Gideon peeled Harrow’s head off her shoulder by the hair and beheld it, taking her inventory: her point-boned, hateful little face, her woeful black brows, the bloodless bow of her lips. She examined the disdainful set of the jaw, the panic in the starless eyes. She pressed her mouth to the place where Harrow’s nose met the bone of her frontal sinus, and the sound that Harrow made embarrassed them both.
[image description: a digital illustration of the pool scene from gideon the ninth. it shows harrow and gideon facing each other in profile, set against a background of green waves. they’re both lit in a similar green lighting. their face paint has washed away and their hair is wet and slicked back. gideon puts a hand on harrow’s cheek and kisses the bridge of her nose. harrow’s eyes are wide in total surprise.]