TWENTY-ONE: CURIOSITY DOOR

DANIEL'S BODY COULDN'T HANDLE THIS MUCH STRESS. The boys were crowded in the back of Hopper's truck, Daniel practically sitting on Mike and Dustin's laps with the way he was squeezed in between them while poor Eleven was crushed against a wall. Lucas was the lucky one who got to sit in the front and despite the stressful day, he kept looking back at them and just laughing. He had no idea where they were going, but he assumed it was wherever Nancy and the rest of them had been when they called through the walkie-talkie.

They pulled up in front of the house where three people were already waiting outside. One of them was Nancy and the other two were Will's mother and brother. Daniel's heart ached for them, especially since Will was not only missing but also probably trapped in a government conspiracy.

"Mike!" Nancy exclaimed as soon as they all hopped out of the car, "Oh, my God. Mike!" She ran over and pulled him into a hug. Watching the interaction made Daniel wish Heather was there to greet him or at least, Veronica.

"I was so worried about you!" the teenager yelled once they pulled apart.

Mike looked like he had no idea what to do, "Yeah, uh... me too."

Daniel turned to Hopper, tugging on his sleeve to get his attention, "Uh, can I... Can I call my sister, Heather? I promise she's not in on this."

Hopper considered this for a moment, his face showing he was in deep thought before he ruffled the curls atop Daniel's head, "Sorry kid, maybe later, okay? I promise."

Although disappointed, Daniel unfortunately understood. They couldn't trust anyone besides the people standing here. The thought of Heather being wrapped up in this seemed absurd, but Hopper didn't know Heather the way he did and that's okay.

It was then that Nancy noticed Eleven and it dawned on Daniel that she still knew practically nothing about her. The only thing the teen seemed to care about was: "Is that my dress?"

"Hey," Daniel interjected, trying to remain cool and calm, "Desperate times call for desperate measures. Can we go inside, please? I'm freezing."

"Uh, oh yeah," Hopper nodded and herded everyone inside. Once they were inside the house, the first thing Daniel noticed were the lights. They were everywhere, hanging from any possible place. There were letters messily painted on the living room wall with corresponding lights, almost like some kind of Ouija board. It was obvious the kids weren't the only ones who thought Will was still alive.

Mike was asked to explain what they knew and he launched into the flea and the acrobat metaphor. Daniel sat next to him, his tired head leaning on the boy's shoulder as he spoke, "Okay, so in this example, we're the acrobat. Will and Barbara, and that monster, they're this flea. And this is the Upside Down where Will is hiding. Mister Clarke said the only way to get there is through a rip in time and space."

"A gate," Dustin clarified.

"That we tracked to Hawkins Lab," Lucas explained further.

"With our compasses," Dustin interjected again.

"The gate seems to be screwing with the magnetic field or something meaning the compasses, instead of leading towards true North, are leading towards the gate," Daniel finished, surprised at how easily that rolled off his tongue. Maybe his brain latched onto more of the science the other boys talked about than he thought.

Dustin nodded and clarified in more scientific terms, "Basically, its electromagnetic field is stronger and that's what changed the direction."

"Is this gate underground?" Hopper asked in his signature monotone. There was an underlying curiosity in his voice and he seemed to already know a good chunk of the situation which was incredibly helpful.

"Yes," Eleven answered in her classic one-word way.

"Near a large water tank?" the man continued. Daniel didn't know what this correlated to, but he figured it must be of some importance if he was asking about it.

Eleven looked chilled like she was remembering something. She nodded, "Yes."

"How do you know all that?" Dustin asked with a slight stutter. Maybe Hopper knew it because he was in on it. That thought terrified Daniel, they didn't need another enemy. They already had a flurry of government agents after them and they didn't need their own chief working against them either.

Hopper didn't say anything, but Mike seemed to understand. "He's seen it." He didn't elaborate, leaving Daniel more confused than ever.

