Chapter Text
1.
Derek first notices the fox when he's out helping his dad with the gardening as a child. Pulling out the weeds and wiping the sweat from his forehead onto his sleeve, he catches sight of the creature at the edge of the woods, simply sitting and staring at him. Derek quirks his neck a little in curiosity, but when his dad calls his name he blinks and the fox is gone.
Must've been my imagination, Derek thinks. The brief moment slips from his memory before long, and he goes about his day.
2.
The second time, Derek somehow knows he isn't making it up. He's walking home from school and just as he tilts his head back to look at the sky, he feels something moving against his leg. He jumps, startled out of his daydreams, only to see the same bright orange fox from a few days prior. It looks up at him, and Derek could swear it smiles. He gives one in return and continues walking, feeling the slight warmth radiating off the creature as he puts a new pep in his step.
"Nice day out, huh?" Derek asks. He doesn't expect a response, but the fox lets out a sound akin to mixing a bark and a chirp. Derek takes it to mean laughter and ducks his head as they continue on.
"You're cute, you know that?" Derek feels the fox hop up to rub its head against his hand, his adolescent height making the leap small.
Instead of responding, the fox leaps in front of Derek, running back and forth before circling the boy, Derek's giggles spurring him on. The fox seemed to show up right when Derek was feeling his lowest, a bad day at school leeching into his mood. With his companion here, Derek feels it melt away.
3.
The fox comes to visit more often as Derek grows older, enough that Laura and Cora both join in playing with it. Derek has named him Mischief, perhaps a little on the nose but apt nonetheless. There's something about the way the fox always seems to know when he's not feeling his best, combating the loneliness and anxiety that Derek feels growing up.
It is a particularly snowy day when Derek asks if he can bring the fox inside to keep warm, and his dad says yes. Elated, Derek snuggles with his friend in front of the fireplace, telling stories about the Hale family until he falls asleep. The fox sleeps next to Derek, curling its tail around his chest protectively.
When Talia comes in to check on them, she notices the faint glow around the fox and gasps, tearing up when she realizes. Later that night when getting him to bed, Talia tells Derek about mating familiars.
"So... I'm gonna marry a fox?" Derek is understandably confused at the idea, but Talia only chuckles and kisses his forehead.
"Not quite, sweetie. Your familiar is a symbol of your mate. Whoever it is seems to have a trickster spirit, mischievous to match the name you gave it years ago. And whether you marry your mate or not, that's all up to you. Fate only shows you the path to them, what you do next is your decision."
Derek stares off in thought for a few moments before looking back to Talia and smiling, seeing how the fox lights up, glowing ethereally. Derek scratches it behind the ear and rests his head against its soft fur.
4.
Derek is hesitant to let the fox join him in traveling, not just across state lines but overseas as well. The fellowship he'd received gave him the resources to use photography to capture the beauty of the world, but he worries about the cost in leaving the fox behind. They've bonded over the years, growing from kit and child to adult fox and human, and Derek is torn. He doesn't want to be alone, having found the constant companionship with Mischief reassuring, but he also doesn't want to take it from their home.
Back in high school, Derek had begun photographing Mischief in the surrounding landscape, his series of Fox Leaps Through Seasons winning him an award. Capturing the natural beauty around him felt like a spiritual experience almost, connecting so distinctly to the earth. Mischief was always by his side, never wavering in his devotion.
When Derek finds himself growing emotional about the potential severance caused by going overseas, Mischief disappears, right when Derek needs him most. It's sudden, and he watches as the fox simply flickers out of his vision. He assumes this to be the end of their relationship, and rather than carry on, he all but collapses where he stands. His hands lay empty on his thighs, head hung low in resignation as he feels a few tears drop.
Talia watches this from inside and rushes out to comfort her son. She kneels next to him and draws him close, whispering reassurances to him. Being older and wiser, she knows Mischief is likely to return. Getting Derek to believe her, though, is the trickier part. She sits back on her heels just as a flash of orange crosses her field of vision, and in a blur of color the fox is back in front of Derek, plopping an old, plain book in front of him.
There are bite marks and a small amount of slobber on the book, but Derek opens it nonetheless. He wipes his eyes with a free hand before letting his other to rest on Mischief's belly, fingers absent-mindedly giving scratches.
