mocked. But that was something he could ponder later.

"It's that all your gonna do? You're not going to, just as a random example, set fire to them?" He asked with a slightly hostile tone.

"Worry not Dib, that isn't until next week."

"Oh…wow, I should probably write that down somewhere."

While fumbling for a piece of paper he didn't have, and a pen he didn't have either, Zim stood up from the step and moved toward the entrance. He opened the door, and just before going inside, he stopped and looked over at the human with an inquisitive expression.

"Are you going to come or not? Zim isn't gonna hold the door for you forever, Dib-beast."

He couldn't help but be hesitant for a moment, but eventually, he picked himself up and walked over to Zim. They then walked together all the way back to the gym. When they entered that time, there wasn't anyone turning around to look at them. Instead, everyone had gathered by the other end of the gym, and their attention was directed toward a stage. The duo gave each other a questioning look, before walking over to join the crowd. They pushed their way past a few rows of people, just enough so that they could see what was happening on the stage.

"We are currently counting the results, and we will soon have our prom king and queen!" An announcer explained to the audience, with a lot of excited whispering following suit.

"Oh, seems we missed the ballot handouts when we went outside," Dib commented. though he soon started to think that it was a bit suspicious that they started just as he and Zim left. But before he had any more time to think about it, he was questioned by a confused Zim.

"Eh? What does that mean, exactly?"

"Well, it probably means that you won't be elected as prom ruler in the end. Sorry." Dib said, before bending slightly down to Zim's level.

"But to be honest…I didn't think you had any chance anyhow." He taunted Zim, who contrary to Dib's expectation, shot him an amused grin.

"Oh, we'll see about that, Dib-worm."

Dib strongly wanted to ask what the alien was planning when he was interrupted by the announcer.

"Now that the ballots have been counted, IT IS TIME TO ANNOUNCE OUR PROM KING AND QUEEN!" He yelled out to the room, who responded with a cheerful uproar. The announcer then slowly and dramatically, opened an envelope and took a piece of paper out of it. He then took it right up to his face, before inhaling a large sum of air.

"AND…THE WINNERS ARE…-"

Just before he had time to finish, Dib noticed a strange beam of light being shot into the announcer's face. He at first thought it was just one of the party lights, but after seeing the announcers still face, he knew something was up. He continued to stand on stage with his mouth wide open, with everyone else thinking he was just amping up the moment. Dib, on the other hand, tried remembering where the light had come from and followed its trajectory. Which just happened to lead him directly to Zim, who also just happened to be carrying some kind of weird alien device, which was still pointed at the announcer. Before he had time to ask, Zim had noticed that Dib was looking at him, and quickly hid the device behind his back, while looking around with an innocent look on his face.

"Zim. What did you do." Dib very seriously asked, worried that Zim might just have killed the announcer.

Zim looked at Dib for only a second, before looking elsewhere.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dib-thing." He responded with a tone that tried too hard to sound innocent.

While Dib should have first asked if Zim had fried the announcer's brain, there was one thing he wanted to know first.

"...Where did you even hide that thing?"

Unluckily for Dib, that was the only question he managed to ask, as the announcer suddenly came back to life, though his voice sounded strange like he was just playing a sound from a recorder.

"AFTER A QUICK RECOUNTING WHICH I JUST DID IN MY STUPID BRAIN, I HAVE FOUND OUT THE TRUE WINNER OF THIS POINTLESS CONTEST, WHICH MAKES HIM BETTER THAN ALL OF YOU…ZIM!"

There was a short moment of cheer, which quickly turned to utter silence. Even Dib was awestruck for a moment. The only sound that came after the announcement of the winner, was from a cheering Zim.

"YES! YES! IT IS I ZIM! I WIN! VICTORY TO ZIM! VICTORY TO ZIM!" He continued yelling, as he pushed his way past the dumbstruck crowd who could only look on with shock and confusion. As Zim crawled up on the stage, Dib wondered if he should do something about it. But in the end, he chose not to. He figured that Zim could have his fun.

When Zim was onstage, he waved energetically to the silent crowd, while the zombie-like announcer took the two crowns away from the other organizers of the prom, who were too busy recounting the ballots to notice. He walked over to Zim, who snatched one of the crowns away from him. The announcer just stared into nothing with a lifeless expression. Dib could only chuckle when he looked around at the other students, as they looked on while Zim fitted the crown on his head. Considering their expression, Dib had to admit that it was a pretty good revenge scheme.

"AND THE OTHER WINNER, WHO ISN'T NEARLY AS GOOD AS ZIM IS…THE DIB!" The announcer yelled, with the students reacting this time not with silence, but with flabbergasted whispering.

Dib was just as shocked as they were. If not even more so. He knew for a fact that it had been Zim who had messed with the results, and most likely the brain of the announcer, which also meant…that he had purposely made Dib the other winner. A theory that was proven right, when Zim enthusiastically waved Dib to join him on the stage. It might have been the shock, but for some reason, Dib followed Zim's command, and made his way up to the stage, while processing what was happening. He didn't even have time to think about an explanation before he reached the stage. If the events transpiring weren't strange enough, Zim also held his hand out to help Dib up, his face covered in an excited expression. Dib thought about it for a moment, before deciding to grab Zim's hand. The alien helped him up with relative ease, and before Dib knew it, he was standing next to Zim, who was letting out a loud, victorious laugh. Dib took one quick glance at the people in front of them, before deciding it was best to avoid eye contact with them, as their confusion was starting to turn into a look of betrayal.

