MIKE POV -

[Make Will Byers Happy]

The ravenette stared at the message, muttering the words under his breath as if it would somehow clarify things; it didn't, it only made him more confused. What does that even mean? Make Will happy? Will Byers isn't real!

He pinched himself in an attempt to wake up; perhaps this was all a silly dream, after working so hard over the months to critic his friend's work, perhaps he started dreaming about it now. "ouch" he yelped after pinching himself so hard the skin turned pink.

Mike's mind raced with possibilities but nothing made sense. First, he was in his basement and then he was... here! It was too random, now he's being told to make Will happy somehow? How the Hell would he do that?! Was this a prank or a hallucination?

The teacher's voice cut through his thoughts again, louder and more impatient this time. "Mr. Wheeler! If you don't sit down this instant, you'll be in serious trouble!"

The ravenette hesitated, feeling the stern gaze bore into his skull; his heart raced but he slowly sunk into his seat, trying to keep his hands from shaking; if this was his normal school, he would have made a snide remark before walking out, but right now, his confusion and fear of the situation took control. He forced himself to be calm; freaking out would only cause more problems for the future. He needed to figure this out quietly, without making things worse.

As he sat back down, the pink message flickered as new words filled message board,

[World Loading Complete!]

Mike stared at the message, his breath catching in his throat. It felt like he was inside some kind of game or simulation, like the world around him had just... loaded in; he looked out the window, it all seemed natural. His mind struggled to grasp the situation. Outstretching a hand, he attempted to touch the sign but his fingers fell through, as if it was a permeable.

Was anyone else seeing this? Why was it here?

Text box suddenly disappeared as if it had completed his job. The ravenette looked down at his nametag; 'Micheal Wheeler; Maple Leaf Private school.'... that was the school... the one from the game, the dating simulator. But why was it here? It shouldn't be here! It doesn't exist!

Looking around the room, everything seemed ordinary. Students worked diligently on the booklets before them, each wearing the same uniform as they watched the teacher who had now returned to his desk, lecturing them, apparently satisfied Mike had settled.

He didn't know how he'd ended up here, but one thing was clear: if this was some kind of mission, he had to find Will. Maybe then he'd get some answers to figure out what was happening, and why he was being given these strange instructions.

But how was he supposed to find Will? Mike didn't even know where he was or how he'd gotten here. He looked down at the uniform he was wearing, trying to get a grip on the situation. This wasn't like his high school, despite also being a private school, it had a different uniform and this place wasn't like anything he recognised. And how would he know if he saw Will? He had only ever seen his drawn form, how would he be able to find him when he is three-dimensional.

The ravenette scratched his head, playing with his hair when he was nervous. Lost in thought, he barely recognised the sound of the bell ringing. Shuffling of chairs and the murmurs of students packing up their books snapped him back to reality. He glanced up, seeing the rest of the class pooling into the halls. The teacher didn't give a second glance, busy erasing the board and gathering their materials.

It felt like he was trapped in some sort of parallel universe, a twisted version of his old high school routine; he only graduated a month ago but now it was like he was back, stuck doing the same routine – stuck till 4:30, mandatory study periods and club activities while unable to leave the campus until the day was over.

The mission appeared on his screen again; he sighed frustrated; in order to make Will happy, he needed to find him first... but how was he supposed to do that?

As students packed their things up, Mike turned to the first person he saw, a boy shorter than him with curly hair and an untucked shirt. The ravenette read his nametag "...Dustin?" he said aloud.

"Umm... yes?" the boy replied, tilting his head like a puppy,

Mike hesitated, trying to figure out the best way to ask without sounding completely nuts. "Yeah, so just... uh, a quick question. This school—it's, uh, pretty big, right? I was just wondering if you could, you know, give me a quick rundown. Like, where's the study period supposed to be? And, uh... what is my timetable?"

Dustin raised an eyebrow, clearly confused by the strange questions. "Umm... what?" he stiffened his lip, almost wondering if this was some sort of prank on him.

Mike forced a laugh, trying to play it off. "I mean, it's just... you know how it is, brain's all scrambled today. Just humour me, okay?"

"Okay..." the curly haired boy cast a suspicious glance but shrugged it off. He explained everything the best he could despite thinking this might be some ploy; Dustin wasn't very popular... maybe this was all some joke on him, "...And your timetable is on your phone; they send it to us by email." He finished explaining after a few minutes.

Throughout it all Mike nodded, trying to absorb the information. Everything Dustin said was logical, but it didn't make it any less strange. He felt like he was missing some crucial pieces of information, "And what year are we in?" he asked with complete seriousness.

"Senior year...?" the curly haired boy replied slowly, almost as if he was now doubting himself.

