He didn't respond to her statement. Even if she were still awake, he wouldn't have known what to say. Out of all of the people that he knew, out of everyone that he'd helped and those he hadn't been able to, Noah honestly wasn't sure he could ever remember any of them calling him a friend. At least, not in the actual, real definition of the word. Maybe, once or twice, when someone was trying to manipulate him to get him to tip the odds in their favor in a fight... but considering he mostly spent his time with his family, that didn't happen often. And really, what self-proclaimed teenager was actually friends with their own parents?
So it was a foreign concept to him and, while unexpected, he realized as he simply studied her relaxed form that he rather liked the thought. Granted he would like something... more, when it came to Emma. He wasn't an idiot. He knew what a crush felt like and he knew he had a rather strong one on the girl lying beside him. However, he also knew that they had to start somewhere, and that being a friend was better than being someone she didn't know. Or, worse than that, an enemy.
And if a friend was all he'd ever be to her, well, Noah decided with a small grin that he could accept that as well.
He wasn't sure how long the thoughts continued to churn through his mind but waited until her breathing had been evenly spaced for quite some time before finally beginning to move. Slowly, gently, he slid his arm across the bed and held his hand above her forehead. He didn't need any movements to make his ability work, especially to return someone's own ability to them, but it helped to keep him a little more in control. And considering the sheer power that he was dealing with, he wanted all of the control he could manage.
So with a soft exhale, he slowly began to release his hold over her ability. He felt it rush back to the surface, churning like a malevolent sea that refused to be placated. Rather than let it out in one giant wave, though, he created a mere crack and, slowly but surely, allowed it to seep back through again. The entire time he worked, he kept his gaze on Emma for any signs of distress or waking. By the time he'd finished giving her back her ability, his arm was trembling and there was a light sheen of sweat across his forehead.
Wiping it on the back of his arm, he withdrew his hand and slid completely from the bed. In the doorway, Noah glanced back one last time and then he left, his footsteps as silent as falling snow as he exited her bedroom, and then her apartment. It wasn't until he was in the hallway outside that he allowed himself to breath fully once more, back pressed against the wall and eyes sliding closed in a brief display of just how much of a toll her ability took out of him.