Watson looked at Holmes in some perplexion, his head slightly tilted. Was that it? The days of having to be circumspect about their attraction to one another seemed far in the past, and yet... he could understand, too, why Holmes might want to try to shield him of this, or at least he could understand the thought process.

But on the contrary, he found it flattering. As ruined as he was, as broken, as bearish and unpleasant as he had been earlier, Holmes was, quite evidently, still attracted to him.

"Holmes, my dear." Watson shifted a little more in the tub, the warmth having loosened his stiff bones to let him turn easily enough to face Holmes. He kissed him, gently. "I am perhaps not myself, but that doesn't mean I'm about to let you suffer."

He kissed Holmes again, a little deeper, while his hand slipped down under the water to grasp Holmes's cock, gently.