Thanks for all the kind reviews!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Zim yelled in horror and held onto Gaz tightly as they sat in the seat of the roller coaster, which was rapidly descending down the track. It was the second one they have been on today, and it was even scarier than the last one. No, it wasn't the fast speed that scared Zim. Or the heights. Or the deep dips and twirls the roller coaster would suddenly take. He was used to piloting ships in space at fast speeds. What really scared him, however, was the rickety, primitive, worn down track in which the ride was coasting on. It was unstable and loosing bolts with every turn the ride would take, making it that much more dangerous. Yet Gaz didn't seem to care. It didn't scare her at all. She seemed to be having...fun?
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Zim screamed fearfully as he held onto Gaz for dear life.
"That was my ear!" The scary girl grumped.
It was bad enough the humans' screams of pure terror were making her deaf today, but the loudest alien she knows screaming in her ear wasn't helping the cause.
"GAZ HUMAN! THIS RIDE IS UNSTABLE! IT'S ABOUT TO UNRAVEL AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT!" A trembling Zim screamed, clinging onto the goth girl.
"That's what makes it more fun." She said with a smirk.
"WELL, I REFUSE TO DIE ON THIS FILTHY PLANET ALL BECAUSE A SILLY EARTH RIDE COLLAPSED AND KILLED ME!" Zim screamed as he watched some more bolts fly by.
"You're not gonna die, Zim. You lived through worse." Gaz casually remarked, which was true but wasn't really wasn't reassuring.
"WHY DID I EVEN BOTHER TO ACCOMPANY YOU ON THIS DEATH TRAP?!" Zim asked himself out loud.
"I don't know. Why did you?" Gaz asked him.
This made Zim think for a moment. It was a good question. Why did he follow her on this death trap? Was he succumbing to madness from being on Earth for so long?
"I DON'T KNOW!" was all Zim could say.
"Well, quit whining. You'll be fine." She told him, trying to assure him that he would survive.
Zim didn't know what to think about Gaz. She remained unfazed by said death trap, she even seemed to enjoy it, even though it was dangerous. She was either really brave or really foolish. He took another look at her scowling face... Yep, she was brave, he decided.
Slowly but surely the roller coaster grinded to a screeching halt, sending sparks flying everywhere. Zim closed his eyes, bracing for impact, and he ducked. He instinctively placed a hand on Gaz's head, ducking her down alongside him while still holding her tight. Suddenly, one of the other passengers got jolted out of the seat and plummeted to the ground with a sick thud.
"I'm okay, guys!" The man said as he lay face down on the ground. "Oh. Wait...NOPE! I think my spine might be broken. Some HELP please?!"
Two paramedics came with a stretcher and carried the man away.
Zim's head popped up from behind the ride as he took note of the horrible sight.
"It's over now, Zim. See? You survived." Gaz told him.
She couldn't help but notice how Zim tried to ...shield her? He had ducked her head down and covered her with his arms and seemed to ...protect her? Even though he was scared himself. She couldn't believe it. Why did he care enough to do that? He doesn't care about anyone, especially humans. She couldn't dwell on it though, as the alien was still holding onto her.
"WHEW! WE HAVE SURVIVED THIS STUPID RIDE!" He yelled triumphantly as he stopped shaking.
"Told you." She reminded him.
"Are you kidding?! We're lucky that we don't have our spines broken like that other human! I hope that ride was worth it!" Zim yelled.
"...I had fun. " She casually said, giving him a small smile.
Zim's angry expression faded as he noticed the smile on her face.
"Eh...I suppose I have been through worse..." He started to say.
"So you had fun?" She asked him.
"You call nearly dying 'fun'?!" He looked at her as if she was crazy.
"We didn't die. Quit exaggerating." She answered.
"That is only because I'm so amazing I prevented both of our deaths!" Zim yelled.
And there it was...
Gaz looked at him curiously. Even though he exaggerates, he admitted that he tried to protect her as well as himself. He's Zim. He's here to destroy everybody, yet he blatantly admitted he protected her. This was indeed turning into a strange day...
