listen that’s a very good question and honestly, i don’t have any concrete thoughts on the matter??

part of me just believes he was testing the waters (heh) to see how isak would react to intimate contact – bc, lbh, you don’t just choke someone like that without it getting a little weird or tense if you’re not in a good place – before making his move to kiss him. i think he’s kind of just. gauging his reaction before taking the plunge?