#now watch scott release something that totally fucks all of this up tomorrow :p

[adobe-outdesign]

My Complete Current Views of the FNAF Lore (1-SL)

I don’t have any up-to-date mega theories about the FNAF lore post-SL, so i figured this would be worth typing up.

Please note that this is not a theory post, but rather a very straight-forward retelling of how I currently view the lore - therefore, there won’t be any evidence or anything provided. If you want to know my rationale behind something, just let me know.

Pre-Games

So this guy named Henry (discussed in TSE) partners with a man named William Afton. Together, they open a place called Fredbear’s Family Diner, with two robots made by Henry - Fredbear and Spring Bonnie.

Henry has two fraternal twins - Mike Schmidt and a girl (name unknown - the Litlte Girl in SL). William Afton kidnaps the little girl while in the Spring Bonnie suit and raises her alongside his own son, Michael Afton, who he most likely neglects.

Fredbear’s shuts down due to the incident and Henry opens another restaurant, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, with four new animatronics and the old springsuits from the last location. He also adopts another child by the name of Jeremy Fitzgerald.

A sister location to Freddy’s opens around this time, an early version of CBEAR. It shuts down after multiple springlock failures (Spring Chica, part of Chica’s Party World, was probably the faulty one). This restaurant contained an animatronic named Circus Baby - pre-Ennard. Something causes Afton to dismantle it, and he uses the pieces to built four new (child-killing) animatronics, including a new Circus Baby for “his“ daughter. A Funtime Fredbear may have also killed a child at the location, with the Bitten Child witnessing it.

A second sister location, Circus Baby’s Pizza World, attempts to open in ‘83. However, Afton shuts it down after Circus Baby kills his daughter when she visits her alone. She possesses Baby. This is also the year that Afton starts his experiments in FNAF 4. It’s also possible he himself died around this time, which is when he discovers his “immortality“.

A year or two later, four children are murdered in Freddy’s by Afton (possibly people the Bitten Child was friends with, considering how he treats his plushies), and their bodies are hidden in the animatronics. Freddy’s shuts down and is left to rot.

Afton moves his operation underground as a rental service, becoming Circus Baby’s Entertainment and Rentals. It is the sister location to another pizzeria Afton opens, the second Fredbear’s Family Diner. It contains a new Fredbear and Spring Bonnie (purple accents instead of black) and merch of the old characters.

Sister Location

Afton then sends his son Michael down to help free his Sister’s soul. Michael succeeds in finding her and helping her escape at the cost of his own life. However, because Michael is “immortal“, he possesses his own corpse after death. He hides in the shadows for the time being. It’s also possible the Bitten Child saw him at one point and became terrified of him, which leads to Shadow Bonnie (see FNAF 2/FNAF 3 section).

Afton gives the Fredbear Plush to the Bitten Child (remember how it was still on his desk in SL?), using the walkie-talkie in it to manipulate the kid. The Sister, now put back together, is freed from Ennard and gains her afterlife mask. She decides not to pass on yet however, instead possessing and speaking through the Fredbear Plush (not how it appears in the gutter in 4′s minigames, which is where Ennard escapes to) in order to take care of the Bitten Child, who is severely bullied by her twin brother.

The FNAF 4 minigame events then happen during the summer, with the Brother’s bullying becoming so severe that he shoves the Bitten Child’s head in Fredbear’s jaws, causing the Bite of ‘87 on his birthday. Henry likely commits suicide or was murdered by Afton around this time. The child lives for a few months, albeit comatose. The Brother speaks to him one more time before death, and the Sister vows to put him back together. He, much like the Sister, breaks into five.

FNAF 2

The Bitten Child has a final dream that leads up to his death. He pictures his room as an office (note the single entrance in the middle) and himself as an employee, hearing his brother’s voice each night just like he did on Night 6. The Sister also appears to him in the form of the Puppet (she’s good at pretending) - mimicking the Bitten Child himself in appearance, and with a mask signifying her freed soul. Jeremy also has a mask, but it’s a fake one that only succeeds in tricking animatronics not based off his family (hence why W. Foxy and the Puppet don’t fall for it).

The entire game is basically the Bitten Child’s fears when alive (you don’t actually feel fear without your frontal lobe, so the main emphasis here is on panic). Shadow Bonnie represents what the child saw “in the shadows“ that scared him so badly, and it crashes the game (ends the nightmares) because the Bitten Child would learn there wasn’t anything to be afraid of if he confronted his fear instead of hiding from it.

The minigames are a stylization of real-world events: Take Cake was the Sister’s death, Go Go Go! was the original five killings, and Give Gifts was the Bitten Child dying and possessing the Nightmares. The only game that is purely false is Chase the Puppet - based off of the five kids he met on Night 3 (this is why it plays differently than the others).

By night 6, we see the effects of the Bite, which is what Golden Freddy represents here (based off the Fredbear heads in the parts and service room on Night 4). Shadow Freddy is the exact same spirit, a recolor of GF meant to represent the child’s death. Note how “Phone Guy“ starts to sound shaky here, and how he’s the one to tell Jeremy to stay close the animatronics at tomorrow’s birthday party.