She found herself making direct eye contact with the alien yet again, except this time, he was even closer than before. He was still holding on to her. She felt herself blush slightly. Zim accidentally found himself looking in her eyes as well. What was it about this girl that he felt so awkward making direct eye contact with her? He's Zim! He feels confident around anyone, but yet he felt so strange around her. It was unnatural. He felt his squeedily spooch doing flips as he continued to stare at her, contemplating why he felt this way around her. He felt like he was in a trance. Gaz, who was still being held gently in his arms, finally broke the silence.
"Um, I want to get something to eat. Are you coming or what?" She asked him, trying to regain her usual composure.
Zim finally snapped out of it, letting go of the girl. "Uh, yes! Of course! What horrible Earth food do you have in mind?"
"Did you ever have cotton candy?" She asked.
"No... What is it? Does it burn?" He asked.
"I'll show you. And no, it doesn't burn." She said as she climbed out of the ride and towards a cotton candy stand. Zim followed her closely behind.
Gaz looked at the geeky girl behind the cotton candy stand. Zim stood beside her. "I want to buy two large cotton candies." Gaz told the girl.
"Sure. Comin' right up!" The girl responded as she proceeded to whip up some more cotton candy. Zim watched the unusual process of how the candy was being made. It reminded him of spider webs... and humans call this appetizing?
"That'll be $5.00" She told Gaz.
Gaz reached in her purse for her wallet and pulled out some money.
"WAIT!" Zim screamed suddenly, which made Gaz look at him in surprise.
"What? What's your problem?" Gaz asked him.
"You do not need to pay. I will." Zim confidently told her.
"What are you doing? I said I'd pay for both of us-"
"Nonsense!" Zim quickly pulled $5 out of a wallet and gave it to the geeky girl. "It's my treat, Gaz human." He kindly answered.
"Aaaaaw, how cute!" The smiling girl said to them.
"What? What are you talking about?" Zim said as he looked back and forth, obviously confused.
"Oh, nothing, it's just that...that was really sweet of you. My boyfriend is too cheap to pay for anything for me. I always pay for ALL the stuff, that JERK! He always eats all the food and makes a large bill, stuffs his stupid, STUPID face with food, burps a hundred times, and I have to PAY FOR IT ALL!" She explained, suddenly flipping out. She got embarrassed as she noticed the confused looks on Zim and Gaz's face. She quickly regained her composure. "Anyways...You guys are such a cute couple! Have a nice day!" She said sweetly.
Gaz smacked her head. She and a confused Zim began to walk away from the stand, cotton candy on a stick in their hands.
"COUPLE?!" Zim screamed aloud. "Why do all the humans think that?"
Gaz simply growled. "Why did you have to pay for that anyways?" She grumped.
"I don't know what that filthy human was talking about. That wasn't my money, that money came from Iggins' wallet! He left it in the backpack, ya know? I just wanted to help you save your Earth monies by using his instead." Zim told her. It really bothered him.
Gaz looked at him, slightly taken aback by his reasoning. She would say he was being cheap, then again, he was trying to help her in his own weird way. She allowed him to ramble on.
"And as if I would have feelings of AFFECTION for you! A human! As a matter of fact, I become quite nauseous whenever I am near you! And when I am not near you, it becomes even worse. It's rather sickening. You make my squeedily spooch turn. No offense. It's not that you are hideous to look at or anything. I mean, out of all the human females, you are certainly the most appealing. And rather intelligent. And scary." Zim told her.
And there it was...that was all she needed to hear to confirm it. He obviously developed a crush on her and didn't quite realize it. He was clearly in denial. She stared at him in shock, her eye slightly twitched. Her Dad, Captain Oblivious, was actually right. Zim does have a crush on her. The part that really bothered her was the fact that she actually didn't mind that Zim liked her. And even worse than that, she kinda enjoyed spending time with him. Did that mean she liked him as well? They have a lot in common. It kind of freaked her out. And how was she supposed to respond to that? She became very quiet as Zim continued to speak.
"Never the less, I do have to admit that I actually do not hate this date- Uh, I mean DAY! ...Dib-sister? Why are you looking like that? You're scaring me more than usual..." Zim asked as he waved a hand in front of her face.
Gaz wore her usual cold, expressionless look on her face. She decided to change the subject. "Are you gonna try your cotton candy or what?"
