Like a Fish Out of Water

by misura

Summary:

Tony in Georgia.

Shane doesn't like the guy with the fancy cap and the fancy jacket and the fancy way of talking - flirting with every damn woman he meets, no matter whose wife or girlfriend she may be. It's not about the case, really - Shane doesn't give a damn about that.

It's his job, sure, but the way he sees it, long as it gets done, what's it to him who does it? Nothing, that's what.

Unfair to Rick, though. "You want to grab something to eat, later?"

Rick cares about the job entirely too much, and they all know it. Some folks think Rick should maybe take it down a peg, but not Shane. Rick's a good guy - you don't mess with that kind of people.

"Sounds good," someone definitely not Rick says, putting his arm around Shane's shoulder as if he is. As if he's got the right.

Even Rick looks a bit taken aback for a moment, a bit like he's about to draw the line and start telling this fancy NCIS man what's what.

"Not like you guys were planning a date, was it?" DiNozzo's grin is entirely too knowing.

Rick's the one who keeps a cool head. Of course. Rick doesn't know what's really happened to that Navy guy, after all, and Shane will make sure he never will, either, no matter what it takes. Some things, good men like Rick aren't supposed to know about. Nothing they can do about it now, except feel bad, and that's not going to help.

"Me and my wife, we've got one of them arrangements," Rick drawls, laying on the accent pretty thick. "So I'd 'preciate it if you moved your hand."

DiNozzo moves his hand like he's burnt it. Shane tries not to grin.

That gets a whole lot easier when DiNozzo asks if maybe they'd be up for a threesome, and Rick looks like he'd actually consider it.

 

"Could tell you fancied him a bit," Rick says after, by way of explanation. "And it's always just you, me and Lori - reckon you might get bored of the same old."

"No," Shane says, not adding that, given half a chance, he'd just as soon be rid of Lori, too, and have Rick all to himself. Make it harder to keep the secret though, and anyway, Rick loves her.

Rick chuckles softly, as if he knows Shane better than Shane knows himself.

(Shane wishes that were true, sometimes.)