MIKE POV-

[-100]

Damn.

Mike didn't even know how to react... and he didn't know what to do to make it better. The brunette was still sitting on the grass, staring at his work as if passing the evil eye onto it. Mike knew he had to play this right, not just for the sake of the game, but for Will, who was clearly struggling more than anyone realized.

"Hmmm" Mike frowned, then turning his attention to the boy next to him, "Dustin do you want to make some new friends?"

"Aren't you the one who needs friends?" Dustin covered his mouth upon realising what he said,

"Haha," The ravenette chuckled, "I'm being serious."

Phew! Dustin almost spoiled himself upon waiting for Mike's reaction, he was lucky it was positive,

The ravenette didn't even notice when another figure sat beside him, sketchbook in hand, cutting the conversation short, "Hello Micheal, Dustin," El said soft, sitting beside the ravenette, sandwiching him in the middle,

"Yo," Dustin chuckled, tipping his baseball cap,

"Wait... You know each other?" the ravenette was momentarily caught off-guard; he thought El knew no one in this school,

"Yup!" El smiled, "I make the sets for Dustin's friends, so we've met multiple times,"

"Oh, by the way, the last one was perfect! Max was ecstatic!" Dustin complimented her, his smile making his eyes squint,

"Anyways..." Mike paused at the unlikely duo of friends, "Do you both wanna go get something to eat... me, you two and Will?"

El nodded slightly, still a bit shy, but clearly willing. Dustin eagerly grinned and agreed. "Sounds fun."

With a plan in mind all Mike had to do was wait for Will and El to finish their club for the day, nothing could go wrong.

---- 4:57 PM ----

"No," Will replied flat, putting his art supplies away, neatly organising them for the next time he would use them, ensuring they were also good for the other students. He didn't even look at Mike as he was talking. El and Dustin exchanged looks, agreeing they would let Mike do all the talking.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Mike replied crossing his arms, a small pout on his face,

"I mean, I don't want to." Will answered, finally turning to face the trio before him, all packed and ready to leave, "If I was hungry, I could eat at home."

"Hey! But didn't you wanted to see me for lunch?" The ravenette raised a brow.

"That was lunch, this is after school," Will explained the difference as if it was the clearest differentiation in the world.

This brat! It's been hours since lunch! Mike was begged to have lunch with him, risked getting attacked by the lunch line, getting a chair thrown at him, enduring Troy's nonsensical tangents and then waited for the art club to finish just for him to be immediately rejected. Will was treating this like it was a major unconvince.

"Mister?" El chirped in, addressing Will. Since when she was so formal?

Dustin side-eyed her, "El you're in the same class as him, what was that?" he facepalmed, trying his best not to laugh.

"Nervous." She stated, wiping her sweaty palms on her blazer, "Anyway Will, we were wondering if you wanted to go out to eat, to say thanks for what happened at lunch."

"Yeah!" Mike nodded, continuing what El said with a joke, "You really helped Mr Byers!"

"Ugh... you're so immature..." Will groaned, "All I did was bring a teacher,"

"Yeah... but that was the climax!" refusing to take no for an answer, the ravenette stepped closer. "Come on, it'll be fun. Just a quick meal, and then you can head home. You need to eat anyway, right?"

"No," Will resisted, the persistence slightly wearing him down.

"You leave me no choice!" Mike replied with a resigned sigh, suddenly grabbing hold of the brunette's wrist, dragging him out the school gates.

Will jerked forward, allowing himself to be dragged along, his annoyance clear, "I said, I don't want to go. Let go!" the brunette protested, pulling against the ravenette's grip.

Mike was relentless, tightening his hold on Will's wrist as they walked down the street, "Trust me Will. You're gonna love this place!" trying to sound upbeat even as Will dug in his heels.

El and Dustin trailed close behind, exchanging uncertain glances, they did not think that was going to work. El looked like she wanted to say something but held back, unsure of what she could even say. Dustin merely shrugged, stepping close.

After what felt like an eternity of stubborn resistance, they arrived at the popular, spicy noodle spot in town. The place bustling with people, a rich aroma of spices wafting out the door and onto the street; the ravenette took in the scent, pulling Will inside,

"Let go of me!"

"You're already inside, so let's sit." Mike finally let go of Will's wrist, but positioned himself between Will and the door, blocking any chance of escape.

"I said no, and you still dragged me here," Will crossed his arms, glaring.

"Yes... and now that I forced you here, I'm going to force you to eat noodles."

"Umm... Mike?" El pipped into the conversation, "We can just go home..."

"It's fine El, don't mind Will." Mike smiled soft,

Will drowned his voice out, "I don't like noodles,"

"You do," The ravenette replied quick

"I don't." the brunette argued.