"WAIT A MINUTE!" Zim shouted in some form of realization. "Are you telling me that this is actually edible fabric that was placed on a stick?" Zim asked curiously as he poked his cotton candy with his finger.
"No. It's just pure sugar." She answered.
Zim eyed it skeptically, and proceeded to smell it. "Liiiieeessss."
"Whatever. Did you even have candy on your planet?" She asked as she rolled her eyes.
"Yes! It is much superior to your Earth candy! We had fun dip! My personal favorite. I should have brought some for you to try. Oh well. Maybe another time." He told her.
Gaz once again looked at him. Another time? What was he talking about? Did he really think this was going to be a regular thing? She watched as he finally took a bite out of his cotton candy.
"Hey! Not bad! This is pretty good for horrible Earth food!" Zim said with a smile.
"I know." Gaz said as she took a bite out of her cotton candy.
"I should get some more of this stuff for Gir. I think he would like it." Zim said as he continued to eat the fluffy candy.
Suddenly a familiar voice called for Zim.
"Zim!" Skoodge yelled as he came running over to the duo.
"Skoodge? You're back already?" Zim said with much surprise and disappointment.
"Well... for now... anyways. Your Sir unit... is still running around... making a mess." Skoodge answered. He was nearly out of breath.
"Oh. Well, that's just how he is. Now be on your way and clean up after him." Zim said as he started to shove Skoodge out of the way.
"Hey! That food sure looks good! Where did you get it?" He asked as he pointed to their cotton candy.
"That stand over there. Do you want some?" Gaz asked as she held out a piece of the strange looking candy.
"Sure! Thanks!" Skoodge happily answered. He took a bite out of it. "This is really good!"
Zim started to get an angry look on his face. It wasn't uncommon for him to get angry, except this time, he didn't understand why. It was just Skoodge talking to Gaz. Why was he getting so worked up?
"Oh, and I got something for you!" He said to Gaz, who just raised an eyebrow. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a can of soda. "A can of soda, as promised." He said with a big smile.
Gaz was surprised that he even remembered since he was babysitting Gir and cleaning up all the destruction and chaos the little robot caused.
"Thanks." She said, a small smile formed on her normally expressionless face.
Zim watched as Skoodge gave her the soda. He had the nerve to smile, and was staring right at Zim. He became even angrier. He was now grimacing as his best friend and his human female friend smiled at each other.
"Oh, and I almost forgot! I did get you something else after I cleaned up the popcorn mess Gir made." Skoodge reached behind his back, and pulled out a bouquet of pink flowers that were decorated with pink frilly hearts and happy faces. A note attached to the flowers read "I sure do like you!" He handed it to Gaz."I saw them and I thought of you."
Gaz's face went from a small smile and morphed into a very scary expression, with a dark magenta aura beginning to glow around her. She clenched her hands into fists, her rage was building, but before she could say a word, Zim suddenly exploded.
"JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, SKOODGE?!" He screamed, pointing a finger in his face.
"Uh, I'm giving her flowers, what does it look like I'm doing?" Skoodge innocently asked.
"AND JUST WHY ARE YOU GIVING GAZ HUMAN FLOWERS?!" Zim screamed.
"Because, Zim, she deserves some flowers. She's a nice girl." Skoodge calmly answered.
"LIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEES! YOU LIE! GAZ HUMAN DOESN'T LIKE FLOWERS! SHE MOST CERTAINLY DOESN'T LIKE HEARTS OR HAPPY SMILEY FACES! SHE LIKES BLACK, AND SKULLS, AND VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES AND LAUGHING AT HUMAN'S DESTRUCTION AND MISERY!" Zim angrily explained. "That's what sets her apart from the other humans!"
Gaz calmed down, her aura faded, and she looked surprised at what Zim had just said. It showed a lot that he even cared enough to pay attention to what she likes and what she doesn't.
"Well, some flowers don't hurt, pal." Skoodge casually replied.
"FOOL! You dare try to steal away Zim's date!" Zim accusingly yelled.
"No, Zim. And I thought you said this wasn't a date?" Skoodge asked, a nonexistent eyebrow raised.
"OF COURSE IT IS A DATE, YOU IGNORANT FOOL!" Zim shouted without thinking.
"So, you like her? You have a crush on her?" Skoodge asked him.
