A/N: Hi everyone, this was actually just going to be a one shot of ZAGR based off of the song The A Team by Ed Sheeran but depending on what the readers and reviewers want, I might make it into an actual chapter fic. I don't know. You guys tell me after you read it, yes or no?
Please review as I did not spend 3 hours writing this for no feedback either bad or good. Thank you :)
I don't own invader Zim, never have, never will. Sorry :( But enjoy nonetheless!
~Deathwish1234
It's cold, no let me get this straight, it's freezing as I sit here patiently and wait. I've been waiting since four PM and as of now it's nearly five. But I never know…I never know when she will show up.
I don't know why I keep coming back; I'm not even sure why I want to. We don't acknowledge each other, we don't smile and wave at each other as normal human beings would. All we do—well I –do is merely sit here and observe.
Normally, my patience would be grinding down to a miniscule size as of now, but I needed to come back, just once more. I'm still trying to decode her, find out if she knows I am here and is merely teasing me or if she is truly just going about her daily life.
I've been here nearly ten years now, in Earth standards I am supposedly 21 but in reality I am 210 on Irk. I usually await a call from my Tallest, having been promised one the last time I contacted them five Earth years ago, but they are busy and I must respect that ruling a whole empire must be stressful. What with all the peasant revolts and all… But it's been five years and none of my transmition will go through to my Tallest. I've only tried it recently, but all I got was a fuzzy screen of black and white with a few Irken symbols at the top, stating that this connection line had been disabled. Had something happened to my people? Or was the Massive merely going under minor imperfections, which should soon be fixed? I don't know but I'm confident my leaders will contact me soon. After all, I am the amazing Zim, am I not? And I am their most loyal subject; I even tried to help in putting out the fires I caused in Operation Impending Doom 1! How much more loyal should a subject be!?
All thoughts stop when I hear a car door open and close. My head snaps up as I look over to see who I have been waiting so long for. My antenna are slightly perked under my changed up wig and my eyes are narrowed.
As long as I've been watching her, she's never kept a steady car. I know, it sounds weird but every time I see her, she's in the passenger seat of a human voot mobile and stepping out of a different car. And if not a different brand then a different color! It confused Zim so; especially since all the males driving the cars were different.
Did she really go through men that fast? Every two days or so? And if she does, wouldn't she be considered by the human population as a 'player?' I do not see how a player intercedes with her relations to men, since I never see her playing any game with them. But alas, this is not my planet and I am not fit to know EVERY custom an Earthenoid lives with.
Once again I am pulled away from my thoughts when she leans into the strange black cars window and pulls away with a hefty amount of human money at her disposal. In all the days, weeks and months that I've watched her, she's never left with such a nice 'tip' before.
She smirked at whoever this boy mate was before walking away from the vehicle and shoving the green papers into her upper chest armor. I watched her every movement as the darkness started to set. She shivered in the cold as the snow licked at her face but this too did not make sense to my amazing mind. If she was cold, why not put on some real human clothes. Her attire was nowhere near the normal human standardization of proper clothing was. It was always some very short, skimpy purple skirt with black fish net leggings that didn't even go all the way up her legs! That was in no way shape or form considered to be a warming tool by the humans. And her shirt was no better, it was hardly even THERE from what I've seen. There was no back to it, just slits in the fabric showing her chest armor clip and the front was sliced all the way down past her chest armor, allowing vulnerable flesh to be exposed in the cool winter air. There are no sleeves on this shirt, not even short sleeps, or as humans say 'tank top' straps, there are just no sleeves within this purple 'shirt.'
She looked around as I continued to examine her, but she seemed to see right through me again. Looking in my general direction but not actually seeing me, which was strange considering I was the only being in the whole park other than the insanity dog I hate so much. It never stops staring!
I expect to just have another night of just sitting here, watching over her until another boy mate picked her up or her demon dirt-child brother to come along and take her home. But what I didn't expect was the sudden staring contest. Her amber eyes glaring directly into my fake icy blue eyes. Was she looking at me? Or was I just another mirror to her that she could see through without seeing the actual picture?