The sound of the grandfather clock in the Bitten Child’s old house marks the end of each night - and on Night 7, he passes away (the song that soothes the Puppet is My Grandfather’s Clock, a song about a clock dying when its owner dies). While this was your summer job because it surrounds the Bite that happened in the summer, the paycheck is dated for November of ‘87 - the date the child died.

While that was going on, the Sister/the Puppet confronts the Brother in his dreams about killing the Bitten Child as he succumbs to guilt - which is where the FNAF 2 cutscenes come in. These minigames mark the creation of the FNAF 1 Golden Freddy we know, IT’S MEs and all. Note how she’s dong to the Brother the same thing she did to “William“ in TSE - as they’re both killers refusing to take responsibility for their actions. The GF we see in these cutscenes is not the GF in FNAF 1, but rather another form of the Sister - a modified version of the Fredbear Plush, which is why it disappears and is replaced by the Puppet.

FNAF 1

Immediately after Jeremy’s death, Mike beings to completely repress the incident and even his memory of his brother entirely. Because of this, he starts having nightmares where he pictures himself as the Bitten Child, hence why the animatronics act like the bullies here.

Phone Guy is basically the Brother’s subconscious - note how nervous he is here post-Bite compared to FNAF 2. On Night 4, you learn that he was killed by GF (the Sister in this case) - just like she killed Michael Afton. Note also how this lines up with the FNAF 2 cutscenes ending on Night 4.

Phone Guy then dies and becomes FNAF 1 GF (once again, note the Michael parallels with the whole “becoming an empty suit” thing) - he’s being haunted by his guilt. It’s literally the Brother - IT’S ME is both a declaration of guilt and a very literal statement, which is also why it appears outside of Pirate’s Cove (Foxy mask). It only appears/is summoned when Mike starts feeling guilty (signaled by Freddy ripping his head off to boot), and it only goes away when you ignore it. It crashes the game/ends the dreams because Mike would remember what he did if he confronted it, thus ending the nightmares.

But he only continues to repress his memories, and at the end of the dream he completely forgets about his younger brother. The paycheck is once again dated for the current date - the date the Brother died, November 13th, 1987, just like in FNAF 2. (Also note that this was stated to be your summer job on Steam, much like FNAF 2.)

Finally, note how the room layout looks identical to Afton’s Private Room, and how the Night 5 phone call excerpt happens to mention laboratory experiments. This could indicate that the Brother was already kidnapped and lead through the Private Room to get the FNAF 4 bedroom, or the Sister could’ve been trying to warn him about what was going to happen. Either way, this is where the inspiration for 1′s layout and gameplay comes from.

FNAF 4

Sometime shortly after 1, Afton kidnaps the Brother and starts his second round of experiments - experiments most likely meant to draw out trauma in order to figure out the “joy of creation“. He builds the main 4 Nightmares and Plushtrap (which is why they have similar endos to the Funtimes and other design choices, like 5 fingers) and has them try to kill the Brother.

(It’s also possible that the Bitten Child posses the main 4 Nightmares, and the Sister possesses Plushtrap. This is why Plushtrap won’t kill you - the Sister doesn’t want you to die, just help the Bitten Child).

Everything about the experiment is meant to draw out the trauma from the Bite - making the Brother think he’s a young helpless child, making him think he’s asleep during the nights, making the Nightmare’s behaviors mimic the bullies’, ect. Hallucinogenic gas may have been used to influence the Brother, which could be why he sees himself as a child and what causes him to see the hospital equipment. The nights this time around aren’t based off the grandfather clock from his house that were in his dreams, but simply the IRL alarm clock on top of the dresser.

On Night 5 and 6, the Bitten Child himself takes over, taking the form of Nightmare and Nightmare Fredbear, the stomach-mouth having come from his memory of a kid being “eaten” by Funtime Fredbear. Nightmare, representing the Bitten Child’s death, makes the Brother lose his memories - he’s repressed the Bitten Child’s death so much that he literally can’t remember it anymore. This is also why the FNAF 1 phone call (backwards and lower-pitched GF style to boot) plays in the background - his guilt’s so repressed he can’t remember it now.

That’s where the box comes in. Afton either left it on purpose for the Brother to find to create more trauma, or the Brother somehow found it himself. Either way, the box contained something that jogged the Brother’s memory of the Bite and forced him to confront the facts. This causes the Brother to want to help the Bitten Child instead of ignoring him again - he can’t ignore him anymore.

It is around this time that William attempts to dismantle the old animatronics (or possibly even the Nightmares if the minigames are symbolic). Shadow Freddy/the fifth piece, lures out the animatronics so they can be “killed again” - SF does represent the child’s death, after all. The Bitten Child, now freed from the animatronics, gets William killed in the Springlock suit, which allows him to find a bit of rest for now. The Brother’s “nightmares“ end with William’s death.

