Home was a strange word.

It held different meaning to everyone.

To some people it was a specific place. It was an exact location they could point on a map. It was a house, or perhaps it was a castle. It was where the road always led back, no matter where your life led you. It was the building that held endless memories. It was a place that took the heaviness from your chest as you turned up the driveway. Home stood steady and strong, unmoving and always present when you needed to return.

Or maybe home was a feeling. It was warmth. It was comfort. It was early morning breakfasts piled up on a table as everyone scrambled to get the best of each dish, voices jumbled together. It was the scent of something delicious baking in the oven when you flung the door open. It was the feeling of safety and security as you closed your eyes, knowing that nothing could harm you as long as the feeling of home remained.

Or maybe home was a person. Maybe it was a group of people. It was familiar faces and scents surrounding you in a big warm hug, engulfing you and reminding you that as long as you stayed together that you would be safe. Home was a person with their eyes staring into yours, reminding you that you were not alone in this battle. Home was someone reminding you that you had someone to fight for.

Perhaps home was just a concept. It was whatever you made it, however you made it.

This was not home.

Whatever home was, all Talia knew was that she was a long way from home and a long way from finding it again.

The cold stoned walls she was trapped in, full of miserable foster carers and even more miserable children, only seemed to close in tighter on Talia every night. The damp air seemed to linger for longer inside these walls, no matter how long Talia left her bedroom window cracked open. Even when the New York sky seemed bright and clear, the dampness remained. The feeling was so familiar that Talia was beginning to wonder if it was less about the never ending shelters. Maybe it was her. Maybe she was carrying this feeling inside, her body finding no other way to cope with her cold reality.

The reality that she may never feel at home again.

Tonight, like most nights, the thick cold atmosphere of misery got too much for Talia, the crisp air seeping into her clothes even as she pressed her body deeper under the covers of her small single bed. She lay there, waiting, listening with bated breath.

The silence that met her anticipation gave her a tiny feeling of relief, the ghost of a smile flickering across her face before she swung her legs off the bed, her movements quick and nimble. She padded across the cold wooden floorboards, narrowly avoiding a creaky board on her way to the window. Without hesitating, she slid it open, slipping her willowy body through the crack until she was standing on the fire escape, the night breeze blowing her blonde hair across her face until she had to push it back with a huff.

Her movements now were methodical, familiar, even in this new foster care home. The building may have been unfamiliar and unfriendly, but the routine was comforting. It was a reminder that she had a purpose. Even when things felt hopeless, even when she was miserable. She had a purpose and she was getting one step closer every day. After months of emptiness and dark clouds, she could practically feel the sunshine peeking through, despite the night sky staring back at her.

"I'll find you," Talia whispered up to the stars, just as she did every night as she hugged at her knees tightly. "And then we can go home."

The word felt bittersweet on her tongue and she paused, taking in the view of the night sky, her eyes searching as they always did. She did a silent count, her eyes flickering towards familiar sights of the keystone of Hercules, to Cassiopeia shining boldly. Instead of easing the dull ache in her heart as they usually did, tonight the constellations only reminded Talia of just how alone she was. Talia let a slow sigh slip from her lips. "I miss you, big brother."

If she listened close enough, Talia would swear she heard the stars whispering back, her name coming through in hushed tones and echoes, but she knew it was just in her mind. Still, she had to hold onto the tiny thread of hope, however fragile it was these days. She had to believe he was out there, out in the sky, out searching for her too.

Talia was so engrossed in her thoughts that she almost missed the sight of Spider-Man swinging past the cold rooftop, moving smoothly across the skyline with his spiderweb. But his shadow still caught Talia's eye in the dark, her heart quickening at the sight of the mysterious superhero moving through the sky like a falling star. He disappeared into the dark again before she could call out, leaving Talia feeling incredibly wide awake.

She stared out into the sky, a new energy buzzing inside her body, her eyes shining with a tug of hope in her heart, ignoring how fragile the thread felt. Spider-Man was here. He was nearby, the closest superhero Talia had been able to find and she hadn't even been looking. After months of searching for someone who could actually help, here was someone swinging right past her doorstep. Maybe he could help her find her brother. Maybe there was a light in the dark after all.

Talia was far from home right now, but suddenly the word didn't feel so bittersweet.

A/N: Hey look I'm back at it again with another fic in between updates for my other works! Talia has been a work in progress for a while so I'm really excited to finally share her story with you all! Talia's story will follow be picking up during Spider-Man: Homecoming and continue through other MCU films so I have a lot planned for her! Feel free to leave a little review and let me know your thoughts/theories/feelings! Reviews really help motivate me so they're much appreciated :) Thanks for reading!