As he stood there, Dib wondered what exactly had happened between the two of them. He had the same conversation with himself regarding that specific subject, many times before. And here he was again. Some part of him wanted to pick apart the meaning behind Zim's behavior, and why he was acting so…nice. But on the other hand, he wanted to do something he rarely could do when it came to Zim. Enjoy the moment. Forget all about his worries and speculations, and just enjoy what was happening. Besides, when he was looking over at Zim, his mind completely melted. They were standing in the stage's light, and the way the light reflected on Zim's dress made it so Dib couldn't help but think that at that moment, Zim looked…how could he describe it. Stunning? Yes, that sounded right. Which reminded him of something.

"You know Zim. After the prom king and queen have been chosen, they usually have to dance." He teasingly mentioned, with Zim turning to look at him with a disgruntled expression on his face, replacing the otherwise cheerful look of victory he wore before.

"Aaaaaahhhhh, CURSE THIS HUMILIATING HUMAN CUSTOM!"

"Hey, don't be like that! You seemed to enjoy it when we did it before. Come on…wouldn't you be up for another round, space-boy?"

"...Maybe….."

---

While their dance ended up being fun, it had to be cut short, as the organizers eventually found out that Zim or Dib couldn't possibly have won, and therefore believed that they had either bribed the announcer or cheated in some other way. They were then promptly thrown out, which left them with only one option: Going back home.

A walk which Dib expected to fill him with relief, but instead he found himself somewhat disappointed at the thought that the night was over. He wouldn't have minded staying there for another hour or so. Thanks to Zim, the prom had been pleasant enough, and he had some fun. Something he definitely thought would have been impossible. He was barely able to comprehend how Zim had acted. The otherwise dangerous alien obsessed with conquering his planet had let loose and enjoyed a party. If he had to think of an explanation, he would say that even evil aliens need some fun now and then. But what Zim correlated with fun was something Dib still wasn't completely sure about. But Zim seemed to have enjoyed the night so what did he really know about that insane alien. Well, he knew that Zim wasn't going to leave the prom after being thrown out without a few minutes of resentful ranting.

"-I WILL THEN STRAP THEM ONTO A BURNING MISSILE, AND FIRE THEM INTO THE BLAZING SUN, AND THEN SET FIRE TO THE SUN!"

"I'm not sure you can set fire to the sun, Zim."

"DO YOU THINK THAT I CARE ABOUT SOMETHING AS INSIGNIFICANT AS PHYSICS, DIB-WORM?!" An angry Zim yelled at Dib, who then shortly after continued with his unhinged rant, to Dib's amusement. Though he couldn't help but worry just a tiny bit that Zim wasn't necessarily just being dramatic.

But he was willing to let those worries wait until the next day. It had been a nice night after all. And he was tired and just wanted to get back to his bed.

"Zim, I know you're angry and all, but you did cheat, so you can't blame them for throwing us out."

"CHEATING?! Don't be ridiculous, Zim would never have any need to cheat to win that stupid contest!"

"Hm, sure." Dib apathetically replied, making it clear that he wasn't very convinced. Something that Zim wasn't just going to let be.

"What are you implying, huh? That the MIGHTY ZIM couldn't have won!"

"I'm not necessarily saying that. Oh wait, I am."

"HOW DARE YOU?! Those stupid and worthless worms should be honored that I even attended, and blessed them with my superior presence! If their brains had even the slightest amount of intelligence, they would have granted me my victory the moment I walked in!

"But they didn't," Dib couldn't help but comment, with a wry smirk on his face.

"AND FOR THAT, THOSE INSOLENT PIGS WILL BE PUT ON THEIR KNEES, AND BEG AND GROVEL BEFORE ME FOR FORGIVENESS! AND THE PLEASURE I WILL FEEL FROM HEARING THEIR PATHETIC VOICES BEGGING ME, WILL STILL NOT BE ABLE TO FREE THEM!"

"Kinky." Dib quietly said.

Just then, Zim stopped in his tracks and looked over at Dib with a confused look on his face. For some reason, the human could feel a foreboding sense of having done something he was going to deeply regret.

"What did you say?" Zim sincerely asked, taking Dib off guard. It was as if at that moment, Dib finally realized what he had just said.

Uhh, I knew I was tired but I didn't know I was tired enough to say stuff like that! Especially not to Zim!

"Oh, uh, it was nothing, I just mumbled something."

"Kinky." The alien said, with such a straightforwardness that it was clear to Dib that Zim didn't have any idea of what it meant. And upon hearing the word leaving Zim's mouth, Dib couldn't help but start to feel nervous.

"Oh uhhhhh-"

"What does it mean, Dib-thing?" Zim continued asking, his sincerity making Dib feel guilty about saying the word in the first place. He had no idea how Zim would react if he found out anything related to that word.

