Lost in sensation as he was, lost in the faint anxiety he always, always felt when Holmes began to pay any attention anywhere near his scarred shoulder (and true, that was a great deal less than it had once been, but it was still there, and still an issue, and possibly always would be), the question caught Watson off-guard. His eyes snapped open as he drew in his breath.

"No!" he objected automatically with all the horror of an embarrassed schoolboy, though he felt his face redden, felt the lie show all over his face. Of course he had. He was a healthy man with healthy appetites, and with Holmes unavailable Watson had had to do something.

"Yes," he admitted, rather reluctantly, shutting his eyes again. He only hoped he wasn't going to be mocked for it. "Yes, of course I did."