i keep thinking about like... you know how some people are huggers? they hug for everything, when they first see you, when you say goodbye, hearing good news, bad news, whatever. their innate reaction is to hug.
it doesn't have to be a hug, it could be any kind of physical affection. some people are just like that.
but gideon's not.
and yet.
she kisses harrow's forehead, in the pool. she holds her long and hard, like a scream, and then she kisses her forehead.
i just can't get over how achingly tender that is for a girl who's never had anyone's forehead to kiss before. for a girl who's sure as hell never had her own forehead kissed.
that's all.
It's part of why that chapter works so well in my opinion: The small domestic genuine tenderness in a world of snynics, secrets and violence.