Liiza's lips felt cold and smooth. They were completely different from Cora's warmth, but Khan didn't even think about the human girl in that situation.
His mind barely managed to generate thoughts. Everything had disappeared when Liiza kissed him, and his hand instinctively rose to reach the back of her head. Her white hair felt like the softest material in the world while he pulled her closer.
Liiza's fingertips scratched Khan's chest before closing on his uniform. The kiss became more passionate, and Liiza soon relaxed enough to lay completely on his torso.
She felt light, and her hand slowly reached his cheek to caress it. Khan couldn't help but wrap his arm around her waist and lay his palm on her side.
The two remained immersed in their kiss for a while. Sometimes, Khan tilted his head and made their lips separate to adjust his position, but Liiza dived on him in the next instant. Other times, Liiza lifted her chin and showed a happy smile whenever Khan followed her to bring her back into their romantic moment.
Liiza eventually raised her head and giggled before lying on his chest. Khan revealed a broad smile as he glanced at the long white hair right under him and continued to caress it.
The two fell silent. Only the howling winds and the sporadic screeches of the Aduns echoed in the area, but Khan couldn't hear them. He felt at peace under that dark sky and with the cold Niqols resting on him. He didn't feel the need to do anything for the first time in weeks.
"One of us has to speak at some point," Liiza giggled.
"Everything else will return if we talk about it," Khan said while enjoying the slight reactions that caressing the back of Liiza's head caused.
Liiza gave voice to a cute sound to express her agreement. The two remained in silence for a few more minutes, but the world eventually showed its presence again in their minds.
"You are warm," Liiza eventually exclaimed. "It's strange to kiss a human."
"Did you kiss many Niqols?" Khan instinctively asked, and Liiza raised her head to show a canny smile toward him.
"Jealous?" Liiza teased him. "Do you want to go possessive on me already?"
Khan planned a perfect answer, but those words vanished from his mind when the glowing white eyes filled his vision. His smile disappeared as his face wore a captivated expression and rose to meet Liiza.
Liiza was only teasing Khan, but her smile also vanished when she saw how serious Khan had become. The two kissed, and she wrapped her arms around his head to make their lips touch for as long as possible.
Liiza moved a bit forward after the two separated to make sure that she could watch Khan straight in the eyes. She laid her arms at the side of his head and played with his hair while wearing a complicated expression.
"Do we really have to talk?" Khan asked as a helpless sigh escaped his mouth.
"It's necessary, right?" Liiza replied without showing any happiness about the matter. "Our situation kind of requires it."
Khan knew that she was right, but he didn't want to talk about politics right away. He felt the need to clarify his position first.
"I went through something before reaching Nitis," Khan revealed while lowering his eyes. "I had, no, I might have had a girlfriend if she didn't end up in a coma. Part of me wanted to wait for her, but you arrived."
Liiza's eyes widened in front of that sudden revelation. She pursed her lips before asking something in a calm voice. "Do you feel guilty?"
"No," Khan honestly replied while fixing his eyes on the Niqols. "I feel at peace."
"Are you using me to forget her?" Liiza asked.
"Not at all," Khan replied in a firm voice. "I actually wanted to stop thinking about you."
"That didn't go so well," Liiza giggled, and Khan opened his mouth to say something, but the Niqols lowered her head to kiss him.
Khan felt surprised, but he eventually lost himself in the kiss. The two spent a few more minutes in that situation before separating again and exchanging captivated expressions.
"I shouldn't have revealed that I liked honesty so soon," Liiza commented while moving her fingers around Khan's lips.
"I won't abuse this power," Khan laughed, "Too much."
Liiza smiled before giving a proper answer to Khan's previous revelations. "We just started this relationship. We'll have time to see if we truly like our characters. I might have decided to kiss you only to go against my mother for all you know."
"Relationship?" Khan asked as his eyes lit up. "Do you mean it in the human meaning?"
"Niqols have the same idea of relationships," Liiza replied while diverting her gaze. "Is that a problem?"
"So, I only kiss you, and you only kiss me?" Khan asked to make sure that he had understood correctly.
"If you want," Liiza answered while continuing to divert her gaze, but her eyes slowly returned to Khan's face since he didn't answer.
A warm smile unfolded in her vision. She didn't need to hear Khan's answer anymore at that point. His expression had already confirmed that he agreed with her, and she couldn't help but kiss him again at that point.
The two continued to kiss until Khan turned and gently placed her on the ground. He pulled her close as his hand remained on her waist, but she eventually pulled his upper lip with her teeth and revealed a smile in front of his confused expression.
"I'm not ready for that," Liiza said after releasing Khan's lip.
Khan didn't need to question her to understand the meaning behind "that". He limited himself to smile and make his hand slide toward the upper part of her back until he could pull her into a hug.
Liiza snuggled closer and rested on his chest. She enjoyed Khan's caresses for a few minutes, but she eventually pushed him down before lying on him again.
"We have to talk!" Liiza complained, but a giggle escaped from her mouth when she saw Khan rolling his eyes.
"What's there to talk about?" Khan said in a helpless tone. "The army will kick me out once your superiors learn about us, and your mother will ask for my head on a silver plate to mend the relationship between our species."
