InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Will you be my friend?"

magic mike (mikelane) wrote in valarlogs,
@ 2016-08-04 21:04:00

Entry tags:

joshua washington, mike lane

Who: Mike Lane mikelane & Joshua Washington joshes
What: Meeting a Friend of a Friend
When: Thursday, August 4, evening
Where: AoSA (Art of Sustainable Action Coffee Shop in Huntington Harbor Mall Shopping Center)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: None except maybe boys bantering while being boys.
Status: Closed/In Progress

~*~

Deliveries were on Mike's list of favorite things. He loved seeing the look on his client's face when they got to see their custom furnishing art installed for the first time. There was a sense of completion in placing each unit where it "belonged" in its new home; Mike was careful to make certain his installations were as close to perfect as any man could make them the first time around so as not to spoil the experience. It'd taken him one trip with an expanded dolly to get the AoSA's new condiments counter brought in.

Someone else had already been helpful enough to move the cheaper table out of the way for him.

Putting into its new place, Mike got out his drill to anchor it, wiping down the sides, the top, each part so the wood gleamed even through the sealant he'd used to protect it from careless customers. He unwrapped the stainless steel containers which each had a housing in the counter. All of them were labeled with space for new options as the shop expanded its menu. Mike had made them a deal on the steel labels by offering to keep a set handy to swap them out free of charge at any time over the next five years.

Mike took pride in his work. He wanted people to love what he made for them and that meant standing by his work for longer than it took to wheel it in, wipe it down, and wander out with cash in hand.

It helped he got free coffee for life in exchange though Mike always tipped as much as he'd have been charged. He figured it was only fair since he wasn't doing anything for perks or money. All his art was simply that: art.

"I think you look nice here. At home. You feel at home? Good. I thought you would," looking to the side, Mike realized someone was staring at him as he talked to the new installment and he vaguely recognized the guy, "Hey, aren't you a friend of Sam's?"

~*~

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joshes
2016-08-15 05:14 pm UTC (link)

Josh feels tired. Probably looks tired too, the dark circles under his eyes more pronounced than usual. And his teeth feel weird, which is -- unsettling. So he'd gone for a walk to get something stupidly sugary and caffeine filled to take his mind off it.

Which is precisely when this gorgeous hunk of a man decided to notice and talk to him. "Oh -- hey. I guess I would hold the title of best friend, and proudly so thank you."

He sticks his hand out, "Josh."

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mikelane
2016-08-18 04:35 pm UTC (link)

"Mike."

He shakes the guy's hand as if they've met under perfectly ordinary circumstances. Mike doesn't think the situation is all that strange for him, really, since he tends to talk to his projects while he's working on them. Every piece of furnishing art Mike Lane offers up had a part of him in it somewhere. His hands made these pieces come together in a way which no other hands could duplicate. That was what his teacher had taught him while he was doing his internship to learn what he could about making functional art for a discerning crowd the likes of which one could find in Orange County.

"I work a lot which is why I haven't met you. I'm not her dirty little secret. Unless she told you I was. Then, sure, whatever she says. She's the boss."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	joshes 2016-08-21 10:03 am UTC (link)
	"Yessss, oh yeah! Yeah, I saw pictures of you. Much better in person, goddamn." Mike is definitely gorgeous. And built. And a lot of things Josh is into. But Mike is dating Sam and Josh is dating Felix, so he's going to behave himself and not do his usual flirty thing too much. "Sam is the boss, it's true. You're smart for realizing that." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

mikelane
2016-08-22 10:58 pm UTC (link)

Was that a compliment or an insult? Mike wasn't entirely sure. He'd always thought he was pretty photogenic. Enough people had demanded selfies with him when he was working The Scene as a hype man for him to think he wasn't entirely wrong in that regard---except apparently he was a shallow asshole who was thinking about whether or not he looked good in pictures instead of what Sam's friend thought of him.

Great.

"Women are always the boss. This is something I know for a fact from years of experience. I think I'm flattered at the better in person compliment. I do work out. Mostly I dance. Do you know her from college?"

