fandomtownies | The Beach, Monday Evening

You know how sometimes you just got a good flow on and focused like hell on one single thing? Yeah, that had eaten up all of Mike's holiday weekend despite his original plans to the contrary. He'd meant to have a barbecue on the fourth and invite people over – or at the very least go out on the beach and drink the day away.

But nah.

Ultimately, he'd done something better. He'd crunched numbers all weekend and he'd come to a conclusion that made excited nervousness roil up in the pit of his stomach: he could try and go into business for himself. Custom furniture. Finally. Wasn't going to be easy, but he could get started. He could try and do something that wasn't doing what anyone else told him to.

He could forgive himself one missed party opportunity for that.

A beer alone on the beach at night was kind of like a party, right? It was enough of one for him right now. Just a cool beer and him alone with sand under his bare feet and the ocean right there. After a whil, he propped his bottle in the sand, peeled off his shirt, and waded into the water. It felt like home. It felt right.

Goddamn, he was happy.

[ooc: I saw Magic Mike XXL today. It was great. This post is open!]

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Tamsin had no big motivations for being out tonight; she was bored, and it had been warm enough that walking outside seemed nice.

Nicer than she'd anticipated.

She let out a wolf-whistle as her feet hit the sand. That was tradition for her and Mike, right?

Enough so that Mike chuckled as he looked back. "If I said I think I can tell it's you just by that sound alone, would you call bullshit?"

It was bullshit but still, they did do this more often than not.

Now that the sun had set, Allie was out for her usual journey around the island. Now that the warm weather was here, her path usually brought her by the beach at some point. Tonight it looked like there was a reason to linger.

"I didn't realize we had mermaids...excuse me, mermen, here on the island."

"Of course," Tamsin called. "Because it is a whole load of bull."

Didn't mean she wasn't enjoying the view as much as implied.

"Hey, don't say shit like that," Mike objected with a laugh. "I don't want the island getting ideas. I like having legs."

People didn't give them enough appreciation, but they were great legs.

Mike shrugged. What could you do? "Well, a guy's gotta try," he decided. "Good to see you, though, Tamsin. Guess I'll have to keep identifying you by your face."

Oh what a hardship.

He did have great legs. Allie was just going to take a moment to admire them, and everything that was attached to them.

"It wouldn't be the worst thing that's happened. But yeah, best not to give it ideas. Those clam shell bras don't look all that comfortable."

"Yeah, and I'm not sure I could get one that'd really be my color, y'know?"

Yeah, that was a serious concern. Except no it wasn't. He splashed some water around, and smiled.

"How's things?"

"I bet you'd make it work."

Allie toed off her shoes, and stood at the edge of the water, grateful she'd actually worn shorts for a change.

"Pretty good overall. Books to read, a bike to ride. What more could I want?" she smiled.

"It's a pretty hot face," Tamsin said, with no trace of humility whatsoever. "I think you'll survive."

She took a few more steps down the beach. Hey, she could just about count his abs from here.

He didn't flex his muscles to make that easier, but he could have.

"You sure about that?" he asked. "'Cause I don't know if I see enough of it, really."

"I can think of a few things." The smirk suggested the nature of those things, although it morphed back into a slightly more innocent smile not too long after. "But hey, good. Summer's way too pretty to waste on not having a good time."

Tamsin shrugged. "Well, you could come a little closer," she called, "Because I'm not walking all the way over there!"

She could, but why would she if she could make Mike do it?

Allie laughed because she'd been thinking similar things. "It is. Have you been enjoying yours so far?"

You know what, Mike actually had zero problem with that. Sure, he looked a little amused but he still waded his way back closer to the shore and towards her.

"Well, since you asked so nicely."

"Yeah, I have," he said, nodding, then rubbing the back of his neck. "Never got a party off the ground for the holiday but, I kinda got some other stuff planned right now so... It's all good."

At some point he'd find the words to tell people about it. Maybe even during this conversation!

"Being nice wastes time," Tamsin said, now actually taking the time to count those abs. What?

"I should've known you'd be a midnight swim kind of guy."

He shrugged his bare shoulders. "Used to live right by the water back in Tampa," he said. "Like a minute from my back door to the edge of the sand. Guess you can't shake that even after three years."

"I figured you were busy," she nodded. "Just means you'll have to have one some other night. Unless this stuff you've got planned is going to take up your time."

"Florida?" Tamsin said. "Aren't you supposed to have some kind of ridiculous accent?"

Said the girl who had neatly tucked her original Norwegian accent away behind her Canadian one centuries ago.

"It probably is," he admitted. "'Cause, uh, it's a business venture." And holy fuck, he could feel a rush in his chest just saying that. "But I'm sure I'll still have time for parties. Let's face it, I've always managed to find time for parties."

And he'd been working hard a lot for a long time now.

He made an amused sound. "Nah, I have a perfectly charming accent."

Although he had a tendency to go real southern when he was upset.

"Spent a lot of time wrestling 'gators in your underwear?" Tamsin asked, bridging the last couple of feet between them.

Both of those things obviously called for showing off one of his biceps with a brief pose. "Obviously." A beat. "I don't know how the 'gators got in my underwear though."

What a dork.

"A business venture? That sounds all official and serious," Allie said, taking a step into the water. "What kind of business?"

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The Beach, Monday Evening

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