Ellie was stretched out on the couch, one arm draped over her face, half-asleep. The warmth of the fire made her limbs heavy, and for once, everything felt calm. No patrols. No stress. Just her, the couch, and—

Squish.

Something cold and soft pressed against her cheek.

Ellie groaned, peeling her arm off her face to find her girlfriend holding a-

Ellie: "Is that a damn snowball?"

Her girlfriend blinked, totally innocent, still holding the tiny lump of snow in her hands. A little bit of it dripped onto Ellie’s shirt.

Ellie: "Babe. We're inside."

No response. Just a slow, deliberate press of the snowball right onto Ellie’s cheek again.

Ellie: "Really?"

She says in a deadpanned expression with a blank tone. Ellie let out a long, suffering sigh and closed her eyes.

Ellie: "This is it. This is how I go. Not a clicker, not some raider—just hypothermia via dumbass girlfriend."

A quiet giggle. Another squish of the snowball against her neck this time.

Ellie sat up so fast it startled her girlfriend, who yelped and tried to flee—but Ellie was faster, tackling her down onto the couch with a grin.