He huffs a laugh at that, immediately shaking his head. "Know better than that," he says, his eyes locking on Noah's for a long moment, searching. Noah's lips look as inviting as ever and he forces himself not to lean in and wonders how much of his thoughts Noah's listening in on right now. Or if he's stopped doing that altogether, too afraid of what he might hear.

The song fades to quiet and Freddie pulls in a breath as he smooths his hand higher up Noah's back, grazing the fall of his blond hair lightly.

"That fulfill the obligation?" he asks, trying for teasing though he doesn't step back any.