Dib heard some shuffling in Gaz's room and stopped. He hesitated but knocked on the door, no answer.
"Gaz? You in there?" He asked, opening her door. He stopped and widened his eyes. Gaz was holding a stack of clothes, putting them in a big, metal box. Half her room was empty.
"What are you doing?" He asked, looking around in shock.
"What does it look like?" She ignored him and continued to pack.
"You're leaving?" He looked at her sadly. The guilt in his gut twisted in a tighter knot.
"Zim wants me to move in with him." Gaz said, picking up her stuffed animal defenses and tossing them in the box.
"So… you're going with him?"
"Yeah." She tossed the last one in and went to remove her bed sheets.
The last of Dib's heart shattered, anger started taking its place. Zim was taking his sister away.
"You… you can't! I mean… What about mankind? He's still gonna try to take over Earth!" Dib walked up to her as she folded her sheets, tossing them in the box.
"Maybe I'll help him." Gaz said a matter-of-factly. Humans weren't really her thing anyway.
"You don't mean that." Dib said, wide eyed.
"Why not? I've never fit in around here. It'll be fun."
"You really don't mean that." Dib said, taken aback. "So, what? You're just gonna renounce your humanity?"
"Yeah… Probably." Gaz said packing the last of her belongings into the box, leaving her room empty. Dib took her wrist.
"Gaz. Don't. Please. I'll try to get used to…. You and… Zim. But don't leave. Please." Gaz snapped her hand back, closed the box and pressed the button, making the box pint sized. She picked it up and put it in her pocket, completely weightless.
"Gaz…" Dib said. Watching her disappear down the hall. He looked around her empty room.
No… This can't be happening. First Tak. Then Gaz? He bolted out of her room and followed her down the stairs to see Professor Membrane floating in a computer screen in the kitchen.
"Dad! Stop her!" Dib said, pointing at Gaz.
"Why so glum, daughter?" The professor asked, floating over to Gaz.
"I'm leaving." She said, walking to the front door.
"Alright, be sure to come home soon. It's almost curfew." He started floating away.
"I'm not coming home. I'm moving out." Gaz looked up at her father, hoping for some kind of reaction. The floating screen turned to look at her, but she couldn't see any emotion from under his lab coat and goggles.
"Alright. If that's what you want. Be sure to think of us!" Then the head turned and floated away.
"DAD!" Dib yelled. Gaz clenched her fists and swung open the door, angrily.
Of course not. Why would he care?
"Gaz. Stop!" Dib demanded. She stopped, holding the door, ready to walk out.
"If you go out that door. You're taking his side. And you'll become the enemy." He walked up behind her. "Don't do this."
Gaz paused, still holding the door. Then without another word, she stepped out and shut the door behind her.
Gaz walked to Zim's house with tears in her eyes, muttering curses under her breath. Her own father just let her go like that. Without a word of remorse. Without a fight. Just… Bye! Did he even care that she was leaving? Would he have noticed if she was already gone?
And Dib. Calling her the enemy? That's not what she wanted. That was never what this was about. He was such an idiot he still couldn't get that through his big, stupid head!
Fine. It doesn't matter. I don't care.
She felt a tear run down her cheek as she made her way down the sidewalk into the cul-de-sac. When she got to Zim's door she wiped her face, hoping it wasn't noticeable. She took a moment to collect herself, then opened the door.
"SURPRISE!" Zim yelled, holding a pizza box out to Gaz with a huge grin on his face. Gaz froze.
"I had GIR pick up some of your pizza-foods from the Bloaty's you like." He closed his eyes, wallowing in his own pride, still grinning.
"And… and look at this!" He took her hand and dragged her to the kitchen, setting the pizza on the counter. He opened the door of the fridge. It was full of all sorts of human food. Fruits and vegetables, soda and water bottles, milk, bread, cheese, and meats.
"I know you have to eat more than I do, so I stocked the fridge!" He grinned again. Gaz looked at all the food, her mouth agape. Zim dragged her away into the living room, still proud of his work.
"Computer. Open the entrance to Gaz-human's quarters!" He said standing in front of the couch. The couch disappeared under the floor, and the painting of a monkey slid up, revealing a little door, which slid open. As Gaz stepped in, her eyes widened.
It was a big, square room with purple walls, and black carpeting with a round purple rug in the center. A closet door surrounded by drawers that opened out of the wall was on one side of the room, and a big bed sat on the other. There was a huge computer screen with an Irken symbol on a desk next to a sliding silver door. Gaz turned in place in the center of the room, then stared at Zim, who couldn't contain his enjoyment.
He did all this… for me?
"Look at this!" He hopped over to the drawers in the wall and opened one on the bottom. It just kept coming out until it hit the bed on the other side of the room.
"I modified them from the storage space in my labs." Then he went into the closet. It was a narrow room with hanging bars for her clothes, an open storage spot for shoes, and two more drawers on the bottom.
"I read that human females need a lot of space for their attire. Oh! And look at this!" He pulled her out of the closet and over to the silver door, which opened up into a bathroom. It looked like a pretty normal bathroom, white tile floors, a shower, a toilet, a cupboard, and a sink. Zim ran over to the sink.
"You humans need so much water." He scoffed, turning on the apparently working sink. "It's all in full working order for all of your human needs!" He turned the sink off, glaring at the dripping faucet.
"Oh! And then this." He pulled her out of the bathroom and started typing into her computer. He pulled a tab labeled "customize." And began poking at different functions, turning the walls red, the bed frame green, the floor brown, and the rug blue.
"I know the black and purple is your favorite," He said, changing everything back. "But if you want to change something, you can. Whenever you wan-" Then Gaz hugged him and buried her face in his chest, his antennae snapped up in surprise.
"Thank you." She said, squeezing him tighter, fighting more tears. He put his arms around his Gaz and hugged her back.
"You're welcome." He said, holding her tightly.
Who needs Dib? Who cares that Dad doesn't care about me? Zim does.
That's all she wanted. That's all she needed.
"Come on, Let's get you some of that cheesy-filth." Zim said, pulling away and running out of the room. Gaz looked around her new room and smiled, setting down her storage box with all her stuff in it. She reached into her pocket and removed a speckled, oval rock. She set it on her desk before leaving the room.
The End