Me: Getting back on my Invader Zim grind. I loved this show growing up and I just re-discovered the shipping that is ZAGR. This started off as an attempt to write about Zim and Gaz's relationship, but ended up being Dib's feelings on said relationship, instead. Hopefully next time I can focus enough to write the intended product.

Alright, enjoy the thing.

Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim or any of the characters mentioned in this fic.

"I don't get why Ms. Bitters always has to give us so much homework. You'd think after teaching here for so long she'd realize half the class just copies off of Billy Bowman's paper, and his answers are just wet spots from his own drool," Dib complained as he closed his locker and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"And yet he's ranked third in our grade," Gaz said without a trace of interest, eyes glued to her Game Slave. Dib snorted in amusement. Of course the kid who drooled all over his paper was considered one of the smartest kids in skool; it was their skool after all. Dib was positive that an honest to God monkey could enroll in here and make it out valedictorian.

Dib shoved his hands in his pockets and headed towards the exit door, Gaz falling in line beside him. His backpack -which currently held two four-pound textbooks, a clay volcano for science class, three of Gaz's video games, a trombone, and half of somebody's cheese sandwich- was weighing him down in a way that made him think it didn't want him to leave the school, which led Dib to the thought that their backpacks were in cahoots with the teachers. (He stopped himself right there however, because that was exactly the type of conspiratorial thought that would lead to Gaz punching him.)

As per usual, Dib and Gaz made the daily trek to and from school together, but unlike their elementary school years, the two managed to have actual conversations while doing so. Ever since they'd started hi-skool, Gaz had become a lot more tolerant of Dib and his presence in her life, and as they entered the end of their junior year, the two had developed an almost-friendship like relationship. (Dib had realized a long time ago that they'd never reach that true brother and sister level of closeness; he was just glad she was not longer fracturing his ribs.) The main cause for Gaz's change of attitude was Dib's decision to abandon everything alien related. He had decided that he had wasted enough of his childhood\adolescent years trying to prove that there were other species living amongst them, and had dropped his obsession of the paranormal in favor of photography.

This also meant that he had dropped his 3+ year-long obsession over bringing a certain green-skinned archenemy of his to justice (or at least to the Swollen Eyeball Network), but it had been done begrudgingly as there had been other reasons that Dib had done this; reasons he didn't really want to talk about right now.

But getting back to his original point, Dib and Gaz were on much better terms than they had been during childhood, and Dib would be lying if he said he wasn't the tiniest bit happy about it.

"I feel like I'm carrying lead right now," Dib sighed as his entire back throbbed in pain. He shifted his heavy backpack in an effort to keep his spine from snapping. "Do you think it's too late for me to get scoliosis? …Gaz?"

Dib looked curiously to his right, where he saw his sister staring down at her video game as she normally did. With a quick glance at the screen, however, Dib realized that unlike normal, Gaz was a few minutes away from losing the game, a definite sign that her mind was somewhere else.

"You didn't listen to a word I said, did you?"

"Nope. But that's because you always say so many of them. Maybe if you shut up from time to time, I'd be more inclined to listen," Gaz's comment, while it was spoken in a conversational tone and assured Dib she wasn't ignoring because she was pissed at him specifically, did little to appease the him. She'd been like this for the past month, inattentive and practically impossible to hold a conversation with. Dib couldn't remember the amount of times he'd asked Gaz 'you want to order a pizza' and then had to repeat himself; usually when he mentioned food he was sure to receive Gaz's full attention. It was a bit concerning, to tell the truth.

"You've been really distracted lately. Are you okay? Is something bothering you?"

"If there was, don't you think something would be dead by now," Gaz said dryly. Despite this, she briefly looked away from her game to give Dib a reassuring –well, an emotion close to reassuring, this was Gaz- look. (To the untrained eye, it'd look like she was simply glaring at him, but Dib knew that that was just the way Gaz's face worked).

"I'm using my brain for this crazy thing called 'thinking', Dib. You should try it sometime,"

"Thinking about what?" Dib asked, stepping on a small hill of dirt and sending a bunch of red ants into chaos. He was sure his question would be met with another one of his sister's seemingly endless insults, but on the off chance Gaz was willing to share her thoughts with him (like she had that one time when she woke him up at three in the morning to almost three months ago that Dib will never forget), he wanted her to know he was listening.

"None of your business," Gaz mumbled, sounding as if she'd been caught off guard. Had she been anyone but herself, Dib would've sworn she'd sounded mildly embarrassed about whatever it was, but what could Gaz have to be embarrassed about? Dib could not think of a single thing his sister had to be ashamed of. It hit him as Dib came across another group of red ants. He scowled.

She had nothing to be ashamed of, except for the feelings she harbored for a certain red-eyed nuisance.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" He spat out, less of a question and more of an accusation. Gaz didn't dignify him with an answer, which Dib realized was an answer in itself, and he clenched his teeth.

If you had told him four years ago that he'd grow up to be one of those brother's who got pissed when their sister started dating, he wouldn't have believed you. Hell, Dib still had trouble dealing with the overwhelming urge to punch something that stirred up inside him whenever he thought of Gaz's "relationship". And he knew realistically that it wasn't the actual fact that Gaz was dating that bothered him so much, but who she was dating. Had it have been ol' Billy Bowman that had taken an interest in his sister, Dib wouldn't have cared in the slightest; he would've risked getting a black eye by making fun of Gaz about it, but he wouldn't have commented on it further.

