WILL POV-

---- 11:33 PM ----

The brunette sat alone in his dimly lit room, the light from the moon being the only source of light illuminating his surroundings. Will looked out, the stars dotting the night sky, connecting constellations and ever expansive. In his hand was a stress ball, venting his frustrations upon it.

He couldn't wrap his mind around Mike's actions, why was the ravenette so insistent on helping him? What did he hope to gain from it? It wasn't like Will was rich, he didn't have anything he could give that would make Mike want to stay.

Mike's mind repeated in his mind, 'I will help you any way I can,' the brunette gripped the stress ball in his hand, squeezing tight as his thoughts spiralled. He wanted to understand, it didn't make sense, it was the same question he's been asking himself for the past week.

"Who are you to me Mike?" Will mumbled to himself, frustrated and annoyed, but not at anyone else, rather himself for not figuring it out. Why was Mike doing all of this? Why did he keep pushing and wanting to get closer? Why did Mike know exactly how to act around Will?

With a sharp pop, the stress ball burst, the sudden release of pressure sending a wave of annoyance through Will. He looked down at the mess in his hand, sighing, "Well shit."

MIKE POV-

---- A few days later: Saturday 10:45 AM ----

Mike: "How are you feeling?"

Mike: "Yoooooo?"

Mike: "WILLL?"

Mike sat at the table, eating his breakfast, phone in hand, staring at the messages he'd sent to Will, "Left on read again!" he muttered under his breath; he thought he was making progress, but Will was acting even weirder these days, almost impossible to find, even in school. It was a nightmare.

Mike thought it would get easier now fondness was at zero. It wasn't positive but it wasn't negative either... but a neutral base was a win in his book. Pouting his lips, he thought hard, his leg vibrating up and down uncontrollably.

"Stop shaking." Nancy commanded, tapping his leg with her hand.

"Nancy, do you think I should get a job?" the ravenette asked, completely ignoring her demand,

Nancy put down her coffee, "A job? Why?"

Mike shrugged, fiddling with his phone. "I don't know. I've got a lot of free time, and it could be something to do. Plus, I wouldn't mind making some extra cash."

"If you want to..." Nancy raised an eyebrow, studying him for a moment, "But not cooking... you're a horrible chef."

"Have a little faith in me." The ravenette joked cocky.

"Then how do you always manage to give me food poisoning? Huh Mike?" Nancy deadpanned, asking rhetorical questions,

"That's cause I don't like you," Mike smiled, a mocking-pout on his face.

"You brat!" Nancy swatted her arm, intending to hit her brother's arm playfully but he moved out the way, darting to his room," Chicken!" His sister yelled behind him, her tone a playful angry,

Still on his phone, Mike switched contacts, quickly texting one of the only other people he had a number for, Dustin.

Mike: "Do you know any places hiring?"

Almost like clockwork, the curly haired boy replied, so Mike's phone wasn't broken, it was just that Will didn't feel like responding.

[Dustin: "Do you need money?"]

Mike: "Not desperately, but it would be nice."

The ravenette tried finding places on his own, going through the same process in the real world; it's difficult to find a job at his age. Despite being in the prime of his life, most places didn't hire students, and they didn't want anyone who looked like a delinquent.

[Dustin: "Want to meet up?"]

The ravenette quickly agreed, throwing on his jacket, and headed over to Dustin's house. The cool air whipped past him as he pedalled through the neighbourhood. When he arrived, Dustin was already waiting outside, bouncing on his heels with a grin.

"Come in!" the curly haired boy announced, moving to one side as he closed the door behind the ravenette.

"Your home is nice." Mike muttered,

"Oh thanks," Dustin replied, grateful.

The house was really nice, it felt lived in. Mike looked around seeing the patterns and pictures on the wall, just Dustin, his mother and the family cat. The ravenette smiled to himself, the pictures were cute, and they all looked really happy. However, the house was unusually quiet.

Dustin sat down on the couch and turned to Mike. "So, how much do you need? If it's urgent, I can loan you."

The ravenette waved it off, feeling a tad awkward, wiping his hands on his pants, "No... it's not that urgent... and don't give money to people willy-nilly, you'll get scammed."

Dustin nodded, chuckling soft, "Oh... in that case I do have a job you can do.... But it requires carrying heavy stuff, is that okay?"

"That's my specialty!" The ravenette gave a thumbs-up, a bright smile on his face,

But before the conversation could continue, the door creaked open and in walked Max and Lucas who were in the other room, their outfits too fancy for a casual friend meetup. Max shot a sharp look in Mike's direction, her face cold compared to the last time they had interacted in the hall.

