Chapter 7 – After The Dance (a.k.a. The Sex Scene)
GIR and APU were watching TV when the front door swung open. Zim walked in, carrying Zia in his arms in the style of the old-movie newly wed couples. They were both laughing.
GIR jumped up. "Master! Zia-lady!" he cried, "You're so happy!"
"Someone spiked the punch," Zim said, setting Zia on her feet, and they both laughed again.
Computer's voice rang out, "Alcohol levels three times above normal. Removal process initiated." Two glass tubes dropped down from the ceiling over the Irkens, and a vacuum-like gust of wind surrounded them. Their disguises were removed, along with about half of the alcohol substitute they had consumed (no one's sure how). Then the tubes were lifted back into the ceiling.
"Woo," Zim said, "That was weird."
"I had fun," Zia said.
"I didn't say it wasn't fun, it was just weird," Zim said.
APU watched as Zia sat down on the couch and stated, "Mistress, you haven't been acting your usual responsible self lately."
"Oh, APU, you worry too much," Zia said, "I'm fine. I just haven't had a lot of time to myself before…so this is a welcome change."
"Mistress – your mission," APU persisted.
But then GIR popped back up, carrying a tray with two mugs of coffee, "Coffee?" he said.
Zim took a mug and looked at GIR suspiciously, "There's nothing in here, right?"
"Yes!" said GIR, "Coffee!!"
"It looks safe enough to me," Zia said, taking the second mug as Zim climbed up next to her. She took a long drink and sighed, "Wow…it actually feels good to drink this stuff…and usually I don't like coffee."
"The caffeine must dull out the effects of the alcohol," Zim said, "But don't worry – the hangover tomorrow won't be gotten rid of so easily."
"Well, I won't worry about tomorrow," Zia said, leaning her head on Zim's shoulder, "I've enjoyed today too much to think about much else."
Zim glanced over at her, "I've enjoyed the past month too much, I think," he admitted.
GIR began ushering APU out of the room, despite his protests. Soon they were gone, off to GIR's room.
Zim and Zia sat together in silence for a long moment. Zia finally sighed again and said softly, "Zim…"
"Hmm?"
"…I think I'm falling in love with you…"
Zim gulped, "…Really…?"
"Yeah…"
"Well…I think I've been falling in love with you ever since you crashed in my backyard," he said, not quite daring to look away from the floor.
Zia sat up straight and took hold of Zim's hands, the coffee cups having been drained and discarded a short moment ago. "Zim…" she glanced away, and then turned back o him and said quickly, "Will you mate with me?"
Zim nearly fainted from shock. "…Mate…you mean…now?"
Zia nodded.
"Of course," Zim said, "We'll file for the paperwork first thing in the morning and-,"
"No," Zia shook her head, smiling, "I mean mate with me…tonight."
This time, Zim really fainted. When he woke up a few seconds later, Zia was kneeling over him. "Are you ok?" she asked.
Zim sat up, shaking his head. "Was I just dreaming…or did you ask me…"
"To mate with me," Zia nodded.
"Are…are you sure?" Zim asked nervously.
"I've never been so sure of anything in my life, Zim," Zia assured him.
Zim swallowed hard and nodded, "All right…"
She smiled at him. He grinned back embarrassedly. She looked up at the ceiling. "Computer?" The floor opened up and they were lowered down into the base.
* * *
They emerged in a part of the base that Zim had never seen. It was a small room with a nest made of pillows and blankets in the center. It was lit with a few dimly glowing crystals on the walls. Zim turned to Zia for an explanation. She shrugged guiltily. "I had a feeling tonight would be the night," she said, "So I prepared a little."
Zim grinned, "Like a true Irken."
Zia smiled and kissed him on the lips, pushing him down into the nest. She pulled away quickly and grinned at his dazed expression. "I love you," she whispered.
"And I, you," Zim said.
Zia sat up and began pulling her gloves off. Zim hurried to do the same. The gloves were tossed aside and they pressed their palms together. Zim gulped. Contact of the skin was a rare occurrence, therefore, naturally reserved for the mating rituals. Zia leaned in and kissed him again, this time for a long moment, and he tried his best to kiss her back.
When she pulled away this time, she reached back and unhooked her jetpack. Zim followed suit and the packs floated off to attach themselves to the wall. Not long after, the rest of their clothes were scattered across the floor and they were kissing passionately.
* * *
"I've been away from Mistress for too long already!" APU cried, "I have to find her!" The bodyguard robot was storming through the house, searching for Zia.
"No! No! No! No!" GIR cried, holding onto APU's back plate, being dragged along behind, "Leave Master and Zia-lady alone!"
