#suzie the sanity keeper

[hazardworld]

It’s that time again where i haven’t posted gay for awhile so all the bots start following me. Conveniently, it’s also WIP Wednesday, so here’s two WIPs for the world:

-------

1. Graduation

(As HS class of 23 also I claim the modern au kids as HS class of 23 because none of us returned to school after freshman spring break either)

Dustin groaned awake as his alarm blared in his ear. He scrubbed the sleep out of his eyes and squinted at the bright light of his phone screen—9:00 am—pressing the stop button.

He sat up and yawned, then reached for his glasses. The world came into focus as he put them on, both physically and mentally.

Today was May 26, 2023.

High School Graduation.

Dustin leapt out of bed, comforter flying. He put on his pajama pants and swept out of his room to the smell of breakfast food, specifically pancakes (or possibly waffles; the hard yet better option).

He was about to make his way out to grab a plate, but an alarm blaring further down the hallway caught his ear.

He made his way down to Max’s room, careful to open the door quietly. Her alarm was the worst one: the one that sounded like some sort of jail alarm, and it was always at max volume. Dustin plugged his ears (as best he could) and turned it off before shaking Max awake.

“Max, Max get up,”

A groan. Dustin rolled his eyes.

“Max, it’s grad day!!”

No response.

“Max,” Dustin smirked and whispered in her ear, “Lucas is wearing a sexy Sailor Moon costume,” he singsonged, and Max jolted awake.

Quickly, Max settled herself back down with a groan, and Dustin’s heart sank.

“Fucking fuck,”

“Wheelchair?” Dustin asked, resigned. Max had been trying to build up her strength the past few days to maximize the possibility of having an aid-free day. After 2 1/2 years of PT, aid-free days were just as common or crutch or wheelchair days, but planning one was near impossible. It was lucky Max had them in the first place anyway: she’d been told the day she woke from her coma that she’d never walk again.

What the doctors hadn’t realized was the best place for her to stay (one story, not in the middle of the woods, two people) was the Henderson home, and Henderson blood was some of the most stubborn around. Claudia and Dustin (plus Steve when he still lived with them, and the rest of the Party) all made sure Max got as much practice walking as she could get.

Max nodded solemnly, and Dustin grabbed the chair—the Party decorated it ahead, just in case—from the corner of the room. As he did so, Max put on her own glasses and re-sat up slowly.

“So, graduation. You ready?” Max smirked lazily, and Dustin raised his eyebrow.

“What do you think?” Max laughed, and seamlessly scooted herself into her chair.

“Push or no push?” Dustin asked.

“I’d take a chauffeur,” Max responded cooly, and Dustin pulled a section of her hair in retaliation. He was not a chauffeur. “HEY! Okay, okay, jeez. I should be fine,” Dustin nodded and walked towards the door so she could change.

Actually…he probably should too.

Stained pj pants and no shirt wasn’t really a look the school was looking for onstage.

“Call for Ma or me if you need anything,” Max rolled her eyes as she nodded, and Dustin left grinning. He made his way back to his room, shutting and locking the door behind him. He grabbed the dress shirt and pants he’d washed and hung up the previous night from his closet. The dress shirt was a light lavender with small vertical stripes, and was brand new for the occasion. His dress pants were black, and the same dress pants he’d used for choir or any other special event for the past 4 years.

God…4 years. 4 years at Hawkins High and now it was all over.

His thoughts weee interrupted by a heavy bang-bang-bang on his wall.

Dustin rolled his eyes and grinned, zipping up his fly before going back to Max’s room.

“Pants?” He asked immedeately as he opened the door. Sure enough, Max was in her pink floral blouse and pajama pants, with her own pair of black dress pants laid haphazardly on her bed.

She nodded. “Pants.” Dustin nodded in response and shut and locked the door.

When Max had a moderate amount of pain or more, usually it meant she needed help getting her pants on. Sometimes there were days where she needed help with nothing or everything, but if she needed help usually it was just for pants.

Dustin lifted her out of her chair and squinted his eyes shut while holding her sturdy from behind.

“Done!” Came Max’s voice, and Dustin opened his eyes to help her back into the chair. Dustin snatched her palm gloves from her bedside drawer, and chucked them in her lap.