FNAF 3

30 years or so later, Fazbear’s Fright opens IRL, a horror attraction based off the events of Freddy’s. They find William’s corpse and plan to use it in the attraction. The Brother’s nightmares resurface at the news, this time facing off against the man who killed his family and tried to do the same to him (the two are foils, after all). The room layout is based off of the experimentation room, and Springtrap and the Phantoms are based off of Fun with Plushtrap, as is the gameplay. The need to have a ventilation system may have come from the possible use of hallucinogenic gas in 4.

Both the Sister and the Brother reappear. The Brother only appears as Shadow Freddy, a memory of his death waiting to be freed, while the Sister once again appears as the Puppet. The Sister’s Phantom Puppet hallucination, mimicking her dad’s Phantoms, does the same thing to the Brother as it did in the FNAF 2 cutscenes - a casual reminder of what will happen if he doesn’t finish helping the Bitten Child. (She also may influence the other Phantom’s appearances, as she’d know them from the Bitten Child’s dreams.)

Throughout the nights, the Brother reaches out to the Bitten Child and helps to put him back together. Each of the hidden minigames relates back to the reasons why the Bitten Child can’t pass on - fear of people, fear of the animatronics, and, of course, the Bite itself.

BB’s Air Adventure has representations of the Toys in it with the silhouettes. Mangle’s Quest has a silhouette of the Puppet (posed like the Bitten Child as that’s who the Sister’s mimicking) as that was her toy. It’s relationship to the Sister is also probably why it unlocks the cakes - it’s helping her to put him back together as well. Chica’s Party has representations of the Bitten Child’s plushies in it - the final cupcake moving and following you like the Fredbear Plush.

Stage 01 is fixing the Bite - FNAF 1 Golden Freddy, the Brother’s guilt, frees the Foxy-mask piece. The missing child in one of the rooms implies his twin sister’s kidnapping. Finally, Shadow Bonnie, the apex of the Bitten Child’s fears, provides the last main cake - as what is seen in the shadows is misunderstood. (If Shadow Bonnie is indeed Michael, this would also explain the kindness, as well as the glitchiness - he is neither dead nor alive).

The Sister finishes putting him back together by providing the last cake, and they pass on together in the Happiest Day (tomorrow is another day, after all). However, the Sister hangs back just long enough to burn down Fazbear’s Fright in a final attempt to kill William (hence why her mask fell slower). The Brother’s now put back together himself, and won’t be having any more nightmares.

Meanwhile, Michael Afton vows to find his father, having survived the fire and left Fazbear’s Fright - leaving us on the potential for another game.

[crash-cinematic-universe]

Holographic Sand is a Kickass Band Name

pairing: peter maximoff/OC(graciella decuerpo) (high school AU/not canon)

summary: peter learns that a fuckton can change in the course of a week

warnings: none? bad language and peter is simp but thats it

notes **please read**: Heyyyyy how are you doing? good? that’s great. so ik this fic is a peter/oc fic, but honesty i only use her name a few times and a few defining features but like. thats it. so you can totally just imagine urself in her position. also this fic is 5,550 words exactly. that’s the most ive ever written and I am SUPER fucking proud. I think i might become one of those blogs where i write super huge monster fics that im proud of instead of just writing to fill requests.if u dont want that then just lmk and i will not do that. i dont know. maybe. also this fic is peter centric because uh it is. anyways enjoy <3

taglist: @creator-appreciator, @simonsbluee

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Monday

           Peter sat across the room, his arms crossed neatly on top of his knees as he rested his chin on his forearm. He wasn’t paying attention to the lesson being taught in front of him, in fact, he wasn’t paying attention to anything at all. No, Peter was lost in his head again. Peter’s mind was a chaotic minefield of music and cheesy one-liners and random facts that he seems to just know. But this time, he wasn’t envisioning himself beating up a police officer or playing with Pink Floyd. This time, he was picturing a perfect world where nothing ever happened yet nothing was ever boring. Peter had built a utopia in his mind-- a kingdom created to his exact preferences. A blissful tower of joy and happiness and energy and satisfaction. A paradise where he stood on top of the world with Graciella DeCuerpo, the pretty girl from algebra  class, standing right next to him.

          Now, Peter was well aware that the pretty girl from algebra  class had no idea who Peter was. The pair had never exchanged more than a few words, but somewhere within those few words, Peter managed to decide that she was his soulmate. He’d created an image of her in his head that would make God weep tears of envy, the perfect personality for the perfect person.  Peter willfully ignored the fact that he was setting himself up for heartbreak as he imagined how nice it would feel to have her fingers intertwined with his. 

           All of Peter’s friends thought he was ridiculous, ‘you can’t love someone you don’t know,’ they’d say. Peter would only scoff and shake away their words. He absolutely can love someone he doesn’t know, it’s getting the other person to reciprocate those feelings that’s nearly impossible. However, that doesn’t stop him from fantasizing at night. That doesn’t stop him from imagining the various ways he’d confess his love to the pretty girl who doesn’t love him. Or maybe she does. Peter doesn’t know, he could never know; unless, of course, he worked up the courage to talk to her. 

