Hello Fellow Readers! It has been FOREVER since I've published on fanfiction. It honestly used to be an incredible pass time for me, but life got crazy and I just never had a chance. Or when I did have free time I began to watch teen wolf. This isn't the type of show I would usually go for but at a sleepover with a friend, she insisted for us to watch an episode. One episode turned into 6 in one night and I became hooked! Last nights episode was crazy by the way! (Season 3, Episode 6 "Motel California") Anyway, I really love the friendship between Stiles and Scott. I do not ship them though. I just don't see it.. But anyway, this story is right before the series started. Before Scott was bit. Before any girls hit their radar. They are just best buds surviving the trials and tribulations of high school. This is my first Teen Wolf fanfic, therefore it may be a bit different from the ones on this site.

Background info: In the series we know Scott's dad left and Stile's mom died. We don't know why though. I tried to fill that in with this story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! I'm assuming this story will be around 2-3 chapters. Thanks! -CAREN67

Thank you to my lovely beta reader and friend: Cheeky-Chops

Disclaimer: I do not own teen wolf.

Oxygen

Chapter One

The day started out perfectly normal. Scott McCall woke up to his mom's knock on the door and the smell of waffles. Not a bad way to start out the day in his opinion.

Scott threw on a pair of sweatpants and a tight fitting t-shirt and jogged down the stairs. His mom was sitting at the table, dressed her in scrubs and her hair tied into a clean bun.

"Thanks Mom," he said popping a waffle into his mouth. "Yum!" He said, his voice muffled by the large amount of waffle substance in his mouth.

"Sure. Honey, swallow before you talk. You are going to choke!"

Scott chewed and swallowed, "Sorry, I'm a savage teenage boy. What can I say?"

"Maybe 'Sorry Mom, I'll chew better next time so I don't die and waste the life I've been given!'" His mom laughed at her own antics and took a sip of her steaming coffee mug.

"You just crack yourself up, don't you?" Scott's mom chose to ignore that and stole a bit of Scott's other waffle. Scott eyed her and grabbed her coffee for a sip in return for the stolen waffle bite.

"Are you ready for the big game tonight? First time as a starter, that must be exciting!"

"Yeah, I'm definitely ready."

"You've worked hard for this!"

"Yeah. Maybe I'll even score." Scott grinned at the thought of scoring. He wanted to be someone and show the school that he was worth something.

"Definitely, Sweetie! Hey, I have to head out for work for an extra shift, but I will meet you at the game, okay?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Alright, love you Hun."

"You too, Ma." Melissa, Scott's mom, ruffled her son's hair and left.

About three minutes after the door clicked shut, it slammed open.

"I have ARRIVED!" A teenager emerged from the doorway with a goofy grin on his face.

"How do you possibly have so much energy in the morning, Stiles?"

"I definitely forgot to take my Aderol. Crap. I forgot again! Well there goes my undivided focus! Oh well, at least I have energy for the big game, yeah! A little sitting on the side lines, a little cheering here and there, a little booing. Man, my job is just set! I'll be the best benchee the world has ever seen!" Stiles proclaimed, throwing a fist into the air.

"Dude, you seriously need to calm down. I can't handle your positivity."

"Just sit and learn young grasshopper. Eventually you will!"

"Oh joy."

"Dude, you should be more thrilled. You are actually playing!"

"True. Just nervous I guess. What if I screw up?"

"Then I'll save a nice spot next to the water cups for you!"

"Oh shut up."

"I'm just kidding with you Scott. All will be fine."

"Alright." Scott looked at laced fingers on his lap and sighed. His chest felt tight but he ignored it, assuming it was nerves.

After spending the morning with multiple rounds of Call of Duty, the two boys began to gear up. Scott and Stiles put on their equipment like they were preparing for battle. They loaded into Stile's jeep and headed off towards the high school.

Stiles pulled the gear into park and began to rifle through the center console.

"Hmm, where is it. Let's see." He tossed a pair of socks into the backseat along with gum wrappers and a few drugstore bags containing empty bags of gummy worms.

"Aha! Just what I was searching for!" Stiles pulled out a small tube that read zinc.

"Is that really what I think it is, Stiles?"

"You bet. It's the first game of the season and we are dressing up for it! War paint time!" The two boys high fived and applied thick streaks their school colors across their cheeks.

"I'm liking it. You know who also might dig this manly war paint? You may have guessed it… Lydia. Maybe this will be the end all for her. Maybe she really just loves herself some war paint!"

"Yeah, I'm sure she will love the paint on my face!" Scott laughed when Stiles elbowed him.

"Not funny, bro. I've liked her since the third grade. She's mine."

"I don't doubt that one bit. If she really does fall for the war paint, than you can have her. My best advice though, is just talk to her!"

