And They Were Roommates (STEVE ROGERS X OC)

Chapter Seventeen

It took Taylor much longer than she anticipated to convince Tony to let Steve come home with her for Christmas. He was very stubborn, saying that it was meant for family, and his opinion couldn't be changed until Taylor dropped the 'but he doesn't have anyone to spend it with' bomb, which won his cold heart over. Taylor went straight to Steve to tell him the news and accidentally walked in on him changing his t-shirt in his room, but to her defense, the door was wide open, inviting her in.

Taylor had two suitcases, one smaller with all the gifts she was about to give to her family, and the other full of clothes she needed for the mini vacation. They were about to stay there until New Year's Eve and would fly back home the next day, maybe a bit hungover. Taylor was excited to see her brother and her niece, she wanted to use all the time she had to be with them, somehow include Steve into that mix, and make sure he and Tony would put their differences aside for at least the holidays.

Steve didn't bring as much stuff as Taylor did, and she had that painful realization when they packed their stuff into the taxi they took to the airport, and when they gave their suitcases to the flight attendants, who seemed to struggle a bit more with Taylor's, as they appeared to be a lot heavier. It made her a bit embarrassed, but the thought of going home eased the feeling completely.

The flight wasn't anything special, there wasn't any turbulence with the private plane, which Taylor's stomach was rather grateful for. She hated nausea. Steve's bright eyes sparkling with interest and curiosity about everything on the fancy plane steered her mind away from the fact that she was high up in the air though. It was adorable, but she guessed it was hard to get used to rich people's stuff when somebody didn't grow up in such an environment.

The mansion looked the same from the outside as it always did, no changes were made since her last visit, even though Tony liked to spice things up with the interior and exterior when he was having one of his bored days. Taylor smiled at Steve's wide eyes as they walked through the tall gates, her eyes snapping to her niece's loud shriek a second later.

Maddy sprinted straight to Taylor, jumping into her arms, causing her to let go of her suitcases. She spun around with her niece a couple of times, hugging her close before placing her back on the ground.

"You brought your boyfriend!" Maddy gasped, running to give Steve a quick hug as well.

"He isn't-"

Taylor couldn't finish her sentence though, as Maddy jumped on her back, forcing a piggyback ride onto her aunt, knocking the air out of her lungs and cutting her words off with it. Steve chuckled quietly, grabbing the handles of Taylor's suitcases, and beginning to pull them towards the entrance while she carried her niece with a huff.

"You could really give me a warning next time Mads." Taylor rolled her eyes. "You aren't four anymore."

"I thought you were strong?" She giggled teasingly.

"I am. But you could easily tackle me if I'm not paying attention, you little gremlin." The comment resulted in a punch in the shoulder, but Taylor could only laugh at how weak it was.

Reaching the doorway, Maddy jumped off and ran inside to Tony, who stood close by with a cup in his hands. A smile settled on his lips as he took sight of Taylor, which immediately fell as his eyes skimmed over to Steve. Holding back a laugh, Taylor went to hug his brother, then took her stuff from Steve instead.

She had to watch in painful awkwardness as Tony reached out to shake Steve's hand, but she could very well see the firmness of the handshake, causing her to wince. Her brother switched into protective mode, which was never a good thing, she already had too many experiences with it back in the days with her previous boyfriends.