Your and Zim's laughs echoed down the rainy streets as you walked home beside him. Zim avoiding puddles like the plague, and you just stomping straight through them.

"You kicked...
HAHA!
and then he was all like...
HEHE!
I'll get you ZIM!
HAAA!"

Zim laughed hysterically as he recapped the humorous event. This fuled your own laughs to continue as well.
You were happy and gained a sense of satisfaction seeing that you made Zim happy. It was nice to see Zim's more serious and stern disposition melt away, leaving him a giggly mess.

Both of you soon settled down as you approached a cul-de-sac. You walked down this street before on your way to school, it was the one with that purple and green house on it. You saw it again, walking closer and closer towards it.

"Hey Zim, where exactly did you say you live?" You asked the marching boy beside you, still tightly gripping your umbrella. Him using it left you soaked in the rain, but you didn't really mind considering he obviously needed it more than you.

"Halt human!" Zim announced. You following his demand, as you stopped right in front of that insane mess of a house.

"NO

WAY

Zim, Are you the one who lives here?!"

"Yes indeed. This is my normal human home for a normal human pig such as myself. Can't you see?"
Zim smiled and confidently held an arm out towards the crooked glowing house, which let off a blatant otherworldly aura.

You could point out so many extremely out of place things on this single lot, this raising a million questions. One of which being, who the heck still puts gnomes in their yard? Another few being, who was this guy?, who were his parents?, and where the heck did they come from?

"Normal may not be the word I would use to describe this particular house Zim. I mean I think it's pretty cool lookin, but DEFINITELY not normal."

Zim just turned to you offended.

"YOU
LIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"But-"

"LIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEE-"

"Ok, ok! I like your TOTALLY NORMAL house."

Zim now satisfied with your response, turned and walked up the walkway to his door. He stepped up the concrete steps and without him even having to knock or even ring, the door swiftly swung open revealing two very uncoordinated looking...parents? It was hard to tell,  they looked kinda...fake. I don't know, maybe it was the fact that they rode on wheals that made you think that. OR the fact that one of them was hmmm SPARKING.

The last thing you wanted was to confront Zim about it though. He'd been through enough trauma today, you didn't think he now needed to be questioned about every aspect of his lifestyle. Well, that and the fact that you really didn't need him to screech that you 'LIE' again.

Zim swung around to face you now standing just below him, a few feet from the bottom of the steps.

"Okay so great job, good work, see ya tomorrow fRiEnd." Zim said nonchalantly, and was about to head inside.

"Hey wait a minute." You interrupted, making him stop in place. "Uh, he he, your still wearing my hoodie."

Zim flushed, looking down at himself, seeing that you where correct. Zim paused staring at it. You could tell he was hesitant to take it off.

"It seems you've gained a liking to my so called 'human filth' " you finger quoted, while looking at him smugly.

Zim just flushed more and violently started pulling off your hoodie. It was hilarious to hear his annoyed noises and watch as his big head got stuck trying to escape the sea of material.

That's when your attention was caught by a strange barking sound coming from behind you. It literally sounded like a child saying the word bark over and over again. You turned to investigate.

Meanwhile, Zim finally got your hoodie off his head. He held it out with just two fingers like it was a rotten banana peel.

"NOW TAKE IEeeeee-"

Zim quickly trailed off his words in terror when his eyes met his synthetic black wig, now sitting on the concrete path just by your feet.

NO NO NO! It must have come off while I was escaping that pesky
Y/N's putrid ho-dee.

Zim slowly and nervously looked up at you. To his relief, you were still eyeing around the street to spot the source of the strange sound.

"BARK BARK BAAARK BARK BARK!"

Zim recognized that voice.

GIR! Zim thought.

Gir's barking grew louder and louder, meaning he was growing close and the distraction wouldn't last much longer.

Zim's eyes peered at the wig and then at you. He prepared himself, dropping your hoodie on the steps and gripped your umbrella. Zim then darted down the steps as fast as his little legs could go and reached for his wig.

Just then, Zim looked up to see Gir jumping out of a bush from afar and landing directly in front of you with a little squeak.

Zim's eyes widened and he grabbed the wig in one swipe.

"Awww well hi little guy!" You said in a babyish tone, bending down slightly to meet his short height.

"HEEeeeLLLLoooOOO!" The little tattered green 'dog' shrieked with glee.

"WAIT DID YOU JUST-"

Zim knew he had to do something before Gir did something even more stupid. Zim sped like a blur back to his original place on the steps and quickly adjusted the wig on his head.

"Uhhhhhh YES he did! I taught him to speak like any other enslaver does to their Uh...pet." Zim announced giving one last quick adjustment to his hair.

You turned to face Zim.

"Wait, so this is your dog?" You questioned pointing down at Gir now crazily squealing and turning in circles on the ground.

"Affirmative."

You were starting to see a theme here.

"GIR! Come here this instant!"
Zim pointed his pointy finger down at a spot beside him.

Gir got up and squealed all the way up the steps only to trip and face plant flat into the step beside Zim. He got up like nothing happened and continued to squeal into the house. This was followed by a series of echoed banging and smashing sounds coming from within the depths of the home. Zim just face palmed and made a frustrated groan.

"Aaaanyway, here is your stupid ho-dee and your cover contraption."

Zim reached out, handing you your things, but a look of confusion appeared on his face when you only took the hoodie from his hands.

"Uh your forgetting your contraption thingy."

"No, I want you to keep it. Consider it a gift from your new friend."

Zim looked at the umbrella and then at you.

"Yes, Zim will accept your offering with great appreciation, now please leave as you are now dismissed."

That was as good of a thank you as you were going to get out of him. You just rolled your eyes and smiled.

"Ok well, see you tomorrow." You waved, walking away.

Zim watched you walk down the street. He just scoffed and stepped inside.

"Welcome home son" the robots cheered.

The door closed and Zim pressed his back against it. He let out a relieved exhale as he slowly let his back slide down the door and sat on the floor in front of it.

"Well that was harder than I thought.
GIR, Why did you speak to that human girl?! You nearly ruined the mission!
If she found out I'm an invader she would've went running to the Dib and joined his wrath against me in an instant."

Gir came running out the kitchen with a chocolate bar in hand and hopped onto the couch.
"I don't knooowwww, I thought she had food! I love FoooOod." He then stuffed the whole bar, wrapper and all, into his mouth.

Zim realized he was wasting his breath, knowing Gir probably didn't even realize he was part of a mission.

"It doesn't matter now, what does matter is that my GENIUS plan is working out perfectly. Y/N has already foiled Dib's antics for the day AND has given me a handy human tool against sky liquid." Zim said aloud to himself, fueling his own ego.
"Now all I have to do is keep this whole 'friendship' act up and I'll have the perfect servant.
Unlike you Gir!"

Gir just giggled, "Someone's wearing their angry pants again."

"ZIM DOES NOT WEAR THESE ANGRY PANTS YOU SPEAK OF!"

Meanwhile, you continued walking home, now with lots on your mind. You thought about how everything about Zim was very strange. Stranger than just an odd skin condition. You didn't want to, but you were starting to consider what Dib said about him. There was one thing in particular that led you to this. When you turned to look at Zim and asked him about that equally strange dog, you noticed something sticking out of his hair. Almost like...an antennae.

No, you thought, That would be crazy....

crazy COOL!

But you decided to let it all slide. Yeah it would be cool, but also highly unlikely. Zim couldn't be an alien, he was just...
unique.

______________________
*cough cough* you're in denial *cough cough*