Heeeyyyyy I'm back.

"...That is the most stupid thing I have ever heard."

Dib wasn't quite sure what part she was referring to, but neither did he particularly care. Once he had finished explaining his deals and arrangements with Zim she had let him go, and he slithered away with a sore throat. She still hadn't used the 'I told you so' yet, so he had no interest in sticking around until she found the time to rub it in his face. But that didn't mean she was right. He and Zim still weren't friends, they were just…acquaintances for now. Zim was still planning to take over Earth, and Dib was still going to stop him. Everything was still like it always has been. Now they're just a little friendlier. Usually, the thought of associating Zim with friendliness would make him shudder, but as he had started thinking back to the past, that shudder was replaced with dread. It had not just started a few months ago, no, Dib could trace the change in their dynamic back to a few years ago. There wasn't one single interaction where it was blatantly obvious, which maybe was the reason why he hadn't noticed it until now. The fact was, the deeper he dug, the more apparent it became that the two of them had unconsciously started hating each other less and less.

It wasn't those kinds of thoughts that Dib wanted to be kept up by in the night. But as the day had neared its end, the thoughts were starting to eat him up. He barely had the concentration to work, and he had barely eaten, yet no matter how much his body screamed for him to do something else than think about Zim, his mind had rejected it all the same. It wasn't the first time he couldn't get that green bug out of his head. But usually, the thoughts were less pleasant. Yet here he was, unintentionally thinking back to all the times Zim had been nice to him, or at least not been absolutely unbearable.

He had to remind himself. Remind himself of what Zim was. What his entire mission was centered around. And why Dib had to stop him.

Dib who had been laying in his bed staring up at the ceiling, determinedly got up and went over to his desk. He sat down and turned on the computer. While he waited for it to boot up, he opened a drawer, pulled a stack of files out, and placed them in front of him.

'I can't keep thinking so positively about Zim, or else it might just make me forget who I'm dealing with! I have to try and remember what he is. Nothing more than an alien freak, trying to destroy my world. If I can just find the right files…'

He flipped through the different documents, and once his computer was up and running, he looked through it as well. To his unfortunate surprise, looking through all of his old work didn't help bolster his hatred for Zim. No, all that it managed to do was remind him how troubled, or downright just stupid he had been when he was younger. He cringed through nearly every single note, observation, or theory he had made. Most of the time he had just guessed something when there was something he didn't know. And most times, those guesses had been idiotic at best.

Dib looked away from his work, and nearly fainted from embarrassment when he remembered how much of this he had submitted to the Swollen Eyeballs. But then his eye caught something. Hidden behind some clothes he had thrown up against the wall, were some of the many screens he had used to spy on Zim with. He had changed them to only record when it detected motion as he wasn't going to get fused to a chair again, looking at screens twenty-four seven.

What was special about this screen, was that it had lit up. Dib looked at it with disbelief, before ripping the clothes off it. He was lucky he hadn't acted any slower, or else he would have missed Zim walking away from his house, with his robot minion following suit. At first, he didn't quite know what to do. Then instincts kicked in.

'Wait…he's going to do one of his evil plans. Hah! I knew he had been a little too nice lately. He's probably been planning something big. Oh, but you're not gonna get away with it, Zim.' He thought to himself, before jumping away from the desk, and grabbing his coat. He then ran out of his room and dashed down the stairs. He came down to the hall and sprinted towards the front door, prepared to sprint through it as if it would magically open for him.

"Where are going, Dib?" A voice asked him as he passed the kitchen. Nearly falling over he managed to stop himself, before reaching the door. Panicked, he turned around, having been in such a hurry he hadn't recognized the voice. The owner revealed themselves, stepping out into the hallway, which was only lit up by moonlight.

"Oh…hey Gaz," Dib said as he leaned up against the nearest wall, trying his best to compose himself.

"Strange to see you here."

"I live here too, you know." She replied, with an exasperated voice as if she have had to explain that far too many times.

"...Oh yeah. Wait, what I meant was, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?" He asked, backtracking his previous statement, as he realized how dumb it made him sound. It of course didn't work, but Gaz wasn't going to bother correcting him.

"I was getting a midnight snack."

Her answer had been concise, and Dib had no reason to not believe her. Yet he couldn't just keep his mouth shut.

