"I'm not hen-pecking," Barnaby retorts, annoyed, but even that doesn't have much heat to it. It's hard to be especially irritated with J in the state that he's in; not even the demon is immune to the ravages of Horos's war as it has escalated now, even as untouchable as he might have seemed before.

"... But there's nothing wrong with being looked after in return. If you don't want that, forget I said anything."

He's entitled to his privacy, and for his personal worries to remain personal. Whether he decides otherwise is entirely his choice.