"Is... is there any way that you could reach Will?" Joyce asked, her voice hoarse and tired, "That you could talk to him in this —"

"The Upside Down," Eleven finished.

"Down, yeah," Joyce repeated in a whisper.

"We heard him once, through a radio, but it exploded. So, there's that," Daniel added, knowing it wouldn't be much help. His brain was tired, he could probably fall asleep on Mike's shoulder right now.

Hopper furrowed his brow, "Is he okay?"

Mike nodded, "Just tired. We all are."

"What about my friend, Barbara?" Nancy asked, "Can you find her, too?" Eleven nodded. So, they got to work. Nancy pulled out a picture of the girl, clearly ripped from a bigger picture and Mike placed it next to the walkie-talkie after adjusting it to what he thought was the right channel. They all watched in anticipation, Daniel squeezing Mike's hand nervously. Mike was the one who grabbed it initially and Daniel never let go. Eleven closed her eyes and they all waited, the only sound in the room is the static.

After a few moments, the lights flickered and went out. Mike squeezed Daniel's hand. Maybe Mike didn't only grab it when he thought Daniel was scared, maybe he was scared, too. The static went out and Eleven opened her eyes. Daniel figured he knew what was coming next.

"I'm sorry," the girl spoke, her voice barely audible.

Joyce freaked out first, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Eleven looked like she was about to cry and her voice broke, "I can't find them."

They all sighed, Eleven got up and went to the bathroom and Daniel noticed tears slipping down her cheeks as she walked away. He felt for her, he really did, the worst thing to Daniel was having people rely on him and then disappointing them.

"Can you explain her... powers?" Hopper asked once she was gone, "Like, do they come and go or...?"

"Whenever she uses her powers, she gets weak," Mike began.

Dustin continued on, "The more energy she uses, the more tired she gets."

"Kinda like a battery," Daniel added, trying his hardest to appear useful. His hand was still in Mike's, but his hold was looser as he was a bit more relaxed now that the lights were back on.

Lucas nodded, which made Daniel feel better, "Like, the van she flipped earlier."

"It was awesome!" Dustin added, earning a disappointed look from Daniel. Was now really the time?

"But she's drained," Mike concluded.

"Like Daniel said," the curly-haired boy nodded, "a bad battery."

Joyce stumbled over her words, trying to understand, "Well... how do we make her better?"

"We don't," Mike shrugged, "We just have to wait and try again."

"Really efficient, we know," Daniel spoke sarcastically, ignoring the confused looks Nancy was sending towards their joined hands.

Nancy's eyes left the two boys and instead turned to Mike, "How long?"

Mike shrugged again, "I don't know."

"The bath," Eleven's voice interrupted suddenly, making Daniel jump slightly. Mike squeezed his hand and he regained his calm.

Joyce turned around to where Eleven was just standing in the doorway, "What?"

"I can find them," the young girl continued, her eyes shifting away from the hopeful mother, "In the bath."

"I know who to call!" Dustin exclaimed with a dopey smile on his face. He ran over to the phone and Hopper tried to stop him, but Daniel just tugged on his sleeve and shook his head. He knew exactly what number Dustin was dialing and he knew they would be fine.

"Mister Clarke? It's Dustin," the boy said once the phone was answered. They could only hear the boy's half of the conversation, but they understood enough. "Yeah, yeah, I just... I have a Science question... Do you know anything about sensory deprivation tanks? Specifically, how to build one? ...Fun... You always say we should never stop being curious. To always open any curiosity door we find. Why are you keeping the curiosity door locked?"

After a moment, the boy grabbed a notepad and paper and began writing things down as Mister Clarke told him. "Yeah, we'll be careful. Definitely. All right, Mister Clarke. Yeah, I'll see you on Monday. I'll see you on Monday, Mister Clarke. Bye."

Everyone looked at him expectantly, but Dustin turned to Joyce, "Do you still have that kiddie pool we bobbed for apples in?"

