Fumbling out of his nest of blankets, Mina stretched and looked around the dull room. It had been days since he'd seen anyone but Del, which was odd. He'd thought that Buck had been attached to the guy at the hip, yet he'd disappeared when Magnus had. 

I hope he didn't eat him. I kinda liked that deer. 

Mina stumbled down onto the floor and then walked over to the bed. He'd made one heck of a mess the night Del had bought him Chinese food, but boy had it been good... and all his. Well, his and Del's, though the guy didn't eat much, especially for someone with such a big shift. He felt a nudge at the back of his mind from him at the thought, but no words came through their bond. 

Is he in another meeting? Or setting up a kill...? 

The latter thought made him uneasy. 

It is none of your concern what I am doing right now, came Del's response. 

Are you planning a hunt right now? I'll claw your bed if you don't come up here, Mina threatened as he scrambled up onto it. 

You claw my bed and I'll claw your behind. 

The threat had Mina flattening his ears to the side of his head as he walked over and sat his butt on one of Del's pillows. 

I'm gonna fart on your pillow. 

It was beyond a childish threat, if one at all, but the snort of laughter he heard in his mind in response had him tilting his head. I didn't know you knew how to laugh without it being psychotic. 

Hey, I have a sense of humor, you brat. 

Mina licked at a paw, then stretched out on one of Del's pillows. 

Do you now? It must have gone missing for a long time. 

There was a grumble in the back of his mind in response, but Mina just twitched his whiskers and glanced at the closed door. 

Can I come out of this room when you're done? I've been stuck in here for way too long. 

He was getting cabin fever, hardcore. Being someone who rarely stayed in one place for long, and who often ran away from home just to get some peace and solitude, being holed up in Del's little apartment-like area was making him uncomfortable. 

No. 

Grumbling, Mina stood up and began to kneed at the pillow he was on, making little claw marks. 

I want to go outside, Del. 

There was silence from Del's end, making Mina bristle and hop off the bed. His tail was somewhat mobile now, so, hopefully, he'd be able to shift soon and let himself out. He limped around the room for about an hour when he heard someone at the door. 

Come on, be Buck. I'll even take Magnus... maybe. 

Of course, his prayers weren't answered and Del stalked through the door, shutting it quickly behind himself. 

"What is this shit I keep hearing in my mind about you wanting Buck or Magnus here? I've been feeding you, changing your bandages, and keeping you perfectly safe," Del growled as he stalked toward his dresser, removing his suit-coat and dress shirt in the process and tossing them into a hamper before grabbing a clean pair of boxers. 

Refusing to stare, Mina turned his back as Del headed for the bathroom to rinse off, like he did every day after returning from work. 

"I know you like what you see, Mina. You can stare all you want until you shift... then I get my fill." 

Bite me. 

"I thought you'd never ask," Del said as he disappeared into the bathroom. A few moments later the shower was turned on. 

This guy is fucking frustrating. 

There was a deep chuckle from the open bathroom door before Del replied. 

"Frustrating, is what you are. And fucking, is what I'm not... until you shift back. Then there will be a lot of it."

 You wish, Mina replied as he sauntered toward the bathroom. He didn't really want to go in, but he also wanted to bruise the guy's ego. So, slowly, he walked in and after nudging aside the back part of the shower, he slipped in and sat down facing Del. 

"What the hell are you doing in here?" 

Giving a fake yawn, Mina glanced up at him, offering his best bored expression. It was hard to focus, though. He wanted to make the guy feel insecure, but there was nothing on his body to even pretend was unappealing to him. He was built like a predator should be, with all lean muscle and hard lines. A few scars dotted his body, but not a single one took away from its beauty. 

This was a bad idea. 

He was just turning to get out of the shower when the door was pushed shut abruptly, then a spray of warm water soaked his little body. 

"You've been needing another bath for a few days," Del noted as he made sure to thoroughly soak Mina's lion, much to his dismay. "Thanks for those compliments, by the way, though I already knew that you worshiped my body." 

Kill me now. 

"No." 

The sudden drop in Del's voice had Mina's ears flattening to the side of his head. He hadn't meant to piss him off with the thought. It had just kind of happened. 

"You will not be dying," Del growled out as he started scrubbing shampoo into Mina's coat. 

As much as he was annoyed at the impromptu bath, it did feel pretty good. Once the soap was rinsed out, Mina rolled onto his back and allowed Del to run conditioner through his coat... and of course, he didn't mind the brief belly rub he got, either. 

