Hello, everyone!

So this just happens to be my first IZ fanfiction and it's centering on emo Gaz. Don't ask me why, I'm a total Zim fan. Anywho, I just felt like writing this when I saw the total lack of Gaz and Gir stories on here. I actually think Gaz and Gir being together is more of a possibility than ZADR and ZAGR (no offense to any romance writers, mind you). In the cartoon, Gaz actually tolerates Gir more than other people. If Dib had asked her to dance (a la Tak the Hideous New Girl), she would have punched him in the face. And Gir seems to really like her.

Of course, he likes watching scary monkeys, too *shudder, shudder* But I'm going to let that slide for the moment...

So enough rambling from me! Enjoy the show!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gaz, Gir, or Invader Zim. However, I do own an awesome Gir t-shirt, as does my sister. So..yeah.

Gir's Gift

BEEP BEEP…BEEP BEEP BEEP...BEEP BEEP

Gaz's eyes were glued to the screen of her Game Slave 2. Her thumbs chaotically danced over the plastic buttons. The vampire piggy hunter was in the midst of an epic battle with the vampire piggies. With a tap on the D-pad, the vampire hunter ducked behind a tombstone and used it as a cover, dodging one of the pigs and zapping another one out of existence. The game was getting tough, but Gaz still had two lives left. All she needed was to get past this last wave of pigs and enter the mausoleum and she would finish the level. Her thumbs blurred as she rapidly pressed buttons, zapping all the pigs she could. Her mouth curled into a snarl.

"Come on…come on…"

Suddenly, Gaz's door was flung open, blasting light into the pitch black room. Gaz screeched and fell back on her bed, temporarily blinded. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

Dib poked his gargantuan head into her room, breathless but grinning like a maniac. "Gaz! You won't believe it! I WAS ON THE MOON!"

Gaz growled and sat up, teeth clenched. "I was in the middle of a game…"

But Dib didn't hear her. He was too busy jumping around her room, getting grease stains and moondust all over her violet carpet. "It was incredible! You see, Zim was installing this HUGE laser on the moon so he could use it to destroy the Earth. But I stored aboard his spacecraft and stopped him before he had the chance! It was great! Except for the whole exploding laser thing. That kind of hurt." He shook it off and jumped onto a nearby chair, puffing out his chest. "Who's the inferior species now, Zim? You, that's who!" Then, he began to victory dance on Gaz's desk, much to her frustration.

Gaz grinded her teeth. "DIB! Can you at least clean yourself up before you start acting like an idiot?"

Dib looked back at his very scary little sister, slightly wounded. "Come on, Gaz! I just saved the world from an evil alien!"

Gaz glared at him. "So?"

"So? So?!" Dib said. "I just saved the world!"

If Gaz was a robot, lasers would have shot out of her eyes by now. She glared at him for a few more seconds before she grabbed her Game Slave 2 and started playing again. "Dad was going to take us to a movie tonight."

Dib raised an eyebrow. "So?"

Gaz forced herself to keep playing in order to restrain herself from strangling her brother's scrawny neck. "So if you weren't so obsessed with stopping Zim, we could have actually done something with dad tonight. As a family."

"Well, how was I supposed to know?" Dib said, hopping down from the desk and brushing the moondust off his trench coat. "Besides, you could have just gone without me."

Gaz jabbed her thumb onto the B button, almost breaking through the console. The hunter's blaster shot a large pig dead on, the explosion filling the screen. She then threw the console at Dib's head, just grazing the tip of his scythe-like hair. She stood up on the bed, her eyes wide, fists clenched. "THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" she screamed.

Dib looked up at her, speechless. His sister was always scary, but she had never snapped like this before.

Flames danced in Gaz's eyes. Her tiny body trembled with anger and hate. "I'm sick of putting up with your stupid schemes, your stupid mysteries, and your stupid obsessions! One time, just one time, I'd like to be known as Gaz instead of 'that crazy kid's sister!' Just once, I'd like to go out with you and dad, eat pizza, and act like a normal family!" Tears stung her eyes, something that hadn't happened in years. "But Dad's never home, you're never home, and I HATE IT!"

Dib stood still with his mouth open, shellshocked. "Gaz…"

But before he could say anything else, Gaz ran out of the room, covering her face with her arm as tears streamed down her cheeks. I hate you, her thoughts screamed, I hate you all!

She ran down the stairs and through the kitchen, barely avoiding the Membrane Messenger floating next to the refrigerator. "Remember to brush your teeth before bed!" her dad said.

Stupid recordings, stupid Zim, stupid Dib. Gaz slammed the door as she ran out of the house. She hated it, hated that she was crying, hated that her brother had seen her breakdown, hated that her dad didn't even care about them anymore. All this time she had been the good girl, the quiet girl, the sane girl, and what did she get? An empty house, a fake dad pre-recorded onto a screen, and a brother who would only pay attention to her if she were Bigfoot or from outer space.