"Talk to her!" Stiles squeaked. "But when I talk… talk.. I stumble… with the words and my tongue is too bit and I sweat a bit..Yeah my shirt gets a little sticky…And…"

"Okay, lets just stop there. Maybe just give a smile?"

"A smile? Ok… Ok I can do a smile."

"I'm sure you can dude." Scott patted Stiles on the back.

Throughout the car ride, his chest pain did not seem to be dissipating. In fact, it seemed to grow more painful the more he took in deep breathes. Scott coughed, trying the get more air into his lungs. The tight sensation of his chest loosened a bit and he relaxed.

"You okay? That sounds like your 'I'm out of breath because I have asthma' cough."

"No, I'm totally fine. Come on, let put our stuff in the locker rooms." Stiles shrugged a slipped out of his jeep, locking it with two small beeps.

"So when are you going to be granted more car rights?" Stiles asked, swinging his gym bag over his shoulder.

"Don't know. My mom needs it for work, but hopefully with the job at the vet I can buy my own next year."

"That would be sweet."

"Yeah, I really want a truck. Something really sturdy unlike my mom's little car."

"That would be nice, then you could help me and my dad bring over all that lumber for the deck we have been meaning to build since my mom asked for it."

Scott and Stiles grew quite with mentioning Stile's mom. She had passed away around a year ago from cancer. Stiles was slowly getting better for the grief, but it was a slow process.

When she first passed away, Stiles refused to leave the house. He had constant panic attacks that scared Scott shitless when he first witnessed one.

Scott let himself into the house and quietly closed the door behind him. Stiles mom had just died a few days ago after a relentless battle against breast cancer. They knew it was going to happen and that her treatment stopped working, but Stiles was still in denial that she wouldn't be returning home ever again.

Scott went up the stairs and let himself into Stiles room. His friend was sitting on the window seat staring out to the backyard. Tears were running down his cheeks and his eyes were red from the tears.

"Hey Stiles." Stiles continued to look out into the backyard. "How are you doing?"

"We never finished the deck. She wanted a deck. We never finished it. She won't ever see a deck!" Stiles began to sob and Scott knew he was no longer talking about a deck, but rather his mother never seeing him again. Scott knew how it felt to loose someone close to you. His father left him and his mother 3 years earlier. Stiles was there for him every step of the way and Scott wanted to be there for him too.

Scott reached over and hugged his best friend tightly. Scott thought that Stiles was crying, but soon his breathing turning to gasps and he could feel heat radiating off of his friends body. Stiles then began to sob, a heart wrenching cry that made Scott want to hold onto his friend for dear life. That was the first of his friend's panic attacks. They continued for months and Scott was glad that it all occurred at the beginning of the summer, because his friend was able to heal. The panic made it difficult for Stiles to leave the house and try new things. Eventually it all got a bit better with the help of Scott along the way.

"Dude, if I get a truck… we can go get the lumber the first day, okay?"

"Alright, thanks man! You always have my back!"

"So do you!" They fist bumped and walked into the locker room.

The two teenagers put their bags in the lockers and pulled out their helmets.

Scott pulled on his gear and swallowed thickly. His throat felt thick and he had to concentrate on his breathing. He felt a bit dizzy from the lack of breath and leaning against the lockers.

"You okay, Scott?" Stiles asked, leaning over the bench.

"Uhm, yeah. I just need my inhaler." He coughed roughly and pulled out his bag again. "Crap. I left it at home."

"Seriously? Maybe you shouldn't play."

"No, I'll be fine.. I'll just have my mom bring one from the hospital." Scott flipped open his phone and texted his mom.

"Ok, when she gets here I'll get it from her and give it to you at break." Stiles knew how much this game meant to Scott and despite his better judgment, he knew there was no stopping his determined friend. If he wasn't going to get a chance to play in the game, his best friend might as well.

The locker doors banged open and the coach made his dramatic entrance.

"Get on the field boys, what's the lolligagging for?" Coach shouted, his hands stretched above his head. His hands grasped a clipboard and papers spilled out from a manila envelope. "What the.. Loser, pick it up!" He snapped at one of the boys in the huddle.

Scott grabbed his lacrosse stick and threw his gym bag by the bench. He left the locker room for some much needed fresh air and stepped onto the field.

"Hey Scott, wait up Bro!" Stiles ran up to him and patted him on the back. He didn't realize that it did not help Scott's already labored breath. "Good luck out there!"

"Thanks! I think I'm going to need it!" He gave his friend a wry smile and jogged to his position on field.

The whistle blew and the game began. Unfortunately the battle for oxygen began as well.

Please review and follow! If I hear positive feedback, I will know that you guys are liking it! :) Thanks! -CAREN67