MIKE POV -

The drive to the hospital felt like purgatory; the ravenette's vision blurred, the trees outside mocking him, passing by in an instant. When he looked out the window, he saw his reflection looking back at him- he was trapped in his own mind.

He kept seeing two visions lingering in the back of his mind like a reoccurring leech, sucking the blood from his brain.

In the first, Mike saw Will. It was nighttime and the brunette was crossing the street at the lights; a yellow umbrella in hand with no care in the world, but out of nowhere, a speeding car, obviously commanded by a drunk driver, collided with brutal force, not even bothering to stop. The impact sent Will flying, his body crumbling to the ground. Blood pooled beneath him, his bones twisted into knots.

The second vision was of Nancy. She was laying down in a hospital bed, the rain pouring outside covering the sounds of the dull beeping of medical instruments. She was pale and weak, hooked up to multiple machines, tubes connecting every part of her; her heartbeats were rhythmic, but it was clear how close she was to slipping away... she didn't have much time left.

Mike closed his eyes, wanting to look away from the visions, but was forced to watch against his will; every time he tried to forget, he was reminded.

[Sub-Mission: Who Is More Precious To You?]

[Q. Nancy Wheeler or Will Byers?]

The question repeated itself as the two visions replayed like old vinyl in his mind, Will's limp body on the road or Nancy clinging to life in a hospital bed.

[A._____________________]

Unlike usual, the answer box was empty, it wanted him to choose; it forced him too.

[Choose An Event To Stabilise The Server]

[Deadline: 24:00:00]

[If A Choice Is Not Made, Then An Event Will Be Chosen At Random]

[Penalty: Deduction of Remaining Time]

It was inevitable, no matter what he did, he'd have to make that choice; his body worked on autopilot, not even noticing when he was sitting beside Nancy's bed.

He looked at his sister who was asleep on the bed; healthy with a single tube connected to her arm pumping with nutrients; thankfully she was in good health - she was on a water fast; the doctor's current conclusion was appendicitis. His eyes travelled down to the foot of the bed, seeing a boy leaning his head on his folded arms at the very edge of the mattress, it was Will, still in his school uniform, refusing to leave even when Mike had suggested he go home.

The tall boy's throat tightened, his chest pounding once more, torn between the two people before him; how could he make that choice? How could anyone? It was just plain sadistic and cruel.

He kept glancing back and forth between them- his sister, the only person who had loved him the real world and even now- and Will, the boy he was missioned with protecting, the one teaching him to open his heart.

The machine in the room beeped, or was that his own heartbeat? He couldn't tell, it all sounded the same to him; a cacophony of sounds. He wanted to cry, scream, argue with the universe to take back the cruel demand it placed on him.

But he couldn't, his call would fall on deaf ears.

Mike's breath hitched, his fingers trembling – this was unfair. His vision blurred, filling with tears, suffocating under the pressure of it all.

Time was running out.

Minutes passed. Hours maybe, he didn't know anymore. All he knew was the time of his decision was approaching closer, and no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't avoid it.

"Mike." A voice muttered, the voice raspy but still with its familiar steadiness,

The tall boy cut out his thoughts as his sister stirred slightly in her bed, eyes fluttering the tiniest crack with the faintest of groans escaping her lips. He immediately turned to her, sitting up straight in his seat, "Yes Nance? You're awake? Are you alright?" he bombarded her with questions, yet his voice understanding.

"I'm fine now!" she nodded, "Let's sign out tomorrow, I have a big presentation on Friday."

Mike sighed, half-relieved but also annoyed, "You literally passed out at work. I'm not letting you even think about working for the next month."

"You have always been such a worry-wort. This is just a... minor inconvenience." The curly-haired girl rolled her eyes playfully, not wanting him to worry,

"What kind of job works their employees until they pass out?!" The ravenette crossed his arms, "You deserve better..." he asked, suddenly remembering the conversation he had with Barbara last week, pulling the card out his bag, "Your friend Barbara said to give her a call about work... I want you to call her," he insisted, holding the card out, knowing that no matter what he said or did, she would work herself to the bone, but he'd rather her be safe, surrounded by friends than strangers who would just replace her at the first sign of incompetence.

