WILL POV-

The brunette couldn't believe his eyes skipping over, his heart beating even faster in his chest, enveloping them all into a deep hug, "GUYS!!" He screamed, accidently pushing Argyle out the way.

Will didn't care if his clothes were now muddy; the separation anxiety he felt quickly disappearing. It was only a day, but he assumed he was never going to see his friends again; he was ecstatic.

The embrace filling them all with joy but eventually let go. Will had too many questions and not enough time, "How, and why are you here?" his voice wavering, and his hands shaking from shock.

"We crossed the portal!" El smiled bright,

"Wait... you actually went through it?" The brunette's eyes widened

"Hell yeah!" Max excitedly threw her hair behind her head

"And we stole a minivan!" The doe-eyed girl added, proud of their accomplishment

"A-a what?" Will questioned surprised, taken aback.

"We did actually do that!" Max added throwing her hands in the air, "Don't blame us! We needed to get to Lenora somehow; It was Lucas's idea!"

"Lucas! I never expected this from you!" The brunette jokingly sighed,

"Well, we had to count on me for the best ideas" The athletic boy pointed to himself confidently

"How did you find me anyway?" Will questioned scanning their faces

"That's thanks to Dustin! He knew where you lived" The redhead answered, "Bit creepy if you ask me!" playfully whispering the last sentence.

"It wasn't creepy... I asked him on the camp trip; it's not my fault I have photographic memory!" The curly haired boy deadpanned

"Then why are you failing calculous?" Lucas raised an eyebrow

"That's because it's boring!" Dustin mocked

"Okay... but how did you find me here, specifically?" Will pointed at the rink emphasizing how they had found him HERE, at this exact spot.

"I remember you said this was near your house so... here we are!" The curly haired boy admitted

"And what if I wasn't here today?" The small boy raised an eyebrow

"Well, that's a hurdle we don't have to cross now, do we?" Max dismissed the question asking a rhetorical question

Amidst all the excited chatter and chaos, Will couldn't help but notice an oddity; the absence of noise from a particular person: Mike. The ravenette's eyes lingered but never dared to say a word, but for what reason? Why would he act different now? He had no reason to.

Curiosity and confusion filled the brunette's mind, extending a hand out to the ravenette's shoulder patting him, "Is everything okay?" Will mumbled, worried for the reaction that might occur as Mike was quieter than usual.

Suddenly the ravenette pulled the brunette into a tight embrace, refusing to let go under any circumstances. Mike needed to say what he wanted to now, or it might be too late. "I'm so glad you're safe!" The ravenette sighed a breath of relief.

"I'm glad you guys managed to get here somehow..." Will smiled, "But you are crushing my windpipe" struggling his words.

"Sorry" Mike awkwardly let go, scratching the back of his neck; the tension palpable

"Can we go roller skating?" El excitedly chirped tugging her girlfriend's arm, jumping up and down.

"Yeah of course!" Max answered.

"You lot go inside! We'll be there in a minute!" The ravenette called grabbing Will by the hand, sitting him down on a nearby bench. "J-just stay here for a moment... and don't move!" The ravenette nervously ordered, jogging over to the minivan pulling something out the backseat; something wrapped in tissue paper.

The tall ravenette closed the door, leaning on the van. He licked his lips; cheekily grinning over to the brunette; a bouquet in hand. He uttered no words stepping closer.

He held the bouquet out toward the boy; His hair almost covering his eyes, as his green-brown eyes glimmered in the florescent lights emitting from the roller rink. Mike warmly smiled, running a hand through his raven locks, nervously handing the flowers over, his hands trembling

"Wha-" Will furrowed his brows never expecting something like this.

"I- l got this for you... I kinda wanted to know if you'd like to... date me? Like officially! Like boyfriend- boyfriend" The boy scratched the back of his neck stretching his words

"M-Mike- Don't you think it's a li-" Will frowned looking down at the bouquet.

"I know! You're going to tell me how crazy I am for doing this so quickly but... after what happened I decided to take this risk- no matter how big!" The ravenette fidgeted anticipating the answer "Will? So, what do you say?"