"Technically, it isn't midnight yet, so…"

"You sure you wanna continue that line of thought?" Dib's smile soon disappeared as Gaz stared at him with an intense look, daring him to say something back. When he politely declined, Gaz took the opportunity to ask a few questions herself.

"You haven't told me what YOU are doing."

Dib's eyes darted around the hallway, as he tried to come up with a good excuse. Something that had never been his strongest trait.

"Oh me…I-I was just about to go for…Uhm…-" A silence followed, as Dib hoped Gaz would just get tired of their conversation and leave him alone. But one of the downsides of forcing Gaz to care about him was that she now had that annoying tendency to not just let him go and hurt himself fighting Zim, without explaining it first. Now she had to know the reason every time he mysteriously leaves in the middle of the night. And now he stood there, with no way to escape without answering. When he finally accepted this, he took the first thing that came to mind and ran with it.

"-A walk! Yes Gaz, I'm going for a walk…In the middle of the night…Totally not to spy on someone…" Whatever meager amount of confidence he had in his lie disintegrated, as he wondered why he had said that last bit. He looked at Gaz while trying to tell what her reaction was. At first, he was sure she just had the usual scowl on her face she would use whenever he lied to her. But to his surprise, she was…smiling? No, that couldn't be it.

He continued to stand in awe, as he couldn't comprehend why she was smiling. Until he realized that it wasn't a warm-hearted sisterly smile. No, it was the kind you use when someone embarrasses themselves in front of you.

"Oh suuureee…Dib." She said with an exaggerating voice, her eyes open wide, which creeped Dib out for a moment. She then promptly turned around and started walking over to the stairs. Dib was about to turn around as well when he heard her voice call out.

"Be sure to say hello to your boyfriend from me." Her words had been neutral, but there was still a mocking tone in her voice, that just wouldn't go away.

Just as Dib had taken the door handle, he froze, and with a look of horror on his face turned around.

"EXCUSE ME WHAT?!"

Gaz stopped her tracks, standing on the middle point of the stairs. She looked back at him with a confused look, as if wondering if he hadn't yet put together what she was implying.

"What? Aren't you going to meet up with Zim?"

As he made the connection and realized what she had meant, he felt his heart sink. It kept sinking deeper and deeper into a dark abyss. His brain short-circuited for a moment, and he was pretty sure he was going to have a stroke. But he managed to collect himself. There wasn't a single thing she could place her baseless claim on, so he shouldn't worry. It was just another one of her jokes at his expense. He wasn't going to play along with her little game. No, he was going to calmly explain to her, why she was completely wrong in her assumption of the relationship that was between him and Zim.

"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Dib screamed like a maniac, probably waking up one of their neighbors. The desperation in his voice complimented his panic rather well. Gaz might have been surprised if it wasn't because she expected this exact reaction from her brother.

"HE'S AN ALIEN MENACE, AND I'M GOING OUT TO STOP HIM BECAUSE I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SO DON'T YOU START MOCKING ME FOR TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD!" He continued as if he was a toddler that was trying to explain why he deserved a cookie from the cookie jar.

"Sure, whatever you say. Not that I care, but it's cold out, so put on something more than that stupid cape." She calmly replied, before continuing up the stairs.

"IT'S NOT A CAPE, IT'S A COAT!" Dib yelled as a final resort to try and win the discussion with his sister, who had won a long time ago. When there came no more replies, he went back to the door, mumbling about how he didn't care about the cold. A statement that became very untrue, as a cold wind hit him right in his face when he opened the door. He still didn't want to put something on, but just to be safe, he took a grey hoodie that was hanging on a coat hanger by the door. He then tied it around his, and went outside and made his way over to Zim.

It took him some time, but he finally managed to catch up with Zim. The alien was simply walking down the street, with his minion walking in toe, wearing its ridiculous dog costume. He slowly made his way closer, moving behind cars, trash cans, or whatever else he could use to hide from Zim. He got the chance to move closer when the alien suddenly stopped moving. Dib snuck up to a nearby bush, so he could have a clear view of his enemy. On closer inspection, he realized that Zim had stepped on a piece of chewed gum, and was furiously trying to get it off. Dib wasn't close enough to hear what Zim was saying, but guessing from the tone of his voice and his frustrated movements, he could conclude that the alien was less than thrilled with the situation. He knew he should use the situation to his advantage, and move closer, but for some reason, he felt compelled to stay where he was. Or more accurately, he wanted to keep observing Zim. The situation wasn't downright something he could laugh at, but he did feel entertained. But it wasn't like usual, where he was overjoyed to see Zim being tormented. No, it was more a sort of quiet amusement, that forced him to smile.

