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The one thing Steve hated more than anything was the winter season. Not that there was anything particularly wrong with it, in his honest opinion. It was just-- well, if you spent 70 years in an ice sleep as he had, then you would understand. The cold didn’t bother him; no, the serum made it where his body didn’t succumb to the cold like ordinary people.
So it didn’t affect him; frostbite didn’t exist for him in any shape or form because the serum prevented such things as that and hypothermia. So he was grateful for these gifts that the serum had given him. Obviously, there was no getting around that. It made him healthier than he had been before, it made him stronger, and he was just thankful for being given a chance to be what he is today.
It was just winter in general that he hated, the cold most of all, and sure it didn’t affect his temperature, but it still got to him. So here he was, looking out the window of Avengers tower as snow fell from the sky onto the ground several stories below. It was the afternoon, and Steve had decided that while he could take the cold temperature and not be a bother, it was a no-go.
His morning run, for which he had skipped out for the past couple of days due to the temperature dropping below fifty, was not in the cards. Running in the snow was not something he would want to do regardless anyway.
“Looking outside with that forlorn expression will not get you anywhere, Capcicle,” Tony said from behind him. He turned to look at him, the other man dressed in some sweat pants and a hoodie, which was not his usual attire. He had lived with Tony Stark and the rest of the team for just under a year, and his dress usually consisted of jeans, a tee shirt, and a long-sleeved shirt under the said tee shirt.
The debate over this from the rest of the team was that Tony preferred to double up shirts because it hid the glow of his ever-present arc reactor. So, though, you could still see a faint light in the hoodie he currently wore over whatever else he was wearing- not that he was curious.
“I hate the cold.” He said after a moment. “I used to like snow, but it’s hard to now, especially after being in the ice for as long as I was. It wasn’t particularly traumatic in itself, so to say….but—” The super soldier stopped himself for a moment, not entirely sure how to voice exactly how he felt at the moment.
A slight hum escaped the mechanic as he walked up beside him, staring out the window before speaking up a moment later. “That may not have been particularly traumatic, Rogers, but finding out you were asleep for 70 some years was that the cold is just a byproduct.” He explained and held out a glass of water for the other man as he watched the snowflakes.
Steve supposed that made sense, the fact that he had slept his life away wasn’t traumatizing in itself, but the fact that the cold was part of it made it worse. If he thought about it, he was excellent at sleeping; it was just that it became more challenging for him because of the cold since he awoke from the ice.
“As for me….” Tony continued. “Ever since Afghanistan, I’ve had numerous issues with my trauma. Not to mention what happened on our first assignment as a team.” He sighed, seemingly lost in thought as he stood there silent for a short time.
The supersoldier found himself looking to the other man, remembering the file that Nick had supplied him with regarding the other man before him. How Stark had ended up with the arc reactor in the first place, the torture he had gone through before escaping from the cave he had been held in.
“You went through a lot…you were brave, even made your first suit from what I read,” Steve commented.
“Hm…right, the file.” Tony snorted a little as he rolled his eyes before looking at him as if studying the taller and broader man before him. “I have a slight issue with cold myself; believe it or not, that cave was cold in the middle of a hot desert.”
From its sound, Tony was trying to assure him that he wasn’t alone in hating the cold, and it was definitely a valid reason. However, being in a cave with nothing but cold air, plus the fact that the man had to deal with waterboarding, was not something Steve would have liked to go through himself.
“So…if it feels too cold to you, ask Jarvis to raise the heat a bit in your quarters,” Tony said and backed away, turning to leave before glancing back at him. “You might also just avoid looking out the windows if you feel the least bit panicky.” He suggested before walking away, sipping at the coffee he had.
Steve had to admit, so maybe it would be a good idea to just not think about it for a bit longer. He nodded and turned away from the window, heading back toward Tony’s direction.
“You still have issues with your panic attacks?” Steve asked.
“God, yes.” Tony rolled his eyes as he sat down on the couch before asking Jarvis to dim the windows so they didn’t have to look at the snow falling outside. “It took me several months to be able to not panic when it came to large bodies of water, including a bathtub....fucking bathtubs.”
Steve supposed it sounded stupid, scared of bathtubs…but it made sense, especially if he had gone through what Tony had. “PTSD is a funny thing sometimes.” He commented.
A chuckle escaped Tony. “Got it one. Fuck winter, though,”
the soldier would have used different wording, but he supposed that worked too. “Agreed.” He said before sitting down on the couch beside him, sipping at the water he had been given earlier.