Truth be told, after living for years on her family's boat, Madeleine was finding it hard to adjust to life on land. The Governor's Mansion was a beautiful building, uniquely historic, with every amenity that a person might want. But it didn't gently bob with the motion of waves, and the courtyard's tall exterior walls blocked the salty night breeze. So Madeleine often found herself unable to sleep, even though her bed was far more comfortable than the patchwork hammock she'd slept on for most of her childhood.

These sleepless nights often found Madeleine climbing those same exterior walls, to look out over the ocean and listen to the distant calling of gulls. Usually she was alone, except for the occasional patrol of guards, who would give her a silent nod of acknowledgment as they passed. However, one particular night, Madeleine unexpectedly found herself with company.

She heard him first before she saw him. His panting breaths and stomping footfalls preceeded him up the winding stairs. It turned out to be Gideon, gripping the handrail for support at the top of the stairs, his broad chest rising and falling as he refilled his lungs. Madeleine had gotten to know Gideon pretty well over the last few months, and in all that time, he was invariably cheerful and comforting when she needed it most. The Gideon in front of her was tense and disheveled, his bangs falling haphazardly onto his brow, held in place with sweat. He wasn't even in uniform. Her own heart started beating quickly in her chest, even though she hadn't been the one to run up three flights of stairs.

"Gideon? What's going on?" Madeleine asked, even though Gideon seemed too out of breath to answer.

"Nothing. Sorry. It's stupid." Gideon's words tumbled out of his mouth with nervous urgency. "I just... I needed to talk to someone, and I knew you were out here, and I can't sleep either. Do you mind?"

Madeleine's fear was replaced with concern and intrigue. If Gideon was this upset, it was clearly about something important. She had no idea what it could be, and she was very grateful that Gideon trusted her with whatever it was, because she really wanted to know. Gideon had consoled her plenty of times and maybe she could repay the favor. She beckoned him eagerly over to the railing where she stood.

"Sorry," repeated Gideon, unnecessarily. "I really shouldn't be so torn up about him. I mean, he's gone for good now."

Ah. This was about Percy.

Madeleine understood why Gideon had been lying up all night thinking about Percy. She'd known for quite some time that the man who they'd called Governor Reiner was not who he claimed to be. She'd kept that secret for the safety of people like Gideon, who Percy might harm if he felt like his position as Governor was in danger. But now that Percy had been arrested, with arrangements being made for his trial, the secret was out. Or at least, Percy's secret was out. It seemed like Gideon might have one too.

"Yup. Even if he somehow gets away with it, he's not coming back." Madeleine turned to examine Gideon's dejected expression with a keen gaze. "...Do you want him to come back?"

"No!" Gideon snapped, too aggressively. Madeleine raised a skeptical eyebrow. Gideon's eyes flicked sheepishly towards the distant horizon. "Well... I shouldn't want him to come back. It would be bad."

"Bad is one way to put it, yeah," Madeleine heaved a sympathetic sigh. "But you knew him for much longer than I did. I don't fault you for still thinking of him as the person you spent so long working with. You didn't know about all the horrible things he did. You couldn't possibly have known."

"Okay, but here's the thing," Gideon blurted out, "Shouldn't I have known? I'm the head of security for the Governor's Mansion. Knowing him was part of my job! And I really thought I did know him. He always acted so, you know, official around the press or Parliament or whoever, but when it was just me and him at home, he was so different. He'd relax, he'd joke, he'd ask my opinion on things, he'd tell me what a great job I was doing... The Governor before him was a nice guy too, but he was always busy and he never wanted to chat. So I never thought I was, like, friends with Reiner— Shit, I meant—"

"Don't worry about it," Madeleine interrupted quickly, "Go on."

"I didn't expect anything from it. I mean, he's— He was my boss, so even if he did— It's not like it could have worked out, anyway. I was just happy that I got to see him every day, and that he'd smile whenever he saw me in the hall, and that... I could almost pretend like maybe I had a chance with him. I... I really liked him, Madeleine. It feels so stupid to say it now, but I liked him so, so much. And I still do, even though he was stringing me along and... I knew he didn't like me back. Even before everything that happened. So I feel like an idiot for feeling like I lost him, even though he wasn't mine to lose."

Gideon paused to take a shaky breath. Then he frowned at Madeleine. "What?"

Madeleine hadn't said anything, but she had gone rigid, like a terrier who had spotted a rat but hadn't been given permission to chase it. When she responded, she chose each word with careful deliberation.

"Gideon... What made you so sure that he wasn't into you?"

Gideon let out his breath through gritted teeth with a hiss. "Lord... It's so embarassing to talk about."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's okay to get it off your chest."

Gideon hesitated, but only for a moment. "So... It was when Reiner first got elected. I was so excited to meet him, and I was dying of curiosity, because I was already into him just from watching his speeches. Governor Rae, who had just moved out of the Mansion, had his daughter living with him. But Reiner moved in alone. And so I... I can't believe I did this. But I asked him, 'Excuse me, Governor Reiner, but do you have a partner? Because as head of security, if they're ever in the Governor's Mansion, it's my job to keep them safe.' Of course, that wasn't why I was asking, and he must've known too. He gave me this... This look. And do you know what he told me? He said, 'Not at the moment, no. And if I did, it would be someone my own age.' I was mortified. Thankfully he was still nice to me, after that."

Gideon fell silent again, but for a long time, Madeleine just stared.

"Gideon... You are an idiot. But not for the reason you think."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"When Percy came to Iryna, and lied to everyone about how he was a lawyer named Reiner... He also lied about his age. Remember, because it let him run for Governor, even though he was too young?"

"...Oh. Didn't they say he came when he was 16...?

"Yes. He's 22 now."

"Same as me?"

"Same as you."

"So he was... He was flirting with me? The whole time?"

"I'm sorry, Gideon, but I thought you knew. Everyone else did."

"I— Everyone?"

"I'm the most aroace person in the Aequor, and even I could tell, yeah."

Madeleine paused, waiting for Gideon's response, but he didn't have one. He had his elbows crossed on the railings, head ducked so his face was nearly buried in his arms. Madeleine averted her eyes.

"Percy would bring you up when you weren't around, ask me what you thought of him, stand up a little straighter when you walked in the room. He was willing to do... a lot of awful things. But hurting your feelings was one thing he wouldn't do. Like you said, he was your boss. Even in the best-case scenario, getting into a relationship would've been a big risk. Letting you down easy was the least he could do."

The sky was beginning to lighten. It wasn't morning yet, but it would be soon. Together, Madeleine and Gideon watched the night slowly fade away.

Finally, Gideon broke the silence, his voice even and sure. "Thank you, Madeleine. I can't decide if I feel better or worse. But I'm glad to know the truth."

Madeleine smiled and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You're welcome. You deserve it."