"You do," Mike repeated, a brow raised, he knew Will liked noodles because Will was unable to reply; almost as if he knew he'd been discovered, "Stop arguing and get to a table!" he pushed the brunette to a seat, pulling a chair out and plopping him down.

[Debuff Due to Low Fondness]

The ravenette mentally groaned looking both ways; there was danger, but he didn't know where. Was Troy, Jake and Angela going to bust down the door and start another fight? However, the vibrant chatter of other patrons and the clicking of dishes filled the sound and nothing seemed out of the usual. Still the message put him on edge, making him hyper aware of his surroundings.

"Mike?" Dustin questioned, all eyes of those at the tables,

"Oh... yeah?" Mike shook his head, sitting next to the brunette,

---- 5:46 PM ----

The group looked at the food before them; a bowl of noodles each, the atmosphere was awkward, Dustin trying to engage the brunette in conversations, but his efforts were met with one-word answers and uncomfortable silences; even El tried to start a conversation but Will appeared as if he would be anywhere but here. The atmosphere was thick, and even Mike who was usually good at filling the silence found it hard to.

"Yeesh!" Mike joked, faking a shiver, "This is looking like a blind date... a very bad one. Let's just eat." He chuckled to himself as he continued, wanting to tease the brunette a little, hoping to get a smile or begin a conversation that didn't end with one word. Using a fork, Mike picked up some noodles, twisting it before holding it up to the brunette's mouth. "Open wide."

Will didn't even respond, shooting a sharp look, snatching the fork out of Mike's hand. He took a tentative bite, but almost immediately, his eyes widened, beginning to cough uncontrollably, reaching desperately for his glass.

"What's wrong? Drink some water." Mike's grin faded, quickly pouring water into the cup, handing it over. But before he could think, El and Dustin also started coughing, their faces red, and eyes watering as they struggled to handle the food in front of them.

"You guys as well?" Mike asked at the sudden reaction, pouring two more glasses.

The ravenette watched the trio, Will spitting his piece into a napkin while El powered through it, Dustin chugging water like he was in the desert, "You should have said you guys didn't like spicy food." Mike explained, refilling now-empty glasses.

"It's not that!" El exclaimed, for the first time her tone wasn't quiet nor calm; she fanned her mouth, tears forming in her eyes.

With furrowed brows, the ravenette wanted to see what this was all about, using his fork, he twirled the noodles, taking a bite. The moment the food touched his tongue, a fiery explosion overwhelmed his senses, the intense heat spreading through his mouth far beyond what he had expected.

Immediately, he spat it out into a nearby napkin, "Oooh!" he exclaimed, making an 'o' shape with his lips to allow air to enter. Leaning closer to the bowls, he noticed a faint but unmistakeable purple aura simmering from the noodles, confirming his suspicions- the food was the debuff... he sighed, he should have been on high alert.

Before Mike could say anything, the manager of the store came up to them, her eyes full of regret, "I am so sorry students!" she began, explaining the situation with an apologetic stance. The food before them appeared to be a cooking mistake; instead of applying the mild flavour to the noodles, the highest spice level was used at double the amount. The manager accepted full liability, covering the cost of the meal before promptly leaving, casting one last apology.

Opposite him, Mike heard a soft giggle. El was trying to cover her laughter, but it was no use, her chuckles were just too strong, her previous distress replaced by the amusement of the situation. Dustin joined in with laughter, even though they were both still burning with the effects of the spicy noodles, the ridiculousness of the situation was too much to ignore.

---- 7:43 PM ----

"Will, are you okay there?" the ravenette questioned, handing over a milk carton he brought from the store.

"..." the brunette grabbed the carton, leaning over the edge, chugging the milk,

"Willll?" Mike questioned in a cute tone.

"...Shut up!" the brunette groaned; his voice hoarse.

"Yes sir!" Mike stepped back, sitting on the bench opposite the boy as if he was scolded.

El and Dustin had gone home shortly after dinner, their houses were much closer to the school then Will; the brunette lived some distance away, and Mike was the one designated to take him home. The current problem was the state of Will's health, those spicy noodles really did a number on him, his face pale after vomiting his lunch, he was nauseous on the bus ride home despite Mike fanning his side and opening the window.

Mike dropped the brunette off to a pavilion overlooking Lover's Lake. The late-night sky reflecting on the stillness of the ocean, twinkling lights adorning the rim, rays from streetlamps creating a serene atmosphere; the water rippled, sound echoing through the woods.

The pair sat in an awkward silence for a moment until Will finally broke it, his demeanour calm after his beverage, "You watched me paint today, didn't you?" Will said, his voice low but steady.

"Really? How? But I was being so sneaky!" the ravenette chuckled soft,

"Don't come again," the brunette replied curt, his tone slicing the air, "You're not part of the club." The ravenette didn't respond, allowing Will to fill the air again, "You saw how bad I was... and that's why you asked me out to eat."