          Scott constantly teased Peter about his one-sided infatuation, but Peter paid no mind to him. He was 100% content with his perpetual pining for someone who probably didn’t know his name. He was totally okay with the unending ache in his chest that would appear any time she walked by or met his gaze. Peter was alright with his ceaseless yearning and the eternal feeling of disappointment that overtook him every time he snapped out of one of his fantasies. He was a-okay with all of that.

          So, there he was, spacing out during biology class as Professor Hargreeves struggles to teach the silver teen about photosynthesis. The Professor looked at Peter with desperate eyes, soon deciding that having his usually energetic student be quiet and still was the silver lining of the situation-- no pun intended. Professor Hargreeves droned on as Peter glanced at the clock, counting down the minutes until 7th period. Counting the seconds until he got to see the pretty girl in algebra  class once again.

Tuesday

          6th period was always the worst part of Peter’s day-- the dreaded english class. There were many contributing factors to Peter’s hatred for this class; the professor was a bore, the material itself was uninteresting, and Peter could never seem to sit still or retain any of the words he read in english class. Worst of all, english class seemed to go on forever, leaving Peter to impatiently wait for the bell to ring and release him to 7th period. At the end of the period every day, he was practically vibrating in his seat. 

          “Can anyone tell me what Juliet’s suicide is supposed to symbolize?” the Professor asked expectantly. Peter couldn’t care less about the symbolism of some chick’s suicide-- he’d much rather be studying the features of his algebra  class infatuation. 

          She sat next to him yesterday. There were at least 5 other open seats and she sat next to him. Yes, Peter read too much into it and yes, Peter spent the entire class period trying to make himself seem naturally cool, but he didn’t care. Peter would act like the most desperate, pathetic, lovestruck loser in the world if it meant that she would like him. They didn’t talk, they didn’t exchange a single word, nevertheless, Peter was in a state of euphoria for the entire class period. 

          Sometimes Peter feels like a stalker. He watches her whenever he can-- he doesn’t follow her around or anything, but if she’s around, he’ll stare at her. He has her features memorized, the curve of her nose, the dark brown irises surrounding her pupils, the way that she always seems to have chipped black nail polish on. He sees the small things. He sees the way she bites her nails when he gets bored and he sees the way her leg never seems to stop bouncing. She hums the basslines to songs as opposed to the melody. 

          English class came to an abrupt end as the bell cut off the Professor’s teachings as well as Peter’s distant daydreaming. Peter was out of his seat within seconds, his notes and books quickly being swept up in his arms as he walked out of the room. The hallways are crowded and chaotic and busy, each individual student attempting to get to their locker then to their class on time. Peter watches as kids swing their lockers open, fatigue and weariness apparent on their faces as they disappear into their classrooms. Peter reaches his locker hastily, the few small posters of classic rocks bands adorning the inside of his locker door. A playful giddiness overcame his body as he made his way to algebra  class, a small smile left on his face.

          Graciella shows up across the hallway, her bright red hair catching his eye in a sea of brown and blonde and blue. His stomach flutters as they get closer and closer to each other, finally meeting outside of the classroom. Her eyes rise to meet Peter’s, and instead of pulling away, Peter keeps looking. She smiles at him before disappearing inside the classroom, and Peter felt his knees get weak. With a deep breath and a triumphant smile, he walked into the classroom.

Wednesday

          Lunchtime; possibly one of the most enjoyable parts of Peter’s school day. Peter is free to kick back and stuff his face full of whatever junk the school board deems nutritious enough for highschoolers. Usually, he ate lunch under the bleachers with his friends, but in some sick twist of fate most of them were absent. So, Peter was left to eat alone in his usual spot.

          The quiet was comfortable, refreshing. The gentle summer breeze would blow every few minutes and Peter would listen to the rustle of the leaves. There’s a certain tranquility to being alone; Peter can lay back and relax and just… think. No stress, no panicking, no--

          “Hey, uh, Peter, right?” Peter’s eyes snap up so fast he’s afraid they would detach from his head and fall out. His breath faltered and his hands began to shake a bit-- why was he so freaked out? She was just a girl; sure, she was the prettiest girl he’d ever seen, and yeah, he was madly in love with her, but that’s besides the point. 

          “Uh-- uh, yeah, P-Peter. That’s, uh, that’s me,” He chuckled awkwardly, desperately trying to stay cool. Peter was an awkward person, but he’d rather die than fuck up his chances with Grace.

          “You dropped this on your way out of class yesterday, I, uhm, didn’t get to return it to you until now,” She holds out a small key chain with three small keys hanging off of it-- Peter’s house keys, along with the key to his mother’s car. He quickly takes the key chain from the red-haired girl in front of him.

          “Holy shit, uh, thanks! I couldn’t get into my house yesterday so I guess you saved me from another broken window,” Peter held up his hand and showcased the scattered pattern of small cuts on his palm. Grace laughed lightly before gently running her fingers over the cuts on Peter’s palm.

