Noah hears all of it, or at least enough to get the picture. Freddie can see it on his face, the way his eyes go soft and his shoulders slouch, pity washing over him like a wave before he's shifting to wrap an arm around Freddie.

Freddie doesn't fight it, but he shakes his head. His throat hurts, like there's something stuck in it. He can't speak.

Because Sir never considered sticking around for Freddie, a fact Freddie hadn't realized til later. Years later. Freddie had never been more than a fuck, a dirty little secret. He'd shown Freddie, right from the start, just exactly what Freddie was good for.