"Barb?" she sat up slightly, accepting the slightly creased card, thinking for a few seconds, "Don't you think it would just be weird; I haven't seen her in so long."

"She seemed excited when she gave me the card to give you. So, it must be a good sign," Mike shrugged. "She insisted you work with her."

She appeared to ponder for a mere moment, the words seeping into her core, "I'll... think about it!" she changed the topic before she thought too hard, her eyes softening upon seeing the concern on his face, "You should go home. You've got school tomorrow."

"I'm staying till you're discharged," Mike insisted, school wasn't even a mere after-thought. His blazer and bag rest on the floor beside the bed, taking an oath not to move until his sister did, placing a hand over hers.

"Don't give me that face," Nancy sighed, turning to a softening grin, "I'll bounce back, trust me; I always do."

Her words struck a chord. As she spoke, flashes of the real-world; the one he came from appeared before Mike's eyes. He saw a different Nancy- one who didn't make it. She wasn't the one here telling him everything was fine. He remembered the grief, the loneliness, the pure anguished that enveloped his very being... he had a second chance and yet it'd cost him someone else's life.

Nancy's hand squeezed his, pulling him out his thoughts, looking at him with concern, a serene expression on her face; her voice was soft, one Mike hadn't heard in a very long time. He didn't get to even say goodbye in the real world. He lost her once; how could he bear losing her again?

His vision was too scary, the mission seemed to be forcing him to repeat history; to bear witness once more to what happened to his sister; he couldn't... he just couldn't.

"I'm gonna be fine," she looked at him as if she knew what he was thinking, "If you can't take care of yourself how will you take care of others?"

Mike nodded, but deep inside, the conflict remained, his hours ticked away. What time even was it? he checked his watch,

1:34 AM!

Hours had passed and he hadn't even noticed...

[Deadline: 20:45:19]

---- 6:03 AM ----

[Deadline: 15:32:46]

The hospital hallways were even more ethereal in the morning rays; when the sun rose, Mike walked beside Will, escorting him to the elevator. He hadn't said much since they left Nancy's room, Will kept passing side-ways glances, not sure if he should start a conversation or allow the silence to take precedent; the brunette wanted to cheer his boyfriend up, but worried of saying the wrong thing, just yesterday they were in a fight, and now all this was happening.

Mike's mind felt too clouded, pushing down on him like a heavy weight pressing on his head; in the corner of his vision was a small counter, ticking down the seconds in bright red; no matter where he looked it was there, taunting him: 'You have to make a choice, you have to make a choice.' His mind screaming at him.

"Will?" he suddenly stopped, thinking back to the vision from earlier, "If I did something wrong to you, would you hate me?" Mike asked, his voice thick with uncertainty.

The short boy tilted his head upon hearing the question; it was strange, he didn't know what to say. "What could you possibly do?" he questioned puzzled with a nervous, disbelieving chuckle. The thought didn't correlate in his brain; mentally listing multiple senarios but none of them feeling like something Mike would do. If Mike wanted something from him, he could have taken it already and Will wouldn't object.

"Just... something so bad it would be hard to forgive." The tall boy admitted.

The brunette smiled at him, sympathetically, he didn't know what to say, he was trying to be the best boyfriend, but he kept falling flat, instead he placed a hand on his shoulder, "I know what this is about," whispering soft.

"What?!" Mike paused, did Will know about the mission? Surely not. That would be too cruel even for the game world.

"You're scared." Will answered, assuming the environment of hospitals scared Mike, not thinking too much about it; it was natural given the situation. "But don't be, things like this always fix themselves out. Nancy's strong and I am too."

