There was a softness to Earth that Wolf could just never get over. Compared to Luna, where the very air was sharp with regolith dust and the horizon was outlined by the hard confines of an unforgiving dome, Earth was beautifully soft. The air was velvety smooth, soothing his lungs with every breath he took, and today at least, the skies were draped in a fluffy quilt of gray clouds. Even the rain currently pattering down over the farm was gentle as it soaked into the freshly turned earth and trickled down the corn stalks in the field adjoining the farmhouse. It wasn't like the scheduled "rains" on Luna, when the sprinkler systems inset in the upper sections of the domes opened wide, dropping gallons of water in a harsh, heavy, and efficient rainfall that never lasted more than ten minutes and was usually scheduled for the dead of night to keep from disrupting work. This was entirely different. More of a mist, really, Wolf mused as he stared at the fine water droplets coating the hairs on the back of his hand.
The tidal wave that spattered abruptly against his shins was not so delicate.
Wolf leapt backwards, his boots squelching in the mud. Scarlet stood squarely in the center of the nearest puddle, hands on her hips and wicked grin on her face. Wolf arched a brow.
"I thought you were you checking on the hens."
"I was. And now-"She stamped a foot down hard, splashing them both with pleasantly cool rainwater. "-I'm puddle-jumping."
"Puddle-jumping." That was a new one. He and Scarlet had been acclimating to each other's customs for the past year-it took a while given that they were quite literally from different worlds-but every so often she threw a curve ball like this.
"Yep. Second best thing to do in the rain." There was another bounce and another torrent of water. Wolf skittered out of the splash zone, but still got another dose of chilly rain on his toes. Scarlet just smiled, waggling her brows in a dare. Wolf chuckled, low and rumbly, before bounding forward and landing hard in the center of the puddle with both boots. If puddle-jumping was the name of the game, then two could play it.
Scarlet squealed at the enormous splash, but her screech dissolved quickly into laughter. Wolf grinned and flicked a stray water droplet from her red curls, laughing himself.
"If that's the second best thing to do in the rain, what's the best?"
Scarlet smiled, then reached up to snag his collar with both hands and pull him down enough to meet his lips with hers. "Kissing in the rain, obviously."