Security

Chapter 6

Unfortunately, Harry and Simon get separated for the main channel shoot the next day - just as Harry feared they would.

Sure, Harry has a lot of fun with JJ and Tobi on the expensive team, but the day crawls by slower than a baby's first steps. There is the high of the adorable milestone, though alongside that there is the intrusive thought of can they just move a little quicker. Speed it up a bit, sweetie. Or, at least, there is that for Harry, anyway. To others, the awe of the situation blinds them; it obscures their hearts and minds so all they can see is the prolonged breakthrough and the consequent sentiments. That is what the day is like for the other two Sidemen compared to Harry.

As much delight as he gets out of the activities, as much entertainment he gets out of the road trip, the entire time there is the niggling thought of Simon at the back of his mind.

He snuggles with Tobi and JJ - mostly Tobi after JJ attempts to pull a disgusting prank on him in his sleep - but as he does so all he can think about is the tentative cuddling he and Simon have started fitting in to their heavy schedules lately. When he goes for a nap, he doesn't doze as well as he has the past few nights he spent in Simon's arms.

At the end of the day, the sun set long ago, Harry's team meet up with the cheap team, just like Simon had hoped for the night previous. (He was chipper and optimistic all through the early morning, also.) Harry gets barely forty minutes of recreation outside with them before the crew have stopped filming and are finished packing away their equipment. Tobi suggests it's now too late to stay outside any longer.

Vik is dead on his feet, has been for about ten minutes, and that's all the confirmation Josh needs for it to be time to head inside. He herds them all up to bed, guiding JJ with a reposeful voice and a secure grip. Tobi mirrors him with caring hands resting upon Vik's shoulders as he follows him to one of the joint rooms.

Simon and Harry con their way in to sharing a room by shrugging and pretending it's not a big deal, and it genuinely feels like one of the greatest achievements of Harry's life. Purely because it makes his day so much better, brightening his evening like the sun on an overcast afternoon. He also just loves spending time with Simon, had done even before the prospect of a romantic relationship was even an idea let alone an imminent reality.

"I actually had quite a lot of fun today," Simon murmurs to Harry as they lay huddled close on one of the two double beds. They're not quite cuddling, but both of their bodies obviously want to, subtly inching closer with every passing topic of conversation. "I missed you, though."

"Mhm," Harry hums, a short, sweet hum in response, then nuzzles his face against the soft cotton bedsheets closest to Simon's own face. "Missed you, too."

Simon leans in for a sleepy kiss of languid affection, only to pull away the moment Harry accidentally slips in too much enthusiastic desire.

"It's way too late for whatever you're trying to do, Haz," Simon admonishes, though his whispered tone is laced with amusement and endearment. "Maybe tomorrow or something."

"That reminds me," Harry's eyes aren't exactly wide, he's too exhausted for that after a day of travelling (despite the multiple naps), yet they're intensely focused as he gazes at Simon. "Vik told me he's gonna sit down and draft the teams for the next main channel shoot tomorrow. Apparently Chris, Will and George Clarkey are joining us, so they're gonna be on a team each."

The news isn't the most exciting. Still, Simon nods and makes a noise of polite understanding to let Harry know he's listening even though his eyes drifted shut part way through the younger talking.

"Let's hope we end up on a team together this time." Harry doesn't know why Simon bothers saying this, considering all the good it did for them this time. "That way I can make you eat all the food I don't like."

A couple days later, the two of them find out: not only did Vik not place them on the same team (or the 'wheel', whatever), but also that no one is allowed to give away their food to members on their team. Each meal idea given has to be consumed by each individual member of the team, with the exact portion stated in the videos.

Fortunately, Vik doesn't catch the, "Utter bullshit," that Harry mutters grumpily after the teams are announced. To his good fortune, Vik decided to do so before the cameras started rolling.

(Simon doesn't miss it, however. His shoulder checks Harry's as he passes during their position organisation. He whispers a quick, light-hearted chiding that doubles as a kind of encouragement to get Harry through the recording.)

Harry spends the day compensating for his disappointment. He purposefully acts overhyped, tries to start unusual content at every opportune moment, and gives in easily to the woman who endeavours to sell them fermented herring by demanding they buy it before they leave.

The sort of behaviour Harry showcases throughout the video shoot isn't abnormal from him, though it isn't habitual either. He knows Simon regards it as a state Harry forces himself into whenever he feels discomposed, unsettled by the actions of people around him who don't always understand him. Don't always try to, either, regrettably.

"Man, your breath reeks, Harry," Simon tells him at the end of the shoot, his eyes and smile teasing but his nose scrunched at the obviously offensive stench to Harry's breath. He reaches for Harry's right arm, his hand wrapping around Harry's wrist in an unyielding grip, "Come on, let's go find a toothbrush for you to use. No idea why you thought it was a good idea to eat that atrocious fish."

Together, the two head up the stairs from the hotel suite's living room to one of the bathrooms. Simon keeps a hold of Harry's wrist, all the while bending down to search the small cabinet under the sink. He stands straight again, a small hotel toothpaste and packaged wooden toothbrush held together in one hand. Harry notices the wood of the toothbrush has the hotel name engraved on the inside of the handle.

"Here. Brush your teeth with these."

Harry does as told, bright eyes glistening with tenderness as he stares intensely at Simon the whole time he brushes his teeth. Twice. (He's not one hundred percent the smell is gone.)

After he spits the toothpaste out, then rinses and bins the hotel toothbrush, he approaches Simon with a small smile. He doesn't yet lean in, but Simon goes to.

At least this time, when they get walked in on, Will thinks nothing of it, and doesn't make a big scene the way Danny had over a month ago, however well meaning it was. He moves to wash his hands and clean his Invisalign without fuss.

"Alright, mates?"

The resounding, "Yeah, mate," may be shaky enough to alert each other, but Will is none the wiser.

It's probably about time they have a little sit down and talk about how they're going to move forward together. They need to decide whether or not they're going to put a label on whatever this is; and if so, which label.