She couldn't hold it in anymore. For the first time in seven years, Gaz collapsed on the steps and gave in to her sadness. She sobbed uncontrollably, her tears mixing in with the rain that was pouring on her small frame. "It's all so STUPID!"

Her sobs softened into sniffles, and her head hung limp. Gaz was alone, utterly alone. She had always denied it until now. The video game had provided a distraction, but it couldn't mask the pain. How long had she lived like this? How much more could she endure? How much longer could she scowl at the world and blame it for her pain?

Because it wasn't just their fault. It was her fault, too. She was just as stupid as them. How many times had she ignored Dib to finish a level on her game, or bit her tongue when her dad asked her how her day was? Terrible, she had wanted to say. Absolutely miserable. But you don't care. You don't care about us at all.

But she hadn't cared, either. She had hidden inside herself, hidden deep inside until she had lost herself and become a slave to hate.

At any point in her life, she could have made a friend and escaped her loneliness. She could have made friends with any of the kids in her class, but she didn't. She hid behind her hate, making snarky comments about their mindless consumerism or their lack of a spine. They were all afraid of her. They all avoided her. She had isolated herself. And it was all her fault.

Gaz was alone.

She gave a little hiccup and wiped the tears off her face with a soggy sleeve. The rain was cold, and it had seeped through her clothes onto her skin, chilling her in the evening wind. She shivered and turned back to go into the house, hoping to lock herself into her room and forget about it. She had a game to beat after all…

Then, just as her hand touched the doorknob, something rustled in the bushes. She whipped her head around, her purple hair plastered to her forehead. No one was there.

She shrugged, turned back to go inside - and screamed. There was Gir, Zim's stupid little robot, looking at her with a goofy grin on its face. "HELLO!"

Gaz clutched her chest, trying to slow her heartbeat as she glared at the little robot. "What are you doing here?" She blinked, scanning his steel frame. "…and why aren't you in your disguise?"

"I MADE A MUFFIN!" Gir said proudly, whipping out a little blue Tupperware from behind his back.

"Uh-huh…" Gaz stared at Gir, waiting for him to move out of her way, but he didn't budge. She frowned. "You know you're going to rust in this rain, right?"

Gir stared blankly at her, his blue eyes glowing as he slowly recognized the rain falling around him. "…Oh yeah…"

Gaz sighed. She opened the door wide, glaring at Gir. "Just get inside."

Gir smiled, his tongue sticking out of his mouth like a stupid kid. He walked inside the house, paused…then shook himself off like a dog, splattering water everywhere. "All dry!"

Gaz growled, water dripping off her bangs. She slammed the door shut and headed to the stairs. "I'm going to grab a towel and get dried off." She gave one last glare at Gir. "Don't. Touch. Anything."

"Affirmative, Dib-sister!" Gir said, saluting as his eyes went red.

"Gaz. My name is Gaz."

Gir smiled, and his eyes shifted back to their familiar blue. "Okie-dokie!"

Gaz rolled her eyes and went up the stairs, hoping the robot would somehow grow some brain cells while she was gone. And maybe bring his voice down by a notch or two. It was hurting her ears.

As she entered the bathroom, Gaz couldn't help looking at her reflection in the mirror. She looked worse than usual, and that was saying something. Her hair was wet and horribly windblown, her pale face had grown even paler in the cold, and the rings under her eyes from endless nights of gaming were more apparent under the dim bathroom light. Quickly, she grabbed a towel and a hairdryer, changed into some dry clothes, and put her hair back up in its spiky shape.

Her hands went limp. The heavy feeling in her chest was still there. She knew she should apologize to her brother about earlier. It was uncharacteristic of her, but she felt guilty. The sadness had dulled her rage, and the last thing she wanted was to sever anything left of the close friendship they once had.

The bathroom door creaked open and Gaz peeked out, looking towards her brother's bedroom. A blue glow came from under the door, and he could hear her brother's keyboard tick-tick-tacking as Dib muttered paranormal jargon to himself. She sighed. What was the point? He had already forgotten about her.

Gaz walked back down the stairs, each step as heavy as a cinderblock. She looked into the kitchen, expecting to see eggs and mayonnaise smeared everywhere or Gir throwing ice cubes about the room.

What she saw made her brown eyes grow wide. Streamers hung down from the ceiling, party hats and plates had been placed on the table, the lights were dimmed, and in the center of it all was a huge muffin with a big purple candle sticking out of it. Gaz blinked, stunned. "What the -?"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Gir yelled, tooting a party blower in her face as he leapt out from nowhere.

Gaz recoiled, leaning back on the banister as she took in the decorative scene. "B-but it's not my birthday!"