The ravenette nodded, although Mike was scared for very different reasons. "But would you hate me though?" the tall boy repeated. The mission pressed down on him, replaying in his mind like a broken VHS tape; Will was hit by a drunk driver, the aftermath brutal as he lay unconscious on the floor, paramedics surrounding- his bones twisted as if in bows and loops, blood mixing with the rain pouring from the sky. It felt too real. It was clear Will was alive in that moment, in excruciating pain, but even if he survived, and his health increased, he would be paralysed, unable to ever draw again. The thought making Mike's stomach twist.

The brunette let out a soft chuckle, instead of asking what wrong Mike could do to him; his expression was childish as if confessing his feelings all over again, "I don't think I could ever hate you."

[Fondness: 71]

Even in a moment like this Will seemed to like Mike even more. The ravenette sighed, walking a few steps until he pressed the button to call the elevator, his fingers trembling upon touching the cold metal,

"I can stay if you need me too-" Will reiterated the point he had been making the whole evening, he didn't want to leave the ravenette in the state he was in, neither did he want to leave Nancy, despite not knowing her for long, she felt like a big sister figure.

Mike shook his head, cutting his off with his voice quiet but steady, "It's okay. Nancy's stable now; she's out getting all her check-ups, so you get to school."

The elevator door dinged softly as it opened. Will wasn't ready to leave, but he couldn't force himself in a situation he wasn't wanted. He stood inside, his eyes never leaving Mike's, clicking on the first floor; raising a hand, he waved, "I'll see you later, okay?" Will smiled soft as the doors closed and he was out of sight.

[Choose An Event To Stabilise The Server]

[Sub-Mission: Who Is More Precious To You?]

[Q. Nancy Wheeler or Will Byers?]

The tall boy sighed, sitting down on the chair in Nancy's room all alone; his breathing was steady, checking his heartbeat; it was normal, well, as normal as it can be in this sort of situation.

He closed his eyes.

---- 10:43 AM ----

[Deadline: 11:33:22]

---- 12:26 PM ----

[Deadline: 9:17:43]

Hours passed.

Mike rested his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor seeing nothing. His mind blurred together, mind racing through the past few hours going on, how many hours had passed; three hours? Eight hours? Ten hours?

Nine hours left.

He glanced back at the clock; it was lunchtime, but he had no appetite. The hospital walls were monochromatic, a contrast to the spiralling thoughts within; the shuffle of feet, distant conversations, and the beeps of machines deafened him.

In that moment, Nancy was wheeled back into the room, breaking his trance. She looked a lot better, more colour in her cheeks, a faint smile on her face. "Well," she said with a sarcastic grin, "It's official! I'm doing great! Told you I'd bounce back."

The ravenette immediately popped to his feet, mustering a small smile, "Don't get too ambitious, you're still in hospital, remember?"

"Don't be so pessimistic!" she stuck her tongue out, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"So, she's in the clear?" The ravenette questioned to the nurse in charge of his sister, remembering how Nancy would lie about her health in order to protect her brother. Despite knowing he had a to make a difficult choice in the next few hours, he wanted to at least have some solace in knowing that his sister wasn't suffering.

The nurse crinkled her nose with a small smile, "As fit as a fiddle!" She joked,

"Told you!" The curly haired girl raised her brow playfully, emphasising her point.

"Luckily, it's not appendicitis like we thought, so she can eat."

"It's not?" The tall boy asked, in a weird way he hoped it was appendicitis- not because he wanted her to be in pain or discomfort, but rather because if it was appendicitis, she could have the surgery and get better quickly: he was worrying... She passed out, the pain must have been unbearable to get to that point; Mike felt stupid, how long was she in pain for? Hours? Days? The thought caused a shiver down his spine, he was so invested in Will, that he didn't even realise his own sister was in pain.

"It was gastric intestinal blockage." The nurse replied.

"What?" Mike exclaimed, why wasn't she worried? That sounded dangerous.

"It means I was constipated." Nancy shook her head, refraining herself from laughing aloud, "Told you it wasn't that bad," rolling her eyes as if everything she did was for work; every little thing.

Mike squinted his eyes, "You still passed out, and it's because of work you haven't been eating well." raising a brow with crossed arms, "Name one nutritious meal you've had this month."

