𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 ~ (ᴍɪᴋᴇ ᴡʜᴇᴇʟᴇʀ)

.15.

"Mike? Oh my god," Nancy exclaimed, rushing out of the house and greeting Mike with an awkward hug, "I was so worried about you."

"Yeah... uh, me too," He replied. Joyce, who stood further back, caught eyes with Hopper, who's hadn't been that bright in years, and raised her eyebrow. In response, Hopper looked to the tiny girl, holding his hand and smiled.

"Are those my clothes?" Nancy suddenly said, looking between Five and Eleven - causing Five to sheepishly hide behind her father.

-

"Okay, so, in this example, we're the acrobat," Mike explained, holding up a piece of paper with a simplistic diagram on, "Will and Barbara, and that monster are the flea. And this is the upside down, where Will is hiding." Five scanned their perplexed faces as Mike continued to talk, recognising both the boy and the woman on the couch from a few days prior.

"This gate is it underground?" Hopper inquired.

"Yes," Eleven told him.

"Near a large water tank?"

Five could almost shudder thinking of that water but instead shakily replied, "Y-yes."

"How do you know all that?" Dustin stammered while Hopper stared unbreakingly at Five.

"He's seen it," Mike revealed.

"Is there away you could reach Will? That you could talk to him in this... Upside Down?" Joyce shakily asked, which Nancy added, "And my friend Barbara."

As soon as they asked, Eleven and Five made their way to the table, the radio nearby but, while everyone was waiting, neither girl could summon their ability.

"I'm sorry," Eleven's voice cracked, "I can't find him."

Soon she excused herself to go the bathroom, leaving Five with them staring at her, urging Mike to intervene, "When they use their powers, they get weak."

"The more energy they use, the more tired they get," Dustin added to the explanation.

"Like when Five disintegrated that van earlier," Lucas told them.

"You did what?" Hopper butted in, with a protective look, to which she shrugged.

"It was awesome," Dustin told him.

While they continued to explain, Five stood up and walked over to Hopper, "What does disintegrate mean?"

Her father sighed, and knelt to her, "It means to break something down."

Five nodded and exhaled hating when she didn't understand what they were saying.

"So you have powers?" He awkwardly broke the silence, "How did that happen? Why? Where? And-"

"Just did," Five told him, nonchalantly, "Why did you give me to Papa?"

Jim's eyes widened and his mouth opened ever so slightly. "Hold on... did you just say, Papa?" He questioned, "Who the fuck is Papa?"

"Fuck?" She repeated quietly.

"Don't say that."

"But you just said-"

"The bath," Eleven announced, "We can find them in the bath."

"We'll finish this later," Hopper warned before he joined back to the group.