A moment of silence enveloped them; the confession hanging heavy in the air. The brunette didn't understand why he was soo surprised, this was information he was already aware of, but hearing Mike call his name made his heart skip a beat, his eyes shimmering with emotions; a clumsy smile spreading across his face.

Without uttering another word, Will closed the distance between them, his hands carefully cupping Mike's cheeks, in that moment all the uncertainties and insecurities the brunette felt faded, melting into Mike's touch before pulling away embarrassed of what he had done.

But the ravenette grabbed the brunette's chin, pulling him in. He caressed Will's cheek approaching closer and closer. Will internally panicked, was this going to be the moment he had always wished for; the moment he had only read about in fairytales... and it was happening to him.

He closed the gap. The brunette melted this time, smiling against the ravenette's lips pulling away, a smile that wouldn't leave his face.

"We should go before they ask questions" Will mumbled

"Oh, come on!" Mike pouted, "One more kiss?"

"No Mike!" The brunette shook his head, "I thought you were rich... and I still haven't been taken on a date yet!" playfully furrowing his brows.

"Oh of course!" The ravenette excitedly jumped from his seat, dramatically extending a hand to the brunette.

Will graciously accepted; it would be his pleasure to take Mike's hand, but they decided to keep it a little secret from the outside world.

As they walked in, their hands caressed against one another, threatening to interlock. But they couldn't... well, not in public at least.

Upon walking close, the duo could see all their friends standing to one side, almost aloof of what to do: shouldn't they know? They have been roller-skating before! But none the less, the pair stepped over.

Looking across the hall to see Robin, Steve Johnathan, Argyle and Nancy still firmly in their seats turning to face them.

Nancy turned her head around, her eyes widening. From across the rink, she jumped up from her seat almost dropping Steve to the floor, to charge through the crowd. The party exchanged glances: what the hell is she doing? Will thought to himself, his mind immediately racing with all the possibilities for this scenario.

The strong-willed girl breathed heavy, ducking out the way of others before stopping before Mike... covering her mouth with her hand with an unreadable expression on her face.

"M-Mike?" Her voice wavered,

"Nancy?" The ravenette answered, pulled into a deep embrace by the girl. He didn't know who she was: should he know? But he knew her name? Why did he know her name? He couldn't understand!

"Mike..." she repeated, her voice full of compassion, slightly tugging away from the hug but keeping an arm on Mike's shoulder; she couldn't let him go... not now! Not ever! Not again! Her smile bright as her brother was right in front of her; the one they said poofed into thin air.

"Wait! You know her?" The brunette questioned

The ravenette thought hard; to his knowledge this was the first time he had ever met her, so why did he have weird DeJa'Vu? It was almost as though they had met before, but the vibes from the girl appeared to be a calming one. Remembering hard, he knew he was right! He just knew this girl was important to him. "Umm... she's- she's my sister!" The ravenette replied, his voice full of assurance.

Mike pulled her in for a hug, this time holding her tight. Memories flooding back, like a tsunami. He could remember; he could remember everything! His mother, father, Holly even the street he lived on as a child...

Was he part of this real world to? Merely a prisoner in the comic book? But if that was the case, why did he have vivid memories and backstories from his comic childhood; it was confusing.

"Wait..." Will blinked, "so when you said your brother was Mike, you meant-"

"Mike Wheeler, of course!" Nancy answered letting go of her brother before an entire ocean of tears fell from her eyes, draining her water supply. "Where the hell have you been this entire time?" She reprimanded, her worry evident, "And who's clothes are you wearing? And why are you all muddy?" Cascading him with an endless barrage of questions.

"I-I don't know?" Mike mumbled, not knowing how to explain any of this.

"You don't know? How do you not know?" The strong-willed girl repeated throwing her hands in the air.

"I mean-" the ravenette started but cut off by the brunette, "it's a long story, so you might wanna sit down for it..."

Nancy nodded as she and Mike walked in the opposite direction; the ravenette ready to tell his sister the secrets of the world.

The rest of the party strut to the booth confused by the whole interaction. His mother finally returned with food, "Honey... if you wanted to invite your friends you should have told me!" She smiled bright, "I could've brought more for them!"