Joyce nodded, "I think so, yeah." Daniel furrowed his brow. Where the hell was Dustin going with this?

"Good, then we just need salt. Lots of it."

"How much is lots?" Hopper asked with a stern voice.

Dustin hesitated, looking at the notepad before answering, "1,500 pounds."

"Jesus Christ," Daniel muttered under his breath, "I need a nap."

Mike nodded, "We all do."

Nancy sighed, "Where are we gonna get that much salt?"

Hopper, however, looked like he had an idea, "I know exactly where."

So now, they were heading for the middle school. Daniel was not happy to be crushed in the back of Hopper's truck again. They rushed to the gym while Jonathan and Hopper went, presumably, to find the salt and Lucas and Dustin set up the kiddie pool. Mike, Nancy, and Daniel all went outside to find a hose.

The door was locked, so Nancy fiddled with it for a moment. Nothing worked, so Mike tried to open it by slamming his shoulder against it. Daniel stifled a laugh as Mike groaned, the door not even budging.

"Stand back," Nancy instructed, taking a large rock and slamming it against the lock.

"Who knew your sister was a badass," Daniel whispered, earning a displeased scoff from Mike. Nancy stepped inside and loaded a few hoses into a wheelbarrow while Mike and Daniel hoisted some up on their shoulders.

As they walked back, Mike asked, "What did she even eat?"

"What?" Mike sounded confused while Daniel just stayed silent.

"Eleven."

"Oh... Candy, leftovers, Eggos. She really likes Eggos," Mike explained, earning a small laugh from Daniel. He also liked Eggos, but definitely not to the extent that Eleven seemed to.

Nancy sighed, "I knew you were acting weird. I just..."

"He's always weird," Daniel joked, earning a light slap on the shoulders from Mike.

The teenager laughed slightly as well before her face went serious again, "I guess I thought it was because of Will."

"I knew you were acting weird, too, I thought it was 'cause of Steve." Daniel's sister was definitely acting weird because of Steve, but he didn't know if the same went for Nancy. He felt bad for Veronica because he knew she had a crush on Nancy, but as far as he knew, she was taken (and straight, maybe). He felt just as bad for his sister.

"Hey..." Nancy stopped, "No more secrets, okay?" Daniel felt like he was impeding on a private family moment, so he stayed silent. "From now on, we tell each other everything."

"Okay," Mike started, surely his next statement would be nothing good judging by his tone, "So, do you like Jonathan now?"

Nancy was quick to deny it, meaning she definitely did, "What? No. No... it's... it's not like that. Do you like Eleven?"

Daniel's heart hurt at the thought of Mike's answer. However, he was pleasantly surprised when Mike looked at Daniel with such a genuine look in his eyes before he turned back to his sister and said, "Not at all."

They made it back to the gym and Daniel felt like he could breathe again. They set up the hoses as quickly as possible, Daniel tried his best to help, but it didn't really amount to anything, he just ended up sitting on the bleachers and waiting. He hated waiting. It truly was the worst part of anything. He watched as Mike filled the pool with water and Lucas measured the temperature.

"Colder!" the dark-skinned boy shouted, before shouting again, "Warmer!" After a second, he said, "Right there!" Just like that, the water stopped flowing.

Now, they waited while Hopper and Jonathan cut open bags upon bags of salt until Dustin very carefully placed an egg in the water. It sunk, therefore, more salt. Daniel, although messing with other dimensions should be exhilarating, was about to pass out. He was so exhausted, yet he sat next to Mike, watching an egg sink.

After a few more bags of salt, the egg stayed on the surface and Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally."

Mike got up and placed his walkie-talkie on a stand, turning it with ease. Eleven got ready, taking off all excess clothing besides her dress (which earned a thank you from Daniel's eyes) and put on the makeshift blackout goggles Joyce had made. Everyone watched in anticipation as she stepped into the pool. Immediately, the lights began to flicker. Instinctively, Daniel reached for Mike's hand. She said the name of Nancy's friend and nothing more. Eleven started gasping and the lights flickered again.

