the cold air bit at carl’s cheeks as he crouched behind the half-broken wall, a snowball packed tightly in his gloved hands. the sound of muffled laughter echoed through the quiet streets of alexandria, and he couldn’t help but smirk. it had been your idea, this snowball fight, and somehow, you’d managed to drag him into it.

“carl, i know you’re there!” your voice rang out, teasing and confident.

he didn’t respond, staying low and waiting for the perfect moment. snow crunched under your boots as you tried to sneak around, and carl’s smirk widened.

suddenly, he popped up, launching the snowball with precision honed by years of practice with his pistol. it hit you square on the shoulder, and your gasp turned into a laugh.

“you’re gonna regret that, grimes!” you yelled, diving for cover behind a stack of crates.

carl chuckled, already packing another snowball. for a moment, it didn’t matter that the world was broken, right now, it was just the two of you, the snow, and the sound of your laughter filling the air.

you peeked out, throwing a snowball that narrowly missed his head.

“you’re terrible at this,” he taunted, standing up to make another throw.

before he could, you charged, catching him off guard and tackling him into the snow. the impact knocked the wind out of him, and you were laughing so hard you could barely keep your balance.

“gotcha!” you said triumphantly, sitting up as carl tried to catch his breath.

he looked up at you, snowflakes caught in your hair and your cheeks flushed from the cold. his smirk softened into something gentler, and for a second, he forgot about the snow, the cold, everything.

“yeah,” he said quietly, his voice barely audible over the wind. “you got me.”

you didn’t notice the faint pink tinge to his face as he shoved a handful of snow into yours, making you yelp and roll off him.

“cheater!” you yelled, but carl was already laughing, standing up and brushing the snow off his jacket.

“all’s fair in snowball fights,” he said, extending a hand to help you up.