"Umm..." The girl paused for a second, at first she giggled, her tone jokey, but then she counted back the days, the unhealthy bland foods, ones that collected within her intestines so she could continue her work without distraction.

"Your brother is correct," the nurse smiled, "Speaking of meals, here is the lunch menu," putting a laminated paper on the table before walking away, tending to another patient.

Nancy picked up the menu, the whole thing was bland, the colours were bland, the choices were bland, the pictures were bland, and she was sure if she chose something to eat the food would be bland. With a sight huff, she threw the menu down on the table, "How am I supposed to recover with this?"

"Just choose something." The ravenette rolled his eyes as he picked up the menu, listing off the items, "Look, there's pasta, lasagna, noodles, chicken, vegetables."

"I was specifically told more fibre," She sighed, "you know what I really want right now? You remember 'Benny's Burgers'? I'd devour one of their beef burgers right now, we always used to get them when we were sick." She smiled as if hinting,

"I'm pretty sure its closed for renovations," Mike lied, he wasn't so sure, but there was no way he was going across town for a burger when he had bigger things on his mind; he didn't want to leave his sister alone for a mere second, "And I don't think anyone is gonna come running in here with a burger."

As if on cue in that moment, a figure stormed into the room, steps vibrant with excitement, the sound of a rustling plastic bag clear in his hands.

"Hi again!" The voice called casually,

Turning his head, Mike saw Will entering with a plastic bag in his hand, the smell of food wafting through the air; what was that? It smelt nice, "Will?" He asked,

"Yes!" He held the bag into the air slightly, almost as if presenting it like a trophy, "I thought your sister would want some food,"

Mike raised a brow like a worried parent, "Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"Technically yes,' The short boy stretched his words with a giggle, being defiant for once.

"So why aren't you in class?" The tall boy questioned his brow raised like a parent lecturing their child for playing hooky.

"I faked a fever and got let out early." Will shrugged, his voice uncaring, almost jocular,

"You shouldn't do that," Mike puffed out his bottom lip,

"C'mon, it's just once, you can't lecture me when I've brought you food..." Will pouted, a childish expression on his face as he stepped closer, shaking the bag around with slight excitement.

Nancy sniffed the air, "Is that beef burger, fried chicken, fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks..." She listed, continuing sniffing like a bloodhound, "And double-tier brownie cake?"

"That's impressive..." Mike turned to her,

"Here you go Ma'am," The short boy said politely placing the bag into her arms, scratching the back of his neck nervous.

The ravenette scrunched his face, confusion laced with amusement, almost blurting out at the 'ma'am'? What with the sudden honorifics? It was almost as if Will was actively trying to make a good impression to Nancy, like how one would do with their partner's parents.

"Oh... thank you?" The girl was slightly taken aback by the respect being thrown at her, she didn't understand why her brother's boyfriend had suddenly become the most awkward man on planet Earth, but she didn't think too hard about it for she got free food, "You didn't have to do this you know," she smiled sweet as she looked in the bag,

Almost immediately, Nancy rampaged through the bag, her eyes widening with excitement as she opened it with a gasp, "No freaking way!" her eyes lit up, discovering her favourite food, "Benny's Burgers!"

"Mike mentioned you used to get food from here when you were younger, and it was on the route here so..." Will suddenly became a bumbling fool, rambling as if he were nervous about something,

"You actually brought it?" Mike was almost surprised; Will went to all that trouble. He knew 'Benny's Burgers' was not enroute from the school to the hospital; he'd have to take many detours.

The curly haired girl turned to her brother, "You Asshole! How could you lie to a sick person?" she playfully punched him, perhaps a tad harder than she meant to, "You told me 'Benny's Burgers' was shut renovations."

Mike winced, rubbing his arm from the punch, she knew how to really attack someone. "You must be better if you can throw a punch like that." His voice turned to a hearty chuckle.

"Don't change the subject," Nancy rolled her eyes, shaking her head in mocking disappointment, "Just admit you were too lazy to drive all the way over."