But no, she just had to start a relationship with the one person Dib couldn't stand. Zim might've stopped trying to conquer the Earth two years ago, but that didn't mean Dib trusted the alien anymore than he once had. And Gaz might've liked the green little goblin, but that sure as hell didn't mean Dib had to.

Unfortunately for him, his sister did not share this sentiment.

"If you're gonna be hanging around me all the time, then you're gonna have to get over whatever shit you've got with Zim," Gaz had told him shortly after she'd dropped the "I'm-dating-your-archenemy" bomb on him.

"But, Gaz! He's tried to take over the world like…a billion times!" He'd protested, tugging on his hair. How in the hell could she be dating that-that…thing?

"Keyword is tried; he never actually managed to do it," She responded, taking a sip of her drink.

"Yes, because that makes this better somehow," Dib rested his face in his palms and groaned. Could his life get any worse?

"What do you even care? In case you haven't noticed, Zim hasn't tried to destroy mankind in years. Plus, you gave up all that 'extraterrestrial hero' shit, so it really wouldn't be your problem if he did,"

"That's not the point, Gaz."

"The point is you're being an ass, and last time I checked, I'm the only one around here who has any clearance to do that,"

"What do you even see in him?" He'd asked her, desperately trying to think of a reason why.

"We both think it's funny when other people get hurt," Her mouth curved up into a smirk. "Plus his squeedly-spooch matches mine."

Dib sighed as he remembered the conversation from almost a month ago. He and Gaz had argued about it all night, until Gaz finally snapped and threatened to beat the living hell out of him if he didn't just get over it. His fear of his sister had been stronger than his hatred of Zim in that moment, so he'd dropped it, but there was no amount of fear that could make Dib act any more civil to the green nuisance than he already did. Gaz was his sister and he loved her, but she had shit choice in guys.

And Dib knew that he was probably going overboard with the whole "mortal enemy" thing, especially since Gaz had been right about Zim's zero-percent success rate when it came to enslaving the Earth. But there was more to Dib's anger than just that; in all honesty, that wasn't even the reason Dib was upset.

Dib was upset because this alien freak who had tried to kill him and a number of other people on numerous occasions was now dating his fucking sister, who, despite their ups-and-downs, Dib loved very much. He didn't care whether Zim endangered the planet or not; Dib was more worried about Zim endangering his little sister.

Which was foolish, really, because Dib knew better than anyone that Gaz was more than capable of taking care of herself, especially when it came to Zim. But he still couldn't help but be concerned. Dib had always been incredibly protective over his sister; he had to be, he was all she had. Their father had abandoned them as his responsibility years ago, and while the man still lived in the same house as them (or at least when he was on holiday from his job, he did), Professor Membrane hadn't been a part of either of their lives since they were ten. So Dib and Gaz had predominantly raised themselves, and sometimes each other when the situation had called for it. Dib couldn't help but worry for his sister's safety, as it had practically been all he'd done for the past seven years.

Of course, when he'd tried to tell Gaz this, she'd kicked him in the shin and hissed, "I can take care of myself!", which honestly hadn't surprised him. And if he really thought about it, her liking Zim hadn't surprised him much, either. Neither Gaz nor Zim could tolerate the human species and both had a passion for the misery of others (and they both had those squeedly-spooch things); it seemed as if they were the perfect couple.

Dib wanted to blow his brains out.

"I wish you'd just get over yourself already," Gaz said, breaking Dib out of his thoughts. "Zim already said he'd drop the evil alien crap and if he doesn't I told him I'd break his arm. I don't know what more you need, Dib," Dib opened his mouth, but paused mid-retort. Realization dawned on him and he felt foolish for having even taken it this far.

The real reason Gaz had been so adamant on Dib getting over his hatred of Zim and giving the alien a second chance was because Gaz wanted Dib's approval; she wanted her older brother to be on good terms with the guy she was dating. It wasn't obvious and Gaz would vehemently deny it if Dib ever said it out loud, but all she was really asking Dib to do was tell her that it was okay for her to be with Zim. She had just now proven his point, telling him that she had threatened the alien into behaving around him. When had Gaz ever cared how someone acted around him? When had Gaz ever cared about anything as much as she seemed to care about this? She'd lost so many games on her Game Slave, given up so many last slices of pizza, and just been so un-Gaz-like for the past month and it's been because of this; because she cared.

"You know what, Gaz," Dib said with a sigh. He was going to regret this, but he'd regret it more if he didn't. "I think I'm over it," He saw her fully look at him for the first time today.

"…you're serious?" She asked, clearly trying to keep the rarely-heard hope out of her voice and failing horribly.

"Yeah," Dib nodded, as they reached the front of their house and headed up the driveway. "I'm serious."

Gaz, once again, left him without a response and instead stood silently behind him as he unlocked the front door. After he had swung the door open, however, and was in the process of dropping his backpack full of bricks onto the floor, Gaz surprised him by walking past and saying,

"I guess you're not the worst brother I could've gotten stuck with,"

It wasn't much, but Dib felt the sides of his mouth upturn anyways.

I feel like by the time Dib and Gaz get into high school, they'd both be a less intense than they were as kids. I also feel like at that point in life, they'd have realized they were on their own home-wise and that their only real option is to stick together. I like the idea of them loving each other, just not knowing how to show it. I also love the idea of Dib being a protective (yet incompetent) older brother and trying to beat Zim up for flirting with Gaz, but getting beat up by the girl herself. Anyways, thanks for reading this. Have a great day.