AN: I know it's short, I'm sorry it's short! I wanted to upload this one and another one but I just CAN'T finish tonight so it's not happening. I thought uploading a short thing is better than nothing!
Month 4 – November 17th
The winter weather in Wyoming doesn't sit well with either of them. No matter how many years of surviving go by, Joel's blood will always be Texan through and through, making the 10 degree weather unbearable. Tess just hates the cold in general – it makes her sleepy and edgy. The only time she finds it bearable is if she's wrapped up in enough layers to make her feel like a marshmallow and she's outside doing something fun, like snowball fights or making snow angels – something Ellie had never heard of until Joel and Tess had mentioned it to her earlier in the day. It's refreshing to see the girl's face light up when they haul her off the ground to dust the snow off her coat and admire their creations.
Even then, the weather gets to them so they scramble inside, shivering like leaves. Thankfully there was hot chocolate from a trade Tommy made a few weeks ago to warm up their fingers and a few space heaters to dry their frozen hair.
Something makes Tess hug Ellie a little longer that night before going to sleep. She fixes a few strands of the girl's wild hair, and then sends her off to bed wearing the most bewildered look on her face.
Joel dares to tease her lightly about her escalating hormones, earning him a swift punch to the shoulder. She may be pregnant, but the woman can still hit. Hard.
He makes it up to her in bed that night by not protesting when she slides her freezing cold toes between his legs to warm them up.