          “Oh fuck, dude, these look pretty bad. Maybe keep a spare key hidden under your welcome mat or something,” Peter doesn’t fully process Grace’s words; he’s too preoccupied with trying not to collapse at the feeling of her fingertips on his palm.

          “Hey, you okay? You look… pale,” Grace pressed the back of her hand on Peter’s forehead in an attempt to check for illness, but that just made Peter’s skin erupt in goosebumps. 

          “I, um, I’m fine. I’m just st-stressed about the algebra  t-test on Friday, I th-think,” To be fair, Peter was stressed about the algebra  test. Peter may or may not have spent the entire class staring at Grace instead of, you know, learning the material.

          “Oh! Well, if you want, I can help you study. I’m also kinda worried about it, and I study better with other people,” Peter silently thanked god for what was happening to him.

          “That would be fuckin’ fantastic,” Grace smiled a smile that made Peter shiver.

          “Cool! Uh, I’ll give you my phone number and we’ll meet up tomorrow. One day isn’t much time to study, but it’s better than nothing.” She pulls a pen out of her backpack and rips a small piece of paper out of one of her notebooks. Peter watches as she scribbles down her phone number and hands the paper to him.

          “Thanks. For everything, the keys, the studying-- everything.” Grace smiled.

          “It’s no problem, Peter, really. I’ll call you later,” And just like that, she walked away. Peter was left alone under the bleachers, a wide smile plastered on his face as he read the piece of paper in his hands over and over and over again.

Thursday

          30 minutes. 30 minutes until Grace Reaper DeCuerpo, the prettiest, nicest, funniest girl Peter had ever met would show up on his doorstep. She would be inside his house for god knows how long. She would sit next to Peter-- either on the coffee table in the basement or on the floor of his bedroom. Needless to say, Peter was freaking the fuck out.

          The plan was simple: Grace shows up, they study, they get comfortable, and she goes home. Yet, in those four simple steps, so much could go wrong. Wanda could interrupt, his mother could lose her temper, Lorena could start crying-- worst of all, Peter could embarrass himself and drive her away. 

           Peter was in the middle of reorganizing his record collection for a third time when he heard a knock at the door. His blood went cold and an electric excitement ran through his veins. Peter checked his hair in the mirror one last time before running to the door. He stood silently, staring at the chrome handle hesitantly. This was his one chance. His only chance to make his perfect kingdom real-- Peter really, really, really didn't want to fuck it up. With a deep breath, he slowly opened the door.

          "Hey, Peter!" Her voice was smooth and melodic and it made Peter's heart light up. He’s about to respond with something smooth and witty when a squeaky voice chirps behind him.

         “Hi!! Are you the pretty girl Peter talks about?” Peter can physically feel his face turn bright red as he turns to see his six-year-old sister, Lorena, standing behind him. She’s wearing a purple princess dress that has a syrup stain on the sleeve. Grace laughs before stepping through the doorway. 

          “Lorena!” Peter groans in annoyance, a pleading look on his face. The young girl just giggles before scurrying away, her dress flowing behind her.

          “‘The pretty girl Peter talks about’, huh?” Grace grins at Peter cheekily. Peter runs his hand through his hair before motioning to the staircase.

          “God, Lorna is quite the kid. Well, uh, we can work in my room,” He sighs. “And Grace? Uh, m-maybe don’t let Lorena change your opinion of me,” She just smirks before walking past Peter.

          “Too late,” She called before disappearing down the stairs. Peter could hear the faintest trace of a smile in her voice. His heart skipped a beat as he quickly followed after her. 

          She was wearing a Pink Floyd t-shirt and holding a backpack with various pins on it-- her left ear was pierced in three places and her right in five. The earrings she was wearing were black, or maybe grey; her bright red hair blocked Peter’s view of them. She was wearing rings, some odd words engraved in the metal. Peter couldn’t read them from where he was standing. She was wearing a skirt with fishnets, her hand buried in the pockets that seem to have been sewn in herself. She has callouses on both her hands, but Peter knew that already. Her appearance would put Aphrodite to shame-- suddenly, Peter was much less confident in himself than he was before. He ran his hand through his hair again before reaching the basement.

          He held his breath as Grace looked around his room, her gaze lingering on the plethora of stolen signs and band posters covering the walls. She placed her backpack on the floor and walked over to Peter’s record collection, her fingers carefully flitting through the different albums. She seemed… impressed. It was then that Peter realized it had been silent for much too long.

          “Y’know I can, uh, p-play some music if you want me to. You can just pick a record and, uh, I’ll... play it,” Peter winced at his words, cursing himself for being so awkward in front of the girl he’d been pining after since the beginning of the year. He felt like everything had spiraled out of control, and he watched idly as it happened. Then, Grace shot him a smile and pulled out a record.

          “You have a good taste in music, Silver,” No one had ever called Peter ‘silver’ before. He liked it a bit more than he should. “Although, that’s not really a surprise. I had a feeling you were cool.” 

