This position was one that brought a surprising amount of safety, cradled as he was against Holmes. He could hear Holmes's heartbeat under his ear, steady and familiar and comfortable. Watson ran his fingers in gentle circles over Holmes's skin, under his dressing gown.

"Opium dens are unsavoury places," he murmured, his voice dark. That frightened Watson; opium was a drug that held a lot of power over a man, and for all that Holmes had claimed he was free of such influence now, it worried him. "Is that what you mean by nearly destroying yourself?"