"The Care and Feeding of Your Familiar," Derek reads out. "What is this?" He turns to look at Mischief, only to be met with the lopsided toothy grin he's come to know.
"I think someone wants you to take them with you," Talia says, pinching at Derek's cheek the way she knows he loves but pretends not to.
5.
A few years go by as Derek and Mischief continue their adventures. From backpacking across Europe to capturing the narwhals of the Arctic on film, the duo become well-known in the photography and journalist communities - the humble bearded man with his unusually iridescent fox. They are inseparable; have been, really, since they first met a couple decades ago, and their work only excels more because of it. Derek finds himself utilizing his skill and fame thus far to hopefully reach his mate across the pages of his publications, make sure they know he's ready for them. By photographing Mischief, Derek imagines whoever he may be destined to meet will recognize their own spirit inside the fox.
The longer they travel, though, the more worried Derek gets about when he will finally meet the human to match his familiar. Talia and Laura have both tried to allay his fears that his familiar was a mistake, understanding that Derek only wants to find his human mate and complete the picture. He wasn't sure what his mate's familiar would be, but after learning the Hales have often found mates with wolf familiars he knows this is likely the case. Every time he sees a wolf in the wild now, Derek thinks it may lead him to who he needs to meet. He has yet to be right, but he knows it must happen eventually.
+1
Nearing home again, returning to California after his recent tour of Southeast Asia, Derek can tell Mischief is growing restless. He is higher energy than Derek has ever seen him, boundless and light as a feather jumping around. Derek knows it has to be time.
They stop at a local diner on the way into town, enjoying the regional favorites before heading back. As Derek unlocks the Camero, he hears what he thinks is a wolf howl. After so long in nature, Derek feels somewhat of a moderate expert on animal calls.
"There are no wolves in California," he mutters to himself as he straightens, scratching behind Mischief's ears when the fox perks up even more. Derek scans the surroundings, just as he sees a wolf trot into the parking lot, eyes shining a vivid purple. He has no response other than a gaping mouth, not moving as the wolf sniffs Mischief before sitting in front of Derek.
The fox, on the other hand, gives the wolf a few licks before taking off. It doesn't disappear like it did all those years ago, but it moves so fast that all Derek really sees is a streak of orange.
"Nice jacket," a stranger calls out before Derek has a chance to follow Mischief. The wolf has laid down on Derek's feet anyway.
"Uh, thanks," Derek responds. The man is close enough to see now, and he can't help giving out a smile. He looks to be a few years younger than Derek, though not many, and his mole-speckled skin stands out in the setting sun's light. "This guy yours?" He asks, gesturing to the wolf.
"That would be Wilk, and she's a loyal old gal. I'm Stiles," the man says, introducing himself.
"Derek, and that's Mischief."
Stiles gives a small smile and they shake hands and Derek notices that Mischief has wrapped himself around one of Stiles' legs, front paws stretched out to lay on Wilk's. Both men look down at the familiars, only breaking gaze when Derek clears his throat. Stiles jumps, his turned-up nose showing a tinge of red.
"What are the chances- "
"That this was mean to be?" Stiles finishes Derek's sentence. He smiles, a slightly ridiculous visual, his face spread wide with nervous joy. He seems to wear his heart on his sleeve, which Derek appreciates.
"Something like that," Derek answers. He's smirking under his beard and reaches a hand out. Once taken, he pulls Stiles in for a hug, hand cradling the back of his neck.
"Wanna go back to my place?" Stiles asks once he makes himself pull back. Derek merely raises his eyebrows in surprise before Stiles starts stuttering over himself. "Not like that! I mean, I guess if you wanna, but not what I meant, I swear!" He raises his hands and starts to back away, but he doesn't want to disturb Mischief at his feet.
"I wouldn't mind, but maybe let's get to know each other first," Derek deadpans. It's just a show, but Stiles still blushes.
"I just figured you were leaving the diner, so you already ate and I probably shouldn't ask you to eat more right now, but I-"
Stiles is cut off when Derek surprises him with a kiss. It's brief and relatively chaste, Derek's hands on either side of Stiles' face. After releasing Stiles' lips, Derek rests his forehead against his mate's, smiling to himself.
"Sorry, I just needed you to shut up," he whispers.
"Shutting up now," Stiles breathes out before leaning back in for more.