My questions were answered once I heard her voice, which I hadn't heard since I was a 'child,' "What the hell are you doing here?"
I was surprised at first, but quickly regained my posture to show that she had not shocked me with the sudden unexpected recognition. I took a quick glance around through the inky darkness before pointing at myself, as if asking if she was really talking to me, "Yes you, what are you doing here?"
I stared at her for a second, and her angry expression before merely answering, "Sitting."
"Then why the fuck are you staring at me, do you have a problem with me?" Even though she was clearly not pleased to see me, I was pleased that she finally recognized me and I was exteremly pleased to hear her voice after ten years.
"Does Zim need a reason?" I spoke calmly, challenging her with my unspoken words.
"Yes, unless you wish to be sent into a nightmare world from which there is not return!" I merely shrugged off the threat, having heard it plenty of times now and not being afraid of it. Thought her intense glare did send a shiver up my spine.
"Then merely because you look cold, but you are hardly wearing anything."
"No duh stupid, it's kinda my job!" I tilted my head at this in confusion.
"What kind of earthen job is this? I've never heard of it before."
"That's probably because you wouldn't be smart enough to find it," She hissed back, crossing her arms over her chest armor.
"Do not insult the great Zim!" I spat, standing slowly to 'size her up,' as some humans would say, "Why do you wear such little armor in such horrible conditions!"
"Why are you not burning from the water in the snow!" She challenged back.
"Do not insult Zim's methods of bathing in paste!" I snapped, "And do not avoid Zim's question!"
"I already answered your question!" She growled taking a step closer towards where I stood and clenching her fist, "So why don't you shut your ugly ass face up and leave before I MAKE you leave!"
"Zim does not take orders from a measly human!" I growled back, taking my own step closer to her in fear of looking less superior to her.
"And I don't take orders from a pathetic, defective alien," I growled at her incompetence before pinching the skin between my eyes. I hated that word, defect, it was the worst Irken curse word out there and a total shame on your race, not to mention your family—if you had one that is-.
"Fine," I hissed, crossing my arms over my chest, "kindly tell me why your job requires a lack of armor?"
"It's clothing Zim and because I need to get a guy's attention, to go home with him, to get this!" She growled, pulling out the wad of human currency and waving it around as if to accentuate the situation.
"But Zim thought that only shameful humans did that, Gaz human is not a shameful human, correct?" She growled and turned her back on me, making me frown.
I stormed over to her and grabbed her arm, "Gaz human, answer Zim's question kindly."
"Don't you mean please?"
"Same diff."
The Gaz human rolled her eyes before shoving me away from her arm, "It's not shameful if it's for a cause."
"A cause? Like a human charity where humans give away useless items to useless beings?" Gaz then glared harshly at me and grabbed the front of my black jacket, fisting it in her hands and breathing angrily onto my face.
"No Zim, so stay out of it."
"Well what if I take you home," She nearly chocked, confusing me, "You've attracted Zim's attention so why does Zim not qualify in your pathetic human job?"
"Because I wouldn't do anything for you."
"Zim never said the Gaz human had to; just let him take you home."
"No."
"Why," I growled back, losing my patience, "Zim is better than all those pathetic boy mates you take in every night, so why can't Zim escort you to your house?" Now her face contorted into one of confusion, making me even more confused.
She chuckled a bit, muttering an, "Of course," under her breath before readjusting to answer me again, "Fine Zim, walk me home."
I smiled in satisfaction before realizing I had no idea where her adobe was, "Uhh Gaz human?"
"What."
"Zim does not know where you reside anymore…"
"Of course you don't, follow me dimwit," She growled. My upper lip twitched in a bit of grimace but I followed her nonetheless in silence. She was still shivering and the snow fall had gotten heavier since she arrived in the park.
"I'm freezing," She said, looking over at me as if to hint something.
"I can tell," I shrugged back, making her role her eyes and cross her arms.
"Are you not going to offer your jacket to me?"
"Uhh…no, was I supposed to?" I asked quirking an 'eye brow' at her in curiosity.
"No, I'll just take it," She growled back, unzipping it and ripping it away from me as I snapped at her in protest.
