Finn and Lena ran up the hill and fled into the dark forest, but even there they did not stop.

Roots and rocks they hurdled, branches and boles they dodged, hedges and shrubs they pierced. Nothing could stand in their way. Finn did not look behind, only to check on Lena, but not beyond.

A bolt of lightning struck in the distance, bringing first light to the land.

Lena noticed water drops hitting her outstretched arm and used what little air was left in her lungs to warn Finn. "It's starting to rain!"

Finn did not hear her cry. He shook his head to rid it of the faint screaming he had started.

As if a bucket of water were poured from the heavens, rain showering them, making the earthy ground a challenge to pass. Plump raindrops found their way, even through the thickets of trees, down to hit their skin. Lena thought she felt no pain due to their adrenaline. Little did she know that the rain on Kepler was a threat her worries were wasted on.

"We need to find cover!" she screeched in hopes her voice could get through to him. "Finn!"

Too late. Lena's wet hand slipped out of Finn's grip, and with the little strength remaining, she could just so catch her fall. Her knees plunged into a soiled puddle, splattering her cheeks and nose with mud. The dirt traveled under her nails as her fingers were clawing the mire. She was breathing as quickly as her heart was racing. Her wet hair was glued to her face like the sopping clothes to her burning body. One bundle of soaked strands was rocking in front of her eyes as she stared at the brown water in front of her.

Finn had come to a stop. Seeing Lena on the ground ripped his heart like a piece of paper. He hurried back right away to aid her as she was attempting to rise on her feet.

"Lena, are you—"

"Forget about the crew!" she breathed and plunged back down. "We'll never make it!"

"But Lena—"

"We'll die!" she panted and was pulled up by Finn's strong arms. "We'll die from the acid."

Finn supported Lena with both of his arms and tried to calm her, whilst his own wheezy breaths were as fleeting as hers. He swallowed the bitter essence of doubt that lay upon his tongue and clenched his teeth painfully to conceal how urgently he ought to breathe the air instead of choking on it.

"But Lena, we already made it," he then said when she finally looked at him.

Her swift eyes prised her head around. It was not before his words, that she noticed the lack of trees around them. They had indeed left the forest without her becoming aware of it. Rampant weeds and tall northwind switchgrass tickled Lena's legs as she spotted the shabby old cabin and began walking toward the cliff.

Only the tallest pine trees peaked their heads out of a white sea of mist that hovered over the lake. Finn followed. He wished for his heart to slow down, but as they stood at that cliff, watching the rainfall pierce a million nugatory holes into the depths of a soupy bright fog, he felt the electricity striking his bones.

A smile was unavoidable, and a look at Lena's beholding eyes, irresistible. Finn's heart was kicking him violently, boxing with force, throwing itself against the inside of its cage as though it wanted to go somewhere. Finn knew where.

"This is amazing!" Lena breathed heavily, utterly distracted by the panorama.

It was as if standing at the edge of the world. What was prone beneath her, was a mystery. All she could see was heaven, and the bracing rain felt surprisingly good against her hot skin.

"The rain!" she gasped and was paralyzed by fear. "W—we need cover! Quickly!"

Finn's hands cupped her flushing cheeks and she seized his wrists, but not to make him stop. Her confused gaze met his soothing smile, and from her one hundred thoughts, ninety-nine dissolved at once.

"It's just water," Finn said tenderly. His drenched hair was hanging down to his eyebrows, dripping onto their tangled arms.

"It—it is?" she stumbled, drowning in his ocean eyes once more.

After Finn gave a shy nod, his favorite smile spread over Lena's faultless face, and he could feel the fire crackling under his skin.

"It's water!" she repeated, exhilarated, her gleaming smile widening.

Her eyes, Finn thought to himself, were the twinkling stars that could turn any darkness into something lovable. He thought of Lena as most beautiful; even with the sprinkled mud adding to her freckles, she was living proof of perfection. The proof that there was still goodness in the world that he misconstrued as broken for so long. She had fixed it. All damage inside of him was repaired.

Full of excitement, Lena was glaring up at the rain, and before she could withdraw her mind from the skies around, Finn fell under the spell of her beauty in awe. He was not daring to take his eyes from her lips. Only then did he notice it, how full and soft they were.

He closed the little space between them, and when it drew her eyes to his, their noses touched for a flying moment, robbing them both of their breaths. Finn leaned in, brought her chin up to his own, and kissed her fervently and breathlessly, living from nothing but her love solely.

A sensual touch by the lips. And when she, without breaking the kiss, returned pure devotion to his unexpected adoration, it was as if his heart had been in a deep, eighteen-year-long slumber and was finally pumping for the very first time. As if he had been blind for the entity of his life and was suddenly given his vision to see the universe in its utmost brilliance. He could smell the summer-storm breeze in her hair and felt her glistening skin. He could taste her peppermint breath and hear her heart singing along with his. Finn was alive. His senses intensified with each second, each motion, and every fiber of his soul treasured Lena's silent endearment. It was sincere and vivid. As celestial as a dream, yet Finn had never been more awake.

Their lips parted, just by a little, enough to see the other's sparkling eyes. If every single drop of rain froze in mid-air, it would have gone so unnoticed, for Finn and Lena had eyes only for each other.

Lena's breaths were relentless. Emotions flooded her body with a wave of blazing heat, igniting her from the core of her body, all the way to the tips of her fingers. From her heart, all the way to her gentle lips as she leaned in again.

Her arms wrapped around Finn's shoulders and neck to savor the feeling even more, whilst his hands moved down to her waist, bringing her closer. He embraced her warmly, welcoming her ardent kiss.

Finn knew; if a galaxy were to fill the little space between them, his heart would still beat for hers. It was bound to love her. Like the light of a star, his love was infinite. And he was committed to believing it fervidly, that from this day forward, their hearts would forever sound in synchrony.

They breathed for a quiet moment. Their noses and foreheads still touching, Finn's arms holding her affectionately, her fingers cherishing his neck and jaw. The rain was running down their cheeks, cooling them pleasantly.

Finn slowly backed away. He did not want to, but he needed to see her. He needed to catch a first glimpse with his mind so lucid. Lena's appearance was divine, and the amount of adjectives surging Finn's mind could not all fit in one dictionary. Calling her wondrous, enchanting, or ethereal would not do her justice.

Finn wanted to say something. Anything. Yet his lips had abandoned him of words and could merely produce a smile. It seemed to satisfy her more than all that could be found in the worn pages of a book because her mute smile mirrored that of him in perfect harmony. Maybe he did not need to say something after all. She could read him the way he could read her.

Finn no longer wished for his heart to slow down. He wanted it to celebrate, to live it up, to kindle the cage it had been locked in. Burn it down, run free, live immortally. He wanted it to love for eternity, and then, freed from the chains and bars, his heart made him speak before his mind could think of the words.

"You're very breathtaking."

    Lena was breathless, too, and let an unavoidable giggle escape between her panting. It came out as more of an exhale, and still, for the lasting of five full seconds, Finn could have sworn that gravity reversed. The sound of her laugh made him float.

    "Finn," she breathed but sealed her lips to his before saying more.