"No. I just figured it would be a nice thing to do, the four of us, you know?" Mike replied, throwing his hands up with a grin.

"I'm quitting Art," Will said abruptly,

"What?" the ravenette's eyes widened at the sudden revelation.

Looking down at the carton of milk in his hands, Will continued, "I used to be good at it," his tone soft this time. "Art was the one thing I had that I was actually good at. But now, I can't stand it... and I don't have any reason to do it anymore,"

Mike's face softened, listening to every word, his concern deepening. "Will, you're just going through a rough patch, it happens to every artist."

"It's not a 'rough patch'," The brunette's tone soft, finally meeting Mike's eyes, "I can't give that excuse anymore,"

"Don't you feel anything when you draw now?"

"Nothing." Will responded, "So you should just go,"

"What?" Mike muttered barely audible,

"I said I'm not going to do art anymore, so you should just leave me as well." The brunette repeated,

The ravenette looked at Will, absorbing the words, allowing them to simmer, the reflections from the lake twinkling in his eyes, "You're dumb, you know that?" he said, but his tone was soft, affectionate. "I'm not going anywhere, Will," Mike added after a moment. "I'm sticking around, whether you're painting or not. But I think you'll regret it if you give up now. You're too good to just let it all go."

"I just... I don't see the point." The brunette fidgeted with his milk carton,

"I think that's just the hunger talking," Mike whispered, knowing how much Will threw up earlier; prepared for the situation, he took out some food he brought from the store when he went to buy the milk carton. Triangle sandwiches in cardboard containers; it wasn't the most luxurious meal, but it was something.

Mike handed Will the food he brought, Will took it without a word, eating in silence as he stared out at the lake. The quiet stretched on, but Mike didn't mind. He could tell that Will needed this moment—needed the space to gather his thoughts.

The ravenette also ate a sandwich he brought for himself, bread and cheese, delicious. In the quiet, Mike's mind raced, looking at Will, feeling oddly connected, relating to him on a deeper level; although having different backgrounds, Mike knows how it feels to have everyone abandon you... just for you to abandon yourself as a result. To feel useless, as if anything you do wasn't good enough... to not be able to continue anymore.

The void stretched on, minutes passing, serene sounds of water filling the air. Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, Will spoke, his voice steady, "Sorry for what I said earlier..." He glanced at Mike; his expression guarded. "I shouldn't have said what I said to you all of a sudden,"

"Are you really going to quit Art?" The ravenette questioned soft,

Will sighed, placing his containers to one side, "If I quit, I won't get my scholarship. Then I won't be able to come to school or go to college." He ran a hand through his hair.

Mike swallowed the lump in his throat, he wished he could help; he didn't know what to say in this situation. However, before he could even open his mouth the brunette stood up to his feet,

"You should go home now, its late... your sister will beat your ass again." Will said, his usual tone peeking through after his meal; he was exhausted, but it appeared as though he wanted to show some semblance of composure, even managing to smile.

Mike got up without hesitation, he could tell that Will wanted some time alone, and he respected that. He stood up, brushing off his pants, stepping out of the pavilion together.

Will turned to leave, ready to head home, but Mike couldn't let him go without saying something, "Will," calling out, his voice firm yet sincere, "If you ever decide to quit art... call me, okay?"

"What are you talking about now?" Will questioned, his tone teetering confusion and his usual coldness.

"I will help you any way I can," the ravenette spoke about himself, adding emphasis into his words; he really meant it, pouring his whole soul into the sentence.

There was something in Mike's tone, an intensity, a genuine care, just something that made Will pause. He turned back, visibly stunned by the depth of Mike's words. For a moment, he just stared, as if trying to process what was said; Will lowered his face, shadows obstructing his features, making it no longer visible.

Finally, Will managed a quiet, "Goodnight Mike," almost as if he was forcing himself to leave before he says something he regrets. Will turned away again, this time stepping off, his footsteps echoing softly as he followed the route home.

Mike watched him go, his face softening, he didn't want to leave Will alone at a time like this, but it didn't feel right to stay longer, nor did he want to see a debuff message right now, afraid his mere presence would hurt him. Mike sighed, kicking a rock as he walked away from the path, toward the bus-stop. A familiar message appeared,

[Calculating Will Byers' Fondness]

The dots on screen blinked slowly, as if calculating in real time, the system had no rush. The ravenette's heart pounded in his chest, waiting for the outcome; it was taking an unusually longer time than usual. So long that Mike had managed to walk to the bus stop and secure a seat on the bus.

However, after an eternity of waiting, the message he was eager for appeared,

[Fondness: 0]

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2736 Words

Stay Safe <3