CHAPTER ONE
↳ three years later

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It had been three years since Peter had died. Maia had been counting for quite some time, 26298 hours, 1095 days, just over 156 weeks, but all the same in the amount of time Maia had missed without her brother. If Peter Parker hadn't died, maybe he would've been celebrating his twentieth birthday by now. Maia liked to imagine how things would be for the deceased boy. Maybe he'd be married, she laughed at the thought of Peter fumbling at wedding vows, maybe he'd be working as a top scientist, at the wait of the President, Maia would never really know but she could at least imagine.

Gwen had been talking to Maia a lot about it recently which must have been hard on her. She was Peter's girlfriend after all. Maia had to bitterly remember the fact she had to refer to Gwen as his girlfriend in the past tense. They had a deep history considering how Peter trusted her with the secret of him being Spider-man and how Maia was his sister after all. It took her a while, but within a week of pretending to be Spiderman, Gwen had worked it out that Maia was the masked hero.

Gwen found it sweet that Maia offered to keep Peter's legacy alive.

It was a December morning, Christmas rapidly approaching, and Maia sighed, pulling the duvet off her body, slipping her slippers on and making her way to her mirror. She looked like a mess, to be honest. Her phone buzzed and she looked down, smiling at the little icon of MJ, who was calling her. Clicking on it, she sighed at the loveliness of her girlfriend's voice.

"Hey Spiderling." MJ's voice was gleefully awake. She was always awake earlier than anyone else, Maia had noticed. MJ Watkins, the ever so hyper girl she was, seemed to be awake the moment the sun creeped through the horizon. A sunset was the girl's alarm clock, something Maia found scary and comforting. Maia was surprised she hadn't woken up to a call sooner. It was only seven in the morning after all.

"When will you not call me that?" Maia grinned, positioning her phone so that MJ could clearly see her. "Ever since I told you, I don't think I've heard my name."

"That's because Spiderling is pretty cute." MJ smiled and Maia blushed. "See! You're flustered."

Maia laughed, a real genuine laugh and MJ grinned, so happy to see her girlfriend so happy.

It was nice.

"I was thinking we could get a coffee." MJ suggested. "There's a coffee place down the road, you'd love it."

"I would?"

"It's literally a coffee bar." MJ explained. "Like you know those breakfast bars, that but coffee and flavours."

Maia smiled. "That sounds nice." She sighed heavily, a hand reached up and running through her short brown hair. "Can we meet at twelve? I've got to do some patrol and then I promise to meet you up."

"You don't have to do patrol." MJ tried to argue, though she knew deep down just how important patrol was for Maia. Maia did it so that people didn't lose their family like how Maia lost her family.

Maia wanted to make sure people were safe.

That's what being Spider-man meant.

"If you want I can stop at your place and swing you around." Maia teased, watching as MJ's eyes widened momentarily. "I'm kidding, MJ."

"Good. You know I hate heights."

That was true. Maggie Joyce, MJ, hated heights more than she hated the cancellation of her favourite shows. It was a deep passionate hatred that she didn't know where it came from. Whenever Maia went on patrol, MJ was always adamant on not going. It wasn't her cup of tea. Not at all. She just hated heights. Heights meant potentially falling. Potentially falling meant potentially dying.

MJ didn't like that.

"Listen, Maggie," MJ glanced up and stared at the camera, frowning slightly. "I have to do patrol now, okay? I'll meet you up at like twelve."

"If you're even ten minutes late then I will murder you." MJ grinned, knowing for a fact that Maia was never early to anything. "Listen, make sure you don't get yourself killed or kill anyone else."

Maia scoffed, "you know that's not my job."

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Maia had to stop at the graveyard. It was nearly three years and she hadn't visited him yet this month. Christmas was coming up as well, what a better way than visiting your dead brother and uncle.

"Hey Uncle Ben. Hey Peter." Maia sniffled, her hand reaching up and pulling her mask down. "It's been a while..."

When Peter had died, Maia couldn't bring herself to go to his grave whenever May and Ben did. She couldn't fathom seeing a stone instead of her brother. For months, she wallowed in her bedroom, Peter's suit in her wardrobe and a photo of him on Maia's nightside cabinet. May had Maia withdrawn from public school due to her mental health deteriorating and her anxiety worsening over time. Maia still suffered with bad anxiety from everything that happened, so most of the time she didn't go to lessons, she just went to the library or cantine.

Peter's death hurt Maia a lot. She hadn't felt grief like this in her life and even years later she was still being impacted horribly.

When people began commenting on Spider-man's mysterious disappearance, Maia had decided on doing something reckless. The people needed Spider-man.

Peter Parker wasn't the only Spider-man.

Days after nights, Maia spent time trimming and sewing the suit Peter had once designed himself to suit his needs. He was rather tall in comparison to Maia, so those adjustments were the most necessary. But, nevertheless, Maia became the Spider-man people hoped for.

She became the hero the city needed.

But Peter was the hero she needed and he wasn't coming back anytime soon.

Maia decided to sit down on the ground, placing a flower on the grave. "Me and MJ are good. You know MJ, she's the neighbour's daughter who comes down here in the Summer and Christmas." Maia felt as though she was crazy. "I'm meeting her in a bit. We have a date."

Maia wished she could hug Peter once more. She wished to make jokes with uncle Ben and to be happy.

She really missed them.

She missed how annoying Peter was.

She missed having her big brother and uncle.

"I really miss you." She whispered softly, closing her eyes as they watered painfully. "I just wish there was a way I could see you again."

And then everything went black and Maia Parker was falling.

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SO FIRST CHAPTER !!!!!

HOW WAS IT???????

i feel bad for maia

her mental health is gonna be expanded so much more don't worry

my poor bby