Felix stares down at his own hand a moment before retracting it, feeling briefly bereft of that familiar touch. It wasn't just the intimacy, but the recollection that Gideon had once been his confidant and protector before he was a lover. Felix had of course left plenty of lovers in his time, but none had been much more than that.

"All we can do is try. I realized that some time ago," he said, a neutrally as he could manage. It was best that part of that realization came as a result of his relationship with Ashura, and wanting to prevent the mistakes he'd made with Gideon in the past.