Then he remembered something.

'Wait…where is that little robot? I just saw him a moment ago, where could he have-'

"HELLO!" A screeching voice said from behind him. Dib let out a surprised scream, turning around with his arms up to protect himself. He was then pleasantly surprised to see Gir standing in front of him, still wearing the green dog suit. When the robot realized that Dib had recognized him, he waved to him happily.

"HI, DIB! I SAW YOUR BIG HEAD STICKING UP FROM THE BUSH!" He joyfully said, still waving.

Dib made a sigh of relief, as he was scared that a person had seen him hiding in the bushes. Something that wouldn't help his reputation in the slightest. But the relief soon vanished, when he remembered just how close Zim was. He crouched down and started whispering, hoping the robot would mimic him.

"Oh hey, Gir, nice to see you here. You uhh…you don't need to tell Zim I'm here, right?" He smiled at Gir with a concerned look in his eyes, worried that the robot might just start screaming out of nowhere. To his luck, Gir had decided it was fun to whisper.

"No, I don't think I do."

Dib let out a *whew*, before wiping some sweat off his brow. But then Gir turned away from him, looking at something to his left.

"HE'S NOT HERE!" He yelled, before pointing at Dib. It took him a minute to realize who was talking to, and when he did, it was too late. He frantically turned around hoping to see Zim still trying to get gum off his boot. But unfortunately, Zim was standing next to the bush, looking down on Dib with a judgemental look. Out of instinct, Dib screamed again, losing his balance and landing on the grass below him. He looked back up to see Zim still standing and looking down on him, and Gir running off, trying to catch some unfortunate animal.

Zim crossed his arms and shook his head disapprovingly.

"Oh poor, stupid Dib. What are you doing here?!" He said, pointing an accusing claw at him. Dib took the chance to get up from the ground. When he was up, he saw that Zim was still pointing at him. He brushed off some grass and dirt, before answering.

"Me? Well, I'm just…going for a walk."

"Oh really? Then tell me, does this 'walk' include hiding behind bushes?" Zim asked, clearly not for one second believing Dib's story.

"Uhm…sometimes. Wait, what're YOU doing out here?!" Dib said, now pointing his finger at Zim, who seemed surprisingly tired of the interaction.

"I know what you're planning, Zim. You're out here to do…I don't know, but I know you're up to something. So why don't you just come clean!" Dib continued, taking a few steps closer to Zim with his eyes narrowing on his face while poking the alien's chest a few times as if trying to intimidate him. Zim looked at his hand, before looking back at him. He then slapped Dib's hand away, who kept staring at him. Zim still seemed annoyed at the situation, but not in his screaming and loud fashion, like Dib was used to.

"What does my business have to do with you?" He asked back, with a frustrated look in his eyes.

"You're business is as much my business! Considering you're planning to enslave my people. So just tell me what you're doing."

"*Ugh*" Zim then looked up at the sky, with clear exasperation.

"I'm getting snacks." He answered back as if he was embarrassed by the fact. Dib's shoulders slumped down and his expression softened, as he started wondering if he was the bad guy in this situation. But he wasn't so easily deterred.

"Oh yeah, how do I know you're telling the truth?" He asked as he crossed his arms. Zim was taken aback, nearly ending up taking a step back in disbelief. He looked at Dib, insulted, before answering.

"What do you suggest I do, worm?! Take you with me, so you can witness Zim's innocence with your own inferior eyes?" Zim questioned, not expecting an honest answer. Dib looked around thinking if he didn't do something soon, then it would mean he had gone out in the middle of the night, for no reason and acted like an idiot not only in front of his sister but Zim as well. Besides that, he was starting to get hungry.

"You know what? I will go with you. Just to be sure you're not planning anything, understand?"

