Avenger's One-shots and Preferences

Frugal- Steve Rogers

You know, I always imagined Steve would be something of a frugal spender given that he lived through the Great Depression. Some people would consider it being cheap.

"Damn, why is it so cold in here?" Tony asks, shivering. "Oh, Steve likes to keep the temperature low," you answer. Since the Avengers facility was being treated for a rat infestation, the weekly meeting was held at Steve's place. "It's not so cold if you get up and exercise," Pietro stands up and takes multiple laps around the apartment, "See?" He smirks, only to start shivering when cold air blasts into the room. "Seriously, how cold does Capsicle keep  it in here?" Tony checks the thermostat, "62 degrees?!" He asks in disbelief, "That cheapskate." "You know not everyone is as rich as you are that they can burn a chunk of the cash without even leaving a dent in their fortune," Natasha scowls.

"I don't care, I'm turning up the heat," Tony reaches for the dial. "Uh, Tony I wouldn't do that, Steve gets upset," you warn. "This thing goes up to 90, what's the big deal?" Tony scoffs as he adjusts the temperature.
Right at the moment, Steve burst through the door, "WHOOOO TOOOUUUCHHH THE THERMOSTAT?!!!!!" All fingers point towards Tony, yourself included. "Oh thanks a-" Steve yanks Tony by the collar of his shirt before Tony could finish. "You're welcome," you reply.
"I never adjust the temperature at your place, Tony, so don't think you can waltz in here and adjust mine," Steve lectures as he turns the temperature back to its original setting. "It was just a few degrees, it's not the end of the world," Tony retorts. "Heat costs money," Steve shoots back, "and if you don't want to get on my bad side again, don't go anywhere near my thermostat."
"How did you even know Stark was messing with the thermostat in the first place?" Sam asked. "Some sort of natural brain implant," Steve answers,  "let's you know when someone's messing with the dial," he scowls at Tony. "Must be a super soldier thing," Sam shrugs
"Now then let's get started," Steve changes the subject.

"How do you manage to put up with that?" Tony whispers to you. "It's not completely his fault," you tell him, "he did grow up during the Great Depression after all."

That much was true. Since you started Steve, and since you got engaged, you came to find out fairly early in the relationship that he was something of a frugal spender. Apparently saving money became an absolute necessity after the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression. Steve would've been a teenager around that time, and probably picked up some saving/spending habits from his mother.
These same habits he carried out even into the 21st century: keeping the thermostat setting at a low temperature, sneaking sugar packs at the diner when no one is looking, keeping the lights off in every room of the apartment whenever possible, and always being on the lookout for discounts and coupon books. You didn't mind it much, but sometimes you felt Steve gets a little carried away.

When the meeting concluded, you and Steve decided to get ready for bed; but not before taking a shower. One of the pluses to having a frugal spender for a boyfriend was the need to save water by showering together. "That's a little too hot," Steve said as you adjusted the temperature. "What are you talking about, the temperature is fine," you frown. "Yeah, but we can really save money on our water bill if we take more cold showers," Steve reasons, making you roll your eyes. After a ridiculously short and somewhat cold shower, you and Steve get out, and the cold air Tony mentioned earlier hit you hard. "You know, Tony wasn't completely wrong to adjust temperature in here," you say as you dry yourself, "I'm sure a few degrees won't hurt our utility bills too badly." "But just think of the money we saved," Steve reasons again, "We could use it for emergencies or even use the money for our honeymoon." "But don't you think this frugalness is a little much?" you ask, "I get you had to save what you could during the Depression, but we're not in a depression anymore; we can be a little more liberal with the spending." "We're not in a depression now, but we may be in one in the near future," Steve points out. You sigh rather heavily; there was no changing this stubborn man's mind.