I mentioned this in the author's note at the end of chapter 5 of my story "The Girl Next Door", but I have a goal in mind for my Stranger Things multichapter stories. That goal is to finish three of them before season 3 arrives in July. With my semester at college ending on April 29 and me not taking any summer classes, I'll have plenty of time to write when I'm not at work, eating, or sleeping. I have a very boring life, but I'm also planning to maybe go on a small road trip with a friend once the semester's over.

That being said, two of those three have been selected—"The Girl Next Door" and this one—but the third one is still up in the air. I have seven stories to choose from, which isn't making the decision easy, but two of them—"Open Water" and "The Princess and the Paladin"—I'm eliminating right off the bat because I have no idea where to go with their stories at the moment. That leaves "Mage and Paladin", "Hawkins County", "One and Twelve", "The Legend of Hawkins", and "Welcome to Hawkins". Or maybe I'll do the unthinkable and finish seven stories in just… three months. Unlikely but not impossible. Like every crack pairing ever.

But… here we go.

"So, is there a reason you won't give Mike the time of day?"

El bit her lip at Will's question.

They were home alone since their friends had other obligations and their parents had stepped out for the day with Sarah to get her ready for school. It was the first time they'd been alone together since Mike had come home and things were… awkward. Mostly because Will had been seemingly… annoyed at her for some reason that had been unknown until he asked that question. Now she knew why he was annoyed but she couldn't tell him her answer. He'd feel guilty and then she'd feel awful for making him feel guilty and honestly it was such a roundabout mess.

"It's not like he doesn't like you back. You're keeping him in suspense and that's not fair to him. He deserves to know how you feel about him. I mean, he's been head over heels for you since the day you met and you're just… being a bitch about it!"

"I know, okay!" she exploded, slamming her hand into the kitchen table. Will was shocked into silence. "I know I'm being a bitch! I'm not giving him an answer. I'm not letting our relationship happen. I'm not being a good friend. But you know something, Will? You're being a bad friend, too!"

"Excuse me?!" Will narrowed his eyes.

"You're talking to me about confessing to Mike, about telling him how I feel because I love him, and here you are afraid to do the same thing! You keep hiding how you feel and pushing me towards him… and don't say your crush on him is gone because I know you. He's been your crush for as long as you've known you're gay and guess what, Will? That's why I haven't told him how I feel—because I want you to have a chance to tell him, too!"

Will opened and closed his mouth.

"So forgive me, brother dearest, for wanting you to have a chance at happiness by sacrificing my own. Isn't that what you've been doing for me?" There were tears in her eyes and Will felt like shit.

Fuck. She's right.

"El, I told you—Mike's not interested in me—"

"So tell him! It'll hurt to get rejected, but it'll hurt a lot less than letting it stew and grow."

Will narrowed his eyes at his sister's hypocrisy.

"Shouldn't you tell him, too?"

"Will. I want you to have a chance to tell him how you feel and see if maybe he returns your feelings."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have moved here in the first place; then I would've had a chance! Maybe you should've stayed in Chicago and we shouldn't have met—much less found out we were twins! God, I wish I didn't have a twin sister! Especially not a hypocritic bitch like you!"

The words were out before Will could stop them and El stepped back, her eyes wide with pain as tears welled up. He stared at her, opening his mouth to try to take it back, but she whirled around and ran up the stairs. Will heard her bedroom door slam shut and the muffled sounds of her sobbing.

Fuck. Great job, Will. Mom's going to murder you.

He rushed upstairs and knocked on her door.

"El, I'm sorry!"

"Go away!" she snapped.

"Seriously, I didn't mean that!"

"Please, just leave me alone!"

There was pain in her voice and Will felt something snap between them. That invisible thread that had bound them for two years, the thing that had saved his life when he got lost in the woods, the connection that allowed them to be close as they were… he'd just shattered it. Shattered it because he didn't want to admit his sister was right. His heart pounded and Will went to his own room, slamming the door and falling onto his bed. It was then he realized how silent it was, save for El's crying. That mental connection had been a constant buzz in his head, one that was more comforting than annoying. It let him know his sister was okay, spiking when she was upset, but that buzz was silent for the first time in two years.

What did I do?

Part of him felt empty again, that spot that El had filled since they met. Well, not exactly empty. It was full of remorse and regret and guilt. All he could feel was awful, like he was a horrible person. But she wasn't innocent, either. She was just as guilty of keeping how she felt to herself as he was. The only difference was that Mike was head-over-heels for El and not Will and trying to be with her because he loved her.

He's gonna hate me for this… but I have to tell him. El's right—better to tell him and get rejected than to let it fester.