"WELL OF COURSE I LIKE HER!" Zim angrily shouted. He suddenly realized what he had said. Or rather what he didn't mean to say.
"That's all I needed to hear." Skoodge said with a big smile on his face. "Good for you, pal! I'm proud."
Gaz looked at Zim. She was somewhat shocked. Her eyes widened at what Zim had just admitted.
Zim took note of Gaz's surprised expression. "No, that's not what I meant! I just- I just-"
"Zim, it's okay. This is good news." Skoodge happily told his friend as he patted him on the back. "I did this so you could admit it. I want you to be happy."
"Yeah, thanks a lot, Skoodge, you're a good friend!" He said sarcastically. "Thanks for DOOMING ME YOU FOOL!" He yelled. Zim glanced over at Gaz again. He didn't really know what to say or do, so Invader Zim did the only thing he could; "PLEASE DON'T DESTROY MEEEEEEEEEEE!" He screamed as he started to run away from the scary goth girl. He was now terrified for his life.
"Sorry about the way this happened. I was gonna tell you earlier. Zim is just so stubborn he would have never purposely admitted it. Soooo, we good?" Skoodge asked the scary girl.
Gaz had just stood there, frozen for a brief second, completely ignoring Skoodge. She really didn't know what to do. She never had this happen before. She just wanted to go back to the arcade to just play some video games and forget the whole awkward mess ever happened, but on the other hand, she felt kind of... bad for Zim. He was nice to her, and he likes her for who she really is. Her instincts told her to catch up with the green boy, and at least talk to him.
"Ugh, stupid feelings! Curse you, Zim, for making me feel this way!" She yelled to herself. "Zim! Wait!" She yelled as she ran after him.
Zim, who now saw that Gaz was rapidly approaching, activated his spider legs for a quick get away.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Zim screamed in fear for his life as through the amusement park he looked back and saw Gaz was catching up to him. She quickly grabbed one of his spider legs and slammed him to the ground. Gaz loomed over the alien who was now cowering in fear for his life. He quickly got back on his feet and was about to run, but Gaz grabbed his wrist before he could take off.
"Zim!" She yelled.
"DON'T HURT ME!" Zim screamed. "NOT MY BEAUTIFUL ZIM-FACE!"
"Zim, I'm not mad." She calmly told him.
"Oh. Then why are you here?" He asked her, trying to calm himself down.
"I...don't know." She said, letting go of his wrist. She knew the answer, but she didn't know if or how she was going to tell him.
"Oh." Zim said, slightly disappointed.
A small random kid happily ran by, accidentally shoving Gaz forward, right onto Zim. Zim instinctively caught the now angry girl in his arms. He held her there, his arms wrapped around her back, as they were caught in another awkward moment of looking directly into each other's eyes. She was still holding on to his shoulders. Her angry expression quickly faded as she looked in his eyes. The two were now closer to each other's faces than ever before. Gaz blushed, and Zim took notice to this, as he felt himself blush as he continued to stare at her.
Gaz sighed deeply. "Look, I guess I'm here because...I liked spending time with you." She was mentally kicking herself for admitting that out loud, especially to someone as arrogant as Zim. He could tell her that he doesn't want anything to do with her, run away, or avoid her, or-
"...I enjoyed our time together." Zim assured her. Gaz looked a bit surprised.
"So...When...did you start to...like me?" She reluctantly asked. Gaz wasn't good with asking about other people's feelings. She honestly never cared before. However, this time, she was curious.
Zim didn't know how to respond to her question. He wasn't good at sharing his feelings with anyone. Truthfully, he never really minded Gaz. He didn't really know when he started to care for her. The more he seen how smart and scary she truly is, the more he started to respect and admire her. "I, uh, I think I started to develop these feelings for you... awhile back. The day I realized, however, was the day you helped me get my Pak back. I truly began to admire you. Your scariness, your intelligence, your strength, your... beauty..."
"Oh..." Was all she could say at the moment. She certainly wasn't used to dealing with feelings or expressing them. Gaz blushed even more. She grew quiet for a moment as she stared at him some more. He actually looked... good. "Well, I guess I have to admit... you're different from the rest of the people I've ever met on this stupid planet. You're brave, evil, kinda funny, and kinda smart when you want to be..."
