Stiles is 14 when his father gives in and gets him a Boa.

Stiles has always been fascinated with serpents. Maybe it's because Lucifer has always been affiliated with this particular animal. And really, Stiles sees why. The way they're cold and calculated; how they are content to lie in waiting, striking the perfect blow when the time is right.

Stiles feeds it live mice until his father catches him and tells him off - something with animal cruelty and probably some rules and regulations; Stiles isn't listening. He tells his dad that the order of predator killing its food is the most primal and natural in the world and that the mouse is actually lucky to get to be a part of a ritual that's almost as old as life itself. After that his father takes the snake back to the pet store. Stiles does his best not to throw a tantrum.

That's when Stiles realizes that he still has a lot to learn about humans.

Stiles' dad is a bad representation of the human species, that much is clear. Despite the general self-torturing disposition of most humans, few people in Beacon Hill harbor as much pain and sorrow as the Sheriff does. The only thing Stiles learns from his human dad is how to get up in the morning and pretend you're okay.

And Lydia is an even worse representation as she is now almost as cold as the snake. Stiles made sure Lydia never found out who saved her life, even though the boy inside protested violently. The cover came first and Lydia would be safer if she wasn't connected to Stiles in any way. That did not stop the boy inside from pining after her, but Stiles controls him, mostly.

That's when he finds Scott.

Scott has asthma and low self-esteem. He lives alone with a mother that works too much. He loves computer games, tacos and his job at the animal clinic and most importantly he's kind, loyal and caring and he gives Stiles the unique opportunity to study a human up close. He might not be the brightest kid, but then Stiles is smart enough for the both of them.

He tries his best not to corrupt Scott too much. It's hard though, because Stiles is what he is and mischief, adventures and liberal amounts of sarcasm is a part of that. But luckily Scott is a far better person than his old man ever was and he tolerate Stiles with a soft smile and an incorruptible love. And that's how the two of them knit together.

Scott: "Let's make dinner for our parents and try to get them together."

Stiles: "Let's stay up all night and play Doom."

Scott: "Let's try out for the Lacrosse Team."

Stiles: "Let's go out in the woods and look for half a dead body."

And then suddenly Scott isn't human anymore.

Which, sure, makes him more entertaining, but it kinda takes the whole "I'll make a man out of you!"- element out of their friendship. Not that Stiles actually minds so much; he's getting to a point where he's past the Humans 101 anyway. Werewolves could be a fun new twist albeit not one he expected to encounter in sleepy Beacon Hill.

Maybe that's why it takes him a while to make the connection between Scott's solo adventure in the woods and his new skills on the Lacrosse field. Because, yes, Stiles knows about werewolves. He's old after all, and not in the creepy decaying sort of way that humans grow old. He's a demon in his best age. Pyramids of Egypt? He totally help build those suckers.

Humanity never changes though, not one bit since last time Stiles was on the surface. And even though he never bothered finding out what makes mankind tick, he knows one thing: They always enjoyed inventing things that go bump in the night. Easier to be scared of things that aren't real than deal with the monsters that are. Last time Stiles was on earth there were talk of dragons and centaurs. Those, by the way? Aren't real. Werewolves? Well, one little curse gone wrong and furries are walking amongst us, who knew?

Scott, of course, takes his new "gift" in stride, apart from the freaking out and going running in the woods half naked. When the wolf takes over you're all about instincts and connecting with your animal side. And that is bad for Scott, because there aren't many good things to say about his intellect as a human and his wolf-side is about three feeble brain cells away from being unable to control its drool.

Enter Derek Hale, the prodigal son returning to Beacon Hill with a major in advanced self loathing and brooding.

Stiles recognizes him right away, even though the demon had been fresh out of Hell the last time he saw the kid. Derek had been a relatively happy teen back then, normal and well adjusted, even. Stiles has to admit, although grudgingly, that he hadn't picked up on the whole werewolf vibe back then. Derek and the rest of the Hales had seemed like your ordinary upper class family. That was before the fire though, and Stiles hadn't thought about the kid since.

The thing is, the kid isn't a kid anymore. He's all grown up in all the right places and Stiles may or may not be staring like the horny teen he's supposed to be, until he remembers that Derek Hale is a creature of the night who could theoretically whoop Stiles cute ass now.

Stiles sometimes forgets he's not all powerful anymore. The first time he got hurt and bled was… new. He heals fine, maybe a bit faster than normal humans, but it's still annoying. Having to eat is also a nuisance(only made easier by the existence of burgers), not to mention getting it out again! He had to give up teleporting as well, relying completely on the Jeep his dad gave him. It's slow, but so is most of human life.

So yeah, adding werewolves to the dull hum of human life is like adding booze to your milkshake and Stiles isn't even embarrassed to admit that he's enjoying himself at first.

The problem with werewolves, though? They tend to bring hunters to the yard, much like said milkshake.

Hunters have been around since mankind. They used to be men with pointy sticks, but lucky for them there were people smart enough to invent and arm them with more advanced gadgets as time passed. Well, some of them still use pointy sticks - it all depends on what they're hunting.

Werewolf hunters weren't necessarily the brightest bunch. The creatures they hunted were brutal and ferocious, but not big on strategics. (Not like Demon hunters, who were hunting the smartest, most cunning and savvy things ever created.)

So it's not that Stiles fears for himself, because let's face it: no one is going to be looking for a demon in the middle of a wolf pack. But there is one human that Stiles would lay down his life to protect, though. A silly, ordinary human girl who just happens to contain half of Stiles precious essence, making her not only smarter and better, but also the most valuable human being in existence. And that girl just have to go and make friends with Allison Argent.

If it wasn't for Scott's inexplicably lack of self preservation, making him fall in love with the Argent girl, Stiles wouldn't even have known that the Argents were hunters until it might have been to late.

Because the Argents are smart and organized and not like any werewolf hunters Stiles have ever encountered before. And they also happen to be deadly and Stiles doesn't want them anywhere near Lydia Martin. Once again, however, Lady Luck smiles at Stiles and Allison Argent decides, for what ever reason, that Scott is interesting and sweet. What could have been a terrible, bloody car crash turns out to be a door into Lydia Martins inner circle.

He should, if he had any kind of common sense, take his essence from Lydia and get the hell out of Beacon Hill. But apparently common sense isn't that common and although Stiles would like to pretend that he's cold and calculated, that he can pick up and leave when he wants to, evidence doesn't lie.

The day he merged with the boy inside he bound himself to Beacon Hill. He can't abandon Scott to Derek and the hunters any more than he could abandon Papa Stilinski to his drunken sorrow or Lydia Martin to the cold darkness under the ice.

But the thing that keeps him around in the end is the boy inside and his silent, persistent pleas: Please don't go. She'll die without your essence. Please don't let her die.

Not once does the boy beg for his own life.