"It's really okay Miss Byers!" Robin smiled bright; her demeanour changing to be polite and attentive. Even her posture was corrected; sitting up straight, not daring to slouch. What the hell happened to her when Will left for a few minutes?

Steve scanned the party until his eyes fell on a particular person, "Henderson?"

"Umm, yes?" Dustin furrowed his brows.

"HENDERSON!" Steve jumped up from his seat; a giant smile on his face.

"YES!" Dustin repeated louder and with the same amount of enthusiasm. He had never seen this man before but they instantly clicked.

The funky boy extended an arm, as if to exchange a greeting, but before anyone knew it, the two boys exchanged a secret handshake. And the curly haired boy completed it gasping audibly, he remembered: "Steve!"

"The one and only!" The funky boy joked pointing at himself.

But he didn't seem to be the only one who had an epiphany of memories at this point in time. Max and Lucas also stepped forward, remembering Steve and Robin, "Oh look Harrington! It's all your children!" The blue-eyed girl snorted

"Mayfield? Sinclair?" Steve added

"Yeah!" The pair replied in unison

"Where the hell have you been?" He walked over patting them both into a small hug.

"Well at least we know you're not the prime suspect anymore Harrington!" Robin chuckled

"Prime suspect?" Lucas questioned

"Yeah, in your guys' disappearance!" The blue-eyed girl replied

"Wait... we are missing kids?" Max questioned stretching her words

"Basically!" Steve softly admitted

"Just like you Will!" Lucas added pointing to the small boy.

"Everyone in that comic... is real!" He muttered under his breath. Will finally pieced it together; the revolution hitting him like a truck. It wasn't something he ever expected, assuming he was merely the only real person in a sea of paper flat characters.

"I'm sorry?" Robin scrunched her face, confused by what the boy had said, a real comic? Characters coming to life?

"We were trapped in a comic!" Dustin explained in the least amount of detail as possible.

"Wait... but how come we couldn't remember then?" Max questioned, bringing a fairly good argument to the table.

Will raised a finger to the air, "that... I don't have an answer to that!" He said stepping away for a moment, noticing his 'stepsister' El quietly standing to one side just observing everyone with a small frown on her face. Hearing the trio of Dustin, Max and Lucas explaining everything to his new friends as well as Argyle and Johnathan wanting to know how to open their third eye... whatever that meant, he took a deep breath approaching her.

Placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, he asked "is everything okay?"

"Yeah of course!" She smiled bright, "I'm just happy that everyone knows each other and getting along! I feel like the odd one out, it's like school all over again" she sadly chuckled

"What?" Will furrowed his brows

"I can remember what happened right before I was taken to the comic, but I can't remember anything before or after!" She frowned

"Go on..." Will rolled his hand

"I think I was getting bullied so I ran away from school and then... I don't know" she admitted; the story eerily similar to what happened to the brunette

But just then a thought popped into the brunette's mind, "El? What's your first name?"

"Why?" She furrowed her brows confused by the random shift in conversation.

"I just wanna know?" Will replied.

"Oh, it's Jane..." She hesitantly answered.

"So, your name is Jane El Byers?" The Brunette scrunched his face.

"No silly, that was after I was adopted in the comic, I think my last name before that was like; Copper or Hopper or something" the doe eyed girl shrugged her shoulders.

Without wasting a moment, the brunette turned to face his mother who was currently exchanging conversation with his friends, "Mum! Call Hopper!" He screamed getting his point across

"Why? Is something wrong?" Joyce's eyes widened

"No just call him! Tell him it's important, but not to be worried" Will admitted before the burly man storms the Roller rink with an entire swat team.

Joyce did as told, while Will and El talked loudly, jokingly telling stories.

Dustin rushed over, a piece of paper in his hands; where the Hell did he even get that from? But this wasn't the time for questions as he seemed on edge, ready to impart information, or he might literally explode.

Jumping up and down, the curly haired boy spoke. "I think I know why we ended up in that comic..."

"Go on" Will urged, interested to hear any suggestions about what the reason for being transported, because he had no idea of the cause.

