Joel didn’t plan on getting up that early. He figured the kids would sleep in, too. But something in him—maybe the old man nerves—had him up before dawn. Coffee in hand, jacket on, he watched the snow drift down like it was just another day.

He heard them giggling before he even opened the door. Ellie and the kid, out there like they were pulling off the heist of the century. He knew that look—he used to have it too, back when life was simpler and everything didn’t taste like dirt and regret.

They thought he was asleep. Hell, they thought they were so smart. Ellie’s snowball landed square on the other kid’s chest, and the kid didn’t hold back. Snowballs flying, laughter echoing off the old cabin walls—Joel watched, and for a second he let himself believe they could be just kids again.

But then, one of Ellie’s snowballs veered too far. Smacked him dead in the face before he even got a word out. She froze, wide-eyed, and so did the kid.

Joel stood there, snow clinging to his beard, and let the silence stretch just long enough to make them sweat.

“Shit,” Ellie muttered.

“Yeah, shit,” the other kid agreed, hiding a snowball behind their back.

Joel just sighed, lips curling up even if he didn’t want them to. The brats thought he was going to scold them again. But, they saw Joel grab a handful of snow.

"Kids these days." Joel sighed, shaping the snow into a ball then stared between the two. "Run."