Work Text:
Derek stood in the kitchen, staring out the window over the sink. A small robin hopped around looking for worms, finally flying off with the prize in his mouth. “Early bird,” Derek said, smiling into the lip of his mug as he sipped at his coffee.
Arms snaked around his waist, and he leaned back against Stiles’ chest. He was smiling when Stiles hummed happily, rubbing his face against the back of Derek’s shirt. “Morning,” he murmured, his lips rubbing against the cotton, his breath warming his skin beneath it.
“Thinking about going for a hike,” Derek said.
“Too cold,” Stiles muttered.
“You have the lowest cold tolerance I’ve ever seen.” Derek’s voice was fond, his eyes on the robin that had returned to the backyard. “There’s a robin. It’s spring.”
“ Early spring,” Stiles countered, moving away from Derek to pout into his own mug of coffee.
Derek just shook his head, setting his mug in the sink to wash later and walking over to the backdoor. “I’ll be back later,” he told Stiles, pulling off his shirt and dropping his sweatpants as he reached for the doorknob.
“I hate when you leave, but I love watching you go,” Stiles muttered under his breath, and Derek let out a bark of laughter as he shifted fully and took off at a leisurely lope through the woods.
Derek always loved to be outside, especially in his wolf form, but Spring was his favorite time of year. The scents of the earth reawakening drugged him in a way similar to what he imagined smoking pot was like for humans. He felt the pull of the moon, knowing the full moon, the Worm Moon was only a few days away, combined with the Paschal Moon, the power was strong. He hoped that Stiles would be up for running with him that night. He felt the need to chase.
He came to a stop near the small creek that ran through the forest. He had heard the heartbeats of animals, so he approached slowly, hoping to catch a glimpse of the new life in his territory. A red fox stood watch on the far shore, her ears tilted towards Derek and a knowing smile on her face when she spotted him.
She’d been a regular feature in the woods for the past few years. Derek discovered her stuck in an illegal hunter’s trap and freed her. Since then, she has shown no fear of him, regardless of his form. He called her Vixy after the fox in The Fox and the Hound. Vixy nudged the group of kits surrounding her and jerked her nose in Derek’s direction as he watched. As expected, the majority of them hid under their mother, but one brave soul, another female, moved closer and raised her snout and let out a warbled cry.
Derek let out a quiet rumble in return before moving to cross the creek. The hidden kits began to whimper, but the brave one tumbled closer and fell into the water. Derek picked her up gently by the scruff of her neck, laying her next to Vixy when he got close. He earned himself a lick to the snout and huffed out a breath in return.
“Should I be jealous?” Stiles’ voice was quiet but startled Vixy, who tensed to run.
Derek let out another huff before turning and leaping across the creek to tackle Stiles to the ground. He couldn’t believe that he’d managed to sneak up on him, but Stiles had been working on ways to cloak himself to aid in battles with other packs. Derek licked at his face until he let out a loud laugh. Stepping back, he allowed Stiles to sit up and looked back to see Vixy overseeing them. The brave female was now peeking out from behind her back legs.
“This is Vixy?” Stiles asked, smiling and digging into the bag he’d been carrying. He brought out a small bowl of berries and set it down next to the waters’ edge. Derek picked it up carefully in his teeth and carried it to the other side. The small female was in it before Vixy could stop her.
Derek moved back to Stiles’ side and sat leaning against him. “I brought the seeds you wanted to plant,” he explained. “I didn’t expect to meet your secret girlfriend.”
Derek growled, the sound stopping in his throat when it was quietly echoed. Looking across the creek, Vixy was snarling in their direction, the expression falling when Derek quietly woofed and licked Stiles’ face again. “I brought clothes if you want to change back.”
Considering for a moment only, Derek shifted and reached for the clothes. He wasn’t embarrassed to be naked, but he didn’t relish the thought of debris digging into his bare ass. Dressing slowly, he called out Vixy’s name. The fox looked up after dropping a few berries on the ground within her kits’ reach.
“Stiles,” he said, laying a hand on the back of Stiles’ neck. “Mate.” Vixy watched them a moment before dropping her head once and heading across the creek.
She approached slowly, stopping about a foot away. Stretching, she sniffed at Stiles’ foot before continuing to move closer. Stiles’ hand twitched, and Derek jerked his head in Vixy’s direction. Stiles held his hand out, grinning when she came close enough to sniff at it and gave a gentle nip to the tips of his fingers.
A splash drew their attention, and Vixy jumped back to grab her brave daughter from where she struggled with the moderate current. She picked her up and brought her across, moving towards Derek and then turning to drop the kit in Stiles’ lap. Derek couldn’t fight the urge to lean over and kiss the brilliant smile on Stiles’ face at the act of trust.
“Have you named her?” Stiles asked, picking the kit up and rubbing his nose against hers.
“Just met the kits for the first time today,” Derek told him as Vixy made her way over with the rest of the litter.
“Merida,” Stiles declared. “Cause she’s got red hair, and she’s brave. Get it?”
“I’ve got it,” Derek said, smiling and chuckling when the rest of the kits began climbing on them.
They spent the rest of the morning sharing the food Stiles had packed and playing with the kits. It was the most amount of time that Vixy had stayed with Derek. He stole Stiles’ phone and snapped a few photos, especially when Stiles had fallen asleep with his head in Derek’s lap and the entire family of foxes curled up around him.
It was getting late when Vixy’s ears perked up, and she barked at the kits, the group of them disappearing down the shore into a small den that Derek hadn’t even noticed. Moments later, Isaac and Scott came into the clearing. Derek fought back the urge to growl at them for ruining the peacefulness of the day, but Stiles dragged him to his feet and back towards the house before he had a chance.
They took their time getting back, stopping to notice each new growth or animal they stumbled across. Despite being in Derek’s company, the number of animals that took a liking to Stiles amazed him. A bird actually landed in Stiles’ hair, stealing a couple of strands for its nest, and Derek thought he would never stop laughing.
“You’re a Disney prince,” he told him, and Stiles flipped him off in response.
Going indoors didn’t appeal to Derek, so they settled onto the porch swing. Derek leaned back against one arm with Stiles between his legs and up against his chest. Brushing his nose on Stiles’ temple, he inhaled the pleased tinge to his scent. It had been a good day so far. “I love Spring,” he murmured, more to himself than anything.
Leaning his head back, he pressed a kiss to Derek’s chin. “And I love you,” Stiles said. “I think I can learn to love Spring, especially with our new fox friends. They’re really cute.”
“You’re really cute,” Derek teased.
“Does that make me a fox?” Stiles asked, grinning.
“My favorite fox,” Derek said, voice more serious than he’d planned, but the smile on Stiles’ face told him it was appreciated.