"As much as you complain about not being allowed to leave, you sure seem to like it when I give you attention," Del mumbled as he began running his hand back up along Mina's lion's chest. 

He was just lifting the detachable shower-head up to start rinsing out the conditioner when Mina felt his body shift painfully. The spot just above his backside where his tail connected felt like it was being broken all over again as his body reformed. His leg, too, smarted, but at least it didn't feel like it was being broken a second time. 

The transformation left Mina human, finally, but he hadn't been able to stop the tears from leaking from his eyes as they blended and fell with the moisture already on his cheeks. 

"Well hello there, delicious," Del growled as he released the shower-head, letting it slowly swing backward to bump against the wall somewhere behind him. 

Mina stared, dazed, his lips slightly parted in surprise at his sudden shift. He'd never been able to control it much, but his cat would usually give him some sort of warning, or at least a nudge. 

"Since we're both already naked and quite wet, how about we just enjoy ourselves? I'll grab the condoms in a minute," Del rasped as he leaned down to start biting at Mina's neck. 

He didn't hate the idea, even if he knew that he should have. 

Stupid cat. Messing up my mind. I swear, you're always in heat. 

"Good. I can take care of that little issue for as long as it wants," Del said as he began slipping a hand beneath Mina's back, then slowly moved it downward. 

The sensation of his hands running over his hot skin had Mina's heart-rate picking up quickly, but just as things started to get going, Del's fingers pressed against the spot right above his backside and Mina yelped louder than he'd ever before. Del immediately jerked his hand away, but Mina, having reacted out of instinct from the intense pain, had already gotten to his knees and sunk his human teeth into the man's left upper arm. 

He let go immediately, but there was no mistaking the damage he'd left behind. Several lines of blood began to trail down Del's bicep as it flexed with the added weight of him using it to push off the tile to stand back up. Mina watched with wide, nervous eyes as the man turned around and switched off the shower, then reached out and grabbed a towel. He dried off quickly, then, to Mina's surprise, knelt down and gently began drying his hair. 

He was still on edge from the pain, but as Del simply continued to wipe off his body and not respond negatively, Mina calmed down and eventually scooted into his arms to be wrapped up in the thick cloth. 

"I'm not mad at you for biting me. I was the horny idiot who put pressure where I knew you were still injured," he said quietly as he carefully helped Mina to his feet, then up into his arms. His bandages had both fallen off since he'd shifted. It was a relief, since they had been itchy, but he knew that he might need larger ones now... without fur to block some of the discomfort. 

Mina wrapped his good leg around Del's bare waist before doing the same with both of his arms around his neck. At the same time, he kept telling himself over and over again that neither of them were naked. 

"Keep thinking that and I'm going to do things to you," Del grumbled as he gently set Mina down on the bed. 

"You wouldn't. I'm still injured," Mina mumbled as he quickly tugged a blanket over his lower half. 

His retort had Del crawling overtop of him on his hands and knees, a sinister smirk on his face that made Mina swallow nervously. "I've done a lot of things that normal people wouldn't, little lion," Del mused as he reached up and grasped Mina's jaw between his fingers. 

Mina narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, silently daring Del to follow through with whatever he was thinking. Of course, he was hoping he wouldn't, but when the man began to lean down, Mina quickly squeezed his eyes shut. 

I do, in fact, have some restraint, brat. 

The thought came at the same time Mina felt Del's lips gently press against his own. He expected more, and waited for it, but the only thing that happened actually made him smile. Del carefully settled himself against his side, never breaking the kiss. Once they were both comfortable, in fact, he deepened it just enough to tease Mina, then pulled away and flopped over onto his back with a deep chuckle. 

Can't even kiss that well. 

Mina's thought made Del shake his head on his pillow, then yawn. 

"Go to sleep for a bit and heal up faster, then I'll kiss you as much as you want... but it will be where I want, first."

A blush crept onto Mina's face but he refused to turn away as Del snuggled in. They still needed to eat something, since neither of them had even had breakfast and it was already after dark, but he knew that Del wouldn't forget to feed him after a quick nap, and in turn, Mina would make sure that he at least ate a little bit of something.

I'm not hungry. I'll get you something in a little while. 

Grinning to himself, Mina carefully stretched out his aching body and let his eyes close. 

And you know I won't eat unless you do. 

He got a growl in response, but no argument. Del knew better than to even try after his first three failed attempts.We'll see. Was all he said before Mina felt his consciousness drift off for a short rest.