It was, according to the clock, about four PM, and Vir could safely say that she was nervous about her master. Both of them had basically spent all day doing nothing, but the sort of "nothing" Ray had been doing was a bit different. Whereas Vir had been running around and chasing her tail, Ray was a whole other matter.
The Irken invader was wandering around her house in complete silence. She had barely spoken all day, and four PM was no exception. Her antennae were pointed straight back and twitched every so often - she was deep in thought. There was a whole other world reflected in her ruby-red eyes.
So...Zim and I are "going out," Ray thought, Whatever that term means. Okay, so we're something of a couple now, and Dib isn't happy about it. That much is obvious...but how can I tell him the truth? How can I tell him that I'm not really human...that I'm really Irken?
He probably won't even believe me, Ray told herself dejectedly, He's not going to believe me when I tell him that I'm a...well, I'm an alien. There, I said it. He won't believe Zim, and he won't believe me. That's final. However, bringing Zim back into the picture made Ray think about things in a different perspective.
Wait, Ray thought, Dib is...a paranormal investigator, right? Maybe my case will be a little more believable. And what about Zim? Maybe Dib already knows what Zim is. If only I could ask him and find out what's really going on with those two. She found herself sighing quietly at this remark.
Ray sat on the edge of her bed, mind in a completely different location. Thought is such a wonderful place, but it's so easy to get lost in it. She absentmindedly ran her fingers through her dark brown hair, wishing she could think of a solution to the problem she had. However, there seemed to be none.
The door, which Ray had decided not to close, opened a bit wider, and Vir stepped in. "Hi, Vir," Ray told the small fox, voice a bit quieter than usual, "What's going on with you?" Vir sprang up onto the bed, pink tail swishing slightly, and lay there, next to her master. Ray couldn't help but smile a bit at her little acrobatic show.
"That's what I should be asking you, Master," the pink fox responded in a high-pitched voice, "You've been so quiet. Is something wrong?" Ray sighed and stroked Vir gently, as though hearing the fox talk was absolutely and happened often. Vir closed her eyes and let out a content purr-like sound.
"Yeah, there's something on my mind, but it's...it's about my friend Dib. Have I told you about him?" Although Vir knew she had heard about the ten-year-old boy who was apparently a paranormal investigator, she felt like she needed to hear a bit about him once again, and shook her head.
"Well," Ray began, "Dib is a paranormal investigator, and was my first friend here on Earth. However, from the start, I knew there was something strange going on between him and Zim. Apparently, they're worst enemies, because he didn't seem to like the thought that Zim and I are boyfriend and girlfriend."
"Maybe he likes you, Master," Vir pointed out, "I think you might have told me about Dib before. He might be jealous of Zim, Master." Ray paused for a moment, considering what Vir had said. She had once thought of the possibility of Dib being jealous of Zim, but she hadn't really paid much attention to that before.
"You have a point," Ray responded, "but..." Just then, the Irken invader was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. Vir's eyes snapped open as she got up to answer it, but Ray stopped her. "I'll get it," she told the fox, rising from her position on the bed and leaving the room to answer the phone.
Ray paused for a moment to stare at the caller ID. She recognized it immediately - it was from a pay phone. She had a nagging feeling that she already knew who it was. However, she decided to act as though she was surprised. "Hello?" she asked casually, leaning up against the wall, "This is Ray."
Ray's assumption was correct. "Hi, Ray," Zim began, voice sounding quite nervous and a little shaky, "This is...this is Zim. Um, I was thinking earlier today, and I, um, wanted to ask...do you want to, um...oh, I don't know how to say this...okay. Would you like to go on a...a date...with me?"
Ray was thankful that Zim couldn't see her face - she was blushing heavily. "Um...what time?" she asked, sounding equally nervous. There was a pause on the other end - Zim probably hadn't thought of that beforehand. Vir watched from the doorway, listening in on their conversation.
