Claws (mxm)

Mending

The smell of bacon woke Mina around nine that evening. He tried to stretch, his muscles sore from being curled up in a pile of blankets for so long, but he immediately stopped when he felt shocks of pain radiate from his leg and tail. 

Tail? 

The previous day came rushing back to him and, if he wouldn't have hurt himself much worse trying to get up, he would have gotten his ass out of there. As it were, he knew that he couldn't even shift with his tail broken, so he was screwed. 

Not sure who I would prefer to be stuck with. My brother or Del.

He heard a scoff in his mind and flicked an ear before the door to the closet, which had been mostly closed, was pulled open and Del walked in. 

"Me, of course," he said as he sat down with a plate in his hand. 

The thought of eating made his stomach uncomfortable, but Mina refused to decline bacon. It was his one vice. 

"Is it now?" Del asked, having clearly heard what he hadn't thought he'd thought loud enough for him to pick up.  

Del picked up a piece of bacon and nonchalantly began nibbling at it, being sure to watch Mina's lion's face as he did so. He finished a whole piece before grabbing another and nudging Mina's nose with it. 

"Open up, little lion. You need to get better so I can screw you again," he said with a smirk. 

Bristling, Mina snatched the piece of bacon from his fingers, one of his teeth catching his finger just enough to make Del jump and growl. 

"Really? Mature much?" Del said with a scowl as he set his plate down and got up to go wash his slightly bleeding finger in the bathroom sink. 

Mina took his chance and reached out with a paw while he was gone. It took a bit of shifting around and a slight amount of pain, but he managed to snag two more pieces of crispy bacon and drag it back to where he lay. It was gone in moments, along with the remaining three pieces, right before Del came back. 

"You think you're so clever, don't you, you brat?" he said as he sat down next to the empty plate, ignoring it since it had nothing on it anymore. "I just wanted to get some food in you so that I could text the vet that you were eating." 

Why am I even here? I can't imagine you wanting to take care of a crippled lion. Mina thought to Del. 

"Of course I don't want to look after some injured cub. It's my darn wolf that's making me do this." 

The wolf? You are the wolf. Mina replied, even though he knew that the animals could sometimes take over. His lion was a prime example. 

Why don't you just give me back to my uncles, or even my brother? 

Not that he really wanted to be shoved at them, either. 

"Because I don't want to. You belong to me now." Del said with a half-shrug that had Mina hissing at him. 

My ass. 

"Especially that, yes." 

Mina was about to swat at him, pain be damned, when the sound of the door to the bedroom opening drew their attention toward it. The moment they saw Buck step through the opening, Mina could feel Del's relief and excitement as the man jumped up and literally ran into his arms. Buck's back hit the closed door before he slid to the carpeted floor, wrapping his own arms around Del before squeezing him tightly against his chest. 

"I'm sorry I was gone when you needed me," he whispered as he pressed a kiss to Del's hair. 

Of course, he can snuggle into Buck's arms and nearly start sobbing, but all I'm good for is to hump until he's tired enough to fall asleep.