"It is my hypothesis that: we were all children who wanted to get away from something!" Dustin nodded, before continuing, "like Max and Lucas had a fight with a family member that blew out of proportion to which they left the house! And Steve told me that I was on my way to his house when I disappeared because I thought I killed the family cat"

The brunette thought about it, and it actually did make sense to him. "That's actually could be right, you know? Me and El tried to run away from our bullies and ended up in the comic!"

"Wait that doesn't explain why our memories are wiped!" El cut in with her own inquisitive question.

"Oh, contraire for I have an answer to that!" The curly haired boy playfully mocked, "This is a personal theory, but do you remember how when Will died, the story started over and you couldn't remember him or the past few weeks?" Directing the question to the doe eyed girl, seeing her nod.

"You forgot me?" The brunette placed a hand on his heart; playfully gasping.

"Sorry King Will!" El mocked, "Next time we find ourselves in a comic I won't forget!" Patting his shoulder.

"Anyways!" Dustin cleared his throat annoyed of being interrupted. "I think it's because, every time we complete the cycle, it resets, and we lose more of our memories! Who knows how many cycles we have been through!"

"Okay..." El seemed satisfied with that answer.

"But by breaking the cycle, we were able to figure out more of the world we were in!" He continued

A query popped into the brunette's head that could break this conspiracy wide open, "Wait! But I still technically died and fell of the roof! Why didn't I continue the cycle?"

"Yes, but Mike wasn't the one who pushed you off! That is how the book ends." The curly haired boy explained

Will stood still, taken aback by the information he attained. He needed to give props to Dustin for thinking that through, "Well done Dustin!" The brunette smiled patting his back.

"Oh well! That's just the life of a mastermind!" The curly haired boy Plumped his hair before walking away back to the tables to think of this more.

"Did he really just come, impart wisdom and then leave" The doe-eyed girl pouted.

"Pretty much" The brunette shook his head.

"That boy..." El sighed, throwing her hands in the air "What are we going to do with him?" Chuckling under her breath

"El?" A deep voice croaked from behind. The pair turned around seeing none other than Jim Hopper, a smile brighter than anything Will had ever seen before!

"Dad...?" She whispered, the memories of her father flooding back as she ran over, enveloping him in to a tight embrace; sharing a sweet moment. Anyone could see them hanging on tight to one another, both even wearing a blue hair-tie on their wrists; he never forgot about her.

Will smiled, taking a step back to allow the pair to talk as to not feel like a nuisance during their little reunion. The smile growing from observing them, but feeling someone cover his eyes.

"Guess who!" The voice excitedly chirped

Will's heart skipped a beat, a smile tugging the corners of his lips. Playing along, he thought for a moment, "A murderer?" The brunette playfully joked, feeling the hands release from his eyes and wrapping over his shoulder, pulling him close.

They stood bathed in the gleaming lights of the roller rink; the yellow and blue lights surrounding them; technically being their first date...

But just as the pair got comfortable, a familiar ringtone filled the air. Will fumbled his phone out his pocket, feeling it buzz in his hand with a facetime call. Curiosity sparked within, seeing Richie's name flash on screen.

The brunette's eyes widened exchanging a quick glance with Mike who had the same expression. With a hint of apprehension, he took a breath switching to answer the call, furrowing his brows. As Richie appeared on screen, his glasses filled the frame as the camera was too close to his face, "Hey guys!"

"Hi?" The brunette returned the greeting

"Is that Mike?" He asked

"Yeah!" Will answered

"Are you two dating?" The sarcastic boy questioned from the other side; finally moving the camera away so his full face could be seen. "Did my little advice work?" he cooed,

The brunette exchanged a look with the taller boy, knowing he wasn't one to expose the details of his private life, he decided to disagree, "N-"

"Yes, we are!" the ravenette said aloud. Well so much for keeping it a secret!

The party cheered from the sideline all waiting for this; clapping in unison.

"Don't take this the wrong way... but why are you calling?" Will cut off the embarrassment of his friends.

"Oh... Well I was just walking on the roof with Eddie and his friends, and then we saw this portal thing in the sky... and one thing led to another and we are in the woods, and Ed's complaining"

"I'm not complaining!" The screen tilted to show Eddie, his face angry trying to wash his hands in the river.

