The Chilling Adventures of Steve Rogers: Book One (Magical Hydra Horror AU)

Thirty

The sounds of his classmates shuffling about in the hallway became muffled. Voices distant. Slams from locker doors barely registering. Steve's body was increasingly becoming more limp the longer he went without a proper breath, and the fear started to be the only thing he felt.

From beside him, a deep voice sneered, "Is this really the life that you want? Where you're weak? Where you're powerless? Where your life can so easily be taken?"

Using the last of his strength to push himself away from Bucky, Steve harshly slammed against the locker next to his. Eyes wide and gasping for breath, Steve lost his footing and slid down the wall until he landed on his ass on the hard, cold floor.

"Steve?" Bucky questioned, his brows furrowed and panic in the creases around his eyes. Crouching down, Bucky cupped Steve's face as he assessed his boyfriend's terror and breathlessness.

Steve couldn't answer though. Black spots were starting to swim around in his vision as Bucky muttered a, "Fuck," under his breath as he stood. Reaching into their locker, Bucky quickly located the inhaler and moved to help Steve use it.

Off to the side, Steve spotted a flutter of a white lab coat. Pushing himself further back, Steve thumped the back of his head against the locker. Briefly, Steve's short blond hair caught in the vent, but Steve couldn't pay any attention to that. All he could focus on was the white lab coat. All that mattered was the white lab coat.

Bucky dropped onto his knees in front of Steve and held the inhaler up to his mouth. Steve's fearful eyes remained wide and continued to watch the crisp white lab coat. Bucky administered the medicine to Steve and leaned back, still fearful himself.

"Breathe," Bucky pleaded, administering another puff of the medication.

But Steve could only focus on the lab coat. Dark red was blooming on the crisp material, staining it until it was nearly black. Creeping up and around as though it was mold. Steve couldn't look away. Simply frozen in shock and not able to do anything but stare.

Trying to comfort his boyfriend, Bucky smoothed Steve's hair. Running his hand down the back of Steve's head, Bucky pulled his hand back to reveal dark red blood on his fingers. Steve couldn't look at Bucky though. Of course, out of his periphery, Steve noticed the way that Bucky's brows furrowed and the fear that twisted his lips down into a deep frown.

"Go get the nurse," Bucky ordered Sam, who quickly turned and rushed down the hallway. Cupping Steve's face, Bucky forced his beau to look at him. It took a lot more strength than Bucky had probably intended, but that didn't deter him.

Once Bucky finally managed to break Steve's gaze from the lab coat, Steve gasped in a deep breath. Tears started streaming down Steve's face and Bucky immediately started gently wiping the tears away. With a shaky hand, Steve touched the back of his head.

With his fingers coming back with warm, wet blood, Steve softly whimpered, "Ow."

"You okay?" Bucky questioned, remaining close but not crowding him.

Unlike the group of people that were forming around them. Thank Maveth for Sharon who loudly shooed the students away with a, "Jesus Christ, don't you have anything better to do than gawk at someone who's having an asthma attack?!"

"Sam's getting Nurse Janet," Bucky reassured Steve when he hiccupped a quiet sob.

Silently, Steve nodded and instantly regretted it. Feeling as though his brain was loose and rolling around in his skull like loose marbles. Bucky's hands stayed cupped on Steve's face as he whipped Steve's tears. Steve might not have been very observant at the moment, but he knew that Bucky was desperately trying to comfort him.

Steve's hand shook as he covered Bucky's hand and leaned into the touch of Bucky's warm palm. Steve closed his eyes, trying to calm himself further. Logically, Steve knew that Bucky would never harm him. But he snapped his eyes open and immediately glanced away from Bucky.

Over Bucky's shoulder, he spotted the lab coat. Only, it wasn't some Hydra agent. It belonged to their classmate, Scott. Their classmate who couldn't get to their locker because Steve was bleeding up against it.

"Sorry, Scott," Steve meekly apologized, mustering up all the strength that he could in order to move out of the way.

"It's okay," Scott shrugged it off with an easy grin. Arching his brows, he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Steve breathily assured, even though his breath wasn't coming quite like it should and his head was still bleeding.

"You allergic to chocolate?" Scott questioned and reached into the deep pocket of his lab coat. Steve slightly shook his head in his confirmation and Scott smiled as he handed him a mini Hershey's bar. Still smiling, Scott wished, "Happy Halloween."

"Thanks," Steve smiled down at the piece of candy in his hand.

"Of course," Scott stated, deciding to not get in his locker and instead to just head to his next class. A few steps away, Scott paused and turned back around so he could exclaim, "Oh, and happy birthday, Steve."

Steve slumped, relaxing and repeated, "Thanks."

Scott nodded and turned to continue down the hallway. Steve's gaze watched his form and the way his cheap costume lab coat fluttered. It was so obvious that it wasn't a real lab coat now. Even without it being so thin it was nearly translucent, Steve couldn't believe that the wrinkles didn't clue him in.

Of course, Steve had also hallucinated that his soulmate had been strangling him. Reaching up with a shaky hand, Steve touched his neck. Wondering how Hydra could manipulate him so much to think such an awful thing. Steve knew that Bucky would never hurt him. No matter what.

"Stevie?" Bucky questioned, breaking into Steve's thoughts. Steve glanced back at his concerned boyfriend, realizing that Bucky was holding pressure to the back of his head. How could Hydra ever deceive Steve with those lies?

Affectionately gazing into Bucky's steel-blue eyes, Steve reassured, "I love you."

"I know," Bucky smirked. A blush was rising on the apples of his high cheekbones and he leaned forward to press a sweet kiss to Steve's forehead. The touch featherlight, Bucky kept his lips there as he confirmed, "I love you, too."

Steve mocked Bucky, "I know."

Pulling back, Bucky playfully narrowed his eyes at Steve, causing Steve to softly chuckle. Before anything else could be said or done, Sam returned with Nurse Janet. She crouched down to check Steve's injuries, and Steve wondered if anyone else noticed how difficult it was for Bucky to move back. Almost as though Bucky was fighting an internal war with what he wanted to do and what he should do.

All Steve could think was, Hive better help whoever tries to turn us against each other.