Arrowverse Imagines

Comfort from Sara at the Pool

tw: panic attack, almost drowning, anxiety

You and your girlfriend, Sara Lance, are at the pool. There's no lifeguard and not a person in sight besides the two of you. You're hanging around and you decide to practice holding your breath while swimming back and forth from the sides of the pool, the short way. Sara's trying to hype you up and be a tough coach at the same time. You know, you guys can never get enough training in.

You're in the deep end, where the maximum depth is six feet. You can't stand there, obviously. Each round, you're starting at one end and crossing along the wall, swimming at the bottom along the ground.

There's a filter piece at the middle, directly on the bottom. It's ridged, so you're using it to push yourself along every time you pass it.

This time, however... something goes wrong. Sara's about five feet from you, ready for you to get going. You start off strong, swimming down to the bottom and kicking off the side wall. You inch along the base, partially breaststroking, partially doggy-paddling your way across the bottom of the pool.

You reach the filter piece, placing your fingertips on the rim to give yourself a boost forward. You've already been under for about ten seconds, and suddenly, you realize your bracelet is stuck on the filter.  Beginning to panic, with your bracelet caught on the plastic of the filter, you can't seem to unhinge it. Your feet are now floating up into the sky, making it almost impossible for you to see what you're doing — especially since chlorine makes the water appear cloudy when you're in it.

You've been in the same place now — stuck on the filter — for five seconds. Sara realizes something's wrong immediately. In a panic, she dives in to see what's going on.

Her eyes widen at the sight in front of her.  You see her swimming up to you, and point frantically to your wrist.  You don't want to risk wasting any breath or energy, so you carefully try finding a place to unhinge your bracelet from without exhaling or moving too much.

Now you're crying into the water, unable to tell the difference between the tears streaming from your eyes and the chlorinated water all around you.  Your face is full of panic, and your heart is beating out of your chest.  You can't breathe.  No — like, you physically can't breathe.  You're trapped under the water with your bracelet stuck to the bottom.

About to start exhaling, you try ripping off your bracelet.  Unfortunately, that doesn't work either.  It's stuck to your wrist.  Of course the ONE bracelet that just HAD to get stuck is the one that you literally never take off.

You've been under for roughly forty-five seconds, and your lungs are about to burst.  You and Sara make eye contact for a second.  Her eyes are almost just as wide with fear as yours, and you can see her face fall the moment she realizes you're crying.

"It's okay!" she mouths, quickly getting back to business, now extremely determined to save you.

She tries freeing you, and thankfully is able to break your bracelet with her teeth at the last second, leaving it still stuck to the filter as the two of you kick off the bottom of the pool and make it to the surface, gasping for air.

You grab onto her for comfort, and kick your way over to the edge of the pool, flinging yourself and Sara over the ledge.

You climb on top of your girlfriend and bury your face in her shoulder, letting out loud sobs as your whole body shakes with anxiety.

"Sara, I was so scared.  Oh my God, I thought I was gonna die.  I can't believe that just happened.  Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God...  Sara, I'm so scared, oh my God," you mumble in between sobs, cries, and shaky breaths.
"Heyyy, heyyyy, you're alright.  You're okayyy, you're alright!  I'm right here, you're okay my angel, I've got you.  I've got you," she whispers softly, with tears in her eyes as she strokes your hair and rubs circles on your back, still squished underneath you.

She doesn't mind laying there for a few minutes, still with you crushing her.  She waits to try to get up until you stop shaking as much and breathing as heavily.

"Are you alright, my love?" she says, both of you now sitting up, with you still sitting on her lap.
Unable to speak yet, you just nod and throw your arms back around her neck in a super tight hug.

"Come on, let's get you home, baby," she says, standing up with you still attached to her.
She gets all of you guys' stuff and walks over to her car, still carrying you in her arms until the second she puts you down in the passenger seat for the drive back home.

word count: 837
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