"Give Zim his warmth device back!"
"Shut up Zim," She snapped, punching me in the arm as hard as she could. I whimpered in pain at my now limp and numb arm before submitting to the fact that my jacket was now tainted by a human and that I'd have to burn it now.
I was still warm for the sheer fact that Irkens do not feel cold, at least not on other planets. The climate changes aren't as drastic on Earth as they are on Irk, and Zim doesn't think they ever will be.
After another long silence period, she finally spoke up, sighing, "We're here," I looked up from staring at my boots to see a less than nice house standing in front of me. It looked like a human barn to be honest, and the white paint was peeling all around it. There were colored, pitiful drawings on the side of the white walls in what looked to be the humans' substance called 'chalk'.
"This is the Gaz human's home?" I asked, generally shocked, even my base was better than this. Though my base WAS amazing in every way possible.
"Yeah, you got a problem with it?" She growled back in a challenging manner.
"No…" I muttered weakly upon seeing her scary gaze. She was still a bit frightening since I last saw her…
She shot me another glare before walking towards the house, nearly slipping on the vast amount of old toys and ice around the puny yard. I followed slowly, observing the details of the sad living conditions before she stopped in front of the door. "As soon as we enter this house, you are nothing but a possible client, understood?"
"Zim thought he WAS a client!" I growled back, "I escorted you home didn't I!?"
She rolled her eyes before pushing the door open, hearing a bunch of excited squeals ring out afterwards. My antenna curled at the horrid noise as I grimaced and followed her in, "GAZ!" The squealers were screaming.
"BE QUIET!" She snapped back, making an eerie silence spread through out the shabby house. Why I opened my eyes again I was shocked to see four little worm babies excitedly looking at Gaz with dirty faces and tattered armor. I glanced around the house to see torn, stained old couches, an old wood fire place and stove, a very unstable looking wooden stair case and a tiny looking bathroom under the stairs.
It was shocking.
"Twerps, this is a possible client, so be on your best behavior," Gaz growled, grabbing my black sweater and hauling me in so they could get a good look at me.
I glared at the worm babies as they glared back at me. I never did like children. "Yes Gaz," They muttered grudgingly, scurrying away to go tend to the small fire in the shabby fire place.
Gaz smirked in authority before pulling off my now wet jacket and throwing it on a chair in front of the fire place along with her fish net leggings and sparkly heels. She looked down at my sopping wet boots before shooting me a glare and pointing towards the fire place, "You're not serious," I growled.
"Do it, now," She growled back. I huffed before pulling off my boots and tossing them by her shoes in front of the fire.
"Are all these worm babies yours?"
"None of them are, I found them on the streets living under houses and rummaging through garbage pails in restaurants for a decent meal. So I got them a small house with what I had, some toys and a living space and now they're happy."
"In horrible living conditions," I muttered.
"Maybe on Irk, but not here on Earth."
"Oh no, Zim lowered his standards down to earthen standards, your place is an outhouse compared to an Irkens home," I shrugged, earning another painful, numbing sock to my arm.
I whimpered again as she stormed off towards the unstable looking stair case, motioning for me to follow. I did so before she stopped me by the stairs, "One at a time, they're not made to handle too much weight," I gulped, did I mentioned I didn't like unstable things?
She walked up first before motioning for me to follow and I did, very slowly while nearly digging my claws into the side of the wall for stability. There was no railing on this stair case just a drop off.
"Gaz human why does the Dib filth not help you in your troubles?"
"He doesn't care. I may be his little sister and he'll always be there for me, but he made it clear he wasn't supporting this at all, because I had shamed the Membrane family name. Will fuck him, I only need him for a ride home."
Noting the colorful vocabulary, I quickly moved on to a different topic, "So eh…why are we up here exactly?"
"Because of this," She growled, pushing open a door and walking in. I followed her in and stopped upon seeing a make shift mattress on the ground with some old pillows and blankets that were torn and tattered. There was a child lying on the mattress, wheezing and sniffling, "Her name is Rea and she's deaf. But she can read lips."
