Chapter Text
Derek frowned as he walked. He lost his car privileges for almost being caught by some trappers. His mother had dealt with them and they were arrested by the Deputy for putting traps up on public property. They were still waiting on the Sheriff’s return but the older members always avoided talking about it with the younger ones. Something about them being teenagers. He didn’t like the miserable looks they kept shooting each other. He knew the Sheriff’s wife had cancer. They moved to a bigger city so she could get better treatment for it. He also knew he was only returning home with his teenager son, but that was it. He never met any of them.
“Great.” He blinked when he realized a bush had moved a little. A fox head appeared and slowly slipped out, watching him. Derek didn’t move, frozen in shock when it shifted into a teenager. The boy still sported fox features along with his multiple moles and lean frame, one being a tail that was tucked tightly between his legs. The teen remained crouched as he circled closer to Derek, a look of curiosity as he sniffed. When he was about three feet away the teen stopped, his head cocked to one side in confusion.
“Hey” Derek blinked when he heard his own voice, soft and calm. He didn’t realize he was going to say anything before he did. The teen jumped back with his teeth bared and his claws leaving marks in the dirt.
A reaction came from Derek and he lunged forward, grabbing the fox-teen and throwing him over his shoulder. He had to show his parents, and hopefully the creature wouldn’t be killed. The fox yipped and thrashed around for a few seconds but he didn’t manage to break free. The fox fell limp. After a heartbeat he heard what could only be called as the fox getting an idea before two hands slammed onto his ass and squeezed.
“Hey!” Derek startled, accidently tossing the fox-teen into the air. The fox-teen landed roughly, his breath rushing from his lungs and Derek caught him again. Lifting his up, his pinned the teens back to his chest and held him there. The fox-teen snarled and kicked, and then shifted back to a full fox. The stinging of his rear made it easier for his to grab the fox’s scruff and clutch him to his chest tighter. He started walking home when a wolf bounded past, only to turn back.
“What do you have there, kid?” Peter stared at the fox for a second before he looked at him. The man pulled a face and nodded toward the house. “You get to explain.”
“Thanks” Derek sneered but it came out pained as the fox tried biting. He used his free hand to gently pin the jaws shut and the fox fell limp again. A small whimper came from him as his claws dug into his jacket. Derek cringed when the hindlegs rested on his hips kicked out.
“Spazzy one, isn’t he?” Peter laughed as Derek struggled against the newest escape attempt.
“He’s wild. We can’t leave him alone on the preserve” Derek grunted as a kick connected with his stomach. Peter didn’t offer any help as he fought to keep his grip. Luckily they made it to the front of the house when a voice boomed out.
“Derek Hale, just what do you have there!?” The Alpha tone brought the rest of the pack running and the fox went stiff. The door slammed open and the pack filed out behind his mother.
“Um, I found him in the woods and…” Derek started to explain but his youngest sister interrupted.
“Oh please don’t ask if we can keep him because he followed you home” She moaned out dramatically and his father stifled a chuckle. Derek shot a glare at her but his mother stepped forward and snapped her fingers at the fox.
“Can you shift back?” Her eyes flared red but the fox just glared at her. Derek went to tell her that he could when the fox rolled his eyes and shifted back to his beta form. He tried not to blush when he remembered the teen was naked. He dropped him and pulled off his jacket, dropping around the others shoulders where he fell. The fox snorted but wrapped it tighter around himself.
“A teenager?” His father stepped around his mother to get a closer look. The werewolf leaned forward and the fox leaned back against his legs.
“He hasn’t talked yet but he’s smart.” Derek crouched down and the fox didn’t move away. “He nearly escaped twice and both times happened after he thought about it.”
“So he has control, and he’s smart but he won’t talk to us.” His mother and father looked at each other before they both nodded. “Physiological trauma” They stood and his mother waved her hand, “bring him in.” The pack filed into the house but his father waited. Derek nudged the fox-teen but the creature just grunted, digging his feet into the ground. He heaved a sigh and picked him up. The fox-teen yelped and circled into a ball, trying to cover himself up.
“Be careful Derek” his father scolded gently and he scowled down at the fox-teen. The teen looked up at him through his eyelashes before smirking. Derek looked up to see his fathers back was turned when the teen whined low and struggled to stand, shoving away from him.
“I will throw you over my shoulder again.” Derek snapped and ducked into the house. His father backhanded him and he huffed. The fox-teen snickered as he was gently set down. Derek tried to move away from the annoying fox but his legs gave out from under him. He caught him before his knees hit the ground and the teen growled. His father froze from behind him but Derek didn’t bother to tell him it was one of frustration instead of anger.
“If you stopped being a jerk this wouldn’t have happened” Derek hauled the fox-teen up and walked him into the kitchen to sit him on a chair. The fox-teen stiffened as they pack mulled about around them. Derek slumped into the chair next to him and the fox-teen relaxed slightly.
