request for @charlottesydx :)
Summary - Simon has a soft spot for Harry and everyone else knows why
When they first met, Harry was barely 17. From the minute Simon met him, he wanted to protect him.
Perhaps it was because he looked so innocent and young, and back then he really was. He had grown up in the middle of nowhere, a late bloomer who had been accidentally catapulted into fame at 16. He was young and naive, and it seemed like everyone but the sidemen wanted to take advantage of him. They essentially chose to adopt him and took it upon themselves to look after him. And they all felt protective over Harry, but no one cared about him quite as much as Simon.
Once, whilst they were all playing football, Harry was knocked over and fell awkwardly on his arm. It was quite obvious that he had seriously hurt it, although he was trying his hardest to fight back his tears. Simon had immediately taken Harry away from everyone else to inspect his arm and he began to sob. That was the first time Simon had ever seen him cry, and he felt almost helpless, because seeing Harry in pain hurt him as well.
He bandaged Harrys arm as gently as possible, and Harry eventually got quieter, until he was only hiccuping occasionally. Simon pulled him into a warm hug, being extra careful to not hurt him and he could feel Harry rest his head on his shoulder. It was only a small action, but it made Simons heart swell, because he could tell how much Harry appreciated him.
Harry was also a very affectionate person, yet it might not seem like it unless you paid attention to him. He liked to hold Simons hand when he got shy, although if anyone pointed it out he would get embarrassed. He also liked to be close to Simon, whether that meant resting his leg on him when they sat next to each other or linking their arms, it didn't matter. There was just something about him that comforted Harry.
Maybe it was because Simon was particularly nice to Harry and Harry only. He was known for being rather sarcastic and snarky, although he was never really like this with Harry. He also had no issue waking up JJ after he had fallen asleep again, or annoying Ethan when he was tired, but with Harry...
Simon often worried that he didn't get enough sleep. He hoped however that it was just because he was young and in a brand new city and he was still adjusting. But Harrys sleeping schedule didn't improve as he got used to London, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was just the way Harry was. So when Harry would snuggle into him and close his eyes, Simon would simply pull him closer and kiss him on the forehead when he thought no one was looking.
Although, he wasn't as good at being subtle as he thought, because the others had watched him do this more times than they could count. It was kind of adorable though so they didn't tease him too much. Whenever they made any comments and started giggling, Harry would look at Simon in bewilderment, who only said to ignore them and then proceeded to hit them when Harry wasn't looking.
The teasing didn't stop there though; they would often joke about how protective Simon was over Harry. Simon couldn't even deny it, because he knew better than anyone else how true it was.
Cal and JJ found great enjoyment from getting Harry drunk, much to Simons silent disapproval. He would watch reproachfully as they kept egging him on, producing more and more alcohol that they knew he couldn't handle and then act surprised when he would end up throwing up all night. It was always Simon that sat with him the bathroom, rubbing his back gently.
Simon didn't ever try to tell him to stop though because as much as he hated seeing each night end the same way, he didn't want to be the one to ruin the fun. Because it was moments like those that reminded him how young he was, and ultimately it was better that he got drunk here, with Simon to take care of him, until he got older and more responsible. Even then, Simon would happily take care of him for the rest of his life if it meant Harry would be safe.
Sometimes when he was taking care of a tired or drunk Harry, the others would watch from afar and then ask him why he was so patient. Simon would always answer that it was because Harry was the youngest, the baby of the group, and as one of the oldest he felt responsible for him. Besides, the others weren't as good at looking after him as Simon was.
None of them really bought it though because they could see past Simons excuses. He could lie all he wanted to, but he couldn't conceal the sparkle in his eyes when Harry would smile up at him. Or when he would collapse into Simons arms after another night of getting far too drunk and the others watched as Harry fell asleep on top of Simon yet again. Or on the rare occasions when Harry would cry and eventually end up laughing after Simon did everything he could to cheer him up.
They didn't want to force Simon into admitting anything however. Instead they ended up coming to a mutual agreement that they would stop commenting on their relationship, even if they could all blatantly see that there was something there.
JJ however couldn't let it go. He had been Simons best friend for years, and he had noticed a change in him since he met Harry. He had been the one to first bring it up, months ago, after noticing how quickly Harry had warmed to Simon and how quickly Simon had become so protective of Harry.
Sure, Harry was a good kid, and all of them were glad that they had taken him under their wing, but holy shit... Simon never let him out of his sight.
When he mentioned it to Josh and Tobi, they agreed that they had noticed the change in Simon, but they were sure that Simon would never admit anything, and besides if he actually wasn't straight that wasn't really any of their business. And they didn't really have any idea about Harrys sexuality, although he may have alluded he was 'down to try new things' before whilst drunk.
One night, he brung it up whilst it was just him and Simon. JJ expected him to start talking about how young Harry was again and how he was simply looking out for him, but instead he went silent for a minute.
JJ was worried for the first time that he had overstepped his boundaries, that maybe he shouldn't have tried to force Simon to admit anything, but before he could apologise, Simon told him bluntly that he wasn't even sure himself. He told JJ that Harry was just different, and he couldn't explain even if he wanted to.
And so the others didn't ask again, although they continued to tease both of them. Harry never got to the bottom of it and whenever he looked at Simon for an explanation, Simon would simply wrap an arm around him and pull him into a hug that was only for Harry.