To avoid any more questions Dustin took a step past the ravenette but Mike suddenly reached out and grabbed his shoulder again, a sense of urgency in his grip. "Wait, Dustin - do you know Will Byers?"

"Will Byers? The art one?" Dustin furrowed his brows, obviously puzzled, "Um... yeah... I guess."

"So he actually exists in this universe? The artist?" Mike questioned bewildered, this is crazy; he's real? "Do you know where he is right now?"

"Try the art room on the first floor. Pretty sure he's there," The curly haired boy replied, should he be worried?

Mike felt a surge of relief at finally getting a lead, though it did little to dispel the confusion swirling in his mind. "Thanks, man. I really appreciate it," he said, nodding quickly before turning on his heel and heading down the hallway; the mission appeared in his view again,

[Make Will Byers Happy]

Dustin watched him go, scratching his head. "That was... weird," he muttered under his breath; it was definitely one of the oddest first meetings he'd had with anyone. Shaking his head, he continued on his way, merely putting the encounter in the back of his mind.

Meanwhile, Mike pushed through the crowded hallway, his heart pounding in his chest; the art room was his destination. He didn't know what he was going to find when he got there.

The ravenette swallowed hard, practically running through the hall to get to the art club. he needed to see Will, maybe then, everything would make sense. Reaching the door to the art club, Mike stood in the door frame. He scanned the room, inside were students wearing aprons clustered around tables, sketching or painting with quiet concertation; their easels and canvases set up in neat rows. But no matter how hard Mike looked he couldn't spot Will anywhere.

He furrowed his brows slightly frustrated but when he turned he almost bumped into someone. Waiting to enter the room was a girl, her soft eyes and short brown hair were remarkable. She seemed startled when she saw the ravenette standing there; her shoulders tensing as if she wanted to shrink away. Her gaze was kept low, not quite meeting Mike's eyes.

The ravenette's eyes travelled, she was wearing the same uniform as him, her name tag reading 'Jane Elanor Hopper'. Mike froze. Was this the other love interest from his friend's dating sim – El? The shy quiet girl who he thought was sweet but distant. Seeing her now, in her three-dimensional form was... surreal.

Mike hesitated for a moment, not wanting to scare her off. "Hello." He said soft, trying to be as non-threatening as possible. "I'm sorry to bother you, but... have you seen Will Byers today?"

El's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the brunette's name; she shifted uncomfortable, almost as if she was worried of saying the wrong thing. She cleared her throat speaking barely above a whisper, "Will... hasn't come to school today."

Mike felt his stomach drop. "He didn't come school, Are you sure?"

El nodded quickly, her expression anxious. "I—I haven't seen him. Not at all today. I think... maybe he's sick or... something." She seemed hesitant, like she was unsure if she should be sharing this information.

"Oh... okay." Mike frowned, pausing, "Do you know where he might be, or where he lives?"

"No... I don't... sorry," The doe-eyed girl shook her head weak.

"Thanks," Mike said, his voice gentle. He could see how nervous she was, and the last thing he wanted was to make her more uncomfortable. "I appreciate it."

He thought El's reaction was strange to say the least, so was Dustin's, it was almost as if they were afraid of him... they wouldn't be, right? It was just like in the real world where the ravenette had a bit of a reputation. He was a 'bad kid' to say the least; he would get into fights, smoke, skip lessons and generally caused trouble. It wasn't something he was proud of, but it was easier to act out then deal with all the crap life threw at him; he tried to do better after his sister left.

But wasn't this supposed to be a game? A fictional world? So why did it feel like his reputation had followed him here? Why did El look at him like she was expecting him to lash out or cause trouble?

Snapping out of his thoughts, El quickly stepped back, biting her lip, almost as if she were afraid of being drawn into a longer conversation. Swiftly, she slipped past Mike to enter the art club.

The ravenette stood in the hall confused, muttering out loud to himself; "Will would never miss school," it didn't make sense to him, Will was here on an Art Scholarship; he never missed a day in fear of being suspended...

The only time Will had ever missed school was... in the worst ending when he plans to leave forever... when he was ready to leave everything behind, to escape the pain and the loneliness he felt. The thought of it made Mike's chest tighten with worry.

Was that what was happening? Was Will planning to leave, just like before?

As if a result of his spiralling thoughts, another message flickered on screen, this time the pink sign had a different message;

[New Mission: Find Will Byers.]

Mike's eyes widened as he read the words. Sure, it was a clear objective, just like in the video games he played. But this wasn't a game - it was his life; this shouldn't be filling up his view.

His heart skipped a beat; the message was a command– telling him what to do. The words carried weight. If Will was really planning to leave, then Mike needed to find him now; before it was too late. But how? He had no clue where he was right now.