That was how Dib ended up walking with Zim in the middle of the night. Again. This time Dib was following Zim. Though he was walking next to him, and not a few paces behind. Zim had at first seemed reluctant to let Dib follow him, but with a little help from insistence on Dib's end, he had decided it would just be easier to let him tag along. Though Dib considered he had won their discussion, the sweet taste of victory soon disappeared, as he realized he had no idea of what to do next. He didn't just want to walk in silence the whole way, so he decided that it was time for the good old guessing game.

"Soooo…I've never found out how exactly you got so tall." He said, hoping that it would strick up a conversation, particularly because the main subject was Zim himself. He was very soon proven right.

"Oh, so you HAVE noticed my mighty growth?" Zim instantly replied, with a self-assured tone in his voice, before gesturing to himself, like he was the embodiment of perfection. Dib wondered why he had to go with specifically THAT question.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly put it like that, but-"

"You see-" The alien said, rudely interrupting Dib. He had closed his eyes and held up a claw as if he was educating the human.

"It came as quite a surprise to me as well, but since I have always been so much superior to all others, I've always known that I have been worthy of such magnificent tallness. And as you can see, it seems I have been proven right."

Dib managed just in time to keep down a comment regarding how he was taller than Zim, before asking a question that wouldn't lead to him being gutted on the street.

"Wait, so you just had a…natural growth? I just assumed you used some kind of alien technology to make you taller, so you would better fit in. Especially considering how fast you had grown."

Zim looked at him puzzled, before answering.

"I thought that humans as well experienced a quick succession of growth?"

Dib didn't know quite how to reply, as the alien from once wasn't wrong about something when it came to humans.

"Yeah, sometimes, but-"

"I think you're just being paranoid again, poor insane Dib," Zim interjected, shaking his head in sympathy while smiling tauntingly. Dib looked down at him with a disgruntled expression. If there was someone who did not have the right to call him paranoid, then it was the actual alien walking next to him.

"Don't you dare call me paranoid! And if I was, then YOU would be the reason!" Dib retorted harshly, glaring at Zim with a judging look, as he thought back to all those sleepless nights, where his fear had kept him up. Zim on the other hand seemed amused by his accusation.

"I will take that as a compliment." He casually said, not even looking over to Dib who kept glaring, but in the end, looked elsewhere in frustration. He looked around, trying to find something he could focus on when he looked to his side.

He hadn't even noticed that Gir had joined up with them. For all, he knew the robot was still chasing something. But the little guy seemed to have found something else to entertain him. It was only after Dib noticed a screeching and scraping sound, that he paid closer attention to Gir, and realized he was chewing on something. With slight shock, Dib realized that he was biting down on a fist-sized rock. With each attempt at biting it in half, a metallic screech came from Gir's mouth. And once Dib noticed it, he couldn't keep it out of his head. Wincing from the uncomfortable sound, he looked over to Zim to see if he had noticed it too. Dib then came to the conclusion, that either the alien had suddenly gone deaf, or he had much more patience than he had thought Zim capable of.

The sound finally stopped, when instead of biting the rock, Gir decided to just swallow it. Which yielded a much better result. He then looked up at Dib, who looked back at him with an alarmed expression. It hadn't taken him long to realize that the robot would eat pretty much anything it came across, but he still wasn't quite sure if rocks were a part of that diet.

"Can I have some more?" Gir innocently requested, still looking at Dib with the face of a toddler, and not one belonging to the dangerous killing machine he was meant to be. Dib decided that he didn't want to think more about that, and quietly ignored the robot's question, looking straight ahead. For some reason, Gir seemed satisfied by the nonexistent reply and continued walking with a happy smile.

A cold wind then blew in from somewhere, and Dib started shuddering, wrapping his arms around himself, hoping he could trap some warmth for himself. Zim then mockingly chuckled.

"Feeling cold, Dib?"

He scoffed at the comment, though it gave him an idea for a new question.

"Maybe…what about you?"

"Oh, poor inferior human pig. Zim doesn't need to worry about such things as 'coldness'." Zim proudly declared, to the annoyance of Dib.

"How's that?" Dib asked, feeling slight jealousy at the thought of not being bothered by the cold.

"My excellent PAK makes sure to keep my body warm, by warming up my blood."

