#simon bellamy

lowkey the tattoo episode was great and i’m still annoyed the show played it as a joke and then moved on. like yes, magic tattoo, fine, whatever. but nathan suddenly being in love with simon only works because their dynamic is already weirdly intense. nathan teases him constantly, drags him into things, notices him more than most people do, and simon is so awkward about attention that the whole thing becomes interesting immediately. also reading them both through a repressed/closeted bisexuality/gayness lens is genuinely compelling to me. nathan is all jokes and noise and “haha wouldn’t it be mad if i fancied simon,” while simon is buried under insecurity and wanting to be wanted. different flavours of repression, both terrible at being normal. simon is nathan’s most impactful relationship to me, and the slow-burn development could’ve been so good. they had the annoying banter, the weird closeness, the tattoo episode, the potential for nathan to realise he actually does care when nobody is forcing him to. let the idiots kiss without blaming the tattoo this time. also nathan saying "maybe i like him more than i let on. little bastard gets under your skin, doesn't he?" to alisha with the show comparing and equating him to simon's canon love interest.. helloooo