"Anyways.... can you come get us?" Richie complained, acting as though he was asking a simple favour.

"How are we gonna do that, if we don't know where you are?" Mike deadpanned

Suddenly El came running over, snatching the phone from Will's hand with an impish grin on her face, "I've got an idea!" she exclaimed mischievously, interrupting the conversation to give her own insightful comments, full of nonsensical and absurd advice on how to navigate the woods. "I'll teach you how to steal a car!" alerting her girlfriend to join her, both excitedly giving advice. The brunette marched forward, attempting to get the phone back but gave up merely a minute in.

Dustin crossed his arms standing beside the brunette, "They are really such dingus's!"

"Since when do you call people 'dingus's'?" Will joked, copying his posture.

"Robin taught me!" The curly haired boy chuckled,

Meanwhile, a few feet away Mike and Lucas engaged in their own conversation and the topic of their discussion; Will and Mike's relationship.

"So, you're both like officially dating?" the athletic boy questioned, a soft smile on his face. Seeing Mike nod, he opened his mouth to speak again with a thoughtful expression, "I can see how special he is to you."

The ravenette's gaze softened, his voice filled with sincerity, "Thanks Lucas... it means a lot for you to support me, I appreciate it!"

"How are you finding it?" Lucas questioned

"It's good! It's only been a few minutes though!" Mike chuckled nervously.

"I've decided to move on!" Lucas abruptly admitted

That revelation hit Mike, his eyes widening, "What?"

"Yeah! I mean after all, you are dating Will, right?" The athletic boy asked a rhetorical question answering immediately, "So I shouldn't be in the way!"

The ravenette didn't know how to respond. What could he say in that moment? His close friend just told him, he was going to give up on his romantic interest because of him; it hurt him lightly passing a small frown on his face. "I'm sorry-"

"You need to stop apologising for your feelings dude!" Lucas reprimanded, "We both decided to let Will choose and... I also have someone else on my mind!" looking over at the curly haired boy.

"Dustin?" Mike's eyes widened, covering his mouth. "Let's keep that a secret... just for right now"

"GUYS GET INTO THIS PICTURE!" Max screamed over at the two boys as she stood atop the booth. Behind her was everyone, and he literally meant everyone: all his friends, the older teens and even Will's mum.

Lucas nudged Mike, both running over. The ravenette scooted over to his boyfriend, their eyes meeting with a smirk playing on the taller boy's lips.

"Hey Will!" Mike whispered, "You look pretty amazing today!"

The brunette blushed, feeling a surge of warmth within, "Oh stop it, Mike. You have to say that because we're dating!"

The ravenette leaned close, his breath tickling the small boy's ear, "I mean it... You always look beautiful!"

Will's heart skipped a beat; not even noticing Max speaking as she held the camera, "Everyone ready?" flipping her hair behind her, turning around and calling everyone to smile. Mike had a devilish plan, sinisterly leaning in and planting a gentle kiss on Will's cheek. The brunette's eyes widened, his surprise quickly transforming to a clumsy smile.

"CHEEESEE!" The group yelled in unison

Click! The moment captured; frozen in time. The group erupted into laughter, pulling multiple silly faces and different poses. The brunette felt stiff; the reddish hue apparent in all the pictures as Mike stayed close by Will the whole time.

The brunette couldn't help but steal a glance at the ravenette. Their eyes meeting once again, filled with a newfound depth of connection. In that fleeting moment, they shared a secret language of affection, their unspoken feelings shining through...

But many questions still lingered in Will's head:

How did they get sent to the comic in the first place?

How did they break out?

Why did the comic world even exist?

And most importantly, who was the author?

But the brunette shook his head, for perhaps some things are best left forgotten... for now.

---- THE END ----

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3986 Words

I guess there is nothing left for me to say for this book

Its honestly like the end of an era; oddly saddening in a way

I will be back eventually with another book; the plot, cover, and vibes have already been established! All I need to do now is write the darn thing LOL

Anyways I hope everyone has enjoyed the book and check out my other book, maybe you'll find your new fave

AND THANK YOU DEAR READER FOR GETTING THIS FAR

and as always

Stay Safe <3