The thing that separates Harry from Nate is that there's no way in hell Eliot would ever be able to have that "not a coward" conversation with Nate, Eliot would never be able to be that vulnerable with Nate in body language and just point blank saying he appreciates him being there. The relationship he had with Nate wasn't a vulnerable one, it was two men of equal strength needing to be strong in front of each other both for themselves and for the other, because they are two men who will lash back at each other when provoked, but with Harry it's different because Harry came to them when he was weak, when he was vulnerable and even though he has a similar energy to Nate, Harry is most definitely not Nathan Ford, with Harry, Eliot can be soft, with Nate they both always had an edge, not on guard exactly just a different kind of friendship, Harry isn't the same kind of broken that Eliot and Nate are, but the two of them, Eliot and Nate, match up so well there's this deeper understanding that can't be voiced without also bringing up this specific kind of pain neither one of them could deal with, like a mirror that cuts you, but Harry isn't Nate, he's not as competent in how to tear people down or in this field he stumbled into nor is he as angry or as vengeful, Harry won't take his anger out on any one of the team even in his worst moments he's not capable of it, but Nate and Eliot could be, Nate definitely is and Eliot is just so much like Nate in that way where in another life they could be brothers always fighting, but knowing each other so well they know just the right words to push the big red nuclear bomb button inside each others heads even though they do love each other so much in a way only brothers can, but Harry? To Eliot in another life he could be the father he never had, a father who was soft, that listened and cared and said the right things and put bandaids on his scraped knees and who would never disown him for what he became, who could never push the nuclear red button, doesn't even know how to come close just wants to be there for him in the way only a father could to see him at his smallest and embrace him, Harry may never understand what kind of pain Eliot has suffered and what kind of pain he has inflicted, but Harry will always listen and he'll welcome Eliot back home every single night just like a father is supposed to
