AO3 Stories

Spierfeld: Snapshots and GIFs

SPOILERS FOR BLUE'S IDENTITY

FANDOM: Simon vs the Homo Sapien's Agenda (Love, Simon)

PAIRING: Simon Spier/Bram Greenfeld

Bram loved the freeze frame, snapshot, 'cookie-cutter life' moments. The ones where, if you were to take a picture at that moment, everything would be exactly perfect.

Moments like when their group of six would cram into a booth at Waffle House and get half-heartedly scolded by the manager with the kind eyes and warm smile for being too loud. Simon would blush and duck his head while Abby apologized to the manager and they would all break into soft giggles when she left the table. A freeze frame.

When he and Simon would be laying on the floor of Simon's room, legs tangled, talking about whatever, with some record playing quietly in the background. Simon would pick his head up from where it usually lay on his chest and turn towards him a little, propping his head on his fist and just stare at Bram. A smile would spread across his face and when Bram quirked a brow at him, Simon would just whisper that he loved him. And then Bram would feel the dopey, lovestruck smile spread across his face and he would whisper back that he loves him too. Snapshot.

Bram was invited to join the Spiers on their Bachelorette night and he would sit, hardly watching the screen, with Simon pressed against him. He instead watched the faces of Simon's family. His dad was leaning towards the TV, eyes wide, and a concerned grimace on his face. Nora was feeding pieces of popcorn to Bieber as an excuse to look away whenever something awkward would happen. Simon's mom caught his eye and smiled warmly at him, expression full of nothing but love and fondness. And he would glance back down at Simon who was looking at him with the same expression as his mom. Cookie cutter life.

The first time they did anything sexual together, it was just above-the-clothes groping, whispering curses and love declarations into the other's mouths as they rocked their hips against each other, panting and squirming and giggling. Bram wanted to memorize every millimeter of Simon's face when he came. His eyes were bright and locked on to Brams until they closed and his lashes fluttered against his cheeks, which were painted a bright red as he moaned out a little 'oh'. A snapshot Bram wanted for just himself.

The lunches the two of them would skip, driving to the little shop for Oreos and milk or Reese's or maybe just sitting out on the soccer bleachers talking about their day or their plans for that night and sometimes (always) just a couple stolen kisses between bites of disgusting unsalted tater tots. These moments Bram knows he doesn't need to freeze frame, because he's confident he will always have the image of Simon throwing bits of potato at him, head tilted back with laughter. But he does anyway, tucking all of these moments in a file in the corner of his mind that is still labeled Jacques.

His first introduction to Simon, to Jacques, the nerves when sending the post and then sending the email, it's there too. On a mental piece of paper in that folder. It's been accessed and thumbed over so many times that, even in his mind, it's a well-loved note with bent edges and soft fold creases and imaginary stains.

Simon has these too. Except he prefers to think of his as GIFs. Little clips of his most monumental moments. Three seconds playing in his mind. Not all of them good. He has one from the second he knew Martin knew about Blue. A GIF he avoided, pushed to the trash folder in the back of his mind.

But there were some good ones too, of course. The tilt-a-whirl being a constant loop, the 'I know I'm late'. The realization. Everything good about that night and minus the crushing fear of him not showing up. Because you can't fit everything in three seconds. It was this moment that led to him creating a subfolder, within Blue's, for Bram. They are the same, he knows that. But Bram has minuscule differences that didn't show in his emails. So this is the first file in the subfolder, him riding the tilt-a-whirl just for Simon, but since that night, a lot of files have been transferred and rewritten.

The exact moment Bram said he loved him, the words replaying in his mind every second. They were together in Simon's bed, attempting to study. Bram sat, propped against the headboard, scribbling algebraic equations while Simon had his head resting in Bram's lap, holding up the book Mr. Wise had assigned. Simon marked his page and threw the book to the other side of the bed with a dramatic huff. Bram looked up from his notes and just stares at Simon for a minute, a small smile tugging at his lips. He said the words quietly, so quietly that Simon would've missed them had there been any noise in the room. Simon can't forget his face as he said it, his eyes. He looked so in love, so fond, and it was aimed at Simon. And of course, he said it back, shifting so he was sitting in front of Bram, eyes locked, and spoke, sure and meaningful.

The talent show was a couple GIFs for Simon. When Bram kissed their intertwined hands. When Abby came on and Nick was so enthralled, proud, intensely happy. His overwhelming joy and pride when Nora and Leah came on stage and fucking rocked it. So many memories that day. Even after, the unsupervised visit with Bram and making out and talking and just being alone together...everything.

Simon and Bram had a rough coming out. They had a rough coming together story, full of bumps and hiccups. But they were here, they were happy, they were together. And for both of these boys, there's nothing more they could've asked for as their mental folders continue to grow as the years go on and they themselves grow. Together.