Claws (mxm)

Coexist

I understand. I'll have Magnus keep an eye out for him. I'm sure he won't just disappear, though, Del. Stay calm and think about what you really want. He made a decision that he thought was best for him, if you don't agree, you need to give him a reason that will be worth more to him than the reason he left, Buck thought to Del as he stretched out on his bed.

It hadn't been too hard on him to stay away from Del, but he could feel the man's unease through their bond constantly. All of a sudden Del didn't have Mina around him any longer, and the person he'd relied on to be the calm half of his crazy for years wasn't returning, either.

I can feel you pacing, Del. You need to get some rest. It's almost three in the morning.

Not that they weren't used to staying up till all hours of the night. A lot of predators preferred to hunt from dusk to dawn, so they got used to being available whenever it was convenient for the customer, but he could tell that Del was absolutely exhausted.

He got a frustrated growl in response, but no actual words. A few moments later and the sound of his front door opening had Buck slowly sitting up.

I'm going to go now. I'll come by tomorrow and check on you. Get to bed.

He pushed their link to the back of his mind as he stood up and stretched. Buck knew better than to be lying in bed when Magnus got back. He'd let the man stay with him for two days so far, but he slept in the guest room and there was limited contact. His split animal personalities were a bit hard to manage but Buck was learning how to control them a little bit at a time. As funny as it seemed, the dog part of the man was harder to handle than the bear because it always wanted to be near him and touched, but the bear tended to slip in at the worst possible moments. Thus, they weren't going to be doing any kind of physical activities anytime soon.

Not that he minded. Relationships were definitely not something Buck was used to having. Many people they knew through their work thought him and Del were together as a couple, but that was definitely not true and never would be.

Frustration leaked into his mind as he heard Mangus come up the stairs. The man had also gotten better at not getting angry over him thinking about Del any longer. He still got upset, but there was no growling or clearly jealous behavior.

"I saw Del's boy across the street from work tonight," Magnus said in a gruff tone as he stepped into the bedroom, shrugging his coat off in the process.

Buck took the garment and folded it up, then set it on top of the dresser before he was gently pulled into Magnus's arms. The hug was brief for two reasons. Magnus's control and the fact that he smelled like an ashtray. Buck followed him back out the door as Mangus headed for the bathroom, pulling off his shirt in the process.

The view was pleasant, but the amount of scars on the man's back was unsettling. They were still new to even being around each other but Buck was still hesitant to really jump into the situation. Their line of work came with death threats from all around the globe, and Magnus being a retriever for them was even worse. He likely had the police sniffing around him more often than not.

"If you keep staring at me like that I'm going to lick you in a very unfreind-like way."

Snorting and shaking his head, Buck scowled, only to feel Magnus's warm tongue brush the tip of his nose before the man turned and walked into the bathroom. Instead of going back to his room, Buck stepped into the bathroom after Magnus was in the shower and out of view.

"What was he doing near your work? Just walking by?"

The quiet patter of rain against the window mixed with the streams of water coming from the shower-head took over as the only sounds in the room until Magnus finished scrubbing his hair under the spray. At least, that's what it looked like his shadow beyond the curtain was doing.