The morning after Will had confessed to his mom, things were… not calm. It was like a shadow hung over the house. Even though Joyce had left for work (she probably should've stayed but she was on the schedule and she could not afford to lose her job), Will felt as if she was watching him.

Good… that meant he could do what he needed to do, at last.

He didn't wake El, choosing instead to wait for her to come out of her room on her own terms.

Soon enough, after about two hours of him being awake, Will could hear her door open and shut, and the gentle thudding of her feet on the carpet as she came to the living room.

She sat down next to him, and smiled, going to press a kiss to his cheek.

Will shied out of the way quickly.

"Will?" El tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

Will took a deep breath, psyching himself up. "El… there's something I need to tell you, and it's not easy for me to do… But it has to stop."

El frowned in confusion. "What does?"

"You know, this!" He gestured. "The kissing, the sex… I'm not your boyfriend."

"You are though."

"No!" Will insisted. "Mike is! El, a boyfriend isn't like a regular friend, you can't have more than one!"

El crossed her arms. "Why not?"

"Excuse me!?"

"Why not?" El repeated.

"Well, some people do, but not us!" Will replied. "And even if that were true, I'm not deserving of it!"

El cocked her head. "How come?"

"Because," Will continued. "I took advantage of you."

El blinked, sitting at attention. "What?"

"That first night, when I kissed you…" Will gulped, ready to explain. "It was hormones, on both ends. A one-time thing. But it wasn't it went further, remember?"

"Yes…" El recalled with a smile. "The coffee table, the couch, the bathtub, my bed, your bed…"

"El, stop!" Will ordered. "That's not okay! I should've gotten you to stop then and there, but I didn't. Every time you and I did it, that meant that I knowingly kept from telling you the truth, and I used that."

El frowned. "I don't understand."

Will sighed. "Look, El… I can't keep doing this. Not when your happiness is on the line. You love Mike, I get it, and I was using something he said to keep doing what I wanted with you."

El shook her head. "No, but… I wanted it."

"Wanting it doesn't make it okay." Will replied. "Hormones make you do things. You may have wanted it in the moment, but… I don't know. I should've just stopped it, and… I don't know, told Mike I guess. He deserves that, at least."

El tilted her head. "But I told Mike."

Will inhaled, stiffening, as he looked to El, questioningly. "You… told Mike?"

El nodded. "Yes. I told him you were my boyfriend now too because you and I did it like me and he did, and I was happy."

It made sense… if she phoned Mike when Will gave up all resistance, that left a week for Mike to plan the trip to kick Will's ass, which lined up perfectly with what Joyce said at the dinner table.

'…'

Welp, time to go sign his own death certificate.

El, mercifully, stopped her advances upon Will the moment he confessed. She didn't have much of a sense of boundaries still, but she could tell when Will was genuinely not in the mood.

Now all that was left to do was wait until Friday, and the bells to toll.

Joyce isn't talking to him. Will doesn't know if that's a good or a bad thing.

And Jonathan had no clue what was going on and why. It was like… that scene from Star Wars where Alderaan was destroyed and Obi-Wan could feel the deaths through the Force. Only it's one death, and it's impending instead of happening right now.

All Will could do was isolate himself in his room and wait for Mike (and thereby death) to come.

"Welp, you are in a pickle, aren't you?" The Devil on Will's shoulder suddenly appeared.

He must've fallen asleep.

The tiny duplicate of El checked out her nails. "Then again, it's not like I had to tell you that."

"Shut up." Will venomously spat. "I'm in this situation to begin with because of you."

"No, you're in this situation to begin with because of your urges." The Devil corrected.

"I lob those in with you." Will replied. "The parts of myself I don't like, isn't that what you said?"

"Hm…" The Devil smiled. "Technically, I said 'the darker sides of your subconscious,' but yes."

"Where's the other one?" Will questioned, looking at the wall. "I'd much rather be talking to him right now."

"Indisposed." The Devil crossed her arms. "You're stuck with me…" She gave a sultry smile.

"Cut it out." Will ordered. "I'm not in the mood."

