Sidemen Shots

Suspicious of Love (Minor Minishaw + Platonic Wroetobehz)

Comeback!! It's not really anything special but I hope you enjoy <3

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It's in the way he laughs; his giggle is so pronounced today, Ethan realises.

Something has been off with Harry all day, and it has taken until now for Ethan to actually figure out what is 'wrong' with him. For him to suspect what is going on with his friend lately.

The first step to this profound understanding is the sudden realisation that Harry's smile is different around Simon. Then he notices that his eyes are, too.

Ethan makes a joke, just to test his new (unlikely, surely, hopefully), little theory. He says something he knows will make Harry laugh, even enunciates his words with a certain flare to them. He gets a laugh: it's not the one Best Friend Ethan needs to hear, but it sure is the one Detective Ethan is looking for. It's a quick, deep chuckle, with Harry's head thrown back and his eyes closed. It's over shortly after it starts.

(Ethan belatedly pushes down the disappointment of the obnoxious Best Friend Ethan inside him.)

If not for the sake of his new-found, important mission, normally something in Ethan would burn dangerously the moment Simon repeats his joke.

Well, he doesn't exactly repeat Ethan's joke word for word, no - he retells a variation of it that is soaked in snark and humour, meant to be an addition, dripping with a bite that is just so Simon.

And Harry laughs. And laughs. He keeps going, uncontrollable in his antics. His body jolts from its position where he's been leaning against Simon for the past hour or so, and slips down to the left until his whole upper body is hovering over Simon's lap.

If not for his growing (confirmed) suspicion, then Ethan would genuinely look on at the scene with the same mix of fondness and incredulousness as the other four lads are. Except Ethan knows something they don't. Or at least, he has remembered something they haven't yet.

Simon looks quite proud of himself, his right arm coming up to rest on Harry's back, and it's only that really that squashes the underlying potential of fury Ethan experiences whenever he feels he's been handed the short end of the stick.

As soon as the group divides at the announcement of their first break in three hours, Ethan is on Harry like the wings of a plane. His tone is jovial but his eyes are resolute, his ears perked nosily.

"Harry, come with me a moment, yeah?" It sounds like a question, and is one to anyone who doesn't truly know Ethan, but Harry recognises it for what it is. He doesn't do a great job at masking his confusion, though.

"Mhm?" Is said on the end of a huffed laugh, Harry both looking and sounding like he's just been broken out of his little bubble. He slowly, leisurely, extricates himself from Simon's loose hold whilst saying, "Oh, er, yeah sure, give me a sec."

Once outside of the room, Ethan leads Harry through the short hallway and out of the door that opens up to the floor of their studio. Harry still looks bewildered all the while.

Understandably so.

"Right, Harry." Ethan begins as soon as the door shuts behind them, his tone no-nonsense from the get-go. "Do you have anything you want to tell me?"

Harry looks adorably confused at his words, baffled by the sudden, unexplainable bombardment Ethan is just randomly throwing his way. Out of nowhere.

"I don't think so, mate. I'll let you know if anything comes to mind."

Harry makes to leave, then, but Ethan's outstretched hand against his chest is enough to keep him from going anywhere until Ethan has said his piece.

"I know what's going on, Harry." Ethan sympathises, his tone gentle in that way it only ever is for Harry, the same way there is sometimes a harshness to it also reserved solely for his best friend.