But it was no use. APU was much stronger then GIR. After tearing the house level apart, he returned to the living room. He pressed a button on the wall and the videophone screen flickered to life. The Tallest appeared on screen as the static faded away.
"What is it now, Zim – APU?" Red said, "What are you doing, calling us on your own?"
"I have contacted you to report that my Mistress has gone missing," APU said.
"What??" said Purple.
"GIR's Master is gone as well," APU said.
Behind him, GIR looked defeated.
Red and Purple looked at each other. "Um…ok…" Red said, "I guess we could locate their jet packs…"
"If it'll get them to leave us alone, do it," Purple muttered.
"Right," Red nodded. He pressed a button off screen. From his view, the screen containing the robots was shrunk and a radar-view of Zim's house. The indicators showed both Zim and Zia's packs in the same area of the base.
"What do you think they're doing?" Purple asked.
"I'm not sure I wanna know," Red said, then turned to the robots, "Look – your master and mistress are still in the base – so there's no reason to worry. We'll…um…call back in the morning to make sure everything's still…in one piece."
"Thank you, my Tallest," APU said, and shut off the transmission. Once the painting of the green monkey was back in place, he turned to face GIR, looking crazed.
GIR cowered on the floor, watching helplessly as APU marched off to find them. Once APU had gone, he turned his eyes to the floor, switching them to x-ray vision. When he finally spotted his Master and Zia, his eyes widened, and he rushed off to stop APU before he ruined everything.
"No! No! No! No! No!" GIR cried, now pushing against APU's chest plate, trying to hold him back. APU kept on searching, despite GIR's protests.
* * *
Down below, Zim and Zia broke their kiss and pressed their foreheads together gently, staring into each other's eyes. Zia ran her fingers down Zim's back until they found the metal rings where his jet pack would attach. She fingered then tenderly, and he found himself blushing all over again. He was feeling so vulnerable with her – it was a good feeling, but frightening at the same time.
Zia smiled and kissed him softly. Then they intertwined their antennae together. As soon as they made contact, a blue glow started at the base of Zim's antennae and ran along them, fading out as it touched Zia's head. Then the glow started again on Zim and went across to Zia. This went on for a few intoxicating minutes, and when the glow faded away the last time, both Irkens fell asleep in each other's arms, wrapped up in the blankets in the nest.
GIR and APU were watching TV when the front door swung open. Zim walked in, carrying Zia in his arms in the style of the old-movie newly wed couples. They were both laughing.
GIR jumped up. "Master! Zia-lady!" he cried, "You're so happy!"
"Someone spiked the punch," Zim said, setting Zia on her feet, and they both laughed again.
Computer's voice rang out, "Alcohol levels three times above normal. Removal process initiated." Two glass tubes dropped down from the ceiling over the Irkens, and a vacuum-like gust of wind surrounded them. Their disguises were removed, along with about half of the alcohol substitute they had consumed (no one's sure how). Then the tubes were lifted back into the ceiling.
"Woo," Zim said, "That was weird."
"I had fun," Zia said.
"I didn't say it wasn't fun, it was just weird," Zim said.
APU watched as Zia sat down on the couch and stated, "Mistress, you haven't been acting your usual responsible self lately."
"Oh, APU, you worry too much," Zia said, "I'm fine. I just haven't had a lot of time to myself before…so this is a welcome change."
"Mistress – your mission," APU persisted.
But then GIR popped back up, carrying a tray with two mugs of coffee, "Coffee?" he said.
Zim took a mug and looked at GIR suspiciously, "There's nothing in here, right?"
"Yes!" said GIR, "Coffee!!"
"It looks safe enough to me," Zia said, taking the second mug as Zim climbed up next to her. She took a long drink and sighed, "Wow…it actually feels good to drink this stuff…and usually I don't like coffee."
"The caffeine must dull out the effects of the alcohol," Zim said, "But don't worry – the hangover tomorrow won't be gotten rid of so easily."
"Well, I won't worry about tomorrow," Zia said, leaning her head on Zim's shoulder, "I've enjoyed today too much to think about much else."
Zim glanced over at her, "I've enjoyed the past month too much, I think," he admitted.
GIR began ushering APU out of the room, despite his protests. Soon they were gone, off to GIR's room.
Zim and Zia sat together in silence for a long moment. Zia finally sighed again and said softly, "Zim…"
"Hmm?"
"…I think I'm falling in love with you…"
Zim gulped, "…Really…?"
"Yeah…"
"Well…I think I've been falling in love with you ever since you crashed in my backyard," he said, not quite daring to look away from the floor.