In an instant, the pink message shifted, catching him off guard. All words disappeared, replaced by a detailed map showing the layout of the surrounding areas, it covered the whole of the town. It was like a GPS complete with markers indicating specific locations; one blue another yellow. The blue dot stood at Maple Leaf Private school, that must be his current location... so that means the yellow dot is Will, and he is... at the train station!

The ravenette furrowed his brows in thought, Will was at the train station. The realisation that Will was really planning to leave just like Mike feared; in the game after Will leaves in the worst ending, he goes missing, no one ever sees him again; almost as if he vanished off the face of the Earth.

But before the tall boy could react any further, a timer appeared on screen, counting down:

[Time Remaining - 45:00]

Goosebumps littered the ravenette's skin as he watched the seconds tick away. He had just fourty-five minutes to reach Will before the brunette boarded that train; each second that passed was a second closer to losing Will, possibly forever.

He didn't waste another moment. Mike took off down the hallway, his mind singularly focused on the yellow marker on the map. Rushing to the school exit, he bolted out the doors, making his way past the campus to the gates.

He didn't hesitate despite the imposing brick walls that covered his field of view; they were no match for his determination. He was used to scaling walls like this; he had done so during all his years at his own private schools, it was no wonder why the ravenette had failed most of his subjects; part of him regrets that.

Using a tree for leverage he scaled the wall, feeling familiar adrenaline pumping through his veins; skipping class and sneaking out had been a constant for him, whether he was from his house or from school.

Mike swung a leg over the top and jumped down on the other side, landing with a thud on the pavement. Assessing his options, his first instinct was to call a taxi but it was rush hour, no way a taxi was going to get here in time through this traffic.

"Running it is" the tall boy muttered to himself, sprinting down the sidewalk. His legs burned, and his breath came in sharp bursts, but he pushed through the discomfort. Every second mattered.

Following the map, he was getting closer to his goal, the clock was ticking down;

[Time Remaining - 36:24]

[Time Remaining - 36:23]

[Time Remaining - 36:22]

The ravenette pushed the hair out of his eyes, he needed to be there; he darted through intersections, narrowly avoiding cars and pedestrians, his focus entirely on reaching the station.

---- 4:23 PM ----

The ravenette's heart pounded in his chest, the station was easy to navigate, only being four platforms. The sound of his own footsteps echoed in his ears; the timer reading

[Time Remaining - 2:57]

He pushed himself, not even bothering to pay as he jumped out the turnstile. Making his way to the platform, the two markers on the map getting closer; the blue was meeting yellow. Another message filled the ravenette's view.

[Entering Love Supremacy Zone]

Love Supremacy Zone? Mike had no time to question it as he advanced, in his sight he saw a boy with an old pair of headphones around his neck; a bag on each shoulder and one on his back; it was undeniably Will.

"Final Call; Train 03221971 from Indiana to California now departing at Platform 2." A robotic voice called from the speakers; this was THE train!

Mike's eyes widened as he stepped closer, seeing the brunette gathering his bags and taking one step into the train. There was no one else on the platform, just him and Will. The ravenette, consumed with his haste reached out, grabbing the brunette by his backpack.

The momentum carried him back off the train and before he knew it, he collided with Will, sending them both to the ground, laying side-by-side. The impact made Will drop his bags, sprawled all over the place.

The sound of the train doors sliding shut echoed through the station, followed by the low rumble of the train pulling away from the platform. The ravenette looked up at the sky, realising what had happened. He did it! And luckily, they had fallen a few feet away from the gap, making them safe on the ground.

A series of messages flooded the tall boy's vision;

[Mission Complete: Find Will Byers]

[The World Has Changed]

[World Change; Will Byers Has Missed the Train]

Mike remained on the cold platform floor, a mix of exhaustion and relief washing over him; it felt like the first time he'd sat down since he got into this crazy world. He couldn't help but chuckle as he looked up at the ceiling. He had just tackled a complete stranger in a train station, all because of some floating messages.

Will, still trying to process what had just happened, struggled to sit up; his bags keeping him tangled. But Mike was still holding onto his wrist, his grip firm despite the train that had already left.

"Can you... let go?" Will asked, his voice demanded as he tried to pull his hand free.

Looking at the brunette's face, more messages appeared before his eyes,

[Will Byers Has Recognised You]

The text quickly changed but the ravenette didn't dare loosen his grip. Something in him didn't want to let go... not yet.

[Calculating Fondness...]

[Fondness: -30]

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2867 Words

This is my first time writing primarily from Mike's POV, wish me luck <3

Stay Safe <3