Chills and Cuddles. (For Loki)

[shieldborne]

Something about the attention he's getting from Loki seems to agree with Steve. Usually his asthma becomes nightmarish as fall turns into winter, the cold air inflaming delicate lungs. His back, too, suffers the cold and damp, but this year it's not so bad. He's half inclined to wonder if Loki's using magic to help him and just neglecting to mention it, but if that's the case, Steve is disinclined to mention it, too. He knows when his loved ones are trying to preserve his dignity, for one thing. For another, he might jinx himself out of his current good luck.



Anyway, it might not be magic, per se. Maybe it's just the affection, not to mention the sex, lowering his stress levels and boosting his strength a bit.

The upshot is that he's able to take on a few more hours at the printing press, and has a little extra money. He tucks more of it into savings than he spends, always mindful that there may come a day he literally cannot work at all. But he does buy a few little things for Loki, and for his and Bucky's convenience.

Meanwhile, the air turns cold, and he and Bucky tack fabric around the windows to seal out as much of the draft as they can. They get frugal in the winter; heat is essential to the health of both men. But Bucky is away for a few days to visit nearby family, staying at his sister's house, so Steve eagerly invites Loki to stay. (Not that Loki needs an invite by this point; he is always welcome as far as Steve's concerned).

He's got some kind of soup cooking on the stove when Loki is due to arrive, and a cake cooling on the counter. Steve is a mediocre cook, but as long as he keeps it simple, he can make a meal worth eating.

Comments

[magpiemythos]

For the most part, it genuinely isn't magic. On occasion, Loki will thread a bit of magic into some treat, designed to help boost Steve's health a bit, to assist in keeping his strength up as the weather starts to turn to cold and wet. But for the most part the focus is on other ways to help.

And the cold weather preparation had been noted; while Loki wasn't as bothered by the cold it wasn't something liked, so when she did come tapping at his door that evening, it was with a bag tucked under one arm, other hand slipping back into her coat pocket, shoulders lifting slightly to hike the fur collar up a bit more securely around her neck.