"Ok…" I said, not following what she was trying to get at.
"She's dying, Zim," Gaz said slowly, sighing as she did so, "I normally hate kids and love to see them in pain, but kids who were abandoned like their parents deserve a second chance."
I looked at her, finally realizing what was going on, the main point of this whole little adventure, the reasoning behind why I couldn't stop watching over her. She was a shameful human, working to get money to support a family that wasn't hers all because of her father unit, who was never there for her as a child when she needed him. I remembered speaking to him once, but he said nothing of his children, and when I asked about the Dib filth's plans, he asked me who the Dib was. Did the parent unit not even know its own child? My cold unfeeling robot arm knew who I was, it gave me a PAK and a name and a personality! "Gaz human is this about-."
"Don't talk," She interjected, not taking her eyes off the pitiful worm baby that was ill, "I know what you're going to say, and I don't want to hear it nor do I want to talk about it."
"But Gaz human-."
"I said no!" She snapped, grabbing my sweater and glaring at me, "Now get out, this is my charity Zim and I will handle it on my own, thank you very much."
"I wasn't going to say you couldn't," I muttered, understanding the hatred she had for her father unit, "But Zim shall leave, if that is what you wish."
She glared at me suspiciously before snapping her face away, hiding her features behind her soft purple hair, "I never should've brought you here."
I was taken aback by this, but said nothing but a sigh, "I never should've questioned you Gaz human, Zim shall leave."
"Can I…take you home," She asked quietly as I went to exit the room.
"That is not in my job description Gaz human."
"Just for fun, not for a job."
I wanted to tell her no that no human was worthy of even standing next to me let alone seeing where I live, but when I saw her crumpled, defeated expression I felt a twinge of something in my spooch.
She was lonely.
The kind of lonely I was, without the comfort of my leaders contacting me for updates. Just with a different scenario.
Silence followed my thoughts as she stared at me, waiting for an answer, "Yes Gaz human, you may walk the amazing Zim home," She smirked a little bit at this before sighing and exiting the room after me, "What did you say that worm babies name was?"
"Rea, its short for Reannean." I nodded in understanding while tapping my chin thoughtfully, "And all she needs is anti-biotic to cure her pitiful illness, correct?"
"I guess."
"Hm," Was all I said, taking weary steps down the stair case of doom and sighing once I reached the bottom. Gaz was down a minute later, walking over to get some different shoes when I stopped her, by getting in front of her and taking the shoe from her.
"Can I help you?" She hissed, glaring at me. I shook my head, walked over to the fire place and grabbed my own boots and jacket. I still held her boot, so her eyes were on me the whole time, glaring into my amazing soul and making another chill run down my spine.
Once I reached her again, I dropped the coat over her shoulders, reached into my pocket and handed her all the human currency I had before dropping her boot and smirking at her, "Thanks for letting Zim take you home Gaz, but he does not wish for an escort tonight."
She stared at me, wide eyed as she stared down at the cash in her hands and back up at me, "Have a good night Gaz human."
"Wait, stupid you left your coat!"
"Keep it, you need the warm armor more than I," I answered back, nodding to the evil children on the couch as I exited the house and walked away, feeling different than I had before I knew of Gaz's charity. I didn't feel as lonely knowing I could at least read off Ideas to Gaz if I ever saw her again, and I felt like I had a right to be proud for my magnificent base, because even though Gaz's house sucked, she was proud of it, because she worked to get it and it held a purpose. Not too different from my own situation.
For now, I'd leave Gaz and her little charity alone, but soon. I would be back if not to wreak havoc then to merely converse with the Gaz human.
Oh yes…
I'd be back.
A/N: So what do you think? Sorry for the rushed ending but it was traditionally going to be a one shot. And it still IS a one shot until some people (AT LEAST THREE PLEASE) review and tell me to make it into a story.
For those of you reading Dead man Down, soon my pretties, all the writers block will go away and I will be free to unleash chaos on chapter 34, just be patient please. Thank you!
Please don't forget to R&R! I also didn't have time to pre-edit this, so I apologize for any mistakes you see. :3
~Deathwish1234