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	joshes 2016-08-27 12:50 am UTC (link)
	Definitely a compliment. "I mean like, your pictures are killer. But goddamn, man." Josh likes a guy who could haul him around, and Mike fits the bill. "Sam and I have known each other for like, ages. She's my girl Friday, you know? The Julia Roberts to my Rupert Everett in My Best Friend's Wedding, that whole thing." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

mikelane
2016-08-27 11:46 am UTC (link)

"I actually love RomComs so I've seen that movie. Personally? I think you're better-looking than Rupert Everett so I'd tell you I would cast you more as the Paul Rudd to her Jennifer Aniston in The Object of My Affection. Great film. I will admit it made me cry. I'm man enough to admit I can cry over a good movie."

Josh seemed enthusiastic, clever, a lot less serious than Sam on the whole which fascinated Mike. He wondered at how they wound up being best friends. It was hard to reconcile the smiling face in front of him with the horrors Sam described in her Dreams; Mike wondered if Josh had started his Dreams yet or if he was like Mike and waiting for that shoe to drop. He wasn't comfortable asking so he settled for moving back from the new piece to eyeball it for fit again even though he knew its exact measurements without looking at any blueprints. Mike took pride in all his work. There were no pieces he'd forgotten and this one would be the same.

"We should set something up. Go dancing. Bowling. Catch a movie. I'm not that guy who doesn't want to know his girl's friends."

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joshes
2016-08-31 02:23 am UTC (link)

Josh fans himself dramatically, "Oh babe, you'll make me swoon. You are definitely cuter than Paul Rudd, and I love a man who cries over a good movie."

Josh does his utmost to seem enthusiastic and less serious. It's a very very carefully created act, and sometimes it's exhausting keeping it up, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

"Oh man, yeah. Totally, all of that. I want to know Sam's new sweetheart, and I know Felix would love to do a double date sometime." He glances over at what Mike's looking at and tilts his head, assessing the piece. "Nice."

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mikelane
2016-08-31 12:09 pm UTC (link)

Enthusiastic people were always a breath of fresh air to be around. Life was too hectic sometimes in the business world; Mike could understand why Sam was friends with Josh. He seemed to enjoy life rather than simply survive it. Felix was likely his boyfriend, but Mike figured there was no harm in asking.

"Thanks! So is Felix your boyfriend? That sounds like it could be a lot of fun."

They could do the beach or a dinner or something. Mike had a feeling he'd get himself into trouble if he offered dancing as an option. Dance was his passion. Sometimes Mike forgot all about who he was with or what kind of persona he was supposed to be presenting when he was dancing. The last thing he wanted was to give the wrong impression to Sam's friend on a double date. They had managed to hit it off pretty well for a first meeting. Why screw it up with a dumb move on his part?

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	joshes 2016-08-31 04:43 pm UTC (link)
	"Bingo." Josh makes a little heart shape with his hands over his chest. "Felix is my boyfriend, yeah. He's a professional party planner, which sounds like an awesome job right? We met on the network, and then at a bar, and the rest is history." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

mikelane
2016-08-31 06:52 pm UTC (link)

"I used to be a hype man in Florida," Mike laughed, surprised at the way things overlapped sometimes in the OC, "Weird to think how things overlap here. Small world, you know? My whole job was to pull people along to parties, convince them to pay the cover charges, come up with themes to get them excited about being in The Scene. I got tired of it myself. I still love to dance. I look forward to meeting Felix. He sounds like a fun guy and you are definitely a fun guy so look at that: fun times all around."

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joshes
2016-08-31 10:59 pm UTC (link)

"Yeah, yeah." Josh's smile falters a little bit, but stays on. Just barely. "Christ knows I need some fun right now. I mean -- I don't know if Sam's shared her dreams. Our dreams. Kind of fucked up, but -- hey!

No, yeah. Promise that's not me here."

He grabs onto a new subject and runs with it, "You like dancing? I love dancing. We should go dancing it'll be a riot."

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mikelane
2016-08-31 11:34 pm UTC (link)

"I love dancing. Like isn't a strong enough word. I'm not so sure Sam would want to go for that with me, but sure. If you wanted to help me wheedle her into a dance night? I'd appreciate the help."

Mike was serious about that, too. Sam was great for him. There was no dance floor he'd rather be on alone than with her. Josh was clearly thinking about the Dreams; he felt there was no reason to bring up what he knew about their other life. It wasn't a good one.

"Hey, don't worry about the Dreams. I know there's a difference between you there and you here. Trust me when I say I know, okay?"

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