Born to John and Claudia Stilinski, Stiles was an only child. (Though, really, it didn't feel like that once he first met Scott, but that's not until later.) Still, he was always rambunctious and too energetic, even for a kid, but Claudia kept up with him while John worked down at the Sheriff's department as a Deputy. They managed to get by just on his salary alone, though Claudia would often sell what Stiles always figured was some weird herbal stuff.

Then came the day when all of that changed.

Knowing his mom had been sick for awhile, Stiles and his dad pestered her into going to the doctors to see what was wrong with her, and when they got the diagnosis, Stiles felt his entire world tip on its axis. He was sure he wouldn't've been able to go through the entire thing if it weren't for the steady presence of Scott and his parents.

Watching his mother--the woman he'd loved most in the world--slowly detoriate and slip away from him and John in front of his eyes was hard on the boy, and as much as he wanted to lash out, wanted to rage and yell and throw things because this was unfair!, he didn't. Instead, he bottled it up and buried it deep, focusing on things like taking care of the house when his mom was asleep and Dad was at work.

This continued on until one day, when he was sitting by her bedside in the hospital, she closed her eyes for the last time.

Devestated at the loss of his mom, Stiles threw himself into continuing the routine that he'd picked up when Claudia was in the hospital, not allowing himself to grieve the way most would expect. He put on a mask, pretended everything was alright, and went about making sure everything at home was taken care of, that his schoolwork was done as best it could be considering his ADHD and lack of focus, and that John was eating healthy.

He was getting by as best he knew how to until one day in middle school, after a particularly bad confrontation between Stiles and some of the school bullies, Scott sat him down and forced him into opening up about everything. He refused at first, denied having any problems and swore up and down until he was blue in the face that everything was fine. That he was fine and that there was nothing to talk about. But Scott, ever the knowing best friend, gave him that look, and he found himself finally opening up about the toll everything had taken on him.

Of course, he never once mentioned that he blamed himself for his mother's death or for the fact that his father was working more and more hours and drinking more than was reasonable. There were just some things he couldn't tell his best friend.

It was after that conversation that Stiles started putting himself back together as best he could. He knew he would never be that little boy who'd listen to his mom tell stories about places he'd only dreamed of, but he could at least focus on becoming a man that she'd been proud of.

Fastforward to high school, and the ever inquisitive, ever curious teen managed to get himself and Scott caught up in a freakin' supernatural war, and the rest was history. They faced hunters and crazy alphas wanting revenge, a Kanima, a geriatric psychotic hunter, an alpha pack, and a darach---and that was all in one year alone.