"Would six be okay?" Zim asked, breaking the silence. A part of Ray's mind wondered why she had even bothered to ask. No matter what time it was, she was free for the rest of the night. Six sounded like a reasonable time - she would have enough time to prepare and enough time to play a video game in case she needed to relax.
"Yeah, definitely," Ray replied, beginning to calm down, "Um...so..." She couldn't think of a way to end the call. She was blushing again, and she had the feeling that Zim was doing the same thing. She wished she could ask him, but she felt much too shy to say anything.
"I'll come by to get you at six," Zim told Ray, ending the embarrassing moment she had been going through, "See you then." Ray could hear a faint clicking sound as Zim hung up. However, Ray didn't put the phone down just yet - she still held it up as though the call wasn't over.
"I love you, Zim." Ray whispered into the receiver before putting the phone down. Vir walked up to her then, rubbing up against her leg and still making that purr-like sound. "Aw, Vir, were you listening to that entire conversation?" Ray asked, unable to stop blushing.
"Yeah, I was," Vir replied cheerfully, "Master's got a boyfriend!" She dashed away and ran a few laps around the house. "Master has a boyfriend! Master has a boyfriend!" Ray watched the little fox race around, wondering where in the world she had obtained so much energy.
"I guess you could say I do," the Irken invader remarked, rocking back and forth on her heels absentmindedly, "I'm going to go get ready now, okay? I should be done in about fifteen minutes." Vir yipped happily in response as Ray walked away to prepare for her date with Zim.
...
Zim paused to adjust his hairpiece before ringing the doorbell of Ray's house. He was beginning to wonder why he had waited until six to go to her house, but then decided that it was because normal humans seemed to have their dinner at around six.
Although he had been expecting her to answer the door, Zim still recoiled slightly when he saw Ray. She was in her human disguise, although she was wearing her standard Irken uniform instead of the more human-looking one. Her dark hair tumbled past her shoulders as she stepped forward.
"Hello, Zim!" Ray began happily, "It's so nice to see you." She lightly jumped onto the next step and gave Zim a quick hug, making him blush rather immediately. "Oh, by the way, Vir wanted to know if Gir could come over tonight and play around while we were gone."
Zim considered this for a few seconds. "Sounds okay to me," he responded, taking out a small communicator from his PAK and punching a number into it, "Gir? Can you hear me, Gir?" A tiny screen opened up, and Ray watched as a little picture of the green dog appeared on it.
"Can you come over to Ray's house right now?" Zim asked, "Vir's here." In an instant, Gir saluted and the screen folded back into the device. Zim put the device back into his PAK and turned to face Ray again. "Gir should probably be here in a few minutes," he told her.
Ray bounced back up the steps and opened the door slightly. "Vir!" she called, "Gir should be here in a few minutes." Zim heard a yelp of joy from within the house as Ray closed the door and went back down, now standing next to Zim. "So...where are we going tonight, Invader Zim?" she asked.
"You can choose," Zim responded, nervously taking her hand in his, "I don't really care where we go, since I'm not all that hungry anyway." To his surprise, Ray only giggled softly and walked off. Due to the fact that he was still holding her hand, Zim couldn't help but follow her.
"I think it's natural for our kind not to require much food," Ray stated, "I'm not all that hungry either, but how about that nice place by the river?" Zim paused for a moment, wondering what restaurant that was. Suddenly, it came to him as he ran over the list of restaurants he knew in his mind.
"You mean Ocean Waves?" Zim asked, hoping he was correct and that he hadn't just embarrassed himself. He was relieved when Ray nodded and slowed down a bit, now walking next to him. Her dark hair blew slightly in the breeze as they walked, hand in hand.
"I've never seen the ocean before, you know," Zim remarked, staring off into the distance, "Maybe it's because of my water allergy, but even then, we don't live anywhere close to an ocean..." Ray smiled a bit, listening as Zim's voice trailed off when he couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Same here," Ray replied, "I've had nightmares about the humans realizing I have that darn water allergy." Zim only nodded - he had been through the same thing before. "Maybe we can go to the ocean someday," Ray murmured wistfully, "Maybe I can take you to the beach."