"What is he doing here?" she asked cold, clearly not thrilled about the ravenette's presence.

Mike shifted uncomfortably under Max's glare. He hadn't expected her to suddenly be so hostile, the last time they met Max was hyping the ravenette up, making him visible to her viewers, it's a stark difference.

"He's my friend! Mike's cool now, alright? He's looking for a part-time job," Dustin said

"So you're here to scrounge money off of Dustin? That's low!" the redhead argued, ignoring what Dustin had just said.

Mike held his hands up in surrender, "I'm really Dustin's friend."

Max raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Oh really? So, you've just transformed into a law-abiding citizen now? Dustin's my friend, and I don't want you dragging him into whatever mess you're in; so just get out!"

"Max..." Lucas tried to reason, placing a calming hand on Max's shoulder but she ducked away, muffling his voice,

Seeing Mike stationary, the redhead continued arguing, "I'm being serious Wheeler! Don't piss me off!"

The ravenette sighed, "Okay, fine, fine, I'm leaving!" turning to his friend, "Dustin, I'm gonna go now, I'll text you later." Mike stood up to leave, but Troy sauntered into the room, his usual carefree attitude apparent with every step, scanning the faces of everyone in the room, his expression changing to a cocky grin upon seeing the ravenette.

"I should have told you... Troy works with my friends too." Dustin whispered, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Oh look, it's Mr tough guy," Troy taunted, stepping closer to Mike.

Dustin shot Mike a quick glance, sensing his discomfort, "I'll text you later, man. We'll sort out the job."

Mike nodded with a smile, heading for the door, ready to get out of this tense situation. But Troy, wanting to assert his position in their dynamic followed, blocking the path; he didn't want it to end that quickly. "Leaving so soon? Hang around a bit!" he mocked,

Mike stopped, his fists clenched at his sides, taking a deep breath to calm down, "Is this your house?"

"No. It's Dustin's." The bully replied,

"And are we friends?" Mike asked,

"No." Troy continued.

Max butt into the conversation once again, "Troy what's your problem with him? Just let him go." her tone sharp. She didn't know what Troy's plan was, but she knew it was probably no good. By her side, Lucas remained quiet but nodded in agreement, waiting to hear Troy's response.

Troy shrugged, smirking, "I'm just... interested," he replied, his tone thick with insincerity.

Max scoffed, crossing her arms. "Well, show your interest somewhere else. Mike's not staying."

Suddenly, a vibration echoed through the ravenette, directing his attention to his pockets. Taking out his phone, Mike glanced at the screen, shocked to see Will's name flashing. Will? But he never calls? Answering the phone, Mike raised the phone to his ear, "Hello?"

But on the other side was nothing but silence, "Hello? Will? Are you there?" then faint groaning was heard, barely audible, like someone was struggling to speak, unable to form coherent words.

Mike felt his heart pounding, something was clearly wrong, "Will?!" Mike repeated, louder this time, his concern growing.

Without a second thought, Mike bolted to the door, pushing past Troy, not even a second glance, having no time to even say goodbye. His mind raced with worry for Will, what happened?

Max stood arms crossed, watching Mike leave, confusion etching her face. She'd been expecting some kind of confrontation with Troy, but instead, Mike had taken off in a hurry just because of some phone call.

As the ravenette got to the door, Troy grumbled, barely audible, "I haven't been ignored in a long time," rushing to catch up with Mike before it was too late.

Max shot him an annoyed glance but didn't respond. Instead, her thoughts drifted, the old Mike wouldn't have walked away like that; not after being taunted. He probably would have beat Troy to a pulp. Was Dustin right... did Mike actually turn a new leaf; his whole aura was less threatening than usual.

Lucas, standing beside Max, spoke up, realising Troy was walking out. "Troy! Get back here! We have a shoot!"

Meanwhile, finally making his way outside, Mike attempted to call Will after he had been cut off. The distress and groaning of the call echoed in his mind. He walked to the pavement, ready to run to Will's house on foot; there were no taxi's anywhere and waiting for one would take too long.

Troy caught up to him, his smirk a permanent staple on his face, "How will you get there? Bus? Taxi?" Troy rushed to his side, walking beside him. "I'll give you a lift."

"Leave me alone! Go away!" Mike replied annoyed,

"You'll get faster with me!" He was always pushing Mike's buttons, but today it felt different, like he was actively trying to insert himself into whatever was happening with Will. "Aren't you in a rush?"

