Characters: Tony Stark, ?

Summary: Tony Stark has an Epiphany. Yes, capital letter and all. Alternatively can be described with deep water, a lack of oxygen, a hard-earned phobia, and a helping hand.

I was just about to curl up in bed when I realized I hadn't posted the next chapter! Thank you so very much to everyone who has taken the time to review so far. I promise I'll send out review replies when I get up tomorrow morning.

Drowning

Tony chokes.

He can't help it – he'd been thrown into the water before he could take a proper breath, and the impact knocked any remaining oxygen out of his lungs. As he'd submerged, he'd desperately tried to take in a gulp of air and ended up with a mouthful of water instead. It hadn't exactly been a stunning start to his descent underwater.

Ever since Afghanistan, and after that, the Mandarin, Tony's avoided large bodies of water with good reason. Hell, he doesn't even get into the swimming pool unless there's no other options - and generally, alcohol tended to provide a good alternative to swimming.

The urge to cough is approaching overwhelming as the water swirls in his mouth. Tony can feel it rising in his throat, threatening to burst free as the weight of his suit continues to drag him down.

He can't count on any of the others to pull him out. For all he knows, they aren't even aware he's in the water. He can't even blame them - they each had their own battles to fight.

Then, Tony coughs.

He tries not to draw in any more water, but he can't help it. It's an instinctual reaction, brought about by the sudden way his body seizes as he tumbles in an underwater current.

It's impossible to tell up from down. The fall had been disorienting enough for him, and combined with the effort of not drowning, it's been enough to keep him from righting himself.

Raw panic seizes him as another cough rips through his chest. Tony thrashes, eyes straining through the sting of the salty water, as he seeks out the surface. He just needs to find the thin shards of daylight that must be somewhere, and then he can begin to break free. It should be a simple matter, really.

He fails.

He's been under for only a few seconds, the cool, calculating part of his brain notes. Not nearly enough time to shut down. Not nearly enough time to sink too far beneath the water. Not nearly enough time to drown, even though Tony read somewhere that it was possible to drown in less than thirty seconds. He's fairly certain it hasn't even been that long. Maybe he'll ask Jarvis when he gets back up. If he doesn't drown before then, that is.

He's almost drowned before. It's not an experience he cares to repeat.

Frantically, Tony strikes out. It seems reasonable to kick in one direction, even if it's the wrong one. He has a fifty percent chance, maybe better, of succeeding in going the correct way.

Tony starts kicking. It won't be enough. It will never be enough. For all he knows, this is just another failure on a long list of the rather costly chain of mistakes that have comprised his life.

He pulls at the water frantically, still struggling to break free. He can't do this, he can't do this, damn it, he can't do this, he can't-

Something grasps Tony's hand with surprising ferocity and begins to tug.

He doesn't have to do this, Tony realizes. The realization hits him like a sledgehammer. He doesn't have to do this – to handle every single problem, to rely only on himself, to be the lone crusader.

Tony stops fighting and lets the grip pull him to the surface.

Thanks for taking the time to read, and please do consider dropping off some thoughts for me on your way out. -V