Winter is always the hardest time of year for you. You’ve always hated the cold, ever since you were a kid. You hate the way that the cold settles into your bones and makes you shiver so hard you swear that your ribs are rattling. You hate that it makes your already sore joints even worse. You hate the way you lose all feeling in your hands and feet the second the weather dips low enough for the lakes to freeze, and you hate the agony of regaining blood flow to your extremities.

As you got older the heat started affecting you in different ways. You would spend the entire summer with your heart racing, feeling dizzy, and fainting far more often than you ever did in the summer. By twenty you decided that Winter and Summer were the worst.

It took a few years after that for you to be diagnosed with anything and even then there wasn’t much the doctors could do. Try to stay warm in the Winter, drink plenty of fluids and electrolytes in the Summer, and wear compression garments. That last piece of advice was so easy to follow in the Winter, not so much in the Summer when tight compression garments would just make you overheat.

After some time you decide that between the two seasons, Winter is better. Your winter symptoms are far more manageable than the summer ones. Meeting John only solidified your decision. You met him during the winter in the medical aisle of the grocery store. He had recently been medically discharged from the military and was looking for a decent knee brace and you were there for the same thing after yours decided to break earlier in the day.

You were having an especially bad joint day and your braces were visible even under your winter coat. So he figured you could help and asked for advice. You pointed out your personal favourite and explain that it has metal stabilizers that don’t affect mobility as much as other brands do while remaining supportive.

After a conversation that lasted much longer than anyone would expect, you and John exchanged numbers. The connection was immediate. From the moment he met you John knew that you were someone he wanted in his life. The first time you answered his call at three in the morning, groggy and confused, and managed to calm him down from his nightmare induced panic attack he knew you were a keeper.

Things moved slowly. John had only recently retired from the military and you didn’t want him to jump headfirst into a relationship with a medically complex partner without him being absolutely certain. You knew he could handle it after the first time you went over to his house. He had stocked his fridge with your favourite Gatorade, filled the cupboards with your favourite salty snacks, and had even got you a basket to put all your meds, braces, and compression garments in so you wouldn’t misplace them.

A year into dating you moved into John’s house. It just made more sense that way. It was far more accessible than your third floor apartment and there was more than enough space for all of your belongings that weren't going into storage. You would fall asleep in John’s arms every night and wake up to him making breakfast every morning. During the beginning of the relationship his determination to take care of you did set you on edge — you were worried that he saw you as weak due to your medical conditions — but this far into the relationship you were very aware that he takes care of everyone he cares about.

That’s why you aren’t surprised when you walk into the house after an especially long day at work and find John already standing there waiting. He helps you out of your winter gear, he doesn’t need to ask to know that your fingers are stiff, achy, and uncooperative despite the gloves you wore. When your winter gear is pulled off and hung up John guides you into the living room where your favourite hot drink is already waiting along with one of his hoodies.

“I have soup on the stove, it’s almost done. I figured it would be the best way to warm you up. The weather is absolutely shit.” John murmurs as he pulls you into his lap and helps you into his hoodie.