Character Analysis
Gideon is will's first gay friend at school. They start hanging out once will comes out to everyone, and their first little scene together is pretty adorable:
gideon: so, yeah. i heard that you might be, you know...
me: ambidextrous? a philatelist? homosexual?
he smiles.
gideon: yeah. and, i don't know, when i realized i was gay, it really sucked that nobody was, like, "way to go." so i just wanted to come over and say...
me: way to go?
he blushes.
gideon: well, it sounds stupid like that. but that's the gist of it. welcome to the club. it's a very small club at this school.
me: i hope there aren't dues? (12.72-76)
So Gideon is kind and thoughtful and welcoming. And will could use some kindness and thoughtfulness and a warm welcome. He has, after all, just come out—which is a huge moment for pretty much anyone, made all the huger for will by how reserved he is when it comes to his feelings. While Tiny is awesome, he's probably too intense for will, and here we see that Gideon is sweet and understated and a bit awkward. He and will seem headed for romance at some point.
In the end, it's Gideon who comes up with the plan to shower Tiny with love at the end of Hold Me Closer. Even though Tiny clearly never liked him, Gideon still wants to be there for will to help him find some closure on this old relationship. He obviously cares about will a lot and that means he's aces in our book.