Things were okay. Everything was going to be fine.
Steve was extremely nervous and based on the fact that this idea had been the son of Howard Stark's, he had every reason to be worried. This was originally supposed to be a typical training exercise, but had quickly became a mission and now the super soldier was trapped between a really big rock and a hard place. Everything had gone sideways the moment Steve had entered the lab of a biochemist and radiation scientist, the heavily reinforced steel doors having shut behind him and sealed themselves shut. Not even Bruce as Hulk could get through.
Steve was essentially trapped and things only got worse when water started pouring into the room. On too of the water, he'd been told that the radiation in the room was rising as well, so he basically had a time limit to get out of here and that's when Tony's idea came.
This was not how he wanted his day to go.
The sound of heavy but panicked breathing was heard over the roaring in his ears coming from the water rushing into the room. Steve turned to look up at the vents in the room, wishing that he could use those to get out but they were also sealed shut.
"How long would I have to hold my breath here, Tony?" Steve asked, trying to keep the anxiety he was feeling from leaking into his voice. He wasn't overly fond of water or being submerged in the liquid since his time in the ice. He still had nightmares of crashing the Valkyrie.
"At least forty seconds after you're submerged. It should give me and our green friend enough time to break through the doors." Tony's voice sounded calm but Steve knew him well enough to know that he thought the plan might not work and he was worried. He heard Hulk give a sound akin to a wounded animal, before the voice came through the door.
"Hulk save you! Don't be scared."
Steve couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face. Leave it to Hulk to know he was so scared of his predicament and call him out on it. For Tony's plan to work Steve had to wait for the room to fill and the water was at his waist now. The water was freezing and he tried not to panic too much but it was hard not to; he felt his heart start to race as the water rose even faster, reaching his chest within moments.
"I-I'm not scared, Hulk. I just--the water's really cold." Steve tried to defend himself but it was half-hearted at best. He was terrified and there was no point in trying to deny it. "Did you catch the scientist?"
"Cap, just hang in there okay? We'll have you out in no time." Natasha's voice came through his comm.
"Yeah, I got 'em. I shot him through the freaking leg though for the stunt he pulled." Clint's voice came right after but he sounded pissed.
Steve didn't say anything in response; He really couldn't by this point because the water had just reached his chin and he was now treading water, to keep his head above the surface. Tony had said the entire room needed to fill up with water before they tried to break the door open. He tried to use anything in the lab for leverage so he wouldn't have to keep moving his legs and he found the edge of a desk, but his feet slipped and for a second his head dipped under as he lost balance.
Resurfacing, Steve coughed out some of the water that had gotten in his mouth and blinked away the water in his eyes. He was closer to the ceiling now, his head just grazing it and the water was a few inches from reaching his nose. He tilted his head back so that both his mouth and nose were going to be the last thing the water covered.
"Guys. . ."
Steve didn't get the chance to finish whatever he was going to say as the water rushed over his face and he was completely submerged in the water. He had meant to take a deep breath but he had been so bent on speaking, that he had forgotten to do so and now he was holding his breath with half of his lung capacity. This was so much worse than when he crashed the Valkyrie into the Atlantic ocean; that had been quick and he didn't feel anything. This, he could feel his lungs burning and his head beginning to hurt, as lack of oxygen started to get to him.
As a supersoldier, he did have better eyesight than the average human, so he could see with his eyes slightly open. He could hear under the water better too, which is why he could hear the banging that was going on on the other side of the steel doors trapping him in this room. Steve could see dents being put into the metal, the door bending and warping under Hulk's heavy onslaught. A few dents seemed to have been made by Thor, who was using his hammer to try and get through to the man on the other side. Tony was working on blasting at anything he could, using his propulsion cannon, trying to get through the concrete around the door.
Steve was now having a thoroughly hard time with holding his breath and it hurt a lot to keep holding his breath. He'd been counting since his head had been submerged and it had been way more than forty seconds. The moment he lost control of his lungs and opened his mouth, the door was forced open even as water rushed into his mouth and down his throat, invading his lungs and making it extremely hard to breathe.
Steve felt himself rushing out of the room with the flow of water, his head knocking against the beat up door on his way out. Gasping for air like a fish out of water and not being able to actually inhale any oxygen, he squeezed his eyes shut against the pain it was causing.
Feeling hands running over him, he choked on the lack of air, his eyes snapping open and then he was suddenly being given CPR, and then subsequently being rolled into his side as he threw up the water that had gotten inside his lungs. Sucking in air, and finally able to breathe, Steve let himself relax.
"Told you we'd get you out." Tony said, sounding very proud.
Steve turned his head, which was lying in a puddle of water, to slowly look at the man in the suit of armor before looking around at all of his teammates. Closing his eyes, he said, "Your idea sucked."
~Silhouette~
Later that evening, Steve woke up in his own bedroom on the floor reserved for him inside of Stark Tower. He was lying on his stomach on the bed--his left arm hanging over the side of it, his right arm under the pillow resting under his head and his face partially hidden in the fluffiness of the pillow. The bed sheets were wrinkled and thrown over him, as if someone had tried to tuck him in and failed.
He didn't even remember getting here, so he assumed someone had brought him while he was unconscious. Most likely after Bruce had checked him over--any sooner or before the check up and Bruce would have had a fit. Steve's body ached like nothing else and other than almost drowning, he recalled being hit a few times. A knock on the door to his bedroom sounded.
Steve groaned silently, not wanting to move from the comfortable place in his bed, before slowly dragging himself out of the shelter of blankets. His entire body ached and all he wanted to do was sleep. Making his way to the door, he gripped the handle and pulled the door open, revealing Thor and Tony.
"Hey Cap, how're you doing?" Tony spoke, his eyes scanning the room behind him.
Rubbing his eyes, Steve sighed and looked at the two men standing in front of him, his brain feeling a little slow. "I'm very tired, Tony. I would like to just go back to sleep."
"You just woke up?" Thor asked, his eyes questioning.
Steve blinked blearily and nodded, raising a hand to ruffle his already disheveled blond hair. "Yes, I'm not really feeling well after what happened earlier."
Tony seemed to be staring into his soul like he was searching for something. "Steve, I'm going to stay here with you for a little while and I'll be quiet, because I know you need your beauty rest. But when you wake up again, you're going to eat something."
"I will stay as well." Thor added.
Steve, not really feeling up to arguing with them, just sighed and turned around to head back to his bed, leaving the door open. He didn't have it in him to tell Tony and Thor he didn't need a freaking babysitter and to be honest, he was kind of glad they were here. He wasn't alone and that was okay. Steve was so used to being alone and dealing with his pain in silence, that it was what he expected. It was instinct. However, he didn't have to deal with his pain in silence anymore, he didn't have to be alone anymore. He had friends now. He had a family.
Crawling back under his blankets, he slid his arms under his pillow, resting his head at an angle so that he was facing the wall and closed his eyes.