Zim blushed. "A-are you serious?" he stuttered nervously, "You m-mean...we could actually go someday?" Zim hadn't been planning for the future at all - he was strictly confined to the present. Although Ray was usually the same way, she seemed to be thinking differently that evening.
"Of course we could," Ray answered, "After all, there's no point in 'breaking up' if we already know each other's darkest secrets, right? There's no way we're going to reveal those secrets to the rest of the world." Zim laughed, realizing that Ray did make some sense.
The two of them arrived at Ocean Waves about ten minutes later. They had spent the entire time laughing and talking about whatever came to their minds, and now they were standing in front of the restaurant, which bore a slight resemblance to some sort of seaside shack.
"Welcome to Ocean Waves," the young woman who was standing in front of the building told Zim and Ray, "How many seats will you need for a table?" She looked genuinely interested in what the two Irken invaders were doing, which surprised Zim. He thought most humans never cared about his affairs.
"Just two," Zim told the woman. The woman scribbled something down on the clipboard she was carrying. Ray watched, wishing she would stop fidgeting. She was a bit nervous - after all, she had never gone on a date before. However, neither had Zim, so it was a new experience for both of them.
"Oh, so it's a dinner date, huh?" the woman asked, smiling pleasantly, "Follow me." Ray, noticing that Zim was too overcome with anxiousness to move, gently grasped his arm and pulled him along. They found themselves walking through a very crowded room - Ocean Waves was quite the popular place. Zim was overcome with amazement and couldn't stop looking around. He had never seen a room with so many people in it.
"Is an outside table okay with you?" the woman asked over the dissonant roar of the crowd. Although Zim didn't seem to hear her, Ray did. Realizing that her voice probably wasn't going to be heard above all of the noise, she only nodded. The woman seemed to get the message.
"All right, then," she responded, "This way." Ray and Zim followed the woman throughout the room until they finally reached a sort of balcony. Eight tables were positioned around it, overlooking the river below. Ray let out a small gasp as she viewed the area around her.
"This table is open," the woman told Ray, gesturing toward one of the tables that was closer to the river. Ray nodded to show her approval and sat down. Zim sat across from her, still a bit mesmerized in the world around him. Ray grabbed his hand from across the table, which brought him back to Earth.
"Oh, hi," Zim began nervously, blushing again, "Sorry about that...I just...I've never been in a place like this before." Ray smiled, mouthing a quick thank-you as the woman placed two menus on the table and darted back into the building, immersing herself within the crowd.
"It's perfectly fine, Zim," Ray replied calmly, "Besides, you don't see things the same way everyone else does. Everything the humans take for granted is so...so remarkably different through your eyes, isn't it?" Zim nodded, having never thought of things that way before.
"They look at you differently as well," Ray pointed out, staring into Zim's gray eyes, "To them, you're just a kid with a bad skin condition. To me, you're...well, you're the best friend an Irken invader like me could ever have." Zim couldn't help but smile at this remark.
"So, um, what do you want to order?" he asked, completely changing the subject, "I know neither of us are very hungry, so maybe we could just...split an appetizer or something?" Ray paused, having been too busy reading her menu for a moment, but then nodded.
"Yeah, that makes sense," Ray responded, "After all, you probably have allergies to a lot of the food here, right?" Zim didn't say anything to that at first. He had almost forgotten about his abundance of allergies to human food. He had finally remembered the pain he had gone through from eating the wrong thing.
"Stupid allergies," Zim muttered, "I had almost forgotten about them." Ray laughed and pointed to one of the menus, basically telling him he could choose what they ordered. After a minute of decision, Zim came to a conclusion. "Hey, Ray?" he asked, a bit nervously, "What's a 'salad?'"
