𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 ~ (ᴍɪᴋᴇ ᴡʜᴇᴇʟᴇʀ)

.5.

Later that night, Mike's friends returned (whose names she learned to be Dustin and Lucas) - they weren't exactly supportive of his choice to keep them around. Lucas threatened to tell Mike's mom, causing Eleven to use her powers to stop them. Now they were back in the basements - the boys disappearing for dinner.

"Will?" Five inquired, while Eleven sighed and looked away. "Who is Will?"

"Upside down," she whispered, triggering a shocking face from Five.

"How?" Eleven shrugged and picked up Mike's super com. The girl began to fidget with the dial, while Five cringed at the familiar static.

"No parents, just meatloaf," Mike called down to them like him, Lucas and Dustin returned. He sat in front of them, giving both of them a piece but neither touched it, instead just glared at the two of the boys. "They won't tell anyone about you. They promise," Mike told them.

"Right we would've never upset you if we knew you had superpowers," Dustin remarked earning a smack.

"What Dustin was trying to say is that we were scared earlier," Lucas corrected.

"We just wanted to find our friend."

Five pouted, "Friend?"

"Yeah, friend," Mike confirmed, "Will?"

"What is 'friend'?" She queried but quickly grew embarrassed as Lucas asked if she was serious.

"Um, a friend is someone that you'd do anything for," Mike explained.

"You lend them your cool stuff. Like comic books and trading cards," Dustin added.

"And they never break a promise."

"Especially when there's spit," Lucas included.

"Spit?" El grimaced.

"A spit swear means you never you never break your word," He answered, spitting to his hand and shaking Dustin's with it, "It's a bond." Dustin looked to his now damp hand in disgust before wiping it on his trousers.

"That's super important because friends... they tell each other things."

"Things that parents don't know," He told them. Five nodded - hoping that someday that's what they would be to her.

While Dustin and Lucas continued some sort of conversation with Eleven - however one-sided - Mike moved to sit next to the other girl. "So if El has powers, does that mean you do too?" He excitedly asked. Five looked at the enthusiastic boy and nodded, which only added to his thrill.

"Um, what can you do then?" Mike said as soon as she nodded.

Five bit her lip and shrugged before remembering earlier, "Force?"

"Woah," He whispered in awe, "So you're like a Jedi?"

The girl's eyebrows furrowed at the strange terminology. Seeing this, Mike amended, "So you're like the hero?"

"Hero?" She laughed.

"Yeah," He chuckled too, "Are you going to save the day?" He joked but then turned serious, "Are you going to save Will?"

Sighing, Five stood up and walked over to the game board - that was seemingly mid-game. She pushed away from the pieces and thought hard before picking the cleric. "Superpowers," Dustin gasped while Lucas rolled his eyes.

Five ignored the group of boys and flipped the board over so all could be seen was darkness. Then she placed Will in the middle of it, "Hiding." Mike came closer to the table, "Will is hiding? From the bad men?"

Five shook her head. "Then from who?"

She took a hold of the Demogorgon and placed it next to Will, "Danger."