Stranger Things - Imagines

Steve Harrington X Reader - Holding Out

A/N - This chapter was inspired by the song Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler. For this one, Nancy and Steve broke up at the end of Season One. I hope you all enjoy it.

You stumbled as you pressed your body forward, forcing yourself to ignore the burning pain in your legs. It was still behind you; you could hear it letting out sharp growls as it followed, waiting for you to slow just enough for it to make its final move. Slowing down was definitely not an option you wanted to consider. But it felt like you had been running forever, your knees getting shaky as you reached a slight incline. 

And then, just as you reached the top of the hill, the woods had opened up into a scrap yard, and you'd almost stopped in sheer relief, stumbling a few feet out into the open before your knees gave out completely. 

There were muffled yells coming from a little distance away, voices that you couldn't quite make out, all crying out over one another. And then, the growling returned behind you. You dugs your fingers into the ground, dragging yourself along with the help of your elbows and knees. 

You barely noticed the hurried footsteps coming towards you, so focused on keeping moving towards the safety of the voices that you couldn't hear anything else. 

"Shit," a voice bit out, and when you glanced up you found none other than Steve Harrington staring down at you in horror. "Keep going; get to the bus," he told you, lifting his bat in his hands and moving past you, towards whatever was making those grotesque growling noises. 

You really did try to do as you were told, tried to keep moving in the direction he'd told you, but your body was on the wrong side of exhausted and screaming out for a little bit of reprieve from the ache that just kept growing. You'd gotten within about 15 feet of the bus's door before you'd stopped moving, your entire body going limp as your head dropped into the dirt. 

"Is she dead?" a girl's voice called out, and then the door creaked as it was yanked open. 

"Holy shit," a boy's voice joined in. "Grab her arm," he pressed on.

*Time Skip*

You weren't exactly sure when you had passed out, only that you definitely had. You'd come to in the back of the bus, blinking at the light shining directly into your eyes and lifting a hand in an attempt to shade them. 

"Jesus, get the torch out of her face, idiot," Steve grumbled, slapping away the light and letting you finally open your eyes properly. As everything came into focus, he was the first person you saw, frowning down at you so deeply that it was a little shocking. Steve didn't frown. Whenever you saw him around school he was always smiling and laughing, but now, he looked like a completely different person. "Y/N? You in there?"

You nodded, clearing your throat slightly and pushing yourself up into a sitting position with a deep groan. "I feel like death," you murmured, your eyes drifting to find the other three people on the bus with you. "Was that thing out there a bear? Or like a cougar or something?"

"It's a Demodog," one of the kids interrupted, offering you a bright smile. "I'm surprised you got so far without it catching you," he added, giving you a quick thumbs up. 

"Dustin," Steve chastised lightly. "That's not the kind of information people like receiving after almost dying." 

"What the fuck is a Demodog?"

The bus went silent for a moment, everyone glancing between themselves. "That's a long story," Steve sighed. "I promise I'll explain it all at some point, but right now, we need to get you home," he told you. "Dustin, can you put a call out on the radio? See if someone can come and pick us up?"