You take care of what's yours.
There's not a whole lot in this world that you take pride in, but what or who you keep close, you never take for granted and you never let them get hurt.
You made that promise to yourself soon after you lost Lewis. Everything and everyone you took into your small world, you'd go down protecting because that's what you lived for.
It started with your mother.
No matter how infuriating she was or how insane her theories or accusations towards you and your lifestyle (avoiding the truths about your past), you'd never abandon her. You sent her money or whatever she needed whenever you could and you saw her once a year, as much as you could with where she lived, and you never missed her calls. It wasn't a typical mother-daughter relationship, but you gave all you could without sacrificing your insanity until there was none left, and you thought it was good enough for now. Until you could finally kick this curse to the curb, anyway.
Then there was Alex.
You guys met first year of uni, both eighteen years old and lost as shit. Different backgrounds, family situations, and both of you had gone through way too much crap for your ages, so you oddly made it work. You became each other's safe spaces. Bad day? Go back to the dorm or eventually the apartment for just a takeaway and Real Housewives or another crappy reality television show binge. You didn't hide anything from each other, even if you didn't tell them the extent of your condition as not to worry them, and you always said it was you guys against the world. They'd die for you, but you'd never let it come to that.
Porky.
The little fat boy who you found wandering the streets as an abandoned pup, just trotting along an alley searching for scraps of food, and you could tell he hung around the Chinese restaurant with a purpose. You scooped him up and drove him to the vet, just in case he needed help or had only gotten lost, before you placed some posts around looking for his owner. Nobody called and weeks later, you were kind of happy they didn't because you grew attached. He's sort of like your and Alex's child with how you guys took care of him together.
Tony came into the picture when Porky was almost three (according to the vet's estimate of his age) and it was never the same after that party where he claims you 'saved his ass'. You, Alex, and Porky moved into a massive townhouse only a year later when you realized the money was real and you didn't have to worry about saving all of it. It felt like a fucking dream being able to live this way and you never stopped. You saved plenty for the three of you to fall back on if Tony ever ceased the need for your help and then you used the rest to live more than comfortably. The money was great but having a friend like Tony kept you on your toes and gave you a peek into how the other side lives. You also had quite a bit in common, sharing knowledge on 'specials' which is what you called the avengers and anyone who possessed abilities, not to mention the mommy and daddy issues you guys shared.
But the more you opened your circle, the more afraid you became of what the future held.
You knew your spinners could get...bad. And you were afraid of what would come with the ending of your story. You used to live in fear, letting it swallow you whole until you hallucinated, and when you visited your mom for the holiday, you nearly let it break you in half. Bringing Natasha along had been a two-sided coin. On one side, she helped you more than anyone ever had, but on the other...she made you anxious. All your nerves were on fire when you brought someone you cared for into the pit of darkness that had accumulated in your childhood home. At the time, you didn't think your connection with Natasha was strong enough to change things, but you had been sorely mistaken.
You just didn't know the extent of it yet.
But you were quickly realizing, she didn't give a flying fuck about your commitment issues or your fears or your hesitations when it came to diving head first into something new.
