MIKE POV-

"So how is it?" An older man smiled brightly, his eyes twinkling in the light.

"Honestly...?" Mike leaned back in his worn-out computer chair, slightly stretching as he looked away from the old computer screen; the game on screen emitting cheerful music. His basement was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from the monitor as he navigated the dating simulator his older friend had created; the ravenette was the first able to play the demo, told to give critics and opinions on its creation.

The room was littered in with a variety of trinkets, and the familiar scent of pizza and soda lingered in the air, "Its... kinda bullshit..." The ravenette let out a low chuckle, trying to be as kind as possible but his words didn't match what he meant.

The blue eyed man rolled his eyes, smacking his lips together, "Tsk, I'd like something a bit more... constructive."

"Ugh... why do u even ask for my opinion? It's not like you ever take my words into consideration." The ravenette rebutted. That was the truth, even during the design stages, Mike was given the chance to voice his opinions as a third-party; his friend said he had a 'bluntness' to his words which came-in handy during this situation. But even then, the ravenette's words fell on deaf ears, no matter what he suggested, it was disregarded.

The older man creased his lips into a smile, seeming as though he was more amused by the current situation; he was sitting cross-legged on the couch, replying smug, "Who knows, maybe one of these days you'll change my mind."

"Fine..." Mike sighed, trying to be diplomatic. Leaning forward, his fingers paused on the keyboard, "It's fine, I guess. Well, sometimes the dialogue feels a little forced, you know? Like no one would ever say half these things out loud."

"Noted..." The older man said ominously,

"Also, I like the fondness system... but having debuffs when fondness is in the negative is annoying and difficult for the player." Mike added,

"That's the point," the blue-eyed man chuckled, "Being bad at the game gives you punishments, duh!"

"Okay... but why does getting a debuff make the fondness go down? It  a never-ending cycle!" The ravenette pouted annoyed, he really hated this particular mechanic.

In response, the blond man shrugged, seeming amused by the situation. In reply Mike sighed, seeing no wiggle room with this conversation; His friend wouldn't change such a core game mechanic this late into its development.

With all this negative talk however, Mike didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings, so he threw in a few compliments, "I like both of the love interests. Like, El is a total cutie, and her route is fun and all, but... I don't know. It doesn't seem like she's really interested in the player. It's like no matter what choices you make, she's kind of distant? I mean, she's sweet, but her 'romance' feels almost platonic, you know?"

"Yeah, it's just some people are like that... you know? I was trying to make is realistic." His friend nodded, as if taking mental notes but not willing to change,

"No one plays a dating sim for the realism!" the ravenette argued

The blue-eyed man ignored the statement, changing the subject, "How about the other love interest though?"

Mike's face softened as he thought about it. "Will's route... I feel for him man. He's so soft and well-written despite what he's been through. He's a cutie-pie But..."

Mike trailed off, his expression growing more serious.

"But what?" his friend prompted, sensing there was more.

"It's just... I'm angry about how Will is treated in game," Mike admitted, his voice booming with frustration. "No matter how high or low your fondness with him is, his endings are just... sad. It's like he can never catch a break; he's treated bad by everyone beginning to end and he's just supposed to... take it. Like, In the worst ending he runs away and goes missing, but in the best ending he is in a relationship but still lives with his dad who abuses him."

The blue-eyed man looked over; his expression thoughtful. "Would you help him?" he asked quietly, almost as if testing the waters.

The ravenette stared back, taking his eyes off the screen, not hesitating. "Of course I would," he said, his voice full of conviction; he really felt for Will, feeling a strange similarity.

The friend hummed knowingly, a small smile playing on his lips. "I thought you'd say that," he murmured amused; his voice as if speaking from a distance.

Mike blinked, suddenly feeling off balance. The room seemed to grow dimmer, and his friend's voice became muffled, like he was underwater. "What... what did you say?" the ravenette asked trying to recalibrate his focus, but the words came out slurred, as if under the influence.

He squinted, trying to make out his friend's face, but his vision was starting to blur. It was getting harder to keep his eyes open, feeling like someone was pulling him down into a deep sleep. The sound of his own heartbeat plugged his ears.

The ravenette shook his head with all his might but his movements betrayed him. His eyelids felt impossibly heavy as he tried to say something, anything but the words felt like tar on his tongue. His head dropped, vision blurring into darkness.

The last thing he saw was his friend... what was his name again?

...

...

---- 2:44 PM ----

SMACK

The ravenette jolt up in his seat, feeling the vibrations of a loud slam reverberate through his head. His eyes flew open, and he found himself at a wooden desk, his surroundings a contrast to the comfy basement he was just in... he could still hear the faint sound of water in his ears. A stern voice cut through the waves...

"Mr Wheeler! I'm glad you had a nice lunch, but this is no time to be sleeping in class! You can sleep once class is over!" the voice belonged to the teacher who was standing by his desk, the one who slammed the table to get his attention; his arms crossed over his chest with an annoyed expression on his voice.

"What...?" the ravenette mumbled, didn't he just graduate this year? He said, still dazed. He looked down at himself and realized he was wearing a school uniform – a white shirt buttoned haphazardly and a navy-blue blazer, the tie scrunched into his pocket. He didn't remember putting it on. In fact, he didn't even own a uniform like this.

"What the fuck?!" the tall boy stood from his seat, he wanted to call his friend; tell him to call off whatever prank this was but when he opened his mouth, his mind was blank... why couldn't he remember his friend's name? His heart pounded in his chest, confusion clutching at his very core.

And then to make things even stranger, a bright pink message, as if a pop-up from a video game filled his vision, hovering in the air as though written by a hologram, it had a clear instruction etched upon it,

[Make Will Byers Happy]

----

1269 Words

Tell a friend to tell a friend, I'm backkkkkkkkkkk

If you have any questions about the fanfic and how it'll work (or just in general) feel free to ask here!

This is just the pilot chapter for the new book... This chapter was very long! So I hope it wasn't too boring. I based this story after my current hyperfixation.

Remember to check out my other books, 'Panic in the Movies', 'Project Playdate', 'Comic Catastrophe', 'Siren', 'Road Rage' and 'Don't Be A Dingus'

I apologise for discontinuing my other book 'Miraculous Things', but thanks for all the support

:)

Stay Safe <3