"It uh means NOTHING! Yeah, just don't think about it, okay?"

Zim looked at him, suspiciousness painted on his face.

"...What are you hiding, human?"

Small drops of sweat started to fall from Dib's forehead, as he was starting to worry that he wasn't going to be able to get Zim to give up his strange obsession with the word. His eyes shifted all around the place, only adding to his perceived guilt.

"I'm being serious, it's nothing! Just forget about it, and let's keep walking. Can't we just do that"

Zim stared at him for a little while, and Dib kept sweating. And then suddenly, Zim dashed away and kept running down the street. He looked on confused at the alien running away, before he came to a realization that shook him to his core and filled him with horror and terror.

Oh no…he's going to try and find out what kinky means!

With that, Dib too started running, desperately hoping to catch up to Zim, before it was too late.

---

Gaz was leaning out of one of the windows on the top floor, taking in the cold night air, and the quiet sound of their neighborhood, juxtaposed with the noise coming from the more active part of the city. The skyscrapers were lit up in the night and were like towers of light in the darkness. Gaz took in a breath of air, savoring its refreshing qualities, before letting it out. As she looked out of the window, she couldn't help but think about her brother, and the idiotic alien she had manipulated said brother into taking to the prom. She didn't like thinking about it. She usually wasn't one for regretting her actions or even considering if they had been wrong. But who knew, maybe she had gotten too old to just think about herself. She had already gotten used to caring a little more about her older brother, so maybe it wouldn't be too far-fetched to think that maybe she could also be nice to him. If he deserved it, of course.

…I do hope that they at least haven't torn each other to shreds. Or the others at the prom. Ugh, I should just have stuck my nose away from their business like I usually do… Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Who knows, maybe they actually managed to act like normal people for once, and-

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard someone screaming near the house. She looked down on the street and saw one figure running after another.

"YOU WILL NOT STOP ME DIB-BEAST! I WILL FIND OUT WHAT THIS 'KINKY' IS!

"ZIM STOP! IT'S FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!"

"LIES! YOU LIE, DIB-STINK!"

"I SAID STOP!"

"NEVER!"

They kept screaming like that, as Dib continued chasing Zim down the street, with Gaz looking on from the window with a blank expression on her face. Even then they disappeared from her sight, she could still hear them screaming. She let out a tired sigh, before continuing to look out over the city.

"They never change, do they?"

---

After some time, a tired and exhausted Dib slowly pushed the door open and then stood in the doorway as if he had just survived an explosion.

"I'm gonna have to deal with that the next time I see him, I can already feel it."

After letting out a few noises of regret, he finally went inside, and practically dragged himself over to the stairs. With great effort, he managed to walk up the steps and went toward his room. It was only once he grabbed the door handle, that a voice revealed itself.

"Did you have fun?" Gaz asked, nearly hesitantly, as if unsure of how exactly Dib was going to react.

Dib stood and pondered over the answer for a moment, before turning to face her.

"No, Zim was annoying and he tried to kill everyone with lasers. You know how he is." He tried explaining with the most serious tone possible, but it was easy to tell that he was lying. Though Gaz was willing to play along.

"Oh no, that's terrible." She sarcastically remarked.

"Well…you still went with him, so I guess you have fulfilled your end of the deal."

Gaz then took her hand down into her pocket and pulled the USB stick up, and held it in front of Dib.

"I guess that means I also have to give this back to you."

Dib stared at the small piece of plastic and electronics and realized that he had completely forgotten all about it. Another thing he noticed was that instead of feeling anxious upon seeing it, he instead was feeling…guilt. And anger. He cautiously extended his hand, and then quickly grabbed it, worried that Gaz might try and keep it for herself. Again. But to her credit, she relinquished it, with not a single objection. With the USB in his hand, Dib held it up to his eyes, and inspected it, as if seeing it for the first time. The same feeling of anger and guilt was there, and the justifications he had used before were melting away. He couldn't explain what had changed, but he knew he wanted to do something. Something rash, and probably stupid. But he wanted to do it.

After standing still for a moment, he suddenly threw the USB on the ground, and stamped on it, reducing it to a flat pile of broken pieces. Gaz looked down at it, and whatever she was thinking, it was impossible to see on her face.

"You know what? I don't need that. And I'm also gonna delete all of the footage from my computer. I am the protector of the earth after all and the human expert on aliens. I don't need to use my friendship with Zim as a way to stop him. I can do that any other way."

With that, Dib opened the door to his room and went inside, leaving Gaz alone in the hallway. Slowly, but surely, a satisfied smile crept up on her face.

"Good for you Dib."

---

Whew, that was a long one! I hope the wait wasn't too bad, and that you have enjoyed reading the end of this prom arc. Though I did like writing it, I think I'm gonna go back to writing some less long chapters. And also, I don't know if you noticed but…we don't have prom in my country. So if there is anything that isn't right about how a prom works, then…sorry.

But I do hope you were satisfied with the chapter, and that you will be back for the next. I hope you liked this chapter, and that you have a good day.