“Do you have a name?” Derek asked, digging out a bag of jerky Cora hid under the table. He popped it open, took a piece and passed it to the fox-teen. His mother moved around the kitchen as she got more food and placed a glass of water in front of the fox-teen as they munched on the jerky. The fox-teen watched them all with large eyes and a small smile.
“Here. I think these will fit.” His father walked in and handed the fox-teen some clothes. A blush swarmed Derek’s face when he saw his boxers sitting on the top. The fox-teen blinked at the clothing in confusion, “Derek can help you dress in the bathroom if you need help and then we can get you more food.”
“What?” Derek gasped when the fox-teen nodded at his fathers suggestion.
“He can barely stand and he should be dressed.” His father pointed in the direction of the bathroom. “March”
“I know” Derek stood and grabbed what was clearly all his clothes, the fox-teen. He walked out with one under each arm. He easily caught the sound of his parents stifling their laughter. He sat the fox-teen on the counter along with the clothes.
“You never answered with your name” Derek grumbled as he grabbed his boxers and held them out to the fox-teen. He blinked at them before he held out a hand to take them. The fox-teen flipped them around until his eyes lit up. He then glanced down as if just realizing that he was wearing nothing but a jacket and started to blush, dropping his hands to cover himself.
“Well, if it makes it easier on you, mine is Derek” He swallowed thickly and turned his back to grab a wash cloth. He ran it under some warm water at the sink, taking time so the fox-teen could wiggle into the boxers.
A small noise of pain made him straighten up and rush over. The fox-teen rubbed at his tail draped across his lap. Derek took a hand and placed the cloth in it so he could take a look. Dried blood ran along a part of the tail that was scarred. It had healed but it was fresh. The hair hadn’t a chance to grow back. Derek glanced up saw the fox-teen take a shuttered breath.
“It should still be cleaned.” Derek didn’t break eye contact when he took the cloth back. The fox-teen nodded and he quickly went to work with the blood. Once he was done, he tossed the cloth in the sink and grabbed the pants in the same motion. He managed to get the pants up to mid-thigh and pulled him to his feet.
“Can you get rid of your tail or no?” Derek suddenly realized what he was doing. The fox-teen was leaning against his chest, his hands resting on Derek’s arms that held him up by his waist. The fox-teen shook his head and Derek sighed. He pulled the pants up but the tail got in the way.
“You know what I need to do now?” He asked and the Fox-teen who frowned in confusion. Stifling a snarl, he let his claws slip out and rip at the back of the pants. He pulled the tail through the hole yanked the pants up. The fox-teen smacked him, hard across the chest and he caught the second throw.
“You could’ve done it yourself but you wanted help” Derek snapped, knowing he was being a little childish but he was a teenager. He felt like he was being punished for trying to help. The fox-teen blinked at him, and then snatched the shirt up. He held the clothing up before glancing at Derek. For a heartbeat he thought he was being judged that it was a band shirt but then he realized that wasn’t it. The fox-teen picked at it as he peered at the holes. He didn’t look at Derek’s face, but his chest, like he was trying to figure out how to get the shirt on.
“Crap” Derek ducked his head as he took a deep breath. They didn’t know anything about this creature, only that he was living in the woods for an amount of time and there was something wrong with his head. Derek lifted his hands in a pacifying gesture and the Fox-teen glared. He struggled for a few more minutes, smacking Derek’s hand when were he reached forward to help. At one point the shirt was over his head but stuck on his ears. His movements were stuttered and unsure.
“You haven’t been in your human form for a long while.” Derek more than stated then asked as the Fox-teen popped out of the top of the shirt. He flicked his ears back and glared some more. Derek rolled his eyes and picked up the last item of clothing. It was a red hoodie and he held it out. He held in a chuckle at the faces the fox-teen made at him before holding out his arms limply. He nudged them so they were above his head and pulled it over.
“I don’t think it’s been washed since last week but I only wore it once so it shouldn’t be rank” He explained as he flipped the hood off and picked the fox-teen up off the counter. He managed to stay on his feet but Derek had to help him walk out of the room.
“How’d it go?” His mother smiled at them as if she and the entire household didn’t hear the whole thing.
“He’s dressed.” Derek nodded to the fox-teen who was tucked under his arm. “And walking.”
“I can see that” His father beamed at them. “How about eating?” Derek settled the fox-teen at the table and sat next to him. “Peter opted to have pizza so he took off and half the family followed.”
“Better than left overs” Derek sniffed at some steak and made sure to send his mother a puppy-dog look.
“Well, it’s pizza with Peter or left overs with the parents and our guest.” His father laughed as his mother waved some salad tongs at him. He gave a shrug but smiled a little at their antics. The fox-teen watched them with wide eyes but his shoulders relaxed slowly.
“Oh no!” His mother cut her steak up and his father grabbed one. Derek arched an eyebrow at her while he stabbed his fork into one and placed it on the fox-teen’s plate without thinking before he took one for himself.