Zia sat up straight and took hold of Zim's hands, the coffee cups having been drained and discarded a short moment ago. "Zim…" she glanced away, and then turned back o him and said quickly, "Will you mate with me?"
Zim nearly fainted from shock. "…Mate…you mean…now?"
Zia nodded.
"Of course," Zim said, "We'll file for the paperwork first thing in the morning and-,"
"No," Zia shook her head, smiling, "I mean mate with me…tonight."
This time, Zim really fainted. When he woke up a few seconds later, Zia was kneeling over him. "Are you ok?" she asked.
Zim sat up, shaking his head. "Was I just dreaming…or did you ask me…"
"To mate with me," Zia nodded.
"Are…are you sure?" Zim asked nervously.
"I've never been so sure of anything in my life, Zim," Zia assured him.
Zim swallowed hard and nodded, "All right…"
She smiled at him. He grinned back embarrassedly. She looked up at the ceiling. "Computer?" The floor opened up and they were lowered down into the base.
* * *
They emerged in a part of the base that Zim had never seen. It was a small room with a nest made of pillows and blankets in the center. It was lit with a few dimly glowing crystals on the walls. Zim turned to Zia for an explanation. She shrugged guiltily. "I had a feeling tonight would be the night," she said, "So I prepared a little."
Zim grinned, "Like a true Irken."
Zia smiled and kissed him on the lips, pushing him down into the nest. She pulled away quickly and grinned at his dazed expression. "I love you," she whispered.
"And I, you," Zim said.
Zia sat up and began pulling her gloves off. Zim hurried to do the same. The gloves were tossed aside and they pressed their palms together. Zim gulped. Contact of the skin was a rare occurrence, therefore, naturally reserved for the mating rituals. Zia leaned in and kissed him again, this time for a long moment, and he tried his best to kiss her back.
When she pulled away this time, she reached back and unhooked her jetpack. Zim followed suit and the packs floated off to attach themselves to the wall. Not long after, the rest of their clothes were scattered across the floor and they were kissing passionately.
* * *
"I've been away from Mistress for too long already!" APU cried, "I have to find her!" The bodyguard robot was storming through the house, searching for Zia.
"No! No! No! No!" GIR cried, holding onto APU's back plate, being dragged along behind, "Leave Master and Zia-lady alone!"
But it was no use. APU was much stronger then GIR. After tearing the house level apart, he returned to the living room. He pressed a button on the wall and the videophone screen flickered to life. The Tallest appeared on screen as the static faded away.
"What is it now, Zim – APU?" Red said, "What are you doing, calling us on your own?"
"I have contacted you to report that my Mistress has gone missing," APU said.
"What??" said Purple.
"GIR's Master is gone as well," APU said.
Behind him, GIR looked defeated.
Red and Purple looked at each other. "Um…ok…" Red said, "I guess we could locate their jet packs…"
"If it'll get them to leave us alone, do it," Purple muttered.
"Right," Red nodded. He pressed a button off screen. From his view, the screen containing the robots was shrunk and a radar-view of Zim's house. The indicators showed both Zim and Zia's packs in the same area of the base.
"What do you think they're doing?" Purple asked.
"I'm not sure I wanna know," Red said, then turned to the robots, "Look – your master and mistress are still in the base – so there's no reason to worry. We'll…um…call back in the morning to make sure everything's still…in one piece."
"Thank you, my Tallest," APU said, and shut off the transmission. Once the painting of the green monkey was back in place, he turned to face GIR, looking crazed.
GIR cowered on the floor, watching helplessly as APU marched off to find them. Once APU had gone, he turned his eyes to the floor, switching them to x-ray vision. When he finally spotted his Master and Zia, his eyes widened, and he rushed off to stop APU before he ruined everything.
"No! No! No! No! No!" GIR cried, now pushing against APU's chest plate, trying to hold him back. APU kept on searching, despite GIR's protests.
* * *
Down below, Zim and Zia broke their kiss and pressed their foreheads together gently, staring into each other's eyes. Zia ran her fingers down Zim's back until they found the metal rings where his jet pack would attach. She fingered then tenderly, and he found himself blushing all over again. He was feeling so vulnerable with her – it was a good feeling, but frightening at the same time.
Zia smiled and kissed him softly. Then they intertwined their antennae together. As soon as they made contact, a blue glow started at the base of Zim's antennae and ran along them, fading out as it touched Zia's head. Then the glow started again on Zim and went across to Zia. This went on for a few intoxicating minutes, and when the glow faded away the last time, both Irkens fell asleep in each other's arms, wrapped up in the blankets in the nest.