Ray couldn't stop herself from giggling. "A salad is...well, it's like a mixture of lettuce, carrots...things like that." Zim considered this for a moment, wondering whether it sounded good or not. "Should we get a salad, then?" Ray asked. Zim was certain that if she wasn't wearing her disguise, her antennae would be twitching.
"Sure," Zim replied with a quick grin, "It doesn't sound like it'll make me sick or anything." Ray couldn't help but laugh at this remark. The next time the woman came around, they ordered a somewhat-large salad between them, which they finished off rather quickly.
"I'll pay for this," Ray told Zim automatically, "Don't worry, it doesn't cost very much." Zim, who had spent the past few minutes absentmindedly twirling a spoon around in his fingers, hadn't considered the need to pay before. However, it seemed as though Ray had taken care of it.
"If you insist on that..." Zim murmured, staring off into the distance, "but this means I owe you something, doesn't it? If you're paying for dinner, I probably owe you something now." The spoon fell back onto the table with a clattering noise, and that was when Ray spoke up.
"Yeah, you owe me," Ray answered, "but I'd like some advice about something." Her expression suddenly became a bit serious. "I have a really bad feeling about how things are going with Dib. He came to my house yesterday, and...he wasn't too happy about our relationship."
"Here's where the problem comes in. You see, he doesn't know anything about me being...well, Irken, and I'm really nervous about telling him. So, first - does Dib already know that you're and Irken invader? And second - how am I ever going to tell him the truth?"
"Hmm..." Zim began, unable to look away from Ray's dark-eyed gaze, "Well, Dib already knows that I'm Irken, so maybe the initial shock will be dulled a bit. Perhaps you should wait a few days before telling Dib who you really are...you know, to let the news about us being boyfriend and girlfriend sink in."
"That sounds great!" Ray cried happily, "You're a genius, Zim!" Zim couldn't help but blush at this remark. The next few minutes, like the ones they had spent before they had arrived at Ocean Waves, were spent discussing whatever random things came into their heads.
...
"Thanks again, Zim," Ray told the Irken invader walking next to her for the third time, "That was...that was magical." After their dinner, Ray and Zim had raced each other home. However, halfway through, Zim had used his PAK to get ahead, which Ray considered cheating.
"You're welcome," Zim replied, "I...I had a lot of fun. I'm...really happy to be in a relationship with you." Ray grinned, revealing her zipper-like teeth for a split-second, and took Zim's hand in hers. The two of them walked back down the sidewalk toward Ray's house as the sky around them grew darker.
"Nighttime already?" Zim asked, staring up at the star-filled sky, "That was quick." It had certainly felt quick to the two Irken invaders - the full moon had already risen, and the sky was a beautiful shade of dark blue. They were already near Ray's house due to the race making them go faster.
"I guess so," Ray responded, also staring up at the sky, "but it's very nice out." She looked down then - her house was about fifteen feet away. "Do you want to come in for a while?" Ray asked, rushing up to the door and holding it open slightly. Zim nodded and followed her inside.
However, as soon as Zim took one step forward, Ray held him back with one arm. "Shh!" she whispered, "Don't make any sudden moves. I think...I think something's going on in the other room!" Zim, who was a bit confused about the whole ordeal, couldn't help but peer over Ray's shoulder to see what was going on.
Gir and Vir were both on the couch and facing each other head-on. Vir was standing, which was unlike her - she normally went around on all-fours. "So..." Gir began, sounding quite nervous, "you've probably already noticed that I...I can talk...right?" Zim gasped silently - Gir's cover had just been blown.
"Yeah," Vir responded, making Ray equally shocked, "I can talk, too. I guess that means...I'm not an ordinary fox." She looked away then, probably too nervous to look into Gir's eyes. However, the little green dog tapped her on her shoulder to get her attention again.
"It's all right," Gir reassured her, "I'm not an ordinary dog. Master will probably get really angry at me for this, but..." Ray froze as Gir unzipped his dog costume and removed the hood. The face of a SIR robot appeared, with remarkably bright blue eyes that seemed to glow.