          “You think I’m cool?” Peter asked, shocked. He wasn’t sure he heard her correctly.

          “Oh, totally. I see you in the hallways sometimes and you always seem so… carefree. Genuine. I don’t know, I guess it’s just… you, ya know? You’re naturally cool.” Every syllable that rolled off her tongue shot euphoria through Peter’s veins. Grace DeCuerpo, the girl Peter Maximoff had dreamed of for almost a full year, was telling him that she thought he was cool. Naturally cool. 

          “I know a lot of people who would disagree with you on that one,” Peter joked. There was truth behind his humor, but of course, he didn’t want to get into his insecurities now. “They think I’m a total loser, which isn’t totally wrong I guess.”

          “Well those people are stupid,” She stated matter-of-factly with a smile. “Speaking of stupid, we should probably get to work.” Peter nodded before sitting beside her on the floor. 

          For three hours they poured over their algebra  books. They quizzed each other and checked each other’s work; Peter’s proficiency in simplifying radicals aiding them both. Every now and then their hands would brush against each other, or the conversation would stray away from school and into their personal lives. Peter learned that Grace had two brothers, one of which passed away when she was younger. Peter talked about Lorena and Wanda and his miraculous abilities in the same way that she talked about her hometown and her own abilities. The conversation was smooth and natural-- Peter didn’t feel like he was being too annoying or too chatty and there was seldom an awkward pause. The pair were content in their time together, not a single moment went by where one wished the other would leave. 

          Eventually, Grace had to go home. Peter wished that she could stay forever, but of course, that would be considered kidnapping. He walked her to the door, although Peter didn’t feel like he was walking. He felt like he was floating.

          “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Silver,” Grace said softly as she turned to face Peter. She looked him in the eye and he could feel his stomach flutter. 

          “Yeah, I guess so,” She opened the door, but before she left, she froze. She turned to look at Peter once again. 

          “Peter?” she said. “You’re not a loser.”

Friday

          Peter could tell the second he walked through the front door of his high school that something had changed. The energy that radiated in the halls shifted from a dull buzz of boredom to a rush of anticipation. The students in the hallway looked the same as always; tired and anxious and wishing for the day to go by quickly. However, Peter wasn’t wishing for the end of the day, and he certainly wasn’t tired. He was determined and energized and absolutely terrified, because that morning Peter Maximoff made the most important decision a seventeen-year-old could. He decided that he was going to ask Grace out on a date. 

          Peter made the choice to keep this from his friends-- it’s not that he didn’t trust them, it’s just that Peter knew he would be teased for his infatuation. It’s happened before and it will happen again. He walked down the hallways with a brave face on, his eyes forward and his heart racing. Truthfully, the silver teenager was terrified of… well, everything. The looming image of a harsh rejection forced itself into his mind; the idea that she would laugh in his face made his heart break a tiny bit, even though it wasn’t real. Peter simply shook those images away and walked on. 

          The day flew by much faster than Peter was comfortable with, and for the first time ever, he was dreading algebra  class. He was terrified that he would walk through the door and have everything be exactly the same-- he feared that Grace would go back to not knowing who he was, just like before. Peter was alright with never being her boyfriend, but he didn’t want to be a stranger. He didn’t think he could take being a stranger anymore. 

            So, there he stood, staring at the door to his algebra classroom from across the hall. He felt confident and prepared himself for the task at hand. In four long strides, he entered the classroom. Grace was sitting next to an empty desk, her eyes stuck on the small notebook full of doodles on her desk. Peter watched as her eyes raised to meet his, a wide smile forming on her face as she motioned him over. 

          “Hey, silver! I saved a seat for ya,” she called, and Peter felt his knees get weak. He then decided that he would wait until after class to ask her out. 

          “You did?”

          “Of course,” She grinned. “I like you, dude, you’re my friend,” Peter’s heart fluttered as he sat down beside her. Grace shot an odd look his way before reaching out and placing a hand on his arm. “Hey, you look stressed. Don’t sweat it, silver, you’ll do fine. We studied for, like, 3 hours yesterday. You’re gonna ace it,”

          To be frank, Peter had forgotten all about the test. The real reason he looked so stressed was because he happened to be sitting next to the love of his life, and the love of his life happened to be touching his arm. 

          “O-oh! Uh, yeah, thanks. I was just nervous because of… the test,” The bell rang and class began, the professor strictly laying down the rules that were to be followed while the test was in session. Peter could feel the lingering touch of her hand on his skin. It made his head feel fuzzy.

          Peter soon came to learn that sitting next to Grace during a test was a huge mistake. He couldn’t focus on anything other than her-- it didn’t help that she kept shooting him glances from where she sat. The numbers and letters on the paper in front of him seemed to rearrange before his eyes, instead spelling out various taunts. He feels a little pathetic for how easily Grace can unravel him, but hey, he’s a teenager. 

