Dib stared the green alien in disgust.

He never fell for his tricks.

He never won.

He never lost.

He never lost his confidence.

Never.

And Dib envied him.

Until now….. It all changed.

One

He couldn't believe this shit.

He was sent to the counselor's office three times this week and now a fourth.

He couldn't believe it.

All because of Zim.

He walked down the hall scowling. That stupid alien. Why doesn't he ever quit?

He could he Zim`s cruel laughter as he walked. He ignored it and suddenly stopped. No. that word shot confidence through him like a rocket. No. I am not going. He turned around and strutted back into his classroom. Miss Bitters didn't notice him come in, and sit down in his seat. She continued to teach; pretending like Dib wasn't there.

It wasn't accidental.

Zim stopped his laugh and saw Dib sitting. Dib smirked and kept looking at Miss Bitters. Zim growled and looked at her too. They continued the class without any of Dib's rants or Zim`s bellows of magnitude.

Class dismissed.

Everyone departed to their classrooms chatting happily. Except Zim. Dib stared curiously as he crossed the hallway quick as mercury and darted into the bathroom. On instinct, he followed. Why, he had no clue. It seemed his legs felt like going solo. Zim was in a stall, listening to some kind of, radio. He strained to hear, but all Dib could hear was static.

"No!" he heard Zim hastily reply. "I haven't yet. No I do not! I'm just," he faltered, "um, watching for his next move! I'm not stalking him." he paused, listening to the other end. "Be quiet. I am not falling in love with a human. You've gone crazy!" Dib froze. Zim?

In love with a human?

Zim paused again. "Stop!" he yelled. "You are foolish! One day?" he stopped hesitantly. "Fine. Dib-monkey will be dead by tomorrow." He hung up. Dib almost screamed. He bit his tongue to keep from speaking. Him? Dead? Tomorrow? His head swirled as he tried to process. Zim suddenly opened the stall before Dib could react. "What, what-," he sputtered. "Where you-," Zim was so angry he couldn't even spit out the last words. Damn it. Dib blushed so hard he thought his cheeks were going to burst into flames.

They stared at each other.

Zim broke the icy silence. "What were you doing?" his voice turned seductive and soft. Dib gulped. "Um. You looked like you were up to something. So I," he forced the words out, "followed you." Zim`s face twisted into a knot of, of, of- well, he didn't know what emotion played on his face. "I overheard that you, love me, um," Dib turned a funky color and looked away.

Zim smiled. "So?" he said in his seductive tone, "You still have to be dead by tomorrow." He took a step forward. Dib's blood turned cold. What was he doing? Zim put his hands on Dib's chest. Dib stifled a girly squeal and tried to wiggle away. "Oh no my pet." He laughed a hearty laugh he never heard escape Zim`s lips. "I'm not going to hurt you. I don't want you dead." Dib managed to say, "What are going to do?" Zim leaned forward. He was nose to nose with Dib. Dib tingled from Zim`s warmth and tired to wiggled away again. But his grip were like iron ropes.

"there's something I want to try….."

Dib feared the worst. A new type of torture? A new way to destroy him?

What was Zim going to do to him?