Mike opened his mouth, ready to respond, he didn't know why he engaged in this conversation to begin with.

[Mission: Find Will Byers]

[Time Remaining: 30:00]

The ravenette paused, the message appearing in his sight, covering Troy's face. It was just like the first day Mike got here, when he was tasked with saving Will from leaving the State. Was that happening again?

The countdown had begun, and now there was a map showing Will's location- once more, the blue marker representing Mike, and the yellow representing Will; he was across town- at home... Mike wouldn't be able to get there in time even if he took a taxi.

He didn't have time to waste.

Mike exhaled sharply and looked at Troy. "Fine," he grumbled begrudgingly, "So is it a car or something?"

"Better!" Troy responded, walking toward a motorbike parked in the street; it was like its owner, flashy and exuding arrogance, "Look at this baby!"

"You have got to be shitting me." Mike muttered.

Troy climbed onto the driver's seat, already taking charge, "Hop on and try not to scream!" Troy said with a cocky grin, swinging his leg to the other side, not even bothering to wear a helmet.

The ravenette clenched his jaw, beyond annoyed; he didn't have time for games. He was worried sick for Will and didn't want Troy to treat this like some sort of joyride. "Get off... and wear a helmet." Mike said through gritted teeth, trying to keep his patience in check.

The bully raised an eyebrow, still holding the handlebars. "What, scared I'll crash? I've been driving since middle school."

Middle school? You have to be at least sixteen to have a licence, "Do you even have a license?"

"I'll be getting it later this year." Troy winked, as if it was the most casual thing ever.

[Time Remaining: 26:54]

At the scene of the timer decreasing Mike snapped, "Troy!" he yelled, sliding Troy to the back seat, stopping him from starting the motorbike. "You don't have a license. I do. I'm driving, end of story."

The bully rolled his eyes, shocked by the sudden outburst but it didn't affect him, throwing his hands in the air in mocking surrender, "Geez! Fine! Don't get your panties in a twist." getting off the bike, he got the helmets from under the seat and threw Mike the keys.

The ravenette shot him a glare as he caught the keys, quickly straddling himself to the front of the bike. Placing his helmet on, he revved the engine, "Just get on the back and hold on." Mike muttered, not even waiting for a response. Troy jumped on, snickering under his breath,

Mike revered the engine starting the travel to Will's location, the map of the town loading as if it was lying in wait, telling him to hurry. Mike focused on the road, ignoring the protests from behind to go faster, to break the speed limit, to do cool tricks. The ravenette used to ride a motorbike when he was in his junior and senior year, it was illegal at the time, but he eventually got his license.

The timer ticked on, forcing the boys through the dense town and into the woods, getting closer to the brunette. The moment the bike screeched to a halt in front of the brunette's house, Mike practically jumped off the bike springing to the door.

[Time Remaining: 7:43]

Mike knocked frantically, but there was no answer, he peered through the windows, seeing no signs of life. But Will was inside, the GPS told him so. He grabbed the handle of the door and twisted; it did not budge. "I'm sorry, Will," he muttered under his breath before yanking sharply, breaking the handle off in his hand, the wood splintering.

Troy watched from afar, dismounting the bike, taking a step back, his eyes wide. "Woah..." he said, for once his mockery absent, replaced by genuine unease.

Pushing the door open, Mike rushed inside, scanning the dimly lit house. He searched for the switch for the lights but nothing happened; the room still cloaked in darkness. From what Mike could see, on one side was the kitchen and on the other was the living room, "Will?" Mike called, walking deeper into the threshold.

That's when Mike saw him- Will, lying crumped on the floor, unconscious. Panic flooded Mike's very core as he rushed over, crouching down, quickly checking his breathing. His skin was burning hot, but his pulse was steady, thankfully.

"Will? Will wake up!" Mike's voice cracked, but there was no response, he tried shaking him, tapping his face, but nothing seemed to wake him.

Troy stepped to the house, his smile fading upon seeing the brunette, clearly unnerved by the scene, "Is he okay? What's the address? He needs an ambulance!" He asked, uncharacteristically concerned.

"No time!" Mike said firmly, urgency pushing him forward. He needed to move fast. Without another thought, Mike lifted Will into his arms, throwing him onto his back in a piggyback carry. Will was lighter than expected, making the pit grow deeper,

"I'm taking him to the hospital, I saw it on the way here!" Mike said through gritted teeth, already moving out the door, leaving before Troy could even get another word in.

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2504 Words

Stay Safe <3