Vir unzipped her costume and removed her hood as well. Before Gir stood a SIR robot that highly resembled him. She was exactly his height, but the little radar on the top of her head was shaped like a diamond instead of a circle. Her entire body design was a bit pointier, as though she was designed for offensive moves. Her eyes were a bright red color, unlike Gir's. Gir and Vir were both SIR robots - ironically, they were both dysfunctional as well.
"You're...you're..." Vir stuttered, "...a robot. Like me..." Gir took one step forward and embraced her before she could say anything else. A very faint blush shone on Vir's metal skin as she returned the hug. The two SIR robots seemed completely relaxed, mesmerized in each other's touch.
"I...I don't understand this," Gir murmured, "I think I'm...in love with you, Vir." Ray watched them, covering her mouth with one hand to prevent herself from saying something and interrupting Gir and Vir. Vir, still blushing, didn't say anything at first, but then spoke up.
"I love you too, Gir," the female SIR robot replied, "I just...I just didn't realize it until now." That was when Ray decided it would be best to enter the SIR robots' field of vision. As soon as she stepped forward, Gir and Vir noticed her and separated, standing up straight.
"There's no need to do that," Ray told them, "I'm not going to laugh or anything. It's okay. Besides, you two look absolutely adorable." Gir and Vir were both blushing, and once they were sure that Ray approved of it, they sat down and returned to their embrace.
"Hey, Zim?" Ray began, watching as Zim entered the room, "There's something I want to show you. Come with me." Ray walked off and down a hallway that Zim had never noticed before. Gir and Vir watched as Zim walked down that hallway, a bit curious and a bit nervous at the same time.
The hallway was actually quite short, and led to a set of stairs. Both Ray and Zim went up these stairs, although Zim still wasn't sure where they were going. The room they ended up in was quite small, with a set of glass doors covering most of one of the walls. Ray opened one of these doors, gesturing for Zim to go through.
Cool, night air hit Zim's face as he stepped out onto what appeared to be a balcony. The full moon was visible above a canopy of trees, and the stars were shining like tiny pinpoints of light in a world of darkness. Zim was in shock, mesmerized by their beauty and unable to speak.
The Irken invader didn't notice Ray removing her disguise until he thought he saw her ruby-red eyes glinting in the very corner of his field of vision. Thinking it didn't matter if someone saw them or not, he removed his disguise as well, antennae twitching as they were exposed to the night.
Zim felt Ray take his hand. "I didn't think I would use this balcony for anything at first," she admitted, "but then again, that was before I thought I would...have someone in this world to share all of this beauty with." Her hand swept across the balcony, showcasing the world around her.
"This world is beautiful, isn't it?" Zim asked quietly, "You can't get much more beautiful than your special meadow. This balcony makes me feel like I'm in a whole other world. The forests around here are absolutely gorgeous...but none of them can compare to the most beautiful thing in the universe...you."
Zim took both of Ray's hands in his. He wasn't entirely sure what was happening - it was as though some mysterious, otherworldly force had come over him. He was remarkably close to her now, inches away from her large, ethereal-looking eyes, and...he leaned in and kissed her.
Neither Ray nor Zim had kissed anyone before. They had seen it happen - Ray had been entranced, and Zim had been disgusted - so they were basing what they knew off of what they had seen. The feeling of passion between them was intense...intense like the magma of a volcano and the flames of an inferno.
The moment didn't evanesce immediately - it lingered, while Invader Ray and Invader Zim kissed on the balcony. It was a glorious, beautiful moment, and both of them were sure they would never forget it for as long as they lived. This was what it felt like...to be with someone. To be together...
Eventually, Zim's arms were wrapped around Ray's shoulders, pulling her closer. She didn't object - she stayed with him, continued to kiss him. Neither Ray nor Zim noticed the two dysfunctional SIR robots that were standing behind the glass doors, watching their first kiss in awe and amazement.