But he doesn't know I'm gay… El's the only one who knows. Guess it's time to come out to him…

When Hopper and Joyce came home with Sarah, they noticed the distance between the twins. Neither of them chose to comment on it for the time being, but Sarah looked concerned at her older siblings' behavior.

Not to mention when it was time for school…

"Hey, Will. Where's El?"

Will had arrived alone at the Wheeler house, El choosing to catch a ride with Hopper over biking with her brother and her friends.

"She… decided to ride with Hop this morning."

"Oh." Dustin and Lucas caught up a few minutes later.

"Dude, is something wrong with El?" Dustin asked as they rode to school.

"She's fine." Will's answer was short and finite. Clearly, he didn't want to talk about whatever had happened between him and his sister.

Later that day, though, Mike found a note in his locker.

Meet me at the quarry after school. I have something I need to say to you and nobody else.

Come alone. Don't tell anybody where you're going.

I'll be waiting at the cliff.

Out of pure curiosity Mike decided to go. He excused himself from going home with everyone else (noting how sad El had looked throughout the day) and headed to the quarry cliff. It was the highest accessible point and nobody really went there.

But when he got there, it was Will waiting by the edge.

"Will?" Mike got off his bike and approached.

"You got my note."

"Yeah. What's this about?"

"It… it has to do with El. And me." He hesitated. "Promise you won't get mad or judge me for anything I'm about to say."

"I promise. What's going on?"

"Remember a couple years ago when I got lost in the woods? And I told you that El loved you but you had to say it first?"

"You never explained what was up with that."

"Well, here it is. She promised me she wouldn't try to be with you unless you made a clear first move." Mike blinked.

"Why would she do that?"

"Because…" Will bit his lip. "I have a crush on you, too."

Mike staggered backwards, shocked.

"I'm gay. El's the only person who knows—and now you're the second person I've told. We got in a fight because of her dancing around her feelings for you and she got on my case about doing the same thing. I said something… horrible. And I can't take it back, but I can at least try and move on so she can be happy. Because you love her and she loves you and I know you don't feel the same way about me."

"Will… how long?"

"Since… since we were eleven. I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure how you'd react. I mean, your best friend since kindergarten is gay and has a crush on you. But I needed to get it out in the open, at least with you."

For a moment, Mike was speechless.

"So El's been dodging me because she wanted you to tell me how you feel?"

"Her exact words were 'forgive me, brother dearest, for wanting you to have a chance at happiness by sacrificing my own. Isn't that what you've been doing for me?' And she's right. That's the other reason I didn't tell you—because I didn't want to be rejected. But she also told me that it would hurt a lot more if I just let it stew."

"I… I'm sorry. I don't feel the same way. But I'm glad you got it out in the open."

"I am, too."

It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from Will's heart and shoulders. The gaping hole that his fight with El had left was now simply guilt for how he treated her. If she hadn't pushed him, the relief wouldn't have come.

"I think… I think it's time I apologize to El properly." Will rubbed his eye. "She's probably not going to forgive me that easily, but I don't deserve it."

They headed back to the Hopper house, where El was in her room. Music blared through the locked door and Will knocked on the wood. He'd asked Mike to wait in the living room so he and his sister could have some privacy.

"El?"

"Go away."

"Please. I want to talk to you. I… I want to apologize for real. Please let me apologize to your face."

The music abruptly shut off and there were footsteps before the lock clicked.

"Come on in."

Will opened the door and saw that his twin was sitting on her bed. Her homework was around her, open and forgotten. He sighed.

"El… I'm sorry for what I said. I shouldn't have gone that far, but I was so fucking mad—"

"And I shouldn't have called you a hypocrite," she stated softly. "Because I'm a hypocrite, too. I just… you're my brother and I want you to be happy."

"I want the same thing for you… so I did it." She jerked her head up and stared at him in shock. "I told Mike how I feel. He let me down gently, but… now I have closure. And you're right about it hurting more to let the feeling stew. Don't let yours."

"I won't. I'll tell him tomorrow."

"Um, about that… he's actually right downstairs. Right now."

"WHAT?!" El jerked so sharply that she fell off her bed with a yelp and hit the floor with a loud thud. Rapid footsteps came up the stairs as Mike ran up beside Will, panting heavily.

"El, are you okay?!" he asked.

"I'm fine!" She started to get up and Mike rushed to help her. "Thank you."

"So the reason you didn't go out with me was because you wanted to spare Will's feelings?"

"Exactly."

Will smiled sadly and headed to his own room.

He didn't need to see what was going to happen next.

And this is our second-to-last chapter.

I should be studying for my US History final tomorrow, but I wanna write! Besides, my final's at 11 AM and I'm gonna spend tomorrow morning making a notecard while I watch anime. YAY

Next chapter is an epilogue. Bye bye!