“Thanks, ass,” Max smirked and slipped on the gloves, and wheeled herself out the door Dustin held open for her.

The scent of heavenly fatty food wafted through Dustin’s nose once again as he followed his sister out to the kitchen. Ma had her back turned, frying up something—sausage or eggs, probably.

“Ma!” Dustin called, before noticing her earbuds in.

“We should not have introduced her to noise cancellation.” Max commented.

“Agreed. She’s deafer than Steve with those things in,” Ma had forced Steve to go see a ear doctor after she noticed him not hearing anything unless he was facing her---something Dustin regretted not noticing sooner. Apparently, all the concussions had lead him to being hard of hearing, which lead to him wearing hearing aids and everyone in the Party learning sign.

------

Sibling Summer Camp!

(A modern summer camp au with an inhuman twist. This excerpt is from the first chapter, where everyone is first arriving at camp.)

They parked and got out, walking to their luggage in the back. A few seconds into opening the van door, and another van raced past them, parking close on their right. Whoever was inside was blaring music, and singing along so loud Suzie could hear every word they said.

"Put your hands up and reach for the sky, CRY FOR ABSOLUTIOOOON!"

Rock music wasn’t Suzie’s fave, but yikes.

Suzie noticed their Florida license plate as the van shook to the song’s beat. 

Typical Floridians. Probably.

There were a bunch of various rainbow magnets and bumper stickers, though, so at least the rockers were safe. Their van was maroon and tan, though Suzie could see hints of washed off paint across the side and back. Had it been graffitied?

“Hey, Suze, a little help?” Oh, shit. Suzie pulled away from her people watching to help Argyle unload their suitcases. He had taken care of the larger few, but the smaller ones were all the way in the back. They were here for a month, after all, and while they were promised laundry service for their clothes, there were many things neither of them wanted to leave behind.

Suzie shuffled a bag sounding like a bunch of glass bottles, and paused, sighing.

“Argyle, how many bongs did you bring?” Argyle smiled and shrugged.

“I didn’t bring my whole collection, if you’re asking.”

She hit him with a glare.

“How many?” 

“…13?”

“YOU BROUGHT 13 BONGS?" Suzie exclaimed, and Argyle shrugged.

"Could be more, could be less, I dunno,"

Just because the two of them got on swimmingly didn’t mean they never got into disagreements. Usually, these disagreements had to do with bongs.

"Why are 13 ish bongs something necessary for camp! I’m sure you won’t even use half of them!” Suzie grumbled angrily. She couldn’t expect Argyle to not bring his stash, but an entire bag of 13 bongs??? In a state where recreational weed wasn’t even legal??

“I heard 13 bongs,” Suzie looked up, and standing at the mouth of the van was a lanky tall boy with the darkest color palette she had ever seen. Seriously, the black hair, band tank, and jeans were so stark against his pale skin, he almost looked like a vampire.

“Who the heck are you?” and “Wanna borrow one?” were said at the exact same time. Unluckily for Suzie, the boy only heard Argyle’s question, and not hers.

"Nah, I packed a few myself, but nice to know I’ll have a smokin’ buddy!" This guy—obviously from Florida—had southern slang with a midwest accent. Weird.

"EDDIE! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!" Called another voice, and Suzie’s question was answered. "YOU AREN’T LEAVIN’ ME TO DO ALL THIS WORK, YOU SLIMY SACK OF DICKS!" This was likely Eddie’s sibling, left to do all the work unloading their things. Argyle and Eddie exchanged goodbyes, and Eddie ran off to his sibling.

"I found a weed guy!" Argyle grinned, and Suzie shook her head while smiling. 

"Yes Argyle, you found a weed guy,” Suzie panned to the remaining luggage in the back, “now can we please get the rest of our bags out? Otherwise you won’t be seeing weed guy for a month,” Argyle nodded and started pulling the luggage onto the ground.

#disabled max mayfield #hoh steve harrington #little choir boy dustin #suzie the sanity keeper #both of these include (later on) heavy #steddie #argyle #florida man eddie munson #specifically central florida #eddie is a ghost fan #wip wednesday