"What's going on?" Nancy asked.

"I don't know," was the only response Mike could give, his hand squeezing Daniel's nervously.

"Is Barb okay? Is she okay?"

"I don't think she can hear you," Daniel mumbled quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.

It was then that Eleven began saying the word "gone" over and over. Daniel's heart sunk. He didn't even know Barbara and he felt terrible. Nancy began to cry, but Eleven just kept repeating the same word over and over while Joyce consoled her. Daniel didn't want to watch, so he shoved his face into Mike's shirt and he let him, holding him close. Finally, Eleven stopped, but Daniel didn't move.

"Castle Byers," she said next and Daniel's heart leaped into his throat. He knew that place, all the boys knew it. "Will?"

Suddenly, a voice came through the static from the walkie-talkie. Will's voice. "Hurry."

"Will?" Eleven said again, sounding scared this time, "Will!"

She sat up and ripped the goggles off. Everyone gasped, not expecting that. Daniel finally turned around, looking at the panting girl in front of him. They got her out of the pool and wrapped Eleven in a towel. Daniel was leaning against Mike, but Eleven was leaning against him while Dustin was on the other side of Mike with Lucas behind them. Surprisingly, he wasn't bothered by her leaning on him. She was starting to grow on Daniel as much as he hated to admit that. The adults all left and Jonathan and Nancy went God knows where.

"Daniel..." Mike whispered into his ear, but the other kids could probably hear him due to the close proximity they were all in, "Can we talk?"

Daniel nodded, Eleven reluctantly moving off of his shoulder as he and Mike got up. The curly-haired boy turned to the group, "We'll be right back."

Dustin, being Dustin, winked at Daniel. The boy responded by sticking his tongue out at the other while Lucas rolled his eyes and Eleven looked confused. The boys went out into the hallway and leaned against the wall. Daniel could have sworn he saw Jonathan and Nancy go this way, too, but they were nowhere to be found now.

"What did you wanna talk about?" he asked nervously as Mike leaned next to him.

"I'm... confused," Mike started, "I... I thought maybe I was starting to like Eleven and then, then you kissed me and I just, I don't know."

This surprised Daniel. He was waiting for the "When this is all over, let's not talk anymore," conversation. Definitely not the "I'm confused" conversation.

Daniel didn't know how to respond, so he just said, "Um, w-what am I supposed to say?"

"This is gonna sound stupid and you're probably gonna say no," Mike stammered, noticeably avoiding eye contact with the other boy, "but like, can, can I try something?"

Daniel looked over at Mike to find the boy already looking at him. More specifically, his lips. His eyes met Mike's again and he nodded, "Yeah, uh, sure."

So Mike kissed him. It was brief as neither of them really knew what they were doing, but Daniel's eyes stayed closed for just a moment after Mike pulled away. He opened them to find Mike looking at him with somewhat worried eyes. "I'm sorry, I yelled at you, when you did that earlier. It just confused me, but I-I don't think I'm confused anymore."

Daniel smiled, not really sure whether or not this was a dream, "I really thought I was losing out to Eleven."

Mike smiled again, a small laugh accompanying his next statement, "Daniel, she's got nothing on you."

( note! )

THAT LAST SCENE IS THE CUTEST SHIT I HAVE EVER WRITTEN CAN YOU BELIEVE!! Also, next chapter is most likely going to cover all of episode eight a.k.a the end of part one! after i finish part one, i'll likely not update this for one to two weeks because i'll be working on a) setting the scene for part two and b) working on my other stranger things fic Like I Can (which you should all read btw) anyway, i promise veronica and heather's storylines will be more prominent in part two but also i love mike and daniel so much so i might just forget about them and focus on my boys lmao