"Does the plate have to be made of silver?" Liiza asked while tilting her head. "Is that a human thing?"
"I'm dead either way," Khan announced while raising his hand toward the sky and speaking in a fake dying voice. "If only I had a beautiful girl willing to satisfy my last wish."
"Niqols reach physical maturity when they are fifteen," Liiza revealed while poking Khan's cheek with her finger. "I'm almost eighteen. I'm an adult."
"If only I had a beautiful woman willing to satisfy-," Khan repeated in the same tone, but Liiza covered his mouth with her hands before exploding into a cute laugh.
"We must make sure that they don't find out about us then," Liiza said while continuing to cover Khan's mouth. "I will also face many problems if my superiors learn that I'm with a human."
Liiza revealed a happy expression when she sensed Khan's smiling from under her palms, but the arrival of a wet sensation made her remove her hands and sit on his chest.
"Don't lick it!" Liiza complained, but laughs seeped into her voice and stopped her from using an angry tone.
"You have a secret boyfriend then," Khan smiled while caressing her legs.
"And you have a secret girlfriend," Liiza continued while crouching on Khan and kissing him.
The two continued to laugh, kiss each other, cuddle, and reveal small pieces of their lives as time flowed. They were so caught in each other that they lost track of their surroundings. Their eyes barely managed to go past their figures.
"How can I contact you once I return to the camp?" Khan eventually asked as Liiza rested on his shoulder.
"The humans have given us phones," Liiza explained without opening her eyes, "But they work on their system. My superiors strongly believe that humans keep track of every conversation."
"What about the Niqols?" Khan asked. "How do you communicate?"
"We have special stones powered by mana," Liiza revealed, "But they require a core to work. My superiors can inspect it and understand if there are unwanted presences connected."
"I won't be able to learn if something happens to you then," Khan sighed.
"I won't know if you need me to save you then," Liiza scoffed. "Do I need to remind you that this is my planet?"
"It's still annoying," Khan added while caressing Liiza's hair and enjoying feeling her snuggling closer.
"We can talk through the Aduns," Liiza eventually revealed. "It won't be a proper conversation, but we'll be able to learn if we are both outside."
"Can we?" Khan asked in a surprised tone, and Liiza nodded before pointing her palm on his chest and straightening her position to sit on the ground.
"Call Snow," Liiza said while covering her mouth to hide a yawn. "Let's make them talk."
Khan imitated Liiza and sat cross-legged on the ground. He sent a message through the mental connection and raised his eyes to the sky as he waited for the familiar white dot to appear in his vision.
"I can get used to your warmth," Liiza yawned while placing her head on Khan's shoulder.
Khan quickly took her in his embrace and let her rest on the side of his chest. He even lifted her legs and made her sit on his lap. It was clear that Liiza couldn't handle all-nighters as well as him, but he didn't mind that since he got the chance to see her cute sleepy face.
Liiza fell asleep, but the familiar noise generated by the flapping of wings soon awakened her. Both her Aduns and Snow appeared in her vision when she opened her eyes.
"Keep track of each other," Liiza ordered. "It's the only way to know if we are outside. We must rely on you."
Snow turned toward Khan and gave voice to a short screech when it saw him nodding. The two eagles turned to leave at that point, but Khan's phone suddenly rang and made them look toward the couple sitting on the ground.
Khan's eyes widened when he saw the hour on his phone. It was almost six am. The lessons were about to begin, and Paul had sent him a message when he failed to appear for morning count.
"Those aren't nice words, right?" Liiza commented when she read Paul's message from Khan's screen. "Are they what humans call slurs?"
"I have to go," Khan sighed while kissing Liiza's forehead. "I didn't think you could be worse than the meditations."
"Are you insulting me?" Liiza asked while pulling herself back and showing a confused expression.
"Hours last seconds when I'm with you," Khan briefly explained while caressing her cheek and standing up. "You made me experience two of the best days of my life. I hope to do the same with you."
"You need to keep trying then," Liiza smiled before lying on the ground. "I hope to see you tomorrow."
"Will you sleep here?" Khan asked when he saw that she had no intention to move.
"I often sleep on the mountains," Liiza revealed. "It's fine, but we should avoid ending up like this too often. Once can be a coincidence, but our superiors will start to suspect something if we both arrive late to our appointments."
Khan nodded and turned to reach Snow. The Aduns had understood how Khan was feeling, so it prepared itself to fly at full speed and in a straight line toward the human camp.
"Khan?" Liiza suddenly called before Khan could jump on the eagle.
"What is it?" Khan asked while turning toward the Niqols resting on the ground.
"Won't you say goodbye?" Liiza asked as a tinge of shyness appeared in her voice.
Khan couldn't help but smile and hurry back to her. He quickly crouched, and Liiza didn't hesitate to take his face into her hands. The two exchanged a long kiss, and Liiza delivered a last short one before pushing him away.
Both of them ended up smirking, but Khan eventually turned and ran toward Snow. Liiza waited until his figure disappeared among the sky before turning to her side and falling asleep while wearing a warm smile.