"Oh." Gir was apparently surprised by this information. But he shook it off, shrugging his shoulders. "Oh well!" Then he blew the noise maker again, giggling hysterically as he ran around the table and dropped a party hat onto Gaz's head.

Gaz grimaced at the brightly colored cardboard hat. "Do I have to wear this?"

"Yes, or the mongoose will eat you!" Gir replied, tooting the little party blower obnoxiously.

Gaz rolled her eyes and sat down at the table. "Well, at least I get to eat a muffin." She tore off a piece and put it on her plate. "What kind is it?"

Gir sat down next to her, beaming with pride. "It's blueberry! Your favorite!" Gir tore off a piece of his own and stuffed it into his mouth, smearing blueberry all over his face.

Gaz paused, raising an eyebrow curiously. "How'd you know blueberry was my favorite?"

"The giant squirrel told me," Gir said. "Me and the giant squirrel are friends!"

Gaz glared at him. This was absolutely ridiculous. This robot was obviously defective, and she was eating a muffin with it in her house on a Friday night.

This is pathetic, she thought. You're actually spending time with a robot that has the intelligence of a cupcake because you're too pathetic to make any REAL friends.

The pain in her chest returned. This is stupid, you're stupid, your life is stupid, everything is STUPID!

Gir noticed Gaz's scowl. "Hey!" he said, "turn that frown into a monkey!" He began to giggle loudly, ticking Gaz off even more.

Gaz glared at Gir, all her hate directed towards him. Her lips curled into a snarl. "Gir, you're stupid."

Gir gasped. The laughter stopped. His eyes welled up with tears as a hurt expression crossed his face. "I-I'm sorry."

Gaz straightened up immediately. Oh crap. "Gir, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" She felt like punching herself in the stomach as tears began to flow down Gir's steel cheeks. Dang it! Quickly, Gaz handed Gir her plate. "Here, eat a muffin!"

Gir looked at the plate and his tears dissipated. He sniffed one last time, then took the plate and tore off a piece to eat.

Gaz sighed with relief as the robot nibbled on the muffin. "There, feeling better?"

Gir nodded, still a little dejected. He was quiet for a while before he spoke again. "My master thinks I'm stupid, too." His voice was softer, and it had lost the tinny sound that accompanied his usual screaming. "He says I'm stupid because I let the big-headed Dib kid ruin his zappy thingy. But he smelled like cupcakes! Or tacos…" Gir sighed. "I made my master a muffin, because I already hid in the turkey, and the taco man said it would make him feel better, but master didn't like my muffin. He said it was filthy earth food." Gir looked up at Gaz, his blue eyes glowing brightly in the dim light. "But I like earth food. I like Earth. I like Gaz. Gaz isn't a filthy human. Gaz is my friend. That's why I gave you a muffin. Because...I like you."

The house was silent. Gaz stared, stunned, at the humble little machine, not believing her ears. "W-what?"

But Gir didn't hear her. The light disappeared from his eyes and they went dull. He wiped away his tears and hopped off the chair. "I'm going home now," Gir said, heading to the door.

Gaz watched him shuffle his silver feet to the door, biting her lip. Gir reached a metal hand up to the doorknob…

"Wait!" Gaz said.

Gir spun around, surprised. He looked back at an easily surprised Gaz, confused.

Gaz sighed. "You can't back go back outside. It's still raining. You'll rust." She plopped another piece of the giant muffin onto Gir's plate and offered it to him, doing her best to keep her indifferent scowl on her face.

Gir, however, saw right past it. With a squeal of joy, he ran back to his chair and began to gobble up everything on his plate. Then, he paused and offered a piece to Gaz, smiling stupidly at her. "You eat too, or the mongoose will eat you!"

Gaz wrinkled her nose at the weird comment, but she accepted the piece anyway. As the warm pastry filled her mouth, Gaz couldn't help but give a tiny, tiny smile.

Gir began laughing for no reason, almost falling off his chair. Gaz's smile disappeared and she scowled at the insane robot. But Gir wasn't fazed. With his head lopsided, he stuck out his tongue and looked at her happily. "I like you!"

Gaz shook her head at the absurd situation. She was eating a giant blueberry muffin on a day that was not her birthday with an alien robot who had the intelligence of a cupcake.

And she was…what was the word?

Happy.

As the little robot went into another giggling fit, Gaz's smile, for just a second, returned to her face.

"Yeah, I like you, too."

Awwwwwwww!

Yes, I ruined the mood. Just eat your muffin.

I just wanted to say I apologize if Gir's speech confuses you. I didn't want him to be OOC, hence the random gibberish in Gir's little monologue. Give the little guy a break, he's got a paperclip, two coins, a nail, and a gumball for a brain (yes, I checked...why are you looking at me like that?)

Hopefully my next fanfictions will be less emo, more Zim.

Thanks for reading!