"Really?" Dib asked, before taking a hand out to touch Zim's neck. He hadn't really thought about the ramifications or the concept of 'private space', but he managed to touch the alien's skin. It was ice cold. Dib would have yanked his hand back of his own accord if Zim hadn't hissed and moved away. They then both seized walking, with Gir still going down the street, still oblivious to the fact that the other two had stopped.

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME WITH YOUR STINKING HANDS!" Zim screamed, understandably angry at the human's sudden touch. Dib was too occupied with warming up his hand and thinking about how cold Zim's skin had been to answer.

"Wow, you're cold. I thought you said your PAK thing warmed you up?"

Zim's rage slowly started simmering down, as he decided he could get revenge on the human another time when he wasn't expecting it. Something that would be much sweeter, than doing it now. So he decided to answer the human's stupid question.

"Of course my skin is cold! My PAK makes sure to only warm up my vital organs."

Dib stood still for a moment, wondering how exactly that was possible.

"I…don't think that's how that works," He said, with Zim looking at him with a tired and irritated look.

"And what makes you the expert when it comes to matters of my PAK?" He questioned Dib, who didn't have any good comeback. So he evaded the question with his own.

"But then…do you still FEEL cold?"

"Oh yes, very much. But I'm just not bothered by it, like you feeble humans." Zim offhandedly answered back, to Dib's slight disturbance. He could maybe just accept that Zim wasn't actually bothered, but there was a good chance he was just lying to both him and himself. For a moment he pondered what he should do when he noticed the hoodie tied around his waist. It maybe wouldn't do much, but it was something. Sighing to himself, Dib unraveled the hoodie, to Zim's confusion. With an embarrassed look, Dib then handed it to Zim.

"Here, you can put this on."

Zim looked at the grey hoodie, very much not impressed.

"You expect Zim to put on this sad excuse of clothing?" He said while pointing judgingly at the hoodie.

"Oh, I get it, you're too scared to put it on. I get it, It's a very scary-" Dib was interrupted from his taunting when Zim yanked it away from his hands. Dib nearly found it too easy to use that tactic to make Zim do something.

"Shut your mouth, would you? I would put it on if you stop your yapping until we get to the destination. Just don't expect it back in one piece."

"Fine with me," Dib answered with slight frustration. Zim then put on the hoodie, seemingly a little too big for him. Not that he was going to admit it. And as part of their deal, Dib wasn't going to comment on it. So they continued walking, soon catching up with Gir who had fallen on the sidewalk, waiting for them to pick him up.

It didn't take them long after that for them to reach their destination. Dib didn't exactly have any big expectations for a place that sold snacks past midnight, but he had hoped for something more…clean. It was a decrepit gas station, which he wasn't sure could actually pump gas anymore. Yet it must still work, for he noticed stains from gas and oil all around, which must have been a major safety violation. And he didn't even want to think about what the toilets looked like. The only possible redeeming feature that the place could have, was that it sold relatively cheap snacks. Not that he thought it could be used as a massive marketing campaign. But the thing that surprised him the most, was that Zim seemed just as discontent with the place, if not even more so. Yet he was the one who had led them here.

"Wait here," Zim commanded, even pointing at a nearby curb Dib could wait at. Before he could object, the alien had already started going up to the entrance, and soon enough he disappeared. Dumbstruck, Dib looked around, wondering whether he should hurt his ego by obeying Zim or humiliating himself by just standing around for no reason like an idiot. In the end, his tired legs got the majority vote, and he begrudgingly walked over to the curb. He sat down with a dissatisfied sigh, and Gir soon joined him. There they both sat, with Gir continuously hitting his head with a crushed Poop can, screaming incoherently when his head and the can would make a particular loud clang. Dib on the other hand looked up and down the road, waiting for a car or a person to walk past. Fortunately, it seemed no one ever came by the place. Which also meant that no one had to see him sit and wait like some kind of dog. Which wasn't helped by Gir sitting next to him.

Luckily for Dib, it didn't take too long before Zim came out. His disgruntled face was hidden behind a small mountain of different kinds of snacks, which he held in his arms. With his vision obscured he tried scanning the area, trying to find Dib, having already forgotten where he had told him to wait. Not quite sure what he was meant to do in that situation, Dib started waving his arm with an awkward look on his face. His attempt had not been in vain, as Zim finally noticed him, and made his way toward him. At that moment Gir dropped the soda can and stared at something in the distance.