Zim felt his ego being inflated again. He smiled as she genuinely complimented him and his amazing Zim-ness. "Yes, go on..." He said with a smile on his face.
His smile was contagious. It made her smile. "I guess the thing I like the most is that you never give up- on anything. I mean, even if you do whine or complain a lot, or are really bad at something, you still never give up until you get what you want. I ...like that about you." She told him.
Zim smiled at her.
She continued to speak. It was probably the most she's ever talked in her life. She sighed deeply. "Zim, I like-"
Gaz didn't even get to finish her sentence, as she felt Zim quickly push her away. She fell to the ground and looked up. A laser blast narrowly missed her.
"WATCH OUT!" Zim screamed. He swiftly helped her up off the ground, activating his spider legs and dodging more laser blasts. He got them out of the line of fire by hiding behind a stuffed animal stand. He let go of Gaz and peered around the corner. Some people began to run and scream in panic.
Gaz angrily yelled "WHAT THE-"
Zim noticed two familiar faces approaching him, weapons in hand. "TAK!" Zim spit out the name as if it were venom. "And DIB MONKEY?! WHERE WERE YOU HIDING!?" He screamed.
"I told you to watch where you were firing that thing! You almost got Gaz!" Dib scolded the alien girl.
"I was aiming for Zim, NOT her! You know that! It's not my fault she got in the way!" Tak told Dib.
"DIB! What's going on here?!" Gaz demanded to know as her anger resurfaced.
"Sorry, Gaz. We're here for Zim and- HEY! I could ask you the same thing! Why were you so close to Zim?!"
Gaz growled, trying to hide her blushing face. "How about you tell me why you're here with Tak and I'll let you keep one of your limbs!" She quickly threatened.
"I am here strictly for Zim!" Tak emphasized to the girl. Gaz rolled her eyes.
"You're after my robot bee?! Again?!" Zim screamed at Tak. "How many more times must we go through this?!" He yelled dramatically.
"No, you lizard! We're here to stop you!" Dib angrily shouted.
"From what? Enjoying the amusement park?! I did not know that was a crime!" Zim fired back.
"No! From taking over Earth!" Dib reminded him.
"Wait. I don't have that scheduled for today!" Zim answered.
"Yeah, right. And just why were you so close to my sister?!" Dib yelled.
"...I wasn't close to her." Zim casually denied, a green blush spreading across his face.
"You were practically in her face! I saw you!" Dib yelled. "Are you trying some kind of alien mind control on her?! Huh?! Huh?!"
"Dib! You're going to be in so much trouble when we get home!" Gaz yelled, her fury was building.
"Gaz! Having a crush on an evil alien is very, very bad!" Dib tried tell her.
Zim scoffed. "SAYS the guy who came along with one! I'll bet you're still in love with her! AREN'T YOU?!" He yelled accusingly as he pointed to Tak.
Tak looked over at Dib curiously for a brief moment. Dib looked in shock. He panicked a bit. He honestly wasn't expecting Zim to say that.
"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Tak yelled, getting fed up with the drama. She started to get a crazed look in her eyes. She was here for one sole purpose;
"I'm here for your Pak, Zim. I'm bringing it back to the Empire, with or without you. It's time that you are DEACTIVATED once and for all!"
Yeah, I included some more ZAGR! I wanted them to have some more fun! And Skoodge wasn't actually flirting with Gaz; he was just trying to get Zim jealous enough to admit his feelings to her. He's completely loyal to Zim and wants him to be happy. Zim however, is angry about it. I wanted Zim to tell Gaz that she is beautiful in this chapter. Jhonen Vasquez said that towards the end of the series (probably Invader Dib) Zim would eventually see the beauty in Earth life (whether that is a joke or not is debatable), however, if he did manage to see beauty in Earth's life, it would be Gaz in my opinion. So Dib and Tak finally arrived! To be clear, Dib and Tak found where Zim was at towards the end of the chapter, and wanted to take him out stealthily. Tak kinda lost it (she's in revenge mode) and started firing at Zim, but almost hit Gaz instead, which ruined the ZAGR moment (I don't think she wanted to sit through a ZAGR moment!) and angered Dib. Next chapter is probably gonna be insane!