The tall boy raised his hands in surrender, a giggle leaving his lips, "Fine, fine, guilty."

"Thank you Will. You're my new favourite," the girl ransacked the bag, placing the containers of food on the table.

"Maybe he's the one who should be sitting here with you." Mike scoffed mockingly.

"Maybe he should." The girl raised her brows.

Will watched the pair with a soft smile, seeing Mike more serene, more calm in that moment, especially compared to the morning. The laughter in the room was contagious, almost as if nothing in the past day had happened at all. The brunette felt relief washing over his very core; Mike's genuine smile was all he could ask for.

The trio grabbed their boxes, taking bites of their food while sharing fries and onion rings; Will pulled out bottles of drink from the bag, handing one to Nancy, "I didn't know which one you'd like so I got a few," holding out at least five different selections.

"Aww, cutie." She giggled at him, teasing slightly; he was like a little puppy.

The brunette blushed, feeling embarrassed; she and her brother had the same way of teasing. He changed the subject, "So when did they say you'd be discharged?"

Nancy chewed her food, taking a bottle of fruit juice from the selection, "Thanks," she quickly showed gratitude before speaking, "They said I'd probably be discharged tomorrow; they wanna do some extra checks."

"You are looking a lot better, though." Will smiled,

Nancy laughed, her eyes flickering between Will and Mike, "They said it's nothing serious, so I'm glad about that, but Mike's been hovering around me- he won't leave me alone." She joked dramatic, throwing her arms in the air.

"He's like a stalker, I know," Will giggled.

The ravenette didn't even process what was being said about him; the weight of the mission and the eerie countdown seemed to fade into the background in that moment as he watched them both, seeing his sister and Will interacting with one another as if they had known each other for years. Despite Will being a genuine awkward guy who hates the company of others, it seemed like he was really putting in the effort to get to know his sister and be nice to her. Nancy on the other hand was softer with Will, showing a more poetic, literary side of her self, putting her hidden demeanour to one side, allowing emotions to show.

---- 9:42 PM ----

[Sub-Mission: Who Is More Precious To You?]

[Q. Nancy Wheeler or Will Byers?]

[A._____________________]

As the evening air cooled him, the ravenette untied his mullet from its ponytail, allowing his hair to hang free. He was on the rooftop alone, catching his breath, wanting some peace and quiet as the deadline drew closer. Despite the oxygen surrounding him, hitting his lungs; it tormented him like a thick smog filling his body, infecting him piece-by-piece.

It was nighttime. Watching from the rooftop of the hospital, tears welled up inside him, threatening to fall, his chest heavy with the emotions he could barely contain inside him, but he refused to break down, not now, not ever.

The deadline was drawing closer.

[Deadline: 00:00:32]

Less than a minute left.

Mike's heart raced as the words hung in the air like a knife forcing him to his spot. The seconds ticked down,

[Deadline: 00:00:11]

[Deadline: 00:00:10]

[Deadline: 00:00:09]

The ravenette's voice caught in his throat, his mind screaming for him to respond; the mission was absurd, but it needed an answer. his heart raced, images of Will hit by a drunk drive and Nancy clinging to life flashed by him once more,

"Both," he whispered, his voice barely audible at first, then louder, "You said I can answer how I want, right? Well, they are both precious to me. I want to save them both." He spoke despite his own scary thoughts. He worried this wouldn't work. Worried he made a big mistake.

The timer froze, blinking.

[Deadline: 00:00:03]

...

There was a moment of silence, the world stopping, the hum of the streetlights paused; the fly buzzing around him stopped mid-flight... then suddenly, the mission window popped up, flashing red,

[ERROR: SYSTEM MALFUNCTION]

[Penalty: Deduction of Remaining Time.]

[236 Days Remaining]

[228 Days Remaining]

[211 Days Remaining]

It was counting down.

------

3848 Words

Sorry for the longer-than-usual wait, I was busy this past week :)

Stay Safe <3