"SQUIRREL!" He screeched, before quickly waddling off to probably eat the animal. Dib couldn't see any squirrel, but he wasn't going to start arguing with Gir over the possible existence of a squirrel.

When Zim reached the curb, he sat down next to him and placed the pile of snacks on his side. Dib was still looking at Gir, as he ran around while screaming.

"Are sure he's not going to get run over?" Dib knew that there was a very low chance of that happening, but he didn't know how else to voice his concern without explicitly stating he was worried for Gir.

"He's gonna be fine. Besides, I'm just gonna put him together if he gets damaged." Zim nonchalantly answered, while rummaging through the snack pile, looking for something.

'No wonder that robot is so messed up.' Dib thought himself, as he still wasn't very comfortable with leaving the walking disaster that was Gir unsupervised. That little robot had started to grow on him, as his fanatical obsession with Zim had started becoming less intense. The same thing could be said about his view on Zim.

Speaking of Zim, he had finally found what he was looking for. He pulled out two chocolate bars and threw one over to Dib, who even though he wasn't prepared, managed to catch it by flailing his arms everywhere until one of his hands caught it. Though he was satisfied with grabbing it, he soon became confused and looked at Zim with a befuddled expression.

"Uhm…why are you giving me this?"

Zim stopped unwrapping his chocolate bar and looked over to Dib. He looked slightly embarrassed, and as if trying to hide it, he turned his attention back to the chocolate.

"Consider it repayment for the last time I was unfortunate enough to end up sitting with you, stinking human." He mumbled, just loud enough for Dib to hear. It was a surprisingly sincere acknowledgment of the last time they had ended up in this situation, so of course, Dib was suspicious.

"But I thought what I did was a 'peace offering' to the oh so mighty Zim." He sarcastically replied, which managed to get a reaction from Zim.

"Would you rather I take it back, you ungrateful earthworm?" Zim offered Dib, who was starting to wonder why the alien insisted on insulting him with nearly every sentence. But the thought wasn't enough to stop him from feeling bad for provoking Zim. Not that he was going to show it. And he was hungry, so…

"*Hmpf* Fine…" He said and then pouted, as he tried opening up the chocolate bar, with Zim scoffing at the reply. But the feeling was still there. That guilt-ridden feeling was quickly becoming a problem he couldn't ignore, and he knew how to soften it. So he waited until Zim had turned his eyes off him, to say it.

"...Thank you." Dib quietly said, a small part of him hoping Zim hadn't heard him. But he did, as he looked over to him with a sincerely surprised look. He was stunned for a few moments before he looked away again.

"You're welcome." He said with a smug expression, but he couldn't force his voice to convey anything but a confused appreciation at the human's 'thank you'. For some reason that made Dib smile, as he tore up the wrapping, the same time that Zim did, and together they started eating the chocolate. They then looked out on nothing particular, as they continued chewing.

"You know, you can just buy snacks in bulk, so you don't have to keep going out to buy more," Dib said, without removing his eyes from the nothingness he was staring at.

"Trust me, I have tried, but Gir keeps finding it, and then it's as good as gone," Zim replied with an exhausted tone, taking a hand up to his face, to then let it dramatically slide down. Dib nodded, and took a big bite, before asking another question, the chocolate still in his mouth.

"*Chewing*...Tell me, when are you planning you're next evil scheme? *Continues to chew*...It's been a while since I've had to stop you."

"Oh don't you worry, I will soon be continuing my mission to conquer this useless ball of dirt soon enough." The alien replied, the snack also in his mouth. Dib swallowed, before answering back, feeling a strange calmness in his being. There was something about being here, a belonging he couldn't explain. Why did this gas station make him feel so comfortable? Or maybe, it was something else, that made him feel like that. Something that was sitting next to him. And why did seeing Zim wearing his hoodie make him feel warm inside, so much so he nearly forget the cold?

"Well, just remember I will be there to stop you, Space-boy."

"...I know you will, Dib-stink."

Hope you liked this chapter. And I hope to see you next time.