Part 2 of my Fear/Phobia series! Here is another Cisco Ramon fear/phobia story, Cisco having claustrophobia, as requested by Iamgroot on Archive Of Our Own ! I hope you enjoy, (warnings: panic/anxiety attacks, flashback of child abuse)

Also, please not that I do not have claustrophobia, so some things in this story may not be accurate to the real experience. So sorry if this bothers anyone!

Cisco opened his eyes to darkness. At first he believed that he hadn't even awoken yet, he couldn't see a thing, but he blinked, and knew that he wasn't dreaming. But it was so dark.

Fumbling blindly, Cisco felt around the room, breath hitching when he didn't have to move around much to feel the walls. He felt a wall behind him, above him, everywhere, and it was the same thing over and over again.

How small was this?

Cisco stood up and banged his head on the ceiling, crying out in pain and fear. No. No. He couldn't be here.

His breath was speeding up, and he could feel sweat soaking through his clothes, and he pushed against the walls, desperately trying to expand the box he was in, make it a little bigger. It had to get bigger. It had to.

"Come on, come on! Let me out!"

Cisco could feel tears burning behind his eyes and sobbed, curling in on himself and nestling his face into his knees. It was so small, it was going to crush him and he couldn't go anywhere and he would die and he couldn't breathe…

He couldn't breathe as his father slammed the door of the attic shut, locking the young Cisco Ramon in it. He was used to this, and managed to crawl around the dusty wooden boards and grab a flashlight, flicking it on. Cisco tried to steady his breathing as he heard his parents fighting below him, his mother defending him as Cisco's father yelled about how Cisco needed to be punished.

Cisco looked around and cringed at how little space he had to move around in. The air was musty and gross, and all of the discarded furniture and boxes surrounded him like mountains trapping him in a valley. The ceiling was low above his head, and he knew that, without a doubt, if he had been a bit taller he couldn't sit up straight.

But it was okay. He would come down in a couple of days, and he would make sure that he never disobeyed his father again.

But, it didn't take long for his punishment to go from the attic to the closet. He didn't get a flashlight this time. Or any time after.

His family continued life just beyond the locked door, and Cisco could barely breathe.

Why wouldn't they let him out? Would he be able to take a deep breath again? Would he ever be free? Could he stretch out his legs and uncurl his body? Would he ever get rid of the feeling of walls behind him, above him, beside him?

Cisco cried out for his parents to let him out, but no one responded. No one ever responded.

Cisco wasn't surprised that, years later, he would be stuck in the darkness of a small box and wouldn't be saved again. He never got saved. If this experience was anything like his childhood was, he would be trapped for days.

He felt his chest tighten as the walls began to close in around him, and Cisco tried to make himself smaller. He felt so cold, shivers running along his skin, a sharp contrast to the sweat that drenched his clothes. He needed air. He couldn't get it. He was going to run out of air to breath and he was going to suffocate. He felt like he was being choked, choked by an invisible force that wouldn't let go of him. Didn't it know who he was? He couldn't lose air, he had to help people. He had to live. He couldn't die, he couldn't…not yet. Please not yet.

The box didn't care.

"Please….please…please….please…" Cisco muttered, tasting the salty tears that were no doubt coming from his eyes. He coughed, struggling to get air into his lungs, begging for someone to open the door and get him out. He didn't know if there was a door, but there had to be, right? Right? He had to get out…he had to….he was going to die….

Cisco felt his limbs go weak as his body wanted to give up and pass out, but he knew that he had to fight it. If he passed out he would be crushed. He couldn't control anything, he couldn't move. How was he supposed to get out if he couldn't do anything with his body? If he died because of the weight of the walls around him?

Nonetheless, Cisco's eyes rolled to the back of his head and closed, his head hitting the wall, his body crumpling against the confines of the box he was in.

"I just…I wish I would've gotten there sooner. How long do you think he was in there?"

"Barry, this isn't your fault. He's going to be okay."

Cisco took a deep breath as he regained consciousness, muscles tightening at the voices around him. Barry. Caitlin. They were trapped too? But, the box was so small, there was no way all three of them could fit in the box together. None of them could move around, and they would lose oxygen so quickly, and he would be stuck in the cramped space with their dead bodies when they suffocated….no. No, this couldn't be happening. He had to get out.

In the distance he heard a constant beeping, going faster and faster and louder and louder, and a cold but gentle hand touched his arm, tracing comforting circles on his bicep.

"Cisco, it's okay, you're out. You're at STAR Labs, you're safe." Caitlin's soft voice pierced through his panic, and Cisco opened his eyes, grabbing Caitlin's hand worriedly.

"Cait…I…I…"

"Shh…it's okay…it's okay…"

Barry came to his other side, clearly guilt-ridden and scared. Despite this, he sat on the bed beside Cisco and set a hand on his leg.

"Breathe, Cisco, just breathe. It's going to be fine. You're not in the box anymore."

Cisco took greedy gasps of air, never losing eye contact with Barry or physical contact with Caitlin. Her gentle hand on his arm and her hand in his gave him something to focus on, and he held her hand desperately, knowing that if he let go he would suffocate all over again. He would be crushed.

Barry didn't once break eye contact with Cisco, and for that the engineer was grateful. The man's superhero presence was so tangible in this moment, and Cisco found it grounding more than ever. Barry never let go of his leg, and Cisco's panic began to decrease, bit by bit. He had air. He had space. He wasn't alone. The walls, walls that seemed mere inches away from him not moments earlier, were so far away that he couldn't touch them. He wasn't trapped. He could spread his body out and stretch as much as he wanted, without risking being confined. He was out.

"Barry, Cait…I'm sorry…" Cisco whispered, wiping away stray tears off of his cheeks, and Caitlin shook her head.

"No. You don't need to apologize, okay? You couldn't help what happened to you, it's not your fault."

"I…" Cisco buried his face in his hands, and Barry frowned.

"I'm not upset, Cisco, none of us are. We're so happy to have you back. You were gone for so long, we were lucky that Joe was able to track your phone, or else we wouldn't ever find you."

"Do you know what…happened?" Cisco's memory was foggy, and he honestly just wanted them to keep on talking, he couldn't deal with his own emotions right now. He just wanted to cry, or scream, or sleep, or laugh…he didn't know what to do.

"Yes, but we'll tell you later. I feel like you need some time."

Cisco nodded, hesitantly, finally revealing his tearstained face to the world. Barry gave a sad smile, and Caitlin wrapped him in a quick hug, a hug that was light and made him feel safe, but not trapped. He melted into it thankfully, letting her envelope him before letting her go, knowing that he still needed some space. She understood, this wasn't the first time that he was trapped in an enclosed space since they met. She knew that he was claustrophobic, and even though she didn't completely understand the feeling, she knew how much of a struggle it was. Cisco had a feeling that Barry knew too.

"Do you want to go outside?" Barry asked. "Get some fresh air?"

Cisco smiled gratefully. "That would be great."

Cisco let Barry lead him outside and into the cool evening. Cisco closed his eyes as soon as he stepped a foot onto the parking lot, taking a deep breath.

He got out. He was outside. He was okay.

He was free. He was finally free. He wasn't trapped anymore.

And Cisco could never be more grateful for that fact.

Thank you so much for reading! If you have any fear/phobia suggestions for any of the fandoms I'm a part of I would love to hear them! Feel free to comment the character and phobia/fear, Private Message me, or contact me on Wattpad, Facebook or Instagram (all under coolestjoy30)! I would love some suggestions!