"You're a little young to have to worry about the drug crisis yet," Steve says gently. "You take care of yourself and learn, for now. The world's gonna need you later on."

He looks thoughtful at the talk of preferring winter. It was always the opposite for him. Thick summer air wasn't pleasant, but breathing icy air could shut down his airways at a moment's notice, and when your back is hinky to begin with, slippery walkways don't help. He'd offer sympathy, but the hug derails him, and he melts a little, visibly. He returns the hug very carefully, with all the wary gentleness of someone who knows his own strength, and gives Alex a careful stroke on the head, smoothing his hair.

"Don't worry, I ate all four sticks of fried butter this morning for breakfast," he jokes. "No, you're right, I do need to keep fueled pretty well, but I was also engineered for endurance. It's no good to have a soldier collapse in the field if he's not eating enough. Don't ask me how it works, but I'm all right on three or four meals a day, as long as they're big meals."

"What about you, though? Are you hungry? There are plenty of places around for food and snacks."