Ashes Falling Upwards (stranger things, Will x OC/reader)

Halloween

The sky was starting to darken by the time they reached the main group of houses they would be visiting.

"I'm guessing Max isn't coming then," Ash whispered to Lucas. "Sorry about that."

"Nah, you did better than I could've," he assured her. "Besides, it might be for the best. I'm pretty sure Mike would freak if he knew we invited two girls."

The group shifted again as they made their way up the driveway of the first house, Will ending up at the back next to her.

"Sorry Mike's being like this," he muttered. "I told him how we're trying to figure this out, but he's just really protective of our Party."

"You know, when I talked to him, he didn't seem that worried about you."

He looked away.

"You haven't told him about the problems you're having, have you?"

"I told you, I—"

"Trick or treat!" Lucas, Dustin and Mike called as the door opened to a young man's smiling face.

"Ghostbusters! Cool! Sorry we don't have any ghosts for you, but how about some candy?"
The kids nodded as he grabbed a couple handfuls and filled their bags, then Ash and Will went through the same procedure, along with the man joking awkwardly that she was his ghost to which they laughed politely but made faces at each other when his back turned.
Once they were back on the street with the others Will finished, "—I don't want them to worry. So please don't tell him either."

"Okay, I won't."

She tried to ignore the possessive thoughts in her mind that she was the only person he needed, that she was the one who could best understand him. She wasn't like that. She wasn't.

They visited more houses, some people joking about the ghostbusters, others just giving away candy without any comment. After a while they started talking more, joking and laughing and having a good time like anyone should on a Halloween night. Mike didn't talk much, but he would add in comments here and there, even smiling sometimes.

The sky had fully darkened when they reached a porch lit orange house. The door opened to an equally orange haired old woman, who smiled, gushing, "aren't you cute? The little exterminators!"

Will lowered the camera from his eye and the rest of them sighed, grabbing their candy. Of course, for a lady like that, it was only 3 Musketeers.

"If I get another 3 Musketeers, I'm gonna kill myself," Lucas complained as they walked down the lawn and away from the house.

"What's wrong with 3 musketeers?" Dustin asked, confused.

"What's wrong with 3 musketeers?" He echoed in disgust.

"No one likes 3 Musketeers," Mike agreed.

"Yeah," Will added, "it's just nougat."

"Whaohoho, just nougat?" He slowed as they reached the street. "It is top 3 for me."

"If you like it so much I'll give you mine," Ash offered.

"I might just take you up on that," he muttered.

"But really," she continued, "top 3?"

"I swear, I could just eat a whole bowl of nougat, straight up—"

They all groaned in disgust but were cut short by a person in a white mask jumping down in front of them, yelling and holding a long knife.
Lucas leapt back, his high pitched screaming making Ash flinch.

The yelling turned to laughing as the person pulled off their mask, revealing Max's grinning face and light red hair.

"Holy shit, you should've seen the looks on your faces!" she laughed. "And you?" She pointed the knife at Lucas, still grinning, "who screams like that? You sound like a little girl!"
None of them responded as she turned and started down the street. When she noticed no one was following her she looked back, saying, "I heard we should hit up Loch Nora. That's where all the rich people live, right?"

With that they followed her, Mike straying behind. Ash remembered what Lucas had said with a twinge of guilt.

She glanced over to Will, who was walking quickly, his eyes wide. Ash hadn't been surprised when Max jumped down, since she had been thinking it was someone from their school trying to prank them, but after what he'd been through that must've been awful for him.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked.

He frowned. "You don't have to baby me like that. I'm fine."

She smiled darkly. "You remind me of someone else I know, who says that a lot."

He sighed. "Can we just... enjoy Halloween?"

"Right. Sorry."