"But you were in the mood." The Devil whispered in his ear. "That's how all this started… poor little Will Byers, so desperate to scratch an itch, he wound up betraying his oldest, deepest friend, taking advantage of the girl who saved his life… and now you're going to be beaten to within an inch of your life. Well, that's just desserts, isn't it?"

"…I can live with that." Will whispered. "As long as El doesn't get any flak directed at her. And certainly not from Mike. She loves him more than anything else… it'd destroy her if he got mad with her."

The Devil let out a frustrated huff. "All this drama and you still have no clue."

Will's head snapped to face her. "Don't patronize me."

"Will," The Devil rolled her eyes, "You helped out El when she needed it most, when Mike couldn't be there for her. When you kissed her, instead of shying away like anybody else, she returned it. On purpose."

"…yeah, I know. That's how this whole kerfuffle started."

"You think she'd return a kiss and bang because of just hormones? Get real!" The Devil let out a long-suffering sigh. "She loves you too, moron."

"No, she loves Mike." Will corrected.

"No," The Devil insisted. "She loves you and Mike."

Will huffed, flopping back. "Well, know I know I'm dreaming."

"Will, I'm your feminine side too," She stated. "I know these things."

"Doesn't matter." Will replied. "I couldn't ask her to choose."

"Who said she had to choose?"

"…Don't be ridiculous, it'd never work out."

"Will…" The Devil leaned into Will's ear. "Don't lie to me. I know exactly the way you feel about Mike… Why else would I look like El of all people? Admit it. You're more than just a little curious."

"…I mean, yeah." Will granted. "But like he'd ever give me a chance now that I've done his girlfriend."

"Oh, you never know." The Devil laid down on Will's shoulder. "Mike could never stay mad at us for long." She said, running her tiny hand along Will's jaw. "Even when we fucked up really bad."

"Us?" Will repeated. "We?"

"I'm all the urges you've ever had. I've always been a part of you, Will…" The Devil told him. "You just hadn't noticed me until now."

Will swallowed. "You think I- …we, have a chance?"

"More than a chance." The Devil replied. "He's going to be angry first, but then, after he beats us into a bloody pulp and is getting all emotional because of it, that's when you tell him."

"…do I have to be beaten up?"

"Yes." The Devil answered. "It's less than what we deserve, honestly."

"…right…" Will took a breath. "Okay… I know what needs to happen."

"Good." The Devil approved. "Now, what do you say we have some fun?"

When Will woke up the next morning he felt… calm. Resigned.

What was going to happen was going to happen. There was nothing he could do to stop it, even if he tried.

Maybe he should've wanted to stop it… but no, this was his comeuppance. This is what he deserved.

He's going to burn in hell for what he did, maybe it would be good to prepare for the pain here on Earth. Then again, if Hell existed, it was the Upside-Down, and that was more along the lines cold and damp than all fire and brimstone.

Regardless… it was a good run, while it lasted. He can't blame El, not for getting excited and wanting to tell Mike without understanding the repercussions. He can't blame Mike, not for getting angry.

Will can only blame himself. For letting something so totally innocent spiral out of control into… whatever this is now.

He made himself look presentable and went to the living room.

El was sitting on the floor, cross-legged, watching Star Wars for the dozenth time on the VCR.

She catches Will, smiles and waves.

Will half-heartedly returned it. She should be angry with him. Devastated, yet she isn't.

Will flopped down on the couch, and El huffed, getting to her feet, before throwing her arms around him.

Will stiffened, waiting for what he knew was going to happen next…

It never came. She didn't make any movements to his privates, or even kiss him on the lips.

It was just a hug. A pure, innocent hug.

He doesn't deserve it.

"Everything's gonna be fine." El whispered in Will's ear, like he had done back during the start, when Hopper had just passed away.

El pulled back, smiling gently, before turning back to the TV.

…what was going on inside her head?

A knock came at the door, and El excitedly squealed, shooting to her feet to answer it, as Will gulped.

The door opened, and Will could see his doom on the other side.

Mike was there.