It appeared human boys did kiss, or at least this one did, and he was darn good at it.

In the addictive sensation of lips against lips, Vyrsa lost all sense of space and time. It didn't matter where she was: Earth, Isola, an asteroid flying free in space. All that mattered was Tristan being there with her. Stars could burn and galaxies could shatter, she wouldn't notice.

That lead on the whereabouts of astatine was definitely wiped from her brain. Who needed such things when this human boy could kiss so well?

Vyrsa flicked her hand through Tristan's slightly wavy hair. It was so soft and wild compared to her own obedient strands. Not at all fashionable according to Isola's standards, but she liked it. Not everything had to be strict and regulated.

If only her father understood that. Then maybe he would be more understanding of her fascination with alien culture.

And she certainly was mesmerized by one particular alien right now.

Chasing away thoughts of her certainly disapproving father, who she nonetheless missed, Vyrsa dove back into the kiss. Tristan's lips tasted sweet from the powder covering the donuts but they also had a slight sprinkle of salt, like the waves of the emerald sea back home, perhaps from those popping corns at the moving theater that he'd told her about.

His hand touched her neck, giving her a questioning look as if to ask if he was allowed. The sweet gesture made her insides feel fuzzy like the clouds in which the heavenly tigers dwelled. Vyrsa nodded in approval and soon fiddling fingers curiously explored her elongated ear lobes. The caress was soft and cautious, tickling sensitive skin. A light giggle escaped from her lips into his.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't mean—"

She silenced his apology with another kiss, parting her lips to let her tongue slip between his. With interest, she noted that humans' tongues were dotted with tiny bumps, unlike her own ridged texture, which made the experience even more delightful.

An interesting discovery, for science!

Eh, who was she kidding? There was nothing scientific about this experiment. It was purely for her own enjoyment, and she wasn't ashamed of it.

Letting the light ridges of her tongue slide across the protruding bumps, shivers cascaded through her entire being. It was as if their unique traits were created to synchronize into a euphoric experience.

"Tris! There you are!" A voice called out from the stairway that lead to the roof.

Tristan's lips parted from Vyrsa's. They both turned to look at another earthling—probably male as well, judging from the slight scruff on the cheeks—with hair that glowed golden like Isola's moons and upper arms thick as tree trunks from the remote swamp regions of her planet.

"Brody!" Tristan greeted the newcomer. "I didn't know you were coming home tonight."

"We got eliminated early from the playoffs." The human, apparently called Brody, sighed. Vyrsa wondered if humans also played Squidball, or if he spoke of another type of game. "I texted to tell you but go no reply. And when I got to the apartment you were nowhere to find and Bobby acted like she hadn't been fed for days. So I got worried."

"I'm fine," Tristan replied, once again finding Vyrsa's hand with his own. It was almost as if he wanted to signal to Brody that they belonged together. "No need to worry. And Bobby has been fed while you're been away, I promise. She's just trying to trick you."

"I fed her five times today," Vyrsa mumbled, feeling betrayed by the feline. It appeared Earthling kitties were just as treacherous as the Isolan ones.

When she spoke, Brody's gaze fell upon her glittering presence. It seemed he hadn't realized quite how... alien Tristan's kissing partner was until now.

"I don't believe we've met," he stated, raising his eyebrows. "But if Bobby has let you feed her, I guess you're already approved."

Brody stepped up to them and reached out his hand toward her. Vyrsa didn't know what to do with it. Was she supposed to slap it, bite it, kick it?

"Take his hand in yours," Tristan helpfully leaned close to whisper. "Then shake it lightly."

Vyrsa did as she was told. The shaking part seemed a bit odd but she was all for participating in the cultural rituals of other planets.

"Brody, this is Vyrsa," Tristan introduced her while Vyrsa vigorously shook Brody's hand. "She's... Lithuanian. She's here at Vale Tech as an exchange student and is having some issues with her accommodations currently, so I let her stay with me while you were gone."

"Let me guess." Brody flashed a wide smile—his pearly white teeth attempting to outshine the stars—as he let go of Vyrsa's hand. It appeared she'd nailed the hand-shaking ritual. "You met at some kind of sci-fi event. I know Tris loves stuff like that, and it appears you do too, Vyrsa?"

Vyrsa was confused about all the words thrown around—Lithuanian? Exchange student? Sci-fi?—so she didn't know what to reply.

Luckily, Tristan wasn't as tongue-tied. It appeared he rarely was. "Yes." He smiled back at Brody. "Vyrsa is very into cosplay."

"I can see that." Brody nodded in Vyrsa's direction. "Nice job on the glitter. And your space suit looks very authentic."

"Thank you..." she replied, not knowing quite how to reply. But she gathered it was probably a good idea to just go along with what Tristan was saying. "I do like Coldplay."

"Coldplay?" Brody asked with a puzzled expression. "Not quite my music taste, but I guess they're alright."

Vyrsa was completely lost now.

"She means cosplay," Tristan interjected quickly. "Vyrsa just forgets English words sometimes."

Vyrsa nodded along with a smile. It was better Tristan did the talking.

"Oh, of course." Brody turned toward the staircase again. "Anyway, I should head down to tend to Bobby." He put his hand to his ears, listening into the night. There was a faint meowl in the distance."I think I can hear her from here... She may have convinced herself she hasn't been fed for days or she's spotted the poodle across the street." Tristan's roommate winked playfully before turning to walk back toward the door. "You two keep doing what you were doing!" He waved through the crack of the door before hurrying down the stairs to aid the upset feline.

"He lives with you?" Vyrsa asked after the door closed, trying to put everything together.

"Yeah, Brody is my roommate," Tristan explained, playing with his fingers across the back of her hand. "I hope he won't be in the way... of your scanning, I mean."

The reddish tone spreading across his cheeks made him look even more adorable than usual. Vyrsa just had to place a peck on his lips.

"It's fine," she assured him. "I can just... be in your room more." Glitter rose on her cheeks as she realized what she'd said, so she quickly added, "Having him around may even teach me more about human culture. Just scanning data isn't the same as seeing people in action. I may even write a research report about it and sent it to the Council on Alien Culture."

"In that case..." Tristan spoke rapidly and she could feel his pulse rise underneath her fingers. "Maybe, if it won't interfere with your research on how to get home, of course, you would want to come along tomorrow? Some friends of mine invited me to the cinema and, well, maybe you want to be my date? Then you'll get to experience some proper human culture before you"—he looked away while mumbling the last word—"leave."

"That would be lovely," she assured him, catching his lips in another kiss. The thought of seeing Tristan in his element, mingling with his peers, excited her. "For science, of course."

"For science," he agreed, returning the kiss. Glancing down at his wristband, he groaned. "It's getting very late and I forgot I have an early class tomorrow. I'll be lucky if I get six hours of sleep now."

"I can... kiss you to sleep if you want," she offered. "I'll make sure you don't sleep longer than necessary. And you will feel well-rested when you wake."

"So you can do that at will? The sleep thing, I mean."

She nodded. "Like this." Activating the power of sleep, her lips turned from purple to green.

"Amazing..." he marveled, staring at her lips as if hypnotized.

Turning her lips back to purple, she placed another kiss on his lips. "So should we go back down? To... kiss goodnight?"

Her hand left Tristan's for a mere moment as she rose from the chair, and the immediate sensation of longing for his warmth made her wonder how she would be able to leave this planet, once she found a way.