“What dear?” His father munched on the steak, occasionally shooting the evil eye at the salad.
“We are stuck having dinner with the two people who speak the least in this house, even when it’s full” She chuckled low and both his parents laughed at their running joke of him not being a talker. He usually didn’t mind but the tiny noises that came from the fox-teen next to him made his face heat up. He had one hand holding a fork halfway up to his mouth with a large chuck of meat and the other was covering his mouth. The sleeve of his hoody was to long and covered his hand. His parents started to laugh harder when his heart skipped a beat and he huffed.
“Hilarious” Derek went back to eating and after a while his parents settled down. They stopped pulling jokes and started talking about their day. He ate his fill and made sure that the Fox-teen had plenty to eat. He didn’t know if the creature would have the same metabolism as him but he ate even more than Derek could manage. He seemed to like the salad and Derek wouldn’t deny that his father looked grateful for it.
“Is everyone full?” His father leaned back and tried to cover up a belch. His mother shot him a glare and he chuckled but everyone nodded. Derek stretched his arms over his head before he cleared the dishes with his father. His mother put the remaining food away as they started washing.
“No, you stay down. We can clean up” His mother scolded, and Derek glanced over his shoulder to see the fox-teen flopping back into his seat with a humph. He pouted but Derek just chuckled. The Alpha tone made him mind. His mother trotted out of the room and a spoon suddenly bounced off the back of his head.
“Hey!” Derek snatched the spoon off the floor and tossed it back. The fox-teen ducked down and hid across the seats.
“Derek Hale. Did you just throw a spoon at our guest?” His father didn’t managed to sound as stern as his mother as he saw the first throw.
“He what?” His mother called from the other room but she didn’t seem angry.
“He started it” Derek yelled and then stopped, staring at the table as he processed the words that just came out of his mouth.
“He finally said the moronic sibling thing!” His mother laughed. “I can’t believe it. I finally get to tell you this.” His mother leaned around the corner with a massive grin on her face and he knew what was coming. “I don’t care who started it, I’m finishing it.”
“You’ve technically said that to me before” He called out.
“No, I’ve told your sisters that. Not you specifically” Derek nodded and headed back to washing the dishes. The fox-teen was sitting with his tail wagging slightly as he watched. Derek wondered if he was ever going to talk. “Hey, he’s staying in your room tonight kid. You brought him home and the spare room is full.”
“Ugh” Derek let his head drop. His father bumped his shoulder with his own and flashed him a comforting smile.
“Peter is already been banned to the couch, so if you want to take it up with Ava…?” His father beamed when Derek shook his head. Peters mate was sometimes crazy. He ate a piece of cheesecake he found in the fridge and she nearly ripped his face off. They finished off the rest of the dishes and he walked over to the Fox-teen and held out his arm.
“Come on” He helped him to his feet and had to carry him up the stairs. He used his foot to shove the door open but froze at the small gasp next to him. He sniffed the air wondering if he had any of he sports gear inside to make it smell. That wasn’t it. Plus his mother made his store it all in the shed outside due to body odor and werewolf scent glands not mixing.
“What?” He asked, looking around to see if he left any thing that would cause the reaction. There were a few dirty cups on his desk from when he was studying and the clothes basket was overflowing. He hadn’t made his bed in days and the wall that was just one massive bookshelf full of books needed some dusting in parts. Anyone could see which books he read last but he hadn’t had the time.
The fox-teen made a noise in the back of his throat and pulled away. Derek watched wearily as he stumbled into the room and stopped in front of the bookshelf. He dropped to an animalistic crouch before slowly folding his legs under him as he stared at all the books. He slowly took one out and started flipping idly like he did it every day. Derek found that he didn’t mind.
“You know, you make a lot of noise for someone who doesn’t talk.” He commented, kicking off his shoes and hanging his jacket on the hook by his door. He grabbed one of his school books and sat down at his desk. He smiled when the fox-teen trilled in delight at finding another book. After a few minutes of failed reading, Derek gave up in favor of watching the fox-teen.
“What happened to you?” He asked, spotting another scar across the bottom of his foot. It must have been painful. The fox-teen looked at him for a heartbeat before he shrugged and went back to his book.
“Do you remember?” Derek pressed and the fox-teen shot him the smallest glare before shaking his head.
“Great” He tossed his book aside and walked over to flop onto his bed. He closed his eyes for what felt like a second but when he opened them it was dark. The light was off but a patch of moonlight was on the bed, where the fox-teen had a book open. Derek stiffened slightly in shock. He didn’t expect to sleep, and his wolf didn’t wake him up when the stranger joined him in his bed.
The fox-teen glanced over from his book and beamed at him. Derek tried to fight the sleep that over came him but the presence of the fox-teen had made his wolf comforted, so fighting it with logic wasn’t going to keep his eyes open.