Free Use
Staring - Mike Wheeler Rating - 18+ (Drinking / Tattoos) Reading Time - 7 min 14 sec (940)
The house was silent; a special type of hush had fallen over it, the type only achieved when everyone inside the house was hungover beyond belief. All the blinds were drawn in an attempt to block out the high sun of the late day, balloons loomed half stuck to the walls with celeotape, colourful streamers and red solo cups littered every inch of the house. Guests and residents alike lie draped over items of furniture like discarded jackets, the floor sticky with some unknown substance, and the speakers still hissing where whoever had connected their phone had died.
The first to emerge from his room was Dustin, his hand on his temple, his hat half off his head, his eyes seemed almost sunken as he stepped carefully to the kitchen and sat at the island. “Fuck me gently with a chainsaw,” he groaned,
“Shut up, Heather!” Erica yelled as she slammed the front door,
“Ughhhhh… Erica… not now…” He whined,
“Well, too bad, I only get so many chances to annoy my hungover big brother,” she chuckled, digging around in the kitchen,
“But why must the rest of us suffer so greatly?” he complained, shoving his fingers in his ears in hope it might save him,
She grabbed a pot and a wooden spoon, and she began her work with loud, ear-piercing bangs over and over, but never in a rhythm, just far enough apart to be random and thus utterly unavoidable, “LISTEN UP, YOU HUNG OVER, HUNCHED OVER DISAPOINTMENTS TO YOUR PARENTS! IF YOU DO NOT LIVE HERE! GET THE FUUUUUCK OUT!”
Immediately, everyone in the vicinity got up and groaned, gathering anything they saw of their own and sulking away out the door.
“I’m sorry… sorry… I swear she’s not always here.” Dustin sighed as people left, leaving the house almost empty,
“There.” Erica smiled, tossing the pan into the sink,
“I regret letting you be a key holder for this house.”
“What the hell is all the noise!” Lucas yelled as he emerged from his bedroom, but he was completely bare,
“Ahhh!” Erica screamed, putting her hands over her eyes,
“Pants, dude! Pants!” Dustin complained,
“Shit,” he cursed, darting back into his bedroom,
“Coffee, anyone?” Will asked with a warm smile, showered, dressed and functioning, as he came down the stairwell,
“Black!” Max yelled from inside her and Lucas’ room,
“Do you have pants? You don’t get coffee without pants.” Dustin warned,
“… I will in a minute,” she called back,
“I take it everyone is pretty hung out to dry?” Will laughed as he began making coffee,
“What kinda sorcery are you?” Dustin groaned,
“I know my limits.”
“And he drinks that weird tea before bed.” Lucas sighed as he and Max finally emerged dressed,
“It’s not weird, and clearly it works.” Will smiled as he handed out coffees,
“Who’s still missing?” Erica asked,
“El wasn’t out last night, everyone else has gone home… so it’s just Mike.” Dustin sighed,
“Not it!” Everyone tried to rush for but Lucas was the last,
“Damn it… he always gets so… edgy when he’s hungover.” Lucas groaned, “Fine!”
“He’s gonna throw something at your head,” Max giggled,
“And I’ll kick his ass.”
Slowly, everyone headed upstairs and pushed open the chaos that was Mike’s bedroom, paper half typed and crumbled sat all over his floor in a mess of used clothes, old plates and half-painted miniatures. In the midst of it all, Mike lay on his back wearing his black boxer shorts and a grey hoodie, his limbs knitted and knotted with his blue sheets and his jet black locks across the pillow.
Lucas was about to speak up, but the sound of the door opening had been enough to make Mike stir, stretching just slightly and arching his back, which pushed up his hoodie just enough to see… something on his lower stomach. “Holy shit.”
“What is that?” Max whispered,
“I think it’s a tattoo…” Will added,
“A tattoo? No, Mike’s way too much of a needlephobe.” Dustin laughed, “It’s got to be fake, Sharpie or something, right?”
“Nope… the redness around his hip, that’s the real deal.” Erica laughed,
“Mike got so drunk he got a tattoo…” Lucas laughed in disbelief,
“Of course, he didn’t get something cool.” Max rolled her eyes,
“I wish I’d have known he wanted something, I’d have drawn it up for him.” Will sighed,
“What does it even say?” Dustin asked, trying to move closer to get a better look at the font inked into their friend, but he stood on a creaky floorboard, “Shit!”
“Ughhhhh… what?” Mike groaned, slowly sitting up and rubbing his eyes, “Shut up, Dustin, my head is killing me!” He complained,
“Sorry, dude.” Dustin gulped,
“Ughh, my stomach too, I think that midnight burger isn’t sitting so well.” Mike began going to touch his lower stomach,
“NO!” Everyone yelled before his obviously dirty hands could touch the fresh tattoo,
“What- why is everyone in my room!” He complained his eyes were shooting open,
“You uhh… may wanna look at your stomach, Wheeler,” Max smirked,
“Look at my… what-” He began as he stood up and went to his mirror, and his jaw immediately dropped as he saw the words emblazoned on his lower stomach right over his Apollo’s belt leading down towards his boxers, “Oh my god- OH MY GOD! I got a tattoo!”
“What does it even say?” Erica asked,
“I… I don’t… It’s like… so hard to read in this font, but it’s like…. F-Free Free U-use- Free Use.” Immediately, all the colour drained from his face and everyone hung in a quiet silence, “I GOT ‘FREE USE’ TATTOED ABOVE MY DICK!”
“Well, that’s gonna be one long call back to Hawkins.” Lucas chuckled.