          The silver-haired boy’s eyes were struggling to decipher the words on his page when a small folded square landed on his desk. It came from Grace’s direction, and a small smirk had formed on her lips as she solved equations. Hesitantly, he unfolded the paper and read the neatly written message.

          Hey silver :)

          Peter smiled softly. He quickly pulled a pad of post-it notes out of his backpack and scribbled down a quick reply.

          I have no idea what I’m doing. I think Professor Stedman decided to write our tests in hieroglyphics this time.

          He flicked the note onto her desk and quickly turned his face downward. Class would be over soon, and Peter knew he couldn’t turn in a blank test. He uses his enhanced speed to do his assessment in seconds. Sure, he was almost certain he’d barely reach a passing grade, but hey, he had bigger matters to focus on. By the time he finished, another note landed on his desk.

          That bad, huh? Looks like we better study longer next time. 

          Peter’s heart swelled a bit. He really thought the study sessions were a one-time thing. He’s overjoyed to know he’ll get to see Grace semi-regularly, even if he never manages to ask her out.

          I think I’d rather hang out with you without the looming threat of schoolwork. 

          That’s the closest Peter could get to asking her out. He put deep thought into every word, he examined the phrasing and checked the spelling of every word. His english teacher would be proud.

          That can be arranged ;) 

          Peter had no idea that four words could make him feel so much. He had no idea that 17 letters could make him want to scream in the middle of a silent testing period. His hand was shaking and his careful planning was abandoned as he scribbled back a reply.

          Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?

          Patiently, he waited. He waited for Grace to finish writing her response and he waited for her to toss the note back over. He didn’t wait for more than a few minutes, but it felt like hours. He was panicking, and he was sure she could tell. She was probably joking, right? She was probably writing an awkward clarification-- she was probably explaining that she would actually rather die than be around him for non-academic reasons. He braced himself as the yellow post-it landed on the center of his desk.

          My aunt owns a drive-in a few miles from here and she gave me keys to the projector room and the gate. She managed to snag a copy of The Exorcist-- I thought you’d like to join me during my midnight escapade tomorrow night.

          Peter’s heart stopped. For a moment, he thought his eyes were fooling him. Maybe this was all some sick joke. Maybe he was being set up. Maybe he’ll get in her car tomorrow and she’ll drive him into the woods and murder him. To be completely honest, Peter wouldn’t mind if she murdered him. Peter wrote his reply.

          Really? You want me there? I might be a drag. You could probably find at least 20 other people who would probably be more interesting than me.

          Grace frowned at his response, and suddenly Peter decided he never wanted to see her frown again. She wrote confidently, her words solid and sure.

          You? A drag? Impossible. I don’t want to be alone, and I don’t want to be with anyone other than you, Maximoff. 

          This note was his undoing. He couldn’t help himself, he read it over and over and over again-- he almost forgot to respond. He wanted to hold onto it forever, he wanted it to be framed and hung on his wall. Hell, he wanted it tattooed on his arm. Peter had never been so happy while taking a test, that’s for sure. He wasn’t sure exactly what to say; he went from heartfelt responses to witty retorts. Finally, he decided to be totally and completely honest.

          I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Saturday 

          There was seldom a time in his life where Peter Maximoff felt wholly content. Even in the most peaceful moments, there was always something bothering him, there was always something to pull him back to reality. However, sitting in the back of Grace’s dad’s convertible with the seats down and the roof pulled back, his head resting on her shoulder as they watched a cheesy horror movie, Peter was as close to nirvana as he’d ever been. 

          Life had always been so hard for Peter. He’s always had to fight for his seat at the table, to claw his way into a state of mind that wasn’t a hellhole. It seemed as if the world was plotted against him; he was ostracized from society and taught that he, along with his closest family and friends, were monsters. He never met his father and his mother spent so long fighting her own battles that she forgot to love her kids. Peter had to steal to stay fed, and he had to do his best to raise his little sisters to be good people. But right there, right then? That wasn’t hard. Peter didn’t have to be anyone or do anything-- he just had to exist next to someone who wanted him. That was the easiest thing Peter had ever done.

          Peter wasn’t exactly sure how he got there. Of course, he knew that they had driven to the drive-in, but he wasn’t sure how he was the person next to Grace. They had spoken for one day, maybe two, and somehow he landed himself in the most perfect spot in the entire universe. Less than a week ago, she didn’t even know his name. Or, maybe she did. Maybe she was just like Peter-- maybe she had spent the past year pining for him, and finally she worked up the nerve to just talk to him. Maybe. Peter isn’t complaining either way.

          “Can I ask you a kind of cheesy question?” Peter is startled by the sound of his own voice. Grace sits up and glances at him.

          “Shoot,”

          “Do you-- well, uh, don’t read too much into this, but, do you believe in love at first sight?” God, he sounded awkward. 

          “Nope,” She said bluntly. Peter wasn’t expecting that answer, but he wasn’t exactly disappointed by it. “I mean, it’s kind of a stupid idea, ya know? Like, isn’t there a million poems and sonnets and books written about how love is this weird complicated monster of a feeling? I don’t think you can really love someone just by looking at them. You can love the idea of a person, sure, or maybe the look of a person, but you can’t love that person. Because a person is so much more than ‘first sight’,” she sighs. “I don’t know, maybe I’m being a killjoy. It just seems dumb to me-- dumb and, I don’t know, exclusive,”

          Peter stops to think for a moment. He steps out of his lovesick chaotic hellbrain and looks at his feelings from an outside perspective. He thinks back to the kingdom he created in his brain-- a kingdom built on a foundation of sand. Or, less than sand. Holographic sand, because the sand he built his kingdom on wasn’t real. He made a mental note that ‘Holographic Sand’ is a kickass band name, then resumed his impromptu soul-searching. She was right-- he could see  that now. Scott was right, too. You really can’t love someone you don’t know, because if you don’t know them, you fill in the gaps. You fill in the gaps with what you think fits, and then the other person stops being them and starts being parts of you. Peter suddenly felt weird.

          “I’m sorry if I said something wrong,” Grace interjects after a while. Peter hadn’t realized he’d been silent for so long.

          “You didn’t say anything wrong. On the contrary, you, uh, you made things a little bit more… right, in my brain. You somehow managed to take a little chunk of chaos and tame it, which is scarily impressive,” he joked. “Remind me to ask you your opinion on the meaning of life and the root of true happiness,” They’re joined in a chorus of laughter and Peter realizes that his little brain kingdom didn’t hold a candle to the red convertible he was sitting in. She slings an arm around his shoulders.

          “Y’know, I might not know the meaning of life, but I am pretty close to true happiness right now,” She says, softer than before. “Maybe the root of true happiness is you, Maximoff,” She chuckles. Peter smiles. He doesn’t want the ruin the moment-- god, he is desperately trying to keep himself from fucking it up, but he feels obligated to tell her about his year of pining.

          “Hey, uh, can I tell you something kinda pathetic?” He cringes at the way his voice trembled on the last word. 

          “Go ahead, Peter,” She used his name this time. Peter thinks she knows he’s about to say something mildly serious.

          “I’ve liked you since, like, the beginning of the year. You seemed so… cool. So nice. I saw you in the hallways and my stomach would get all twisted up and my head would hurt a little bit. It was like I was allergic to you, but I enjoyed it. That sounds weird. I’m sorry,” He stopped for a moment, attempting to take the buzzing mass of words in his brain and string them into a sentence. “I was too afraid to talk to you, so I, uh, asked around. I got other people’s opinions of you and then built a little version of you in my brain. I realize now that, uhm, the little brain version of you is like, way way worse than actual you,”

          When you talked to me the first time, you threw me off. I wasn’t really nervous about the test-- I mean, yeah I was nervous but that’s not why I looked so pale. I just wasn’t expecting for you to talk to me, like, willingly. So I lied because I was embarrassed. And I lied again in class yesterday. Because I was embarrassed,” He stopped talking. Peter felt like he was digging himself into a hole-- he felt like he killed the sweet sugary mood. 

          “Why are you telling me this?” Grace asked. She didn’t sound angry. She sounded a little confused, and she sounded like she was trying to help Peter decipher his brain. 

          “I don’t know, I guess I just feel bad. I feel bad for, uh, for not being honest I guess. I feel bad for being a coward,” Yep, definitely killed the mood.

          “Peter, you shouldn’t feel bad for being afraid, you know,” She assures. “I would’ve done the exact same thing in your position. Hell, I did do the exact same thing in your position,” That caught Peter’s attention.

          “What?”

          “You didn’t drop your keys in algebra. You dropped them somewhere in bio and my friend found them. She was gonna take them to the office, but I wanted an excuse to talk to you, so I said I’d return them,” Peter couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was being pranked, he had to be. “Being awkward and weird is like a requirement in high school. Don’t sweat it, Maximoff, really. We’re all the same in that way, I think,”

          Peter felt a wave of relief wash over him. He was feeling too much at that moment, he was letting the bad drown out the good. He didn’t want to remember the day in a sad light.

          “I like you. A lot. Even if you are awkward and weird,” He smiles softly. Slowly, ever so slowly, he intertwined his fingers with those of the girl beside him. It was a simple display of affection, but it made Peter feel like he was floating.

          “I like you too, dork,” Peter smiled widely before placing his head back on Grace’s shoulder. Peter wasn’t paying attention to the movie, in fact, he wasn’t paying attention to anything at all. No, Peter was lost in his head again-- but this time, he wasn’t standing on a false kingdom with a false version of the girl he liked. No, this time, he was thinking about the very real girl beside him. He was thinking about the perfect world they had created in the small car they were in; a perfect world where he felt so much emotion and so, so safe. They had built a utopia in the back seat- a blissful tower of awkwardness and comfort and clumsy confessions. A paradise where he sat in the back seat of a Ford Galaxie with Graciella DeCuerpo, the pretty girl from algebra class, sitting right next to him.